Long stall finally broken - lessons learned the hard way

(Deb) #1

If you check my last post in this category, you’ll see that after a year or so of weird fluctuations from 135- 145, unable to go any lower and still at 28 % body fat, I finally determined that Stevia was at least one of the culprits. So I went cold turkey. That broke the stall a tiny bit.

That broke my immense cravings for chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, whipped cream, any kind of dessert thing, EVERY NIGHT!. I used every justification I could think of to convince myself it was ok. (It was still keto. I “deserved” it. I fasted. I will fast. Etc.)

So once I stopped sweeteners of any kind, I also stopped craving desserts at all , and am now losing fat at a regular rate again.

Up until I was about 20 lbs from goal, I never tracked my macros on a regular basis. I estimated. Now I use a keto app. And I am eating 1600 calories a day average. My BMR last I checked was around 1200. I am 56 year old female with history of low thyroid (take Thyrogold), chronic pain patient ( take mild narcotics plus myriad other meds).
I have a desk job, lift weights for about 15 minutes a few times a week, and cardio once a week if I can. I work 6 days a week, and because of the pain condition, it just isn’t always doable!

But I broke the stall!

(Robert C) #2

I am happy you took the time to write this post! (It should be required Newbie reading - breaking a long-term stall under your conditions sounds very difficult.)

“So once I stopped sweeteners of any kind, I also stopped craving desserts at all, and am now losing fat at a regular rate again.”

I think (for some non-trivial part of the keto population) this clinging to the need for sweets / desserts through artificial replacements thwarts their best efforts.

(Deb) #3

Thank you…and you are so correct. I think that we see all those delicious cream cheese, nut butter, whipped cream,cocoa creations, call them keto, and say it’s ok. Then people get discouraged when they either don’t lose or stall.
Sure, if you are coming from the SAD, any change towards LCHF will produce results, especially if you have a lot to lose. But if keto is more of a tweak than a complete change, you won’t be able to use sweeteners, constantly eat desserts, and you even may have to watch your fat intake as you get closer to goal.

I wasted a lot of time ( of course, it tasted REALLY good!), and I was frustrated and depressed, but I am glad I figured it out. And hope this helps others.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #4

Mm, interesting to know. I think my sweeteners may be doing the same thing also but I have given up sooo much for Keto, which I don’t mind, but damn I can’t break those 2 teas a day with a dash of milk and at night I eat 100ml of cream with no sugar drinking powder mixed to make a mousse, I think it’s harming me!

#5

Don’t say that puts fingers in ears and goes la la la!
Every day for the last six or so weeks I have had one square of 90% chocolate, eight hazelnuts or some walnuts, or a teaspoon of natural peanut butter and some HWC to drink. It is a treat I am just not prepared to give up yet- its fits in my carbs, and I really look forward to it.

If the above is true then I really would need to reassess. I know I need to break this habit but like @ava_ad0re I have already given up quite a bit (I am not complaining- I have also given up being obese, stressed and feeling tired all the time) and I would so like to keep this little joy in my day.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #6

Unless you are in a stall, I wouldn’t worry about it. If you do stall, then maybe you have to make some hard choices.

I too enjoy my dark chocolate and no sugar added peanut butter. And there are a lot of health benefits to tmdark chocolate, so unless/until it impedes my progress, I will continue to eat guilt free from time to time.

(Robert C) #7

Yes - exactly - those little treats work until they don’t.
But, if they help compliance, it is much better to keep them than quit altogether.
And who’s to say you won’t get to your goal before having to skip them?

#8

I am happy you broke your stall. I know it can be such a struggle. I don’t find I need sweeteners, but I like to drink a diet soda or zero cal energy drink or flavored water. I just started 3 weeks ago, I’m really not losing much, but I also don’t have any medical issues and am not largely over weight. Maybe 20lbs that I’ve gained over the last 15 years and 2 kids. I’m not in a huge rush to lose, but if I do stall, I’m coming back to this and trying your advise.

#9

I know we all have stopped consuming some foods ( mentioned above as given up) and we stopped eating them because they are hurting us. In this process we have gain back our health and vitality. I never look at what I lost but focus on everything I have gained. So I have given up nothing of value and gained back my life!!

(Deb) #10

And that is the take-home point, I think. When you are doing well, losing or happy where you are, no problem. Keep your daily/weekly treats. Don’t for a minute think I’m not going to indulge OCCASIONALLY once I get to my healthy weight!

But if you browse through this and many other forums, you see SO many who have plateaued, etc. Especially older women like me whose bodies don’t always cooperate!
And for those who might be following, here are last 6 day weight stats:
6/20. 143.4
6/21 142.4
6/22 140.8
6/23 140.2
6/24 139.8
6/25 139.4
6/26 139.0

#11

Nice movement!

(Jay Patten) #12

I can’t stand how much some forums (and Facebook pages) condone the use of artificial sweeteners.

Some people drink diet soda and eat keto “sweets” everyday!! Those are treats and should only be consumed every now and then!

I ask myself “am I prepared to not lose weight today?” before I pop a chocolate fat bomb in my mouth. The answer is usually “no, I’m not” and the fat bomb goes back in the freezer.

(Adam Kirby) #13

I am convinced that some people are hyper-responders to sweet things and will get an insulinogenic response from anything sweet. There is some evidence for this, although I have not heard it discussed very much in the ketosphere.

https://idmprogram.com/cephalic-phase-response-hunger-fasting-18/

(Shale ) #14

How long ago did you give up sweeteners?

(Omar) #15

I do not crave for sweets and rarely I consume Stevia.

But when I consume Stevia I get hungry without any doubt.

(Deb) #16

I stopped using it in my coffee last week (18th) but was still using a packet or 2 around dinner and still having a dessert or treat which invariably used it.
I went 100 % around the end of that week…21st.I have been clean ever since! Like a junkie! Lol!

(Deb) #17

And I figured out a formula that determines my daily fat loss. I’ll start a new post for that…more for myself so I can find it again if I forget but also to help others.

(Jay Patten) #18

You’re right. There was a study that proved that plain old aspertame did NOT have an insulin response by its self, HOWEVER when flavor was added, it DID have an insulin repsonse. So, you can technically say that artificial sweeteners don’t have an insulin response, but that’s a hollow argument because nobody is eating plain aspertame pops (which is what they ate in the study).

(E.O.) #19

I have seen several Keto Lifestyle bloggers state this–that while their youtube channel or blog or what ever they are using to communicate features “treats” or “fat bombs” or what ever they call it, in their own experience(s) you cannot eat them all the time. One approach is: use them until you are fat adapted. Another approach seems to be use them to stay Keto if “life” is going to take you away from it. Another is: go on living the SAD but with “keto replacements” so to speak. Seems, like many have said in this thread–if that is working for you, go with it until it doesn’t work–but if it isn’t working, time to roll up the sleeves and work on the emotional reasons stopping you from making the needed change (or trying it to see if it works for you). Just because there is science behind a concept, doesn’t mean people have done the work, emotionally speaking, to implement it–this is one reason why people who know better do not always do better. Best wishes to any/all needing to over come those emotions to live the best life for their N=1 optimal experience.

(Hank) #20

It took me a solid 6 weeks of effectively zero carb and 1600 calories a day with 70-80% fat and at the time I weighed 330 pounds.

When I fly I do have Fresca. Outside of that almost never any artificial sweeteners. Make no mistake, when I have one I pay the piper.

After 6 months I spent 3 weeks in Paris. Keto in Paris is very difficult. Meat portions are very small. No buffalo wings. So, I went off for the 3 weeks. I didn’t go crazy but I did eat bread, some French fries and some desserts. When I returned, my weight was down 6 pounds. 3 days after my return I was down another 4. After a week another 2.

I consume about 25g of carbs a week. But I am high fat. Fat is where I get my satisfaction. My wife and I had zero cravings since we returned.

My weight is currently 288. I am still grossly obese. At least I am no longer disgustingly grossly obese.