Looking For Pointers/Words Of Advice/Etc


(Shar) #1

Going on week 3 here for me but I’m down 14.6 lbs. Sadly (but trust me, I’m happy with that), 13 of it was gone the first week and the rest in week two. I’m already worried that this will be the end of the losing for me. Yeah, I know it’s way too soon to think that but this is usually par for the course with me and many other diets/WOE I’ve done in the past. I always lose that initial water weight then NOTHING more. And I always give each WOE/Diet I try at least 2 months. Most times, 4 months (and also had to provide food diaries for my doc).

I remember when I was doing South Beach cause it was recommended to me from my doc due to having IR. Anyway, again I stuck to it for 4 months, was doing the gym 5 days a week, 2.5 hours a day and lost nothing but 14 lbs in that time (and you guessed it, was all water from the beginning). NOTHING else happened. My doc attended the same gym as me and we’d see each other there most nights. He used to always say to me, NO ONE should have to work out as hard as you do THAT many times a week and see zero results. Which is why we’ve been struggling to try and get me to lose weight for years. We keep trying new things, changing things up, and not much happens (he doesn’t want me on any sort of diet pills either). And yes, been through the gambit of tests with him and my endocrinologists (whom he finally recommended once he saw the gym and other various diet(s) were doing zilch for me). Thyroid and all that business is good. My only issue(s) are high BP, PCOS, and Insulin Resistance. My family doc is almost reserved to the fact that weight loss surgery may be my only hope. I, however, do NOT want to go down that path!

Anyway, I’m still hoping this will work for me but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m getting scared already and starting to doubt based on history of losing a good amount of weight (water) in the beginning, then nothing later on. And yes, I know that’s foolish since I’m so early in but again, just being honest. But NOT ready to give up, of course!

So, having said that, I was wondering if anyone can give any pointers and let me know if I’m on the right track here. I don’t want to get a month or more in only to find I could or should have been doing x, y and z in order to see more/better results. Thanks!

The run down on me:

Age: 45, soon to be 46 next month

Weight/Inches: started at 318.8 and am now 304.2 (which seems to fluctuate several +lbs). Took my inches the first day and then again on the start of the second week. NO CHANGE. Although I feel less bloated/puffy. Where did those 14.6 lbs come from on my body then if they’re not registering in inches?

Issues: PCOS, IR and HBP (being treated for all)

Drinking: Ketoade every day but with 1/2 tsp of No Salt, 2 tbsp mag citrate per 64 oz x2 (haven’t been adding any extra salt as it was keeping me too bloated and I’ve been getting WELL over the daily keto recommended from the foods I’m eating anyway). Tried the BPC and cannot do it! It makes the back of my throat feel weird for some reason and gets me coughing my whole drink through so I stopped it. Not sure why. EDITED: corrected the amount of NoSalt. Originally I had listed it as 1 tsp per 64 oz when it was actually only 1/2 tsp.

Macs: based on the one calculator I came across on here and a few others, they say I should be sticking to around 109-120g protein, 20 carbs (it actually said 25 but I’ve been staying closer to 20 or under), and 109g fat. But, as you will see below, those numbers seems to vary day to day depending on what I eat.

Exercise: Haven’t been doing anything extra as of yet. Just the normal exercise you get daily from working, household chores, cooking, chasing after 3 grandkids, etc.

Have had NO sugar!

I have NOT been counting calories because many suggested not to. However, they seem to be falling mostly around 2000/day. I typically eat only once a day as I explained in previous threads because that is how I’ve been used to eating for many, many years already. My meal is usually between noon and 2pm. BUT, I have found that the last several days I’ve been hungry upon waking so I eat. Then I’ll eat again later if hungry. In other words, just because I’m used to eating a certain way, doesn’t mean I will deprive myself and stick to that way. I will eat if and when I am hungry, period!

Problems I may be having: I am not a huge red meat eater. Never have been. I’ve always stuck to fish, salmon, chicken and the like. So, not sure I’m getting enough of that kind of fat in. I also despise FAT in general. Meaning, if I were to eat a steak and came across a piece of fat or grissle, I’d be done with my meal. Have been like that all my life. Just can’t take the texture of it.
Anyway, since this post is already so damn long why not make it even longer. I will give a quick run down of what my numbers have been the last two weeks. I didn’t include the first three days because I did an egg fast.

4/12:
93 g protein
20 g carb
158 g fat

72% fat
18.8% pro
9.3% carb

1957 calories/day

4/13:
95.5 g pro
22.3 g carb
105.4 g fat

63.4% fat
26.4% pro
10.3% carb

1463 cal/day

4/14:
151.7 g pro
21.7 g carb
127.8 g fat

55.7% fat
36.3% pro
8% carb

2034 cal/day

4/15:
101.0 g pro
24.6 g carb
160.3 g fat

70.3% fat
21.6% pro
8.1% carb

2045 cal/day

4/16:
125.9 g pro
22.2 g carb
150.9 g fat

66.4% fat
22.3% pro
8.3% carb

2003 cal/day

4/17:
95.4 g pro
35.7 g carb
148.2 fat

68.9% fat
17.7% pro
13.4% carb

1898 cal/day

4/18:
83.9 g pro
19.0 g carb
138.7 g fat

72.8% fat
19.8% pro
7.3% carb

1702 cal/day

4/19:
68.0 g pro
17.9 g carb
88.1 g fat

67.9% fat
24.2% pro
8% carb

1177 cal/day

4/20:
108.6 g pro
27.4 g carb
127.1 g fat

66.5% fat
25.4% pro
8.2% carb

1725 cal/day

4/21:
106.6 g pro
20.0 carb
166.4 fat

70.1% fat
20.7% pro
9.1% carb

2116 cal/day

4/22:
103.0 g pro
20.3 g carb
142.6 g fat

69.4% fat
23.4% pro
7.2% carb

1829 cal/day

PHEW!!! LOL Does it look like…….

  1. I’m doing ok?
  2. Do I need to have less or more of pro/fat/carb?
  3. Should I just stick to what I’ve been doing and see what happens?
  4. Is there anything I can supplement in the place of red meat? I mean, I will have a small burger or two here and there. It’s just mainly things like steaks and the like that I don’t like too much. Also don’t eat pork unless it’s lean/fatless/boneless, etc.

Just to give you an idea, my typical foods consist of………

Meats: chicken (boneless/skinless of course), Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, tuna, salmon, flounder, ground beef/burger, turkey, ground turkey, ham, shrimp, bacon….

Veggies: spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sauerkraut, mushrooms, avocado, brussels sprouts, onion (occasionally), celery, zucchini, green peppers (once in a while) cukes………

All other: ranch dressing, mayo, various types of cheeses (hard, shredded, string, etc), pepperoni, spicy salami, Franks hot sauce (once in a while), eggs (various ways), olives, pickles, romaine, cream cheese, heavy cream, pecans, walnuts, pork rinds, vinegar/apple cider vinegar, olive oil, coconut oil, sour cream, butter, peanut butter (rare but I have twice taken in 2 tbsp of it)……

I want to believe I am doing all the right things but I am still new to it all. And, like I said, I don’t want to get a month or more in and then be told then that I could have been doing things differently weeks prior in order to get the scale to move. I’d rather fix/finagle/etc. now.

Thanks to anyone who read this very long post and to anyone who responds. I appreciate it!!!


(Raj Seth) #2

You are doing a fantastic job. Now ease up on yourself. You have been on the wrong path for so long your body needs time to adjust. You are already doing the needful.
Time restricted eating
Low carb intake
Great real food with protein and fat galore

Now your body is on a winning track. It just takes time. It can take 6 weeks or more for your body to fully fat adapt. It WILL work. Keep Calm and Keto on.

This is not your fathers diet. It is magical in that it allows your body to return to its millions of years of evolved training and become healthy again

Once you are fully adapted you might find hunger disappear altogether. Then you can try your hand at fasting for slightly longer. Lots of resources here and at idmprogram.com for that

Most importantly - give it the 2-4 months that you are willing to and see what happens.

Maybe you mismeasured. Don’t worry about it. As you said, it came from somewhere. With all the exercise you are doing, you may very well be gaining muscle now that you are finally feeding your body well.


(Shar) #3

Thanks for the response! Glad to know that it seems like I’m doing the right things. I usually do NOT feel hunger most days. Just these last few days things seemed to have flipped and now I seem hungry in the am. But not necessarily hungry again later on. It’s weird. Almost like my body is like…yeah, we’ve been eating between noon and 2 but now I want to switch that to 10 and 12. LOL

As for exercise, I haven’t been doing any this time around. Just your typical every day running around, housekeeping, working, etc. But hey, maybe that’s been enough? LOL


(Raj Seth) #4

A great post in another thread


(Jay AM) #5

PCOS especially makes it harder to lose but, not impossible. And, insulin resistance can make things harder too but, again, not impossible.

Why are you using so much No Salt? 2 tsp a day? Have you had your potassium levels checked? I’m not saying it’s necessarily too much potassium but, a lot of food does contain potassium and potassium is something you have to be concerned about overdoing. It’s one of those more isn’t better supplementations. I’ll leave this ketoade recipe link. This uses lite salt which is half sodium and half potassium versus no salt which is all potassium and, the recipe for a day calls for nearly a quarter of your daily amount. Consider reducing it.

If you don’t like fatty meat, no problem. You just have to add fat to your foods. Butter, ghee, coconut oil, avocado, lard, tallow, etc. You can make high fat sauces and such to help. Continue trying to vary your meats as you have been but, don’t feel obligated to eat fatty steak if you don’t like it. More for the rest of us! :stuck_out_tongue:

It can be hard to trust again when you’ve experienced failure time and again with over inflated promises. But, one thing keto isn’t is another diet. It’s taking advantage of a metabolic pathway that others don’t. It’s something our bodies are hard wired to function with. If you are under 20g of net carbs, you are in ketosis. The goal of ketosis is reducing insulin spikes, carb overloads, and turning on the ability to use ketones as energy. It usually has the side effect of weight loss. It will do you no good to stress about it. Just eat and go about your day as if keto is all you’ve known and done and let it do its work. In a couple of months, see where you’re at in terms of how you feel and how clothes fit. Then you can start considering changes and tweaks to fit yourself ideally. Or, not if things are trending in a positive way.


(Shar) #6

Well, I know the normal aide calls for salt. But as I mentioned in another thread I created, I had to stop the extra salt in my water as it was keeping me super bloated. My rings and everything were tight constantly. So, I read in that thread that, if you didn’t or couldn’t use the salt, that you could substitute it for the No Salt (with NO other salt) to just get the potassium. Along with the mag nitrite, of course. And yeah, I have been keeping log on Cronometer of all my food and drink and whatnot and my potassium was almost always down below 20% rec for the day. So, with this amount I’ve been MOSTLY slightly under the recs for the day or just above it. I suppose I could always cut it back and just do 1/2 tsp in each of my 64 oz bottles instead of 1 tsp. And that recipe ues 1/4 per 24oz water. I drink and make up 64oz bottles twice a day most days which is also why I increased that amount.


(Shar) #7

Oooops, my bad. I just checked my little measuring spoon and I AM ONLY using 1/2 tsp in each 64oz bottle. Sorry!!! So only HALF the amount originally mentioned. LOL


(Jay AM) #8

I noticed one problem with food tracking is that potassium in particular isn’t often listed on nutrition labels and so, it ends up not in the food log. Do consider cutting down some and I do remember your salt problem although, potassium can cause water retention too. I was actually taking in 2-4 tsp a day of no salt before I found out more about hyperkalemia. Now what I actually do is I have a bottle of plain water with no salt in it and if I start getting foot cramps, I take a few healthy gulps of it. I found this the best way to supplement for myself in particular without getting crazy. I couldn’t figure out why I was retaining water and thought I needed to balance sodium with potassium. Turns out, I’d created the opposite problem by over supplementing potassium. This is why we tweak and refine for ourselves.


(Shar) #9

Not sure if you saw my post before your last one or not but turns out I made a mistake and am actually only using 1/2 tsp in each 64oz bottle (looked at my measuring spoon again). So yeah, only half the amount originally mentioned. Thanks though for the concern and heads up!


(Rob) #10

First a little nit-pick - No ‘of course’ about it… for getting the fat people should be doing skin-on… and it’s hard to find boneless skin-on. There are plenty of lean meats in your list. It’s just making it harder to hit keto macros. You seem to be adding the fats most days but boneless skinless is bad keto advice in general, especially for newbies.

Thanks for all the data - very diligent and helpful. Saves me having to calculate every day of food :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

The initial caveat is that in 3 weeks you don’t learn much, especially with the complications of your medical conditions, but the main point that I see is that you seem to be massively undereating even on your peak days. It is not surprising on OMAD. It is very difficult to get all the calories you need at your size in one meal. My guess is that you have gotten used to one meal and relatively low calories so it feels fine but it possibly implies a very slow metabolism.
I don’t know which calculator you are using (and don’t really care since they are pretty similar) but I bet you selected ‘weight loss’ and put in a pretty large deficit (30%+), following the old CICO BS. That is the only way to even come close to aiming for 2100 calories (which you very rarely even hit). You are a big woman and your TDEE is nearer 3000kcal even lightly active. “Starving” yourself every day and a lot on some days is no way to start keto to get you to fat adaptation. It doesn’t help that you are carrying over the habits that didn’t work before into keto (calorie restriction and OMAD) and you should seriously think about shaking it up.

I would go to 2MAD/3MAD, same kinds of keto meals but more of them, more calories, ditch the lean meats and KCKO!


(Shar) #11

I mentioned before but not sure I did so above, I’d have to go back up and re-read it but, I plan my meals ahead of time to try and make sure I fit/meet my macs. BUT, I also DO NOT restrict. Not on purpose anyway. I mean, if I get in all that I need and want and it’s only 1400 calories, than that’s what it is. If it’s 2500, than that’s what it is. Know what I mean? I am not purposely restricting at all. And my meals have been pretty big if they are OMAD (which they usually are). But there has been the occasional day or two that I did have something for breakfast (eggs and bacon) then my usual noon-2 meal. So, I’m not really set on what and when I eat. I eat when I feel hungry and stop when I’m not anymore. I really can’t help if it falls on the lower end of the calorie scale. How can I change that? I thought we’re not supposed to eat if we’re not hungry?

All I know is that when I’m done my OMAD, I feel totally satisfied and it lasts me straight through the rest of the day and night with no hunger at all. Not sure what else to say about it.

As for the lean meats, as I said, I cannot stomach to bite down on some fatty piece of skin, gristle, or fat in general. I just can’t do it. Not sure what else I can do about that either.

I really appreciate your input and suggestions. Maybe once it warms up here I can TRY making some chicken thighs with the skin on, on the grill. Maybe I can get a nice crispness to them so that I will be able to get it down?


(Raj Seth) #12

Years of fat shaming and the constant barrage from the establishment has brainwashed you into fat phobia! You are not alone. Increase fat intake slowly. Maybe as creamed spinach or a rich bearnaise/ hollandaise sauce. Bleu cheese dressing. Etc

Repairing your metabolism is something you need to think about. For my n=1, I fasted and feasted for 3 months 1/3 - 2/3 ratio and feasted to satiety + a couple mouthfuls. I think it worked for me. I feel juiced all the time now. I lost no weight but lost 4-5” in my pant size. Amazing

Make sure your keto calculator is not set up for a deficit


(Shar) #13

I doubt that. At least in my case. I’ve been like that all my life (since childhood, we’re talking 5/6). Never liked it and gladly handed over all fat, skin etc. to my mother to eat. LOL


(Jean Taylor) #14

I’m the same way with most meat fat to an extent though i can usually still eat around it. I’m ok with chicken skin but only it it’s well rendered and crispy I bake mine on a roasting pan. Rinse and dry the thighs then coat them in oil and toss them in seasoning. I dont remeber the temp or time i always have to Google that part. I also add fat to leaner meats when i cook them. Mix seasonings in butter then pile good amount of it on top of fish ect.


(Shar) #15

Yeah, I could certainly eat around it too. Providing I can see that there is no hidden fat/gristle. I’m definitely gonna try the thighs with skin on the grill some time soon. Maybe I’ll even look up a recipe for roasting them like you do. And yeah I add extra fats to my lean meat too like butter, oil, etc. Also on my veggies.


(Chris W) #16

You are seeing results, your body hides fat in strange places, the last places it stuffs them is the often the first places it removes them from. The waist is probably a ways off yet, but don’t fret and relax it is going in the right direction.

I will toss this out there, I think you are over thinking the term fatty cut.

Fat in a good cut of meat will be well marbled in, a decent New York strip or Ribeye for instance. Although you can, you do not need have solid pieces of fat to eat. I think a more fitting term would be grease, things like 80/20 hamburger, bacon, sausages, are a really easy way to get the fat in and you are doing that already. I really like smoked pork shoulder(pulled pork), brisket, and ribs which are all excellent sources of fat. Since you like fish eat salmon, the more the better it was a daily meat for me during the first month.

As for eating when you are not hungry, I feel it is more important at your level to keep ketones flowing, which will help with fat adaption more than anything else. There may be a lot of mitochondrial damage that needs to get repaired before fat adaption really takes off. IR is not helping the mater any, from the standpoint that you are probably already having issues keeping ketogensis rolling unimpeded.

One thing I would like to see more of is coconut oil, or any MCT which will aid in keeping ketone levels up, which will move fat adaption along hopefully the mitochondrial cells are not in terrible shape and take off soon. It can be taken in the raw, cooked in, or liquid form(i know you tried BPC) I use mine hot water with lemon and salt.

Eating the red meat however will help with cell repair, I will toss out liver as well(we all should eat more liver). You seem to get a decent variety otherwise, I would consider dumping the ground turkey and chicken breasts though until you fat adapt.

I agree with capnbob though you really need to up the overall fat intake up and I would try and stomach more red meat for a while. If you really want to get past the tipping point I think you will need to do it otherwise you will stay in starvation mode and never really see success. Thought you said you plan your meals, try doing a week of 3MAD, see how it works, don’t stop after the first day even if you are not hungry.
The more your body fat adapts, the more you can increase fat intake(and should).
Having extra fat intake will help increase metabolism, which will increase fat burning, which if you increase fat intake again, will increase fat burning. The real key there is to keep the insulin surges down, OMAD works good for that part. The key in that right though is making sure you are as close as the correct macro as possible to make that meal count.


(CharleyD) #17

It looks like you’re on the right track and just need to give your body time to heal! I wish my doc was as involved as yours!

The only things that stick out to me are:

Sausages: Mind the ingredients list and watch out for wheat and sugar and the other 60 names for sugar. Judging from the carb counts above, I’m not so worried about the sugar but more of the wheat and gluten.

Dressings and retail sauces/condiments: You may benefit from making your own in order to avoid the soybean and other vegetable oils in dressings and mayo. The Omega6 seed oils are pro-inflammatory and you will just feel so much better without them.

KCKO! We learn by doing, take baby steps and don’t beat yourself up for finding something out later that will help!


(Shar) #18

Now see, you speak of natural marbled fat throughout which isn’t such a big deal to me (providing it’s not a large thick gristle). It’s the big hunks that actually are on the outside edges of meat that I can’t do. I thought about getting some steaks but ones with no bones and ones that don’t have that obvious edge fat. But during my browsing on this forum I came across someone like me who can’t do the fat either and said they would just cut the excess off and eat what was left but then others chimed in and told them not to bother. That the edge fat was the most important part. So I just said the heck with it cause I would have done the same thing. LOL But I still may get some (the ones with no obvious outside fat).

Maybe I will do as you guys suggested and TRY to eat something maybe for breakfast then my usual noon-2 meal. See if that makes a difference. And I definitely do use the oils and butter and am thinking of giving your hot water/lemon/salt/coconut oil a try.

Didn’t really think about the red meat helping with repair. Will definitely think about all this on my next shopping trip.

I do have to admit, aside from the butter, oils and nuts, I do sometimes have a hard time thinking of OTHER fats to add without adding in extra protein. Any tips on that? I will also look around the forums for that answer too.

Thanks so much for your advice and recommendations, everyone!! It IS much appreciated!


(Shar) #19

Never thought about that when it comes to sausage and will be mindful the next time I buy them. And that’s a good point about the dressings and whatnot. Can you point me in the direction of a recipe for making your own? Can’t say that I’ve ever come across one yet. Thanks!!!


(Raj Seth) #20

I buy fat from the meat packet / butcher and render my own tallow. Also keep all the bacon/ pork belly drippings. I also have tubs of lard (Spanish grocery stores). And the usual avocado oil olive oil butter ghee. Coconut oils is too aromatic for me to use in cooking