Maintenance

(Not Weak) #1

What does your Keto maintenance look like? I’ve got a couple pounds to go until I reach my goal, so I need to start thinking about maintenance. What does Keto look like for you when you get to that stage? Are you changing your macros? Do your meals look different for you? Is it trial and error to maintain? And what would happen if I just keep keto-ing on? Am I going to look sickly? LOL

#2

I think you just keep doing what you’re doing, but you’ll be eating more fat, since you won’t be using excess body fat any more.

Why do you think you would look sickly?

(Not Weak) #3

I’m pretty small, already. Coming up on 125# Just didn’t want to get to a point that I look like I’m starving myself rather than eating everything delicious under the sun, lol!

(Guardian of the bacon) #4

What the Pilot said…fat to satiety should keep you lookin FINE!!!

(Jacquie) #5

I’ve been keto for 2.5 years, most of that in maintenance. I usually don’t track food at all except if I think I’ve got an issue with FBG or my pants feel snug. I never under eat and rarely get on a scale. FBG #'s have been fine. I’m small, too - 5’2" 107.5-110 lbs) and I don’t look sickly at all. :slight_smile:

(Not Weak) #6

Awesome thanks. Did your eating change much when you went to maintanance? Above it was mentioned to up fat intake.

(Jacquie) #7

Yes, I upped the fat and went as high as I could with protein without raising my FBG, as I’m pretty active. I did start keto artificial sweetener and dairy free as I had come to keto from Whole30 and I continued that way for about a year. Sugar/sweet has always been a problem for me. Nothing was ever too sweet.

(Erin Macfarland ) #8

I could really use some ideas too, especially women need tailored info because getting really lean screws with our hormones. I’ve done keto previously and became WAY too lean and could well have had organ failure but I thought the whole time leaner=better and I didn’t know 6% body fat is incredibly dangerous for a woman so I would suggest getting your BF measured because weight isn’t really indicative of anything. I had amenorrhea for over a year and it took a long time to get my cycle back. Now I’m approaching keto differently and am more informed. But I have yet to find the right eating style/amount/approximate macros that work. I’ve tried including a meal filled with high glycemic carbs re: carb nite, which made me sicker than you can imagine for at least a day. I’ve tried loading up on keto “treats” which doesn’t make me as sick but still leaves me not feeling great. I still do about a 16 hour fast nightly so I’m thinking about switching that up next. I try to stay away from things like lots of fat bombs which just make me feel ill. I seem to do best focusing on Whole food sources of fat with protein so things like steaks and then some veggies. Dairy does not work well for me though I wish it would because it sure would make things easier. I have nuts though I’m wanting to try and cut those out too to see if I feel better. I binge on peanut butter so I’ve really made efforts to stay away from it entirely. My thought is to eat more like three meals a day of more regular meal type foods, so meat, eggs, veggies, fat and see where this takes me. My body fat is currently 12% which is technically too lean still, even though I’m 5’7" and about 128. That’s a “healthy” weight but it’s mostly muscle so that’s why you should monitor your body composition especially if you’re active. One of the issues I struggle most with is the appetite suppressing effect of keto. Combine that with a high volume of exercise which does the same thing and I probably end up not taking enough energy in much of the time. So I’m trying to get that figured out. I want to do keto for the long run so finding out how to make it work in a healthy way is my goal right now and unfortunately there aren’t a lot of resources for that. What ends up happening is I fall short on energy intake, and with my low body fat, my body will freak out and respond by sending out very strong hunger signals that I cannot override by "eating more fat " as is the common response to stopping a “binge”, but the people suggesting this are not athletic women with low body fat and screwed up sex hormones. They’re usually men with a fair amount of weight to draw in for energy (think Jimmy Moore, who I’m not dissing but he’s not in my shoes). Then I’m sick and can’t eat and the cycle goes on. There has to be a balance somewhere. If you have any tips for things that have been working I’d love to hear them! Sorry for the long post, but I have messed this up royally before and hope to keep other women from the same fate. I had to go on a recovery protocol and regain weight which meant eating lots of carbs and reducing my activity. It was hell.

(Not Weak) #9

Oh gosh! I am 5’5 and 128. I have always had tiny arms and legs but I still have a belly pooch to work on. I am still pretty new to all this, honestly. Have only been Keto since 10/01, I am just over 20#s lost. We practice more cyclical Keto where we occasionally have a carb day. So far it’s working for us, but I know it’s not for everyone. I haven’t done fasting yet, I don’t think I am mentally there yet. I know I have to be careful not to get too lean, messing up your hormones is no fun.
It’s kind of the good and bad part about Keto. It’s not one size fits all. But at the same time, it’s hard to know what works without experimenting, which could take you in the wrong direction. Best of luck!! I am here for you!!

(Erin Macfarland ) #10

As I am for you too, and while it’s true each woman has a certain percentage of BF it likes to have before it will have a regular cycle, we need not fear having fat on our bodies as women. We NEED it, but because the stigma of fat is so strong in our culture we always think less is better. So please get a decently accurate measurement. At home models aren’t really accurate but I use one at my gym called an InBody that is pretty detailed. I think some Muscle max stores have them (eye roll I know) so if there’s one near you give them a try. If you can afford a dexa that’s the best . Just keep an eye on it. A little belly is ok :wink: At my lowest I was 119 and looked like a skeleton. You might enjoy Tuit Nutrition, she is a good resource for keto and low carb for women.

(Jacquie) #11

@Emacfarland. Very interesting. I forget what kind of sports/exercise you’re involved in. Refresh my memory, please. Wow, 6 %bf is is very scary for a woman! My bf is presently 17.5% and that feels good, especially being older and post-menopausal.

(Erin Macfarland ) #12

That’s great! I’m a runner and lift weights. Never had diabetes or IR but was definitely heavier at times. Those diseases plagued women in my family. I follow keto for the disease prevention benefits as well as athletic performance boost. But I do tend to get too lean on it, which really can be a problem. So I’m trying to tweak things. Not as easy as you’d think!

(Jacquie) #13

Would it be sacrilege to ask you if you’ve ever ditched the running and just focused on weights? What type and how far do you run? Curious minds…:slight_smile:

(Erin Macfarland ) #14

I only started running about 3 years ago. When I had to gain weight I cut way back. At my peak it was only about 30 miles per week. I’m now around 15 to 20 or so give or take. I’m not a marathoner!

(Judy Finn) #15

I am one week into ketogenic diet. I’m amazed at how well it is working for me. However, I miss wine. Like, I really miss wine. Tell me about your cheat day? I’m guessing that if I have wine (eventually) after dinner/ before bed, I’ll have an insulin spike when I’m sleeping and it won’t trigger the hunger that normally comes with it. Is it hard to get back onto track? Also, it takes about three days to get fully into ketosis (?), have you had plateauing or gaining? I am 44, and on the other side of menopause. It’s been very hard up until this lifestyle change now to lose even a pound.

(Judy Finn) #16

Sorry “carb day”, it’s not really cheating, it’s living.

(Lisa) #17

Fasting isn’t scary! And it doesn’t have to be DAYS at a time to be effective. Here’s how I do: 16 hours fasting overnight and through part of the morning. Then I eat all my food for the day in an 8 hour window. Trust me, it’s not as overwhelming to fast as it might sound. Especially since you’re spending 7-8 hours of that sleeping :slight_smile: