Hi, I’ve been on keto for about 4 weeks now. I initially lost 8 pounds, now nothing. I’m not sure I’m following keto correctly. I’ve been testing my ketones with a blood meter and my ketones fluctuate all day. Anywhere from .5 - 3.6. Once it went as low as .4 and another reading said ketones were too low. So I’ve been getting quite frustrated. Is it normal for ketones to fluctuate so much throughout the day or am I most likely doing something wrong? I heard 1.5-3 is optimal ketosis and it seems I reach that level sometimes but then it drops. Does being in ketosis mean I should be losing weight or do you not really start losing weight until you are fat adapted? I eat 3 meals with no snacks and stay at 20 carbs or less, however I do have a cup of coffee with heavy cream at work between meals, is that not ok to do? Also, I’ve been feeling really hungry sometimes, mostly late afternoon and evening. I read you’re supposed to eat til satiated and eat more fat if still hungry but then I would end up going over my protein limit since some fats have protein as well. So I’m confused about the whole eat til satiated idea and how I can do that ? I’ve been using recipes from tasteaholics, any suggestions on a better meal plan I can follow? I’m the type of person who needs structure to be able to follow a diet easier, like having a meal plan all set up for me so I don’t have to think about it too much lol! I have a 5 month old at home and Work full time so I’m pretty exhausted.
Sorry for all the questions, I’m just so confused! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Gina
Need help! New to keto
Yes it’s normal, they’re up and down all the time. Four weeks is no time at all. Shop stressing, let your body do its thing, and be patient as it sounds like you’re on the right path.
Hi @Gina23 I’ve been doing keto for nearly 2yrs and never measured ketones. Sounds li you are on track. Flip through the forum there are great ideas. One thread ‘what did you keto today?’
Weight is a poor indicator, it can go slow or in waves. Once you are fat adapted it gets easier. You also get healthier.
Why did you choose keto?
Stress and lack of quality sleep are just two of many components that will affect your body’s willingness to give up fat. You could be mentally stressing yourself just by the number of times you’re checking that meter. I’ve lost 45 lbs since April, no meters or scale at home, just keeping calm and sticking with good whole foods that are keto. (and I’m old…age is yet another component)
Not sure how much you have to lose. The closer to your goal weight, the slower the loss is what I’ve read around here.
When I stopped worrying about “limits” is when I started to fat adapt. You need to listen to your body. If you’re hungry eat more fat. In the beginning you need your body to understand it can use the stored fat or the fed fat for fuel so you’re not hungry. Eating more fat and not worrying about the macros is what finally told my body “we’re not starving, no need to ask for more food…we have what we need”. I’ve been keto for 4 mths and it took about 3 for me to fat adapt. I was too worried about the macros and it held me back. My body was raised on sugar/carbs so it needed an a$$ kickin of fat to understand we weren’t going to starve without sugar!!
Also…I found my ketones went up and down eating dairy. Now they’re consistent without it. I contribute the up and down to mean my body is reacting to the food i’m eating.
Hi Peter, I chose to start keto because I have a lot of post pregnancy weight to lose. My long term goal is about 50 pounds. But my short term goal to lose what I gained is 25 pounds. I’m going through IVF again in December and wanted to shed as much as I could by then. That’s mostly the reason I’m stressing so much, which I know is not helping me any.
Yep I haven’t been getting much sleep. Waking up about 3 times a night with baby, then up at 5 am to get ready for work. I will try not to stress so much. And you’re right I have been mentally stressing with checking so often, I’ll stop doing that see what happens. Thanks
Hi Lynn, thanks… that sounds like exactly what I’m going through. My body is so used to sugar and probably needs a good kicking too lol! I’ve been focusing so much on macros and being confused about everything, not sure if I was following keto correctly. But sounds like I’m doing what you did. So If I eat and let’s say a couple hours later I’m hungry again… I should just eat fat at that time even if it’s in between meals?
Just a suggestion ~ relax! Track the carbs to be sure you’re under 20g net carbs, enjoy protein and green veggies with liberal amounts of healthy fats. Yes, something fatty between meals if you are starving, and use that as a signal that you aren’t eating enough at meals.
While I’m not suggesting fasting at this point, this latest blog post by Megan Ramos might be of help if you feel you’re struggling to get into the keto groove: https://idmprogram.com/what-is-fat-fasting-and-when-should-you-do-it/?utm_source=ONTRAPORT-email-broadcast&utm_medium=ONTRAPORT-email-broadcast&utm_term=Active+Marketing+List&utm_content=IDM’s+Fast+Forecast&utm_campaign=13102018
I agree. IVF means you need to be at your best. Eat things that are real food with nutrients. Don’t under-eat but eat sensible keto foods to satiety. Listen to your body. If you madly crave you need to find more satisfying keto food.
Thank you all for your suggestions! I will apply them and stop stressing so much. I will look into that link Susan thanks!
Hey Gina, I wrote a post yesterday that might help a little. I think it might, but I’d like any feedback you have.
Thank you! I just read your post, it’s great! Helped me get a better understanding about how keto works. It simplified things for me. I appreciate it!
I read the article in the link you sent, I’m going to try that, It will make it easy for me! Plus with the article Mic wrote I’m getting a much better understanding of how this all works. Thanks so much!
Sounds like everyone put you in the right direction. This forum is fantastic! I’ve learned so much here 