Need some help, insight or support!

(Dessi McEntee) #1

Hi all. So I always find good answers on this forum so I decided to sign up and see if anyone could help me out. This will be my 11th week on Keto. Here are the details:

-yo-yo dieter for a long time (low carb, weight watchers, marcros, etc - last successful weight loss was 1.5 years ago)
-going into 11th week on keto, have gained 10 lbs
-very strict until this past weekend (after my tenth week, and I had already gained the 10 lbs prior to the cheat weekend)
-average day:
o breakfast: one piece of bacon, two sausages, three eggs with cheese, coffee
o lunch: cheese hot dogs, or blt wraps, or leftover meat or a burger
o dinner: steak or burger, or hot dogs, or bacon, or something like a chicken bacon ranch casserole
o snacks: dont really snack
-activity: I do crossfit 3-4 times a week. i work from home so i sit down most of the day
-i am 5’3", 217 lbs as of this morning. I was around 205 back in may, started keto june 11
-i am 29 years old, otherwise normal everything
-i take pictures every week to see my progress (though it is lack thereof so far)
-i have done thyroid and blood tests, all are negative for anything abnormal
-i am naturally a slow loser, very slow, but i feel like this is excessive

please help! has anyone had any similar experiences?? It is very draining. for me keto is my lifestyle now so it’s not like I am going to switch to another diet or something, but I would like to know if anyone experienced the same thing or has any advice or insight for me.

Thanks!

(Nicole Sawchuk) #2

I didn’t have as much to lose but when I started keto years ago, all I lost after 8 weeks was 7 lbs. I kept low carb because my mood stabilized and I generally felt better. But nothing happened. I sort of just assumed I was meant to stay overweight. Honestly that time where no fat loss was occurring, I think a lot of healing was going on internally to my body. But like most people, I wanted the fat loss!
Fast forward to a year ago and I read the Obesity Code and started fasting. I started real slow with just going 12 hours and than started skipping breakfast. I slowly started increasing my fasting windows and over 3 months I lost 20 lbs. In total I have lost 30 lbs and kept it off. Now my biggest struggle is probably eating enough and trying to lose that last little bit of stomach fat (although it is minor IMO).
It seemed to be the only thing that really kick started my fat loss. Keto on its own didn’t do it. Oh I should also mention, even though I was low carb 2 years prior to the fasting, I don’t think I got really fat adapted until 3 months after I added fasting. So don’t be discouraged.
That’s what worked for me. Just something to keep in mind.

(Dessi McEntee) #3

thanks so much for your post. i actually looked into fasting yesterday which is funny, and ive also been trying to skip breakfast. the 16/8 is hard for me just because of my schedule, but i think i could make a concerted effort towards maybe a 15/9 or something. i will definitely give it a try, thanks!

(Nicole Sawchuk) #4

Yeah it used to be so hard for me. I have always been a big breakfast person! But I chose to skip it as I have to get up insanely early in the morning for work and this made sense. Trust me when I say it took some serious getting used to! Reading The Complete Guide to Fasting really helped or Dr Fung’s blog. It kept me going in those early days.

(Jane) #5

By week 11 you should be fat adapted, but for some it takes longer. Fasting can be difficult if you aren’t burning fat for your main energy source because then you are dealing with hunger hormones to entice you to eat carbs!

For some, keto isn’t enough and they have to fast to get the fat burning going. More common if you’ve yo-yo dieted a lot in the past and wrecked your metabolism with low caloric intake.

Fasting is like building muscles through weight-lifting - the more you do it the easier it gets. Start with the 16/8 or 15/9 and get used to not eating. The mental aspect is sometimes harder than the hunger. Get plenty of salt when you aren’t eating - it helps with the hunger.

Also - you may not be eating ENOUGH. And if you start IF or EF you definitely need to up the calories when you feed so you don’t slow your metabolism down.

How about Non-Scale Victories? (NSV’s) What positives have you experienced from keto?

(Dessi McEntee) #6

Thanks for the advice. As far as non scale things I have PRd everything in crossfit and can lift much heavier than I ever could. I also feel better, mentally, generally, not hungry a lot almost ever. I am excited because I feel like I finally am living my life in terms of eating the way I should’ve all along, no binging, self loathing, or regrets. I am much happier. Also, any advice on having butter coffee while fasting? I was going to try coffee and ghee in the morning, and maybe coconut oil.

a downside, the extra weight kills my lower back and it is really hard for me some days to even stand for a while. before i spend hundreds of dollars on a program or something to fix it, i want to lose the weight first because I am pretty sure that will help.

(Jane) #7

You will get lots of opinions on what does and does not constitute a “fast”. It is up to you to decide and is also depends on your goals.

If fasting for autophagy then black coffee, water and electrolytes are the safest bet since there haven’t been any studies on humans to measure what actually stops autophagy.

If fasting for weight loss, then in MY opinion a little butter in your coffee is ok as long as it is just enough to make it palatable and can help support your fasting. You will get very little insulin response and will continue to burn your own fat for energy (after burning the little bit in your coffee of course). A little bone broth is ok also if it keeps you from breaking your fast, but the protein in it will stop autophagy and delay fat burning due to the insulin response.

So… up to you. Weigh the consequences and make an informed choice. Better to keep on fasting with a few crutches along the way than to give up and feast earlier than you had planned.

As always, if you feel bad and are really struggling, then break your fast. You can always start again the next week. This is a marathon, not a sprint.