Hi I began keto October, im around 3 weeks in. Initially I lost 9 pound in 9 days. Then had a slip…3 pound back on. Since then I’ve been more strict, trying, not always succeeding to keep my macros right, but getting better at it. My carbs are mostly below 20g ALWAYS below the 50. And my calories per day are between 1200-1600. I feel slimmer, I look slimmer, but those damn scales are torturing me! Am I being too loose with it or do I just need to hang in there?
I’d really appreciate an average day meal plan from someone who is successful and knowledgeable as I feel I’m just adding coconut oil, olive oil and cream to dishes to meet my fat intake.
I am in and out of ketosis I use the strips, yesterday was the highest levels I’ve reached before but I did have a cheat night 
not massively like a binge, but I had cocktails…not seeet ones as I love sour and bitter drinks but still full of carbs, but then slightly drunk I ate a sandwich with cream cheese and 2 bags of crisps.
This morning I feel thinner?! I am so confused!
Help!
New to keto and open to all advice!
Progress is progress. We are often fighting decades worth of bad habits. If we fall of the wagon, there’s always someone here who will give you a hand to help you get back on it.
I started out the same but after a month I’ve been staying under 20, 90% of the time. 20+ won’t kill us but if we want the best results from keto (weight loss) 20-25g of carbs has been dropping me 3-4 pounds a week, as opposed to 1-2 pounds.
You can check the thread “What did you Keto today” to see what folks in this forum are doing. Not only is it great for what ratios of fat/protein/carbs they are doing per meal, you can get some great ideas for meals you might like to make for yourself. Cronometer is a Ketoer’s best friend. You can simply plug in the ingredients for a meal into it and it tells you exactly what you are getting:
My meal yesterday (doing OMAD (one meal a day):
1 cup cooked cabbage, 1 small onion, 2 fried eggs, 4 small sausage patties, 1 oz anchovies, 1 meatball with no sauce… including 1.5 tsp pink himalayan salt, 8 cups of water and 1.5 tbs of coconut oil = 92grams fat, 66 grams protein, 26 carbs.
Lots of fat when you start will help your body to convert from carbs to fats for fuel. Fatty meats, some nuts (macadamians, almonds, sunflower seeds) and salmon can help out too. Plus those things can be loaded with vitamins and minerals that are good for you.
If you stay under 20 carbs, you shouldn’t have this problem.
Clean out your cupboards and pantry. If there are no crisps in the house, there will be less temptation in times of weakness. Make keto snacks, like deviled eggs, keep some keto friendly nuts around or celery and cream cheese, pork rinds, cheese sticks etc… If you feel the overwhelming urge to eat, or if you simply feel hungry, eat something fatty and the feeling will go away.
Oh and Hi and welcome. 
Hi Louise, hope you are well.
I’ve done Keto & Atkins in the past to varying Degrees, I’ve been doing it recently since the end of September and am the most precise with it now compared to all other times, I’ve lost over 22 pounds since that point.
I know I’m burning fat, I can see the changes, but also, like you, the scales are definitely not my friend some days, my weight can jump / drop over a few hours, 3-5 pounds in some cases, it’s not an accurate track of fat loss.
Some quick fire recommendations from me (sorry if these sound patronising)
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Be consistent and patient, stick to one definitive plan, try not change the stats and process too much over the course of a week or month. I would say 20 grams a day is essential!
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Give your body as much time to change as possible, all changes are NEVER linear on time and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint
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Drink an absolute SHED LOAD of water, really push your limits, this will aid the body flushing out water weight and keep you well hydrated
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Count everything, weigh everything, don’t second guess food quantity / nutrition / ingredients, and keep this also consistent, use a tracker like MyFitnessPal
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Cook as many meals from scratch as you can, then there can be little room for stealthy unknown ingredients
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Get an exercise plan in place, that moderately develops over time, don’t make it over easy, and make sure you’re getting a bit of sweat on, or out of breath.
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Experiment with fasting and skipping meals based on when you prefer to eat, give the body as many chances to really burn your body fat, over burning food.
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Only eat when you’re hungry
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Read/watch lots of stuff online, Thomas de Lauer on You Tube has some great keto broadcasts
Here’s my food today:
Breakfast: Black Coffee
Home based workout - kettlebells & body weight exercises (40 minutes)
Lunch: 2 cups of green tea
Dinner (to be eaten between 6-8pm strict): Loads of chicken thighs, coconut oil, baby spinach, mayo, and space for more if needed, calories not overly restricted but probably somewhere around 1500 by the end of the window.
My overall calorie max would be 1900, which I’ve worked out from the keto/macro calculator online.
I wont eat again until 6pm tomorrow, thus forcing me into a pretty big fast, from late tonight until tomorrow.
Hope this helps!
Looking at yourself, feeling the difference in clothes, eating, the scales weight - there is definitely some crazy voodoo going on, totally agree with you, but if you’re consistent over time, and don’t change things too much, it’s all proven to work in the long run.
Sorry for the war and peace answers!
First - don’t get discouraged by the guys telling you they lost 20lbs the first 2 weeks or month or whatever. My husband has outpaced me by double in 8 weeks and he had far less to lose.
Second, I notice on the days that I up my carbs, I’ll see a loss on the scale. However, I don’t think if I consistently ate more carbs, I would consistently lose more. Some people talk about “carb up days” and I’m not sure it’s a bad idea but those carbs should maybe not always be bread and potatoes.
Also note for me, I’ll lose a lb and then go up and down with that same lb until it finally settles and stays off.
Finally, don’t fast just because everyone says so. I’ve done the two meals a day thing but it seems some are on a “fasting high” and recommend it very early. I think it must take awhile - especially for those with naturally high hunger.
Okay so just starting out, keep it simple!!! Stay below 20 net carbs per day and go from there!! Ditch the scale, at least for now, and focus on sticking to the plan!! Same goes for meals, keep it simple, meal prep and planning is key. I use Pinterest or the recipe section up here for most of my recipes, and have found some great one the kids and I love!! Focus on getting healthy rather than the number on the scale, and set small goals for yourself!! Much easier to stay motivated that way, at least in my opinion!! And by all means use this forum to post any questions or concerns or even when you just need to vent!! Hope this helps!! Good luck!!
Thank u. This is start of week 5 for me and your words are spot on and VERY encouraging
Extremely helpful. I am starting week 5 and was starting to get discouraged before I read your message. Overall I feel tons better than before starting this way of I need to destroy my scale before I go crazy. LOL
Thanks for your replies it’s really helpful.
So just for a fuller picture. I always cook from scratch I was a die hard slimming world member and cooking is a must and a love of mine so got that covered, I’m weighing and measuring most things but DEFINITELY room for improvement. I already naturally fast and have done as long as I remember my appetite doesn’t kick in until 2/3pm but the problem WAS when I started I literally didn’t stop til I went to bed! This has improved with cutting carbs but still am falling foul of snacking, so another area I can definitely improve on.
So today I have had:
Breakfast: black coffee
Lunch: black coffee
Dinner: omelette made using
4 eggs
2 tblspns double cream
50g smoked salmon
112g tinned tuna in brine
75g spinach
75g broccoli
2 slices of Gouda
20ml coconut oil
This will be all I eat today, it equates to 1000 cals exactly, 13g carbs, my macros are 65 fat 30 protein 5 carbs. Would you recommend having something else fatty to up my fat percentage? I’m wondering if I’m having too much protein?
Thanks guys this is really helpful 
Looks like good food choices😄
I’m just not sure if 1000 calories is enough food though🤔
Welcome
And good luck
1000 is really a bare minimum for girls @Louise_Diment - MyFitnessPal makes female have a minimum of 1,000 calories of food listed before it will create a forward estimation of weight loss. Any less, and it bring up an error message. It does the same for less than 1200 calorie for guys.
Louise, have you crunched your stats through an online calculator - you really NEED to know your BMR and ideally a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) to get an idea of a calorie target per day. Your TDEE is a calorie figure calculated on your height, age, weight and general movement/exercise per day. Generally rule of thumb to lose 1-2 pounds a week, is to create a deficit of about 500 calories a day through either diet or exercise or both.
give me a holla if you need some assistance!
this calculator is mentioned on this site - https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ - it will give you an idea on a solid calorie target to achieve your goals.
I always end up having more than 1000 yhT was just the only meal I had. I tend to try bulk it to 1300 by having a snack after. Generally cheese and ham. Last night I had some gin and slimline tonic lol.
I have a very sedentary lifestyle at the minute I’m introducing exercise slowly and this week joining a gym. To try boost my system. I just feel like my body is stuck! It’s like no matter what I do it won’t let go.
I’m not a greedy person, I don’t lie to myself or others and eat secretly. My profile is open on mfp so anyone can read my diary and I log everything. I feel cheated out of weight loss. I do however feel better so that’s a good thing lol 
Update. Just got weighed and 2 pound has vanished! 
Hopefully a start of a whoosh!
good news @Louise_Diment !
a loss is a loss is a loss! always the way isn’t it? we start analysing, questioning, then out of the blue… bosh!