New to Keto, Need Advice on Weight Gain

(Rachel) #1

Hello!

I started Keto almost two weeks ago after trying for years to lose weight and continuously packing on pounds. Finally met with an endocrinologist and he said I have insulin resistance and need to do Keto forever. I feel like I’m doing really well, threw out any non-keto foods and have been pretty careful with everything. I’m very lethargic, constipated, bloated, and grumpy. I also have gained weight. I weigh about 260 and would like to lose over 100 pounds and am very disconcerted with gaining weight within my first two weeks. I have the strips and they say I’m in Ketosis. I don’t have any energy to workout but I’m hoping that will get better with time because I do enjoy working out. Any thoughts or advice on what could be going on?

#2

Share with us some more info please. What’s a day of eating look like?

With regards to energy be sure you’re eating enough and also are keeping up your electrolytes.

(Rachel) #3

It varies, I don’t always eat breakfast but recently have been doing bacon with eggs cooked in bacon fat, spinach, and a very small amount of onions.

Lunch is usually some type of meat with pimento cheese or mayo (try to get some fats in)

Dinner has been salmon salad with Italian dressing and boiled egg or chicken salad with walnuts.

I also eat a lot of cheese and snack on almonds.

I think I’m struggling trying to get enough of the fats in for sure, but would that cause weight gain?

#4

If you’re insulin resistant I highly advise to start eliminating snacking. You want to bring your fasting insulin levels down, and the way to do that is 1) elimate carbs as much as possible; and 2) not eat. Try just eating at your meals, no snacking in between. If you feel hungry, eat more at your next meal.

Some weight fluctuation isn’t uncommon during the first few weeks as your body begins to shift from being a sugar burner to a fat burner, so don’t panic.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

That’s all your problem is. Patience, grasshopper!

Seriously. The hormonal situation of women is a major factor in the pattern of their weight loss. You are not “doing keto wrong,” it’s just that your body has some hormonal re-regulation to do. It surprised me when I joined these forums, but a lot of women took a month or two of no apparent progress, before things started to work the way they wanted. Also, where you are in your cycle has a lot to do with your pattern of weight loss. That alone could be the explanation for your apparent weight gain.

A ketogenic diet is primarily about metabolic healing. Your insulin resistance is likely to be greatly helped by eating keto. Although a lot of people embark on a ketogenic diet for the sake of weight loss, it’s really a side-effect of the metabolic healing. You are very fortunate to have a doctor who sees the value of this way of eating. And frankly, I’m so grateful for the metabolic healing I’ve experienced that I’ll be okay with never losing another pound (I have sixty more I’d really like to lose.)

Here are some signs of progress: first, you are in ketosis. Next, the lack of energy for working out is actually a good sign, because it means your body is on the way to fat-adaptation. This is a state in which your muscles metabolize fatty acids in preference to glucose, and even ketone bodies. They are limping along on the ketones, right now, but things will really take off for you once they become fully fat-adapted. This takes about two months, because there are changes going on at the cellular level that simply take time. But one day, not all that far in the future, you will have energy for working out again. You may even find, as some people do, that your performance is actually better than it was pre-keto.

So the upshot is, give yourself another four to six weeks before giving up on keto. Also, look around the forums for threads on how women are affected by keto. You may see a lot to encourage you. (Plus a lot of stuff that, frankly, is terrifying to a guy—at least this guy, lol!)

(Rachel) #6

Thank you!! That makes me feel much better. I do tend to have pretty crazy hormones- my skin is not loving this new diet either. Definitely not giving up any time soon, I’ve just seen so many people say they lose 10 pounds the first couple of weeks and I just feel gross haha. I’m glad to know it’s not unusual and will definitely give it some more time. :slight_smile:

(Carl Keller) #7

Hello and welcome Rachel.

In addition to what the others have said, I just want to point out that keto is also about healing our bodies. If we eliminate the poison (processed foods), it has an extremely positive effect on our bodies and it allows us to heal. We must heal before our bodies are willing to give up fat. Insulin resistance complicates weight loss but if you consistently keep your carbs low, it will improve. :wink:

(Charlotte) #8

In addition to what everyone else has said, don’t forget to take care of yourself mentally too. Stress will cause stalls or even weight gain due to cotrisol, so try to manage your stress and do things to calm yourself if you find yourself overwhelmed. When I have a high level of stress my body starts reacting negatively and so I take time for myself everyday. Starting keto can be a very overwhelming time with learning the do’s and don’ts, different techniques, etc just take it slow and keep it simple like focus on tracking and keeping your carbs under 20g and as you get comfortable add more components one at a time as needed to make it easier. I threw myself all in and it made everything so much harder than it had to be.

#9

If you have an endocrinologist who is recommending keto I envy you!
Its true when people tell you 2 weeks is not long…it takes as long as it takes and if you are far enough down the track you have an endocrinologist then you have a lot of metabolic damage to heal. I don’t lose much weight with keto, I have to fast a bit as well. What I do with keto is maintain my weight losses…and reinforce the healing.
For me the most important thing was normalizing my insulin and BGL…and reversing diabetes. Everything else for me is gravy, including the weight loss. It took me awhile to get going bu5t it has been rapid once it started.

I didn’t have the big fast keto drops that some people do. But I am healthy now and that is pretty fantastic. :slight_smile:I am 68 and I honestly believe that if I can do it, most people can.

I have had to stop working out due to pretty major ligament damage…still dropping weight.

Give yourself a chance, it’s not a race, its a life you are saving. :slight_smile:

(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #10

Welcome! You know a good way to look at things? Doung nothing isn’t going to get you further then where you are now. It might happen slower then you had planned but it is better then having no plan.

Keto is a slow process to get things rolling, but once you can feel all the positive effects you will wonder why you hadn’t tried it sooner!

(Mari Liz) #11

I used Carb manager app to keep track of my proteins, fats and carbs. It may help to keep track.