Newb here! Love Keto, but I'm stalled?

newbies
(Jorge L) #1

Hi All!

I’ve been doing Keto for 4 months and have had good success. 30 lbs so far! I really do love this way of eating to be honest. I just found this forum today and have been browsing around. Currently I’m stalled, and have 10 more lbs to go to get under 200lbs for the first time in 20 years! Anyways, I see some folks say “just stay the course and wait it out” where others say “try more fasting”. I have no plans to abandon this way of eating, but figured I would say hello to everyone and lob this question out there.

Thanks,

George

#2

How long have you been stalled? (typically, less than 3 weeks should not be considered a ‘stall’)

Also, have you re-calculated your macro requirements (or calorie requirements) lately? They change as you change. A lot of people don’t need to watch this too closely on a good ketogenic diet for various reasons, but if you are concerned, take a look and run the numbers.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #3

Keep in mind even if you’re stalled on the scales, things are still changing for the better under the hood. Don’t focus too hard on just the number on the scale. :slight_smile:

(Marshelle) #4

So true and so difficult to accept. Keto gives many of us such unbelievable results that I think we expect the stall because we can’t believe how great we are doing, yet when it happens, we think we have to change/do something. Stay the course and take your measurements. The inches are still falling.

(Jorge L) #5

Cool, thanks all. I’m really not that down about it, but it is good to hear that this is fairly normal. I’ll also look into the macro nutrient thing Brendan. I haven’t ever really looked at it to be honest. I’ve been stalled for 3 weeks FWIW.

(Stickin' with mammoth) #6

Oh, no, they’re not. When organs repair, ain’t nuthin happening on the outside. (sigh)

(Jorge L) #7

Dumb question… I just checked my ketone levels, since I haven’t done it in awhile. The blood test comes back at 3.5, right in the zone. My diet on most days is a BP coffee in the morning and then either lunch or dinner with something fatty and generally spinach. Given all of that, is it possible I need MORE fat? I just assumed that when your ketones are so high, all must be well.

(Genevieve Biggs) #8

I would say the first thing to try when you’re stalled is to cut down/out vegetables. It’s not only the carbs, but other things that can be inflammatory and keeping you from weight loss. Many here have experienced better weightloss this way. If you’re interested, check out the Zero Carb subforum. :wink:

(Tom) #9

This may rehash what’s already said, but this is what I’d consider:

  1. Are you logging your food? Lazy keto works, but some folks like myself, need to make sure we’re not undercounting carbs when we add more HWC or sour cream to stuff. Log your food. Weigh and measure things, at least for a couple weeks. I say this because we’re surrounded by massive portion sizes of all sorts of things, and most of us honestly don’t have the knack to accurately assess our portions without a scale.

  2. Have you been measuring body dimensions in addition to monitoring the scale? There are times when the inches drop, but the scale stays the same. I cannot emphasize this enough, if you aren’t measuring, even just a waist, hip, and neck, start now!!! Seriously. I know some people say they "just want to go by how clothes fit, etc, but a) you can’t take your spare pants everywhere and try them on every time you’re tempted or feeling defeated, but you can sure carry some numbers. And b) clothes stretch. Maybe not a lot, but they do, and that can be deceptive. You are worth keeping track of this data.

  3. Consider your activity levels and how they’ve changed. For instance, I did lazy keto most of the summer, was working a phycially active job, and still dropped weight like crazy. Now, I’m back in school, literally eating the same foods, and the scale hasnt budged at all. And again, we fool ourselves here and there. Most smartphones have the ability to function as pedometers, so if you have one, start keeping track of that.

  4. One final thing to consider: Set points. I don’t have a lot of data or studies to back this (I believe it’s out there, I just don’t have the time to dig around for them), but when we lose fat, our leptin levels decrease. This is a signal that “Times are lean. Find food”. However, in my experience and the experience of others I know, after a while the body adjusts to the “new normal” and the weight loss begins again. My weight loss chart has several spots where I stall for a couple or even three weeks, and then begin moving again. So KCKO! You are worth it!

#10

Stalls are frustrating but all they are are periods of maintenance. Most of us are simply not used to those having always been either gaining or losing. It is hard but just ride it out. One tip is to work out your average weight loss over the time which irons out the zero weeks. It is all too easy to get some great losses and then think it is going to always be like that but it just doesn’t work that way. I have had a stall last for a good 3 months. You put the weight on over a number of years probably? and have kept it on for even longer? Losing it will likely not take as long but it isn’t a super fast experience either. In fact, the more slowly you do it, the less chance you have of loose skin.

Tips to keep the scales moving -

  • drill down on the carbs and double check (as others have mentioned) all those pesky, sneaky little critters to be found in processed meats and dairy.
  • consider cutting out things like nuts and cheese for a while. I discovered I react to lactose over 1% carb level and nuts definitely slow me down.
  • switch things up from week to week. Keep your food varied.
  • I wouldn’t go adding fat for the sake of it. Yes, always eat fat to satiety but the rest can come from your body fat. There is no need to eat to a fixed amount. You will likely have days when you are really hungry and eat a lot but others when you think, “do I actually want to bother with this meal?”. If you are not hungry, just skip the meal.
  • think longer term. I used to think to myself - a year from now I will be so much further forward. I just need to keep plugging away because the last year has gone pretty fast so this one will too and I will look back on this moment and smile at all the weight I have lost. Because you WILL, I promise you.
(Jorge L) #11

Thanks all. What an encouraging community. It helps a lot!!!

(Marshelle) #12

Stay the course. Change is coming.

(Leslie) #13

I thought I had stalled, however I learned I had gone down 1.61% body fat since 1/19, and had actually lost 10lbs.

How, right?

Because I was obsessing over each day floating between 169 and 170 then one day 169— and I forgot one month ago I was in the 180s.

Tl;dr- I’m condensing. And I’m okay with that.

Big picture.

#14

Nice

(Leslie) #15

Keto is a lot like dreadlocks.

When they first form they are large and fluffy and voluminous and light.

Six months later they’re skinnier, leaner, weight more if not the same… but twice as long and half as thick.

Over time the dreads lose water, air pockets and fill with solid shredded hair. The result is tightly woven dreads stronger and less prone to damage and toxic buildup. They feel just as heavy… but half the size.

They condense, like us, when we get leaner and tone on Keto. Hence why the scale is a distorted perspective of the bigger picture.