No progress after 1 month

(Aws) #1

So ive been on this keto diet for a month, and i did cheat twice for dinner out with friends but i still only touch protein based food only. Ive been tracking the food i eat everyday and on average i eat 1300-1400 cal/day. I dont really snack either and i walk at least 2 hours a day (12 k steps). After all that, i havent lost any at all. I dont get it??! Anyone else have the same problem? Thinking of quitting since it doesnt seem to work for me at all :cry:

(Naomi Brewster) #2

Sounds like you’re doing great - it can take a little while to get fat adapted -

  • have you checked your ketone levels?
  • How do you feel? Hungry, energized, low energy?
  • Are you drinking water to thirst?
  • having enough salt?
  • eating enough fat?
  • keeping your carbs below 20grams?
  • moderating your protein - .08% of LBM?
  • Are other symptoms clearing up?
  • Have you lost inches even if not pounds?

Keto has many benefits and weight loss is only one of them.

(Jen ) #3

Hi @Kooky83!
I’ve been doing Keto for almost a month (2 more days!). I did lose a few pounds right away but I’m stalled as well weight-wise, BUT:
-I have dropped over 4 pants sizes
-down 2 bra cup sizes (which is fine with me!)
-no bloating
-more energy
-better mood (noticed by others).

Do you have any non-scale victories?

When I first started I came on here for advice, I was advised by many to keep the carbs low (which it sounds like you are doing), and stop counting calories. Another thing is to make sure you aren’t going OVER your protein macros.

Since I’ve been stalled weight-wise, I came back and searched for stalling and almost every single post I read had 2 answers: eat more fat OR fast.

I was on Day 3 of eating more fat (actually tracking my fat macros and seeing that I wasn’t even hitting the fat macros) when I picked up a little stomach bug. I wound up fasting for 37 hours! Just water and broth and a little salt on my tongue when I felt hunger pangs. While I’m still not yet fat adapted, I didn’t lose as much weight as I had hoped to, but I did it! I’m going back to eating more fat starting today.

If you changed your way of eating for this long, I bet you can go another month!

(Ryan Roman) #4

Are you eating enough fat? Keto is mostly fat, moderate protein, low carb.
Add lots of butter, eat avacados, MCT Oil, Coconut oil, etc. on vegetables and other things to increase the intake.
Good luck.

(Brian) #5

If I were eating 1300-1400 calories a day, I’d be in starvation mode.

I don’t count calories at all. Never have. Moderate protein, very low carbs (usually around 20g, sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more), no sugar, and ALL THE FAT I CARE TO EAT!!! (As of today, I’m down 50 pounds, a little over halfway to where I want to be.)

Too much protein could be a problem. What are you eating, what’s typical for a day’s eats? How overweight are you, approximately? Are you losing any inches? Are you on any meds?

#6

This has been mentioned already, but can you clarify if this is a scale stall or an inches stall? (Most people want to lose weight because they want to look better and feel better, and sometimes both of those things are happening without the scale moving but somehow we treat the scale number as if it has magical properties…)

(Aws) #7

Thank you for the response everyone!!

Basically in a day, my diet is (total) 60% fat, and 20% carbs and 20% protein.
And im not on any meds.

I get most of my fat from avocadoes and cheese or butter, olives, heavy cream and coconut milk.
I dont know how you can keep carbs under 20g, because even green veggies and some dairies got carbs, i eat mushrooms, cauliflowers, broccolis, eggplant and kale.

I didnt really measure, but my tight clothes are still tight and scale hasnt moved either, and i dont really notice any other change, but i think my skin does look a bit better.
I havent checked wether im ketosis or not, yet to find chemist that sells keto sticks.

As for calories, i keep getting mixed messages, alot of websites says even in keto, for losing weight calories do count, so im a bit confused now. And because im female, i read i need at least 1200 cal, I think im eating enough because i dont feel hungry or starving.

(OM) #8

If you eat 20% carbs from 1400 calories that is not under 20 grams. That means you eat 280 calories from carbs, which means 70 grams of carbs and most people are not in ketosis at that level, at least not in the beginning.
This is a picture of what I will eat today, 1400 calories, 23gr of carbs, 14 gr of fiber. Last 3 ingredients from Breakfast are scrambled eggs, and last 4 from dinner it’s a keto mug cake. It is duable, you just have to juggle a little…

image
image.png768×700 30 KB

(Liz S) #9

For the veggies and such count the Net Carbs not the total. We can’t digest fiber so it’s not counted as a carb source. :smile:

As for the calories go and figure out what your BMR is, http://www.bmrcalculator.org/
It is based on your age, height, and sex. The BMR is your base so if you are active it has a list of the range of calories you need based on your activity level. 1200 cal is low for most people. I am 5’6" and my BMR is 1644 cal/day and at a low level of activity it lists 1973 cal/day. That is what I would need to eat to maintain my weight where it is. So cutting it down to 1500 or even 1700 is enough of a deficit to loose weight. Going to low stresses your system and can put you into a state of starvation, especially if you are not fully fat adapted yet.

The best advice I got when started was to reach my maintenance calories, about 2200 calories at the time and make sure it was mostly fat and to make sure I tracked the Net carbs.

Also if you are keto 60% fat is not high enough, should be closer to 75-80%. Your carbs should be lower and it depends on your size and lean body mass, I stick below 20g of carbs a day, some can get away with 50g. If you aren’t using Myfitnesspal, grab it and track your food. To get the net carbs just take the fiber out of the total carbs.

(Brian) #10

You mention the veggies and some fats. Where are you getting your protein? You’ll get a little from cheese and maybe a little from the heavy cream but I’m sure there is more.

#11

Hi Kooky. I’m at four weeks today so I guess we’re pretty much at the same stage. I’m a little disappointed that the scale isn’t showing much (I lost four pounds the first two weeks but nothing since) but I FEEL BETTER healthwise which is more important right now. Granted, I would LOVE to start seeing some movement on the scale and would love to feel my clothes getting baggy, but I trust it will happen when it’s supposed to.

So, if it makes you feel better, I’m doing everything right, am definitely in ketosis, but not seeing pounds falling off (yet). I guess we need to be patient and let our bodies adjust at their own pace, but it certainly would be more motivating (and less defeating) to see results more often. Hang in there - I know I’m going to!
Sue

(Jen ) #12

Hi again, @Kooky83

Also broccoli (at least as much as I eat) has a decent amount of protein in it. Melt some butter over it with some grated melty cheese… yum.

Anyways, when I figured my BMR, I calculated for a sedentary person (I had significant abdominal surgery in October & I am slowly working up to exercising again), female, 5’2" (short for my weight, haha), my calculator recommends 1600 calories/day, 20g carbs, 80g protein, and 130g fats. I always stay below my carbs, I’ve been monitoring my fats (I was shocked that I was only eating about 1/2 of my fat macros). Calories in/calories out is so hard to let go; for me anyways! I’ve been stalled so I’m actually increasing my fats to see if that helps me.

#13

Wait - what?!?!?!? 4 sizes in less than a month!?!?!?!? That’s like 40 pounds, isn’t it? (I thought each pant size was equivalent to about 10 pounds).
Sue

(Jen ) #14

The number on the scale originally went down 10 lbs and then up 2 lbs. Total of 8 lbs in 4 weeks. I have no idea how weight correlates with pant sizes, I just know that my inches are falling off! (Not too sad to see them go!)

#15

… but… but… FOUR pant sizes??? You must have had to do a lot of shopping the past four weeks!
Sue

(Jen ) #16

Haha I wish. I wear a lot of dresses or skirts with leggings and I’ve just been pinning the waists of skirts.

I have 33 lbs to go until I reach my first goal weight. Then I will shop :blush:.