No weight loss yet- 3 weeks in!

(Alycia Ludden) #1

So, I started keto almost 3 weeks ago and have yet to lose any weight. My ketone strips say I’ve had a low to moderate ketone count since week 1, I’m hitting my macros, I’m even below 1500 calories every day and haven’t cheated once. I drink coffee with heavy whipping cream and two packets stevia most days, water and the occasional sugar free Powerade. All other meals and snacks have been keto and my weight has fluctuated between 6+ lbs heavier to -2 lbs lighter (after a 24hr fast last weekend). I started at 242lbs, I am moderately active just normally and have been doing an hour walking in the treadmill with a steep incline 3-4 times a week.

I have done Paleo in the past when I was working out more consistently and have always dropped 20-30lbs the first month (when I was 25 and again when I was 29, now I’m 31). I thought I’d try keto because I’m not super consistent with the working out with working full time, going to school online part time, two small children and a farm to run with all this terrible weather. The only difference aside from keto versus paleo this time is I had my gall bladder out last year after pregnancy. Could this be stalling my weight loss? I also was a regular Diet Coke drinker, usually 2-3 fountain pops a day and have completely cut that out with no loss or decrease in bloating. I really want to stick this out for the 90 days I had planned but I’m just not seeing any results. Any advice?

#2

You might just need more time, but in the meantime: I would cut out any snacks, and you might want to consider ditching the stevia for now. What you want to do is keep insulin low, and snacks definely spike it (and stevia might - some people do have an insulin response to sweeteners).
I would be careful not to calorie restrict before you’re fat adapted. Once your body can easily access your fat stores for fuel, you can generally cut back on the amount of food you eat because you’ll be supplementing with your own fuel. But before then, low calories basically send the message of restriction to your metabolism, which is not what you want!

(Alycia Ludden) #3

My snacks are single servings of macadamia nuts, walnuts or cashews or beef jerky/ beef sticks or similar keto type snacks. Still well under my carbs. I didn’t calorie restrict at all the first week and a half and gained the 6+ lbs. I just don’t understand why this time is so much different then my last few times.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

Focus on the sticking this out part and less on the seeing any results part. Plenty of people report having no results and then a whoosh when they are fat adapted, which generally hasn’t happened yet at 3 weeks.

I think you have to consider what’s different to determine why you’re not getting the same results as your previous attempts. The diet is different (may be you do better on paleo), you’re a different age and place in life. You mentioned you have a lot going on, are you more stressed overall? You had a baby in the past year, a major surgery, etc.

My advice would be to keep it as simple as possible. Carbs under 20 grams a day (or whatever you decide for yourself), don’t shy away from fat, eat whole foods when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied, try to fill up at meals to avoid snacking (but if you’re hungry then eat, don’t withhold food), stay hydrated, get your salt, sleep enough and trust the process.

Oh, and hang in there, we’re here to help.

(Jill F.) #5

Maybe try less snacking on nuts and increase fat intake. Be sure to check carb amounts in foods before eating them and try a food scale and measuring spoons to ensure your portions are in target. It is hard to eyeball them correctly.

(Alycia Ludden) #6

All my portions are weighed to ensure the right size, the bits have quite a bit of fat and I’m reaching my fat goals everyday.

#7

Re snacks: it’s not really the size; it’s that it keeps your insulin up (not as much as a high carb snack, but you’ll have some insulin reaction to eating unless it’s pure fat). As @PetaMarie said, it’s best to eat enough at meals that you don’t want/need to snack.
Stress and/or lack of sleep can also interfere with results, just FYI but I’m any case I would just keep going. Good luck! And keep posting :slight_smile:

(Alycia Ludden) #8

That whole “sleep” thing gets me. I work 12 hour night shifts on the weekend, so three in a row then I switch back to regular day shift during the week to get my girls to school. Stress wise I’m pretty much the same, I adapt well to stress as a nurse and the last time I did paleo I had just finished nursing school (probably the most stressed I’ve ever been in my life).

I do wonder if I’m not getting enough iodine. I normally use kosher salt at home and since we aren’t eating any processed foods, I wonder if I should supplement? I considered going to my doctor to see if I’m low on any electrolyte, make sure my liver and the lyrics are functioning right.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #9

I understand, I do. I got my first hemorrhoid and first gray hair at 31 while in nursing school (and this after giving birth). I used to work three twelves over the weekend also, but thankfully it was 7a-7p shift. Still, even that was tough!

Getting labs wouldn’t be a bad idea at all, to see if you’re lacking something but also as a baseline to monitor your progress. Who knows, you may find something off and that gives you motivation to keep going with keto. I knew I could go low carb for losing some weight, but it was that high A1c that really kicked my butt into action. And I can’t wait to have it rechecked at 6 months!

(Libby) #10

+1 on Nursing school being the pits. So much so that when I was burning my student nurse uniform in the backyard after graduation, I swore that I would never let another nursing school instructor get their grubby hands on my psyche again. Pure evil.

I’ve only lost a couple of pounds in 2.5 months of keto but my pants are all very droopy and my neck and face look a lot thinner. Noticed my jackets have more room in them.

Am only now at point where eating 2 or 3 generous fatty meals doesn’t feel mandatory so maybe just now getting fat adapted. Point being, 2.5 months without any scale victory. But I sense I am close to turning the corner. I’ve got about 50 pounds to get down to only slightly overweight for my height.

Maybe you need to give it a few more weeks, is what I’m trying to say.

During hospital nursing career I would run and run and run for 13 hours, usually miss lunch and then come home and overeat, skip breakfast, go back in and do it again. I guess that was IF but it sure didn’t feel healthy. I guess if I hadn’t been eating mostly carbs it would have been healthy. Hmm.

(Bill Pratt) #11

My wife an I just hit 8 weeks today. I feel your frustration and concerns at week 3. (I believe I posted a similar post at week 3.) please hang in there. It gets better. We only weigh in on Saturday now. The scale was driving us nuts. But we measure our waist every Saturday morning. This week I gained 2 lbs from last Saturday. My first reaction was frustration and then “what did I do wrong?”. But here’s the thing. I am down 2 pant sizes, and I am down 8 centimeters (like 3 inches), and I feel amazed at the changes in my body. So much energy, my mental clarity, some skin issues have cleared up, and some GI issues are 100% unexplainably GONE. So, for me right now, I am all in. This is a lifestyle for me and I am not concerned with the number on the scale. My wife is in the same spot as me. She looks awesome. She has had all the same type of results as me (and more than me with all her “woman” stuff is better too). Please hang in there. Use this forum to vent and ask questions and reach out for encouragement and support. It works. It really does.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #12

Everyone has given you great advice. I would add (and since you’re not getting immediate results this might be hard) that the best approach to keto is as a lifestyle, not a three month weight loss diet. Going back to previous dietary habits will land you back in the same place you started. And the more times you go through a loose and gain cycle the harder it will be to get back to where you want to be. Your body will say “Not this again” and hang onto that excess fat for dear life. I believe that you’re already starting to experience that.

I was a cook and a baker my whole life. I have always loved bread. I cooked Chinese food for over 15 years in a restaurant. I love noodles and rice and dim sum. It was tough for me deciding that I had eaten enough of that carbage for a lifetime and that I need to be healthy and alive to be there for my adult autistic son. It was starting into pre diabetes too. So life’s real issues helped me to make the changes needed and focus on what was important, and it wasn’t carb rich foods.

You’re a nurse so I am sure you are quite familiar with the destructive effect diabetes has. Make the right choice, be in your adorable little girls life’s as long as you can and enjoy getting old, watching them grow up and give you some beautiful grandchildren. It’s so much better than enjoying the moment with unhealthy food. And remember that you’re habits and example will echo in your children’s lives.
Keep Calm and Keto On. (KCKO) :cowboy_hat_face:

(Alycia Ludden) #13

Thank you, I am only doing “keto” for 90 days because I know it is unsustainable for me. I do plan to stay low carb but in more of a paleo way as it fits my life style and food preferences in a more sustainable way. Bread and pasta are loves, but not “must haves” unless on special occasions but fruit and the occasional beer during the warmer months are and I don’t want to constantly be fighting going in and out of ketosis.

(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #14

Hello there :grinning:. A few things, as stated before, 1 is you haven’t done this way of eating long enough to see the most results. 2, if not seeing any results I would take out snacking and stick to eating at meals (if you’re not hungry)

Also if this is just temporary (90 days) then probably Keto is not a good choice, as it heals your whole body from within before it will focus on weight.

Keto is not a crash diet, it takes a lot of investment and time. You have to enjoy this WOE, if you don’t you will quit and probably gain. You said pasta or grains isn’t a must, but then ask yourself what else is there that you don’t want to give up, to commit for Keto?

I think, if you research about Keto and have patience then you will see results but it may take several months. Also the occasional beer or carb once you are 6 months or more in isn’t going to reset your whole progress btw.