Not Fat Adapting

(Liza1) #1

Hi

I have been doing Keto since Febr 2018 and I am not losing weight. In fact I have gained weight. I have been super strict apart from last saturday . I consume 20-30g carbs / 50-60g protein and 200g fats daily . I am 40 weigh 68kg. Eat 3 meals a day. Typical breakfast - 3 cups raw spinach , 250 ml unsweetened almond milk. 2TBS macadamia butter , 1 tbs MCt and 2 TBS coconut oil, 1/2 an avo and 1 teaspoon organic cocoa and 1/2 serving protein . I try manage about 60g fat per meal , max 20g protein and less then 10g of carbs . Problem is some say high fat as in 200g / some say calories in and calories out. It’s confusing. I also have constant stomach ache / bloat and diarrhea. I drink bone broth daily and take a plethora of supplements ( from chlorophyll to potassium and super greens) I train 5 times a week , weights and walking.

It seems my body is not fat adapting… Can you maybe guide here ? Am I just being impatient ?

(Chris W) #2

What is your body fat % your macros seem a bit wonky. If you are consuming too high of fat you will deposit that fat.

(Karen) #3

Every body is different, but try counting total carbs for a while, not net. Do less than 20 g total carbs. I know, hard. I dropped when I cut protein back too. Say 50 g. Calculate your TDEE. A regular poster helped me with this.

https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

Then eat fat up to the TDEE

K

(Pete A) #4

What should you be eating for your age, height, weight?

(Dr. Emily Franklin ) #5

I would suggest removing the cocoa and all nut products - almond milk, macadamia butter, etc. - as nuts are a somewhat inflammatory and carby and can inhibit Keto progress, esp in the beginning months. Maybe try just having butter coffee/tea in the morning, or even just skipping breakfast or delaying it as long as possible. This will encourage your body to burn body fat for fuel more readily and steadily. :smiley:

(Liza1) #6

Thank you Dr Emily - so am I still trying to get in 200g of fats a day to keto adapt ?

(Cristian Lopez) #7

-drop carbs to olny 11 to 21 grams

-increase protein by 10 grams too make up for those calories
(protein is also more thermogenic then carbs or fat

-cut out the maca butter and use real butter but keep the almond milk,its the best stuff and its macro friendly

(Allie) #8

What supplements and why? That’s a LOT of fat, even on keto. The spinach may not be your friend either, especially with the amounts you’re eating.

The part where you say “try to manage” 60g fat each meal, you should’t be trying to force it - eat only to your hunger.

(Garry (Canada)) #9

Whoa…At 68kg you don’t need anywhere near 200g of fat. Where did you get that # ???
Keep it around 125-150g. That’s plenty for you.

I would suggest you eat:
130g fat
60g protein
20g net carbs for now. You can increase it later when the time comes…

#10

I agree with the two much fat…Protein is a goal. Carbs are a limit. Then only fat to satiety. The higher fat is what keeps you from being hungry, but if you are not hungry there is no reason at all to be forcing yourself to stick to a certain percentage of fat. You need to use your body fat reserves unless you are maintaining or using the diet for medical reason.

#11

Too much fat consumption can cause GI distress. MCT oil can cause it single handedly.

Although not well represented on this forum, many people on a HFLC diet are not trying to lose weight. It is not a magic bullet that automatically leads to weight loss.

You can adjust macros, but how will you know its working? A scale is a poor tracking tool, especially when used as the sole instrument. I don’t believe in adjusting macros blindly, so a glucometer is an essential tool for me. I measure how my BG responds to my food intake. My body doesn’t treat all carbs equally, some elicit a greater response than others. Ditto with protein. Calories matter (independent of macro distribution) and effect my BG.

If you are interested in knowing the degree your body is using fatty acids vs glucose, a blood ketone meter is a useful tool. For example, the response would be quite different if you had posted you were eating keto since February and your BK > 0.5…

Eating fat doesn’t create ketosis. Lack of carbs or absence of food causes the state of ketosis. If you’re insulin resistant, then time matters, independent of meal composition. Some type of fasting or time restricted eating regime may be necessary.

If you want to jump start the process, do a water only fast for a few days and abstain from supplements. This will put you into ketosis and should resolve your GI issues. Then slowly incorporate foods and monitor their effect.

(Liza1) #12

Thank you so much for the replies. So various Keto sites dictate that until your body is fat adapted you need to give it a lot of fat. They recommend 200g of fat a day. Once adapted you obviously minimize it. It seems the logic is that your body will not experience “starvation” mode and they also state that due to not having enough fat many people are in Ketosis but NOT fat adapted. The information is very confusing. So in answer to another reply my last glucose reading ( last week ) was 5.3 glucose and 0.5 ketones. I don’t know if I am fat adapted as I don’t feel energetic and as stated had not lost any weight and just had a sore tummy constantly. I have started IF in the morning yesterday because I’m simply not hungry and seem to be able to go easily 7+ hours between meals ( judging hunger levels only) and 18 hours ( sleep and breakfast skip) So as an active person how will I know that I am consuming enough calories to fat adapt and also if you do IF how on earth do you consume enough calories in just 2 meals ? My body fat is high at probably 30%.

(Liza1) #13

Thanks Karen - my carbs are x2 cups spinach morning , 1-2 cups broccoli afternoon or asparagus evening - is that ok ?

(Liza1) #14

I take Vit c / Potasium / Magnesium / Super greens / Chlorofyl / Burnout formula / Biostrath / Super Veggies ( green veggie powder) / Niacin and 1/2 serving of whey protein when I make a smoothie

(Liza1) #15

Hey - my glucose is 5.3 and ketones 0.5 - measurement last Wednesday

#16

Hi,

You are gaining weight because you are eating too high amount of calories. 200g of fat is 1800 calories. I weigh 83kgs and I don’t eat 200g! You need to use a macro calculator to work out your macros and you do also need some calorie deficit or you really won’t drop any weight.

#17

Based on what your posts, I think most of the time you’ve not been in ketosis. So the fat adaptation clock hasn’t even begun ticking.

High glucose levels inhibit lipolysis. Ideally fasting BG should be 4.1 to 4.7 and the lower end of of the range is better. Ketone levels are more individualized, so there’s no ideal, but the ratio of glucose to ketones indicates the relative fuel sources the body is using. Your numbers indicate its 10.5 so I’m not surprised you’re not losing weight. For your goal it should be kept under 6.

Try whatever you want- do fasting, adjust your macros, lower your calories, exercise more, stress less and sleep more… Find a way to get your glucose down and your ketones up.

Here are links to a couple of articles on optimal glucose levels and GKI, respectively.

http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2011/ss/Are-We-All-Pre-Diabetic/Page-01

https://www.headsuphealth.com/blog/features/tracking-glucose-ketone-index/

#18

That seems like a really disconnected strange group of foods that doesn’t really equal any type of a normal meal. Have you done your research and are you aware of all the awesome foods you can eat? Do you have dietary restrictions your trying to work around?

(Jeannie Oliver) #19

Spoken like a pro.

(Karen) #20

Yes, 2 c spinach, and 2 cups broccoli is lots of fiber and low carbs. Are you counting the protein in bone broth an a carb or two. Counting hidden carbs in eggs, cheese, cocoa powder etc?

K