Hi,
I started the keto diet at the beginning of February and stuck to it for 5 weeks. Nothing happened. My start weight was 63kgs (I’m just under 5ft) then my weight went down to 61.4kgs. After that my weight gradually went up and I’m now back at 63kgs. This is my 6th week. I didn’t take measurements at first but I have been trying on clothes and some of them fit looser.
After reading so much about how the weight just falls off I was very disappointed that didn’t happen to me.
Before I started keto, my diet wasn’t too bad, I tried to avoid too many carbs, but I did eat some bread and other carbs i.e. chips, crisps, biscuits occasionally but not every day. I drank alcohol every day i.e. 2 beers (zero carb) 3-4 glasses of wine 2-3 gin and tonics and more at the weekends. Breakfast was boiled/scrambled eggs, lunch salad and dinner meat and salad or veg.
I really expected the weight to fall off as I completely stopped drinking alcohol and cut the carbs right down. I’ve always liked fat so that was no problem.
I have had some alcohol, but because I’m doing keto I didn’t like how it made me feel i.e. headache and really tired the next day. The alcohol I had was nowhere near what I had previously been drinking.
10 years ago I had my gallbladder removed can that hinder weight loss?
Also about 8 years ago I was diagnosed with fatty liver, probably alcohol related. Could that also hinder weight loss?
I really like this way of eating as I love butter on my vegies and mushrooms cooked in butter and cream and all the fatty food but I’m wondering if this is the diet for me as it doesn’t seem to be working.
I’ve been reading a lot of information and some say eat nuts, some say don’t eat nuts, some say eat plenty of fat, some say don’t overdo it, some say eat mushrooms and avocados, some say eat mushrooms and avocados occasionally.
I could keep on writing, but it would be too long a post, but I’d really like some advice about doing keto. I don’t want to give up, but if my weight is going to go up I will.
Apreciate anyone’s comments, bits of advice etc., Thank you.
Not impressed
Perhaps your basal insulin level is not high. People who drop a lot of weight tend to have hyperinsulinemia. When they lower the insulin level, body fat drops off.
Keto is not a quick weight loss diet. It is not a diet at all but a way of eating. Keto heals first. So there may be some healing going on first before fat loss. I gained weight my 1st month but lost by month 2-present. Many women do not lose like men do. Fat loss for us seems slower. But it does happen. Think about the alternative. If your feeling better, clothes are a little looser and other non scale victories
Keep calm and keto on. Why go back to what you used to do when clearly it wasn’t working for you?
The way your clothes fit is a better guide than the scale. Relax and be patient.
Also regarding the wealth of information out there good and bad
Ignore any of it that tells you that is this or that is bad. Nuts in moderation is fine. Avocado the best thing for you. Just keep in mind the basics
20 grams of carbs ( your choice as long as if fits within your 20 grams) moderate protein, fat till your full. I found this way of eating to be the easiest in the world. Come here and ask your questions. Use the search box. Someone has had the same question. Listen to the 2 dudes podcast.http://2ketodudes.com/archives.aspx.
From what you have written, you are already experiencing a lot of positives. The only thing, which is sabotaging you right now, is the person staring at you in the mirror. Your weight will never “just fall off” for two reasons a) you’re small and b) you have already been eating lower carb (and c) you’re female). I would suggest you add some more metrics to track. Take weekly measurements of multiple areas of your body along with weighing yourself daily to get a feeling for your weight-fluctuations (my weight can fluctuate 4 lbs from one day to the next!). In addition, once a month I try on a pair of jeans in a smaller size to see my progress. Just remember, your scale measures your total weight not your current composition, state of health, state of malnutrition and happiness. It’s very common to want results right now. We want to watch that movie right now, we want our package to be delivered the same day and we want to reach our destination as fast as possible. Well, our bodies don’t care about our expectations.
I think it really just all boils down to what’s going to work for you.
The main thing is to be in ketosis, and to do that you need to stay at a very limited number of carbohydrates. I think the accepted value is 20g/day, since that essentially guarantees you’ll get there.
Then, you really just have to stay there to see the benefits and get fat adapted, which can take many weeks.
For me, I still calorie-count because my “i’m full” switch is broken. Many people are able to “eat fat to satiety”, but if I do that, I’m overeating and putting on weight. So what I do instead is eat a nice fatty meal to the tune of 2000-2500 calories or so (I eat once a day typically), stop, wait half an hour, and then I’m typically not hungry anymore - and I’m good until I do it again the next day. I typically eat only “incidental” carbs (the trace amounts that are in heavy whipping cream, typically) to the tune of around 8-10g of carbs per day.
I don’t drink though. Alcohol adds a definite wrinkle that I can’t really comment on. From what I’ve read, alcohol “pauses” ketosis since it’s a toxin your liver HAS to deal with before doing anything else. Typically I see drinkers doing keto sticking to the “hard” stuff since it has fewer carbs than wines, beers, what have you. But hey, it’s probably universally accepted that boozing it up will hinder ANY weight-loss program, right?
I don’t deal with nuts very often (but I love Macadamias… their cost keeps them in “treat” territory though). I don’t deal with leafy vegetables unless my wife insists on me sharing a salad with her. Even then, I really only like the Baby Spinach stuff. I eat a lot of bunless burgers. I’ll indulge in a Ribeye once or twice a month. I deep-fry a lot using pork rinds as a breading.
The most important part of doing this Keto business is me being honest with myself about it. I have a couple of buddies doing “keto” with me because they saw my results. But I can tell you right now, they’re half-assed about it. I know this because they’ll text me every so often asking me if “Food X” is “keto” or not - usually AFTER they’ve already eaten it 
It’s kind of like tossing a beer can out your car window and saying “That was biodegradable, right?”
So here I am, 140lb lighter, they haven’t budged, yet they go on about how my diet is crap because it doesn’t work. It’s because they’re not being completely honest with themselves about it. I’m not saying that’s the case with you - just that I had to be completely honest with MY damn self before I got successful at this, much how my “buddies doing keto” are not. Be honest with yourself about what you’re consuming, stick to under 20g carbs a day (I do “total”, not net), and get used to eating this way over time. That’s how I succeeded with it.
Great idea! My weight has been fluctuating a lot around my EF’s. Hard to see a clear downward trend. Since my current jeans stretch out, looser jeans can be a tricky metric as well. I really like the idea of trying on a smaller size once a month. I certainly have a nice range of sizes in my closet to use!
I tried this. I bought a size 14 last month. A little snug. This month a little roomy. Scales moved a little but inches way down.
If you had fatty liver then likely Keto is trying to heal that first. Stick with it and read the slow losers posts on here. There’s probably a ton of healing up going on inside you before your body will even consider weight loss.
63kg isnt a huge number, depending on how tall you are. the crazy weight loss tends to be people who are very overweight or otherwise metabolically deranged.
just for me, the thing that keeps me going is the way i feel- mood and mental clarity and energy level. Are you feeling any of that?
I’m also 5ft. And 63kg is probably close to a “healthy” weight for women our size. So I don’t believe it’s going to happen fast. Although I understand the frustration. This is not a diet, but a way of eating. If you think it is for you, I suggest giving it two or three months. All the best.
Keto isn’t automatically a weight loss diet.
I went strictly and consistently keto and lost about two thirds of a pound a month, til I had lost around 25 pounds. Then it stopped.
So many, endlessly well meaning keto ‘experts’ have told me more/less fat. And protein. And salt, water, exercise, magnesium, fasting, potassium, sat fat… goodness, the list has been endless. The only thing that has worked was becoming horribly ill with GutRot and barely eating (and not digesting) for weeks. I lost about 5 pounds. And I will not prioritise weight loss over wellbeing.
I find the weight loss stall mildly frustrating.
The ‘expert advice’ is far, far, worse though. Everyone thinks that what worked for them will work for other people. Not so.
We each have different bodies and we each have to find what works for us.
My suggestions to you;
Don’t consider it a stall until you have had at least 2 months without weight loss, or 2 months without changing clothes fit.
Only change one thing at a time. How else will you know what works?
Recognise that it took years for the weight to go on, so taking time to lose it is kinder to the body than rapid loss.
Rejoice in the benefits of keto, even if you don’t lose.
Stay off the booze.
Actually small amounts of red wine (2-7 glasses per week, depending on cuisine) deliver Resveratrol andl SRIT1 as well as quercitn - and stimulates the release of the hormone gastrin (which in turns stimulates the release of enzymes in the stomach, among them the enzyme called gastric alcohol and converts it into vinegar, or acetate). Thus, wine stimulates the release of digestive enzymes - and can be a good ally for body recomposition in those who have reversed fatty liver disease and those who don’t suffer from alcohol addiction. There are other posts in this forum that go into moderate wine intake.
SIRT1 in adipose tissue is a key factor in maintaining the body’s energy balance and insulin sensitivity. Which explains why traditional mediterranean peoples who drank wine regularly with their cuisine failed to become obese over thousands of years and often lived longer lives than average european medieval people. The well known historical centenerian Luigi Cornaro’s approaches involved both wine with minimal cuisine, and times of fasting.
I gained too when I started Keto. It wasn’t until I added in intermittent fasting that I lost weight.
I know 63kg doesn’t sound “fat” and my sister who is 5’.4" is 10kgs heavier than me, but she looks better because she is pear shape and I am apple shape meaning all my fat is on my belly and back and that’s what I want to get rid of. I put it all down to alcohol consumption over the years so I suppose I should allow for some time for it to disappear. Some days I do feel really good and some days I get very dizzy and tired. I really do like this way of eating so I do want to stick to it. Thanks for your reply
Yes, I suppose there is a lot of healing going on. I’ve read a few posts where this is talked about and with my history I should expect it. Thanks for your reply all this helps me.
I weighed myself again this morning to find I am 62.2kgs. Yesterday I was 63kgs so I am going to take your advice and watch how my weight fluctuates over the days. Sometimes I feel that I’ve lost weight and if I wear something that feels loose it makes me feel good - then when I get on the scales my mood plummets. But…now I have all these replies giving me good advice and information I am not going to bother what the scales say and just see how my clothes fit. Thank you for your reply
Thank you. This is what I have been reading and it’s true what works for one does not work for another. The other day I was so dizzy I ate some salt and drank water and immediately got a headache which I couldn’t shift all day. I drank buillion which didn’t work. I drank PowerAde zero which didn’t work either. I came home from work and went to bed and slept for an hour then I went to bed early at 10pm and the next day I felt great all day not tired at all or dizzy. I must have needed more sleep.