Not losing after from weeks 3-6

#1

Hi there. I keep testing my keto strips and I’m in high ketosis at 6.0 mmlg or whatever that mm level is.

This is on the daily. I eat 1200 cals a day on average which is a tad low but okay. I fast 16 hours to 17 hours daily! I have been since i started Jan 1! I find that nuts and red meet are bloating me even if in moderation or super low quantities. I don’t workout Bc I have knee issue. I take tramadol occasionally one at night for chronic pain. That maybe is making me not lose?

I feel really frustrated Bc I lost close to 15 lbs but I have stalled and I feel bloated most of the time and unable to lose more. And I fluctuate 2 lbs heavier or lower on the scale with no changes to my body.

Am I eating too little? Should I try a 36-72 hour water fast? Should I just eat veggies and only lean meats for a week? Any suggestions? I feel frustrated and sad lately because of this. I am so strict about my eating and not seeing results.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Give things more time. Are you still young enough to be on your monthly cycle? I understand that affects things considerably for ketonian women. Many women have posted here that it took them a month or two to start seeing results.

Also, even though you are eating low-carb, you might still not be losing if you aren’t eating enough. The body can interpret too few calories as famine conditions and keep hanging on to fat. Don’t go hungry on this way of eating. When you’re hungry, eat; when you stop being hungry, stop eating; don’t eat again until you’re hungry again. Also, when you’re fasting, don’t eat, and when you’re eating, feast!

You’re still too new at this to be fully fat-adapted yet (it takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks), so perhaps you shouldn’t fast intentionally (if you don’t feel like eating, that’s a different story, of course!).

Anyway, keep calm, give yourself more time, and keto on! You’ll be fine. Oh, and keep us posted, okay?

#3

Thanks for the good advice Paul! :grin:

(Carl Keller) #4

If you are hungry you should eat more… if you find that the amounts you are currently eating are satiating then it’s enough.

I wouldn’t try EF unless your hunger, cravings and energy levels are under control.

I would be more concerned with fixing this first. If you believe the nuts are causing this, try not eating them for a few days and see if the bloating subsides. Same goes for the red meat. You can try chicken and fish.

It’s important to stay calm for weight loss to work. Cortisol (the stress hormone) works to prevent fat loss in anticipation of a crisis.

#5

You’ve gotten great advice so far. I would add: take measurements (because the scale doesn’t measure fat loss). Also, find a way to look at the trends in your weight. Many folks on here post their weight loss graphs, and they don’t show straight lines! The weight line wiggles up and down, but over time it trends downward.

Also, I just want to be sure that I understand: you started on January 1 and you’ve lost 15 pounds? That’s a lot.

#6

I started on January 2nd and am also down about 15 lbs… I have about 70 total pounds to lose to not be overweight. My husband is 6’ and had about 10 lbs. to lose to not be considered overweight. He also lost about 15 lbs. in that first month. Like you, I have not lost weight in at least two weeks. Keep up the good work! This is normal.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #7

Hi there. Are you feeling better in other ways, losing inches? Your name is I want to believe so believe that if you stick to low carb, healthy whole foods you will reach your goals. It takes time, especially for us women. I don’t eat nuts and my body hates beef. I’ve been getting on well with fish and plenty of pork, with occasional bird.

Sometimes when things aren’t moving as fast we you want them to, it helps to look at the NSV (non scale victory) threads to remind ourselves it’s about whole health, not just weight loss. Hang in there.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #8

You are in the PISS Period.
Post Induction Stall Syndrome.
You will begin losing again once you are adapted.

#9

Yes it is the worst! It has been close to 4 weeks of not losing but gaining 2 lbs! Despite cutting my calories drastically and 17 hour fasts and 20 carbs a day. Sighs. Not fun :confused:

#10

It might be a bit early to be “drastically cutting” your calories. If you’re not properly fat adapted & you restrict too much you may slow your metabolism.

#11

As Safi said, way too early to start cutting cals, if u want to speed up adaption eat closer to maintain calories and do 1 hour walk in the morning on empty stomach during ur fasting period couple times a week. Also get loads of sleep, ur body is changing and it needs time.

#12

I feel like I’ve adjusted to the lack of calories though and don’t want to eat much. Should I add an extra 200 cals with some sort of green based blended drink? I don’t think I’m eating enough fiber or potassium!

Could this be the problem? I eat meat and eggs and cheese but not enough veggies maybe a small salad but that’s all in a day.

Would going to 1400 calories be okay and maybe limiting myself to two meals and no snacks so I do not raise insulin?

I think I am metabolically challenged and have too much estrogen dominance and my gut needs better health so I am wondering if just eating more greens and drinking an Apple cider vinegar and water mix before each meal would be good.

I lost my water weight and then stalled for 3 weeks with 1-2 lbs of water gain depending on the day.

I never eat sweets or sugar of any caliber aside from some stevia in my zevia drinks and some heavy whipping cream in coffee and dark chocolate twice a week in small amounts. Really not sure why I am stalling so much and I’m bloated despite my long fasts!

#13

You should eat to your appetite for the most part but if you’re undereating you may find it harder to fat adapt. Blended veggie juices are probably not a great idea either - if you need the greens I’d just eat them :slightly_smiling_face:

Veggie needs vary from person to person so you really need to experiment.

Seems reasonable. Eating enough at meals to cut out snacking is a good place to start.

A couple of weeks isn’t really a stall - your body is adjusting still so weight & appetite can be all over the place until you adapt.

I’m sure I’ve heard of others getting bloated during/after fasting - maybe try using the search function.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

Even in the absence of carbohydrate, restricting calories signals the body that it needs to hold on to every last shred of energy, in order to make it through the famine. Oddly enough, a cycle of feasting and fasting does not have the same effect, because our ancestors evolved to the rhythms of the hunt.

This is why the standard advice always says to eat to satiety. I find that my body knows how many calories I need better than I do, and things work better when I let it tell me, than when I try to figure it out in my brain. After all, the human race has survived for two million years by eating to satiety, calorie-counting is an aberration on that time scale.

Also, if you are going to juice, you have to count all the carbohydrate, including the fiber, because juicing makes the fiber digestible, so it will count toward making your insulin rise. And insulin, as we all know, makes fat cells store fat.