Not losing and getting frustrated

(Leah McIntosh) #1

I’ve been doing a keto woe for about 6 months now. I have some urine strips and a scale to measure. I’m 41, 5’3" and I stay between 132 and 135 pounds. I’m never in ketosis. I think maybe 2 or three times my stick has turned red. Does anyone else just find it too hard to get into and stay in ketosis? It’s so frustrating to plan and concentrate so hard on not eating the wrong thing only to stay the same every day. I’m always under 20 carbs.

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#2

Hi Leah,

I can totally understand why you’re frustrated, 6 months is a long time to not see some results to motivate you. Your macros looks okay at first glance, but I looked up the two processed foods shown in your screen shots, and they could be problems. Is there a way you can just cut all processed foods?

For example, the screen shot shows Performix Fruity Charms protein wafers at 4 net carbs. Here’s what I got from the Performix web site (7 net carbs). In addition, both the wafers and the Slim Fast Cappucino have a lot of ingredients that people can have issues with on keto (depends on your own body), like maltodextrin, whey protein, etc. If it were me, cutting out the prefab foods would be the first thing I’d try. It definitely changes your routine and can be an initial hard adjustment logistically, but you’ll figure out replacements that will become your new routine.

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(Rocky B) #3

Keto is more than just staying below 20 carbs. It’s also about what you do eat. I’d suggest you drop the Protein Wafers Fruity Charms to begin with. Read the ingredients. It’s not REAL food. You want to eat real food, not something made in a factory with little to no nutrients to feed your body.

There are a lot of good books and videos to help you learn about eating right on keto.

(Leah McIntosh) #4

I would love that but we coach high school and aau basketball and run two businesses. If I was retired or worked in an office I feel like I could make that work but any kind of wrap I bring is soggy after 2 hours which leaves me with celery with salt or almonds (which have too many carbs). Any suggestions for someone on the go like we are? Also, can’t bring a cooler into the gym so it has to hide in my purse

(Allison) #5

Hi,
Are you just testing with the urine sticks? Are you taking measurements of your stomach, arms, etc.? Those urine stick quit working for me about a month in, so you might be in ketosis but it’s not registering on the pee stick because your body is better equipped to use the ketones.

(Allison) #6

Deli counter cured meats and hard cheeses. Cured meats can be left of for hours and won’t go bad. Same with hard cheese. You can go the packages route if it’s a good company with not too many crazy ingredients or you can try getting something from the deli counter. Or even just an avocado and a fork :yum:

(Rocky B) #7

Plus pealed hardboiled eggs and some almond butter or soft cheese for those celery sticks.

(Marta Loftfield) #8

@KetoLeah can you bring a cooler lunch bag? Looks like a purse. They work really well. @KetoGoldie7887 has some good suggestions. Jerky might be an option too.

(Mark Rhodes) #9

Pickled eggs, sardines, mayo & canned tuna. Hard boiled eggs if you can’t find pickled.

You could however stop eating so much and eat one or two hearty meals a day. I gave up on eating all day until I get home. Then I have a small bit followed a couple hours later by a big meal. Fills me up until the next day. Being unchained from meal times was one great gift from being fat adapted.

(Dom DePlume) #10

From my quick glance, I’m seeing a lot of actual sugar in the products you use. Irrespective of net carbs, consuming any sugar, or sugar replacers built on the back of depleted sugar (like moltitol, dextrose, or anything that ends in “-rose”) will provoke an insulin response, and mess with your ability to get into, and stay in, ketosis. Remember, even your NET carbs should only be coming from real, whole foods, like greens, nuts, and the scant bit found in dairy. Keto is as much about insulin as it is ketones…

(Katie) #11

You do not have a lot of weight to lose. Typically the less weight one has to lose, the longer it takes (compared to others) to lose it.

(Leah McIntosh) #12

They would kick me out the gym in a hot minute if I brought any of these things. I have to eat in the stands or in the car with 2 teenagers :joy:
Skipping meals is difficult for my blood sugar. I’m just going to have to wait until we home more often to do keto properly I guess

(Marta Loftfield) #13

@KetoLeah just tell them you are upping your game by eating the way LeBron James eats
https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/truth-behind-worlds-most-cutting-edge-fat-burning-performance-meal-plan-keto/

(Alec) #14

Keto is WAY more about insulin than it is about ketones.

(Alec) #15

Leah
What does this mean? Does your blood sugar go low if you skip a meal? How low?
Cheers
A

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #16

If you are eating enough fat, you should be able to for hours between meals without getting hungry. One of my big complaints about keto is that I’m not hungry enough to eat both breakfast and lunch, which necessitates a difficult choice between bacon and eggs and the leftovers from the night before.

If you need food between breakfast and supper, cooked bacon survives quite well in your bag, as do pepperoni, hard cheeses, and so forth. You could also take a Thermos of heavy cream and live off coffee and cream all day, and not need to bring food.

(ScottC) #17

Leah, I’m brand new here so excuse me if my share is unexceptable. 5/30/18 I started a 5&1 meal plan with 5 meals (fuelings) that are pre made, properly, medically, balanced to go along with 1 balanced meal I prepare myself (lean&green). This plan had me eating every 2 to 3 hrs. I had read an article about trying to eat inside an 8hr window so I decided to shoot for fueling every 2hrs (12hr window) to close what otherwise would have been as much as an 18hr window. This proved difficult so I settled for the objective of a 14hr window. I followed a pre designed plan that took me into fat burn and the energy was unreal. By mid July I had lost nearly 25lbs. I went from 202lbs to 179lbs and I am 53yrs. Having made attempts to go keto a number of years earlier I was interested in this whole process. I’ve come to the conclusion that I had never before made into keto due to the present experience in insane energy levels. Because of this new found experience I wanted to go what I dubbed full tilt keto once I made it to a desired goal weight of 173lbs. The plan I was on had me transitioning into a 3&3 at this point but I decided to detour briefly. I like coffee and tried my hand at keto coffee for breakfast along with a new plan design of intermittent fasting 6612. This experience has been incredible. I’m walking for movement activities and I’m in the gym for weight training. Maybe I shouldn’t share this part; but, even my libido with an added supplement is extrodinary and I haven’t experienced this in years. I’m currently at 171lbs, a good weight to maintain; although, I may desire to increase lean muscle mass just a little. I don’t care about being large. I like the image of the Ancient Greek statue; natural form. I’m telling you the difficult to lose belly fat is melting off. I’m saying all this because I know the desire for a simple solution to what sometimes seems like an impossible objective. Then there is the dreaded keto resistance which some people have preventing them from the results I’ve experienced. I would love to hear from you, thanks.