I apologize if this has been asked but I don’t have a lot of weight that I want to loose. I really want to get off about 15-20lbs and I’ll be ok.
I’ve only lost like 1 pound so far - (5 weeks in) so I’m wondering if its always slower for people who have less to loose? I’m baffled as to why no movement. I do see less around the love handles and I’m not as sluggish in the afternoons as I used to be but other than that; I’m lost.
Again, apologies if this has already been discussed.
For me, I definitely lost more when I was heavier. That last 15-25 lbs is more stubborn.
I’m about the same place as you, I started March 6 with only about 20 lbs to lose. Initially I lost about 8 pounds of water weight, but really have been stuck at about 13 lbs above my goal weight. I’m seeing a lot of folks in here saying that when there is only a little to lose, it slows way down. I plan to give it a few more months while incorporating more fasting.
It’s definitely way slower when you’re that close to your ideal weight. If you don’t have a whole lot of body fat, then increase your plate fat for a few days, then do an extended fast. That might help.
I only have about eight pounds to lose and it is very slow at this point. But hey, I have time and I am not going anywhere. I take a positive angle on this. I am almost maintaining with the exception that I am still slowly losing. This is exactly what I want so I am not going to be upset about it but just the opposite, I am happy.
As some have said, the last few pounds can be difficult and slow.
But, they can also be essentially impossible on just Keto.
Your body, on just Keto, will settle down to a weight it is happy with (sometimes called the Phinney weight) and you will stop dropping weight. Keto is a WOE vs. a weight loss diet.
If, due to stress, excessive exercise, lack of sleep etc. your body wants to hang on to most or all of those 15-20 pounds (it is survival focused and keeping extra fat is protective) the pounds will tend to stay even if you think they shouldn’t (body doesn’t care about mirrors or upcoming swimsuit season).
If stress is low, exercise moderate, sleep is dialed in etc. then you may want to try intermittent fasting along with Keto to keep insulin levels even lower for longer (which just about invariably helps lower body fat).
The first 30 I wanted to lose came off in three months. The last ten took about two months. Our bodies will cling to body fat as our percentage gets lower. It’s an insurance policy against famine, child bearing and illness.
Women seem to have much tougher time than men and things like stress and medications like prednisone can cause stalls. Other things that might help convince your body to give up fat are reducing or eliminating artificial sweeteners, cutting out dairy and nuts and eating one or two large meals per day so that the time between meals is greatest. The latter will give your insulin a rest and your body more opportunity to use body fat for fuel.
Hi Traci, I only wanted to lose 30lbs and after 2 months I am 10lbs away. Whatever I am doing is working even with having some drinks and a few days in Vegas it seems to still be working. I bet I will hit a slow down now but this is when I am going to start strength training a few days and building some muscle and hope to shock my body a bit. Maybe throw in some different IF changes and see what happens. Hope you figure it out.
Funny thing. Other than that granola yesterday, I don’t eat nuts on a regular basis. Cheese is getting cut tho
Most commercial granola has a lot of sugar in it. But maybe you have a special kind?
Anyway, I have been cycling between 13 and 15 pounds above goal now for over 10 weeks. My rate of loss has been much slower (averaged about 3.8 pounds a month) than other people’s on this board because I’d already taken off a lot before I came to this, so slowed my metabolism in the process of cutting calories before I’d been fat adapted and had taken care of insulin. I have done two meals a day since last June I think. That was good for about 30 pounds, (I am a total of 41 since going lchf) but now as I am hovering above goal I feel like I am stalled. I went and got a resting metabolism rate test the other day and my metabolism is slower than I thought so I really do have to watch how much I am eating as opposed to just making sure my carbs stay low.
My plan for the next several weeks is to do one meal a day every other day and see if that kick starts things again. I am going to make sure I don’t go less than 1200 calories on those days though as I don’t want to further slow my metabolism. I started that on Wednesday and did Friday and so far so good. I will report back in a few weeks and see if that worked.
I too did not have much weight to lose at the start of my KETO journey…probably 15-20 lbs. I would like to get down to 117lbs. I am 5’4” and have always been what most people would consider thin. I am currently “stuck” at 122 lbs. I have been doing KETO off/ on for about a year, and the first 10 lbs came off quick and easy. I do work out 3-4 days a week and have a pretty physical job (veterinarian assistant… wrangle big dogs and pot belly pigs daily 
)
I am really watching my calories and protein levels and I am going to do some IF again to change things up. I will admit that I have a sweet tooth and with all this Easter candy around it has been tough (LOVE some marshmallow peeps!!)
So I would agree twitch everyone that when you don’t have much to lose it can be tough… my body has at least maintained these past few weeks even with an occasional marshmallow peep.
Good luck and let’s push through!
I also do not have a lot to lose and agree with what everyone has said here. I’m 5’4", 143 and 59 y/o.
Age adds another layer to the equation. Losing 10-15 pounds requires a lot of fine tuning. For me, just a little bit of too much of either fat or protein can stall or make me gain a little. I do great on vacation so I have to look at why that is…that HWC calls to me sometimes. haha Anyway, it is a way of eating and overall, the benefits are outweighing the negatives so I will continue to eat this way! Good luck and hang in there!
I agree age does make a difference … being 46 and no longer in my 30s makes weight loss tough but I am grateful I have always been small framed. My Mother is about the same height as me and has always struggled with being overweight… I can sympathize with people who struggle with obesity. I grew up watching my Mom diet her whole life only to yo-yo back and forth. She is currently doing the Atkins diet at 72 years young in preparation for double knee replacement and has lost about 30 lbs so far. Have talked to her about KETO diet but Atkins is working for her.
That’s right. And keto will also put weight on those who need to gain