Not sure if I'm doing this right

#1

I have a customized plan and stick to it for the most part, but I haven’t lost a pound and it’s been 3 weeks. I sometimes change up my meals, but I only replace with other meals on my plan. I started at 180 pounds and I’m still there. I exercise 2-3 times a week at the gym and I walk, run, and/or use my exercise app at home daily. Help please.

(Jill Carpenter aka space coast spinster) #2

Hi!
How tall are you?
Can you post a sample of your daily meal?

(Full Metal KETO AF) #3

One thing at a time! The traditional approach of eating less and moving more is going to slow your progress with keto. Running and cardio especially cause a release of cortisol into your system (a stress hormone that’s part of the fight or flight mechanism) which in turn stimulates insulin release and increased hunger afterwards. If you put aside stressful exercise for the time being and just limit it to staying active, walking daily, maybe a couple of 30 minute strength training sessions per week and focus on being rested and well fed I think you’ll see a change. You are on a program and I assume trying to meet some kind of daily macros, I would suggest that your main focus is on keeping your daily carbohydrates at less than 20g. Per day. No matter what your macro calculator is saying this works for everyone the same way regardless of your weight. Give this a read,

I wish you luck in getting the scale moving again. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Carl Keller) #4

Hi MommyP.

Three weeks isn’t much time at all. Depending on how deranged your hormones are from previous poor eating habits, you likely need more time to heal before weight loss is possible.

We need more info if we are to offer you suggestions. What are you eating, your age, medical conditions, medications, how much weight to lose etc…

#5

Thank you!

#6

Hi, I’m 5’3".

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#7

I don’t have any medical conditions and no medications. I also don’t have really bad eating habits. I just wanted to improve my weight and overall health.

(Jill Carpenter aka space coast spinster) #8

If that’s your 3 meals in a day for me personally that would be way too many carbs.

Consider thinking about only 20 TOTAL carbs a day for about 3-4 days and see if that shakes the scale.

@MommyP

(Carl Keller) #9

What you’re eating looks pretty good as long as you’re not constantly hungry or eating just because the clock says it’s time to eat. Take some measurements and don’t obsess with the scale. It’s possible to lose fat and recompose your figure without the scale being informed.

Also, artificial sweeteners might seem harmless, but if you are using them they can cause insulin levels to spike and this is counterproductive when we are trying to lose weight.

Lastly, stress can also make it difficult to lose weight due to our stress hormone, cortisol, rasing blood glucose levels which causes insulin levels to stay high. Try to relax and get ample sleep.

Give it another month and recheck your measurements if the scale is not moving. Even if it’s not, I bet your energy levels and general well being will have greatly improved, if it has not already. :slight_smile:

#10

So 20 total, not net?

#11

Ok thanks

(Jill Carpenter aka space coast spinster) #12

@MommyP
Some people go net, some do total
It’s going to be a "test.’

Everyone is unique, so I can’t say for sure.
But 20 carbs is the cut off, and that meal plan I’m looking at looks to me more along the lines of a maintenance maybe.

Everyone has to play around a bit sometimes to figure out what will work for you.

Take and change one thing at a time and you’re bound to figure it out.

Easiest thing I can see to try first is lower the carb count.
Don’t be afraid of high fat. Fat is your friend in this game.

#13

It’s 32 total, 20 net

(mole person) #14

I agree with @CarlKeller. Your food looks really good. If that’s everything you are eating then it should do the work of getting you into ketosis and getting you fat adapted over the next few weeks. I recommend giving it three more weeks where you don’t even worry about the scale.

This is the adaptation period and although some people are lucky enough to lose a lot of weight right a way, what’s most important right now are the metabolic changes that are happening.

Just pay attention to your hunger. If you are hungry for all of that right now keep eating it, but don’t just stuff yourself to fill out your macros. If you find at some point that you hunger starts to fall away a bit feel free to skip an entire meal. Then eat to satiety on the other two. This diet works because insulin is kept low allowing the body to access its fat stores more easily. Nothing keeps insulin lower than longer periods without food. But skipping meals is not recommended right at the start of keto because our metabolism is still so dependant on carbohydrates that we’d be very hungry all the time. After you become fat adapted (about a month to six weeks) this gets much better.

Just don’t be wedded to the macros that some calculator spat out. You may need less in the end to lose fat. Listen to your body.

I’m 5’5 and I lost every ounce that I wanted to on keto but it took many changes along the way. The first bit was lost at about 20 grams of carbohydrates, 60 grams of protein and 110 grams of fat. But that stalled eventually and I slowly transitioned to two meals and eventually one big meal a day.

This isn’t a one size fits all sort of diet. Everyone’s metabolism is different. But right now you are doing everything right for the first part. Just listen to your body and don’t feed it more than it wants right now.

#15

I wonder whether you’re eating enough. I have no idea what your height and weight are, so maybe this is right for you. But with all that exercise, I’m doubting it.

Lots of people who start low carb eating have come to it from calorie-restriction diets, often yo-yo dieting throughout the years. So eating a small amount of food can seem right, but really isn’t meeting your needs. As a result, your body just hangs on to everything you give it. If you eat more for a few weeks, your body will start to adjust it’s metabolism.

(Liz) #16

Are these prepackaged meals or recipes that you are preparing yourself? If prepackaged, there might be an ingredient that doesn’t sit well with you and causes inflammation. If you are making the recipes, you might be actually eating a lot more or less than the counter thinks. But generally,m the macros and the food like fine. You might need a little more or a little less of something, but the meals are pretty “keto” looking.

I have lost 50 pounds on keto, but I didn’t lose a single pound the first month. I stuck it out because my face looked thinner and I was feeling better – less gassy, less stomach upset, fewer headaches.

Sometimes it just takes our bodies a little time to work it all out.

(Marianne) #17

Looking at your meal plan, I guess I would reduce the carbs a little, if possible. For me it’s not hard because I’m not crazy about veggies, but a lot of people really enjoy them. I’ll usually have some broccoli in butter and/or a salad with dressing a day. Apart from that, I stick mainly to meat, pepperoni, eggs, tuna (including chicken, egg or tuna salad w. mayo), some cheese, etc. You can really get creative with your combinations and maybe you won’t miss the veggies too much.

Do you exercise because you like to, or are you doing it to aid your weight loss? I don’t enjoy it (at least now), and that is another thing I appreciate about keto. It’s a blessing that keto doesn’t require me to do things I don’t want to in order to lose weight and feel great.

Hope you stick around and read more on this forum. So much good info. from people who are doing it and at every stage of the game. Good luck!

(Jill Carpenter aka space coast spinster) #18

Sorry for the delayed response, I exceeded my forum posts at day one :rofl:.
I had a question.
Did you suffer any keto flu when you started? Anytime in the last 3 weeks?

#19

No

(Jill Carpenter aka space coast spinster) #20

So, that “flu” you hear about can be a sign that you are transitioning into ketosis.

Again, everyone is different.

I do know if I cut all sugar and carbs, and go all meat and cheese for about 3 days, personally my brain feels the change. I get dry mouth, my head hurts like sugar is being sucked out🤣

But I think there’s a fairy tale that some never have these issues. :rofl::rofl::rofl:

What you could do is check for some presence of ketones. Have you done that? :slight_smile: