Ok what gives? Suggestions much needed

(Hannah Conway) #1

I’ve been keto for three months now and I’ve only lost 11 lbs 10 of which I’m guessing was water weight so really I only lost 1 pound. I have been doing no snacking for the past 2 months except dark chocolate a few days before my period and a few days during. Around the 2-month Mark I started doing intermittent fasting between a 6 and 8 Hour window I only eat two meals a day and I’ve even thrown in a couple 24-hour fasts. I took the very solid advice of only eating when I’m hungry and not eating when I’m not hungry. I eat to satiate. I have been under 20 net carbs consistently for the past six weeks even when I went over in the begining it was only to 25 carbs. Also i havent had a drop of alcohol since starting keto. I take a magnesium, potassium, chromium picolinate, thyroid support and B12 supplement

The things that I think might be slowing down my weight loss are the fact that I’m on Lexapro 10 mg for anxiety and depression, I use Stevia in my tea and I have a decent amount of stress but do go to therapy. I’ve tried countless times to just do black tea but I can’t stand it. Also i generally eat between 1500 and 2200 calories a day. Do you think im eating eating to many calories?
Please help!!!

(Hannah Conway) #2

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(Donna ) #3

Try counting full carbs, don’t do the net carb thing if you aren’t losing.

Try a longer fast.

Stop drinking tea if you can’t stand it without sweetner. (If you are using sweetener during your fasting window.) Maybe try a different brand or type of tea - or make it weaker. And I say this with love - you CAN drink it without sweetner.

All the best to you!

#4

You’re doing quite well. The question is well warranted.

Some people vary in their fat adaptation and ketoadaptation time. Stress and the resultant elevated blood cortisol will reduce the effect of the way of eating. You are right about that.

It may be good to get some baseline blood tests done if concerns persist.

Testing the thyroid function is important when results to strict eating are not as expected.

Keep up the curiosity. Drop the caramel coffee creamer, if you can.

#5

It’s possible you eat too much, I don’t even know your stats not like TDEE can be calculated from some numbers but one can take some vague guess. Very vague.
I can eat until satiation without fat-loss on keto too if I eat twice. One meal does the trick in my case but I needed a long time to be able to do it. The fewer meals I have, the longer and better my satiation is so my calorie intake drops.
Timing, food choices matter too. I could eat a ton of certain items without getting properly satiated but some food is usually great at satiation, like meat, eggs… Added fat can’t satiate me well so I minimize it now. Once I turned off my usual fat minimization and ended up at 254g fat easily, it surely didn’t feel I overate. My very high-fat past, maybe.
Your numbers show you aren’t the one who get super easily satiated just eating lots of fat or lots of protein…
Of course, lowering your carbs more might help, I feel some effect myself, it matters even if you are surely in ketosis when using the bigger numbers. I never could go really low, it’s tricky with my ingredients but one can find a way, maybe not in the beginning but later. Focus on your very low-carb fatty protein sources, those should satiate you really well.

Stress, medication, sweeteners, those can affect our body, it’s impossible to say what’s the problem but first I would change the food choices a bit.
And I personally would exercise more, I know I should. I don’t know anything about you to suggest it though.

(Hannah Conway) #6

I will try the full carb thing. Iim not ready for a longer fast, i barely made it through the 24hr fast. ive tried 6 different types of tea including flavored tea. I tried doing no tea at all but my coworkers were complaining how grumpy i was without caffeine lol

(Hannah Conway) #7

Yeah i really need to start excersizing but i hate it. A couple of times i was able to to OMAD but most of the time im really hungry after work so i eat dinner.

(Hannah Conway) #8

Thank you i thought i was doing well too but thr scale disagrees and my clothes aren’t any looser.
I get blood work done every year and every year my thyroid is fine. But I do take a thyroid support supplement for iodine zinc and selenium.

#9

When I can’t avoid eating twice, my plan (that I totally mess up but it’s me) is that my second meal is extreme low-carb, just some fatty protein. So those not satiating and possibly carbier little things can’t find their way into 2 meals per day… :smiley: You are better with going lower with your carbs, maybe you don’t need that…

Satiation might work interestingly but I don’t write a novel now, maybe it’s unneeded for you anyway. I totally dropped “eating to satiation” on OMAD as it failed epically in the first several weeks, keto TMAD was way more normal. But there is multiple levels of satiation, maybe you go for full satiation and that’s unnecessarily too much or you go for just not being hungry and end up being way hungrier later… It’s complicated.

#11

No. And it’s a big mistake to not eat enough.

Choosing the most nutrient dense and satiating foods seems to create the most general, across the board success.

A strategy to consider for getting the most satisfying food is to look at whole foods.

Those well marketed cheese balls are a processed food, as an example. There may be something within the processing that negatively effects the wonderful looking ingredients.

Great to hear your thyroid function is normal. Now you are 3 months in to ketoeating those numbers may change (lower). But you are supplementing, so maybe no change on paper. The iodine is important with the thyroid function.

Do you monitor blood ketones? There can be some confusion and difference between “eating keto” and being in “nutritional ketosis” at about 0.5mmol/l.

The zinc supplementation is a great idea for stress and anxiety as it’s an important mineral for dopamine production. Following from the request for suggestions, if your work mates are mentioning grumpiness, in their nice way, it may be worth trying a complementary calming mineral like a magnesium supplement. It may reduce a perceived ‘need’ for caffeine.

As for scales and weight loss… it’s your choice. But eating keto to eventually ease off medications for stress and anxiety might be a really good goal to focus on. Allow the weight loss stuff to become a side effect?

Have you looked at the podcasts and clips by Dr. Georgia Ede? I reckon her thoughtful approach may align with your goals.

At 6 to 12 weeks in. Allow your body, your self and your goals to find a mutual meeting place, then keep working from there as you learn more. Well done for sticking at it. Keep Calm and Keto On.

(Hannah Conway) #12

I dont moniter ketones i keep meaning to pick up some pee sticks. I take 2 different types of magnesium. Never heard of georgia ede but i will def check put her podcasts.

(Hannah Conway) #13

I actually did that last night. I had some pork roast which was only 2 carbs after the marinade. But the total for the day was 2000 calories. I tried OMAD a couple of times but it gave me anxiety. For some reason limiting my food to one meal a day sends Panic to my brain.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #14

What is “Caramel Creamer by Nut Pods”? It doesn’t have a carb count listed on your app screen shot. I would be sure you aren’t having hidden carbs in that or anything else.

Also, how much weight do you have to lose?

(Hannah Conway) #15

There are no carbs in the nutpods just 10 calories per tablespoon. Im 5’4" and 169lbs. i would like to be about 130lbs

(Hannah Conway) #16

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(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #17

Thanks! I looked it up as well, I had never heard of them.

My son was on Lexapro for years and gained a little weight but puberty was also in play and it was working on a young, active body. I was prescribed it once and couldn’t lift my head up I was so groggy, and had to try something else. Did you gain when you went on it or are you just wondering if it’s keeping you from losing at this point?

(Hannah Conway) #18

It’s hard to tell if I’ve gained weight from it I’ve tried about eight different medications over the course of 16 years I’ve been on medication since I was 20. I have severe depression and anxiety and Lexapro is the only thing that keeps it in check. I just think it might be hindering my weight loss but there’s nothing I can really do about it I can’t go off of it otherwise I’m debilitated by my depression and anxiety

(Hannah Conway) #19

The point of keto for me is to lose weight. I I’m pretty sure I could never go off my medication as I have severe depression anxiety and it’s completely debilitating when I’m not on anything.

(Marianne) #20

I hate exercise, too, (cardio), and didn’t do one thing the first eight months except gardening. I don’t consider that “exercise,” however. Now that I am thinner (still have 30 lbs. to go), I just started at Planet Fitness a couple of weeks ago. Although I hate cardio, I do enjoy weights (light; I am definitely not power lifting). I only do the 30-minute workout, without the stepping. I do two circuits of the machines only and then I am out of there in less than 45 minutes. That I enjoy because it isn’t difficult, I don’t sweat, and I feel much stronger. I also stand on one leg for as long as I can a couple of times a day. My balance is nonexistent and I definitely notice a difference already. That is the hardest thing I do and I don’t relish it because it is still so difficult to me. It’s pretty sad how weak I am at it - but getting better.

So, if you hate exercise, don’t do it. This is a way of life, not a “diet,” where we used to look to additional avenues to purge calories. No more.

Like mentioned above, I’d try to do less than 20 total carbs a day if you can. How much weight do you have to lose? If it isn’t much, that may be why your weight loss is slower than you would like. I believe it you stick with what you are doing, you will lose weight.

(Hannah Conway) #21

HATE cardio i could prolly do weights at the gym for 1/2 hr after work before i pick up my daughter from after care. A large portion of my problem is time. I meal prep alot. Im a single parent so im responsible for everything cooking, cleaning, yardwork, homework etc… the other part of my problem is I’m always tired it’s probably from anxiety and depression or the medication I was given adderal for fatigue but I hate taking it gives me a headache. I have to lose atleast 35lbs