One month in no cheats but no progress... help!

(Adam Foard) #21

Me: 38/M
My mother: 74

I have been coaching my mother through keto for the past 3 months. She has only lost about 5 lbs, but there is a noticable change in her belly and she says her pants feel looser.

I remember from something Megan Ramos or Dr Fung said that women respond more acutely to HGH. So it is very common for women in the beginning of keto/fasting to have weight stall, while size continue to change. Basically you’re laying down new bone and maybe some muscle - especially if your increasing physical activity.

If so, it is actually a good thing you’re not losing weight, your body is maybe fixing a mineral deficiency or getting stronger.

#22

@KayLee thanks for sharing all your info. To be honest I have been focused on just trying to avoid the carbs as my priority and not vigilant about measuring things, just trying to eat real food, count carbs and read labels. So this could be a factor. But given my lifestyle it’s what is sustainable. I’m trying to just include fat in my meals and not go too nuts on protein (which is more my challenge). My suggested ratios from an app are
1351 cal
20 g carb 6%
88g protein 26%
102g fat 68%
No idea if I’m really on target other than I know I’m on track for 20 or under for carbs. I use Stupid Simple a Keto. Not perfect, very basic but good to show where I am at and keep a food diary and weight tracker.

Interestingly the past two days I have not been hungry like normal and have gone to just eating dinner other than coffee with cream in the morning. I did eat dinner the first night “just because” (I’m also keeping this on the down low to avoid the criticisms and eye rolls) and I felt kind of gross after and wish I had gone without to be honest. Yesterday I had lunch but by 10 pm at night however I was starving so I ate a small fatty meal. I’m fine again today and should be ok til dinner. Maybe this is fat adapted? I really don’t know. No burst of energy that’s for sure but not dragging. Who knows. I am down a tiny bit more in weight but nothing to celebrate. I still look the same, clothes fit the same. But I won’t wrestle anyone for a Dove chocolate anymore so that’s a bonus :joy:
Good luck to you, hang in there, I am no expert obviously but it sounds like you make all good choices.

#24

@Foard150 thanks that is very interesting! I’ll have to read up on that too. Maybe my bones are getting heavier lol. But that’s a good thing I’m sure. Good luck to your mom, she’s lucky to have a coach!

(Karen) #25

Thank you very much for your help. I am hungrier than you but I definitely have more energy after 5 pm. Used to make a light dinner and crash on the couch till 10 pm bedtime. Now, I am buzzing around the house on projects until 10. Very nice:) I might feel hungrier due to stress or just knowing those excellent fat bombs are in the freezer.
After I was in full-on Keto flu for 24 hours (every muscle and joint felt like I had been hit by a truck) I was talking to my daughter. She snapped me out of it with Keto Gatorade (water with salt and lemon), a fat bomb a a good nights sleep.
Her take away was: “ remember how horrible you feel with this flu before you decide to cheat. Do you really want to go through this again!?” THAT memory has kept me from even thinking about sweets, chips or bread much less being tempted by them:)

Thank you all for you help. It appears that I should have taken pre Keto measurements. Better late than never. I also need to break my scale addiction.
I am looking forward to the day when I can help others rather than being needy myself.
KayLee (Karen)

(Karen) #26

Measuring right now, thanks. Your takeaway from your mom and I : keep weight in check while you are younger as it’s so much harder for even a small loss later in life,
Thank you,
Kaylee

#27

@KayLee
You’re macros look fine to me. My current “goal” so to speak is 71g Protein, 20g NET carbs, and 100g fat. I make sure I’m getting my protein and keeping my carbs were they should be and fat I aim for NO MORE THAN 100grams. If it’s way less one day I don’t sweat it as I want to lose the fat on my body so the best way I’ve seen is to not aim to fulfill your fat quota.

I ignore the fact that I exersise because: “Diet determines our weight. Exersise determines what our body looks like” and we don’t burn nearly the calories in physical activity as we think we do! Lol!

Quite honestly other than daily life I didn’t exersise much until about two weeks ago. Now I’m only doing about 20-30 minutes a day of a mix of weights/ HIIT/spin bike/yoga. Whatever feels right that day and I do it all at home.

I had to get rid of ALL sweeteners! ALL of them. I was sad but it did make a difference.

The longer you can go with not eating will allow your insulin to stay low longer and that will help with a host of other things but especially insulin resistance and possible speed up the weight loss. Read Dr Fungs work. If you haven’t heard of him. He has a lot of YouTube videos as well. He treats obese and diabetic people but his information applies to everyone.

Also as others have said so take measurements!

I measure neck, shoulders, bust, waist, hips, bicep, thigh, calf. But I’d say I’d you can do waist at least and hips that will tell you a lot. The scale is not always a truth teller…sometimes it most definitely lies! :grin:

#28

Oh! Also if I blow it one day with too much I don’t sweat it I just carry on like it never happened!

(Karen) #29

Wow. Thanks for your thoughts. No sweeteners at all? I thought If i just stuck to tiny amounts of swerve, I would be ok. So, I guess that means no delicious daily fat bomb to look forward to. If the scale or my measurements don’t show improvement in a few weeks, sweeteners will be the next to (sadly) go.

2x/ Week white wine - all gone
Sweeteners…under the gun
I will have no vices left. Hope it’s doable
Thanks for you macro info

#30

Just an FYI I’ll never give up my wine! Lol I did and do try to limit to once or twice a week and have gone to a “dry” wine. But nope can’t do that one… :flushed::joy:

(Karen) #31

Good to know. Once per week is acceptable. It can be the carrot on my stick to get to the end of the week::slight_smile:

(Ellie) #32

Carrots aren’t great for keto…stick to the wine! :grin:

#33

Scotch over ice is keto :smiling_imp::grin:

(Toni) #34

I noticed you have had a lot of stress in your life and also have a lot of ongoing stress currently. Stress raises the cortisol levels in your body which can make it very difficult to lose weight plus the cortisol levels mess with your metabolism. So I don’t think your lack of weight loss is to do with what you’re eating so much. Let your body heal, regulate the cortisol levels and see what happens in a few weeks.

Ideal exercise for stress is low intensity activities like walking. Also could you download a mindfulness or yoga app? That helps to reduce stress levels.

Help yourself to get more sleep too.

Good luck :grin:

(Heather~KWOL for life!) #35

I use Stevia and to my surprise I really like it, just not in coffee. I’m having a hard time giving up the pink packets with my coffee. Stevia does not do to you what the other sweeteners do

#36

Thanks @TonicTea I know there is certainly something to that stress/cortisol/sleep theory as my weight gain pretty much exactly began around the same time my husband had a major stroke and I became his full time caregiver as well as managing our business and all of this new life. It’s not like I move less that’s for darn sure! I should be skinny for all I do some days. But hey such is life. It just frustrates me as I can’t get more sleep regularly even if I wanted to. I try to do something relaxing when I do get breaks. I’ll try my Calm app again and see if that helps in mini chunks of relaxing.
On a positive note I survived a weekend long wedding with no weight gain despite not being able to always choose my food (I skipped meals when possible) and since starting this thread I’ve lost two more. It’s slooooow but hopefullly steady? And an added bonus my finger joints have stopped hurting! So I’m staying on the path. Thanks!!

#37

Good to know! I only really have Diet Coke as a vice, (well in the sweetener Dept anyway) I’m working on it. I’ve given it up before I can do it again. Luckily I don’t like sweet coffee (just sweets WITH coffee lol but those are a ghost of sugar past too)

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #38

Caregivers need care too :orange_heart:

(Fernando Urias) #39

Each individual packet of artificial sweetner contains 0.9 grams of carbs. The main ingredient is sugar, that is used as a carrier for the artificial sweetener. I use the liquid squirt bottles with zero added sugars.

#40

So update with a minor victory or two.
First I have FINALLY hit 10 lbs. lost! That’s the longest time ever to get there, but I’ll take it. Secondly after a 10 day trip going home to visit friends and family I came home and had not gained any weight!!! This is a big deal as I always can count in an easy 10 lb gain on these visits where all you do is sit around and eat and drink. I was even able to resist all my favorite desserts that I can only get up there, every few years. That’s a victory. I skipped meals when possible to compensate for possible unavoidable food situations but overall I was pretty lucky. One cheat with a bit of wine and a few “taste” size portions of carby food one meal and a handful of honey cashews while driving home while starving with zero food options. So I feel a bit tired and crappier lately and am less in ketosis as far as the pee strip goes (I know, not accurate but that’s all I have) but I hope to bounce back soon. I guess I don’t have a lot of wiggle room for “cheats” but it’s good to learn that. How long will it take to get back I wonder? So anyway slow and steady wins the race. Thanks for all the tips and support