People with 30 or less pounds to lose...can you “weigh in”?

(Jennifer ) #1

Hi All,

Sorry for the bad pun in the title. So I’m sure you’ve noticed - folks with 30 or less pounds to lose seem to be consistently finding that the first few months are REALLY slow weight loss. The last bunch of posts where people were complaining of no weight loss in the beginning of starting keto were all by folks with less than 30 to lose.

Moral of the story, it might be beneficial to get some of these n=1 experiences together in one place.

Folks with less than 30 to lose…what’s been your experience? Slow? Fast? Is there anyone here that only had 20-30 pounds to lose and it went quickly?

#2

I started at 175 (F 5’5) and lost 15 pounds in the first 3 weeks. Then lost another 5 pounds during the second month. After that, things slowed down. I’m now at my maintenance weight (139) 16 months after starting. Maintenance looks the same for me as when I was losing - I stay under 20 total carbs per day, no more than 7 at any one meal (no ‘banking’ of carbs) and eat no wheat based products, no processed sugar (barely any fruit at all except a few blueberries once in awhile and I limit vegetable portions in order to stay under 7 carbs per meal) and no processed foods. I have never felt better and look a good 10 years younger than when I started. I will never eat any other way. Good luck to everyone here!

(Empress of the Unexpected) #3

I started a month ago and have lost five pounds. I think I only have ten to go. The reason I started Keto was for the first time my triglycerides went up to 209. I drew the connection between triglycerides and belly fat. I am what they call “skinny fat.” I am 5’4” and weigh 125 but look like I have a pillow under my shirt. This happened after menopause seven years ago. 115 would put me at my pre menopause weight. So I am assuming the belly will be gone. I’ve done Pilates for years and know there is muscle under there. Somewhere. A friend who sees me every day says I am definitely undergoing body recomposition

(linda) #4

I started 8 months ago and gained 5 lbs. I’m 62, 5’6" 142 and would like to lose 10 lbs but have found this program is best for health issues, diabetes, obesity, inflammation etc. Unless you are Stephanie Persons (on line keto personality who is a personal trainer) and can spend lots of time in the gym - I haven’t found it that useful for weight loss unless I fast.

(Jo) #5

I started April 1. I have lost 9-11 lbs so far and have not lost major weight in the last 3 weeks. I am 58 and menopausal, 5’2" and I started at 183 and would like to get to 150. I think my confounding factor was my BP meds that played havoc with my electrolytes (salt, potassium and water all affected by it. I had only 38% water in my body in stead of the 50% that is normal. I stopped the meds and I think I am now retaining more water, which is not a bad thing but makes that the scale is not moving. I also think my body is trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

(MW) #6

I started in late February and have lost a total of 10 pounds with 8-10 more to go. I’m only 4’ 11" and at my starting point of 128.7 pounds with an A1C of 5.9, I was well on my way to joining my parents in the world of type 2 diabetes. A couple of months ago while sick in bed and watching YouTube, I ran into a video by Dr. Ken Berry. Everything he said about keto versus the standard American diet (SAD) made perfect sense to me. After that I couldn’t get enough of Keto videos - recipes, weight loss stories, diabetes and cancer cures, etc. My friends and sister have said they can definitely see me slimming down now, and I’m just giddy about slowly fitting back into my size 6’s again!

I’ve been doing keto pretty regularly since February and would likely have lost more weight by now if I were more devout. However after yesterday’s calamari and today’s “revenge of the carbs” in my tummy, I can honestly say I will be MUCH more faithful in my keto lifestyle from now on.

(Felicity ) #7

I started 2 weeks ago and gained 2kg within a week. However, I had just come off a ridiculous starvation diet and I believe I have a lot of metabolic damage.
I have since lost 1kg.
I am 42yo, 173cm tall and weigh 79kg, I need to lose 9kg. I am insulin resistant and I have PCOS. I do HIIT 4 times a week, other than that I’m not overly active.
I think nut butter is a bad idea for me at this point. Notice a gain when I eat it.
I always nail my fat macro, usually under in carbs and protein, not sure if any of that is hindering my loss.

(Jade) #8

I started keto about 8 weeks ago. I’m 5’5" tall and female. My starting weight was 145 and I have more muscle than is is probably considered average. In the first 2 weeks, I lost 12 lbs. That was almost all water weight. Since then, I have lost only 2 lbs (131 lbs currently). However, I’m eating calories for maintainence and I lift heavy weights 4-5 times per week. My waist has gone from 28.5 to 26.5 inches and my hips from 38 to 36.5 inches. I do not have a goal weight. My goal, as far as aesthetics, is to increase stay bloat free and change my body composition a bit (ie: increase lean mass while cutting a bit of body fat). I imagine that I won’t see much change if my calories remain at maintainence. When I’m confident that my body is more fat adapted, I’ll probably start playing around with a deficit and/or throw in some IF.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #9

I have an issue with nut butter too. But it’s one of my favorite ways to get fat in. I think I will lay off it for a week and see what happens.

(Felicity ) #10

I find it REALLY helps me when I’m craving sweets. I am going to have to stop though. I have read on here that it’s one of those foods you should eat only once you’ve cemented this WOE.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #11

Makes sense. And it is very sweet. Which is strange because I use Laura Scudders, which doesn’t have added sugar. I have the same problem with nuts. Will have to try to make them an occasional treat sometime down the road.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #12

I am on day 16 and this is my second keto journey.
On the first try, I weighed 72kg and wanted to lose 7 kilos, which I did in 18 days.

This time around I am starting at 80kg
Total loss on Day 16 is 4.7kg
My Goal weight is 60kg but I am attacking it in 5kg increments or ‘goals’ so to speak.

I am fully aware that it’s mostly water weight and the actual fat loss won’t happen until I am completely fat adapted. I am not expecting a miracle and to lose the weight in a week. I fully understand it’s a process and I welcome it with open arms this time.

#13

For the nearly non-overweight, this is about body recomposition not about weight!

I don’t give a sh** about the scale, I rely on measuring tape only, complimented by observing and various other signs & symptoms of positive change.

For women in this range especially, the ketogenic restoration of nutrients to the marrow, bones, and muscles may certainly create NO change on the scale. We just may transform into having MORE lean body mass and LESS fat - and look like we’ve shrunk because the fat HAS shrunk.

Hope that helps! Keep Keto and Rock On.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #14

So fat can somehow shrink and morph into lean mass?

(Leslie) #15

I started in December, 2017. I’m 5’2” and weighed 150 at that time. I’m 51 and menopausal. My activity level is moderate, I like to walk, run, hiit and lift weights almost everyday. My goal was to drop 20lbs. When that happened in the first six weeks, I made another goal. Since then I have made four new goals, I’m still working on that last one.
I haven’t weighed myself in three or four weeks because I know it’s stuck at 120ish. I’m ok with that. I’m eating what I would consider maintenance for me. It’s delicious and satisfying and if I don’t lose another pound, I’m good. I’m wearing a size small for the first time in more than a decade and I went down one entire band width bra size. My energy is endless, even outdoing my 22 year old and my sleep is the best it’s been in 30 years. I look great, I feel great and my husband is very HAPPY!!

This forum is such a great place for information and encouragement, keep on keeping on

(Joe) #16

I dropped near 30 in about 3 months. Its been steady with a few periods of hanging out. I am finding now at around 18% bf its getting harder slowly. Been strict keto with no processed foods or sugar. Fasting 48 knocks of .5-2lbs a week now and the strict keto another 1 lbs I figure. I do get whooshes typically after refeeding. I am approaching maintenance and focusing on keeping muscle and recomposition. Havnt been this thin in 17 years. Its totally different for women though as I’ve read above. I’ve always lost weight easily when I tried but keeping it off before keto was hard without constant exercise. I have gone back to 1-2 gym trips a week for resistance training and that has helped too I believe.

(Felicity ) #17

I use Mayver’s and it contains only roasted nuts and sea salt, nothing else added. It’s delicious and really stops my cravings in their tracks. Oh well, good old fashioned will power will have to do until my body is fat adapted.

#18

The fat shrinks whilte simultaneously elsewhere the body prioritizes repair of lean mass and organ health. From what I understand, being fat adapted frees the body’s natural repair & detox processes, basically.

It’s not that fat itself turns into lean mass - it’s that excess fat is accessed to use for energy and then exhaled as carbon dioxide (I only learned that this year!) - and the body’s remarkable healing & repair processes are nourished.

Cortisol levels past and present affect the pace of change, as well as one’s overall hormonal health and biological factors like sex and age.

There is a complex cellular and interstitial water cycling involved as fat cells replace fat with water and then eventually release the water and are tiny. Lots of lots of ongoing water cycles beyond what happens on the first few weeks of keto. These cycles are also affected by the very same lunar ebb and flow of the ocean tides on our planet that affect all beings - and also by numerous very individual variables, such as stress level, stress mgmt skills, sodium levels, etc.

CH CH CH CHANGES!!!

#19

How many calories do you eat per day and do you include any fasting?

(Erin Wilson) #20

100% absolutely. I have gained over 3 lbs of lean muscle mass from January-April of this year. My bone mineral content has also increased. If you practice IF your body produces massive amount of human growth hormone at about 36 hours in. My body is taking my fat and making muscle out of it. My only exercise is a kick-ass pilates barre class that I take 2-3 times a week. It’s hard, but more lengthening and strengthening using your own body weight. I definitely didn’t earn that new muscle from the gym.

Also–according to the DXA scans I had, the new lean tissue is being evenly distributed around my body–a little bit in the arms, legs, torso, etc.

This phenomenon is well documented amount people who eat keto and practice IF. It was just shocking for me to see it happen to myself! I’m getting another scan in a couple of months, so we’ll see how the saga unfolds!