Please help, I’m stuck/gaining!

(Alex J.) #1

Hi everyone! I started Keto and IF on July 1, 2019. I keep track of my macros, net carbs are 15g or less per day. I started to exercise about 3-5 times a week, I take the supplements I should take, and I drink 12 glasses of crystal light a day. I lost 6lbs the first week, but it has come back. My weight is back to where I started (178 lbs, 5’6) and my measurements are starting to creep up too. I am at a loss. Please help!

#2

I’d start by ditching this.

(Tyler) #3

It’s just my opinion but if I were having this issue I’d do away with the crystal light and make it straight water.

#4

It would also help to see what a daily menu looks like. Knowing you’re eating fewer than 15g is helpful, but seeing a typical day would be more helpful.

(Susan) #5

This is totally the problem, replace this with plain water.

I agree with @PrimalBrian and @Relic

Sugar substitutes cause issues for many of us (if you do a forum search for this you will see many saying they cause bloating, inflammation, weight gain, stalls, etc.) It is best to totally omit them from your life (or only have them on special occasions like making a birthday cake, etc. with the realization that this might occur).

Once you switch that to water, you will be amazed how your body will respond =).

#6

Oh, and another thing to wrap your mind around…Post Induction Stall Syndrome. Very common…and liberating/relieving to learn about.

(Alex J.) #7

I have bulletproof coffee around 6:30am. At noon I will have my first meal, either salad with grilled chicken, or a Keto meal that I have delivered. I will then have another coffee with heavy cream in the afternoon, and snack size green olives and/or 2 hard boiled eggs, for dinner, I will usually have another Keto meal, or steak and zucchini. For a snack I will have about 3 chocolate peanut Butter fat bombs, then start my fast around 6 or 7pm. Go to bed at 9pm.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #8

I think you’re eating is over complicated with foods that could be a problem. First try just eating simple meals, Ditch the crystal light (insulin spikes all day!), BPC and fat bombs. You should only be using FBs and BPC if you’re having trouble getting enough fat, they are often better for people in maintenance mode. I don’t know what your delivered keto meal consists of but eating should be for your needs as an individual, I don’t like the idea of someone else deciding what you need without personally tayloring it for your diet. The food might be keto, but does it fit into your diet as a whole along with what you consume with it? It could be adding more carbs than you think. Keto is very simple to do.

You should get a digital kitchen scale (about $10-$15) and use a tracking app to monitor carbs at least. I like Cronometer. You can get the free phone app or use the website Cronometer.com to get a handle on carb portions. They can be sneaky, Eggs, Cheese, Cream and many other foods have some carb content that should accounted for.

Cut out the snacks as soon as you are able and try eating enough to hold you till the next meal. Your goal is to keep insulin as low as you can for as long as possible. By snacking between meals and drinking crystal light all day you keep insulin levels up all day. This will cause fat storage instead of fat burning. KETO is all about controlling your hormones and getting them to behave properly. Weight loss is the result of this. Good luck, I hope this helps your progress.

:cowboy_hat_face:

(Robert C) #9

Things like bulletproof coffee and fat bombs are to add fat in maintenance after you are at goal.
They also mess up satiety signals when you are trying to better them.

While trying to move weight down you need a satiating breakfast - bacon and eggs have the same calories as some bullet proof coffees.

I also recommend you get a blood ketone meter if you are sure you eating Keto correctly but still gaining weight. You might simply be mistaken about the carbs in certain foods and a meter will tell you whether you are really in ketosis and allow you to test to see if certain foods are knocking you out.

If you want to lose weight, do not use “net carbs” unless you are subtracting fiber in whole real unprocessed foods. If you look around this site you’ll see discussions on this. Marketers are getting “5 net carbs” and “Keto” on the front of their containers but on the back (where the FDA has control)- it is more like 32 to 40 grams.

Your best bet to avoid marketing and business interests fooling you is to not eat anything but whole unprocessed foods (including potentially gut damaging artificial sweeteners - which also interfere with you learning of your own satiety signals but also perpetuate a desire for sweet tasting things).

#10

What does this generally consist of? I think you’re eating too much of the wrong stuff, as noted above. I also would second the suggestion of getting a blood ketone meter to see your ketone levels.

(Robert C) #11

@Lexyfreak - I agree with this for the same reason but, also for an additional reason.

Keto is a WOE (way of eating) and I think it is best to shift your mindset that way.

Having meals delivered really says “short term diet” (are you going to have them delivered forever?).

Going through the shopping (how to read labels) process and cooking (how to use healthy fats) process will raise your awareness on many issues and keep you much better on track.

(Carolina Starzynski) #12

I’m not sure what Crystal Light is, but I am almost sure two of the most positive points of keto are ditching industrialized stuff and ditching all liquid glucose. Water is amazing and it’s so good for you. I sometimes put some lime on, but I drink water all day, non stop

Another thing, keeping track of your weight is absolutely important, but you can gain weight from exercising. Measures and pictures are the best. I take a picture of my body every Monday (when I complete another week on keto) and the difference is insane

(Alex J.) #13

I do try to cook as often as I can, but when I don’t have time these meals come in handy! They are from Clean Eatz Kitchen. They have a restaurant and it’s owned by former body builders. I tried to do my research the best I could!

(Susan) #14

Basic Keto is 20 grams or less of carbs (need to track them on cronometer.com or another app to see, there are so many hidden carbs in everything). NO sugar, no sugar substitutes is best too, since it can cause so many problems, enough proteins and healthy fats, and tons of water and Electrolytes.

If you follow that, you will lose weight =).

#15

Ok, so one problem solved. You’re definitely eating more than 15g of carb a day. Here are Clean Eatz’s keto meals:

Keto Beef Fajitas (Cal 391 F 27g/C 9g/P 28g)
Beef, peppers, onions, and cheese over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice
Keto Black & Bleu Prime Rib (Cal 504 F 36g/C 10g/P 32g)
Thin sliced prime rib with brussel sprouts, mushrooms and a sprinkle of bleu cheese
Keto Cashew Chicken (Cal 419 F 23g/C 13g/P 40g)
Chicken and cashews in a sweet and savory ginger sauce over mixed veggies
Keto Clean Mac (Cal 353 F 25g/C 10g/P 22g)
Ground beef with tomatoes, pickles and cheese in Thousand Island dressing over green beans
Keto Enchilada (Cal 324 F 12g/C 10g/P 44g)
Chicken and cheese over cauliflower rice with salsa and cilantro
Keto Hibachi Beef (Cal 365 F 25g/C 12g/P 23g)
Shredded beef in our hibachi sauce over zucchini, mushrooms and caramelized onions

#16

It’s a drink artificially sweetened with aspartame.

(Charlotte) #17

Everyone is different… but here is my typical menu when I started keto to give you an idea of what worked for me personally… I lose an average of 6-10lbs a month if I’m strict and don’t cheat. You never know exactly what or how much you are actually eating unless you are making it yourself and using a kitchen scale. I bought one 2 months in to keto and it was the best $20 I have ever spent. I agree with everyone else… drop the crystal light. 12 cups a day is scary.

Breakfast:

  1. Homemade Scramble Bowl
    •2 eggs scrambled
    •1 oz ground sausage and/or bacon crumbles
    •1-2 tbsp guacamole or 1/2 avocado (diced)
    •1/2 oz cheese
    •dash of tobasco
  2. BPC
    •12oz Coffee prepared from grounds
    •2 tbsp HWC or full fat unsweetened coconut milk
    •1 tbsp coconut oil
    •1 tsp ground cinnamon
    •1 tbsp kerrygold butter

Lunch:

  1. Steak
    •6-8 oz steak
    •1 tbsp butter
    •1oz Gorgonzola Crumbles or Goat Cheese
  2. 1 cup steamed broccoli w/ butter & salt
  3. Half a Deviled egg

Water (sparkling or plain) for thirst through out the day

Dinner: Skip for IF
No snacks… if I get desperate however I’ll eat some cheese.

(Alex J.) #18

All of this is fantastic advice, thank you everyone! I will stop the crystal light and now count my total carbs instead of just the net carbs. Should I continue my fasting?

#19

Upon closer reading of one of your replies to me, I see that sometimes you may have two of those delivered keto meals. I’m sure the place is very reputable, but I would be skeptical of their carb counts. They could vary all over the place as the food does not appear to be scientifically measured before it’s put in the tubs. I’d highly recommend watching out for carb creep or hidden carbs with those.

#20

I think getting keto-friendly meals delivered is a great idea. I’d do it if I could afford it. I find cooking tedious most of the time. I don’t think there’s a problem with this and for most people who are doing something like this it replaces a long-term way of eating that already included regular delivery meals from restaurants. And even if it does create a “diet” mind-set, that’s a good thing: That mind-set will help keep you focused and on track. To me, thinking of this as a “way of eating” is just a slippery slope to “I might as well have X or Y or more of this or that or both” rather than being strict. Being strict will help you meet your goals. “Way of eating” is a fine way to think if you’re in maintenance, but until then do what you need to do to keep your mind in the game.

Some sugar substitutes do cause insulin spikes in some people. It tends to be different ones for different people, but there is a possibility that the Crystal Light is a problem.

It’s hard to tell from the description of your food, but it’s also possible you’re over-eating. Everything you’re eating is keto-friendly, but it’s still possible to overeat those foods. I’d suggest measuring and tracking everything you’re eating for a couple of weeks to get some sense of what your real intake is. If you don’t want, you probably done have to do it forever. But it would arm you with some solid information.

In the meantime, moving the snacks to the mealtimes might help. If you don’t want to eat breakfast, that’s good for fasting. But skip the BPC–just have some regular coffee with a small amount of HWC. That way you can really start to extend your time between meals from about 12 hours, where it is right now, to 16 or 18.