Really bad start! What can it be?

(Kaitlyn Mika) #1

I started three weeks ago…I eat a lot of fat…less that 20 carbs a day and half of it in acacia fiber and water…I like my coffee with heavy cream…NO sugar… I started working out at a new gym and do moderate cardio and just starting with strength exercise… I eat my eggs and butter, I eat my pork ribs baked in butter…my salmon…the only carbs eat are spinach , cherry tomatoes and broccoli…I enjoy eating similar foods each day…no fruit no candy no dark chocolate… nothing…I started at 183lbs…and 50lbs of body fat…not horrible for 55yrs old… Now im 188lbs and 57 lbs of body fat!!!

I recently had some blood work done and as expected I had very low triglycerides…and altho my cholesterol was over 280…the ratios was amazing…175ldl/105hdl… heart doctor was pretty happy…

so this is a health thing and I know this is good for my body but I sure don’t like gaining weight…

I did have some horrible keto flu feelings last week…and my ketone urine strips consistently show small ketone readings…

any ideas??? too much protein? not enough?? too much exercise somebody told me… too much exercise???

btw…years ago I was 240…I lost 80 lbs doing “Atkins”… I have been pretty low carb for many many years notwithstanding the times I’ve fallen off the wagon…I like to eat this way…its pretty disheartening

#2

Based upon your posting, I see carbs and protein and little fat other than heavy cream which might contain carbs anyways. If you feel Keto flu then the carbs and protein are resulting in glucose more than the fat is resulting in ketones.

I stick to my own simplistic rule:

  • when in doubt, add more fat
#3

@Keigan- Sounds like she’s getting lots of fat, unless all those mentions of butter etc are tiny portions.

Kaitlyn, there do seem to be some (very few) folks for whom the keto magic just doesn’t quite work, but it’s early days for you, and for now I would keep gauging how you feel and KCKO.

Congrats on your lipids (and on having a dr who knows how to read them! That’s rare.)

You may want to focus on strength training more than cardio right now as you’re adapting. The shift to fat- burning takes time, and sometimes I wonder if cardio in that transition period is stressful on the body.

(Kaitlyn Mika) #4

Keto has worked for me for many years!!!

I will stick too it…I may be overdoing the protein relative to fat…I fry a bunch of chicken wings in a half stick of butter…same with salmon and brisket and ribs…fattiest cuts… I drink a pot of decaf over the day and go thru a pint of heavy cream in two days… …also I can add I doe eat almonds and walnuts…maybe I should cut back on those or switch to macadamia…

I guess I asked because I was looking at the idea that perhaps I was over exercising and my body was feasting on my muscle instead of fat …I read something about that but I cant find it now…

#5

Two more quick thoughts- many people find that dairy blocks weight loss (independent of other factors). Also - nuts can be an issue for people.

(And sorry - I must have misunderstood your first post- you’ve been VLC for a while but keto for 3 weeks? Or have been keto for much longer? I’m on my phone so it’s hard to scroll up to check your post as I write!)

#6

My nemeses: dairy, nuts and grazing. I will overeat dairy and nuts if they are available to me. And I do best with 1-2 discrete meals a day with no snacking in between. While I’m not overtly insulin resistant (ie, not obese or T2DM), I have no doubt that snacking spikes my insulin and leads to sub-optimal results.

(Kaitlyn Mika) #7

to be clear…fell off the wagon for a couple years…over many years I did VLC and high fat… I learned my info from the atkins diet…I ate this way for 15 years…and kept off all that weight…and I found myself in light ketosis quite often… I didn’t think of it as a “ketogenic” diet…I just ate naturally like that…and I put up with a lot of crap from friends and loved ones for my poor eating habits!!!

but over last three years I slowly drifted away…and last year was fully carbed…lol

its only over the holidays I read about ketogenic lifestyle and more modern medical concepts…
I think my answer is to get more detailed and specific about intake…I can go all day without much hunger…I enjoy the fatty and tasty food…I’ve done well on dairy and nuts before… so I just assume Im eating the right stuff… I think I can do a better job with more and better fats and manage the protein…this isn’t the Atkins diet I grew up with…but I guarantee the problem isn’t too many carbs… thanks for your thoughts!!!

(Kaitlyn Mika) #8

im gonna listen to you…two meals a day…im throwing out my nuts…I have to admit im gonna try to stick with the heavy cream for a while!!! as you know its like candy when you are not using any sugar!!

#9

It’s just dandy to make smallbig (I’m making that a real word) changes and see how it works for you. Keep us posted.

(Dameon Welch-Abernathy) #10

I try to stick to heavy cream during mealtimes only, because like you say: it’s like candy.
Now that I listen to the dudes, I just hear FAAAAAAAAAAAT every time I pour some in my tea/coffee.

(Renee Slaughter) #11

Hi Kaitlyn,
In the beginning I gained 4 lbs I was freaking out. But I kept at the basics just as you are doing. The following month lost the 4. The next month lost 3 more. Slow going I know but moving in the right direction. As I became better adapted I was able to fast longer and the scale is finally moving. I went from 183 in Jan to 175 at present. I’m trying really hard to ignore the scale and use non scale victories as a measure of progress. Are there other changes in your life that working for you? 3 weeks isn’t very long at all. Be pstient. Keep calm and keto on.

#12

Hi Kaitlyn: welcome back! Good suggestions above about limited eating window/ minimize snacking. You certainly can have nuts, but they are so very easy to overeat…one handful becomes 2…becomes the bag is gone (personal experience). Another thought…and you probably already know this, but deceptive labeling makes you think HWC is carb free, but most has ~0.5 grams per TBSP. That means 16g carbs per pint. Sadly it adds up quickly!

(Cristian Lopez) #13

try doing paleo keto?

minus the dairy

but still eat under 20g net carbs

(Cristian Lopez) #14

keep the nuts!

or atleast try olny eating flaxseeds or pecansif so

(Candy Lind) #15

What he/she said (sorry, can’t tell!). There is a thread about hidden carbs that may be helpful to you.

You already got a lot of good advice! I’ll add this: Make sure you’re not “grazing” - snacking between meals keeps your insulin sky-high so you can’t release fat for fuel. I know when I turned to keto from being a carbivore, I was used to eating snacks & such. I had to become more conscious of whether I was really hungry, or just bored or eating out of habit.

(Valerie Williams) #16

Hi I am newbie also, but had same problem last year doing what you’re doing. This time I’m using an app on my phone called Cronometer.com where I setup my macros and weight loss goals. So this time I’m not only keeping carbs low but also calories around 1200. Seems to be working. 4 lbs off first 2 weeks. Last year 0 in a month. I have no interest in Cronometer.com, but for me I need to keep an eye on calories too. Those darn nuts add up fast!

(Donna ) #17

Hi, sorry to add onto what others have said: HWC can be a culprit when taken in large amounts.

If you are only doing 1 T of HWC per cup of coffee that would be okay (and I might have missed how many cups of coffee per day, so if it is several, HWC can add up that way, too.) If you are putting 1/2 cup of HWC in your coffee, there you have it. That’s … not going to work. Sorry.

I know. It’s hard to give up when you’ve given up so much already. But, it could be the very thing that’s holding you back and thwarting all of your efforts.

Best wishes on your Keto journey! :smiley:

#18

Maybe your body doesn’t believe you yet. Your diet sounds amazing. Fat adaptation needs patience and time. I agree with @Madeleine about the strength training v cardio. Keep the strength and maybe do functional fitness to fill in. Scales are deceptive, unreliable, not accurate for obesity either. Stop weighing yourself and find non-scale measures for awhile. I think weighing can sap emotional strength. I stopped weighing for awhile and told myself that I was committed to the ketogenic life regardless. My stress went down, my tension went away and I lost weight.

Also you might want to consider Intermittent Fasting.

(Kaitlyn Mika) #19

wow …thanks for all the good info…

culprits…
too many nuts and yes the grazing…I looked and had 3 servings of almonds/pistachios as a snack last night. …over the course of the evening…that won’t work I understand that now…also too much heavy cream…I will take less of that

and probably too much too soon with the cardio…

good parts are that I really cut out the sugar big time…and I have the good habits in my sights…

I tested just now and the urine strip showed small ketones… so that’s a start…I guess I can spring for a real monitor but the results will tell the tale?? is it important to know ketosis state more precisely???

also I need to figure out some good healthy fats for more variety…I wish I liked avocado…lol…I can eat it easier by taking a bite out of it than putting it in my food…

it helps to have all the feedback to stay on track

#20

I first succeeded with Atkins as well. I think the year was 1999 :thinking: It was life changing for me. It’s remarkable that I ever back-slided.

Alas I too am re-starting this way of life. And I have struggled to re-adapt. Given it’s almost 20 years later…many things have changed metabolically.

What has helped me more than anything is re-reading and adopting the Atkins rules of Induction. (The old rules. They have some ‘new fangled’ rules now). I had to eliminate nuts, artificial sweeteners and more. All of these things I consumed while losing weight and thriving for many years.

What I had forgotten was the inital period. I believe Dr. Atkins compared Induction to ‘resetting your body.’

As we are all aware, our individual experiences vary. I had to share this with you because following Induction again changed everything for me, for the better.

I wish you the best.