Should I be doing anything differently?

#1

Hiya!

Quite new here so hello to everyone! I have been browsing the forum for a few weeks and it’s really helped me, so thank you all!

I was hoping to get advise on breaking a stall and if I’m on the right track with diet and exercise or if I should improve/adjust some things

Quick History:
. Started keto end of March at 210lbs and now 177lbs/80kgs. Exercised March to early June (90mins HIIT, 4 times a week) but stopped due to work and family commitments. Oddly enough, lost the most weight when I stopped exercising, although it could also be that I became fat adapted early June and started losing more weight.

Have always been strict/clean keto but slightly went off track for 3 days at the end of June eating too much “Keto snacks”. Started back on start of July. I have been stalled since the start of June, however at 177lbs/80kg

EXERCISE

My goal is mainly fat and weight loss, but I really do want body recomposition, tone and strength.

Was not sure if doing 90mins HIIT 4x week like I used to do would be the best. So, switched to a 3 day rotation of

Day 1- Full body compound lifts with light weights (10kgs)+ short HIIT. Can’t go higher on weights as don’t have equipment at home.

Day 2 - LISS (Incline walking at heat rate of 145) + Stretch

Day 3 - Rest

Then I start the three day rotation again.

I have experienced some water retention since starting, usually on day after lifting but I read this should go away? I have also experienced some light “keto flu” symptoms like very light headache and mild dizziness (nothing compared to the keto flu I had when I first started keto though).

Should I be doing anything different with exercise to meet my goals?

DIET

I am not usually hungry these days and I try not to force myself to eat as I don’t like how I feel when I do so. I may have the odd day when I get that hunger signal and I eat until I’m satisfied, still keeping carbs under 20g. However, this only happens like once a week. The other days, I eat around 900 calories a day and I am constantly worried if this is too small.

I mainly eat clean. No dairy, cheese, bacon, keto snacks etc. My main diet is boring food like eggs, spinach stew, kale stew, meats, fish, almond milk etc

The only two things I think maybe I should cut out are my sweetners (I use Sweetex, which is saccharin, and I do use a bit) and coffee (although I only drink a light one, once a day). Should I remove these?

My macros are usually 15g or less carbs, maybe 60-70g protein, and maybe 60-70g fat (used to be higher fat when I first started keto but reduced this to let my body use its fat)

Should I adjust this in any way to achieve my goals? I am also considering incorporating TRE of 16:8 to get things going again. Will this help? I do not want to do extended fasts as I am prone to rashes and I want to avoid a keto rash.

Thanks all!

(Carl Keller) #2

Hi JustMo.

I’m not sure what your goal weight is but 177 lbs doesn’t sound terrible unless you are very short. It tends to get more difficult to lose as we approach our goal weight. The only thing I might suggest, that you are not already trying, is to lower your carbs even further. Maybe try carnivore for a few weeks.

And yes the artificial sweeteners might be causing you problems because they often cause insulin to spike and the goal for losing weight is to keep insulin levels low. If you are loathing the idea of not using them in your coffee, then try to cut the amount in half and see what happens. Also, a pinch of salt is great for cutting the bitterness in coffee.

It’s not a problem if you are not feeling sluggish, cold in your extremities and are not constantly hungry. If you aren’t hungry, don’t force yourself.

Make sure you are getting adequate sodium. More often than not, keto flu is due to insufficient sodium. 2+ teaspoons over the course of your day should make that light headeness and light headaches go away.

Congrats on all your success so far.

(Susan) #3

I have removed all coffee and artificial sweeteners, all coconut oils, MCT oil/powder, all dairy and doing regular fasting (on a 72 hour fast atm) hoping that will break my stall, good luck to you too, we all have to figure out what to eliminate but Fasting is usually a good idea too to break stalls =).

#4

Thank you Carl!

Quite relieved to hear I don’t have to force myself to eat. I don’t feel sluggish or anything so I think I’ll just carry on as is for now.

I will definitely try cutting out the sweetner for now (I do love them so, but oh well) and reducing my carbs to 5-10g for now. I love grilled fish/meat so that should be achievable. I have started taking some salt too so hopefully the flu symptoms will settle down soon

Regarding the weight goal, I guess my mind has always had 150lbs as a goal because that was where I was years ago when I thought I was quite fit and healthy. I’ll see how it goes but I guess it’s possible my body may settles at a higher weight on keto. It’s one of the reasons I’m sorely tempted to stop exercising but I know that is counterintuitive to my overall goals.

Thanks again!

Excessive Sweat - Smells like Ammonia
#5

Thanks Susan,

I have heard/read quite a bit on MCT but never tried it. Maybe it’s time I do.

Coffee is the toughest for me as I am not quite awake without it in the morning :grin: I only take a cup a day but I might reconsider removing this if the TRE/No Sweetner/10g carbs doesn’t break the stall.

I hope you find the right combo to break your stall too!

Thanks.

(Susan) #6

Thanks, I am doing a 72 hour fast at the moment, so fingers crossed =).

#7

Fingers crossed for you. Can’t even imagine a 72 hour fast at the moment. Whatever shall I do with my mouth in that time? :joy:

(Susan) #8

Just drink a lot of lovely flavoured herbal teas like I do, and plenty of salt I eat directly and swallow with water, and then lots of water. It is so great for Autophagy =).