So not a Unicorn. In fact, I have a divot in my forehead where a horn should have been

(Libby) #1

This is just a quick… no… slow and meandering rant. It was going to be a question, but it isn’t. Just a rant.

I accept that I am ancient (56) and post menopausal. I accept that this is going to make losing weight on keto a lot slower than, say, a 25 year old guy.

I broke down and bought one of those stupid pee stick canisters to see if I was “doing it right” and I am always always always (who was it that hated triple-repeated words to emphasize? May I add another “always” to make it four? You’re welcome) in ketosis. Sometimes light pink, sometimes the very darkest purple. Even if I do indulge in the occasional tomato.

So reading about people who lose a million pounds in 3 weeks is really ticking me off. I have 40 more pounds to get to something reasonable for my height/frame.

I am going to add a plus 1 to the idea that being in ketosis doesn’t mean you will lose weight.

I will add that I haven’t GAINED weight, which is a miracle considering the trajectory I was on. However, it doesn’t ease the pique I feel.

If one is in ketosis for 7 months, wouldn’t one assume one was fat freaking adapted? At least mostly? Wouldn’t one assume that if one hasn’t been restricting calories in the least that one’s metabolism would just go ahead and burn up any excess, like, with strong desire to do jumping jacks at 0630? Or: “Why, Libby! I think it is the perfect time to walk a quarter mile uphill to get that coffee cup you left at the top of the garden this morning! Let’s go! OMG I can’t believe how much I want to move around!”

How many calories are burned up by sweating in this heat? It has to be significant. I’m sure my metabolism could burn a few extra just to keep all things equal/at a deficit. Squeezing sweat out of pores has to be energy intensive. I’ve been sweating like a mad woman for the last week, in fact, I have to hide from the sun for most of the day it’s so bad. Surely my metabolism could be a little wasteful in the process.

And it isn’t like I’m gluttonously eating. I eat a ribeye, some eggs and bacon, etc. Not scrimpy at all but not a huge huge huge huge amount.

It’s just a cosmic joke, is what it is. As soon as you get old enough to know what you want and how to eat, your body just takes a dive. It is so aggravating.

Thank you for listening. I would appreciate any KCKO comments.

(Bob M) #2

I wouldn’t worry about those people, as they are unusual. It took me 1.5 years (yes YEARS) to lose about 30 pounds. That’s about 1.6 pounds/month. Yes, month. After 5.5 YEARS, I’m down about 60 pounds of fat and up about 10 pounds of muscle. I got DEXA scans done, and gained 3.x pounds of muscle and lost 5.y pounds of fat in a YEAR, so scale weight was a loss of about 2 pounds. In a year.

Having said that, I went from 43+ inch pants to under my 36 inch pants (they are all loose on me). I’ve had to buy new clothes and belts multiple times. I’ve personally given up on the scale and only use my belt and pants to gauge progress.

Don’t get discouraged.

(Deborah ) #3

I hate to say it, but I really loved reading you guys’ posts! I’m not alone! LOL! I’ve been keto for a little over a year and it’s some slooooow going. Not going to quit it, though, I’m in it for the long haul. I’ve lost about 35 (34…33…34…35) lbs., depending on the day. I’ve given up daily weighting as it was just aggravating me. Haven’t lost anything in a few months, and (im)patiently waiting for a loss to start again. I’d like to lose 25-30 more lbs. eventually, but as a 66 going on 67 yrs old female, I’ll take it when I can get it.

(Susan) #4

I am 54 (will be 55 in Nov) and post menopausal as well. I have had a stall for quite a while as well, I was just ignoring it and thinking my body was adjusting and would come around. I have tried to eliminate many things, I first took out all artificial sweeteners, and then nothing that wasn’t just food, no snacks, no treats, nothing fun, just basic food. Still no loss, so then I removed coffee and all dairy, nothing. I figured out on the weekend Coconut oil has to go too. I was doing fasts,(a bunch of 24 hour ones, and then a few 48 hour ones, and a 72 hour one, eating once a day, eating twice a day, trying anything I could think of, even gained 2 pounds. so was getting very upset. I still have not broke the stall.

I am doing a fast that will be a 42 hour one before I am done (I don’t expect any weight loss from it) and will eat TMAD for Tuesday and Wednesday and then do a 72 hour Fast again from Thursday-Sunday for the next few months. I am hoping that only eating a moderate amount of protein, and a small spinach salad twice daily for 4 days and fasting for 3 days will break the stall and get the scale moving again. I need to lose another 130 or more pounds, so the scale not moving and then going up really upset me.

Fasting on a very regular basis seems to be the way that most people break these stalls, so I am really hoping that this works for me as well. I don’t know if you have tried any 72 hour fasts to put your body in autophagy but I am counting on them helping me.

I feel badly for your long stall, but I haven’t seen you mentioning doing any long fasting periods, so was just sharing what I have been trying, and what others have mentioned to me to try, etc. I understand the frustration, I am experiencing it as well. I hope that yours will break soon, take care and good luck!

(PJ) #5

Totally understand.

It’s worth realizing that most people who lose weight very fast are losing water to a great degree, or are losing lean mass as well as fat.

If you’re already keto (so not losing water), and eating well (so losing minimal lean mass), your measure is limited solely to fat. It might not be very different results in reality (if fat is the measure) than people who seem like they’re losing a lot of pounds – but it’s things other than fat.

I have acquired some peace of mind by buying the keto mojo blood glucose and ketone meter (and the lancets and strips which are best to buy separately and aren’t cheap). It at least tells me what is truly going on at that moment. Since I’m 54, just a couple steps into that glorious menopause process, plus have a heart condition vs. diuretics that makes edema (water weight on the scale) an insane situation, my scale is not very useful for really telling me what’s going on. I feel like if the meter tells me (with the formula math after) that my GKI is <5 (preferably <3.5), then I am in ketosis well and don’t need to sweat the small stuff.

As an aside, I don’t know why this is, but I’ve found that I tend to lose less when I’m eating very much cheese. Since cheese is the Divine Food and my primary source of fats, I hate this. It’s not based on macros, I track those religiously most the time. Just something about how my body reacts I guess.

Karim does these experiments where for a period of 3-4 weeks he eats a very specific kind of diet (just makes it up to experiment), and then changes, to see what affect it might have on his body composition. I think that might be a good idea for people who are doing keto well but just aren’t seeing much change.

Last note: I recently discovered a medication I’ve been on (off and on) for some years, jacks my glucose up (regardless of my keto eating), creates edema (water weight) and limits my heart rate (preventing real exercise). When I went off it in horror, my GKI (glucose ketone index) went from 11.48 to 1.9 in 9 days. Not sure if you have any supplements or meds you take regularly but sometimes things interfere in a way not obvious.

(Libby) #6

Thank you that is what I wanted to hear! I’ve gone from a tight 16 pants to a loose 14 but still… I’d ruther a size 8. Size 8 is still on the large side of the ideal but for real, that would be tremendous for me.

(Libby) #7

OK I’m with you!

(Libby) #8

I’m going to start my next (3rd) fast when the moon is in Aries. 2.5 days.

#9

I am no expert, but I would be worried that I’m not fat adapted if I’d been doing a keto diet for 7 months and those pee sticks showed I had a lot of excess ketone bodies in my urine.

That’s because those pee sticks are used by T1 diabetics to test for excessive amounts of one particular type of ketone body. As I understand it, once fat adapted, there shouldn’t be many of that type of ketone body produced at all. And even the blood meters may not be all that accurate, because the body may be at a steady state of ketone bodies produced versus used, so there may not be an excessive amount in the bloodstream either. The body isn’t a conveyor belt producing as many ketone bodies as it can just because it has the necessary materials to make them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq#wiki_all_about_ketostix

The simplest answer is that you’re simply consuming too many calories. For me, the simple keto macros balance is “Minimal carbs. Adequate proteins. Fats as needed (for satiety).”

Carbs need to be kept low to stay in ketosis. But your body needs proteins, so meeting that need should be a priority. After that, fats (and thus calories) should ideally be a function of hunger. Once fat adapted, hunger usually subsides in those that are overweight, because some of the fat needs are coming from stored body fat. That’s why the oft-repeated 70/25/5 ration is a usually a bunch of baloney. Protein needs are not proportional to calories eaten, and fat needs can be satisfied by either consumed or stored fat.

Like I said, no expert, but I have a lot of opinions. :slight_smile:

tl/dr: KCKO!

(Susan) #10

Okay, great =)) I will keep my fingers crossed for you that this helps!!

I really can feel your pain, and I want you to succeed, best wishes for success, it will break one day, it has too!!

(PJ) #11

I wasn’t sure if you were serious or not. What’s the quality of moon in Aries that inspires you to fast then? (Just curious :smiley: )

(Libby) #12

Duly noted. god dammit Fine. yes, you are right. Which is why I rescinded the question aspect. But you are right. Thank you.

(Libby) #13

Oi vey. My cheese? Really? You are probably right, too. Dang it! Thank you for reply.

(John) #14

This may not be the answer a lot of people like to hear, but I agree with it. I keep carbs low but also keep total food intake modest, which includes not eating a lot of fat. Some, but not a lot. I want the fat my body uses to come from existing storage, not from what I just ate.

(Libby) #15

I’m so glad you asked!! Aries is the first sign of the wheel, and is the beginner of things. It is Cardinal Fire. So I figure fire sign is a good time to fast. Burning fat. Just a pet thing, having to do with the moon and timing and cycles and stuff.

I do think that a full moon in any sign is a good time to light a bonfire and dance around it. :crazy_face:

(Libby) #16

Yeah but yeah but what about metabolism slow down???

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #17

I thought your rant was funny but in a totally supportive way. I’ve been doing it for 9 months and hit 30 lb loss months ago and then it stopped. I’m 43 and post menopausal as well. I have an inner dialogue currently that goes like this: No, you can’t have extra butter. You can eat your own T and A if you want some more fat. How about you have a side of neck with this chicken.

Me at the store: No to the HWC this time. You can have half and half from now on. We’re not adding fat to add fat. Please refer to the yesterday’s Eat Your Own Body memo.

And finally: Are you really hungry or are you eating because everyone in the country is eating? Let’s reevaluate the meaning of mealtime.

Anyway, Libby. Hang in there. I find it helpful to think about how proud I am when I look back and think, hey that went by fast and that hopefully soon I’ll be saying that about two years and reaping the benefits of sticking with it that long. You will too!

(Libby) #18

That cat hanging from a branch. Lol! Thank you

(Libby) #19

Yes, I do not want to hear it. I have NEVER been a deliberate calorie-restricting type. I’m a large living, loose and happy cooking fool that also gets upset when the restaurant bill is less than a hundred. But. You are right. Dang! My cheese, my lacksidaisical approach? What next? You will not pry ribeye from my cold dead hand. I will reach up through the grimy earth and steal it back.

(Carl Keller) #20

The good news is that your weight is under control and with what you’re doing, there’s a great chance it is going to cooperate. Hang in there Libby. :slight_smile: