Spiky weight - not a sodium issue, and slow weight loss. Normal? I need confidence and support


#1

OK … Started at 275#, goal is “less than 200#”. I’m 6’2", 59 years old. Lost first 35# through normal balanced-macros dieting. Weight plateaued and started to gain even though calories were low (1400).

I’ve been on Keto for 4-1/2 weeks now, calories and macros on track, and lost only 2.3 pounds … only about 1/2 pound per week. Calories ave. 1750, carbs ave 15g, and fat averaged 75%+.

If you look at the chart of my daily weight, the measurements are very spiky … gain 4 or 5 lbs, drop 6 lbs, gain 4 lbs repeat.

The erratic weight seems odd, and no, I’m not eating varying amounts of or too much sodium. The rate of weight loss also is less than I would expect … I don’t really want to take an entire year to lose 35 lbs - or longer since weight loss slows as you go. Is what I am experiencing normal? My next step is to start getting some aerobics in… hopefully that’ll bust things loose and I’ll start losing faster.

Thanks,
Brian


(Carl Keller) #2

Hi Brian.

Before we start losing body fat, it’s often necessary to heal our deranged hormones. This might take some people a few weeks and for others it might take a month or longer. Even if you are not losing weight, if you are restricting carbs and eating to satiety, good things are happening to your body.

Maybe you’ve noticed your cravings are gone or weakening? Maybe your hunger is now manageable? Maybe your energy levels are better or you have less inflammation in your body? There are many great things that can happen to us that can’t be measured. Focus on those things for now and keep eating real food to satiety.

Try to relax and not stress out so much. Our stress hormones can single-handedly prevent weight loss. Other things that might hold us up are snacking, since keeping our insulin levels low is necessary to unlock fat storage and every time we eat we block that opportunity, as well as artificial sweeteners. Try to significantly reduce those or avoid them altogether if you are using them.


(Full Metal KETO AF) #3

Up and down can happen, it happens to me sometimes too. You’re in the early stages still and you aren’t fat adapted. I would consider a bit less fat, you don’t need to hit a fat macro or limit your protein to such a small percentage of your macros. In fact I would recommend you abandon macro % for the time being and focus instead on carb limits. It’s time to start tuning in on your body’s hunger signals instead of following a strict macro plan. Try eating to satiety and not eating if you aren’t hungry. Consider implementing IF an this point, and elimination of snacks between meals if you haven’t done this yet. Keto is a hormone driven way of eating and getting your metabolism in shape is key to being on a ketogenic diet. Keeping your insulin as low as possible for as many hours as you can daily is the key to fat loss. Consider eating two meals per day within a 6-8 hour window for a start. Don’t consume anything other than water, tea or black coffee during your 16-18 hours of not eating. This will kick things into high gear. Also don’t look at calories, it’s normal for daily variations. Calculators tell me 1800 for maintenance, but my calorie intake daily varies between 1300 and 2200 daily. Sometimes lighter food and sometimes extra protein and fat. Mixing things up will let your body become comfortable with the caloric variations and it will be more comfortable accessing body fat on days of less fat intake. Patterns of no daily change can make your body complacent with where it is. Your metabolism will adjust to what you’re putting in daily and what your activity level is typically and adjust your basal metabolic rate (BMR) accordingly. Mixing it up with fasting and feasting and low calorie day’s breaks this pattern of complacency. **I don’t know what you’ve been eating but excess amounts of dairy and nuts are a source of things stalling out for many people. Try limiting or eliminating most dairy and I would drop nuts and berries for now if you’re eating them. Also artificial sweeteners can be an issue or not for many people. You can experiment with adding these foods back in a bit later to see if they were a problem for you.

In case you haven’t seen this before I think it’s a great way to get your keto in order without stress which is going to halt your progress too, a whole other topic that’s deep.

I wish you success, don’t give up because going back to the way you ate before isn’t the answer. Keto takes time and we’re all different, metabolic state, health issues and medications, amounts of excess weight needed to shed, lifestyle and activity levels and so on. Don’t be discouraged by other people’s miraculous results, and put away the scale for a while and focus on how your clothes are fitting. Are they getting looser in places, need to use a different belt notch? Is your face leaning out? Can you wear any of your favorite shirts or pants that you’ve been pushing aside in the closet? Buy a cloth measuring tape and use body measurements instead of weight on a scale for a while. How are you feeling eating keto, is it an improvement over how you felt before? Things like an increase in bone or muscle mass can confound your perception of progress when weighing in. You’re real goal isn’t so much weight loss as healthy body composition with an appropriate body fat percentage, so fat loss is the goal not weight loss necessarily. Keep Calm and Keto On (KCKO) as we say. Trust the process. :cowboy_hat_face:


(Jane Srygley) #4

Thanks so much Carl! I’m trying not to get discouraged but I think you’re right and my body is healing even if the scale is barely ever moving. Agreed with the artificial sweeteners too because my first few weeks of keto I was popping something sweet into my mouth every few minutes, from gum to tea to protein bars. I’m working on chilling out with that but it’s really tough.


(Carl Keller) #5

You’re quite welcome Jane. :slight_smile:

Just remember that good health is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep putting your best foot forward and you will get there. :wink:


(PSackmann) #7

Welcome Brian, you’ve come to a great place with lots of knowledgeable people. David and Carl are spot on, this is a long term process, not a short “weight loss” plan.
The first thing I would do is ditch the daily weighing. If you can’t bring yourself to weigh only once per month, then once a week and look at trends. Daily ups and downs are normal, it’s the overall trend you’re looking for.
Second, forget calories. If you were gaining on another plan at 1400 calories, you probably have some metabolic issues to heal. You may see a period of no loss while your body’s metabolism heals itself, that’s normal. In the meantime, focus on carbs under 20, adequate protein and then fat to satiety. Read through the post David linked, it’s excellent information and advice.
Third, if you feel you want to start exercising, start with resistance training rather than aerobics. Unless you’re already actively training, exercise is a stressor and will potentially slow your weight loss. Taking up aerobics to try to speed weight loss will only stress your body, resistance training can help the body heal by building more muscle and bone, all good things for continued health.
Fourth, for reading outside the forums, I highly suggest starting with Dr. Jason Fung’s “The Obesity Code”. He gives an in-depth look at the hormonal causes of weight gain, which will help you to understand why you keep hearing no snacking.
Finally, relax. Keto isn’t a quick-fix, it’s a long-term plan to regain health and remain healthy for the rest of your life. Embrace this way of eating as your new normal and celebrate the NSV’s along the way (Non-Scale Victories).


#8

First - thanks! I appreciate all the lengthy and detailed (which means helpful!) responses.

Your questions:

  • Rare cravings for carbs, but I’ve never been addicted so withdrawal from sugar/carbs was painless. No Keto Flu.

  • Hunger MUCH better than on regular diet :slight_smile:

  • Energy levels? Down the first week … fine for 2 weeks … then groggy and plumb worn out for a week, but much better now (as of last night or so). It’s been about a month total now?

  • Weight variation during this month: start at 244 then down to 238 within a week, then varying between 233 and 238 until now. Strange dip to 232 on one day. Not counting last 2 days, loss is 1/2 lb per week at best.

Things I’ve learned that I need to correct:

  • Focus on the keto ‘diet’ as long term. Eat less than 20g carbs, around 130-140g protein (based on estimated lean body mass), then add in enough fat to feel satiated.

  • NUKE THE ARTIFICAL SWEETENER ADDICTION. Wife is a health nut and I’m a classic ‘hide it in the closet’ addicted person. Sigh. I’ve got to quit the juice… sigh again. Daily consumption has been around 70-90 ounces of diet cola, typical. (I know … I know… )

  • Weigh myself once a month (only). Measure progress with a measuring tape around my widest girth

  • Strength training at the gym

  • Try to eat only twice a day for awhile, no snacks… read the Fung book

I think that’s it. The artificial sweetener thing is the toughest … tried to quit many times, but feel like the guy that died from cancer after trying to quit smoking for 40 years…

Thanks again - you guys are great :smiley: … I’ll keep going. I will accept this as my new way of eating, not a diet…

Brian


#9

Thanks … I just bought the kindle version of the book and will start reading today. And thanks to everyone that responded - can’t tell you how great it is to have such good and detailed support. Thanks again…

Brian


#10

Yep. You have caused your metabolism to slow down so that is needs less that 1400 calories. But now you’re eating a lot more (that’s good), but you’re also still losing. This is a good sign that you’re getting your metabolism back to where it should be. I would keep going as you are for a few more weeks to continue to try to reset your metabolism. If you’re still losing super slowly, you may be able to make some tweaks later on.

I’d suggest that you also take a bunch of measurements and track those. Sometimes you won’t see a change on the scale, but your measurements drop–a sure sign that you’re losing fat, even it if your scale won’t admit it.