Stall - 8 weeks & Saxenda


(Mary) #1

Hello All!

I apologize for the long post…

I have been Keto since Aug 1 and I am down 30 pounds. I have been losing and gaining the same 3 pounds since the second week of October - about 8 weeks.

My endocrinologist put me on Saxenda in July. It is also known as Victoza - a type 2 diabetes drug. It increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin and leptin. It also causes your stomach to empty slower making hunger almost non-existent. I am aware of the major risks of the drug. The plan is to come off of the drug when the next 30 pounds are gone.

I have plantar fasciitis, so exercise is difficult sometimes for my feet (this is the reason she put me on the drug). I’ve had cortisone shots in both feet and had to purchase expensive orthotics. Standing for any period of time is painful - even washing the dishes. I have an exercise bike at home and it does not bother my feet. I have an app I like for spin. I know I should be using it more than I have been.

I am hypothyroid and my labs are all in the optimal range.

My gallbladder was removed in 2011 so it took a couple of weeks to transition to higher fat levels for keto.

I use the Ketogains macro calculator and Cronometer to track. I am a data person and need the structure to keep binging in check. In the beginning, it was very difficult to eat more than 700 calories because of the Saxenda drug. Over time I was able to increase my calories and stayed within keto macros. It’s hard to say if the weight loss I have experienced is from the extreme calorie deficit at the beginning or from when I was religiously tracking everything at higher calories. I was consuming the recommended 1300+ or so calories and burning at least 300-400 through exercise (fitbit tracker).

I usually try to keep at least 12 hours or more between my last meal of the day and the first meal of the next day. This is because I need to take my Synthroid on an empty stomach in the morning and the Saxenda takes that amount of time to empty food from my stomach.

Strict tracking and calorie deficits that worked in the beginning don’t seem to work anymore. Suggestions?

I am trying to decide if I should cut dairy and stevia, try a fast, or just jump back into strict tracking like I was doing before. I am also wondering if the Saxenda is the problem…

My main reason for being Keto is because Alzheimer’s runs in my family. My mother is in stage 7 and in a nursing home. Keto has gotten rid of my acid reflux and given me sharper short-term memory. I can also eat spicy foods again even though I don’t have a gallbladder.

I am 5’3", female 43 years old
starting weight: 218
current weight: 188
goal weight: 130 ish - depends on how I feel as it gets closer.

Any advice is appreciated! TIA!


(Mary) #2

Update: I decided to get on the scale because I felt different around my belly. I have been feeling sorry for myself the last couple of days and had some bread and a cookie a couple of days in a row. Tequila last night enough to be buzzed. I didn’t drink any water yesterday (normally drink around 96 oz)… now I’m down 2.6 pounds. Maybe I just needed some carbs?


(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #3

This is probably why you saw a loss on your scale, not because you ate carbs…

The Saxenda is an interesting drug that I plan to look up. (former nurse) Does the package insert have information on weight gain/loss or is it a weight neutral medication?

If I were you, I’d get back to tracking. I know I have personally had carbs sneak in when I wasn’t paying attention and once I actually looked down at what I was eating I saw the problem. Congrats on your weight loss up to this point though!


(Mary) #4

Thank you.
You’re right. I’m probably dehydrated…

Saxenda (liraglutide) was originally formulated for type 2 diabetes and is also known as Victoza. Weight loss was such a common side effect of Victoza that the company decided to market the drug for weight loss and it was approved. The side affects are typical. The nausea in the beginning as I was titrating the dose was pretty bad. The feeling of being full makes it difficult to eat sometimes. I am not taking the full dose. I take about half at 1.8. There are major risk factors. Gallstones and thyroid cancer. I don’t have a gallbladder and I am already taking a high dose of Synthroid which is the treatment if I have to get it removed. I had an ultrasound two weeks ago and my thyroid was clear of nodules. The weightloss charts from the clinical trials contained in the package insert show a big decline in weight in the beginning and leveling out at around 30 pounds of weight loss. So perhaps the drug has played out its effectiveness for me? I have to see my doctor every 4-5 weeks to assess progress on the medication. She tells me to keep my carbs under 40. I have not told her I have been doing keto. I can tell from the things she has said that she would not approve.


(Mary) #5

It seems my stall has been broken. Maybe I just needed to write about it! LOL! Thanks for the advice and your patience!


(Mel Simpson) #6

Our bodies are suppose to stall intermittently and therefore it’s not really a stall


(Mary) #7

I get what you’re saying and no, weight loss is not linear. That was never the issue. I understand slow and steady wins the race. My measurements didn’t change for 8 weeks in addition to the scale not moving. This isn’t my first rodeo and this was definitely a plateau. I have been on numerous diets for the last 20 years and I’ve never had this long of a plateau. I knew it wouldn’t last forever, but it was frustrating. I’ve lost 10 pounds since I wrote the original post. I cut dairy, nuts, alcohol, keto treats, and started counting total carbs and started losing again. I increased protein and cut back a little on dietary fat as well. I’m sure my body was in a holding pattern while some healing was taking place. The bigger issue here was that I was on a weight loss drug at the time (no longer on it) and needed to know if anyone else had experience with the drug and a plateau.