Stalled weight loss - I know its been asked before

(Karen Fricke) #21

Unless you’re 6’8" I think the calculation for lean body mass is off, if it’s right, that’s about 90 kg, so 90 grams of protein

(Jason Fletcher) #22

Hi Zig I am not sure what your over all end goal. There are a lot of different views on the keto diet approach and debate on protein and if you should calculate the number of grams of fat you eat. If you looking for a good calculator I would suggest the ketogains you can read their facts here https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index. Looking at your calculations for lean body mass your calculations look high. I have know no clue what you look like how tall you are or if you man or a woman. Or if you are a power lifter. But if you are a male about 6’ and have not done much lifting i would guess your lean body mass to be about 150 to 160 pounds. There is also a problem with putting your activity level above sedentary with most calculators because it inflates your numbers. I think it is good that you are trying to get down your macros. This will help in the future not only when you are trying to get to your goal body fat % but also when you would like to increase your muscle and over all strength. I will tell you when it comes to my bias. I believe strength training is the best approach.

#23

Sorry, 6’ Up until about a month ago I was in the gym 4-5 days a week, walking on treadmill 40 minutes then weight training 4x a week, 2 body parts a day, nothing crazy. I do have a large frame. Business took me away last month but I’ll start back up this week. My end goal is to be at 240-lbs and determined to get there. I’ll lower my protein and see how that goes. I feel great.

Thank you for all the input, it’s great to have a source to go to with questions.

#24

Same here. I stalled for a couple of months, then started losing again. Patience is the key…

(eat more) #25

i disagree with this.
TDEE is important to keep your BMR happy…or at least i think so because setting activity to sedentary results in too great a deficit for some ppl…
the beginning of my keto journey was far more difficult and long than it should have been because i listened to that “advice”.
i think the problem is when ppl over/underestimate their actual activity. if you are truly sedentary cool but if you’re actively working out you are not sedentary LOL

are you affiliated with ketogains? (just being nosy because that’s all i see you post…doesn’t mean that’s all you post…just all that i have seen :joy:)

(Jason Fletcher) #26

I Just follow them. I try to point people to their facts page so they can learn more. They have helped me out a lot.
As far as the sedentary or active i suggest looking at this because it could be a factor for the weight stall.

(eat more) #27

as could having too great of a deficit :blush:
too little intake results in the body thinking it needs less.

i don’t remember the ketogains site advocating that everyone set their activity to sedentary. (reddit, yes)
the KG calculator has a TDEE, activity identifier, and a place to add in actual exercise…which i don’t do because there is no way to accurately predict/measure output from exercise…especially not globally and then this becomes about CICO instead of hormones.

setting activity level to sedentary automatically creates a deficit for someone who isn’t sedentary and then a lot of ppl usually take another 10-40% deficit (they get excited lol) on top of it which results in lower BMR…creating a vicious cycle of lowering intake each time there is a stall…so at that point it’s really CICO with keto eating habits.

i like KG 5x5 and use it frequently.
the calculator sets my protein a little high and my fat a little low for what my body currently needs.

as you can see from my signature i am all about eating more to burn more :joy:

#28

I’m not sure. I did try to post in another forums and it never showed up, several times so I moved on and found this forum, luckily.

#29

ehhh I dunno; most studies (of the few there are) and also anecdotal evidence point to the fact that people chronically underestimate how much food they’re eating and overestimate how much work/exercise they’re doing. The recommendation about “set the calculator to sedentary” is usually good advice for most people who wonder why they aren’t losing the weight at the rate the calculator tells them they should be (other than week #1, which I think we should make more of an effort to tell people to ignore) … so it’s not so much a downward spiral of CICO reinforcement, but rather, an acknowledgement of reality: not only do we individual persons have errors in calculating intake/output, but also the food manufacturers and database entries contain inaccuracies, so it’s better to err on the side of underestimating what one’s burn is.
So whether it’s CICO or “calories in + magic = calories out + magic”, we can still affect the calories variable and let the magic do it’s part.

#30

The calculator should be used to determine rough guideline for protein intake. And that’s it. Setting calorie deficits is futile. CICO does not work.

Just determine protein daily grams based on your lean body mass.
Start at 20 grams carbs as a starters template (adjust later).
And eat fat, lots of it, and to satiety.

No calorie restriction.

#31

I’ll add that I think the calculators can’t possibly take into consideration someone’s hormonal environment, so it’s only a starting point.

I agree with both @mikki and @Kirkor in different ways because people in general do underestimate how much they eat, but people who are dieting underestimate how much they need to eat because they’re so used to starving themselves in order to lose weight.

I also believe that people drastically overestimate how many calories they’re burning from exercise, so I think starting with a calculator set to sedentary is better than factoring in exercise, and then letting your body tell you if you’re getting enough.

Keto is about normalizing hormones and that includes satiety hormones, so if you’re hungry, you’re probably not eating enough regardless of what some calculator told you.

CICO is an effect and not a cause, and the cause is how hormones are partitioning any calories, exogenous (dietary) or endogenous (glycogen and body fat), for burning or storage.

(eat more) #32

i don’t think i communicated clearly…it happens. :blush:

if someone is looking for macro help they can’t be underestimating what they’re eating…they’re looking for a starting point and targets to know if they’re on the right track.
although we aren’t counting calories we still have to recognize them in the beginning to know what a reasonable amount of fat is…carb/protein are known variables…fat is “the rest”…hard to know what the rest is without at least acknowledging that there are “leftovers”
most ppl have trouble listening to hunger/satiety signals…using a calculator with a fat “limit” is a good starting point to be able to start to hear those signals.

i am not saying to subtract exercise calories at ALL.
i am saying to be as realistic as possible regarding TDEE…if you’re a mail carrier, waitress, mom, construction worker, or participate in any planned exercise/activity you aren’t “sedentary”

my concern is that setting the calculator to sedentary when not actually sedentary automatically creates a deficit and then most ppl choose deficit targets…they want to lose weight and have been told that they need to eat less and move more…double deficit…possibly more as i’ve seen advice to do a 30% deficit (not here)

i wasn’t going to revisit this thread because i didn’t think i was communicating effectively but i think possibly saving someone else some time/heartache is more important.
in the very beginning i set my activity to sedentary (i’m not. i don’t have a desk job. i was at the gym 4-6 days of the week) and at a deficit.
I was starving myself despite following all of the “rules” and it sucked.
i honestly consider the first month or so to be a total wash figuring out that i wasn’t eating enough…i wish that i’d been realistic about activity and started at maintenance targets until fat adapted or able to listen to the signals

if you’ve read this far…thanks and i hope it clears up what i was saying and maybe helps someone. :blush:

(Mary 🌹 ) #33

Yes…90 grams protein!

#34

Fast.

6 weeks. 20 grams. You should be burning fat and a fast can work great. Don’t rely on the stick. They are not accurate. Perhaps you are simply using your ketones and not excreting them. I am a raging fat burner and those sticks barely indicate any ketosis anymore. I am 5 weeks in ketosis.