Stalled weight loss? Spotting between periods?


#1

Hey guys, thanks for stopping in to help me out. I’ve now been eating strictly keto for over 3 months and working on getting the hang of it. I’m 31F, and down from 162lb to 138lb, I am eating 1,300 calories a day, but honestly I don’t fuss when I go over, which is often. The calories are only mentioned because that sets my macros to about 20g carbs (I do total, not net), 78g protein (25%), and 99g fat (70%). I also do strength training and cardio (moderate intensity mostly) 5 out of 7 days a week. I also IF, which leaves my window of eating between 1pm-6pm, this isn’t forced but just when my body is hungry, and on the odd day I’m hungry outside of that window, I eat! And my water intake is 3-4L a day.

I have been trying to increase my eating without feeling sick, but honestly I fall into the 1,300 calories a day really well and eat healthy fats and proteins through meat and such.

But now here’s the thing, for the past month I’ve lost barely any weight on the scale. Maybe 1 lb. I feel like my body is still changing but it’s not reflected in weight. I’m absolutely trying not to go off of the scale but after the time period it’s been I’m a little weary. I have a naturally small build, so I do still have fat left. And on-top of it all I’m spotting between periods the whole time, but not uncomfortably.

I know keto is a journey and it does take awhile to adjust, but I just want to make sure I’m doing things properly!

Other than the scale and spotting everything else feels great. I have more energy now, more mental clarity and focus, I’ve been focusing on bettering my heart health and resting heart rate and succeeding!

So please, if you have any advice to share regarding my situation I’d be super grateful to receive it.

Thanks again for everyone’s help!


#2

First I thought you lose weight quickly but maybe not too fast but if it’s for 2 months, you really ate too little. 1300 kcal is super low anyway but it’s possible you can go away with it, maybe not with exercise… But as these are very individual, I can’t be sure. But the lots of data you wrote suggests you should eat more. You do the IF right though you may add another meal to eat more or change something, just a little, you don’t need a ton of calories but with your little amount of excess fat, it’s quite possible you can’t handle well a big deficit anymore.

Just some weeks at the same weight wouldn’t be a big deal but activity with this low cal… Of course, I saw much worse, you seem to do things smartly, it’s not horribly low cal, but low enough that it could cause problems.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

Is the fit of your clothing any looser?

And here are a couple of questions to ask yourself: How much weight would you really like to lose? Thirty pounds? So would you rather look thirty pounds lighter and have the scale show no change, or lose thirty pounds and continue to look the same as you do now?


#4

Thank you for your response, I have been trying to up my calories a bit. But other than bacon (which I enjoy, but get tired of quickly), I struggle to add calories. I track and measure everything right now, and find if I increase the quantity of food to add more calories makes me feel overfull and gross. I do have days with 1,500 calories and some with less than 1,300. I have been eating til satiety, and it’s just been settling around 1,300. You’re more than likely right though and I need to try and add more. I’ll have to look into more calorie dense food that still fit into the keto lifestyle that won’t make my body feel bad.


#5

Since I stalled I’m not sure, I should have took measurements. Going off visuals I think I’m still slimming a bit, but really it’s not very reliable.

I don’t have a goal weight anymore, I’m just looking for a healthy body that doesn’t have a lot of fat. I know it’s silly to be worried about the scale, but it’s very hard to get over that mindset. I guess after losing for a bit the scale was one of the easiest indicators, so if I couldn’t see it at least a scale confirmed it. Now I’m stuck squinting at myself in the mirror because I buy awesome leggings that can fit multiple forms well and they won’t be too loose unless I’m a skeleton. :rofl:


#6

What do you eat? Most of us have items we like and can eat a lot of, some items satiate us less well, timing matters so there is some wriggle room… Drinking some calories is usually easier too…
I don’t like bacon much but I like sausage (the drier kind, almost half of the weight is fat…), well that can add calories… But most dairy works well too. I eat little of these but it’s still something due to the very high calorie density. And I almost always can eat my top favs. You probably have some options too. Some extra fat in some dish (it needn’t to be pure fat, cream, sour cram may be nicer)? A richer coffee?

The scales are the easiest - except fitting pants! I use them as an indicator now. But nothing is fully reliable if it’s just a few weeks. I was slimmer before and I know my waist will change little even if I lose a significant amount. But fitting pants show little changes, they just may be not quick enough. Water retention complicates things too and who knows what is the main focus of your body know? It’s complicated. So I wouldn’t worry about fat-loss yet, just about the possibility of eating too little now that your extra bodyfat can provide less energy than before.

Don’t you have other pants you can use?


#7

No other pants that I fit yet. I spent the last 5-6 years pregnant 3 times so I fluctuated so much I wouldn’t buy new pants like jeans because they could not fit because of weight loss or gain. So leggings were a lot easier. :+1: I’m also a newly stay at home mom now because of the pandemic so money is tight, and new clothes aren’t much of an option.

I eat a lot of chicken thighs and very fatty Salmon (I’m really picky about the cuts). I do eat cheese but I don’t like heavy cream or sour cream so I don’t eat much of those. Red meat is rather expensive here (Canada) and I still feed my husband and kids a standard diet, not keto, so I also keep my meals super simple. So whole foods, and I season whatever I want within reason.

I do eat a lot of eggs though, that’s kind of my staple, and while they’re good for fat, the protein in them means I need to limit a bit or else my protein will basically match my fats. :pensive:

I have made it a habit of making my own bulletproof coffee on days that’s my fats aren’t quite there, so maybe I should make it a daily thing to help increase calories and fats.

I really appreciate you going through this with me btw, it’s been incredibly helpful and gives me a lot to reflect on.

Sausage could be an excellent option for me as well, usually it’s more inexpensive and goes a long way.


#8

Go by grams, not percentages. If you’re doing strength training and cardio 5/7 days than 1300cals is absolutely going to run you install a stall you can’t break. Getting the calories up is the correct path, dump the IF, no reason for it, or course it’s harder to eat more when you’re limiting when you can eat. I’d pull the fat down and push the protein up in it’s place. That right there will make it easier for you to start taking more in. Track what you eat, up the cals by 100/day for 2 weeks. If you loose, up it again. If you hold for 2 weeks, up it again. If you gain for two weeks, back it off by half and run that for 2 weeks etc. If 70% of your intake is fat @9cals/g you must not be eating much at all if you’re around 1300! You’re way too active for that low of a threshold.


(KCKO, KCFO) #9

Spotting could be totally unrelated. I suggest you discuss that with your dr. Most women find keto fixes all kinds of problems not starting them. Over exercising and under eating are know to stop periods.

A stall is a longer period of time with no changes. Have you listened Daisy’s keto podcasts, go to episodes 173 & 174. All of them are worth a listen but start with these.

https://ketowomanpodcast.com/episodeslatest/

Good luck sorting yourself out.