Still failing at keto

#1

I have been on keto for over a month, and have lost 3 pounds. My carbs are usually around 9. Ive been in trace- small ketosis for weeks. I keep seeing posts about massive Weight loss and I just want to cry.

Best I can tell my protein is high - but I don’t know how to get it any lower, frankly. Everything has carbs even veggies so unless I’m supposed to eat butter I have no idea what to do.

I’ve posted here before and got a lot of great feedback but I’m still not losing any weight and let’s be honest it’s the dramatic drop keto is famous for that I want. Everyone else is getting it, just not me.

Edit: I have provided my details multiple times in previous posts and it is not comfortable for me, but here it is again,

5’5"
215 pounds
50 years old

Macros
20g carbs
1400 calories
100 protein

I’m usually about 150 protein, 9 carbs. Between 1000- 1800 calories

EDIT (again) - you guys are awesome. While this thread is admittedly information overload I adhere to the belief that too much information is ultimately a good thing. I will have to sift through and pull out what resonates and start there. Perhaps a 3D chart…

(Ron) #2

This might help.
https://blog.virtahealth.com/weight-loss-ketogenic-diet/

(Allie) #3

Can you share more info with us, like what you’re actually eating and what your macros are in grams?

(German Ketonian) #4

I second that. How are we supposed to know the answer if we know nothing about you (height, weight, age, etc.) and your approach to keto so far apart from your carbs?

Additionally, unless your obese, don’t necesarily expect keto to do extremly well for weight loss. If you’re just looking for the last 10-20lbs, I would venture to suggest something else. If you’re looking for health, KCKO. Weight loss is mostly a byproduct of the ketogenic diet associated with improved health (although this is, of course, a reciprocal mechanism).

#5

Done

(German Ketonian) #6

How often do you eat? Have your tried IF or EF? Any meds? How stressfull is your everyday life? Do you get enough sleep? Are you exercising?

#7

I suggest taking some measurements and photos. They sometimes tell us things the scale doesn’t. We want to get smaller, not just lighter, right?

You could look at ZC/ carnivore (there’s a section in the forum). If you have some kind of food sensitivity that could help you discover it.

#8

I have no idea what “IF” or “EF” is. I don’t sleep well, an extremely stressed and don’t exercise. I eat twice a day.

(the cheater) #9

Dang. Sounds like you’ve got a lot going on and your frustration with keto is just piling it on.

Keto, while great, is not a magic bullet. You have to take care of your whole self before any diet or way of eating will start to have a positive impact in your life. Figure out why you’re stressed and eliminate those sources. Figure out why you don’t sleep well and eliminate those problems. Sleep hygiene is highly underrated. I don’t even have a TV in my bedroom. It also helps if you wind down for half an hour to an hour before bed and go to bed at the same time.

IF= intermittent fasting (14-18 hours a day with an 8 or 6 hour window of eating); EF=extended fast (multiple days fasting).

And you have to exercise, love! You can’t do everything wrong with how you treat your body and get frustrated at the new diet. Now, I don’t mean to chide, but you sound like you’ve got a few things to take care of before keto will do you any good at all. Good luck, and let us know how we can help. You’ve got a great community and great resource here at your fingertips. :smiley:

(German Ketonian) #10

Sorry for ranting but: why don’t people read instead of reposting the same issues over and over again? There are dozens of threads going over all confounding factors for weight loss. I agree with @decreebass: keto is no magic bullet but a lifestyle. If you only eat ketogenic macros but don’t care for the lifestyle (sleep, de-stress, etc) it won’t work. Simple as that.

Again, sorry for being off-the-cuff a bit but this is so frustrating if people expect keto to work instantly the minute they begin to eat 75/25/5. No hard feelings @Queenv

(Ethan) #11

Give it more time. My wife lost no weight for the first few months. She’s down 20 pounds now. Your body may be readjusting its composition. Are you feeling clothes any looser? What kind of protein are you eating? Macros at 150g of protein, 130g of fat, and minimal carbs, you should be fine on macros for starting out.

(Ethan) #12

Can I eat the extra 5 in those macro calculations (75/25/5)?

(German Ketonian) #13

You see how agitated I get? :blush:

(Lonnie Hedley) #14

It’s possible some people only read what they want. “Rapid weight loss”, “miracle diet”, etc.

#15

Hard feelings taken

#16

Or it’s possible that some people actually read quite well and follow the guidelines yet still expect comprable results.

(Lonnie Hedley) #17

This is not a guarantee for everyone. Weight loss is a side effect of Keto.

#18

Sadly I am unable to quit my full time college schedule, which is the source of most of these issues. I am also genetically prone to insomnia…and yes I play by the rulebook with nothing in the bedroom - when I have one, I now live in a studio. Its not ideal but it’s the structure I work with now.

(Maxwell) #19

Maybe YOU should have READ – she posted all her stats in the first post – and by the way, if someone is struggling they don’t need a rant.

(Brandy) #20

Your discouragment rolls tangibly from my screen in waves. I’m so sorry this has been such a frustrating experience for you. I have a few suggestions:

  1. Given your stats, the protein consumption is, as you suspected, too high. See if you can cut it to between 88-90 grams a day for a while and replace it with fat. I struggled similarly with getting my protein right. Eventually I just started drinking bullet proof coffees every morning that I wasn’t fasting. You can find a thousand different recipes online. Sometimes if I need to fill in calories without a bunch of protein, I just take a spoonful of MCT oil (coconut derived- purchased on Amazon).

  2. Try eating within a daily timeframe, say within an 8 hour window of a 24 hour time period and closing that window at least 4 hours before you go to bed for the night. This is known as intermittent fasting and all it means is that your digestive system gets some good workouts and some good periods of rest each and every day.

  3. Speaking of going to bed, you’ve gotta sleep and destress! I cannot stress this enough! High stress and a lack of adequate rest will stop every good effort you make. This is more important than introducing any excercise. Get a good meditation app, have a sleep study done, take natural sleep aids- whatever you have to do. Work on this issue first and foremost. No joke- it’s likely the thing that’s screwing your whole game.

And finally, don’t listen to folks who comment only to chastise you for reaching out. While you can certainly get good info by searching the threads by subject matter, sometimes we need to have a current conversation with other people in real time. That’s why communities like this exist- to lift each other up. I have left several groups because the entire communities devolved into cliques of people trolling each other. Thankfully, this particular group seems, for the most part, to be stable and supportive.

Try to remember that we’re all just running a giant science experiment on ourselves. My husband is a computer programmer- and he often comments that I’m actively “hacking” my own metabolism when I hit a wall. I dunno- helps me keep going.