Stopped losing weight

(Jane) #21

I don’t think you are kidding. Our minds control so much of our conscious experiences and influence our day to day lives.

(Running from stupidity) #22

Yeah, I meant to say “most people.” I kid around a lot, but a lot of the time that’s a way of delivering info that mostly works. Not always, though.

(Janelle) #23

I don’t - laugh at it, I mean.

We’re all doing this for a reason and not just for the hell of it. When you change your entire way of eating, and potentially the way you live your life if it was very food/restaurant/social-eating oriented, when you encounter a challenge, it can be frustrating. When there were almost 4 weeks at the beginning for me when I didn’t lose weight and people told me it was not a stall, it just made me cranky. The advice that everything takes time is completely sound but we live in a society where we want instant gratification and it sure is hard hearing that other people lose faster than you do. So I say give newbies a break and great advice and hopefully they will take it and stick with it. I’ll bet the abandon rates for keto is pretty high right after the initial weight loss and then “stall”.

(mole person) #24

A month is very short. You are still in the adaptation period and shouldn’t worry about not losing right now. The first six weeks are a period of metabolic changes and until they are well on their way you do not get to main benefit of keto which is appetite suppression. Once that happens you will be able to drop the snacking. The fastest losses happen, in part, because insulin is lowest when we are not eating, and the appetite is suppressed on this diet and allows longer periods without food. I think if you were to poll this site you would find that most people after a couple of months only eat two times a day (and many only once).

You definitely DON’T need to start fasting at this stage. It’s far too soon for that. So for right now just eat if you are hungry. But snacking on nuts are a killer for many on this diet. So consider ditching that as soon as you are able.

Are you logging your foods and keeping to under 20 net grams of carbs/day? You should never go by percentages. I had a friend who went by percentages alone and was just massively overeating.

Are you using a testing method to ensure that you are in ketosis?

If you give us your stats (height, weight, age) and macros we can tell you if they look right and perhaps give some additional helpful advice.

(Paula Fox) #25

Hello, I am reading and studying and I am truly trying to figure out if I’m doing things right. I am a female, 50 years old, 5’ feet tall, 185lbs. I am staying under the 20 grams of net carbs, mostly I am usually at 12-15. I have been staying around 65-70 grams of protein, 100-110 grams of fats and around 1250 calories. I’m not a big eater, I have never eaten large meals. I have been doing the Moderate protein/ high fats now since November 27th. I have not seen much weight loss at all, I was 187.8 when I started and today I weighed in at 185.4. I see all of these huge weight losses in the first few weeks and wonder if I’m doing something wrong? I have been testing with the urine strips, and I am at trace to small, I have dry mouth like crazy. I read on here that it takes 4-6 weeks for some to even start the losing process, maybe I am one of those? Yesterday for breakfast I had a scrambled egg mess with 2 eggs, 1Tbsp of MCT oil, I Tbsp of butter, 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. I/2 avacado, 5 medium black olives and two strips of bacon.
Lunch was a chicken thigh, skinless and boneless cooked in butter with salt, thyme, oregano, garlic and onion powder as the rub with a garlic balsamic oil. I made a cauliflower stir fry using sesame oil 1 Tbsp, and tamari 1 tsp.
For dinner I wasn’t hungry but my numbers were low and due to some stomach surgeries I cannot eat a big meal late so I grabbed my go to. A premier protein shake and some pecans to get my calories and fats/proteins up where they need to be. I drink about 4 bottles of water a day, and two diet pepsi’s. So please tell me if I’m doing something wrong? Or do I just need to get rid of the scale and be more patient. It is so frustrating see people with huge weight loss and here I am with nothing. Any advise or help would be appreciated.

#26

Not a stall! Chill out.

#27

If you’re not hungry do not eat. If your adding food this way how can you expect to lose weight? Your body can only do so much.

(Paula Fox) #28

But I thought I had to get in the minimums of the fats and proteins/calories. Is there something wrong with the protein shakes and nuts?

(Carl Keller) #29

Lots of good advice already given. I just want to add that you should remember that it took years and years to get where you are now and the process of reversing all your damaged systems and shedding weight gain takes time.

Often women are the slowest when it comes to weight loss since they have to deal with hormones that are trained to hold on to fat in case of pregnancy, post menopausal women’s metabolism slows down and women tend to stress out more over weight loss which doesn’t help.

Just try to remember the positives:
you are not gaining weight
you are eating bettter
you are healing

Hopefully there are other positives to focus on too. Do you have better energy/endurance? Do you notice your clothes are becoming looser? Is your mental focus better? Has your body inflammation (muscles and joints aching as the day progresses) lessened?

(Cindy) #30

No, you don’t. We keto, just don’t be afraid of fat. That doesn’t mean you have to add in a lot of extra OR eat according to macros or a calculator. Keep your total carbs <20, eat when you’re hungry and as much WHOLE food as needed for satiety, then don’t eat again until you’re hungry. If you find yourself snacking between meals because you’re hungry, then your meal wasn’t large enough.

Protein shakes are highly processed, so better, if you’re hungry, to eat some other protein/fat snack. A piece of cheese and pepperoni for example. Nuts are high in calories, so again, since you want weight loss, try to eat very few of them.

(Paula Fox) #31

I do feel better, I am not giving up by any means I know it takes time I’m not completely unrealistic. I do have water weight more today than I did yesterday which is where I think the extra pound is. I am who I am, I have been heavy my entire adult life and I am positive I can and will lose the weight. I am just looking for a little extra guidance. See if maybe I am missing something. I haven’t noticed the clothes fitting loser yet, that will come eventually I know. Just wondering if I could be doing something better. Do my macro’s look right?

(Paula Fox) #32

Is it horrible to eat small meals throughout you day instead of 2 or 3 large meals? Like I said I have had stomach surgery and it really limits how much I can eat. Not like the gastric bypass or sleeve, I’ve had damage that had to be repaired and now I find that I cannot eat big portions or I am in pain and miserable. I usually always eat 3 meals a day, but they are small portions. My two eggs and bacon in the morning are enough to fill me up but any more than that and i am over full. Like yesterday’s breakfast was as much as I could possibly ever eat. There is no way I could do a 8-10 oz steak in one sitting especially if I need to get veggies too.
Also, back to not worrying about the specifics and macros. So basically if I am eating proteins and getting in fats it doesn’t matter what my calories and those numbers are. Eat healthy proteins and fats till I’m full and don’t worry about the specific numbers. I stay well under the 20 carbs.

(Carl Keller) #33

Macros can be misleading since everybody is different. Your body’s response to how much and what you are eating is the best guide. I found that switching things up does well for me. I might exceed the macro for protein and fat one day and the next 2 days I’m a fair bit under. I believe that if i am consistently eating below macros my body might fear a pattern of starvation and start slowing my metabolism so I let it know that feasting is never far away.

But one thing that I always do is keep my net carbs under 20 and I don’t eat when I am not hungry… especially to satisfy a macro.

(Paula Fox) #34

Yesterday if I wouldn’t have added the nuts and protein shake. I don’t want my body to think its going to be starving. It is all so confusing there is so much differing information. I will try to cut back on the protein shakes as those are my easy go to for a meal.

9 NET CARBS
44 g Protein
76 g Fat
918 Calories

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #35

You mentioned a dry mouth. We must have water to burn fat, it’s required for lipolysis. Are you drinking PLENTY of water? You may find you are digesting better and feeling fuller between meals, especially if your thirsty wires are crossing your hungry wires. And if you’re having a lot of caffeine, drink even more water because it’s a diuretic.

It’s a struggle for me, but I have a set amount I must drink in a day. If I don’t, I get tired, terrible headaches and feel like overall crap.

(Paula Fox) #36

I usually have a dry mouth in the mornings when I get up. Almost cotton mouth some mornings. I have been slowly increasing my water intake as my past moto in life was “water is to be bathed in not drank”. I have a hard time getting water in but I have been trying to increase it daily. I am up to 4 16.9 bottles to date. I was a horrible diet soda drinker and have gotten myself down to two a day right now. I will continue to decrease and eventually quit altogether. Trying not to torture myself and change my entire lifestyle and diet in the same moment. So do you think if I’m able to get up to 6 bottles a day I should be good? That is kind of where I’m hoping to get to.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #37

Hey, I understand. I still drink diet soda but now it’s not my primary source of hydration. :grin: I can’t say for sure what you need volume wise but I think when you are feeling hydrated and peeing straw colored to clear, you’re good to go.

For me, morning dry mouth can be as simple as a stuffy nose and open mouth breathing. But a dry mouth all day is no good.

(Melanie Rowe) #38

I put tea bags into my water bottles at night. The next day I have flavored water with no extra calories or sugar. You can add Stevia. I don’t because I like to drink a diet gingerale each morning.

(mole person) #39

As @cw2001 said you shouldn’t be eating past satiety. That is literally a main reason that we lose weight on this diet. Longer periods without hunger lead to skipped snacks and meals which leads to lowered insulin and then using body fat for fuel.

There are a lot of misconceptions about macros. This is what you want to remember:

  1. 20 grams of carbs is a maximum. You can have less but not more.

  2. Your protein macro is something you should aim to hit closely. Don’t over worry about a few grams up or down day to day, but your body needs a certain amount and that’s what you should aim to give it.

The fat macro is NOT a target, it’s a maximum. On this diet we get our energy from fat instead of carbs but you only need as much as will keep you satisfied and not hungry. Remember, you want you body using the fat on your body! So, absolutely, if you’re not hungry then skip a meal. It’s what we all do here.

Also, I’ll second the advice to ditch the protein shake and avoid snacking on nuts. If you can’t eat fewer larger meals at least wait until you are hungry enough for a proper meal. Many eating times is an enemy of this diet, as it keeps your insulin higher for a longer part of the day, and during those times you won’t be burning body fat. I would absolutely recommend that if you aren’t hungry for that last meal just don’t have it. Giving your body a fast from afternoon one day until breakfast the next, even just a couple of times a week, should help your weight loss along. Loads of people here only eat once a day.

Finally, don’t worry that you are eating too few calories. Remember, the calories are ON you and there for your body to consume, as long as you don’t eat enough for all of it’s energy requirements. Just make sure of two things:

  1. Get enough protein.

  2. Don’t eat less than you need to be satisfied. If you do your body will fight the fat loss with lowered metabolism. So always add enough fat to feel satisfied at your meals.

I hope this helps, and best wishes.

(Paula Fox) #40

Thanks for the idea I might try that. I love sweet tea, I mean LOVE it. :wink: but I have stopped drinking it obviously. I am doing just water for now with the occasional diet pepsi… hopefully won’t buy any more once my current 12 pack is gone. I have a goal and if this is going to derail it then I will stop it also.