Struggling

(Jordan) #1

Hey everyone,
I am struggling a little bit losing weight.
So the full story is about a year ago someone introduced me to the “Wild Diet”, I had great success with it (In the first 15 days I un-bloated and lost about 25 pounds) after that I obviously hit a plateau and lost a pound or two a week for the next few months. A few medical things came up and I fell off the wagon for awhile.

Back to the point, this time around I have been in ketosis (Have keto strips just to monitor it a little) for about 3 weeks and I am not having success at all. I am around 30-40G of carbs a day, all from natural vegetables and coconut (Milk/shredded). I am WAY under my caloric intake daily; probably 750-1000 calories a day. I am not understanding what I am missing with this go around. I am very active lift and do cardio 5 days a week, work in a sales job where I am walking around for most of the day.

I am just looking for a little bit of advice from some people,
Thanks in advance!

(Jordan) #2

Just for the record, 35G of carbs is 5% of my intake. My Fat intake is also under where it should be as well (which I know is not a great thing, its hard to shovel in that much fat and still be hungry) My protein is very close to where it should be.

(Siobhan) #3

First up, how much are you trying to lose? Do you know your bodyfat percentage?

So… while there are varying tolerance levels for carbs it is recommended at the beginning that you keep carbs under 20g a day.
Protein can be between .5g-1.5g per kg of lean body mass (recommended towards lower end as too much protein will result in glucose production)
Fat is to satiety. There is no “daily limit” on fat. You eat fat to keep full, and to provide you energy.
On keto, you do not need to calorie restrict, so don’t do it. There is plenty of evidence to show that calorie restriction, especially in insulin resistant people, results in lowered metabolic rate which not only stalls you out as far as weight loss goes but can also make you miserable. If you’re hungry, eat.
Snacking can also become an issue for people, so only try to eat at meals. If you’re hungry between meals, make higher fat meals, and add fat until satiated.

Just to note keto is not a “lose weight quick” way of eating - many people experience a stall between losing initial weight (generally water weight) and continued weight loss down the road, between a month to two months between these points. So if you lose some and stalled out, it is completely normal. Insulin has have time to come down if insulin resistant, inflammation needs to be healed, and hormones are regulated.

So to recap:

  • Stop calorie restricting, eat if you’re hungry don’t if you’re not
  • Don’t restrict fat, there is no set “fat limit” how much you need will vary day by day. Let your hunger tell you how much to eat
  • Carbs under 20g a day
  • Protein between .5g-1.5g / kg of LBM
  • Try not to snack

My issue with the percentage aspect is every body is different. You probably have more LBM than I do for example, and may need a bit more protein. Percentage doesn’t factor that in. My tolerance level for carbs could be below yours or higher than those of someone who needs to keep below 5g of carb per day. Percentage doesn’t factor that in. I may also be hungrier than you on any given day or you me and need more fat to stay full. Percentage DEFINITELY doesn’t tell you that.
Luckily MFP also tells you the grams of what you’ve been eating in a pie chart, so you can still use it for the recommendations I’ve suggested if you want.

EDIT: Also it goes the reverse as well, if you aren’t hungry you shouldn’t force feed yourself. People can experience a drop in appetite at the start which eventually levels out. If that is why your calories are so low, that is fine for right now.

EDIT 2: Also because of the prevalence of stalls in the beginning stage I recommend people focus on NSVs. Shinier hair? Smoother/softer skin? Clothes fitting better? Aches and pains disappearing? Better/more stable mood? All things to note until you’ve become fat adapted… or any time really!

(Jordan) #4

I appreciate the tips. I have been under my calories because I’d say about 75% of my plate is vegetables and there just aren’t as many calories in most situations. I have completely eliminated processed foods from my diet. I feel like I am making a lot of the right steps, just not seeing the results yet.

Thanks again glad I joined

(Siobhan) #5

If you are still hungry after, or not becoming satiated after your meal I’d say cut down on vegetables (if worried about deficiencies you can always eat some offal) and switch to meals with a high fat to protein ratio. Nothing wrong with vegetables, but I would also say stick with keto friendly vegetables to help get carbs down as well. You may be carb sensitive enough that the amount you’re eating now is too much.
Here’s a visual guide:

And for fruit:

I actually made a thread about this just recently:

Which may help you get calories up. You could also do something like bulletproof coffee/keto coffee which is pure fat mixed with coffee until creamy (usually coconut oil, and butter).

EDIT: Also if you’re just not much of a meat eater, there are plenty of vegetarian keto recipes as well like some types of curry, soups, etc