Switching to paleo or fat fueled approach?!?!

(Amanda) #1

7 weeks in and I’m not in love.
Upfront, I have PCOS so losing weight has always been extremely hard for me, but I was really hopeful keto would work for my body and now I’m not sure. I love that I can go a long time without eating, but I dont love all of the uncertainties like ‘why have I gained a few pounds?’ or ‘I just measured my blood ketones and it’s only .3; maybe it’sthe stress–back to the drawing board…’ My cholesterol also jumped 20 points from last year!!
I like Vogel’s “fat fueled” approach to keto where you can eat more carbs and/or have carb ups, but I’m afraid that I’ll just put on weight because I’m already gaining and more carbs will surely put me out of ketosis!!!
I can try to control my stress and sleep but with a demanding, sometimes I’ll, child, I only have so much control. Is transitioning to paleo or fat fueled approach a good idea? Should I stick it out?

So, what’s my point, lol? I guess I’m looking for someone to convince me not to jump, tell me if and why they quit keto, or if they have a similar story.

Best,

(Ron) #2

7 weeks in might not quite be adapted yet (or could be). You have put in all the hard work and struggled through the hardest part (adaption) and on the verge of the full benefits of keto. Don’t throw all that away at the last minute because your patience is running a little thin. Stay strong and give it a little more time, it is worth it!:+1:
You can do this!:wink:

(Amanda) #3

Thanks. Yes, the first 3 weeks were awful. I’m never going back to SAD, but I’m afraid of dabbling into carb ups right now. I’ll just keep the course for now.

(Sarah Bruhn) #4

You are right there are a lot of uncertainties… particularly for women, particularly for women with hormonal issues and or at critical hormonal changes.
It’s hard and what works for one person may not work for the next. The thing is, there is uncertainty about that on or off keto. You won’t get certainty out there either.

Keto is not just about weight loss, it’s about physical and mental health. Give it a little more time and notice any other benefits you find.

Total cholesterol is not a great measure of health so you might want to investigate the break down of your levels, HDL should go up, LDL might stay the same of go down and triglycerides might go up for awhile while you loose weight then go back down.

I realise Keto is a process, an exhausting one to begin with, but imagine knowing exactly whaat foods work for you and being totally in control of your eating and energy, imagine trusting your body as a friend… yea that’s the outcome of keto.

Given that there are some things to try that women in specific seem to find helpful
-Estrogen control-
Cut the dairy and eggs, flax, soy and nuts for awhile to reduce phytoestrogens.

-Tapering down your protein-
protein spikes insulin about half as much as sugar so if you are consuming too much it could be a problem.

-Eating too frequently- no matter how well you eat, frequency matters, everytime you eat you raise insulin, insulin stores fat. Starting with 3 meals and no snacks and tapering down as you are comfortable to do so could be helpful.

Fasting- carefully, gradually trying IF and EF can be beneficial once you are sure you are adapted. PSMF is a protein based fast that some people find useful.
I have personally settled on frequent extended fasts as I get alot of weight loss and autophargy BUT for some people (women especially it seems) this can decrease your Basal Metablic Rate and slow down progress so be careful and if you choose fasting watch for signs like feeling cold, tired, lacking energy, loss of mental focus. MAke sure you eat enough between fasts.

You may be able to boost your Basal Metabolic Rate with Omega 3 supplimentation also. Keep going, it’s worth it… but it takes patience.

(Todd Allen) #5

Many do paleo and keto together. I think dairy is the only thing not paleo in my diet now.

#6

The only problem here is that most people, if they have quit keto, don’t stick around. I’ve been on keto just a bit longer than you. I am not feeling the super benefits yet, and its frustrating. I think I need to be stricter, but that backfires sometimes.

I don’t know what my point is, lol. At this point I’m going to KCKO and see how it goes.

(Amanda) #7

Thanks! I also think that I wasn’t eating enough after fasting; I also ran a few times while fasting and I think that had a negative effect. Thanks for the great advice!

(Amanda) #8

Yup. Let’s chug along. Ty

(Amanda) #9

I freaking love me some dairy, too.

(Edith) #10

like why have I gained a few pounds?’

I’m curious: did your weight fluctuate each month due to your monthly cycle before keto? Unfortunately, I have found my water retention, while better, still relates to where I am in my cycle. It is natural for weight to fluctuate from day to day. It’s the overall trend that matters.

Also, since you are at the seven week mark you are getting close to getting fat adapted. It took me at least two months and then it wasn’t a sudden, “Wow! No more tired muscles!” It was more of a gradual increase of energy each day.

Stephen Phinney has a chart where he shows how much fat a person eats at the beginning of a keto diet and as they approach their goal. The percentage of ingested fat goes up over time because at first the body is using its fat stores. As fat stores decrease, the need to ingest more fat goes up.

It is possible to be in ketosis, but be getting your fat from what you are eating instead of your own fat stores.

Next, ketones are usually lower in the morning and increase during the day. 0.3 means are are still burning fat.

Finally, like someone else mentioned: cholesterol is not the great marker of health it’s been made out to be. That 20 point increase could be your HDL. It is also best to wait about 6 months into keto before getting cholesterol and lipids checked because while your body is learning how to use the fat for energy, there is a bit more of it floating around in your bloodstream. By the 6 month mark your body has really adapted.

I don’t think you should throw in the carb quite yet.

(Amanda) #11

Thanks! So, should I be eating less fat now? My macros are 133 fat, 19 carb and 80 protein.

#12

I’m 7 weeks in and I’ve been frustrated and on the verge of quitting more times than I can count. I agree with others that it’s too soon to start worrying it’s not working. My best advice is to stay the course and try to distract yourself for a few more weeks. I’m giving myself 3 solid months before I start thinking about quitting. I am starting to see ever so slightly signs however that this might be working and that is enough for me to go the distance. One more thing, the ketone thing don’t worry so much about them. My level had been super high, in the 4 and greater range which worries me… it dropped some (upon waking this morning it’s 2.3) so I think more is not better it means I wasn’t fat adapted and not using them perhaps. I hope this Monday morning finds you well and that whatever you do, you stay determined and keep fighting for your good health!!

(Sarah Bruhn) #13

Definatly relax a little on the fasting, and FEAST! When you put your body under too much stress you raise your cortisol- chronically high cortisol makes you fat by increasing your blood sugar levels and you can decrease you BMR as I mentioned above… FEAST FEAST FEAST lol.

(Edith) #14

So… how do you feel eating this way? If you are noticing health improvements besides weight loss, then keto is working for you. Since you have PCOS, it sounds like there is hormonal healing that needs to be done first before the weight starts drop off.

A friend of mine did a weight loss program that was all about getting hormones balanced. It started off like Atkins. There were also some kind of supplements provided to help with the hormone balancing. She did have success. Unfortunately, it’s not a way of eating so I don’t know if she will be able to maintain her weight loss over the long term.

I think given enough time, keto will balance your hormones and help your PCOS, but I’m saying this without having had it.

Maybe check out the Keto for Women Show podcast with Shawn Mynar. I stopped listening because the host grated on me after a while, but a lot of her early episodes were about balancing women’s hormones.

(Brian) #15

Carbs are good. Get an appropriate amount of protein (can vary from person to person, you’ve stated 80, and that’s fine unless it’s not, you’ll eventually figure that out for yourself if you stick around), and eat fat to satiety.

At 7 weeks, you’re probably not “there” yet and your body is still likely to be in the adaptation process. It can take a while. I’ve heard up to 12 weeks for some people. So I think you’re a little premature if you want to throw in the towel and say it doesn’t work for you. I would think “hang in there a while longer” would be a good plan. Unless the weight gains are extreme, I don’t think I’d pay much attention just yet. Your body has lots of stuff to do internally that may not have much to do with weight loss.

Good luck!