Thank-you! And good luck with your journey.
I wish CICO still worked for me like it did when I was young - it would be easier in social situations and eating out.
On the other hand, my husband is thrilled with how much younger I look now and that means a lot to me. He has loved me fat, overweight and thin but it is still nice to hear him genuinely be happy with how I look now. And the skin and hair improvements are only due to the increased fats in my diet - not weight loss.
Wow this thread is a great read. I havent read every single post ( WISH i HAD TIME) but have digested many.
Here is my 2 cents as someone who is NOT losing weight.
What I eat and do - I am on week 6 of keto. In the first 2 weeks I lost the standard water weight as my muscles gave up their gylcogen (I am a gymnastics coach and person trainer, so have a small background in the physics of eating). So I lost 12lbs in 2 week. Fab…but what I want to drop is the fat and I strongly suspect my hormones are out of whack and am insulin resistant. Realisitcally I could lose another 20lbs and be at a great weight for me. I am a former competitive gymnast ( read here, dense heavy and lean) I was 139lbs and had 13% body fat when I was competitive. I am 5’6. That was literally 36 years ago. I am now a 50 year old coach, who spends 6 hours a day, bench pressing humans as they fly thru the air ( or not) The humans range from 30lbs to 180lbs. I also work out about 6 hours a week doing body weight training ( basically weight lifting me! All 180lbs of me!!)
For the last 6 years I have been a SUPER clean eater, but gained weight. I do not eat meat, sugar or diary…ever ( yes yes I know keto =meat - that part isnt important, just know who good the food I was eat was, and i STILL gained weight) as in none…ever. How does a person gain weight eating plants and fruit. Insulin resistance and not tracking macros.
My experience is this…if you are older, might be insulin resistant, have hormones out of whack from eating the SAD or just eating too many refine or even complex carbs. Carb = sugar = insulin response = cells resisting burning fat and storing it instead. Even though I exercise, even though my job is active, even though I can still do a round off back handsrping, even though I ate super healthy and WITHIN CALORIES ( it is really hard to hit 2000 calories a day on plants and fruit) - I still gained weight.
Cut to now I lost 12 lbs in the first 2 weeks, but that is nothing but water. I am definitely in ketosis, weird mouth taste, acetone smelling pee, have lost some inches…but ZERO lbs in 4 weeks have moved. Nothing since the original 12lbs. My macros are all exact, I know I am doing it right and in ketosis and no change. at 180lbs with lots of muscle I really do need to drop another 20lbs, but my body is not doing it yet. Here is what I SUSPECT is happening. It is taking time for the insulin resistance to fix itself. ( I am having blood work in 3 weeks to confirms all levels ). I read that sometimes your body has to fix itself before it can switch to full fat burning.
So I wait patiently, for my body to figure it out 
WOuld love to hear from others who have pushed through the same thing.
I am at the same stage. Patience is definitely what is needed at this point, but I have found it does pay off. Sat at 189 for several days, weighed myself this morning and was 187.8. Then swam and got on the Precor and was at 182.4. Yes, primarily water weight but what I have found is even though it starts with water weight it seems to accelerate the actual weight loss. I did nothing but a strict keto diet previously. Am trying a “modified” keto diet this time around, using carb cycling on some days. So far so good.
I bet you will have the same experience. Stall and then have a significant weight loss. But what the Mayo clinic says (in the article above) is stalling is due to the point where you have excreted the water from your system, and now comes the real weight loss of fat. It takes time but it will work. They also say to expedite the weight loss you may need to reduce calories further and/or exercise more, because the body does adapt.
Stick with it. You are on the way!
And as to the state of ketosis, you probably know you can do your own blood testing. I use Precision Xtra but there are many brands out there. Today glucose was 84 and ketosis was 1.4. Anything above .5 you are in ketosis. Interesting you mention the different variables that tell you that you are in ketosis. I never know until I test.
Wait a minute.
You are 76" tall, and I assume we’re talking pounds and not kilos.
And at your heaviest you were 220ish?
Don’t take this as an attack, but you were never really overweight unless you have very little muscle mass. I’m not sure that your 3 rules and your experience is that applicable to people who are metabolically deranged or otherwise wanting to lose some weight. You’re really looking to cut weight and get to something like the kids would call ripped.
Nothing wrong with that, but what’s your BF% like?
This happens with most people as they lose. I think what happens is your body holds some water around where it is going to flush out/breath out the fat. Then it dumps the “weight” in various forms along with the flushing water around it. There is probably a more specific sciency description, but that is my laymans terms for it
So the keto diet version I follow is one where I have to eat 7 - 10 cups of green veggies a day. This is good because it helps support you liver as it processes out the fat you are burning. (if your liver enzymes test high on keto - that is AST and ALT over 40, then you need more greens to support your liver. I belnd some of my greens in a protein smootie, and eat another 3 cups. But I love veggies so it is easy. In my previous food life ( I ate 10 - 16 cups of fruit/veggies a day. ) I have been following the advice of Dr Berg on youtube. he plugs a bunch of stuff, but his information is sound when it comes to putting good foods in your body on keto. …and his information is not based on buying his stuff.
Muscle mass is 136, body water 53.8%, fat 21.6%. Another program said my body fat was 18.8% but I will stick with One by One for now since I use that on the scale. Pants are 34in.X35in. I played college basketball so I have always been fairly thin but when I was playing ball I was 175 lbs. I would like to get down to 15% body fat. I think I would have to go to 172-175 lbs to do that.
No, I was never badly overweight at 220 but I was overweight when my hip was bad. I think someone with my height and build should be around 175-200. But I want to get into good shape so I’m pushing it.
Also, if you are trying to calculate where you are and where you want to be regarding body fat, you take your current weight and multiply it by 1-your BF%. Take that number and multiply it by 1.(your target BF%). So, take me for example.
Let’s say I am currently 190 and have a current BF% of 22, and I want to get to BF15%, it would look like this.
190x(1-.22)=148, then 148x(1.15) = 170, which I think is too light but I’ll see how it goes. I would be too thin at 170, because of my build.
Continued water cycling is part of the process though, as fat cells replace fat with water over weeks and months, before a personal mystery combo of conditions triggers the SWOOSH effect.
Holding on to water, and “gaining water” may not in fact be a bad thing - it can be a sign of fat cell change (during which time one’s fatty flesh becomes squishier, and after the swoosh, is a bit firmer - then the cycle repeats!) and vary according to your salt levels and the humidity/heat conditions (my body seems to prioritize coping with extreme summer weather by gaining extra water and slowing recomposition). This is what I have learned after 4+ seasons - over one year - of keto.
I’ve gone from (guesstimating) around 25% bodyfat to 22%, maybe 21% and am nearly back to my much leaner body I had in my 30s before midlife hit.
Just the last two months I was feeling ‘heavier’ and ‘squishier’ before some swooshy signs, and then today I measured, and have lost another inch from lower waist and hips, and a 1/2 inch from upper arms, WOOT!!!
Keto/LCHF takes time, it’s a way of life that restores metabolic health that many of us didn’t even have during our gestations. It’s not a quick fix, but is quite an adventure. 
Hi, sorry for the delay - works LOTS yesterday. AST and ALT are your liver enzyme levels. If they are elevated it means your liver is in distress. THis can be caused by rx meds, alcohol, or fat being stored in the liver. A good reading is when both of those numbers are 40 or below. About that you are entering into degrees of liver failure and it is measures with a blood test. 10 years ago my levels were in the 90’s (although the levels can get as high as the 700’s , but that is dire) and it was considered stage one liver failure, from fat in and around my liver from being over weight. I went plant based and reversed it in the first 3 week. (lots of greens support the liver and can reverse the levels and prevent permanent damage). This relates to keto in that your liver is the organ that plays a roll in metabolizing the fat. If you dont eat at LEAST 7 cups of leafy veggies or dark green veggies then you MAY get some liver distress. I do 4 cups in a protein smoothie and eat the other 4.
This was SUPER helpful. Can I ask the source ( I love good explanations with visuals ) I’d love to read more by them. I love your squishy terminology, because yesterday I was feeling super HEAVY and sluggish. Not a scales thing, but my ass was dragging ( I am a gymnastics coach) and just getting around the gym and doing simple things I felt like I was 400lbs in terms of how well I was moving. I am coming up on the end of week 6 of being keto. Before I was a whole food plant based eater( think vegan without being angry about things!!) and had AMAZING energy all the time…I heard keto had lots of energy, but have yet to feel that effect. TODAY the scales moved AND I lost 2 inches off my waist since 2 days ago ( the scales had not moved in 4 weeks …I only started tracking my waist 2 days ago. After reading this and feeling squishy and sooo HEAVY yesterday…it seems to be what just happened to me THANKS for your post
Oh UPDATE!!! Something is happening!!! After 4 weeks of no weight changes (and feeling SUPER sluggish yesterday (macros and electrolytes were on point)) today I wake up to 2.7lbs off and 2 inches off my waist since Wednesday!
I think the last 4 weeks were my body fixing its hormones and now it is in a position to metabolize some fat
Thanks again for the cheering!!
Boy, I hope the whoosh effect happens for me. Funny, I posted I thought I had a breakthrough last time I posted. Well, get this. Weighed 187 in the morning a couple days ago after weighing 189 the last week. Then worked out and dropped a lot of water weight, so was down to 182. I then am sedentary over the last 24 hours, driving, since I had to take my son to check out college campuses, and I weigh myself this morning. 189.6! Even though I continue to consume 1500-2000 fewer calories than I burn! So, clearly, the whoosh effect has NOT happened yet for me. Boo hoo. I find it all very interesting, though. To understand how our bodies work. It has now been about 2 weeks that I have sat at 189. Almost seems impossible with all the workouts and reduced calorie intake. But that is exactly what has happened, for better or worse.
I know you don’t like me, and that’s fine. But I’m actually worried about you. You’re going to screw up your metabolism. If a 2000 calorie deficit is your goal, how do you know your metabolism hasn’t slowed to meet your intake.
PLEASE stop clinging to CICO and look at At your own experience. If it’s all as simple as CICO, then it’s impossible for your weight to stay steady, let alone go UP, with a 1500-2000 deficit.
I appreciate the concern but I won’t screw up my metabolism. People approach things differently. As the Mayo Clinic article explained above your body does adapt, you do burn fewer calories. And as it says, you therefore have to do one of two things; exercise more (which I can’t do, I have already maxed that out) or you can reduce calories further. I don’t plan on reducing calories further either. But I am patient. The weight will come off, in fits and starts.
No weight reduction regimen is a straight line, CICO or otherwise.
I will continue to report as things unfold. In the end, we will see what happens. As I said, I am as curious as anyone as to how the weight will come off, because it will come off. You can only “defy gravity” so long.
Maybe because CICO is flawed and doesn’t work like you think it should?
