The last 10 pounds

[turbeville]

You have less to lose so the margin is smaller. You’ve been spinning your wheels a while, maybe try something else.

[jmbundy]

Your chart is part of the problem. This is not enough to freak out about, this is what it looks like with the correct scale. KCKO

[gabe]

lol

[Mglasbrener]

If your HbA1c is 4.8 your insulin should be low and controlled and clearly your blood sugar is. I would try fasting and see if it helps. Perhaps a one day (36hr) fast per week and monitor your results. From my experience breaking a plateau near your desired weight is harder than when you are further away. Also, as you near your body fat wanes the rate at which you drop the lbs slows. It all makes sense. I doubt it’s metabolism. It’s other stuff besides insulin that also affect your set point. Regarding cheats… I don’t know. You seem meticulous at monitoring body weight so I’m sure you can see the effects and know better than anyone else.

[VirginiaEdie]

I have three thoughts on the matter.

1. Are you really in nutritional ketosis. It could be that just because you think you are eating keto foods you are not actually in ketosis. You said you broke your plateau a while back doing an Atkins induction phase. Maybe that put you in ketosis and now, since you are back to eating nuts and cheese you are out.
   Do you test your ketones? (I read through the thread but maybe I missed that.)

2. Some people have sensitivities to dairy. They don’t know they do until they stop eating it for a while. If you have an unknown dairy sensitivity it could be causing inflammation and therefore stress which makes one’s body not able to lose weight.

3. It seems like you are now stressing about this last 10 pounds. Stress raises cortisol which will also keep one from losing weight. Maybe you are stressing too much about this.

I hope these thoughts help,
Edith

[gabe]

Great suggestions Edith. Regarding ketosis: I have been using ketostix, and I was in ketosis for a while there. I haven’t been in ketosis for weeks – and yes, it does coincide with my increased intake of cheese, nuts, etc. Having said that, I was losing weight a year ago while definitely not being in ketosis – I was on a LCHF diet, but was eating reasonable amounts of very sugary fruits like mangoes. My body – then – simply needed me to cut the processed foods and starches out and sucrose. It seemed not to mind the fructose. And I was eating things like almond butter. I’m not saying I should expect to continue losing at the same rate and on the same diet now, but I guess I’m trying to say I’m still figuring out what I can tolerate and how I should be eating to lose these last 7 kilos.

Re dairy: you’re right, I was actually told I was lactose intolerant back in 2009. But I don’t have any real symptoms, and all my inflammatory markers are amazing right now. Having said that, you may be right – I may need to cut out dairy completely and see what happens.

Interesting thought about stress – though my concern doesn’t rise to the level of actual stress, imho. I had my cortisol tested in the AM last week, and it’s fine.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[Peter]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts at the stage you’re at now.

I’ve gone from >130kg and have been hovering around 100 for a while now. I’d say it is a PhinneyWeight stage. But I think I’m gathering information to go the next step when I’m ready. I’m already doing OMAD 20:4 most days but going by satiety rather than a ledger. I don’t want to be “on a diet” because that was the confounded to getting healthy in the past - I would rather be sick than follow some restrictive lifestyle someone else devised that ruled my life. Keto makes much more sense. I still put grated cheese in my scrambled eggs, I have a big jar of nuts in the kitchen and go for the peanut butter jar when I need to. I still haven’t dropped my regular morning cappuccino although I keep that to minimum milk maybe 10-15 carbs… I know I have room to move and when I’m ready I’ll be ready to follow you down the narrow path.

I’m in and out of ketosis going by ‘the acetone taste’ and easing further into it, but slowly in my own time.

[KBG]

After I reach my goal weight of 74kg I’ve been planning to implement Tim Ferris’s “Occam’s Protocol” – basically a methodology of minimal effective dose weight training in order to most efficiently build muscle. I find training at gyms a bit boring and unrewarding, so it’ll be interesting to give this a try. I may even start before I reach goal weight

Hey Gabe. Something that just came onto my radar today is mitochondria and how increasing it may play an important role alongside my Keto eating. You’ve nailed fat burning and fasting both to some degree. Maybe it’s time to up your mitochondria? If you’re interested, take a look at this video from another thread. At about 21 minutes left Dr Naiman starts talking about exercise. He basically says that the most common problem he sees with low carbers is that they do great with becoming fat burners and then they do great with fasting but they “have like 1 mitochondria”.

August Fat Burnin'

Ah yes, the dastardly, rising of the FBG. It is disappointing and as far as dairy goes…my attitude thus far has be “Lalalalalalala, I can’t HEAR you!!!” If I can’t eat dairy…I don’t think that I, personally, can hold on to keto. That may sound extreme, but I don’t know what life would be like with only coconut oil, olives, fish, bacon and eggs…but I am not interested in finding out either. I already have a hard enough time without decent baked goods and I know I would really struggle if I could…

[gabe]

Yep so today, after eating macadamias and cream cheese again last night following several days of eating well, I’m up on the scale and I’m certain it’s these kryptonite foods. Nuts, cheese, cream cheese, dairy in general, and fruit.

I’m deciding that, from today, I’m going back into ketosis, avoiding my “kryptonite” foods, and starting on some resistance training.

Just because these foods are “low carb” does not make them good for dropping fat. There’s a reason why the Taubes protocol (Westman’s diet) and Atkins induction does not permit these foods to be consumed.

[KBG]

Good luck! Keep us posted.
Debated whether to include this as it’s probably not real popular. If your self-analysis is correct though, it seems your body’s needs have changed and maybe you’re currently finding yourself closer to the bottom of this graphic. Source: Ted Naiman.

[Peter]

Don’t know if the graphic is good or not. But it doesn’t appear to have anything much to do with ketosis.

[KBG]

It’s just one of many tools I use. I stay in ketosis eating foods within the fat loss, maintenance, and fat gain categories. If I notice I seem to be gaining, I at least take a look at and consider the foods within the fat gain area. Am I going a bit overboard on cheeses for example. Like I said it’s just a tool for self analysis. Some Keto people have issues with dairy and nuts.

[kristinisketo]

most of my calories were consumed between 7.30 and 10pm.

I am just browsing this thread, as I too am in the land of the plateau, so not sure if anyone else has said this but time of day matters for insulin response, and therefore weight loss, IMO.
I don’t recall which podcast talked about a study in how people’s insulin responses to food varied with time of day - especially for those of us with insulin resistance.
Long story short - earlier in the day your body might handle the food better. I personally do well if I eat a deliberately large meal in the middle of the afternoon and then I don’t want to eat in the evening hours.
The other thing I find is that it’s WAY easier to eat for non-hunger reasons (social pressure, just eating as enjoyment, etc) in the evenings - with or without the influence of alcohol.

[collaroygal]

Dr. Fung talks about 8PM being a ghrelin wave time. Part of the I try to close the kitchen before then, I have found it is easier to not snack after that time if the last thing I eat is primarily a fat, nuts, almond butter, that sort of thing.

The lecture talks about the ghrelin hormone and how it works:

https://idmprogram.com/fasting-ghrelin-fasting-29/

[Zimon]

Hi Gabe.

Having sort of the same measurements as you (185cm, 70kg), I know what it’s like if you do not lose weight. Granted, my goal isn’t even losing weight (would actually be bad for me) but to have a better life! I just want to tell you something a friend of mine just said to me: If your body doesn’t change anymore, consider the possibility, that you are just fine, no matter what the scale or the BMI says! That really touched my heart because I think it speaks to the fact that mind and body are so closely interconnected. A lot of factors determine whether we feel well in our bodies, and society plays a major part in it. Your body might just be happy with what you’ve achieved and has balanced itself out (e.g. reached a set point).

I just wanted to leave you with that. If you think that’s totally stupid, don’t hesitate to say so

Best
Simon

[kristinisketo]

Thanks - I’ll check it out. I thought it might have been out of IDM that I heard that thing.
I try to be done with food by 7, and when I don’t, like last night, I just keep looking for the right flavors to entertain myself… Not really about hunger at that point.
But, at least with alternate day fasting, I have a little room to have slip ups like that

[kristinisketo]

Oh, actually reading that it wasn’t the information I had been thinking of, but it is also interesting.
The thing I recall was about insulin response to food at different times of day, with the later eating not being good for insulin resistant folk trying to lose weight.

[MelTar]

That really touched my heart because I think it speaks to the fact that mind and body are so closely interconnected. A lot of factors determine whether we feel well in our bodies, and society plays a major part in it.

What a thoughtful observation, @Zimon. And so true.

[Zimon]

thank you, @MelTar. How nice of you to say!

[gabe]

If your body doesn’t change anymore, consider the possibility, that you are just fine,

It’s a nice thought! But I know how I feel when I’m fit. This is not it. It is very frustrating to have plateaued for a full year with these surplus 7kg still on me.

My measurements are a little different from yours: 175cm, 81.5kg right now.