Trying to stay positive

(Joan McLaughlin) #1

Hi all! I’ve been doing Keto for about 5 weeks now and so far, everything’s been great. I’ve lost 18.5lbs and have been really enjoying the food, I didn’t really even have any of the Keto flu symptoms.

My weigh in day is Friday so this morning I got on the scales but it said exactly the same as last week. I know that I shouldn’t be disappointed - I did a hell of a lot of research before starting this so I am aware that weight can fluctuate and you body takes time to acclimatise but sometimes you just can’t help what you feel.

This week has been somewhat stressful - I broke up with my boyfriend who I have lived with for 2 years so he has moved out and I’m still adjusting to living on my own, my sister had a baby last week that I’m not allowed to visit, my dad has been taken into hospital with a blood infection and suspected covid but again, I’m not allowed to see him, I have an exam in a couple of weeks I need to revise for and I’m in the middle of renovating my apartment so my bathroom is barely functional and it has been dragging on since before the pandemic hit. All this while trying to make sure my dog is being walked enough now that I’m on my own and working full time. I’m an Accountant for a farming company so business has not stopped during all this. Plus, I am now facing a very lonely 4+ weeks as we go into another national lockdown (I live in England).

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I was really looking forward to seeing that loss on the scales this morning and it was a bit of a blow. I really want to stay focused and determined - like many of us, I’ve struggled with different diets in the past and always find that I fail around the 6 week mark which I’m at now. I just don’t want to let myself get discouraged and give up on myself.

#2

I am aware that weight can fluctuate and you body takes time to acclimatise but sometimes you just can’t help what you feel.

Weigh yourself every month then… 18.5 lbs in 5 weeks? I lost nothing during that time except 4lbs water weight that doesn’t count but even when I lost weight finely off keto, it was nothing like this :smiley: 1 lbs per week is huge for some of us (I never lost fat THAT quickly but I was happy with my loss)… 2 is much for everyone. IDK what your water weight is as that doesn’t count as real loss at all but I would be pleased. I was pleased just to stick to keto back then! :slight_smile: And things changed after fat adaptation.

But was done is done, you need encouragement and hope now, right?
Well you lost a ton in such a little time, it’s great! And you know very well that it’s not a real stall, these things happen. If you eat properly, you will lose the excess fat eventually. Sometimes something else is more important. Your body may heal or something…
If you fail, it’s another negative burden and probably a physically one too. You don’t want that to weigh you down even more. You want to feel you can do this as you are strong even when you are at a weaker point as it happens to everyone of us.

I had a time when I knew I lost fat (albeit slowly). My weight is very stable, fluctuations is very rare and I weigh myself every day as I don’t want a rare but possible higher weight on the weighing day masking the happenings. And I weighed myself for 10-something days, the scale showed every day the same… But I knew I did right and was glad I AM losing fat. And finally the scale suddenly showed a smaller number too. But I knew I went into the right direction and I knew such things takes time… Even if you lose fat much quicker, such not-stalls and sudden changes may happen. I saw some curves of successful ketoers, it doesn’t always go down at all. Sometimes it stays for a while, sometimes it goes up a little before it goes down. It’s life, accept it (and that you are a lucky one losing a lot even in the first month. it surely won’t be super slow from now on either unless you eat wrong).

Be careful in the next week and if you need comfort food for some reason, make it keto. But you can use better things like music or learn more about keto and your body (we never could know too much), such things always help me, yesterday I just looked at some muscles for art and it made me wanting some training and I did my full body exercise the day before and it was late when I never exercise :slight_smile: So keep your mind on keto if you feel you are in danger. And eat tasty keto food!

(And I don’t really want to mention it but if you fall off the wagon, just come back instantly. But it’s probably harder than staying on it. Just keep in mind that you didn’t fail keto in general if you give in once. Or zillion times like I did. I always come back and now I almost found my sweet spot that is harder to leave and impossible not to come back very soon. It’s nice, it has benefits, of course I want those, I don’t even care about fat-loss so much but I do care, the last ~30lbs is tough for me… :smiley: When we have more to lose, it’s easier.)

(Polly) #3

Sending a big hug!

Congratulations on your loss so far.

It is not unusual to stall at this stage. Keep doing less than 20g carbs per day (with 20g being an upper limit rather than a goal) and you will start to lose again.

Your horribly stressful week will also lead to a higher cortisol level which all by itself can cause weight gain, so look on the bright side you have stayed the same.

You are not alone in dreading this new lockdown. Stay strong.

(Tired of the yoyo) #4

There is a lot going on in your life! I am still a newbie at keto. I am on week 8, and I went through the exact same thing you are going through weight wise. I barely lost anything in October, but finally had a nice 4 lb. whoosh this week. Try to stay strong! Good things will happen eventually!

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #5

All that stress… increased cortisol and temptation to cope with food. I say no change on the scale is a major victory!

I’m not saying that to diminish your feelings. I’m sure I’d feel the same way. But seriously, coping with that without a gain is amazing. And if you do see small ups, remember that the trend is your friend.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

In addition to all the other good advice so far, remember also that a ketogenic diet is not one of those quick weight-loss diets, the results of which don’t usually last. Try to think of it as a permanent alteration of eating habits that restores metabolic health—with the loss of excess fat being a very pleasant side effect.

The weight you want to lose is fat, not muscle tissue or bone density, and a ketogenic diet, with its greatly lowered insulin levels, is ideally suited to shedding excess stored fat and perhaps even building up muscle and strengthening bone at the same time. Now, I put it to you that those latter two things are good and healthy, even if they interfere with the dropping of the number on the scale. Fat is a lot bulkier than muscle or bone mass, so you might wish to keep track of how your clothes fit, along with whatever the scale is doing.

While I recognise the disappointment of not seeing the indication of progress you were hoping for, it actually seems that you are doing just fine. The point about cortisol from the stress of the breakup and other events in your life is a good one. Just try to keep focussed on the overall trend, not on the minor fluctuations along the way. Losing over a stone in five weeks is pretty good progress; three pounds a week is a quite respectable rate at which to lose fat. Just concentrate on how enjoyable you are finding this diet, and let your body do its thing. As we say, Keep Calm and Keto On (KCKO)!

#7

Wow! You are amazing! Do you realize that? Maybe it would be helpful to redefine success. The fact that, through everything, you managed to stay on keto, keep your job - dont laugh or roll your eyes, these events would have completely debilitated other people - AND get the dog walked! Are you kidding me? Wowzers!

You slogged through it all like the trooper you are and by the end of your post I could really feel you needed a “win”. It was your light at the end of the tunnel… but it didn’t come. Man, my heart sunk for you.

I had two months like that. I stayed on the straight and narrow but leading up to my friends wedding (I was maid of honor) somehow I GAINED 20lbs! I swear I hadn’t changed a thing. It had to be a hormone thing. So disappointing.

But all that to say I think its not unexpected and neither is your reaction. In the wise words of my mother… sleep on it sweety. Everything looks better in the morning. Trust you are an articulate and self aware person and do what you need to in this moment. Know its not your fault. In fact it looks like you were able to achieve the best possible outcome and we’re all rooting for you. :heart:.

How are you feeling today?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

The scale can do funny things. I remembered, suddenly, that at one point during my fat-loss period I went several weeks with no change on the scale, and then one day I was suddenly 20 pounds (about 9 kg) lighter, for no apparent reason. We call that a whoosh. Then I was stable for about a year, but I received some trousers as a Christmas gift that didn’t fit—couldn’t quite get into 'em. Interestingly, however, twelve months later I tried them on, and they fit! And this with no discernible change in my scale readings. Then, the following summer, I suddenly weighed something like 32 pounds (14.5 kg) more, even though my clothes still fit the same as ever. Gradually, over the next several weeks, the scale returned to what it had been showing before.

So the point is not to worry too much over what the scale tells us. I think our scales enjoy messing with our heads.