Weight Loss Slowdown

#1

Hello,

First off, I am kinda new to Keto. New enough at least that I still have a lot to learn. I have my macro tracking down and feel much healthier, but am by no means an expert.

I started my Keto diet at the end of October 2018 and have been strictly below my calculated carb macro every day since. I am a male, 6’ 6", 287 Lbs and work out vigorously for about 2 hours a day 4-6 days a week. I have lost about 45 Lbs thus far, but the last ~3 weeks I have not been losing as much weight each day as before. I know the majority of my weight loss was water weight, but I was still losing 1-2 Lbs a day after the first couple weeks with the occasional gain, probably due to water retention from something I ate the day before. This averaged out to being about 1 Lb a day total. The last ~3 weeks, I have only been losing 1/2 a pound or less a day and have only lost about 5 Lbs total.

I just recently started looking at my calorie intake and believe it is too low as after working out I am almost always in the negatives.

Am I not getting enough calories to prevent starvation mode? If so, how can I get more calories without increasing my fat too much as I want my body burning body fat, not consumed fat?

Thanks,
Kratos

#2

5lbs in three weeks is still 1.6lbs a week, which is right on track. Are you just going by the scale. If you’re working out rigorously, you’re most likely gaining muscle mass at the same time you’re losing fat, and since muscle is denser than fat, the scale number won’t budge as much. Do you have a tape measure or access to a DXA scanner to verify?

I would increase my calories, tho, if I were you, since being in a habitual negative can result in metabolic slowdown. Add another fatty piece of meat or another tablespoon of butter or something. As long as you still go long periods of time between meals, as long as your insulin levels remain low, your body will burn its own body fat.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #3

If you are fat adapted, you needn’t worry about this.
Whatever energy your body requires that it does not get through dietary fat, will be supplemented with body fat.
Have you reduced your dietary fat intake to allow for fat adaption and for your body to begin fueling your energy requirements?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

If you are keeping carbohydrate minimal, you can safely eat protein and fat to satiety, without stimulating insulin, which is the fat-storage hormone. In the absence of insulin, your adipose tissue is free to release fatty acids to be metabolized, and eating to satiety—not beyond—will let your body set your appetite at the correct level to metabolize both the fat you eat and the excess fat stored in your adipose tissue.

If you are trying to build muscle and increase your bone density, you need more protein than the standard recommendation (1.0-1.5 g/kg of lean body mass/day), and you want to be sure that the protein you eat is rich in the branched-chain amino acids, especially in the three essential ones (leucine, iso-leucine, and valine). Fat has over twice the calories per gram that carbohydrate contains, so you will need less of it to keep your calorie count up than you needed to get the same amount of calories from carbohydrate. Fat has the added benefit of minimally stimulating insulin secretion, especially compared to carbohydrate.

Carbohydrate and protein both contain around 4 (kilo)calories per gram, whereas fat contains around 9. So if you eat equal amounts of protein and fat by weight, you will be consuming about 30% protein and 70% fat as percentages of calories—a very good ratio.

#5

Okay, I am not sure if I am fat adapted or not. I have a calculated allowance of 211g of fat, but am almost always under 150g. I have a calculated allowance of 169g of protein, but am almost always below 120g. My carbs are always below 20g and usually below 15g.

Should I decrease my dietary fat intake even more?

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #6

Precisely, yes.
Once we reach fat adaption, our body has finally learned how to use our body fat for fuel, because of this we reduce dietary intake, why eat all that fat when your body fat has more than enough energy to fuel your day?

I would drop your dietary fat down for the next two weeks and see how you go.
The best way to test is your appetite, once we reach adaption our hunger naturally drops off. Have you tried fasting before? how long can you go before eating?

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #7

1- this slowdown is natural.
2- you haven’t explained what working out vigorously is. Is it cardio? Is it lifting? 2 hours a day for five days a week is likely excessive, either way, and, if you are doing resistance exercise and not already a power lifter or body builder, you are almost certainly over training, and limiting your gains and your weight loss.
3- half a pound a day is still 3.5 lbs a week, which is over ten a month. I’m not going to say it’s too fast or anything like that, but it is not slow. Not for someone your size. You know what will slow your weight loss down? Stress. Like in point two, but also worrying that 3.5 lbs a week is too slow.
4- reiterating point 1, that slow down is natural and to be expected. You’re doing fine.

#8

I have never officially fasted before, but have missed meals for up to a whole day a couple times before I started Keto. I really am not all that hungry anymore, until after I exercise. I could probably go at least a few days if I do it intentionally.

  1. Thanks

  2. I do about 40-45 minutes on a stationary bike and elliptical (20-25 minutes each). The bike is a Matrix Virtual Active machine and I ride the Rockies program at level 6-7 with RPM between 90 and 100. My heart rate is consistently between 145 and 165. The elliptical is some brand I cannot remember, but I use the fat burn program with a target heart rate of 145. My heart rate is within the target zone (140 -150) for at least 90% of the workout. I them lift weights for about 30-45 minutes, focusing on my core buildup (hip abduction and adduction), back extension, and torso rotation. I use the Strive machines and each day I alternate between upper body or lower body. I also alternate between using the weights for cardio (quick, but controlled reps) and muscle building (slow very controlled returns). There are 9 machines (I don’t use the seated abdominal crunch due to severe spinal cord problems, but once my core is built up I will start this one as well). Each machine has 3 main tension points I will normally do 10 reps at each tension point (beginning, middle, end) and sometimes will hit one or two of the machines again and do the first 2 tension points, which are a little easier. I then head to the pool for 15-30 minutes, depending how long I spend doing weights, and run through some water exercises (physical therapy style). Some of these are quite vigorous, though my fitbit is not waterproof so I cannot track actual heart rate while doing these. I can however feel my heart beating and it seems to be the same as when doing the elliptical.

  3. I do understand this point, but when I compare to when I was losing about 6-7 Lbs a week, this is about cut in half and that makes me think I am doing something wrong. Either that or the loss really does “slow down”, comparatively, as I lose more weight.

  4. Thanks for the encouragement.

#9

Your body can only produce so many calories from fat a day to meet your daily burn rate. If you under eat and don’t have the requisite body fat to fill the gap, you will start to slow down your metabolism and initiate starvation mode. I think you rightly intuited this and it’s what I would worry about seeing as how you’re super tall and very active.

I say it couldn’t hurt to give your body some additional nutrition and destress. Keep your body guessing. Good luck!