Weight loss stopped after doing keto for 2 years

(2011joem ) #1

hi guys, i have been doing keto life style now for a little over 2 years. so far i have lost 80kg ( starting weight was almost 160kg).

i used to have endless energy levels, motivation, drive to push further, i felt calm and relaxed, had sharp cognitive function and clarity and about the begining of 2019 i noticed a slow drop in those things. ive also noticed it got to 77.4kg and then started going to the gym as well has having whey protien immidietly after. my partner and i are also OMAD. our daily intake of calories is around 1200 and carbs are about 20 to 25g.

my weight has been hovering around the 85kg mark now for the better part of a year and im not sure why. i go for a 2.5km run most mornings, then hit the gym for 1.5hrs or so 3 to 4 days a week.

kinda stumped as to why the weught wont bidge now? any ideas

#2

No matter what your weight does, eat more!!! 1200 kcal is little enough for someone who doesn’t move a finger (but for a really little body, it may be enough) but starving while working out? Sounds bad to me.
I doubt 1200 kcal isn’t enough for anyone with a decent activity and 77kg. At least with even remotely okay metabolism. I would think.

Some people has problem losing when undereating but I wouldn’t even worry about my fat-loss at this point, I would worry about my health (and my muscles too, actually. If I put effort into working out, I am even more careful that I avoid undereating, not like I often to that but it happens under certain circumstances, very low-carb and more than usual activity…).

#3

With that level of activity, you should be eating more. It may seem counterintuitive but you need to let go of that calories in, calories out mindset and understand the negative impact undereating will have on your metabolism, hormones and hence, your weight loss progress.

Secondly, I feel you may be working out too much and not giving your body enough time to recover. I lost more weight when I stopped working out excessively and I think it has to do with the increase in cortisol from excessive workouts and poor recovery. My weight loss progressed the most when I stopped working out excessively.

Of course, don’t count out carb creep - you may be eating more carbs than you think you are eating. Also, do get labs done just to make sure nothing is out of order internally.

#4

Even people deeply believing in simple CICO avoid eating too little (at least the ones I know on a calorie counting site) as it causes various problems, slows down metabolism, among others… As not much fat-loss happened with 1200 kcal in this circumstances (it’s possible there was some fat-loss and muscle gain but the latter is somewhat slow even when one eats at a surplus, is a beginner and everything else is ideal for doing it as quick as possible), the metabolism must be insanely slow at this point, I don’t even understand how a human can do that but I have read too many stories from too trustworthy people so I know it’s not impossible.

(Carnivore for the win) #5

Eat more meat fat and meat protein. I don’t like to substitute drinks for real food. Even though they claim that whey is complete protein, it is not a good substitute for meat. Like they all said above, eat more. I get some of my best fat loss when I up my meat intake, as my body is not in starvation mode and can release the fat stores.

#6

I’m not, you destroyed your metabolism. Welcome to the club. I did it too. You’re doing OMAD, you’re working out for 1.5hrs at the gym 3-4 days a week, running daily and you’re only eating 1200 calories a day? Easy math!

Start tracking what you eat, dump the OMAD and hit youtube and watch some videos on reverse dieting. I confirmed mine with metabolic testing, but with what you said you’re doing, don’t waste the money, that’s what you did!

(Karen) #7

Too few calories, as far as I can tell

(Allie) #8

Time for some reverse dieting to turn your metabolism back up.

1200 calories wouldn’t be enough for me on a low activity day.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #9

I agree with everyone who’s telling you to eat more. Also take a good look at the nutrition information and ingredients list for that whey protein. If it has dextrose or maltodextrin in it, you are getting more sugar than you realise. Moreover, if you are trying to put on lean mass, you need more protein than our standard recommendation of 1.0-1.5 g/kg of lean mass. Try increasing it to 2.0 g/kg.

#10

You’re eating WAAAAY too few calories. Your body is now in “the starvation is here” mode, meaning that it is hoarding every bit of fat and muscle it can, in case you continue to starve it. You must eat more. Real food. Stop entirely with the whey protein. Whey protein is crap. It’s a left-over by-product of the dairy industry that they had to figure out a way to sell. You’ve got to get real fat into your body because if you’re doing Keto, you’re body will burn the fat. If you’re not taking in enough fat, your body will turn on your muscle. I’m a life-long dieter and I can tell you that you’re screwing up your metabolism by doing this. It might take some time for your body to settle in. I would get off the scale for a few months as well. It’s not helping anything. Put real food into your body with 75% of it being from fat. Track your carbs to make sure you don’t eat more than 15-20 g of carbs per day and absolutely forget the calorie count. Eat until you’re full. And, eat more meals. Intermittent fasting is fine, but OMAD is pushing you into that starvation metabolism. Good luck!

#11

I say read all the posts that everyone posted to you again, cause they all are telling you the right thing :slight_smile:
best of luck to you, you will be fine thru it all, and tackle that final stage and get into a great eating routine that works for you and not against you!!

(Robin) #12

Yet another voice of the same chorus, here. It’s hard to ditch the lifetime of programming about losing weight. I have to count calories because I would never get enough otherwise… and every stall has been defeated by eating more. And I’m a believer in exercise that is “kinder”. My goal is simply to remain strong and limber. A rowing machine is my answer to that. For you, it might be walking. But exercise should not be a big part of your weight loss plan. Keto, done the way others have pointed out (with adequate calories) is the only thing you need for a healthier metabolism. Then with that mindset, if for some reason you cannot exercise for a while, it will not trigger your instincts to eat much less. Good luck. You got this!

(Edith) #13

To help put your 1200 calories a day into perspective:

I’m a 5’3” 54 year old female who weighs between 115-120 pounds. I jog 2-3 days a week and I do strength training four days a week for about 30-40 minutes. I eat about 1700-2000 calories a day. I eat well over 100 grams or protein a day.

Your low caloric intake will definitely be causing your low energy.

Edit: If you search the forum, you will find multiple threads where someone posted, “You all were right. I had to start eating more to break my plateau.”

(2011joem ) #14

Yeah i have been going to the gym for over ayear now and havent really seen any dramatic changes in body composition either. you can imagine what that would be doing for my self confidence aswell. i realise i have excess skin as a result of being very large a few times in my life, never again though.

i have tried working with PT’s, tried various different protien powders etc…just little to no results.

i really want to shift the last bit of my gut.

(2011joem ) #15

my partner and i used to eat a big ass steak and veg every night covered in cheese. used to make jalapeno poppers, cheese cakes, parmesan chips, coconut cream curries etc etc…and i felt great!

im from italian decent and love my cheese.

(2011joem ) #16

i always check the ingredient lists, even check the codes of thickners etc as i know some companies try to hide carbs.

ive been trying to put on muscle for the last year and a half but havent really seen much difference in body composition.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

Well, getting enough protein is part of the process. You also need branched-chain amino acids for protein-building. So when you are trying to put on muscle, look for meats rich in leucine, iso-leucine, and valine.

The BCAA’s are all essential to the human diet, but are generally needed in only a small quantity, except for muscle-building. If eaten in too great a quantity, they can overwhelm the liver and cause fatty liver disease.

(Allie) #18

Because your body does not have enough fuel to even function properly, let alone heal itself.

(Carnivore for the win) #19

Cut out everything except the big ass steak, and a little veg. Then do that a couple of times per day, every day and you will be sorted out. Dr Ken berry has some really good videos, about keto, on YouTube, same with Dr Rob cywes

#20

And put some butter on that steak!