When does the weight loss stop?

(Robert C) #21

That was half of what I wrote - if you view food as simply only fuel - I would agree.

But, the other half was about social isolation, demanding menu changes at your friends dinner party, telling your son he has to skip the pizza party, severely limiting your family’s travel options, making people anxious about bringing See’s candy to your other family members during the holidays and generally feeling like the “downer” that everyone has to accommodate in all situations.

Depending on one’s personal situation, these sorts of things might wear you down at a fast pace or a slow pace or maybe not at all.

(bulkbiker) #22

I’m quite lucky as I avoid most people most of the time.

We have no children and limited family so most of what you say simply doesn’t apply… however anyone who wouldn’t accommodate someone who is trying to heal themselves isn’t much of a friend ?

And yes I view food as fuel rather than entertainment or reward because in truth that’s what it is…

#23

I’m not restricting calories at all, and am coming down at the leisurely pace of about a pound a week. I’m usually doing something like an 18/6 IF approach as well as definitely eating to satiety. I long ago stopped tracking macros. As for a ‘diet break’ I do go slightly off what’s otherwise a pretty strict carb restriction. I don’t still have real cravings for carbs, but every once in awhile will have something carby because it’s there and looks good. Some waldorf salad tonight, for instance. My sort of instinctive take on that is that it keeps the body on its toes not to get too smug about what I’m up to with my eating :-). Obviously my approach is the opposite in terms of scientific basis from that article you proposed. Thank you, although I admit to finding it a bit intimidating!

#24

Hey DavyKOTWF – presuming this question was intended for me: I’m something like 20 kilos away from what would be a reasonable weight, I think. So 44 pounds. Why do you ask?

#25

If you two (Mark & RobC) don’t mind me butting in here, I find what you’re debating interesting because I’m a very good cook and quite a foodie overall, but I’ve found it remarkably do-able to be on keto and still carry on with social events. I manage to scrape the toppings off my pizza and leave the bread behind, and I still feel like I’ve eaten pizza. And then there are things which we eat floured and fried (calamari) and I just try to have a couple of pieces to get the hankering out of my system. Otherwise, I can manage between the meats and cheeses and veggies to make a fine meal for myself at any outing, with no-one even being any the wiser that I’m not eating ‘normally’. Add to that the one or two dark chocolate treats each day (tiny little piles of frozen raspberries coated with a thin, crisp shell of half dark chocolate, half coconut oil) I just so do NOT feel like willpower’s involved in this WOE that like you, Mark, I can’t see any reason not to eat this way forever! (Thus the original question since right now eating this way IS making me lose weight.)

(Robert C) #26

Hi @Annoula - it is best to use the “@” sign in front of names so that @RobC and @MarkGossage get notified (I just happened to be on this page and noticed my name).

A foodie that can never have any restaurant’s famous dessert again?!?! That might wear on you after you’ve been at goal for a year or two.

My perception is that a foodie does not just eat food for fuel. While making progress losing weight - keep going with your plan but, once at goal, it might be better to plan for some periods of being a true foodie (eating food for flavor) and then eating food as fuel again (to avoid falling off the wagon completely).

(bulkbiker) #27

Agree 100% I have always managed to find something to eat even if it means scraping something off or passing onto hubs plate. Luckily I don’t know any vegans!

Also of course once you have put so many health issues behind you that

looks a lot less appealing… and as the dudes say eyes and toes over french fries every time…

(Davy) #28

Because as you probably know, the closer you get, the harder those last pounds are. If one is still a ways out there, they’ll still probably come off easier.

(Windmill Tilter) #29

This sounds like a really sensible and effective approach. It sounds like you’re doing great. Don’t change a thing. :+1::+1::+1:

As long as you are eating to satiety, your rate of weight loss will decelerate as you approach a healthy weight, and then it will stop altogether. You needn’t worry about losing too much weight if your satiety signals are squared away and you’re listening to them.

The only way to lose “too much” weight is to intentionally calorie restrict to achieve a predetermined “goal weight”. That’s when 1 billion years of evolution rears it’s ugly head, and your metabolism begins fighting back to regain fat reserves (not good!).

#30

@Annoula there is also the huge difference in male and female stress response impacts on the hormonal system, and the fact that a minority of people are/become ‘hyper-responders’ who have to work to keep up a healthy weight/mass as they tend towards hyper-lean for various reasons which benefit from a wider range of foods and esp good/diverse feasting when they’re not fasting.

You might find this article by Amy Berger MS on the diversity of long-term healing/balancing needs for the whole-body microbiome a handy resource too - as there’s lots of diversity among us:

And forum admin Daisy did a wonderful interview with her some time back:

https://ketowomanpodcast.com/amy-berger/

#31

Yes @RobC, quite correct. I ought to have “@-ed” you both! Thanks for the reminder :blush:

I don’t buy into ‘never’ and opt instead for ‘very rarely’. When only a few months into this I decided to have a small piece of cake at a birthday party, I admit to being apprehensive: would it be like that one drink for an alcoholic? But my world was hardly shaken, that one piece did not bring back cravings for more, and I was happily back to my ‘new normal’ eating the next day,
Like I’d said, I’m a cook/foodie, so my temptations are usually of my own creating. It can be a dilemma, in fact for the upcoming season with both almond danish for Christmas breakfast, and panettone for gifts planned, both of which I adore, I know I’ll want to have some. So the plan is to do just that: Christmas breakfast alongside the permitted eggs and bacon, I’ll have a small piece of danish. Then for both, I’ll tuck several small pieces in the freezer and over the next couple of months take them out one at a time and thoroughly enjoy devouring them.
I guess my logic can at least fuzzily be attributed to Jason Fung – life isn’t meant to be lived in a state of deprivation. And although I am so thoroughly satisfied by the keto WOE that I don’t even begin to feel deprived, if and when something truly fabulous appears on the horizon, I will have some without guilt, follow it up perhaps with a nice long break in eating, and just carry on. Seems to work just fine!

#32

Not sure I really did know that, @DavyKOTWF. It doesn’t wildly surprise me, mind you. But I guess I’m okay with it should that be the case, as long as the trajectory doesn’t change. I’ve always felt that slow weight loss is the healthier and more sustainable option in the long run anyways, as it gives one’s body a chance to adapt. So I’ve adjusted my expectations accordingly, and enjoy the ride!

#33

Hey @MarkGossage – I had a feeling you and I were aligned on this!
While I’m lucky to have genes that have meant I’ve never faced real health issues, I’m still just not tempted to revert back to a carby-er WOE because I find keto eating overall SO delicious and therefore SO do-able! I’m in my 10th month and can honestly say that only the initial transition was difficult. Since then, satiated and happy!
I’m lucky as well, however, to have been raised by good cooks and eaters of real food, and to have married into a culture and family that’s the same. The SAD never really applied to me (with very occasional exceptions like a once-a-year Pringles indulgence :shushing_face:).
I’m sure it also helps that I don’t find it difficult to concentrate on the list of what a keto-er is permitted to eat, rather than on the list of what’s forbidden. As I try to coax my diabetic husband and son toward keto, I’m struck by how much my husband concentrates only on the bread etcetera he ‘can’t’ live without, even though he loves eggs, bacon, sausage, a good steak with garlic butter, etc. Seems to me that the inability to even imagine a meal that doesn’t include bread or pasta or potatoes is a mental block. Strange, to me, as in any dish in which those are components, they’re hardly the stars of the show, are they?
I rant – sorry!

#34

@Don_Q thanks for your encouragement – much appreciated :smile:.
What you express is pretty much what I felt had to be the case. I completely buy the whole evolutionary argument, and for that matter, the whole ‘we are animals after all’ argument. Animals DO have a set point that’s healthy for them, so I’m carrying on assuming that when I reach that, my body will know. And if that takes a while, I’m okay – it has taken a while for me to plump up so it’s only to be expected!

#35

@SlowBurnMary, super interesting article – thanks so much for pointing me to it! Especially appreciated because it’s a piece of this puzzle I’ve realized I wanted to find but hadn’t yet worked on, that is, the explanation for why the Japanese (for example) can thrive despite consuming as much rice as they do.
I can’t really wrap my head around a lot of the hard-core science stuff because that’s not within my area of expertise. But I think I get it overall that we’re all wired slightly differently. All the more reason to learn to hear what our bodies are telling us, and to calibrate our actions accordingly.

#36

Sorry @atomicspacebunny and @RobC – so many people chiming in all at once that I’m not managing to reply to everyone! Doesn’t help that I’m clearly in a very different time zone as well (GMT+3). Or maybe it does: mighty quiet at this hour :wink:
Anyhow: realizing that I’m lucky that I do indeed view keto as a WOE and already know how to cook. While I did/do want to lose some weight, I saw this not only as a means to that end, but as the best way to avoid developing T2D and its complications, something that frightened me.
As I’ve said elsewhere above, however, going keto has not meant avoiding social situations, nor pizza, nor the occasional piece of good cake. If anyone’s struggling with this, I suspect it means they might need to learn/re-learn how to cook and eat real food. That and if they regularly eat out more than I happen to, maybe learning how to choose restaurants, navigate menus, and even how to dissect their food :grin:.