Well it’s time for an update. As you know, Mondays are weigh in days. I just completed my 44th week on “Keto”. I have lost a total of 82lbs, I started April 2nd at 304.6, and this morning I weighed 222.6. I have remained within the same 5lbs weight since October. Nothing I do has changed that. Here is a week by week weigh in:
10/8 222.2
10/15 224.6
10/22 223.4
10/29 222
11/5 222.4
11/12 222.2
11/19 222.6
11/26 223.6
12/3 222.4
12/10 224.2
12/17 221
12/24 223.8
12/31 224
1/7 223.8
1/14 226.4
1/21 225.4
1/28 222.4
2/4 222.6
I have tried changing my Macros around, less protein, more protein, less fat, more fat, less carbs, more carbs. I have changed up my workouts more cardio, less weights, etc. I have had a goal for a long time to get to 195lbs and less that 25% body fat, ( currently I sit at 222.6 and 31% body fat. ) I am a stubborn guy, but I wonder if this is just not my 62 year old body saying, “this is where I belong and want to stay!!!”
I am so grateful to be in recovery from “sugar binging” and “carb binging” and “mindless eating and snacking”. I am grateful for the support and the grace from God to keep me going. So… who knows where this journey ends, sure hope it is more weight loss and inches lost. I feel terrific and haven’t felt this good for years. God Bless all, and don’t forget, “Keep Calm and Keto on!!!”
Deacon Tom Mueller
Wits' end: don't have a clue what to do
Yes, but I don’t like it, but maybe this is a good reminder.
I have not done it either, but I may attempt it soon. I’m going to try ZC for a couple of weeks first to see if that gives me a bump. I’m just hungry in the morning so it’s hard to imagine fasting for any length of time! I have a good 25 lbs to loose still. Best of luck Tom. 
I haven’t hit a true stall yet, but I did get into somewhat of a slowdown for a few weeks. I found that a single 36-hour water fast (just don’t eat at all one day), followed by a return to normal (not excessive) eating the next day helped get me back on track.
I think most of us stall out on plain keto at some point. I only needed to lose 25 lbs when I started. Basic keto got me the first 10 lbs, but after that I was completely stalled. My first intervention was OMAD, which got me the next 10 lbs. Honestly, it may have taken me the whole way but I had a tendancy to cheat in a keto dessert later in the evening so mostly it wasn’t a true OMAD.
The other thing that made a huge difference to scale movement was giving up dairy and nuts.
I think, if you really hate the idea of IF you might try leaving off dairy, nuts, any nut products such as keto breads, and anything with any sweeteners. I think all of those set off cravings in people causing them to eat more than they really need.
That’s the good thing about a fast - there’s no gearing up needed. Pick a day (Friday works best for me for some reason) and just don’t eat that day. I do it when I have a lot of work I need to get done, and can just go heads down focused on work.
I do make sure to keep some water at hand, the makings for tea, and I drink my normal amount of coffee. I keep some pink salt on hand to nibble on, and some herbal teas for the added flavor if I get burned out on coffee/decaf. But I have that stuff around anyway, so it’s not like I have to go out and buy stuff.
When I hit a plateau not that long ago, I took a hard look at exactly what I was consuming. For me, I found that I was consuming a LOT of heavy whipping cream. And while I don’t think HWC is necessarily a bad thing, I saw that I was consuming it in way too large of quantities. So I adjusted.
I guess what I’m suggesting is an honest look at exactly what you’re consuming and seeing whether there is something in there that might be working against you. There really might not be for you, but it was for me.
That said, I’ve had some plateaus that lasted for several months. At this point in my journey (into keto for 1.5 years, down 70+ pounds, less than 20 to go), I’m not really expecting much weight loss and certainly not quickly. It goes up a little and down a little. Over the last several months, I don’t think I’ve lost more than about 5 pounds. I’m fine with that. Last week was a new 18 year low, only by a few tenths of a pound, but it was still a new low. If it takes me a year or two to take off the rest of that last 20 pounds, I’m perfectly fine with that.
Keto has become my “norm” at this point. It’s not a special diet. It’s not something that has an end point. It’s just the way I eat now. I enjoy my food, perhaps more than I should, not sure, but I eat with thanksgiving! I don’t feel deprived. I don’t go hungry unless I choose to, which would usually look like maybe skipping a meal here or there, and often because I may have had a bigger meal previous than I was comfortable with and wanted the extra time between meals. (Happened yesterday, non-event really.)
The saying here is “keep calm and keto on”. It sounds too simple at times but really, it’s served me quite well.
Probably not terribly helpful but just sharing what came to mind. Good luck with your journey! 
Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. I got an app on my phone called My Macros +, and I have been listing EVERYTHING and it is shocking how much contributes to calories, like HWC in my coffee, so I am taking a good look at everything and making sure I am at a calorie deficit.
I agree Keto becomes our new lifestyle.
Tom
That’s something I’ve never done, Tom. I have no clue how many calories I consume. I don’t restrict. I just eat real food until I’m full. I make sure I have a good amount of protein, that the protein has good fat (usually does anyway) and that I keep the carbs low. (Well, I guess I do restrict carbs.) That’s it. I don’t actually measure anything. But I have noticed that when I eat good quality food and good protein, I tend to be satisfied with less food than when I eat lesser quality stuff or overdo on veggies.
That’s probably “lazy keto” according to most. But that’s where I am and I’m happy with that. Overall health I’m happy with. Weight continues to creep lower, happy with that.
Again, good luck! Hope you settle into a good place for you.
I know that sleep (or lack thereof) and stress really impact my losses. Also our bodies tend to want to keep us at previous set points. I know for myself the only way I have been able to bust through those is with intermittent or extended fasting…
But if I don’t get enough sleep, I always stall of gain. I have a 3# window that likes to mess with my head, if I let it. I also know I had a lot of inslulin issues to resolve, and now that it has, I need to readjust. Just not sure how exactly. I have been hovering at this plateau now since end of November. I feel your frustrations so much!
PS: If you are working out, you could be gaining muscle mass as you lose fat. I would suggest other ways of tracking like clothes fitting and the like.
YMMV.
You can try cutting dairy and nuts out of your diet to see if that helps? I’ve heard quite a few people say that it helped them.
I was also going to suggest eating windows (IF) but I see you are not a fan. The thing about IF is that it gives your insulin more down time to access fat stores. The more we often we eat, the more active insulin is and the more difficult it might be to move the scale.
It seems like more weights and less cardio might be a better idea.
For some, cardio can drive hunger (which messes up the “eat fat to satiety” keto rule).
Strength training helps you battle sarcopenia - you don’t want to lose muscle pounds - especially as you age because they are harder to add back.
Finally, I would rethink my feelings about getting to 195 and, instead, get a DEXA scan and choose a body fat percentage target.
Hate DEXA? Go buy a pair of pants in the target size you want (maybe from memory from your youth) and try them on each morning instead of getting on the scale.
You want to go with ideas help you make better decisions - like adding muscle instead of burning fat because you choose to measure body fat % instead of weight.