Would you kindly help a newb out?

#1

another new years resolution. i dropped 11 pounds in first week. have kept the exact same weight since. still 241.6 :confused:

ugh.

i feel like i’m spending more time, effort, and definitely money with this life change but the needle hasn’t really moved in over a week and a half.

someone please tell me it’s normal. i didn’t think i’d plateau so soon. i’m sticking with it and completely understand it’s a life change and i didn’t get fat overnight and won’t get to my target weight overnight. but the wind is kinda leaving the sails after an amazing first week, so to speak :confused: i hear all i really dropped was water weight and noticeable results are gonna take a lot longer and be a more standard 1-2 lbs a week.

i was going to post stats in a whole ‘nother thread because there’s so much contradictory information out there. most things are pro keto. half are pro keto + pro CICO. the other half are pro keto + very against CICO. i use MFP and log everything. i put myself at a pretty high deficit at a hard 1200 cals per day to speed this process up. heck - using CICO alone i should be at my target weight in 6mos. but…

i used this forum and the keto subreddit to figure out my ratios. but i see stuff like this and tons of similar stories. a huge post with many great replies had me questioning my 1200 rule. i want to lose the weight as quick as possible. i have plenty of willpower as long as i’m seeing some kind of results.

i have also had a few wicked gout flareups in the past (nothing really though in the past 2 years but don’t want it to come back, either). too much protein was the catalyst. i was on a daily pill of Allopurinol because of the uric acid buildup but have since kinda stopped. now - with this fairly protein heavy diet - i’ve only had the ‘pre-gout’ aches in my ankles a couple of times (Indomethacin knocked it out) so i read all i could and found plenty of posts (mostly here on ketoforums) that said that basically the amount of protein i was eating was too high. the calculator said i should be eating 91g of protein but i dialed it back to 75g.

the protein amount i was eating (91g) is what was recommended by the calculator in the subreddit’s sidebar and an average of a few other calculators i found online based on my stats. now - i know all that stuff is general rule of thumb and everyone is built different. so in my frustration of trying to figure out the right ratios i’ve decided to schedule a ‘bod pod’ session as well as some test that makes you fast for eight hours before laying down and breathing into some mask for 30 minutes to determine your accurate RMR. there’s another $100.

i gotta find the right combo to make my metabolism start doing what it’s supposed to do as well as my body using keto’s ‘bodyfat as fuel’ promise. and i don’t want it to take a year if at all possible.

current stats:

  • 44/m
  • 5’8”
  • 241.6 lbs
  • build - stocky (i carry the weight well)
  • body fat estimate - 38%
  • sedentary

goal weight - 165 lbs
goal timeframe - 6 months

  • current 1200 cal macros:
  • carbs: 20g (7%)
  • protein: 75g (25%)
  • fat: 91g (68%)

i’m sure i’m going to get told to eat more protein or that i’m eating too few calories - which is fine if it’s right. i just want to do the right thing using the best possible ratio for the fastest results (and try to keep from inducing gout w/too much protein). doctors don’t really want to help with this kind of diet. i totally have the willpower in spades to do 1200 cals a day for those faster results. that whole ‘it will be insanely difficult for you to do’ doesn’t apply. BUT - if there’s an actual measurable way to do it faster - i’m all ears. if that actually means eating more because i’m screwing up my metabolism then please, someone who ACTUALLY KNOWS - tell me.

i’m all ears.

also - a great big THANK YOU to everyone here who is sooooo supportive and helpful. you guys RULE.

(Rob) #2

You’ve read the forums and you obviously know what people will say. It will all be from their experience or some abstraction into general rules.
You need to experiment for how you react to different strategies.
Just to dive in with the general advice and my experience (and based off the fact that I’m a similar age weight and height to you)

  1. Too few calories. CICO only works in the short term by ruining your metabolism so why would you?
  2. I plateaued for 3-4 weeks after initial loss as my body fat adapted and then the weight fell off and I lost appetite. I kept calories to about 1800-2000 until my appetite changed and that was barely to satiation.
  3. You are a unique snowflake so who knows what will work for you. I dove into the full Keto logic and it worked for me. Hedging on CICO is betting on a proven loser (not in a good way) :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
    Good luck and KCKO
(Mike W.) #3

You want to lose 87 lbs in 6 months? That’s not realistic. Are you planning to stick to Keto once you hit your goal?

#4

thank you, sir. noted and taken to heart.

#5

every calculator says it’s pretty doable at this kind of deficit. but who knows if that’s right? that’s why i’m here asking the questions.

yeah - i plan on sticking with it but modifying the macros into a ‘maintain’ ratio once i’m pretty much there. i know to adjust the current macros every 2 weeks to a month while on my initial journey.

(Mike W.) #6

I don’t think there is a way to calculate weight loss. It’s rarely linear. Also a calorie deficit will just leave you hungry. Focus on 20g of carbs or less, moderate protein, and fat til you’re full. Let your body heal itself in its own time. Remember weight loss is merely a side effect of Keto. We’re all here because we want to be healthier.

(Rob) #7

What calculator says a 240lb man should eat 1200 calories. ‘Starvation’ experiments use that level of calorie restriction.

As others will say, it’s all in the fat. Your protein is fine (as many have shown, most people need less than we think) but if you are going to add meaningful calories it has to be fat. This is often the hardest thing to do coming from SAD and fat phobic advice.

1200 calories will provoke starvation response if you are not fat adapted which could take weeks. Calorie restriction works for up to several months (ask the Biggest Loser contestants) but will make very unwelcome changes to your BMR (also ask BL folks). You will lose weight to your schedule but are very unlikely to keep it off long term per the science.
You could follow the Michael Mosely/Newcastle diet but that is a very restrictive 800 cals for 8 weeks since this apparently also creates sustained metabolic change but why go through that pain when you could do it Keto.

(Chris) #8

Not realistic only eating keto. I lost 80lbs in less than 3 months using OMAD and eventually extended fasts in combination with keto.

#9

no calculator says to do it. just that mathematically it’s supposedly possible.

an example today of what i ate:

  • Core Power Elite Vanilla Shake (42g protein, 3.5g fat, 10g carbs, 240 cals)
  • 3 scrambled eggs + 6 thick cut bacon slices (43.5g protein, 52.8g fat, 2.9g carbs, 659 cals)
  • 2 pieces sugar free gum (3g carbs, 8 cals)

that put me kinda close. came home and weighed out 6 tbsp heavy whipping cream and chugged it (0g protein, 36g fat, 0g carbs, 300 cals)

that got me to goal.

#10

please tell me more. what is OMAD?

(Chris) #11

Certainly, it’s One Meal A Day :slight_smile:. Basically when I was doing this I’d prep all of my lunches for the week: Red meat, cheddar cheese melted over it, and a fat kale shake. The kale shake doesn’t do anything for fat loss so really not even worth it.

(Rob) #12

The calculators are supposed to work based on your body details. Picking a calorie limit 1st and reversing out the macro breakdown isn’t how it works. They estimate your BMR (e.g. 2100-2600 for guys like us based on your lifestyle) and then you ask for a deficit and then give you the macro %s.

1200 calories is what a proper calculator would/did give my 86 year old dad and less than my 71 year old mum, both of whom weigh a lot less than you or I :grin:

#13

you say you fasted as well. what was your regimen like?

#14

i didn’t really do it backwards. i just modified the protein, fat, and desired deficit values to get it close to 1200:

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(Chris) #15

Was simple really. Any time I’ve tried fat loss + muscle gain at the same time I failed. So this time I told myself enough was enough and decided to skip anything to do with gaining, just focus on diet.

I’d prep my meals for the week, it would be work lunch. And I’d just eat around 1, and not worry about eating any other time. About 2 months in I had gotten most of the way through my loss, discovered Jason Fung’s old podcast about fasting and decided to add that in. So every week I’d just fast on work days (worked at home 2 days, office 3 days) and eat normally all weekend (keto of course, and eventually meat only). Now that I’m at my goal weight I’m fasting less often but still utilizing it as a tool for health. I suggest you look up the older fasting talk podcasts, before Fung left the show, there’s a ton of good info in there.

(Kenny Embry) #16

You’ve already gotten some excellent advice here. I realize I’m only echoing what others have said, but here’s my take.

  • A daily regimen of 1200 calories is too low especially if you’re spreading calories out throughout the day. I agree with the others you’re probably bonking your starvation mode.
  • Read “The Obesity Code” by Jason Fung. I’m not trying to pimp his book, but he explains why when you eat is possibly more important than how much. My weight only started budging after I incorporated fasting as well as keto.
  • Eat more fat. It felt so wrong in the first few weeks, but I can’t tell you how much it has curbed my appetite. I finally feel full.
  • Keep active in these forums. We’re all in this together. If your family/friends are anything like mine, they love you and want to support you, but don’t understand this dietary choice.

Just my 2 cents worth.

(Mike W.) #17

I’m not saying you can’t do it, but yes it definitely won’t be by eating it will be by fasting.

#18

Hey hey,
I hope you up your daily calories big time, until you’ve got some markers of being fat adapted. And then reduce them back down to 1200 as desired after that.

PS well done so far!

(Jennifer) #19

I think tracking macros when you start keto is counter productive. Keep it simple, less than 20gms of net carbs, moderate protein and fat till you are full. As you become far adapted, you will just naturally eat less. I did that plus fasted when I could and lost 80 pounds in just under 12 months. With no macro goals, except keeping carbs around 20gms.

The goal is to keep insulin low so that you can heal and become more insulin sensitive. Keeping your calories low is counter productive and will only lower your metabolism.

#20

so while you fasted you only ate 2 days a week and only ate your daily macro? so only a couple thousand cals a week?