Need help with Keto/LCHF
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eddiecastro77
Posts: 30 Member
Need some advice, please help. It has almost been a year that I've been religiously tracking all food intake. Last Feb. 5, I weighed in at 209.9. In Mid October, nothing seemed to be working as my weight had gone up to 213.9 so I started LCHF. I immediately dropped down to 207, and in December I started Keto which helped me get to 206.7. Today, a year after MFP, LCHF, and Keto, I weight 210 even!!! My diary is open people. Originally, I kept my net carbs under 50, then in December, dropped net carbs to under 20. I see so many with large drops, especially over this amount of time, and look at my own progress and get discouraged. I like the WOE, and can do it long term, but where is this weight loss that is supposed to come with the other benefits. I do have quite a bit of muscle and would consider myself in decent shape, but my ideal weight is 185 for my height of 5'9. My macros, that I strive to hit everyday averages 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fat. That should do it. I used Keto stix and I've hit purple a week ago, but now just faintly in Keto. Is it the almonds, or stevia, or coffee, or... I drink plenty of water, but I do sweeten with Crystal light packets...is that it? Help please. I appreciate it and will pay it forward.
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Do you exercise? If so, how often and what do you do?
How much water are you drinking per day? Many people aren't getting enough even when they think it's plenty.0 -
Hi Eddie, I wish I had a magic bullet for you, as it looks like you are doing so much right, but I couldn't find anything in your diary or story which was an eye opener. I think you are a doing a lot of things right, and your journey is just going to be different from those folks posting about quick drops.
Don't get discouraged, and never measure your own efforts against someone else's results.
It seems like you are pretty fit already, I know I couldn't do P90X. So I wonder if your loss is slower due to your fitness already? Did you take any measurements or are you paying attention to your fitness/strength? Maybe you will find the validation you are looking for there?
Also, it looks like you are very close to goal, less then 20lbs, and those are notoriously the hardest to lose.
I think you are doing a great job!! don't give up on yourself. That's all I've got.0 -
Looking further into your diary I notice you eat sugar-free sweets containing maltitol. It's a sugar alcohol but it's glycemic index is really high compared to other ones. It raises blood sugar because of this which could be your problem. It has a GI rating of 36-53 (depending on how it's used) and regular sugar has 60. I stick with stevia and erythritol (GI of 0) for my sweetners. If you're looking for sweets I highly suggest Lily's Sweets. The coconut dark chocolate is amazing. I also use the chips to bake with.0
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Thank you so much for your replies! I have a fitbit, and average 10K steps a day. I stopped P90x around the time I started LCHF because I didn't have the stamina at the time. In January, I started walking and do 15 min. at 3.5mph in the morning and 30-45 min. at 3.5 at lunch (work gym). I have a Rubbermaid 24oz container that I fill at min. 4 times a day, even on weekends. I travel every other week, so that leaves me eating out often, some vodka sodas too, I concede that. But I stayed in Ketosis after my last trip? Now the maltitol sweets I will drop going forward, as they probably took me out of keto this past weekend and as good as they taste, my gut didn't agree with it. Do you think the amount of almonds I eat (I get bulk from Costco), or the Flavor water packets in all my water might have anything to do with my months long stall. Just to be clear, I do lose a few pounds, but always gain them right back. I fluctuate between 207 and 210. Maybe the guy upstairs thinks that's my ideal weight? I'll look into Lilys. That sounds amazing. I do take measurements, and that seems to bounce around as well with the ups and downs. I'm not quitting though! I'm going to keep going on....and pray for the swoosh!0
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Remember to replace calories that you've burned off through exercise. Walking is fine but if you're hitting the gym then you need to replace them. Your water intake sounds good and I don't think that the water flavour packets are an issue. Try cutting back on them if you think you're having too many. As far as alcohol goes as long as you're sticking to clear liquors then there are no carbs. I drink whiskey & coke zero pretty often. Your liver will process the alcohol before it works on burning fat though so your body's fat burning is taking a short break while it's doing this. Your tolerance to alcohol is very low while in ketosis so you definitely need to watch how quickly you drink and how much.
It could be your nut intake so try cutting back to one serving a day.
Have you been taking measurements? They are a much better indicator of fat loss than the scale. I've stayed the same weight for months but clothes started getting looser so I know I was still losing fat. Cells also will replace fat with water once the fat has been lost. I think it varies per person on how long the cells hold on to the water. One day your cells will let go of the water and you'll drop in weight. It's called the whooshing effect.
Have you ever given thought to Intermittent fasting? A lot of people have really great results from eating this way. It takes a little bit to get your body adjusted to eating a large amount in such a small time frame but once you're adapted I hear it's pretty easy to go most of the day without eating. I know I have found that I'm not hungry in the morning if I have a huge dinner (1000+ calories).
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From the bit of browsing I've seen, I personally think it's sugar and carbs that's doing you in.
Atkins foods are notorious for causing stalls, and stuff with sugar alcohols doesn't help either. Also, Jimmy Dean's Sausage, while tasty, has HFCS in it (sugar,) which can throw you off as well. You really want to avoid processed meats like that (same with bacon - you have to be careful of the brand.)
Also, nuts are pretty dense - you have to be careful how much you eat. Personally, I would try lowering the amount of protein / raise fat levels, cut out the bars/shakes (note that you can make breakfast sausage that doesn't have sugar or hfcs,) and count carbs (not net carbs) for awhile and see how it goes for you.0 -
I will def look to lower intake of the processed meats (I thought meat is meat and therefore low carb but I see your point on the HFCS). Also will watch my intake of nuts, bars and shakes. I've not really looked into intermittent fasting, but will google today. I could see myself being able to do this as I often don't eat on weekends till noon. I just get so into the routine during the work week and when travelling. I am going to try counting carbs not net carbs starting today to see if that helps for awhile. Need to break the cycle, which is why I posted my question. Thank you all again for caring enough to reply. I appreciate it.0
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On the note of processed meats etc...remember that even those foods that day less than 1 g of carb should be counted as .5g to keep you on track. I had an issue for a while where I was doing every thing to a T but wasn't going into ketosis and it was due to pushing myself over the limit for the day due to tic tacs or other breath mints.
once I figured that out I was on my way! 0 -
Wow, never thought about the breath mints. I just looked and the TheraBreath lozenges my wife bought me last week have 2 carbs for 1. I may have been doing 2 or 3 a day!!! Good looking out. I'm showing traces of Keto this morning, but will cut out those mints.0
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Mints are something I had to cut back on as well. I buy ones that have less than 1 carb per and try and limit myself to 2 a day. It's definitely the little things that we don't think about. Same goes with medication. I was so sick once that I took some Nyquil without thinking. I looked it up the next day and it has like 19g of sugar in it!0
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I have serious chewing gum addiction. Just checked sugar alcohol/carbs for Trident Layers-2 gr per and I chew them all day long. Guess some behavior modification is in order. This group is very informative.0
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I chew Orbitz, and they've never derailed me. Then again I usually only go through 1-2 pieces a day.0
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Coming to end of day 2 w/o my trident layers. Happy I'm no more blissfully chomping on extra 20g carbs per day0
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Wow it just shows how sneaky those carbs can be
Really helpful to be reminded how vigilant you need to be cos nothing more frustrating than to think you are doing the right thing and have your results undermined by something you are not aware of.
Thanks for the reminder 0 -
I have had great success with LCHF in the past. I decided I needed to lean out in November, and after a couple weeks I ran out and bought a bottle of coconut oil and made some fat bombs trying to get used to getting that extra fat into my diet. The week I started supplementing the fat bombs and coconut oil, I stalled and didn't lose anymore. I think your calories and exercise seem on point.
I was reading last night that for those of us trying to lose that adding in extra fat (your coconut oil in your coffee example) isn't necessary. As long as we keep the carbs low we will stay in ketosis and bodyfat will be broken down for energy. If you give yourself a super biologically available MCT oil as soon as you wake, it would make sense to me that would be the fuel that gets used instead of body fat. Maybe try working out fasted in the morning and only go for the fat bomb/coconut oil coffee if you notice you need a pick me up that day.0 -
Thank you @Coopbkc I will try that!0
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eddiecastro77, try
Protein Daily Intake: First: Calculate your Lean Body Mass PDI should be 1-1.5 g per Kilogram of lean body mass. (convert lbs to kg!)
When in doubt eat more fat! If craving carbs, grab a slice of cheddar cheese wrapped around grassfed butter... AND hydrate, hydrate, hydrate with added sea salt. Note I squeeze and add some lemon in (1 lemon has 1g carb) cause it tastes better.
http://flexibleketogenic.com/0 -
Recommendation is to add 5-7g Sodium (salt) daily0
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Hi Eddie.."but my ideal weight is 185 for my height of 5'9." is this the US Gov advice? The same folks who designed the pyramid with heavy carbs as the base of ALL eating? what if, just if, that 210ish is where you will be naturally without modern interpretation intrusion?
Here's why, I read a study where they had a guy who was a his ideal weight, keep adding more and more calories, like thousands. He was overeating strenuously..and after ~3 months he only gained 3.5..his body just could NOT get fatter on Keto diet…he was where his body naturally wanted to be….it may be similar for you…family history, genes are a really big part..the one thing we can't change.
Even if you fight your way down you may not STAY down, by design.
the study was to prove normal set point people WON'T become fat with eating butter, etc. will find it and post, it may have been in Good Calories, Bad Calories book, which is super dense data!.
If you feel good now, and want to be super cut…for a short time, not decades, then pushing yourself will be done by constant effort.
Good luck! (PS I emailed you on a daily/weekend-doable IF called FAST- 5, eat all foods in 5 hours, any 5 hour block you choose, fast for 19 hours..takes ~30 ays and young men do better than older everyone.
http://mann.bol.ucla.edu/files/Diets_don't_work.pdf << this is a study of studies, it backs up just ~4.6% of Americans diet and keep it off..but of 100 million dieters, ~4.6% is 5 MILLION people telling fat people to just diet and exercise, cause it works for them.0 -
Thank you ketogenicgurl. Great info!0
