Strange pattern
kerrihwilson
Posts: 30 Member
hi. I seem to loose a bunch then slowly creep up and then lose a bunch but only get down maybe a pound or two below the previous loss. I don't understand why this is happening because I am eating properly and tracking. I seem to lose after I eat too many carbs ( within a few days). Can anyone explain this?
What do you suggest to stop this from happening?
Kerri on a roller coaster!
What do you suggest to stop this from happening?
Kerri on a roller coaster!
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Replies
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from your diary you don't seem to be eating much protein, maybe aim for 60g a day instead and eat more. it says on your profile you are very near your goal weight but you only eat around 1100 calories.0
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I lowered my protien because I wasn't losing at all for a few months ... Despite the 5% carbs. I always eat over my protien ... But not even close to the 60g a day! I will heed your advice and bump it up ... I have a desk job and am not every active all week ... On weekends I am more active and generally eat more calories on weekends.
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I'm utterly sedentary, but my protein consumption (granted with a much heavier weight overall) is still 80-120 grams a day or so.
The one major thing, okay, two major things I noticed that triggered the one step forward, two steps back reaction you describe above was:
1) not enough water
2) faux-sweets, even when they fit my macros
Both caused me weight swings. I don't do 5% carbs, though MFP sets it that way. My carbs are 20-25 TOTAL grams of carbs a day, period, regardless of exercise or anything. If I want more fibrous veggies, I'll bump it to tracking net for the same carb range. The carbs should always be based on grams, not an adjusting percentage. It should be a set number... Your oopsie bread and fake-sweets could be contributing.
I broke a 6+ week and 7+ pounds stall by cutting out the sweeteners in anything other than my BPT....0 -
Ok I bumped it back up - called too based on a ️Keto calculator. Will see how this goes ... Stress at work I think is cintributing too. My losses were after a weekend always and usually a weekend spent with my guy ... I'm incredibly relaxed and sleep wonderfully on those weekends. I also consume less sweeteners but more carbs and considerably less water on those weekends ... So that's weird. I'll strive for my 10 cups a day ...
Oopsie bread is very low carb ... Mostly fat and protien ... Why would that contribute to gains? ( I make mine half as big as the recipe calls for ... And only ever eat 1 per day).
Odd - I did stop losing when I started eating it.0 -
The Oopsie bread shouldn't contribute, IMO. As long as your trend is continually over time a do ward trend, then it's successful. Mine will do the same thing over several weeks. But after 5 months, I'm down 35 lbs.0
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kerrihwilson wrote: »Ok I bumped it back up - called too based on a ️Keto calculator. Will see how this goes ... Stress at work I think is cintributing too. My losses were after a weekend always and usually a weekend spent with my guy ... I'm incredibly relaxed and sleep wonderfully on those weekends. I also consume less sweeteners but more carbs and considerably less water on those weekends ... So that's weird. I'll strive for my 10 cups a day ...
Oopsie bread is very low carb ... Mostly fat and protien ... Why would that contribute to gains? ( I make mine half as big as the recipe calls for ... And only ever eat 1 per day).
Odd - I did stop losing when I started eating it.
I just included it because it is a kind of substitute food. I find that in general, I consume more calories when I substitute foods because I tend to eat with my own mindset, not because of the food itself, because as you y'all both said, it is an acceptable sub on Keto... If you don't have the mental aspect of this, that food might not stall you out. I just mentioned it as a KEYWORD: Possible contributing factor... If it hasn't stalled you before, I wouldn't worry too much.0 -
how much fat are you eating? We have to be mindful that this keto lifestyle is high fat, moderate protein and very few carbs. Without the high fat this lifestyle is useless. (took me some time to wrap my mind around this fact). I stall when I am not eating enough fat. Please don't forget to up your salt intake as well.0
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Looking at your original post, my first thoughts jumped to insulin spikes if you are going over carbs. And of course, your weight can fluctuate a lot, especially as a woman. May I ask, how often are you weighing yourself that you are seeing this pattern? If you are seeing this fluctuation from day to day, I'd drop the subject and continue to do as you have been, and try to just think of your lowest weight of the week as being your current weight. If you are already doing that and are still seeing this fluctuation from week to week without any progress, then continue reading.
I'm far from being an expert, but here is what I think based on personal accounts and miscellaneous research:
Whatever diet you do, your body will adjust it's metabolism to meet it. For that same reason, we know that starvation diets never really work. I think that you might want to consider a carb up weekly or semi-weekly in order to spike your insulin and keep your metabolism from waning. However, this is not be considered a free-for-all for carbs. Eat maybe 100g of complex carbs, but only at 1 meal (ideally dinner) and stick to your daily caloric intake. Then, the next day be sure that you get right back to eating clean keto. You may feel slightly bloated for a few days, but after that goes away, you should be at a lower weight again.0 -
Hi all - thanks for the suggestions ... The weight is up and daily and then after a weekend it is down nicely.
Perhaps that's what is happening - I'm carving up every other weekend - due to not being home and eating my own foods ( but considering this - I doing very well with will power ). I probably am carving up accidentally.
The Oopsie bread is a substitute but I still don't pig out on it - I made a double batch almost 10 days ago and still have leftovers ( and my children have been eating it too) however I do see your thinking on this and I appreciate where you are coming from.
The ️Keto calcilator I used suggested 1500 calories - that's not going to happen ... I lowered it down a bit to 1200!( up from 1060). This allows me to eat a bit more carbs.
My fats are usually over 80% and sometimes up to 90% ... Since increasing my calories a bit I am finding it easier to hit my macros closer to perfection. The protien amounts are much closer anyway ...
The general long term trend is downwards. Stress. Hormones and sleep seem to be playing a role in those too. As is water consumption ( slacking off due to hectic work pace ). Stress due to hectic work pace ... Both of those triggers are gone every other weekend as well ... Due to the fact that I refuse to mix work with my time with my man.
I have had success ... Was well over 150 ( est my heaviest was 163) and am down to 135 (140) ... So overall I've lost between 20-30 lbs ... ( some of those a few times over ) I just want it to continue quickly! It seems harder with pms ... Work ... Stress ... And age ( hit 40 recently)
It's kinda frustrating but I'm thankful that I have had as much success as I have
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Stress will increase cortisol hormone, which will panic your body into "hang on to every fat cell!" mode. So do try to relax and get enough sleep. Also, do you eat cheese? I noticed a quick drop after putting my cheddar in the freezer last month, where it still is... I am post menopause, and it took me over a year to lose 11 kg, slow going. kcko!0
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Camtosh - I eat minimal cheese ... Certainly do not eat it everyday however I could ditch the cheese for a few weeks and see where this goes.
I was curious about the macros in Oopsie bread ... This is what I came up with : 1/6 of the recipe is 58 calories, 5 g of fat, 0.6 g carbs, and 2.9 G protein. My oopsie a are smaller than 1/6 of the recipe ... Seems ok to me!
I think it's more water atress and hormone related at this point ... And possibly my body being "used to the shock".
Game plan - 1. let the stress go and try to de stress by working out and intentionally taking breaks... 2. Drink more water .... 3. And keep on keeping on but Allow myself 1 higher carb day per week. ( go to 20%)
I can't change my age or my hormones. I'm going to focus on the things I CAN change ... I woke up today down 2 from yesterday ( still up 3 from 2 weeks ago) it's getting close to THAT time- will be interesting to see where I'm at in 1 week.0 -
Hormones will balance out some with this way of eating, but there are two natural supplements that may help - Inositol is also known as vitamin B8. It occurs naturally in our bodies, but most women don't make enough. This helps the natural shift in hormones balance out better (just don't take it over 500 mg daily if you're on hormonal birth control pills). Vitex is used by some women in a similar way, but has some contraindications. The B8 doesn't have any real conflicts I know of other than with hormonal BCP (which I know personally), but I didn't find in literature. It is in most better B-complexes (B-150 and the higher quality ones). If they have folate - look for folate, not folic acid (Like B2 or 6 or something, I don't recall which it is)... folate is better absorbed.
But otherwise, adjusting as you plan to do seems like a good plan. My only hesitation is the intentional carbing up. I'm 38 and don't notice an overall stress in cortisol effect (actually the full on 24-hour urine test showed I was shockingly normal there!), and I even include intermittent fasting from time to time. But I know every single person is different. @Dragonwolf recently started a new supplement to help with her cortisol levels, so something like that may also be a consideration....
I personally find that loud angry music helps me break through most stress peak moments. Steady high stress causes me to listen to meditation music to balance me out... Your attitude and openness is refreshing. Just remember not to change too much at once, that way you can know what really helped. And be sure to give any changes at least 4-8 weeks for full effectiveness! (P.S. Taking good magnesium citrate at night, even low doses - mind is only 135 mg., has dramatically improved the quality of my sleep, and I average 5-6 hours a night, so that might help, too.)0
