Help, I'm under my calories every day. on ketogenic diet and this week I'm gaining...Why!?

Following a strict ketogenic diet, almost no carbs (less than 50 per day), no sugars, no gluten, no grains. I was losing about 1- 2 lbs a week until this week, this week I have been gaining,,,,,,how is that even possible. I have been under my calories. I can see maybe not losing, but gaining???

Replies

  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
    Are you weighing all your food with a food scale?
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Did you start a new type of exercise? TOM? Something stressful happen? Eat a few high sodium days? Sleeping differently lately?
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
    Also, how long have you been losing 1-2lbs per week for?
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Are you counting liquid calories? Are you being really really brutally honest about what goes in your mouth? Are you being accurate with portions?
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    It's only been a week! Weight loss isn't linear, some weeks you'll lose, some you'll stay the same, some you'll gain. You've gotta keep going for a while and watch the trend over several weeks.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    weight fluctuates, relax.
  • chaychay48
    chaychay48 Posts: 20 Member
    I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    chaychay48 wrote: »
    I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!
    You should share your secret of gaining weight via not eating enough. It could save a lot of starving people.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    chaychay48 wrote: »
    I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!

    This makes no sense. You don't gain from not eating enough.
  • chaychay48
    chaychay48 Posts: 20 Member
    Just talking about my personal experience, don't know why it works that way FOR ME.
  • cindyfranklin09
    cindyfranklin09 Posts: 3 Member
    I weigh everything, I only drink water with the exception of the 1 or 2 cups of coffee in the morning, I am being overly brutally honest with my food log, as in sometimes I enter my meal before I eat and then don't always finish, not cheating at all. Going to start drinking green tea today. I haven't measured myself,I should, but my clothes feel the same, I have been doing the keto diet for about 3.5 weeks was down 10 lbs (dieting for 30 days, but strict keto for about 3.5 weeks, but now I'm up about 2 lbs. My exercise could be better to be honest.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    chaychay48 wrote: »
    Just talking about my personal experience, don't know why it works that way FOR ME.
    It doesn't.

  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    chaychay48 wrote: »
    Just talking about my personal experience, don't know why it works that way FOR ME.

    It doesn't. You do not defy the laws of physics.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    So in 3.5 weeks you're down an overall 8 lbs? That's some good progress right there. Keep doing what you're doing!

    If you make your diary public, people here can be very helpful (but also very honest) with you.
  • cindyfranklin09
    cindyfranklin09 Posts: 3 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    So in 3.5 weeks you're down an overall 8 lbs? That's some good progress right there. Keep doing what you're doing!

    If you make your diary public, people here can be very helpful (but also very honest) with you.

    That is true, I AM losing and I shouldn't beat myself up, guess I was just frustrated this morning when I saw the scale up again. ..Thanks for the support!

  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    Too little information. We need to know:

    1) How long on program ?
    2) Any change to nutrition plan ? ( predominately sodium and carbs/fiber )
    3) Pre, currently, or post "change" ? ( monthly hormonal fluctuations )
    4) Change in medications or dosages ?
    5) Change in or starting new exercise routine / activity level ? ( more water retention for muscle repair )
    6) How many calories a day are you eating, and how accurately are you tracking ?
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    So in 3.5 weeks you're down an overall 8 lbs? That's some good progress right there. Keep doing what you're doing!

    If you make your diary public, people here can be very helpful (but also very honest) with you.

    That is true, I AM losing and I shouldn't beat myself up, guess I was just frustrated this morning when I saw the scale up again. ..Thanks for the support!

    I went 2 weeks without losing any weight. By the end of the 2nd week I was starting to get frustrated and then it just dropped like a rock without changing my diet or exercise pattern. Sometimes things fluctuate instead of following that nice downward trend that you want. Just keep on keeping on.
  • gainesma
    gainesma Posts: 96 Member
    50 grams my not be keeping you in ketosis. Check your ketones. Also salt cam cause you to hold on more water...
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Normal fluctuations happen. Patience is key here.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I weigh everything, I only drink water with the exception of the 1 or 2 cups of coffee in the morning, I am being overly brutally honest with my food log, as in sometimes I enter my meal before I eat and then don't always finish, not cheating at all. Going to start drinking green tea today. I haven't measured myself,I should, but my clothes feel the same, I have been doing the keto diet for about 3.5 weeks was down 10 lbs (dieting for 30 days, but strict keto for about 3.5 weeks, but now I'm up about 2 lbs. My exercise could be better to be honest.

    I've been doing keto for around the same length of time and with about the same weight loss as you; I had a similar situation recently. My weight jumped up two pounds overnight. I had eaten over my calorie goal the day before but it wasn't by huge amount. It surprised me.

    The weight slowly slipped off again and I'm back on track. I'm sure that as long as you are correctly following your macros that it will even out for you in a few days too. The scale jumps around a lot at first.
  • edellaSut
    edellaSut Posts: 22 Member
    It sounds like you are eating more LCHF than ketogenic. Ketogenic is about very low carb, like under 20g a day. And even more so, about how much FAT you are eating, which should be around 75-80% of your total daily calories. Also, on any LC regime, you want more salt, not less, because the kidneys work differently on a LC diet. Finally, your daily protein has to be just enough for muscle maintenance, because any protein that your body doesn't immediately need gets turned to fat and stored. Keto is the flavour of the month at the moment, but isn't necessary for most people who do just as well on a good paleo-style LCHF regimer. The macros are pretty well the same, more at the lower end of keto, like 75%-10%-15% (and will move you in and out of ketosis in a very natural sort of way without getting too obsessive about food.) Keto is more a thing you do for special problems, like epilepsy, especially kids, or MS/Parkinsons/alzheimers (The wahls protocol) or even cancer (patients are choosing strict keto instead of chemo, a brave/(foolhardy?) decisio as there isn't a lot of data on this yet ) I've been eating in a lchf way for about 6 yearts and ketogenically for a few years, as I was profoundly insulin resistant and unable to lose any weight (problems of oedema). I am now VERY strict and high fat, and the problems are solving themselves. But it is not an easy option unless your problems are severe. (I don't consider needing to lose a few pounds fast as a serious problem!) Sometimes slow and careful is best: I am not insulin resistant now, and don't need much insulin now as my carb:insulin ratio is much lower. I still struggle with protein macros, even after all this time, so it takes a lot of study and diary keeping to see what your body is up to. A quick fix it isn't.
  • snickers061703
    snickers061703 Posts: 15 Member
    Wow, a lot of people here are quite snarky. The scale's weight can be influenced by a variety of factors including hormones, water fluctuations, bowel movement patterns, etc. Don't get upset over any isolated number. It is unlikely you've gained fat while running a calorie deficit and eating keto, so give your body a few days to regulate, it will most likely go back down.
  • socalprincess1
    socalprincess1 Posts: 52 Member
    edited July 2015
    I weigh everything, I only drink water with the exception of the 1 or 2 cups of coffee in the morning, I am being overly brutally honest with my food log, as in sometimes I enter my meal before I eat and then don't always finish, not cheating at all. Going to start drinking green tea today. I haven't measured myself,I should, but my clothes feel the same, I have been doing the keto diet for about 3.5 weeks was down 10 lbs (dieting for 30 days, but strict keto for about 3.5 weeks, but now I'm up about 2 lbs. My exercise could be better to be honest.

    What you're experiencing is called "PISS" - Post-Induction Stall Syndrome. Everyone who does keto for more than 2 weeks or so experiences it, you stall for several weeks or sometimes even gain a little while your body tries to find a new balance for glycogen and water. Look it up, it will explain everything you're experiencing. Good thing is, you're still burning fat and your body will flush all that extra water weight soon enough, just stick to it!

    ETA: Are you in the LCHF group? You might get more helpful responses from other people who are eating the same diet as you. ;)http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited July 2015
    Wow, a lot of people here are quite snarky. The scale's weight can be influenced by a variety of factors including hormones, water fluctuations, bowel movement patterns, etc. Don't get upset over any isolated number. It is unlikely you've gained fat while running a calorie deficit and eating keto, so give your body a few days to regulate, it will most likely go back down.

    I agree with this.


    I've been Keto for 3 months and I gain a pound or 4 mysteriously at some point every single month. I started paying more attention to what was going on prior to and after it and every single time there was either exercise that resulted in sore muscles right before it (water gain from inflammation) or I got TOM within a couple days. The weight would stick around until the inflammation was gone or TOM was about over and I would end up less than before it appeared in the first place.
    Don't worry about it. If you didn't over indulge in calories enough to explain it, it's not real weight gain.
  • dena5
    dena5 Posts: 2 Member
    chaychay48 wrote: »
    I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!
    You should share your secret of gaining weight via not eating enough. It could save a lot of starving people.

  • dena5
    dena5 Posts: 2 Member
    If your not eating enough your body can go into starvation mode. And if your not drinking enough water you will retain as well. So it could be both. Have faith in yourself. And take in at least 20g of carbs.
  • socalprincess1
    socalprincess1 Posts: 52 Member
    dena5 wrote: »
    If your not eating enough your body can go into starvation mode. And if your not drinking enough water you will retain as well. So it could be both. Have faith in yourself. And take in at least 20g of carbs.

    That starvation mode thing is a myth. I'm too lazy to link it, but there are plenty of posts here you can search for the science that disproves it.
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