Hitting a plateau... also hello! I'm new to the group!

sicklidae

Hi all, I'm new to the group! 25 year old female, mother of 1.
I have previously done keto, I'm 5' 6" and was 195 lbs, lost 50 lbs doing a keto diet. I fell of the rails last year once I hit 145, (I was plateauing and it was thanksgiving time... my will power faltered, and then it was Christmas... and New Years... and you know.. all the way back up to 165 lbs I went)
I'm back at it again, and back down to 145 lbs and 25% body fat, but I'm plateauing again! Right at 145, again! I've been stuck at 145 for almost 3 weeks. Ketostix still show moderate ketones.
I started a food diary again, and found I'm only averaging 1000 calories a day. I don't mean to eat so little, I just eat when I'm hungry, and eat until satiated. Could my lack of calories actually be the cause of the stall?
I don't really need to lose much more, but it's a bit annoying that I've come so far to hit a block so close to my goal. If anyone has run in to similar situations, what helped you? Could eating more help me weigh less? (seems funny!)

nicintime

Be content with figuring out how and what maintenance looks like for you.

You are young.

Hundreds on this forum would give their right arm to be where you are. Enjoy it. Let your body settle.

If you only managed to avoid the yo yo weight cycle that hundreds of us have experienced you will be WAY ahead!

It is HARD to see long term when you're young. Grab the experience / pleas of us older folk, take a deep breath, and stay the course! You're off to a great start.

It's never about weight loss alone, it is maintaining that loss!

Keep at it, be patient, weight loss will come.

SuesNewImage

Your body will settle into its own goal weight when on keto. Stick with logging so u don't go up & fall for the yoyo. Calories is not that important, Protein & macros for your health & muscle stability is more important.
What a great effort you have made. You have not won the race by reaching a number you set, but this is your lifetime race and your body is talking to you. Enjoy the journey & listen to your body.

ettaterrell

At your weight you really should eat more and get adjusted to having carbs back in ur diet unless ur gonna eat low carb forever (some of us see it as a life style) but if u keep pushing the fast weight loss at ur current wait once u get where ur going ur going to stop then start eating and well the cycle will start over again back up to 165+ so best thing is to slow down loose the rest by getting readjusted

totaloblivia

Isn't 145 lbs a healthy weight for your height? Genuine question!

KnitOrMiss

145 is the upper limit for 5'4", so I would imagine that 145 is somewhere in the healthy range for 5'6".

simbartes

I'm 5'6 and my goal weight is a healthy 135 pounds if that gives some clarity. 145 is also in the healthy weight range.

sicklidae

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and experience. I definitely don't want to end up yo-yoing again, so I am logging. I really don't want to go back to my old ways again I've realized health is a lifelong journey, not some quick fix to fit into a dress. My plan wasn't to do very low carb forever, I know it is a lifestyle for some, but I will continue to stay much lower than what most people eat, I like it, and don't feel deprived, and find that I'm hardly ever hungry since the fats and protein really keep you going.

totaloblivia wrote: »

Isn't 145 lbs a healthy weight for your height? Genuine question!

Ideal weight depends on your frame, for someone with a larger frame it could be, but my bones are more petite. For a medium frame at 5' 6" its about 130-144, so I'm just shy of that range. My body fat percentage is at 25% which is also just shy of "ideal" My hope is to get to being solidly in the middle of ideal.

KnitOrMiss

Something else to consider is that muscles play a way different effect on body composition. Check out these two links for comparison of higher body weights/smaller body sizes...

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/09/26/an-update-with-staci-our-powerlifting-superhero-plus-academy-scholarships/

stillonamission

We are kindred souls! Lol. I also seem to be stuck at 145. It seems to be my body's happy place. I am 34, 5'5 and started my keto diet at 225. I lost 90 pounds in eight months and gained 10 pounds in the last two years. I have been LC on and off in that time, but have pretty dedicated for since Jan 1st of this year (where did the time go?) My goal is 125 just based on a middle range BMI, and it is very hard not to get discouraged.

With the help of forum friends I have created weekly and daily goals so I have something to work on a daily bases instead of thinking long term (or about the pounds) because that can be discouraging at this stage in the game. As long as you are tracking everything and eating when you are hungry, I think it is okay. But I am no doctor. How long have you been eating less than 1000?

Some days even two or three in a row I eat under 1000, and some days I eat upwards of 1400. It just depends on if I am hungry, and I think my cycle has a say as well. I do seem to lose more if I up my fat and keep my protein moderate, but it is a tangled web... and very hard for me to do.

To break stalls I have tried an egg fast with varying success. It helps me loose a few pounds, but I usually gain them back over the following weeks.

KnitOrMiss

Another thing to consider is that while BMI is sort of arbitrary anyway, BMI is not an accurate measuring tool for anyone who's ever been overweight. I think this is the post it's covered in, but basically, even though our fat cells empty, most of them don't die, and so regain is far easier - AND the space taken up by empty cells is still space and weight and still affects how low we actually can safely and healthfully get!

http://www.refusetoregain.com/2015/05/bmi-tool-or-tyranny.html

CommandaPanda

Make your diary public and let's have a look!

stillonamission

@KnitOrMiss that is a really interesting article. I wonder if age and length of obesity has a tie in with that as well.

My BMI was considered 'obese' for 3.5 years, although 3 or 4 years before that I would have been considered overweight. My BMI is currently in the White 'normal' range, but I still would like to loose a little more. Although I understand it is a balance between toning what I have and loosing the extra belly fat, plus I had a c-section birth, so that makes things slightly more challenging.

I think of a BMI as a general idea, but the closer you get to your goal everything needs to be taken into account, not just the ending numbers. I also don't think your BMI has much to do with decreasing your body fat %. I totally fall in to the 'skinny fat' column.

My lowest was 135, two Novembers ago, and I felt really good. I wonder if because I was not fighting a long term obesity problem that my body was able to return to the 'normal' range.

looney9708

HANG IN THERE! My body is doing the exact same thing. But after 5 weeks in seeing a whoosh. Also with such low calories how much exercise are you getting? I was eating similar macros and calories and working out hard. Cico right? Macros correct? Why not add some sweat?! Well, the opposite happened and my fat went up and I had muscle loss. I weigh in a specialized water tank to test.

I was told by my nutritionist to back off sweat exercise and the Weight is budging. But it's been 5-6 weeks. Hang in there. It will be worth it