Ugh ... so much hassle.

DietPrada

So, I've been Keto for about 2 years. I've read everything there is to read, tried everything there is to try over that time. My diet is clean, I don't do bars, artificial sweeteners, fake baked goods, dairy (other than butter), I drink my damn water, I take my magnesium/potassium, I've dropped my calories from 1900 (where I used to lose weight) to 1550, I've tried calorie cycling, you name it. I think my problem is hormonal, something to do with it being TTOTM for like 3 and a half weeks out of every 4. I just don't know. But this year I've struggled - hard - to go from 108kg to 96.4kg. I still have 22kg to lose. (That's about 22lb loss in 9 months for you Americans). In that time I've not had one cheat. Not one day where I've eaten above 20g of carbs. Not once. I've said NO to all the things. I get discouraged when I see constant posts on here and on Facebook which say "Poor me, I've only lost 30lb in 2 months, and I've only had a few cheats here and there other than that I've been mostly good". Every time I get excited I've lost a bit, the following week it's back. I have to remind myself that the primary reason for eating this way is to avoid type 2 diabetes which has ravaged my family, but still, the weight loss is also an important factor. Anyway, end of rant, I'm just frustrated as hell. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

MissMaggieElizabeth

Singing my song sister. I even dropped to 10 carbs a day and lost a little more but the yoyo was making me nuts. I so get it. Finally I went to 5 gm carbs and most of that was from HWC , eggs and cheese and a little lettuce and I started dropping. I plan on upping the veggie carbs as soon as I get to goal. I dropped about 40 pounds after going all the way down to 5 carbs a day in the last 6 months. Still slow but consistant downward except for small raises like in tenths up. Weight naturally does this daily. It is when it keeps going up that I am not happy. It is tough some times. I also lowered my calories to around 1000 or less. Mostly because I am just not hungry enough to eat more than that. I am NOT restricting calories. I just get full and stay full feeling for hours eating the very low carb.

GaleHawkins

I hear the fast loss stories too. 14 months ago I was at 230 and have been bouncing around 205 +/- 5 pounds for many months. I put on a new shirt that was full tight at the gut level and even after a meal the buttons have no pressure on them. Finally my last lump seems to be downsizing with no weight change.

Health is still improving. I am backing off the coconut oil from 5 down to 2 tablespoons each morning and really I am not as hungry as I was six months ago. I am not talking about cravings because they have been going for a year but I have been very high calorie this last year.

While I expect I had the fatty liver, leaking gut, etc it may just be as we are getting more calories out of the same food due to better absorption, more sensitive to insulin, etc or just more efficient burning food and/or using a higher grade of food?

I plan to just stay the course at this time. While more subtle the NSV's are still there in my case. I was very sick I now realize and was about to set off the TILT buzzer.

macchiatto

I'm sorry; that's so frustrating. I hope you're able to hit on something that works for you. @KnitorMiss had posted something recently about re-setting your metabolism; I don't know much about that concept but is that something you've tried? (It involves gradually increasing to maintenance calories for a short time and then dropping back down.)

crunchketo

I hear you on the frustration! Your track record is amazing! Are you working out too? I'm just trying to add workouts to my routine. I hope it helps get me over my hump!

Twibbly

Have you seen a doctor with a clue ( ie, functional medicine practitioner or whoever it is that specializes in hormones) about it being TTOTM practically the entire month? You may have things going on that need more than dietary intervention, at least temporarily.

sljohnson1207

If you are bleeding that much, it is not normal, and you need to see a doctor that has a clue, like twibbly said, and get a thorough evaluation. Could be your birth control, if you use it, or per-menopause, or thyroid disease, or even endometriosis. None of us know, and won't be able to diagnose on here at all. You will have to see a doctor, or two.

Unfortunately, even if everything is perfect with your health, many of us have experienced big stalls in weight loss on the scale, but have switched focus to NSVs like smaller clothes, more energy, better mental clarity, etc. to get us through the frustrations.

And, of course, you always have the option of not dieting for awhile and trying to maintain. This is where I am, and I've truly not been that successful at maintenance.

redbeard

22 lbs in 9 months is something to be proud of! Okay, yes, I'm an American If you had put on 22 lbs in 9 months, you would feel terrible. You did the opposite, you should be ecstatic!

I understand it is frustratingly slow. Sometimes you have to go back to the basics though. I won't pretend to deal with the woman side of the equation, but even in low carb, the basics of ins and outs still apply.

Bottom line, what you are eating is fueling your body. Your deficit isn't large enough to cause a larger weight loss. Nothing wrong with that, you are losing, which is awesome. Keep it up.

To lose faster, you might be doing this already, but add 30 minutes of walking to your day. If you are walking already, add 30 minutes more. I know this is easy to say and MUCH harder to do.

Keep in mind, the people who post that they lost massive amounts of weight in a short time are at the beginning of the journey, where this is easier. As you lose weight, it does come off slower and slower. You have to make adjustments. Usually nothing major, but little tweaks to get the weight coming off again!

KarlaYP

You're playing my song! I've managed to lose 41 pounds since March, 2015 (which is awesome!), but I've only lost right at 4 lbs since June! Yes, that's 4 new pounds lost, in six months! And, I didn't cheat either! I completely understand your frustration with the scale. I have had to rely on inches lost and the health I'm gaining to keep me going. I could have given up (would have without the NSVs!), but am so glad I didn't!

Your bleeding issues are another topic. I don't believe it's truly diet related. Either way it's keeping you in an inflamed state, so the scale won't cooperate until that inflammation is corrected. That's my opinion on that. You said, before, that you had seen your doctor about this, and was told that everything was normal. I recommend a second opinion. Bleeding that much is a sign that something is wrong. Plus, the aggravation of just having to deal with it can be exhausting! Hugs dear! I hope this all gets worked out for you soon!

DietPrada

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm definitely at a sufficient calorie deficit for my age/height/weight/activity level, I realistically can't drop it down any more. I've tried to mix it up a little, eating 1900 or so on the weekends and 1300 to 1400 during the week to try and shake lose my metabolism.

As for the hormonal issues, I'm kinda out of options at this point. It started back when I had a mirena (6 years ago) but after the mirena was removed it settled down. I've been to maybe 4 different doctors in the last 6 years, and twice to a very good gyno, which cost me $300 a pop. The end result is really not much. The last doctor blamed it on the pill and gave me an implanon, telling me it was a different hormone and would settle down in 3 to 6 months. It's been 6 months. The gyno blamed it on the mirena and said it had caused some lesions which she cauterised and said would heal in a few weeks. She suggested a hysterectomy if I continued to have problems. I'm not ready for that kind of solution yet. It doesn't seem to matter which birth control I use, and in fact it wasn't as bad as it is until 2 years ago when I started eating strict Keto.

Christine_72

So going on the pill wont help? I know it's just a band aid fix for now, but it may give you some relief until it gets sorted. Have you upped your carbs yet Ebony?

DietPrada

I've been trying the last few days to eat a few more carbs. It's scary when you've been so low for so long. I see 30g in MFP and think I've had too many I'm not sure about the pill, I had the pill for about 4 years between the mirena and the implanon and it didn't help. I've also had more than one doctor tell me the pill is not a good idea because of my age and weight, it can apparently increase the risk of stroke. SMH being a woman.

DelilahCat0212

Have you looked into endometrial ablation? I'm hoping weight loss resolves my problem but in the meantime, I'm saving up for one. I have a high deductible on my health insurance.

KnitOrMiss

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm definitely at a sufficient calorie deficit for my age/height/weight/activity level, I realistically can't drop it down any more. I've tried to mix it up a little, eating 1900 or so on the weekends and 1300 to 1400 during the week to try and shake lose my metabolism.

As for the hormonal issues, I'm kinda out of options at this point. It started back when I had a mirena (6 years ago) but after the mirena was removed it settled down. I've been to maybe 4 different doctors in the last 6 years, and twice to a very good gyno, which cost me $300 a pop. The end result is really not much. The last doctor blamed it on the pill and gave me an implanon, telling me it was a different hormone and would settle down in 3 to 6 months. It's been 6 months. The gyno blamed it on the mirena and said it had caused some lesions which she cauterised and said would heal in a few weeks. She suggested a hysterectomy if I continued to have problems. I'm not ready for that kind of solution yet. It doesn't seem to matter which birth control I use, and in fact it wasn't as bad as it is until 2 years ago when I started eating strict Keto.

A good friend on mine had similar problems with various birth control, and the Implanon or Nexplanon, whichever, it made her bleed constantly, and it never eased up. She's currently pursing a hysterectomy. She has endometrious, and possibly also PCOS, though the latter is not confirmed. She's having all kinds of crazy blood sugar reactions, and nonsense, too.

As far as birth control and artificial hormones and all that, unless you require it for pregnancy prevention, I would drop it all like a hotcake. I would then look at hormone balancing supplements like Inositol and Vitex to help naturally restore your hormone functions. The body simply is not made to handle artificial hormones for extended lengths of time.

Keto does make me super sensitive to any hormone fluctuations (like if I take my pill 30+ minutes late, I might have spotting), and all kinds of mess. But, I have PCOS and the pill is actually part of my treatment for that and for my Pelvic Organ Prolapse. Yes, I take the pill, yes I know the risks, yes, I monitor all my blood work regularly.

As someone else said above, if you feel like you've explored all the sex-hormone side of things, consider looking into the endocrine side of things. They are all hormones and blood chemicals. If the body is lacking in one or many, it will literally steal the least critical hormone and convert it for it's own needs. My body was drained perpetually of adrenaline (verified with testing). I had no measurable progesterone on repeated tests (different measurements and all manner of craziness) DESPITE SUPPLEMENTATION. My body was taking the progesterone it decided was unimportant and converting it to adrenaline and cortisol, etc., that I needed to function.

I have since discovered the PCOS and changed a ton of things up. I have also learned I am hypothyroid and have been for a long time, since long before it ever showed up on tests. Any time blood work shows my hormones out of control, yup, my thyroid is wonky (one of the 15 tests or whatever my endocrinologist runs)...balancing it balances everything.

So personally, I would look for an endocrinologist who deals with the endocrine/hormone connections... Good luck. Hope you've had some progress by now, @EbonyDahlia

lovesretirement

DelilahCat0212 wrote: »

Have you looked into endometrial ablation? I'm hoping weight loss resolves my problem but in the meantime, I'm saving up for one. I have a high deductible on my health insurance.

This is an excellent alternative to the hysterectomy! Many years ago when I was just beginning the peri-menopause phase, I had heavy bleeding that would lasts for weeks on end. The first option offered was the big H. Only when I asked for an alternative was the ablation mentioned. Easy, out patient, done on Friday, and I was back at work Monday. I never had any bleeding after it. The hysterectomy is big money and a long recovery, and that's why it's pushed as the first option.