Feeling pretty discouraged today
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dietbepsi
Posts: 136 Member
It's been 4 weeks. I have never went over 20 net carbs, or 1300 calories. The scale is barely budging. Maybe 5/6 pounds total. I excercise using a HIIT workout four times a week. My clothes don't really feel any different. And the last couple days I haven't even felt good. Kind of groggy, my tummy feels yucky, and I'm really craving carbs. And my energy is low. Not like it was. I have kept my sodium to at least 4000 a day. I just don't know why I'm feeling so down and discouraged but I don't like it. 
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The sodium helps regulate some brain effects, but it does it by reducing fluid losses. You're losing more than a pound per week, which seems great to me, but it'll seem less dramatic than some partly because you're not losing as much fluid as they are.
The energy boost from ketones seems to attenuate after a while. In the beginning, you'll feel like the energizer bunny.
It's a long-term process. I kept losing SLOWLY for 9 months. But I never felt discouraged, because it just felt like the right way to eat for me.
FWIW, you may be overdoing it a bit with the combo of exercise, calorie restriction, and carb restriction. How's your hunger level? How's your stress level? Eat. And relax. 0 -
I recently went through the same kind a plateau, and I couldn't figure it out either. I was being so careful on my diet! But two things I decided to start trying is really drinking a lot of water, and refocusing on getting 10,000 steps a day walking. I have started to jog recently, but wasn't getting 10,000 steps per day despite getting a very good cardio workout. For the water I put a straw in my drink and flavored it with Stur water enhancer (Amazon sells) plus mineral drops for added potassium and magnesium and it helped me drink a lot more, and as of last week I broke the plateau and I lost 3 1/2 pounds. Nothing else in my diet changed. Good luck.0
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So, just an observation. I recall you asking about dessert fat bombs and fathead pizza crust before. Not that these are necessarily a problem, but for me and some others they are because they cause cravings and lead to overeating. And I really am of the belief that all carbs count and lots of people really need to go with the total carb count because it just works better for them to be tighter with the carbs.
Then I recall you saying that you gave in one day and ate an off plan meal in a moment of weakness...
So, you've actually had pretty great success with a loose low carb diet.
It's my opinion that the craving for carbs is highly associated with the inclusion of "faux foods" like low carb desserts, breads and crusts. It is for me and I know it is for others as well. Maybe it is for you too.0 -
You're doing fine. Hang in there. If you are finding it really difficult to maintain the less than 30 carbs per day, that it is causing you a lot of stress and maybe you're obsessing about it... I would suggest upping your carbs to an easier number for a little while. Like just keep it under 75g per day, and see how you're doing in another month. I found that when I first started, I just didn't really have it all figured out as far as meal planning, low carb substitutes, eating at restaurants, etc. So for me I kind of gave up on the under 30 per day because I couldn't (happily) maintain it, but I can quite happily maintain a range of 25-75g per day (and 75 would be lots for sure). You might feel like you have more room to "breathe" and that might ease the pressure if you feel like you're not seeing results that make the effort worthwhile.
In the past I have been able to reap the benefits of a low carb diet (reduced appetite/cravings, steady energy, consistent weight loss) without being in full-blown ketosis the whole time. Plus I love my vegetables, I simply could not give them up. Especially the veggies from my own garden. I gave up pasta but there's no way I'm giving up tomatoes!!0 -
Also wanted to mention that because you said it's been 4 weeks, your cycle could be throwing you for a loop at this point. I only show weight loss on the scale in the first 2 weeks of my cycle, then it's crazy up and down for 2 weeks, then I show a loss again. YMMV.0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »So, just an observation. I recall you asking about dessert fat bombs and fathead pizza crust before. Not that these are necessarily a problem, but for me and some others they are because they cause cravings and lead to overeating. And I really am of the belief that all carbs count and lots of people really need to go with the total carb count because it just works better for them to be tighter with the carbs.
Then I recall you saying that you gave in one day and ate an off plan meal in a moment of weakness...
So, you've actually had pretty great success with a loose low carb diet.
It's my opinion that the craving for carbs is highly associated with the inclusion of "faux foods" like low carb desserts, breads and crusts. It is for me and I know it is for others as well. Maybe it is for you too.
I agree with sunny_bunny_
faux foods and sugar free products sweetened with artificial sweeteners have been known to cause cravings for sweets and carbs. It doesn't effect everyone that way, but if you are eating those types of foods maybe try backing off them for a while and see if that helps...?
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »So, just an observation. I recall you asking about dessert fat bombs and fathead pizza crust before. Not that these are necessarily a problem, but for me and some others they are because they cause cravings and lead to overeating. And I really am of the belief that all carbs count and lots of people really need to go with the total carb count because it just works better for them to be tighter with the carbs.
Then I recall you saying that you gave in one day and ate an off plan meal in a moment of weakness...
So, you've actually had pretty great success with a loose low carb diet.
It's my opinion that the craving for carbs is highly associated with the inclusion of "faux foods" like low carb desserts, breads and crusts. It is for me and I know it is for others as well. Maybe it is for you too.
Hmm, I don't recall having any cheat meals. I've been pretty strict with myself, that might've been some one else. Unless I'm really losing it, but I don't think so. As far as the fat head, I actually never made it, I haven't had anything "faux" carbohydrates. But I definitely was curious about it. As far as the fat bombs I made them a couple of weeks ago and I had four of them total but I've never made any since then. But I was definitely asking about them.
The only thing I can think of is the other night I made something out of sugar-free Jell-O.
As far as the walking, I work in a hospital for the pharmacy and I walk about 16,000 steps a day. It's crazy! One thing I definitely can check is my total carbohydrates, I don't eat anything that has carbohydrates other than my vegetables, but I might have to tighten it up. My macros have been less than 10% carbohydrate every day. Usually about seven. I probably get my major carbohydrates from cashews, so I really need to not eat those anymore. Even though I try to only eat a serving a day, that could be inhibiting me. I told myself I was going to stay off of the scale, I think that's what really threw me for a loop this morning. I really just need to hide the darn thing, I mean have my husband hide it.
I was actually feeling pretty good about everything until I stood on the scale. Plus I just didn't feel well today. Then I read another post that someone said that avocados don't sit well with her belly. I love avocados and I have no problem with them usually, but last night I ate one and I felt really tingly in my mouth and my stomach hasn't been right since. So maybe something weird happened with that. Who knows.
I'm at the mall now with my teenage daughter and her three friends, they all just had Chick-fil-A and I had a five guys bunless burger with lettuce, tomato, onion cheese and pickles. Pretty good!
Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement, you guys are all great.0 -
Actually I just checked. My carbs have been either 5% or 7% each day. I need to do that keto calculator, for some reason I have a hard time figuring it out. Because it's asking me to select and I don't want to select I want it to tell me lol. Maybe that percentage is too high? I'm not really sure0
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I forgot about the biscuit! Lol. I told you, I must be losing it! Today I went to the store for two things and I forgot what the second thing was0
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Argh every time I put in an Emoji it cuts off my post, this was the rest............But heavens if a biscuit in four weeks causes me to not lose weight that's a scary thought! I really had some pretty high highs and some pretty low lows in the last four weeks with how I feel. I'm beginning to wonder if feeling nauseous and foggy every few days is worth it. And I know I don't have a lot to lose, only 20 pounds but those 20 pounds I really do want to lose! I was watching that documentary fat head the other day, (which was super interesting) and when he followed that fast food diet his carbs were sometimes 125 a day and he still lost a good amount of weight. I must be really resistant and very sensitive to carbs. I really do believe this way of eating is right (and makes such sense) I think I'm just needing to refocus and watch my total carbs and see what happens.0
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I've been in a stall too. It's annoying but try not to stress about it the scale will move again. The groggy tired thing sounds like you need sodium. I get that feeling too and apparently right now my body really needs a lot of sodium. Stay strong, the biscuit isn't preventing you from losing weight but it likely messed up some water retention stuff and electrolytes. You'll get through this.0
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Keep in mind that you haven't adapted yet. And 1 biscuit and low carb versions of high carb foods can interfere with that to some degree.
You said you only have 20 pounds to lose.
YOU JUST LOST 5-6 pounds in one month and you didn't even have to adhere to diet for every single meal to make that happen.
Plus you are some yummy low carb desserts.
I don't think you're extra carb sensitive. I think you need to give yourself a break.
It took me 5 months to lose my most recent 4 pounds. 0.6 of which is showing back on the scale and in my Happy Scale app this week.
Right now, I'm 10 pounds to goal. 5 months ago, I was,of course 14 pounds to goal. Not too far from where you are. But that 4 pounds looks like this.
You are simply not going to lose 2 pounds a week like someone with 50 to 80 or more pounds to lose will.
Anyone losing that much with only 20 pounds to lose is losing quite a lot of muscle too.
And if you're not feeling well, you need to consider your electrolytes.
Sodium must be a priority while adapting and sometimes after too. Magnesium is vitally important, especially since your losing sodium right now.
You have to stay firmly on plan to adapt otherwise you spend time teetering on that in and out of ketosis threshold and that is a super sucky place to be! You don't have to do Keto to succeed. But you either want to be in or out. Teetering on the brink sucks.0 -
Another thing about how just 1 biscuit can be such a problem.
1. Eat biscuit.
2. Body secretes a fair amount of insulin
3. Body is now in a carb burning state.
4. Eaten gravy and fats with biscuit are immediately stored as fat because you're burning carbs. And not fat adapted being new.
5. Takes a couple of hours to even begin to get back to a point where you can burn fat again.
6. Body gives signal creating cravings because it's adapted for burning carbs not fat. It wants more carbs. You get cravings.0 -
5-6 lbs in 4 weeks isn't bad, really. I can understand being frustrated though b/c you often hear of others having faster losses initially.
FWIW I also started with about 20 lbs to lose. I lost 8 lbs in the first 2 weeks but then was in basically a plateau for about 4 weeks (the scale waffled up and down a little but in a range of just a couple of lbs) ... so 6 weeks in and I was still only down about 8 lbs. I was eating a similar calorie level, too (around 1350). I was getting antsy and frustrated, too, but then I did start losing again and it ended up taking me about 3 months to lose the 20 lbs. Hang in there! FWIW I had two days of a pseudo egg fast/lower cal days and that seemed to get things jump-started again. I did that at two different points, around that 6-week mark and then once again several weeks after that and both times it seemed to help (and I did have higher-cal days here and there, too, so overall my average was right on track).0 -
@dietbepsi cashews are personally my weight loss nemesis. I find that I have difficulty stopping. Also, mfp cashew calories vary from what looks high to astonishingly high per cashew. My fave salted roasted cashews, when checked are the latter and even though eating 15 to 20 cashews a day, I was under reporting by, if I remember correctly, over 100 calories. I substituted initially for boring almonds which I eat if I need energy rather than want food. Might be worth a try.
With 20lbs to go your 5-6lbs loss in 4 weeks is a cause for celebration. I can go 4 weeks with less than half a pound loss. I then can drop 2lbs in a week and go back to nothing much for weeks. Nothing much for me is 5 times less than what you are percieving as not much. A pound a week average with only 20lbs to go is great. Over that, like you are getting, is to my mind awesome. Hope that perspective helps a bit
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Wow those pictures are amazing at "only" four pounds!! You look great! And about those cashews. Yes I think they are my nemesis, definitely cutting them out! Again thanks everyone. You all pointed out some valid points 0
