What is going on? Is keto not working for me?
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I have been trying to read up on everything about the Keto way of life. I have had a couple weeks now that I have not really lost any weight and I have realized that it's ok. I have 60 lbs to lose. After taking my blood glucose and keto readings, I have found that my blood glucose is spiking upon waking, this is called dawn phenomenon. Basically my liver has excess sugar it needs to get rid of. A sign my body still has healing to do. I feel I am on the right track so I plan on plugging away and all will work out in the end.3
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I haven't checked my blood glucose (I'm not diabetic so I don't have a glucometer) but I must really be messed upgrandmaJMB wrote: »I have been trying to read up on everything about the Keto way of life. I have had a couple weeks now that I have not really lost any weight and I have realized that it's ok. I have 60 lbs to lose. After taking my blood glucose and keto readings, I have found that my blood glucose is spiking upon waking, this is called dawn phenomenon. Basically my liver has excess sugar it needs to get rid of. A sign my body still has healing to do. I feel I am on the right track so I plan on plugging away and all will work out in the end.0 -
"Okay. My body and my brain are so confused right now. I'm new to this woe (just going on 2months). At first everything I read said even going low carb, calories still count. Then I read that you only count carbs and if your calories are too low before you become keto adapted you will lose muscle as your body will still be searching for glucose, so I increased my calories. Then I read if you get hungry eat more fat (which of course increases your calories) then, I read an interesting article by a Dr Fung and he had a graph to show how calories worked.....but it still looked like calories in and calories outto me......just in a different way! Nothing is changing...I can't count 2 pounds in 2months as weight loss and the inches are minimal. Before menopause most of my weight was in my legs, calves, even my ankles are fat, hips and uppers arms. Now, I also have abdominal and back fat to go along with it. I'm 5'2" and 193 pounds
Do I need daily menus/plans so I know WHAT to eat??....no, I don't know what I need! Today I felt like I ate a lot, because I was hungry. I have been tracking in My fitness pal and there are some days I eat so many calories it says I will be heavier in 5 weeks other days it says you will be 188 pounds in 5 weeks (which is 5 pounds) but I don't even know if their formula is right????
Someone recommend eating to satisfaction, so I am trying that......but I've got to admit I'm scared I'll gain even more weight! I weight the most I have ever weighed and I'm beginning to feel panicked! I'm discourage, frightened, stressed and did I say scared? That this won't work for me and I'll never be able to lose weight! I haven't had any cheat foods at all....except 1lick back in mid-June, I cut out all wine, don't drink diet sodas or even use artificial sweeteners, yet. I cut dairy back, too. I'm not diabetic, not on any medications......not even taking Tylenol. I didn't get to get baseline lab work done before I started because we changed insurance and I couldn't get in to see the Doctor for 3 months! So, why don't I see results that everyone else is raving about? No, better question ....why don't I see ANY results? What is wrong with me?"0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
I do this every day. If I haven't bothered to pre-log, I just start throwing together things, and modifying until it all maths out.
Do you go into lockdown mode till the next day one you hit your targets?
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
I do this every day. If I haven't bothered to pre-log, I just start throwing together things, and modifying until it all maths out.
Do you go into lockdown mode till the next day one you hit your targets?
Yeah, but it's absurdly easy for me, given that by the time I am done eating, I'm only about an hour from going to sleep.1 -
@saltysailors don't give up! I've been doing this for 9 weeks, the first two weeks I lost, weeks 3/4 & 5 I pretty much held maybe lost a pound or two. I've been on here and reading wherever possible, sounds like you are doing the same thing. I'm 5'8'' and stay around the 1550 and less, keep my carbs under 20, most of the time they are around 10, protein moderate and fat between 110 to 120 g because trial and error, this is what I have found to work best for me personally. If I eat to much fat I hold same with protein, to many carbs up. Also, I just looked at your sodium, you are way to low, you really need it at a minimum of 3000. I don't like to much salt either and I found using Kosher or Sea Salt gets me up where I need to be. I too have to track my meals, my husband doesn't and seems to eat all the time (yes, he is doing this with me) and he does fine.
When I started off I used Linda's Low Carb meals to help me, she has an induction period, maybe that would help you. Here is her link genaw.com/lowcarb/induction_menus/induction_menu_1.html. She has it for 20 carbs or less a day, give it a try, what would it hurt?
Wishing you the best on this, glad to hear you haven't given up!
Oh yeah, I have found if I eat cheese in the evenings that will mess with my weight and so does nuts.4 -
Really glad I found this thread!!
I was logging on another low carb site, and not losing a thing....everyone kept telling me I wasn't eating enough...and I was eating 1600 calories!!
I came here and thankfully found this group, and I am keeping my carbs low and working on shrinking my calories Feeling great about this WOE again!!!! 5 -
@2Bhealthier2 thanks for the tips and for taking the time to look at my diary! Does low salt hinder weight loss? Yes, I'm having trouble with salt...I got some bouillon cubes and had broth last night and will continue that nightly. I do add salt to my food, but forget/don't know how to add it to my diary :-) :-)
Since I've only lost negligible amounts, I'm going back to square 1& keeping a written diary of how I feel before I eat as well as how long it if before I'm hungry again....to troubleshoot.....2 -
I think you should consider what your weaknesses are. Mine is fat, as much as it was ever carbs. I just lost 6 pounds eating moderately low carb, with more vegetables, higher protein, and cutting back on heavy whipping cream. That didn't happen when I was netting 20 grams of carbs/day and eating more fat. I haven't been drinking anything but water.4
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@saltysailors it can be so mind boggling. No matter what woe you follow, calories do matter. Try setting using KetoDiet Buddy to set your macros. Enter your info and scroll down to see how many calories and how much of each macro you need to eat to lose weight. http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/page/KetoDiet-Buddy
Just remember to hit your protein macros. Protein requirements will always stay the same whether losing weight or maintaining. Carbs should be set fairly low to start, like at 20 grams then the balance in fats. You do not have to meet the carb or fat macros. Fats keep you satisfied and full but if your fat macro is at 70% you really don't need all of it unless you are hungry. If you decide to raise your carbs, you will lower the fat to balance out. I wouldn't raise them much until you reach maintenance.2 -
@dmariet116 that makes some sense.....so I figure my protein for maintenance (since that is based on lean body mass and doesn't really change) then lower my carbs to 20 or less (which I already did) and fill the rest with fat? What happens on those days I'm starving and end up eating 2000 calories or more!?(and of course both protein and fat macros go up cuz I'm not eatin' carbs! ) and at the other end of the spectrum...what happens if I'm not hungry and say I hit my protein macros and don't really eat much else and say my calories only come in at 900 for the day....then what happens? Am I going to screw up my metabolism or is that when I use my body's fat as fuel?
And what happens if I eat too much protein cuz I'm not paying attention? Like today.....I did fair on calories, but protein was 77 grams (apparently should have been closer to 70-72) carbs good at 18 total grams & fat 116 grams0 -
I've noticed with me that once I stopped eating on schedule and eating to hunger, i ate less. Its still a fight because I was so stuck on eating every 2-3 hours because of my diabetes and I am scared to death of low blood sugar drops. When I increased my fat intake (mostly due to BPC), I feel full longer and less hungry. Its definitely a re-training of how I was indoctrinated lol. I also believe calories due matter so I keep to the minimum given to be by the keto app. Well i try, sometimes i do go over but not often. And I can say Im majority in ketosis because I can smell it unfortunatley lol
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@genmon00 For the past 8-9 months I don't eat to schedule per say, but sometimes I eat when my hubby does as we are both home full time right now (semi-retired & renovations our home) I have been trying to eat when I am hungry only1
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@saltysailors A few grams +/- on protein won't create a problem. You definitely won't mess up your metabolism if you eat more one day and less the next. Actually many people do this to intentionally keep their metabolism from reaching a set point. For example, your total calories are set at say 1200 per day. 2 days you eat 1000 then 2 days you eat 1400 instead of a straight 1200 every day. It's still 4800 calories for those 4 days. Your metabolism naturally slows down with less calories and speeds up with more. So you really don't need to eat exactly your daily allotment every day. Just eat til full. If you meet your protein requirements every day within a few grams, keep your carbs 20 or under (going under will never create a problem) then just add fat to fill in the rest. The actual % don't really matter as long as you are satisfied. I quite often eat over by 500 calories a few days a week, but if I am full after only 900 I stop eating and call it a day.
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@dmariet116 thanks! I'm just so darn frustrated that I'm not able to lose any weight(fat) & I'm trying to figure out what is going on and where I need to change2
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@saltysailors --
My apologies if you've already been down this path, but I wonder if it might be a good idea to start keeping tabs on various blood levels, esp. glucose, electrolytes, vitamins & minerals, and hormones (leptin, cortisol...).
Is it possible that you're miscounting - that your CO < your CI? (How might this be happening?)
Or that you're retaining a lot of fluid?
Baffling...
Good luck! Your ship will sail one of these days.2 -
@RalfLott I'm not monitoring any blood levels of anything. I'm not diabetic, but I am menopausal. Just using urine keto strips. I could be miscounting CI vs CO.....anything is possible.0
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Your body may be healing other issues, @saltysailors, and will put the energy toward that first before weight loss. Any joint issues or digestive issues clearing up, is your skin clearer, do you have more energy, etc....??. Hang in there.1
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@canadjineh I do have joint issues....and some carpel tunnel (inflammation issues)....so, I guess I'm still healing on the inside1
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Late to this thread but just wanted to offer up two suggestions:
Stay away from the "frankenfoods"! It's it's in a wrapper put it down! When you first start or hit a spot that you can't budge from I've always found it best to eliminate bars, low carb breads and sweets, sometimes even protein powders. In other words clean, natural foods ONLY for as many days till that scale moves.
Protein days! (Egg days!). This is something I've carried over from a low carb diet many years ago. This helps kick your body into ketosis faster. You can do this for 1 to 3 days if needed. But this is zero carb. Protein only. I save this trick for days that I messed up and find myself kicked out of ketosis.0 -
I found some foods I like early on in the program, and eat nearly the same diet every day. 3 eggs and a sausage (Aidells smoked chicken with habanero and jack cheese) for breakfast. Tuna, spinach, mayo and Parmesan cheese crisps for lunch. 2 eggs, another sausage, made into tacos with high fiber-low carb tortillas with white queso. Fits my macros perfectly with a 200-ish calorie deficit. Weekends I use trying out different keto recipes, will occasionally go over on calories but it keeps me interested. I may find something that can enter the daily rotation.
Plan your meals, do some research to find items you like that you can eat consistently. Weekends stick to macros, but be willing to change the diet up a bit to keep it interesting and don't worry as much about calorie deficit.1 -
If you are drinking alcohol your body will burn that before burning fat or Ketones. Although alcohol is not listed as a carb is has a big impact on your liver and it is metabolized differently. Check this out.
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Watch out for Gin & Tonic as tonic is full of sugar even though it tastes bitter. And no bar I've ever been to has diet tonic, that's only available in the grocery stores.2
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saltysailors wrote: »@dmariet116 that makes some sense.....so I figure my protein for maintenance (since that is based on lean body mass and doesn't really change) then lower my carbs to 20 or less (which I already did) and fill the rest with fat? What happens on those days I'm starving and end up eating 2000 calories or more!?(and of course both protein and fat macros go up cuz I'm not eatin' carbs! ) and at the other end of the spectrum...what happens if I'm not hungry and say I hit my protein macros and don't really eat much else and say my calories only come in at 900 for the day....then what happens? Am I going to screw up my metabolism or is that when I use my body's fat as fuel?
And what happens if I eat too much protein cuz I'm not paying attention? Like today.....I did fair on calories, but protein was 77 grams (apparently should have been closer to 70-72) carbs good at 18 total grams & fat 116 grams
My experience: if I want a snack, I'll make sure it's mainly fat, so I keep carbs low, and protein low. If you're not hungry, don't eat, if you must eat, add fat.
I used to track really carefully, then, when I approached my goal weight, I had learned what I could eat to stay within a good pattern. All the while sticking to <20g total carbs and sensible protein, the rest is fats. Because, if you stop the insulin spikes, you stop the craving (simplistic explanation, but that's how it worked for me). At first I didn't even bother that much about calories, that came later. The first thing that had to happen was that I had to learn an entirely new pattern of eating, so that I could sustain it in my life.
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@dmariet116 That's what I did this week....I just ate mainly fat with carbs under 20 (most days (one day was 21 and another was 24), but boy oh boy my calories are nearly 2000. Some days they are only 1500-1600. I am working on not counting calories, just keeping my protein moderate an my carbs low. Yesterday, I added even Kerrygold butter to my chicken bouillon...LOL!!!
All this, yet.....still only miniscuile changes in measurements2 -
ProCoffeenator wrote: »Late to this thread but just wanted to offer up two suggestions:
Stay away from the "frankenfoods"! It's it's in a wrapper put it down! When you first start or hit a spot that you can't budge from I've always found it best to eliminate bars, low carb breads and sweets, sometimes even protein powders. In other words clean, natural foods ONLY for as many days till that scale moves.
Protein days! (Egg days!). This is something I've carried over from a low carb diet many years ago. This helps kick your body into ketosis faster. You can do this for 1 to 3 days if needed. But this is zero carb. Protein only. I save this trick for days that I messed up and find myself kicked out of ketosis.
I don't any "frankenfoods" at all....unless you consider salami and pepperoni "frankenfoods". I did get some Russell Stover Dark Chocolate pecan caramel candies and had a few the first week or so.....then I read that maltitol can raise your insulin.....so they are just hanging out in the fridge. No alcohol since I was informed that can affect my weight loss/ketosis by someone in this group. I don't even make sweet fat bombs. I have only made fat bombs once in the 2 months I've been doing this....very little change in my measurements (I don't have a scale here) I weighed myself one time at my son's home over 4th of July weekend, but that's it. I fugure my body is healing on the inside....so I'm just going to keto on..
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I have found that relaxing my mind (e.g. sitting still for 5 minutes and listening to a golden oldie, watching the water from shore, etc.) helps stave off mind hunger. As the hunger cues become more obvious, less food is needed for satiety. As I am less hungry, I eat less fat and burn my own stores.2
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lithezebra wrote: »I think you should consider what your weaknesses are. Mine is fat, as much as it was ever carbs. I just lost 6 pounds eating moderately low carb, with more vegetables, higher protein, and cutting back on heavy whipping cream. That didn't happen when I was netting 20 grams of carbs/day and eating more fat. I haven't been drinking anything but water.
There a few days when I'm not very hungry.....but others where I am more hungry...I'm still trying to figure it all out...when I cut back on fat, I get hungry....I actually just upped my calories a few weeks ago to see how that goes. I figure once my body heals and I get more fat adapted, then I can lower my calories0 -
saltysailors wrote: »lithezebra wrote: »I think you should consider what your weaknesses are. Mine is fat, as much as it was ever carbs. I just lost 6 pounds eating moderately low carb, with more vegetables, higher protein, and cutting back on heavy whipping cream. That didn't happen when I was netting 20 grams of carbs/day and eating more fat. I haven't been drinking anything but water.
There a few days when I'm not very hungry.....but others where I am more hungry...I'm still trying to figure it all out...when I cut back on fat, I get hungry....I actually just upped my calories a few weeks ago to see how that goes. I figure once my body heals and I get more fat adapted, then I can lower my calories
That's how it worked for me. It took me about 3 months to make that change.0
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