Keto Stall? Did anyone break it by carb loading?
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StarshipFighter23
Posts: 73 Member
Hey! For some reason my interface won't allow me to search the LCDF so I hope you don't mind me starting a thread on a subject which has no doubt been discussed before many times..!
I'm running close to zero carbs with a fat/protein ratio of 75/25 approx. I'm comfortable and happy with this, but as is inevitable, my rate of decline has begun to taper off. I have done a lot of research about breaking stalls and have so far instituted increased intake of water, daily electrolyte supplements, fast days and reduced calorie intake (target 1500, daily intake approx. 1200) and I lift heavy as many times a week as I can manage. That is all of the suggestions I have come across so far for breaking a stall with the exception of carb loading or generally increasing my intake of carbs. I am very wary of doing this though as it seems totally counter-intuitive and goes against all of the hard work I have been doing over the past couple months in order to break, both physically and mentally, my lifelong carb dependency! If anyone has used carbs as a means of getting through a stall I would be very grateful of you could share what you have experienced, and of course whether it worked, before I try this one last thing to kick up the weight loss...
I'm running close to zero carbs with a fat/protein ratio of 75/25 approx. I'm comfortable and happy with this, but as is inevitable, my rate of decline has begun to taper off. I have done a lot of research about breaking stalls and have so far instituted increased intake of water, daily electrolyte supplements, fast days and reduced calorie intake (target 1500, daily intake approx. 1200) and I lift heavy as many times a week as I can manage. That is all of the suggestions I have come across so far for breaking a stall with the exception of carb loading or generally increasing my intake of carbs. I am very wary of doing this though as it seems totally counter-intuitive and goes against all of the hard work I have been doing over the past couple months in order to break, both physically and mentally, my lifelong carb dependency! If anyone has used carbs as a means of getting through a stall I would be very grateful of you could share what you have experienced, and of course whether it worked, before I try this one last thing to kick up the weight loss...
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I had a weight loss plateau a couple of months in. I ended up setting new calorie targets and started losing again. I am not the big expert and am a relative newcomer here, but I claim more experienced low carb folks are going to tell you this is a bad idea. Focus on the tape measure for a while and not the scale perhaps.0
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Structured refeeds can help. Take your LBM, multiply by 1.6-2, eat that many grams of carbs in a single three hour period. I personally found that using potatoes works best, and doing it at the end of the day. Keep fat as low as possible during this day. I'd honestly recommend nothing but chicken breast or tuna and some EFAs.
Expect a scale climb by a few pounds for a day or two, then expect a ridiculous drop within the following 72 hours.3 -
I did this a couple times. It works but it created a downward spiral for me. But I'm mental, so...it could work for you. If you're disciplined.2
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StarshipFighter23 wrote: »I lift heavy as many times a week as I can manage.
I always find this to be the cause of my stall. For the next week or so, I'm not going to lift any weights, just do cardio. Might have to do with the muscle vs fat thing... not sure, but I do know when I touch the weights, the body weight doesn't drop. However, I can tell my stomach is getting smaller due to my clothes fitting better, and I can feel my ribs. I can feel that vacuum starting to form too (Got a long way to go, but I feel it)
Vacuum:
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I know @Sunny_Bunny_ can agree that you may not see a change in your weight for a while but there could still be huge changes in your body composition. I would start using a tape measure.1
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I usually find when someone says they have "stalled" or "plateaued" it is really just a case of "didn't lose my usual pound or two" or "only lost a half pound" or "didn't lose this week and only a half a pound last week".
@StarshipFighter23: Define your "stall". How long have you been dieting? How long have you been eating keto? How much weight have you lost? What percent of your weight does the loss represent? When did you last show a loss on the scale? How close are you to your goal weight? ETC.StarshipFighter23 wrote: »but as is inevitable, my rate of decline has begun to taper off.
That's pretty much how weight loss works.
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I was looking into this too, as I had been stalled for about 3 weeks doing less than 20 carbs/day. Started 1/12/17 lazy Keto again (I track my net carbs, but not macros- although when I do look, they arnt too far out of the range) I started at 207. Got down within a few weeks to 196ish. then hovered at 195-197 for almost 3 weeks. Finally broke through and thought I was back in a downward motion, but now for 3 days been staying at 193. Have been thinking about eating "good carbs" for a day and then transitioning back into Ketosis to jump-start it again.. but I hate going out of Keto! I feel all lethargic.. then I'm hungry all the time, moody.. and it takes 3-4 days of that before I start getting back into the high-energy, low appetite keto state. I like my keto state. But I Don't like my mid-section of rolls.
I found this: http://ultimateweightlossrx.com/carb-cycling-diet/
How To Accelerate Fat Loss By Moving From A Low Carb Diet To A Carb Cycling Diet
This bears repeating: to follow a carb cycling diet properly, for 5 to 6 days straight, follow an Atkins Induction kind of eating plan. Then for 1 to 2 days max, carb load Schedule it on the weekends or a week day special occasion like
Thanksgiving.
1.Know how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. If you don’t know, use my free calorie calculator.
2.Experiment by eating 25% of your calories from carbs. That’s the number of calories you need to eat in a day from Step 1 times 0.25 and then divided by 4. Eat that many carbs on each break day. If you tolerate that well and are still losing weight, try going higher. Some genetically gifted folks may be able to handle 60% of their diet from carbs, but anyone who needs a low carb diet to lose weight will probably find 40% of their calories from carbs to be “the sweet spot.”
3.Allow at least 5 days between low carb break days. Ideally, your low carb break day should fall on the weekend or
a special day like a birthday or holiday.
4.Do not take a low carb break for more than 2 days at a time. If you are really overweight, you should shoot for a one day break for everyday 6 days on a low carb diet.
5.Eat 30 or fewer carbs during the low carb days. 20 or fewer would be better. Fiber does not count as a carb, but sugar alcohols like sorbitol and maltitol do. Save these Frankenstein carbs for the break!
6.Save all alcohol for the carb break. You are trying to accelerate fat loss during the low carb time, and alcohol will (even red wine) will just slow your metabolism down.
7.Not every meal during the low carb break has to be high in carbs. If you want to save your carbs for breakfast and dinner, but have chicken or eggs in between, that is perfectly fine.
8.Have one indulgence each high carb day. For the rest of the time, stick to the carbs among the best fat burning foods.
What To Expect Once The Carb-Load Portion Of The Carb Cycling Diet Ends
You will have gained water weight – count on it. 2 to 5 pounds of water weight is the norm. It is an inevitable and temporary consequence of eating carbs since every gram of carbohydrate stored as glycogen in your muscles will add 3 to 5 grams of water with it. You will have dumped out all of the water weight after 2 to 3 days of having gone back to cutting out carbs.
For this reason, track your weight loss by comparing your weight to what it was 7 days ago, clothes off, after having gone potty. Your lowest weight will typically be the day before you carb load or the morning of. So long as that weight is lower than it was 7 days ago, you are losing.
Signs You’ve Eaten Too Many Carbs During The Carb Loading Portion Of The Carb Cycling Diet
1.Feeling tired
2.Water retention, puffiness
3.Irritability
4.Gaining 5 pounds of water overnight after one day of carb loading (this is particularly true if you know you went way over getting 25% of your calories from carbs, or overate well beyond your caloric limit).
If You Are Not Losing Enough Weight On A Carb Cycling Diet, You Are Making One Or More Of These Four Mistakes
1.You are eating too many calories. Follow the rule of 25%. Don’t increase calories beyond 25% of your regular intake on these high carb days.
2.You are eating too many carbs. The rule of 25% again applies. Start the carb-load by getting 25% of your calories from carbs. You may be able to get as high as 50%, but start with 25%. See how your cravings and weight loss go. If your cravings are low and you are losing weight, you can try eating above 25%. If not, you know that 25% of your calories from carbs is your limit. As a diabetic who easily gains weight on high carb diets, my limit is about 40%.
3.You are eating too many junkie carbs. Soda and snack foods with high fructose corn syrup will end your carb-load faster than grains and potatoes. The difference is that fructose will be stored as liver glycogen, which is a smaller storage space and less likely to deplete. As a result, once liver glycogen fills up, you start gaining fat from carbs. Again, your own mileage will vary, but if this describes you, have your ice cream, cookies, or doughnut fix, and then stick to starches.
4.Your break is lasting too long. Carb load for 2 days tops, not 3. Ideally, carb load starting the morning of day 1, and ending the evening of day 2. Spending too much time out of your low carb period is asking for trouble.
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I know @Sunny_Bunny_ can agree that you may not see a change in your weight for a while but there could still be huge changes in your body composition. I would start using a tape measure.
Yes! I can totally relate!
When I see things like "I've stalled for 3 weeks" or "6 weeks" or whatever the time is I just wanna say "Girl!!!! Let's talk when it's been over a year!" Lol
I've been "stalled for well over a full year.
As a matter of fact, I made this post last year in March where I realized that my already many months long "stall" wasn't really a stall at all.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10353600/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stall#latest
Well, here I am almost a year later and I actually weight 5 pounds MORE now than when I was in that long "stall". I keep putting it in parentheses because it's not real. It's an illusion. I haven't been stalled at all.
You gotta look for something besides the scale or you'll lose your mind! Can you imagine if the scale was all I was watching this last 15-16 months?!?! I would feel like a total failure! I would think I was broken or something.
I'm not broken. My body is waaaaaaay smarter than me. It's condensing. I'm weighing the same or more with less fat. That's a win!!!!6 -
If you're the type who can pass by a den of your favorite sin daily after work and only be tempted to go in once a year for 5 minutes, maybe.
But if you're diabetic or have crappy self control when xxxxxxx or other *kitten* is dangled before you, it might not be a great plan.2 -
My means are far from scientific as I'm not completely meticulous about my nutrition and haven't had any proper stalls, just short periods with no/minimal loss, however, anecdotally I tend to notice bigger losses around a week after upping my carbs slightly (i.e. 30g up to 70g) for a day or 2. That said, I don't find it difficult to cut those carbs back out, which may be something to consider if you are a carb junkie. Best of luck.0
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My means are far from scientific as I'm not completely meticulous about my nutrition and haven't had any proper stalls, just short periods with no/minimal loss, however, anecdotally I tend to notice bigger losses around a week after upping my carbs slightly (i.e. 30g up to 70g) for a day or 2. That said, I don't find it difficult to cut those carbs back out, which may be something to consider if you are a carb junkie. Best of luck.
This is a valid point. I often forget that a lot of people aren't as robotic with their eating as I tend to be.0
