Often times I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing...

krishino

To intro I work out 3-4 times a week. Active career as a vb coach/trainer. I lift decently heavy.
I've been following a cutting diet of 2:1 protein to carb macros for a few years. It's worked, but I had difficulty with energy levels. Carb cycling was the only real option, but it got daunting, so I took a break from it all. I wanted to try keto bc it's essentially the same, however, I've researched that it's the fat that was missing from my original diet that was what plagued me.
I've been strictly keto for a whole month. Initially felt great and saw minor changes. Since then, nothing. Energy levels are great. Been keeping up with macros as best I can, some days I'm a little short, some days a couple grams more. All have been within the realm of keto. Test stripping occasionally has helped me identify when I'm "feeling" in keto. Physically, no positive changes. I DEFINITELY realize it's only been a month, lol, but I don't know if this is per usual, or what.... I don't feel like it's going to go anywhere. And it's no secret the anxiety of consuming more fat in my diet than I ever have is terrifying, if this doesn't work.

I want to cut the fluff and get some cuts back. My legs have always been my project. Very muscular, but fluffy nonetheless.

Is keto even for Me? I occasionally do intermittent fasting. I workout in the morning, so all my workouts are fasted. Just need lots of suggestions to read thru and a bit of coaching.

Thank you anyone who reads and responds. It's much appreciated.

RedSquadronLeader

First off try not to freak about consuming really high levels of fat. Virtually every study I've ever read for keto diets shows dramatically improved blood panels at the end, lower heart disease risk, better insulin sensitivity, etc. Just make sure you're not getting most of your fats from PUFAs (vegetable oils, with the exception of coconut oil and olive oil), as these have higher ratios of omega-6:omega3, which is generally inflammatory. Stress will only raise your cortisol and promote fat retention. Lack of sleep also raises cortisol - make sure you're sleeping enough. Drink lots of water. You know, all the usual things.

Let me preface by saying that you're right - you're only a month in, so have a bit more patience. Your body is adjusting to a dramatic change, your hormone levels are altered, you're running on a different kind of metabolism. Give it a little longer to adjust. But here are some general tips if you're still not seeing fat loss on keto:

Okay, you mention you're keeping your macros in line - what about calories? Some people will say they don't matter on keto; that's really not true. CICO is simply a statement of energy conservation, it's physics, not dieting - if you consume more energy than you burn, you're not going to lose weight. Of course, your energy expenditure can be dramatically affected by your diet and macro ratios because of how they affect your hormones. If you're not losing, reduce calories gradually until you are.

Also, sugar alcohols, a lot of fiber, etc can cause water retention and bloating, I'd recommend reducing those if you're eating them to see if that's part of the issue.

Finally, if you're doing very high-intensity exercise, or doing long-duration (> 60 min) weight lifting, you'll benefit from some extra carbohydrates. Both of those activities are more catabolic the longer you do them, whereas if you eat some glucose (maybe about 50 g total, about 30 minutes before or just after exercise or both), you'll replenish muscle glycogen (which won't have an effect on your ketosis, that's the liver glycogen), and spare your muscles. This is similar to a TKD (targeted ketogenic diet) approach, lots of good info about how to do those if you search.

I might have some more thoughts on this later - you look like you've got a similar physique, goals, and training to mine - but I have to run to work.

KnitOrMiss

@Gallowmere1984 - Recommendations?

Gallowmere1984

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

@Gallowmere1984 - Recommendations?

@RedSquadronLeader pretty much covered exactly what I would recommend.

Keep track of kcals if you want to strip off some fat. Either go the deficit route, or hit maintenance and go for recomp, accepting that such will require a bit more patience, but will allow for better lifting progression.

Keep jacking up the intensity (weight on the bar) as possible. TKD (the 50g dextrose/glucose before/during workouts) can help with this. Intensity tends to suffer in the absence of carbohydrate. Just dial back the fat as needed on lifting days to allow this to fit into caloric goals.

If you're lifting in a fasted state, I'd actually recommend the 50g glucose be hit about 10-15 minutes before lifting. Adding it to about 25g whey isolate or milk protein isolate could also prove beneficial.

OP didn't mention what the protein intake level is at, so that should get sorted as well. I tend to go a lot higher, but the .8-1g/lbs. LBM seems to be sufficient for most people.