Keto for 7 weeks. no real loss

mkroyer28

Hi all. First time posting for help. I've reallly been trying to stick this out and keep forging ahead, but i am incredibly frustrated. I've been Keto for almost 2 months now. My net carbs are almost ALWAYS under 30, and usually closer to 25. Per the KEto stix, i have (apparently) been in Ketosis every day (for 7 weeks). I had an AWFUL run with keto flu. For me, it lasted around 4+ weeks. Just generally headachy, and fatigued, brain fog. Mild, but def there. I have had NO problem staying keto, and avoiding carbs, and i'm very much enjoying the food i am eating

I have a lot to lose .. I am approx 160 lbs at 5'4". As of this morning, I have lost 1.8 pounds. Total. Thats it. Of course, that fluctuates. Some days Ive lost up to 6 pounds. But I' ve never broken that 6 pound mark. I didnt lose more than 1-3 pounds that first week, in water weight, either.
I dont log my eercise, usually in MFP, But i work out every day ( 1 day/wk off) I ususally crossfit, but sometimes i go for a short run. Sometimes i go to the gym and work on m olympic lifts. Other than my "hour/day" at the gym, i am relatively inactive-- desk job, etc.

I also have a wicked sugar free gum addiction. Sometimes i log the gum, sometimes i dont. I have noticed on the days i DO eat sugar free gum, i am ALWAYS up 1/2 to 1 pound the next day.
Is this ridiculous? LOL :-P Is it possible that Sugar free GUM is keeping me fat?? :-D when i DO eat it, I usually chomp down a pack, SO it is NOT in moderation.

Xmas EVE is pretty much the only day in my diary where you will see candy/sugar. BTW. If you go back a to a full week ago, you'll get a better idea of how i eat day to day. I've been off work all week this week.

I'm not sure what else you guys want to know?
Im a ridiculously slow loser. But do you think im eating too much? Usually 1500-1600 ISH. Not counting the past couple days.

I dont know what to do, anymore


Thanks for you help,
Meghan

RunForChai

Get rid of the sugar-free gum!
More cardio---brisk walks, run, bike, dance! I aim for 60-75 minutes of cardio every day.
Try closer to eat less than 20 carbs a day.

Are your food measurements accurate?


Good luck!

mkroyer28

Does it really matter if I'm at 20 net carbs, or 25 net carbs, or 30 net carbs, when i am still showing as being in Ketosis? (honest question, not sarcasm)
I weigh my food on a digital scale, always to the gram (never ounces, never use cups/spoons except for oil)

I appreciate the advice, though I'm not sure that cardio is the answer..... fat loss (for me) is 100% diet. not 80/20, not 95/5. Its 100% what i put in my mouth. I only mentioned that i worked out, because i do. Because i ALWAYS HAVE. That is not new for me. My profile pic is mile 10 of my 2nd (out of 4) full marathon.... It is my understanding that endurance training is not the best of options while doing keto.....?

Has anyone ever stalled on keto from chewing gum??? Thats a serious question, lol

kiramaniac

Hi hon,
I think your diary pretty solid.
What were you doing before keto?

I disagree with the other responder concerning cardio - if you want to incorporate something, consider strength training. Some of the research by Phinney and Volek ("the Art and Science of Low carb Living" and "The Art and Science of low carb performance") show that strength training can compound weight loss benefits of low carb. That said, many choose not to exercise at all on keto and still see successful weight loss. The CF and lifting are perfect.

You aren't recording water. How much do you drink per day? I recommend 12-16 8 oz glasses. For some reason, I retain water when I drink only 8 glasses a day. My "whooshes" come when I drink much more than that. (There's a great article by Lyle McDonald on this - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

I'm a gum chewer myself. Mine is probably a half pack a day habit. What brand do you chew? Just curious on what sweetener might be used. Look for gum with xylitol (I go with trident).

There are a ton of YMMV factors. Dairy, processed meat (nitrates), certain sweeteners... They are things to consider removing during a stall. You could bevone of those lucky ones that have issues with one (or more) of those.

One other thought / suggestion. What are your current macro targets? Some women seem to see better results with a higher fat target. Personally, I try for 70-75% fat, 20-25% protein, 5-10% carbs. I also look to keep fat and protein balanced throughout the day. I try to have at least as many grams of fat as grams of protein at every meal. So if your dinner has 30 g protein, try to have at least 30 g fat at that meal as well.

Have you tried the keto calculator? It does a pretty good job with helping on the calorie target, and the settings for protein, fat and carbs.
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

I think your calorie target seems reasonable. I target 1550 calories. I'm 5'5" and in low 170's (well, I was before my Xmas splurge). I do Crossfit 3-4 x per week.

So... Increase water, up your fat, consider reducing the gum, processed meat and/or dairy. It could be that just one of these will make a difference.

Ok, my husband says that I am REMISS in not addressing ELECTROLYTES in my response. The 4 weeks of keto flu makes us think that you need to do more with your sodium, potassium and magnesium. Are you supplementing these? If not, do this!

Keep calm and keto on

DehydrationStation

Could you have added muscle in those 7 weeks? It's good to get into the habit of taking measurements as well as weight -- sometimes one changes while the other does not.

The only risk with the sugar-free gum is that (for some people) the artificial sugar can trick your body into thinking it's getting carbs. But if your Ketostix are consistent, you're not getting kicked out of keto by the gum, so I see no reason to quit... other than it might perpetuate the existence of your sweet tooth and put you at risk of plunging your face into a Black Forest cake sometime in the future.

Your SO will also appreciate the gum when your keto breath kicks in.

Glancing at your Food Diary, I can see that you might benefit from being a little more strict with your carbs. Until you get through the induction phase, you really need to pound those carbs down to 25 grams or preferably 20 grams a day. And you have to be consistent with that. It's possible you bumped yourself out of keto somewhere along the way and didn't realize it.

As far as keto flu goes, add SODIUM to your Food Diary and give it a rather high value. Mine is set at 5000. Get a salt substitute like HALF-SALT, so you're getting both sodium and potassium consistently. And take a daily magnesium supplement. I've found that, for me, keto flu is all about electrolytes. Well, mostly. I still have the brain fog.

Stay super hydrated. If you're at the dark end of your Ketostix, odds are you're dehydrated.

For some people, extended workouts can break through a plateau. Or changing something up, like eating more fats one day, and less the next. You kind of have to find your own way through it. But make sure it's not something physiological -- maybe get your TSH levels checked to make sure your thyroid is chugging along nicely.

Most of all, remember that everybody plateaus. Yours is obviously early and usually long, but if you're running at a 15-20% caloric fat deficit (calculated at http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com) consistently, it can't last forever. Just getting keto-adapted in the first place should be your first goal because, frankly, it's quite an accomplishment; worry about the weight-loss later.

EDIT: I just realized that you said you're going through an entire pack of gum at once, not just chewing it all day. If the gum is sweetened with sugar alcohols, and you're consuming it all at once, it may very well be having an effect. The easy way to find out is to eliminate it for a few days and see what happens.

KnitSewSpin

I used to be a marathon runner and eventually figured out that it stressed my body and made me hold on to weight. My body responds much, much better to long walks and long, slow bike rides. I also do pilates and yoga. Maybe you should back off on the high intensity cardio, running, etc. focus on lifting and slower cardio. Just a suggestion. I went through years of frustration not being able to lose weight but running over 50 miles a week. I also am a really slow loser so 1 lb a week is a great success for me.

Hang in there! I feel your pain.