Stalled out on keto - looking for answers
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grace_prevails
Posts: 6 Member
I've been doing keto since early December. I had some initial weight and inch loss. But I've really stalled out.
I even tried going no carb for about a month. I keep going up and down the same pound or two.
I really like keto. Overall, I feel much better. Much less inflammation, all bloating gone, etc. I still have roughly 15-20 pounds to lose though. My body fat percentage is still rather high.
Any help or tips would be appreciated. I'd love to know what worked for you, especially those last few pounds.
:bigsmile:
I even tried going no carb for about a month. I keep going up and down the same pound or two.
I really like keto. Overall, I feel much better. Much less inflammation, all bloating gone, etc. I still have roughly 15-20 pounds to lose though. My body fat percentage is still rather high.
Any help or tips would be appreciated. I'd love to know what worked for you, especially those last few pounds.
:bigsmile:
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Replies
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You've hit the doldrums a bit early, but yes, that's how it started for me, too. I was expecting much more drastic results earlier on, but they came "slow and steady" (yet I still burned 56 lbs in five months, so I was expecting too much). I am going back to keto today. My only advice would be to keep the faith, and stick with the plan as it's outlined in the book. Make sure exercise is a part of the plan. Results will happen soon enough. Be well, be safe!0
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Thanks. I am just wondering how many weeks should I let go by without any reduction in inches or weight loss before maybe realizing something could be off? I don't mind if it comes off slowly and steadily, just that it actually is coming off. I can be patient. But it's been two weeks with absolutely zero change in inches or weight. :huh:0
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It's really hard to give advice on what could potentially be stalling your weight loss without being able to see your diary. That said, some common things that have effected my weight loss are:
- malitol and any marketed "low carb" packaged foods, I.e. Atkins and Quest bars
- too much dairy
- nuts
- thyroid issues
- low carb but high calorie
- protein without a source of fat consumed with it0 -
I understand.
I don't do ANY pre-packaged foods.
If I have any dairy, it's maybe 2oz of high quality cheese. I may also do about 1 tablespoon of whipped cream. I've tried no dairy at all too.
I also cut out all nuts. I was doing some walnuts. When I cut them out for a long while and that didn't do anything, I did bring them back in sparingly, in having one cup of unsweetened almond milk a day.
I tried this higher calorie and actually lost more - around 1600-1800 a day, course that was early on in the diet too, when the initial weight loss is there. I've been doing around 1100 calories a day for the past couple of weeks, to try creating a calorie deficit. But either way, my body fat percentage has stayed pretty nearly the same.
Any protein I do with some kind of fat. It's either sauteed in or baked in a healthy fat, either lard or coconut oil or real butter.
My typical breakfast is bacon and eggs with some coconut oil melted in hot oolong tea - sweetened with stevia.
Lunch is usually some kind of protein - either grassfed beef or pastured chicken, this is also where I would have my little bit of cheese, seasonings are something like Frank's Red Hot, a spoonful of fresh salsa (no sugar), or just a good quality sea salt and lemon pepper (no hidden extras in the lemon pepper). When I was doing higher calorie, I would have more tea with coconut oil here too.
Dinner is very similar - either grassfed beef or pastured chicken, usually choosing a different seasoning. As an after dinner treat, I would have a cup of unsweetened almond milk, I add my own cocoa powder, stevia, and a spoonful of whipped cream.
I'm pretty sure thyroid is fine - I can double check that. I have supplements for that if need be.
:drinker:0 -
Looks really good! I will say that 15-20 lbs isn't a lot to lose and the weight loss will probably be slower, that's my experience at least. Keep trudging
One thing I wanted to add: HIIT helped me through a plateau and body composition wise. Fat fasts are also popular on here for results though truth be told I have not personally done one by the book.0 -
Thanks, I've been looking at HIIT. Before I went no carb and just kept carbs at 5% or lower, I had a ton of energy and was looking into HIIT and other exercise programs. When I went no carb, my energy tanked and my digestion really struggled. So I'm adding carbs back in, hoping my energy comes back, digestion is already better, and then adding some serious exercise.
This is just a plateau I've hit and have not been able to get past before with anything else. So I'm nervous that I've plateaued at this specific weight and inch set again, and been about two weeks without any signs of progress. But maybe adding the small carbs back in and some good exercise will do it. I've felt horrible on no carb. I thought I would feel more awesome, but it was not the case.
:flowerforyou:0 -
If you don't have a food scale or if you aren't using your food scale as frequently as you possibly can, my best guess is that you're eating more than you should be for weight loss. That said, 2 weeks isn't necessarily enough time to conclude that you're stalled out. I'd give it a bit more time before you make a big change, but in the meantime be as accurate as you possibly can with your food log and buy a food scale today if you don't have one yet.0
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I have cut calories on this to below 1000 calories a day, no changes. Just overall feeling worse, losing energy, feeling hungry, etc. I'm pretty disciplined on food portions and being very on with measuring things. I really don't think cutting more calories is going to be the right choice. I'm really wondering about making the calories go back up and getting my energy back and then doing some exercise with that energy.
I just feel like cutting the calories, I have tanked - seeing that so many advocate cutting calories, doing fasting, etc. It seems the more I go in that direction, the worse things get for me. Not just in results, but also in the way I feel.0 -
I agree totally with you on the calories. Low carb is supposed to be a healthy lifestyle that should allow you to LIVE, not be drained. Low calories causes low energy expenditure, no bueno when the idea is to get fit.0
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Grace, are you willing to open your diary so that we can look at it and provide feedback? If you are not comfortable opening it up to public, you can send me a friend request and open to friends only.
I wish you good luck.0 -
I'd put up the diary, but I hadn't been keeping it lately, had been eating the same thing each day. So that's why I posted what I had been eating. Now that I'm adjusting and increasing calories, I'm back today to posting in it regularly to keep track of everything.
I'm going to try upping the calories today, watching the macros and see how I feel tomorrow. I think I got lost in fasting/cutting calories too low. Every thing seemed to cave in on me when I did that, not just results, but how I felt, how I slept, my mood, everything. I'll update in the morning. Thanks so much to all for letting me sound this out.
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Have you tried a "fat fast" ?
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/fat-fast-for-a-few-days-to-induce-weight-loss/1189
I seem to do better on keto with calorie range 1400-1800 When calorie range is too low for me, I have stalled.0 -
I was in the same boat in December. I started Keto again at the beginning of the month after nearly a year ago and near the end I had completely stalled out. Granted, losing 8-9 pounds during that month without exercise was pretty darn good in itself, but at the end I swore I saw nothing move for at least 2 weeks while keto strips told me I was producing ketones. I researched a few things and come January, I have started going down again. Here are a few tips:
* Intermittent Fasting. I basically do not eat breakfast and make sure my dinner/snacks end by 8. I get a full night's rest and fast through breakfast giving me nearly 16 hours of no solid foods. I eat lunch at 12pm and dinner at 7pm. When you do this, it's important to remember that you still need the same amount of calories you would normally eat in a day. You will have to make up for those calories by eating differently/more.
* Bulletproof coffee. A fat bomb in the morning during fasting really helps. Brew good coffee, pop a cupt in a blender or blender ball with a tbsp unsalted quality butter, and a tbsp of mct coconut oil, and not only is it the smoothest coffee you'll ever have, you may not even need any sweeteners.
* Recharge with carbs. I haven't tried this yet since the first two have worked but many people find it easier to get rid of a plateau by restarting ketosis.
I hope those help!! Good luck!!0 -
I started December 1st, had weight loss for the first two weeks, and nothing since. I'm in the same boat. I am doing a fat fast for a few days to see if I can get things moving again. You might want to try this as well. I'm just trying to be patient, but it's hard, I have total empathy.0
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Hi I'm relatively new to Atkins/Low Carb but in doing my research I came across Peter Attia MD on uTube (he also has a website called the Eating Academy) where he explains that eating too much protein while on LC will convert to energy that brings you out of ketosis. Everyone is different but perhaps your protein intake is high enough to get you out of ketosis.. Attia is also a competetive sportsman and stresses that it is very importantant to keep your sodium levels up on Atkins otherwise your body will sap other minerals and cause a counter effect. Hope this helps.0
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I second Intermittent Fasting and breaking Keto and starting again. I recently went through the same thing. Serious stall for several weeks. I hadn't been eating anything different that would have caused a stall, calories were low. Nothing had changed, just seemed my body needed to be "woke up" so to speak. I broke Keto (didn't eat anything I wouldn't have normally, just went above my usual carb intake by a bit), then went straight into IF for 2 days. Since doing this, I am now right back into ketosis (took just a day to get back in), and have lost 3 lbs. in 4 days. It's worth a shot!0
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32M here, and went from about 222 to 182 in about 5-7 months before stalling . Intermittent Fasting helped me start back up again after a couple months of a plateau. I ate the same amount of calories per day, but only between 8am and 4pm (generally between 8am and 1pm). Anything outside that window was water.
When I plateaued again, switching from resistance training (pull ups, benchpresses, squats, lunges) to HIIT, it helped a little bit, too.0 -
some people get so KETO ADAPTED (which is good really) that they then have to not only count/watch carbs,, but then also count calories,, kinda no fun I know,, but you may have to try this?0
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I'm in almost the exact timeline and situation as Grace, so I just wanted to pop in and say thanks to everyone for the input. After the first week of being stalled (and a 10 lbs initial weight loss) I thought I just needed to recalculate my macros. I did but have really only lost about a pound in a couple weeks.
I haven't dropped out of ketosis since I first got in, so I'm not sure if my first plan of attack should be a fat fast (remaining in) or a carb up (dropping out and hopping back in). If anybody has any thoughts, I'd be glad to hear them.0 -
Hello Grace,
Your post mentions that you haven't been keeping a food journal because you tend to eat the same things routinely. That may be part of the reason you don't feel well. There have been studies showing that when we eat, dopamine is released in the brain that gives us that feeling of pleasure. Of course, we get surges of dopamine with sugar, but other foods also release dopamine. When we eat the same foods over and over again, that dopamine release begins to decline. Your brain doesn't like such a predictable diet. I think that's why so many people feel like they're going to "snap" if they eat another piece of chicken, etc.
Perhaps you might consider experimenting with new recipes to add some variety to your menu. Another question you might ask yourself, is whether you are making these changes as part of a lifestyle plan, or a means to an end to lose weight. If this is lifestyle change for you, then I think it is imperative that experiment with new flavors so your pleasure pathways are reignited.
I think keeping a food journal is important regardless of whether or not you eat the same foods routinely. That documentation alone is worth evaluating. Analyzing that data is pretty important. Additionally, it just keeps you in the habit of documenting your intake. You might have snacked on a little something, but because you're not in the habit of writing it down, you miss the opportunity to see what may be thwarting your weight loss efforts. Remember, if you snack it, track it!
Don't forget to acknowledge all the hard work you've done so far. We get so caught up striving to reach the next level that we forget to acknowledge how far we've already come.
Cheers!0
