kerrihwilson wrote: »

Ok I bumped it back up - called too based on a ️Keto calculator. Will see how this goes ... Stress at work I think is cintributing too. My losses were after a weekend always and usually a weekend spent with my guy ... I'm incredibly relaxed and sleep wonderfully on those weekends. I also consume less sweeteners but more carbs and considerably less water on those weekends ... So that's weird. I'll strive for my 10 cups a day ...

Oopsie bread is very low carb ... Mostly fat and protien ... Why would that contribute to gains? ( I make mine half as big as the recipe calls for ... And only ever eat 1 per day).

Odd - I did stop losing when I started eating it.

I just included it because it is a kind of substitute food. I find that in general, I consume more calories when I substitute foods because I tend to eat with my own mindset, not because of the food itself, because as you y'all both said, it is an acceptable sub on Keto... If you don't have the mental aspect of this, that food might not stall you out. I just mentioned it as a KEYWORD: Possible contributing factor... If it hasn't stalled you before, I wouldn't worry too much.

Looking at your original post, my first thoughts jumped to insulin spikes if you are going over carbs. And of course, your weight can fluctuate a lot, especially as a woman. May I ask, how often are you weighing yourself that you are seeing this pattern? If you are seeing this fluctuation from day to day, I'd drop the subject and continue to do as you have been, and try to just think of your lowest weight of the week as being your current weight. If you are already doing that and are still seeing this fluctuation from week to week without any progress, then continue reading.

I'm far from being an expert, but here is what I think based on personal accounts and miscellaneous research:
Whatever diet you do, your body will adjust it's metabolism to meet it. For that same reason, we know that starvation diets never really work. I think that you might want to consider a carb up weekly or semi-weekly in order to spike your insulin and keep your metabolism from waning. However, this is not be considered a free-for-all for carbs. Eat maybe 100g of complex carbs, but only at 1 meal (ideally dinner) and stick to your daily caloric intake. Then, the next day be sure that you get right back to eating clean keto. You may feel slightly bloated for a few days, but after that goes away, you should be at a lower weight again.

Stress will increase cortisol hormone, which will panic your body into "hang on to every fat cell!" mode. So do try to relax and get enough sleep. Also, do you eat cheese? I noticed a quick drop after putting my cheddar in the freezer last month, where it still is... I am post menopause, and it took me over a year to lose 11 kg, slow going. kcko!

Hormones will balance out some with this way of eating, but there are two natural supplements that may help - Inositol is also known as vitamin B8. It occurs naturally in our bodies, but most women don't make enough. This helps the natural shift in hormones balance out better (just don't take it over 500 mg daily if you're on hormonal birth control pills). Vitex is used by some women in a similar way, but has some contraindications. The B8 doesn't have any real conflicts I know of other than with hormonal BCP (which I know personally), but I didn't find in literature. It is in most better B-complexes (B-150 and the higher quality ones). If they have folate - look for folate, not folic acid (Like B2 or 6 or something, I don't recall which it is)... folate is better absorbed.

But otherwise, adjusting as you plan to do seems like a good plan. My only hesitation is the intentional carbing up. I'm 38 and don't notice an overall stress in cortisol effect (actually the full on 24-hour urine test showed I was shockingly normal there!), and I even include intermittent fasting from time to time. But I know every single person is different. @Dragonwolf recently started a new supplement to help with her cortisol levels, so something like that may also be a consideration....

I personally find that loud angry music helps me break through most stress peak moments. Steady high stress causes me to listen to meditation music to balance me out... Your attitude and openness is refreshing. Just remember not to change too much at once, that way you can know what really helped. And be sure to give any changes at least 4-8 weeks for full effectiveness! (P.S. Taking good magnesium citrate at night, even low doses - mind is only 135 mg., has dramatically improved the quality of my sleep, and I average 5-6 hours a night, so that might help, too.)