Help, I'm under my calories every day. on ketogenic diet and this week I'm gaining...Why!?

Did you start a new type of exercise? TOM? Something stressful happen? Eat a few high sodium days? Sleeping differently lately?

Also, how long have you been losing 1-2lbs per week for?

It's only been a week! Weight loss isn't linear, some weeks you'll lose, some you'll stay the same, some you'll gain. You've gotta keep going for a while and watch the trend over several weeks.

I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!

chaychay48 wrote: »

I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!

This makes no sense. You don't gain from not eating enough.

chaychay48 wrote: »

Just talking about my personal experience, don't know why it works that way FOR ME.

It doesn't. You do not defy the laws of physics.

cindyfranklin09 wrote: »

WBB55 wrote: »

So in 3.5 weeks you're down an overall 8 lbs? That's some good progress right there. Keep doing what you're doing!

If you make your diary public, people here can be very helpful (but also very honest) with you.

That is true, I AM losing and I shouldn't beat myself up, guess I was just frustrated this morning when I saw the scale up again. ..Thanks for the support!

I went 2 weeks without losing any weight. By the end of the 2nd week I was starting to get frustrated and then it just dropped like a rock without changing my diet or exercise pattern. Sometimes things fluctuate instead of following that nice downward trend that you want. Just keep on keeping on.

Normal fluctuations happen. Patience is key here.

It sounds like you are eating more LCHF than ketogenic. Ketogenic is about very low carb, like under 20g a day. And even more so, about how much FAT you are eating, which should be around 75-80% of your total daily calories. Also, on any LC regime, you want more salt, not less, because the kidneys work differently on a LC diet. Finally, your daily protein has to be just enough for muscle maintenance, because any protein that your body doesn't immediately need gets turned to fat and stored. Keto is the flavour of the month at the moment, but isn't necessary for most people who do just as well on a good paleo-style LCHF regimer. The macros are pretty well the same, more at the lower end of keto, like 75%-10%-15% (and will move you in and out of ketosis in a very natural sort of way without getting too obsessive about food.) Keto is more a thing you do for special problems, like epilepsy, especially kids, or MS/Parkinsons/alzheimers (The wahls protocol) or even cancer (patients are choosing strict keto instead of chemo, a brave/(foolhardy?) decisio as there isn't a lot of data on this yet ) I've been eating in a lchf way for about 6 yearts and ketogenically for a few years, as I was profoundly insulin resistant and unable to lose any weight (problems of oedema). I am now VERY strict and high fat, and the problems are solving themselves. But it is not an easy option unless your problems are severe. (I don't consider needing to lose a few pounds fast as a serious problem!) Sometimes slow and careful is best: I am not insulin resistant now, and don't need much insulin now as my carb:insulin ratio is much lower. I still struggle with protein macros, even after all this time, so it takes a lot of study and diary keeping to see what your body is up to. A quick fix it isn't.

cindyfranklin09 wrote: »

I weigh everything, I only drink water with the exception of the 1 or 2 cups of coffee in the morning, I am being overly brutally honest with my food log, as in sometimes I enter my meal before I eat and then don't always finish, not cheating at all. Going to start drinking green tea today. I haven't measured myself,I should, but my clothes feel the same, I have been doing the keto diet for about 3.5 weeks was down 10 lbs (dieting for 30 days, but strict keto for about 3.5 weeks, but now I'm up about 2 lbs. My exercise could be better to be honest.

What you're experiencing is called "PISS" - Post-Induction Stall Syndrome. Everyone who does keto for more than 2 weeks or so experiences it, you stall for several weeks or sometimes even gain a little while your body tries to find a new balance for glycogen and water. Look it up, it will explain everything you're experiencing. Good thing is, you're still burning fat and your body will flush all that extra water weight soon enough, just stick to it!

ETA: Are you in the LCHF group? You might get more helpful responses from other people who are eating the same diet as you. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

DeguelloTex wrote: »

chaychay48 wrote: »

I also follow a keto diet and if I don't eat enough I gain or stall out. Are you working out? When I added exercise I gained a bit then stalled again as I think my muscles were holding on to water. Take your measurements as u may be losing inches and not pounds and not even realizing it. Hang in there!

You should share your secret of gaining weight via not eating enough. It could save a lot of starving people.

dena5 wrote: »

If your not eating enough your body can go into starvation mode. And if your not drinking enough water you will retain as well. So it could be both. Have faith in yourself. And take in at least 20g of carbs.

That starvation mode thing is a myth. I'm too lazy to link it, but there are plenty of posts here you can search for the science that disproves it.

This content has been removed.