Need some help - 3 months in and almost no weight lost - water retention and puffiness is back
klaak
Posts: 47 Member
Hi Everyone 
I started this WOE in Mid September and I really like it! Previously I was on a no grain, whole food diet so I ate a lot of veggies, some fruit and protein. The transition wasn't hard for me and it's not hard for me to resist carbs and sugar (thankfully). I slowly dropped about 5lbs with some dips and spikes but it felt GREAT because I felt like I was no longer retaining water (this has been one of the biggest problems for me!!) so I was THRILLED. I only have about 10-15 lbs to lose. And years of eating clean and working out only have caused me to gain weight and "flabbiness". Which never made sense to me lol but what can you do? So even a loss of a lb or 2 was remarkable!!!
So this started out great and initially I felt normal again and not so "waterballoony". Well, as I approached my first time of the month on this WOE, I noticed I got a little puffy again in my legs, butt, abdomen etc. I figured, well that is to be expected and as long as it goes away, no big deal. Except it didn't go away. In fact, I kept getting puffier until I put the weight I lost back on. Now I am puffy all over and can't fit into my clothes, just like how I was before. I kept following the WOE though, thinking oh this is just a temporary hormonal fluctuation...just wait it out. But for the past month I have just been retaining so much water! In fact, my weight slowly went back up but even when I was still 130, I was getting puffy and not able to fit into clothes. Now I am back up to about 133 which is about where I was when I started. Very confused.
When I began, my target was about 1200 calories and macros of about 30 grams carbs (which usually I was way under that though), 87 fat grams, 75 grams protein or something approx 10% carbs, 65% fat and 25% protein. Like I said, at first I felt GREAT! However, I used to exercise a ton, but since starting this WOE I haven't been able to do my regular routine (due to work schedule, getting sick, travel etc). So I added that back in last week...thinking that will help of course (HIIT, bootcamps, weightlifting). Then I began reading online that maybe I needed to swap my protein and fat macros....so reduce the fat while still eating good protein so that my body will burn bodyfat vs burning nutritional fat for energy. I adjusted my macros and reduced calories (per another calculator I found) in MFP now and am going to experiment to see if this helps? I'm just wondering what is hindering me and causing the water retention....that honestly is the most uncomfortable part of it, the water retention. Oh, and I am terrible about tracking my water on MFP but I generally drink about 8-10 glasses a day. This was an increase from what i used to drink before this WOE.
Let's see, anything else that might be helpful....I have hashimoto's thyroiditis, I am going through perimenopause and I take Bioidentical hormones, I am 5'0 133 lbs
Help please
I started this WOE in Mid September and I really like it! Previously I was on a no grain, whole food diet so I ate a lot of veggies, some fruit and protein. The transition wasn't hard for me and it's not hard for me to resist carbs and sugar (thankfully). I slowly dropped about 5lbs with some dips and spikes but it felt GREAT because I felt like I was no longer retaining water (this has been one of the biggest problems for me!!) so I was THRILLED. I only have about 10-15 lbs to lose. And years of eating clean and working out only have caused me to gain weight and "flabbiness". Which never made sense to me lol but what can you do? So even a loss of a lb or 2 was remarkable!!!So this started out great and initially I felt normal again and not so "waterballoony". Well, as I approached my first time of the month on this WOE, I noticed I got a little puffy again in my legs, butt, abdomen etc. I figured, well that is to be expected and as long as it goes away, no big deal. Except it didn't go away. In fact, I kept getting puffier until I put the weight I lost back on. Now I am puffy all over and can't fit into my clothes, just like how I was before. I kept following the WOE though, thinking oh this is just a temporary hormonal fluctuation...just wait it out. But for the past month I have just been retaining so much water! In fact, my weight slowly went back up but even when I was still 130, I was getting puffy and not able to fit into clothes. Now I am back up to about 133 which is about where I was when I started. Very confused.
When I began, my target was about 1200 calories and macros of about 30 grams carbs (which usually I was way under that though), 87 fat grams, 75 grams protein or something approx 10% carbs, 65% fat and 25% protein. Like I said, at first I felt GREAT! However, I used to exercise a ton, but since starting this WOE I haven't been able to do my regular routine (due to work schedule, getting sick, travel etc). So I added that back in last week...thinking that will help of course (HIIT, bootcamps, weightlifting). Then I began reading online that maybe I needed to swap my protein and fat macros....so reduce the fat while still eating good protein so that my body will burn bodyfat vs burning nutritional fat for energy. I adjusted my macros and reduced calories (per another calculator I found) in MFP now and am going to experiment to see if this helps? I'm just wondering what is hindering me and causing the water retention....that honestly is the most uncomfortable part of it, the water retention. Oh, and I am terrible about tracking my water on MFP but I generally drink about 8-10 glasses a day. This was an increase from what i used to drink before this WOE.
Let's see, anything else that might be helpful....I have hashimoto's thyroiditis, I am going through perimenopause and I take Bioidentical hormones, I am 5'0 133 lbs
Help please
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Replies
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I'm not an expert, but hashimoto's (or any underactive thyroid) is likely to cause a low body temperature, and low body temperature is likely to cause water retention. Not sure if you track your body temperature, or when you last had your thyroid levels checked, but if it were me that is where I would start. Are you getting enough iodine and thyroid supportive foods? Are you taking any supplements to support your thyroid?1
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So, keep in mind I don't know anything about thyroid stuff. My thinking here is totally coming from "the basics" that generally apply to everyone..
Whenever I hear mention of sudden water retention, especially when low carb at keto levels is fairly new, I immediately think of sodium.
Are you familiar with the different sodium needs for keto? Have you read about how your body will lose sodium and potentially create a magnesium deficiency and possibly even a potassium deficiency if sodium gets low?
Even if you are aware of this and have made efforts to keep it balanced, it may still be off.
The more water you drink, the more sodium you need because the more water you drink, the more water you lose through urination. Sodium is attached to all that water lost.
When you combine the natural diuretic effect of losing ketones in urine with depletion of glycogen stores which result in attached water molecules to be released and eliminated, and taking in a lot of fluids... you get a lot of sodium loss. The body will begin to dump magnesium in an effort to retain sodium and eventually will dump potassium as well trying to keep everything balanced. If all of these get deficient, the only other thing your body can do it retain the water in an effort to prevent further electrolyte loss.
Do you think this could be what's happening?
Low carbers need between 3000-5000mg of sodium a day and keto levels require even more. Each persons needs also depends on water intake, activity level, sweating, and who knows what else. So it has to be experimented with. Just salting foods isn't enough. Especially in the beginning. Maybe later on it is. I rarely ever need to specifically get sodium now, but I've been at this for over 18 months.4 -
Hmmmm thanks for these thoughts. I am on naturethroid 65mcg and I take iodine supplements, selenium, magnesium among others. Been gluten free even before keto etc to help support my thyroid. I haven't been tracking my am temp but that's a great idea, I can start doing that. The chronic water retention/flabby skin has definitely been a problem for a several years and it was a toss up whether it was thyroid or female hormones. In the last 4 years, despite actively trying to resolve this, there have been only 2 three week periods where the water retention left me and I felt my 'real' body. The most recent was my first 3 weeks of keto in Sept-Oct. And I hadn't changed anything else to bring the puffiness back which is perplexing and why I am really at a loss as to why and what to do.
I also was curious about the sodium and electrolyte levels mentioned. Even before keto I had read blogs about potassium and minerals relieving chronic water retention, I've attempted in the past a bit but it didn't help. The hard part for me is perhaps finding the levels that are right for me? Right now I supplement with magnesium 400mg, Himalayan salt and potassium 'no-salt', making a keto-ade. Maybe it's not enough? Too much? I struggle with knowing exactly how to do this...but omgoodness I will feel so much better when I get that whooooosh0 -
Hmmmm thanks for these thoughts. I am on naturethroid 65mcg and I take iodine supplements, selenium, magnesium among others. Been gluten free even before keto etc to help support my thyroid. I haven't been tracking my am temp but that's a great idea, I can start doing that. The chronic water retention/flabby skin has definitely been a problem for a several years and it was a toss up whether it was thyroid or female hormones. In the last 4 years, despite actively trying to resolve this, there have been only 2 three week periods where the water retention left me and I felt my 'real' body. The most recent was my first 3 weeks of keto in Sept-Oct. And I hadn't changed anything else to bring the puffiness back which is perplexing and why I am really at a loss as to why and what to do.
I also was curious about the sodium and electrolyte levels mentioned. Even before keto I had read blogs about potassium and minerals relieving chronic water retention, I've attempted in the past a bit but it didn't help. The hard part for me is perhaps finding the levels that are right for me? Right now I supplement with magnesium 400mg, Himalayan salt and potassium 'no-salt', making a keto-ade. Maybe it's not enough? Too much? I struggle with knowing exactly how to do this...but omgoodness I will feel so much better when I get that whooooosh
What form of magnesium do you have?
400mg would be considered kinda low even if it is one of the better absorbed forms, which it may not be.
But honestly, sodium is the most important thing to maintain the balance of to prevent the loss of the others. But I do believe magnesium is very important overall for absolutely everyone.0 -
Let's see... it's elemental fully chelated magnesium glycinate/lysinate. I've been so used to taking it, maybe I need to increase the dose? I'll keep being liberal with the salt and make sure I supplement with potassium too. Sometime I get afraid I'll have TOO MANY electrolytes or bad ratios, can that happen? How would I know?
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Let's see... it's elemental fully chelated magnesium glycinate/lysinate. I've been so used to taking it, maybe I need to increase the dose? I'll keep being liberal with the salt and make sure I supplement with potassium too. Sometime I get afraid I'll have TOO MANY electrolytes or bad ratios, can that happen? How would I know?
That's a good form. It's probably just not enough.
If you take too much magnesium. You just get loose stools or diarrhea at worst. But you can probably take 400mg in the morning or afternoon and then against night with no problems but if you took 800mg in one dose, it might go right through you. Most people can take way more than what they think but that doesn't mean you have to take your maximum tolerable dose.
The thing you don't want to get too much of is potassium. That's why you usually see us around here saying to just use some lite salt on foods. You don't need to take a potassium tablet for sure. Too much of it can cause heart palpitations.
It's possible to get too much sodium, but it would probably just have you running to go pee a lot to flush out the excess. As long as you're drinking plenty of fluids, drinking when thirsty, that balances itself out pretty well.0 -
Thyroidectomy and im on synthroid...nightmare with puffy lower body all of the sudden
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This sounds promising "The most recent was my first 3 weeks of keto in Sept-Oct"
Do you log your food? Is it possible to go back to see what exactly you were eating those first 3 weeks of keto? Maybe something has changed that can be changed back? Were there foods you eliminated in the early stages of keto that you have since added in (maybe diary? or nightshades? or soy?). Were there foods you were eating more of in the beginning that have since dropped off your frequent food menu? Is it possible you were eating more calories in the beginning and are not eating as much now that you have transitioned? Did you change any of your supplementation since that time?
keto is usually considered an aggravator for hashimotos, low carb (but not keto low) is usually recommended, but I'm a huge fan of doing whatever works best for you, which may not be in line with what works for the average person.
low calorie is also an aggravator for hashimotos, so if you have increased your calorie deficit, which is common with keto as appetite tends to reduce over time, it could be making things harder for your body.
just things to think about...trying to pinpoint what may have created that 3 week window and what may recreate it for you.0 -
Runngurl43 wrote: »Thyroidectomy and im on synthroid...nightmare with puffy lower body all of the sudden
@Runngurl43 - My PCP and my Endocrinologist agree that if you get swollen, puffy, or edema, especially in your lower body, that means your dosage is too low. Please go see your doctor ASAP to get this ruled out - going too long with too low a dose after a thyroidectomy can be very dangerous! Good luck.1
