Slow Losers Unite!
40DayFit
Posts: 246 Member
Hi low-carb & keto kin! I started ketoing on October 20th--jumped straight in after taking time to learn first. I've enjoyed an almost immediate drop in inflammation, amazing cognitive clarity, better rest patterns, and a 15 lb drop on the scale. I forgot to take tape measurements, but it's plain that my clothes fit better, I think my face is a bit slimmer, and I can see a difference in my general body outline.
Howevermuch I want to deny my interest in the scale and simply celebrate all the wonderful things that keto is doing for me, I acknowledge that I wish my fat loss were faster. I have about 80-90 lbs to go before I'm at a comfortable weight for a solid, muscular build [female]. Evidence from other folks using keto for fatloss shows a much faster drop on the scale than I've achieved. And I know our bodies and our health vary! While I don't have diabetes, I do have PCOS, teen diagnosis, so likely have hormonal & metabolic derangement impacting my ability to release fat. Still, seeing the same 2-3 lbs go down and up as I eek out one more pound of permanent fat loss is yucking up my yum. I KNOW my body is doing something, shifting something with my body composition--I'm just doing it very, very slowly.
I have decided to embrace the adventure, identify and track non-scale measures, and to keep on ketoing on for all of the non-fatloss benefits. Still, it'd be nice to hear from others who have fat loss goals and who are losing more slowly than the 10+ lbs/month we often see from fellow ketoers and LCHF folk.
Are you out there? Share your experience!
Howevermuch I want to deny my interest in the scale and simply celebrate all the wonderful things that keto is doing for me, I acknowledge that I wish my fat loss were faster. I have about 80-90 lbs to go before I'm at a comfortable weight for a solid, muscular build [female]. Evidence from other folks using keto for fatloss shows a much faster drop on the scale than I've achieved. And I know our bodies and our health vary! While I don't have diabetes, I do have PCOS, teen diagnosis, so likely have hormonal & metabolic derangement impacting my ability to release fat. Still, seeing the same 2-3 lbs go down and up as I eek out one more pound of permanent fat loss is yucking up my yum. I KNOW my body is doing something, shifting something with my body composition--I'm just doing it very, very slowly.
I have decided to embrace the adventure, identify and track non-scale measures, and to keep on ketoing on for all of the non-fatloss benefits. Still, it'd be nice to hear from others who have fat loss goals and who are losing more slowly than the 10+ lbs/month we often see from fellow ketoers and LCHF folk.
Are you out there? Share your experience!
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I've lost 26 pounds in 3 months, so not the super rapid keto loss, but one I'm very happy with. Eating this way feels like the anti-diet and I don't feel deprived, so the fact that I'm losing without "dieting" is wonderful.
I did want to say that around 6 weeks in I really slowed in my loss and then had a week where I lost 4 pounds or so and saw steady loss again after that. Hopefully you're going through the same...your body's keeping house and will shed some pounds when it's ready.
I don't deal with PCOS, but knowing the havoc hormones play with the scale twice a month for me, I can only imagine it's an aggravating component. So glad you're seeing other benefits that make this worthwhile for you.
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I initially lost fairly quickly having only about 35 lbs. to lose.
When it came to a very sudden stop I was convinced I needed to change things up, try fat or egg fasts, do more exercise... you name it, I tried it and cried about it on here too!
I've been working on losing my last 10 pounds for over a year now. Haven't made any progress on the scale at all. As a matter of fact I am heavier than the lowest weight I achieved at one point. But I am physically smaller.
I knew that keto is the right way for me to eat regardless of weight loss goals so I just kept on plan and stopped playing around trying to manipulate calories and macros and just working on eating only when hungry. That's my only focus. Eating keto, mostly carnivore for me, and only when I'm hungry. If I do allow any extra eating just because, then it's low carb foods and there's no exception.
Ive made no scale progress at all and haven't done tons of exercise either. Until a couple months ago, I never kept up with any exercise for more than a week or two consistently. But I've made dramatic physical progress.
I shared this picture in another thread recently and I've shared similar ones in the past showing the changes without weight loss. This physical change didn't happen because of my recent exercise. I shared similar photos months ago and my clothes fit the same now as before I finally got into exercise consistently.
Lots of people will say that this is only because I'm close to goal but I don't think that's true. There's no reason someone with more fat to lose couldn't have this kind of stand still on the scale but actually be losing bodyfat too. With more to lose, you'll eventually see the scale dropping again but it won't happen a single day before your body is ready for it. Stay on plan. Do it for you. Not seeing the numbers go down does NOT mean your body isn't doing all the right things. It's about faith and healing and love for a healthy body. A healthy you. Don't let a nagging voice in your head trying to convince you that you're too broken, that you just can't do it, that nothing works... don't let it talk you out of long term health and success. It's a trick!
You got this!13 -
Wow Sunny Bunny....Those are some dramatic pictures in my opinion. It really goes to show that the numbers on the scale don't always show the true results. I'm impressed with your commitment to just sticking with your plan when the scale wouldn't budge. Just started on my keto journey yesterday and I'm mainly interested in the health benefits overall, but I'm not going to complain if I lose a pound or 2 at the same time. I really want to learn how to live with the plan long term though. Thanks for the share!2
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Hi low-carb & keto kin! I started ketoing on October 20th--jumped straight in after taking time to learn first. I've enjoyed an almost immediate drop in inflammation, amazing cognitive clarity, better rest patterns, and a 15 lb drop on the scale. I forgot to take tape measurements, but it's plain that my clothes fit better, I think my face is a bit slimmer, and I can see a difference in my general body outline.
Howevermuch I want to deny my interest in the scale and simply celebrate all the wonderful things that keto is doing for me, I acknowledge that I wish my fat loss were faster. I have about 80-90 lbs to go before I'm at a comfortable weight for a solid, muscular build [female]. Evidence from other folks using keto for fatloss shows a much faster drop on the scale than I've achieved. And I know our bodies and our health vary! While I don't have diabetes, I do have PCOS, teen diagnosis, so likely have hormonal & metabolic derangement impacting my ability to release fat. Still, seeing the same 2-3 lbs go down and up as I eek out one more pound of permanent fat loss is yucking up my yum. I KNOW my body is doing something, shifting something with my body composition--I'm just doing it very, very slowly.
I have decided to embrace the adventure, identify and track non-scale measures, and to keep on ketoing on for all of the non-fatloss benefits. Still, it'd be nice to hear from others who have fat loss goals and who are losing more slowly than the 10+ lbs/month we often see from fellow ketoers and LCHF folk.
Are you out there? Share your experience!
Here here a slow loser! I've been with this WOE since May 2016 and have lost 25 lbs overall. The first three months i lost the majority of my wieght and have lost 5 pounds between Sept till now. I am wearing smaller sizes and my waist has gone down 1 inch since Sept (6 inches in total from May). However, I am a Type 2 diabetic so I think that is contributing to the slow loss. I think if i really crunched down on my cals, I might lose at a slightly faster pace but Im happy with the amount Im eating now. I was really dedicated to fitness but my new work schedule leaves such little time for it but I need to make time for it lol. I figure as long as the scale is not going up, my blood sugars are good, then I'm good. 4 -
I've been doing some type of low carb for several years now but I didn't go dramatically low carb until about July. Had a lot of stress in late August and early September. I've bounced around on the scale since then. I'm within 10 pounds of my goal. But like @Sunny_Bunny_ I am actually smaller than I was this time last year and a couple pounds heavier. I do exercise pretty consistently and take my supplements. I do have an autoimmune disease so that probably contributes to the slower weight loss.
I know some of the difference may be the pose and/or the baggy jeans in 2015 but my face is much thinner. I feel great doing LCHF and am no longer taking ativan on a nightly basis to sleep. I'm wearing clothes I could not fit into last year (or last month for that matter!) so I know I am smaller. Which is a great feeling!!!!!
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I thought I would link this here. It touches on another reason why it might take a while to see losses on Keto:
https://www.ketovangelist.com/so-you-want-to-go-keto/3 -
I have to lol at "I only lost 26lbs in 3 months". I lose about 3lbs a month. I weigh and track everything, and I don't have cheat days. I'm 90kg, and I'd like to be around 75 to 80kg. I started at 124kg - 4 years ago. No one know slow weight loss better than me. However, I could still be 124kg, and I'm not. Life is a lot better at 90kg.11
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@EbonyDahlia yea lol Im not complaining believe but in the keto world that is a STALL since its been awhile since ive seen big number drop in the scales. Ehh Im good. I want to lose 20 more pounds but I think I would need to really be strict with my cals and i dont have the time/energy/desire to do that right now.
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EbonyDahlia wrote: »I have to lol at "I only lost 26lbs in 3 months". I lose about 3lbs a month. I weigh and track everything, and I don't have cheat days. I'm 90kg, and I'd like to be around 75 to 80kg. I started at 124kg - 4 years ago. No one know slow weight loss better than me. However, I could still be 124kg, and I'm not. Life is a lot better at 90kg.
I didn't say "only". I said I was very happy with the rate. It's just below the very large numbers you see on some keto success stories.
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I started on June 1st and have lost approximately one pound a week. I ain't complaining, it's almost thirty pounds down and I the time went by anyway. I have had some bumps and glitches with carb days, and I still at least maintained. Fast isn't better according to many studies I've read. Don't ask me to source, go do your own research.
Sorry if I sound snippy. I'm feeling snippy.
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Slow loser here...started in July down 22.5 since. But hey, I'm 48, peri-menopausal, and weight doesn't come off easily anymore. I haven't been perfect but I never let the slide last4
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I have spent all year losing 13 lbs...my goal is 15 by the end of the year...not sure I'm going to make it...sooooo sloooooow...
but, I have watched many of the people around me gain 30+ lbs this year...so I'll take 13 down over the alternative13 -
I started on Oct. 12 and have lost 12 lbs., which puts me at about 165. I was hoping to lose another six before Jan. 10th for my Dr. appointment, but that seems very unlikely now. I am losing about a pound a week. I'm pretty thrilled to be losing at all.5
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SuperCarLori wrote: »I started on June 1st and have lost approximately one pound a week. I ain't complaining, it's almost thirty pounds down and I the time went by anyway. I have had some bumps and glitches with carb days, and I still at least maintained. Fast isn't better according to many studies I've read. Don't ask me to source, go do your own research.
Sorry if I sound snippy. I'm feeling snippy.
Looking at my graph, I've lost 6kg (12 lbs) in 12 months. With no carb "glitches". Keto the whole time. I'm also feeling snippy.
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I've lost 20 pounds in six and a half months. Not the quick pace of some keto folks, but I'll take it. Especially with all the health benefits I've gained, such as increased energy, normal blood sugars, improved cholesterol numbers, and looking better in my jeans. 2
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I started mid-May of this year and am down 31 pounds. I will go weeks and weeks with no loss and then suddenly I'll lose several pounds in one week. Now that I see the pattern I've learned to be patient and wait for the big "whoosh". I've also learned to look more closely at how my clothes fit than at the scale because even as the scale number stays the same, my body shifts around in some positive ways.4
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EbonyDahlia wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »I started on June 1st and have lost approximately one pound a week. I ain't complaining, it's almost thirty pounds down and I the time went by anyway. I have had some bumps and glitches with carb days, and I still at least maintained. Fast isn't better according to many studies I've read. Don't ask me to source, go do your own research.
Sorry if I sound snippy. I'm feeling snippy.
Looking at my graph, I've lost 6kg (12 lbs) in 12 months. With no carb "glitches". Keto the whole time. I'm also feeling snippy.
Oh thank you for the grin, fellow slow loser. Hey, at least we're losers right? Hahaha!
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SuperCarLori wrote: »EbonyDahlia wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »I started on June 1st and have lost approximately one pound a week. I ain't complaining, it's almost thirty pounds down and I the time went by anyway. I have had some bumps and glitches with carb days, and I still at least maintained. Fast isn't better according to many studies I've read. Don't ask me to source, go do your own research.
Sorry if I sound snippy. I'm feeling snippy.
Looking at my graph, I've lost 6kg (12 lbs) in 12 months. With no carb "glitches". Keto the whole time. I'm also feeling snippy.
Oh thank you for the grin, fellow slow loser. Hey, at least we're losers right? Hahaha!
Hey, I'll take 6 kg lighter than last Xmas over 6kg heavier any day. I have to remind myself that 4 years ago I weighed 124kg and was prediabetic. Today I weigh 89.4kg and I am healthy. If it takes another 10 years to lose that last 15kg who gives a toss. Better than being 50 and 124kg and half dead. Perspective
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All of your stories and observations have been really insightful and reassuring! I wonder, for those who've been at this long enough to see patterns in their "stagnation-then-whoosh" fat loss process, what patterns do you see?
Here's to another day of on-plan eating & self-care, no matter what the scale says!3 -
Although I am no longer losing, I was a slow loser, but not as keto. I was lower carb, but without an actual plan because I didn't know much except that eating carbs made me hungry sooner and eating real food kept me full longer - i.e. switching from cereal for breakfast to eggs.
Anyway, after being about 215 for about 15 years, I creeped up to 223 in June 2012 and decided I needed to drop a few despite still being in pretty good shape overall from a strength and cardio standpoint. I averaged less than 1 lb a month loss until about August of last year when, at 195 lbs (28 lbs in 38 months), I got diagnosed with T2D. Then, I went a bit more hardcore to drop the last 13 in about 4 months to where I am now holding. In all, that ended up being 41 lbs in 42 months.
I think the slow loss - which was really more of a stair step of lose a few and then hold for a while - was a good thing. I think it helped my body adjust to the new weight better and has made maintenance much easier. The yo-yo dieting, IMO, is a result of people losing too fast and their bodies rebelling against it. If someone has 150 lbs to lose, then a lb a month may not be reasonable as that would mean taking almost 13 years, but 1 lb a week is reasonable. It's not like any one ever puts on an extra 150 lbs in 1 year, so why should anyone expect to take off that much in 1 year?6 -
All of your stories and observations have been really insightful and reassuring! I wonder, for those who've been at this long enough to see patterns in their "stagnation-then-whoosh" fat loss process, what patterns do you see?
Here's to another day of on-plan eating & self-care, no matter what the scale says!
My stagnant is 6 weeks at exactly the same weight and my "woosh" is usually about 500g :P1 -
I usually whoosh to a new low about twice monthly. Otherwise it's bouncing around it, bouncing around it.1
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This thread made me look at my reports to see when I last whooshed and if there was a pattern I could detect from my diary. Basically, I saw that I had a whoosh when I ate MORE calories, but fewer carbs. I just set my macros for those variables to see if that speeds up the timing of the "whooshes"... will let you know if my n=1 experiment works for me.
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Here is my avatar pic, you can see how long it took me to lose 11 kg (=25lbs or so)... I was 57 and post menopausal. I have kept it off for 2 years, and eat lchf now to keep feeling good.
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Whelp, I just got a bit of reduction on the scale after three+ weeks of dancing around the same 1-3 lbs. Seeing your chart, @camtosh, is a great reminder of the nonlinear way a lot of us lose weight. I'm glad to see a little movement into a new low--gives me reassurance that I'm heading in the right direction, ultimately.
Individual factors like age, starting weight, other health & hormonal issues, etc. must also play a part in how we lose, whichever nutritional approach we're using. I'm still very happy about the many health benefits I'm enjoying from eating LCHF (keto for now) and trust that so long as I remain faithful to my nutritional plan, I'll keep enjoying fatloss--albeit slowly!
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Made it to goal - 15lbs down for the year as of today...now I just need to keep it off for the next 2 weeks!8
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I struggle with slow losses. For more than 2 years, I never lost as quickly as CICO would indicate.
Jan. 2014 - I started getting serious about weight loss at 201 lbs. This was actually a bit lower than what the scale normally showed. Truly, I was probably closer to 205 lbs. Perhaps I was just dehydrated at the time. Based on my best estimate of body fat (using the scale bio-electric impedance), and a calculation for a healthy body fat, I came up with a goal and then rounded that off to the nearest 5 lbs. Goal weight was set at 150 lbs.
End of Feb. 2016 - Switched to low carb. 178 lbs. at the time. So basically had lost so super slow that most people would have given up. Had some true plateaus / whooshes along the way. Once again, I think most people would have given up when they stopped losing despite knowing they were eating at a calorie deficit. My appetite is tremendous, so it was incredibly difficult to eat so little and still lose so slowly. By this time, I had tried a lot of different things and nothing seemed to work. My BG's were still difficult to control (type 1 diabetic, also a type 2 diabetic at the time), so I figured I would switch to low carb for BG control. I didn't expect to lose weight any faster because everyone says weight loss is all about CICO, not macro breakdown.
Dec. 2016 (now) - My initial goal was 150 lbs., and I've been sticking in the mid-150's for a few months now. Since going low carb, I've lost a lot more quickly... and CICO actually matches up. It isn't anywhere near what I see others able to lose. But it is still a huge improvement. It wasn't an improvement even expected, since the true reason to switch to low carb was for better BG control. Recently getting stuck has had a lot to do with CICO (finally that works) and a true challenge sticking with low calories. I graduated with my MBA in Oct. and figured I would have more time to exercise after graduating (worked FT throughout that degree as well), but have not exercised as much as I wanted because I'm more sensitive to the cold as I get older and thinner.
I've had a few high carb cheat days since, and now that I'm fat adapted, I've become super sensitive to carbs. I still crave all the delicious high carb foods (donuts, cookies, pizza, brownies, etc.) and enjoy how good they taste when I do a cheat day, but BG's become stubbornly high and I feel terrible after eating them. Last carb cheat day was at the end of Oct. and electrolytes didn't get back in check for almost 2 weeks. Decided I can't do that even every few months. If I ever go back to carbs, it has to be ramped up very slowly.
At this point, my fat % is not where I calculated when I started in Jan. 2014. So I've lost a bit of muscle along with the fat. Still, most of my loss has been fat. On Dec. 26, I have a BodPod test lined up to get a more accurate body fat number. I'm expecting it to be somewhere around 11-14%, but will have to see. I haven't figured out what number will make me choose to switch to maintenance. I'll need to figure that out.5 -
tcunbeliever wrote: »Made it to goal - 15lbs down for the year as of today...now I just need to keep it off for the next 2 weeks!
Congrats!2 -
I read somewhere the last time I did keto that there's a 'golden spot' pertaining to low carbing. Like the first time you do it, you lose fairly quickly and easily. I remember regularly losing from morning to night, which was unheard of to me! Imagine weighing less at night than in the morning...those were the days. Then most of us fall and gain it all back. Remembering how easily we lost we try again, only to find its not as sweet as it was. Making it harder to stay consistent. What was my point?
Oh right, well I think my body puts up a fight and hangs on to its energy reserves, knowing things will go back to normal (carbs, sugar, bingeing) soon enough. Which is why I lose slowly. Or maybe I have insulin resistance? *shrugs* That and I refuse to cut my calories too low. Heck if I can lose a pound a week eating anywhere from 1400-2000, I'm good. I love food. It's delicious.
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SuperCarLori wrote: »I love food. It's delicious.
Isn't it, though? SO grateful that the foods available to me on keto are so fantastic--and that I know how to cook (and enjoy it!).
I've been fortunate that somehow my desire for all my high-carb faves has seriously abated. Like, I walk past free, easily-accessible, nobody-would-know-I-ate-it sugary, savory carbage almost daily. I've been offered it directly. Hell, I even baked and cooked the stuff in my own kitchen when I was cooking Thanksgiving for the homeless women's shelter.
Not a bite. My biggest carb risk I've taken to date? 11 grams of Fuji apple slices. I wanted to see if it did anything to my scale or to my appetite. Nope. But that apple was the sweetest I can recall! And once I finally figure out how to select a primary care doc and get my blood tests done, I'll decide if I want to include moderate amounts of berries and other fruits. I have PCOS, that I know, but I have no idea if I have metabolic syndrome, high triglycerides, etc. So I keep pretty close to 20 g net carbs until I have a better sense of my own health.
I love hearing from all of you--thanks for sharing so openly about your experiences, everyone!4
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