Vegetarian KETO weight loss stall HELP!

janejellyroll wrote: »

So you've been gaining just over the past six days? I think it's too early to worry. Where are you in your cycle (if you have one).

Also, are you counting calories?

If you like eating lots of protein and you are struggling to balance your meals, are you sure keto is the right plan for you?

janejellyroll wrote: »

So you've been gaining just over the past six days? I think it's too early to worry. Where are you in your cycle (if you have one).

I use a carb Ap that tracks everything . I actually struggle to hit 1100 calories while staying within the carb and protein restrictions . I did gain a pound on Sunday and a pound this morning 😔 I never thought eating 5oz of protein at each meal was eating too much ... I feel I need that much protein because my veggie count has to be so low ...

I’m a bit frustrated because I’ve changed everything and I’m going backwards . No sugar, no alcohol, low carbs, tons of water and exercising 4-5 times a week... come on body !!! I want you to Burn my fat !!!

janejellyroll wrote: »

Holly_Wood_888 wrote: »

kgeyser wrote: »

Are you weighing your portions with a food scale?

Yes I am

It looks like you're logging things like "1/2 avocado" and butter by the tablespoon. Are these foods being weighed too?

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Going over on protein does not result in weight gain...and I'd hardly call 70 some odd grams of protein a lot. You're going to have all kinds of ups and downs when losing weight...you don't lose weight in a linear manner...weight loss looks like this...

GaleHawkins wrote: »

Holly_Wood_888 wrote: »

Hi All, I started keto on June 25 - dropped 6lbs by July 4 and now I’m gaining . I track all macros, I generally stay at 22 net carbs but struggle with eating too much protein ... on Saturday I indulged in cauliflower crust pizza with a lot of cheese - I was up 1lb on Sunday ... last night I had curried tofu and I am up another pound ...(over by 37g of protein yesterday)
I am struggling to balance my meals as a vegetarian ... because keto also limits veggie intake (due to carbs) I am finding I only feel full eating a good amount of protein at each meal. I eat fish and eggs .... Looking for advice ... / help with vegetarian meal ideas .

@Holly_Wood_888 it sounds like you are on track. Give it 365 days to get the hang of it. While I do some beef my main protein sources are eggs, tuna, nuts and mainly dairy products made from mainly the cream. Because of the nuts my daily carbs run around the 50 grams mark.

I started seriously in Oct 2014 and did not lose even ONE pound of weight for the 1st 45 days but I was losing fat at the waist and face but not losing weight so measuring is important to see success.

Getting enough protein may be your first concern since your sources are limited as you noted. Getting enough salt and magnesium was a huge problem for me for a while.

I was not teasing abou needing a year to get any form of Keto figured out.

Because of forty years of diet failure I took weight loss off of the table in Oct 2014 but after the end of the first year I had lost 50 pounds and it has automatically stayed off these last three years eating all that I want to stay full.

Keto is based on biology more than simple math I found out over the past four years. The Keto range of macros work well to stop my cravings and therefore my binging. That started to happen in the first 30-90 days thankfully.

Best of continued success. I was succeeding from the start but though I was failing due to the scales. If one is not losing pounds but pants keep falling down then that is success.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

It's normal to see a quick and pretty big water weight drop at first on keto. It's also common after a larger water weight drop to have the scale level out for a bit as things re-adjust.

After the gratifying scale drop up front due to water weight adjustment, there's nothing special about keto weight loss. If you're burning more calories than you're eating (whether you're counting calories or not), you'll lose stored body fat . . . usually pretty slowly.

It's possible that you're actually in a calorie deficit and losing stored fat, but the weight loss is masked on the scale by water weight, either from general post-initial-drop re-adjustment, a new exercise program (muscle repair), time of month (could be anytime in the cycle), inflammation from some kind of healing (sunburn, minor infection, etc.), salt/sodium consumption, or various other reasons.

That's why you need 4-6 weeks on a new regimen to see what your true average results are.

On the other hand, after that initial water weight drop, you're subject to the problems that can affect anyone: Logging eating too loosely so lowballing the numbers, over-estimating exercise calories, etc. If you're not weighing calorie-dense things like avocados, oils, and butter, you could be way off there. Spoons are less accurate, more time-consuming, and create extra dishes to wash, so weighing those foods instead would be an all-round plus.

It's not the protein: Extra protein won't make you gain weight, if your calories are correct. (If it did, I'd still be a fat vegetarian: Now in maintenance, I get 100g+ most days, and tended to be around 80g while losing.)

Since you eat fish, I'd call that technically pescatarian rather than vegetarian, so that should give you more options. The meals you mention seem like fine things to eat, if they're hitting the right calorie level and contribute to good overall balanced nutrition.

I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 44 years, but - with apologies - can't help with other meal ideas. I'm eating 200g+ carbs most days in maintenance, just as I did while losing, and rely heavily on legumes and dairy that has (inherent, not added) sugars - things like plain Greek yogurt and skimmed milk. Vegetarianism and keto are each slightly harder to manage than balanced-nutrition omnivorous eating, and there's no weight loss advantage to either, so I personally can't imagine combining them, but if those are your goals, I certainly support you in them.

Best wishes!