Please help! Any advice! Keto diet!

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Replies

  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,660 Member
    Sometimes people say "I haven't lost any weight!" but then it later comes out that they "only" lost 7 lbs. when they expected more.

    It could be a matter of unrealistic expectations.

    It's pretty strange that after a month of Keto, the scale has shown no fluctuations at all.

    Exactly, very weird!!!!! Which is why I’ve cone to post here, I’ve never even posted in here before. And no I started at the same weight and am still at this same weight.
    I’m beginning to think my scale is messed up lol

    I would test the scale. Stand on it with a weight, or a bag of sugar or a gallon of water or something.
  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Also, has your total weight loss in 4 weeks been nothing or just since you increase your deficit?

    Also, you should be careful about having a very aggressive goal with intense workout. It's a good way to not recover and increase injury risk, hurt performance (which is already impacted by keto) and could also lead to this not being sustainable.

    I belong in another group on Facebook and actually have asked this! Was wondering maybe from intense workout and going with such a deficient maybe I was doing more damage than good?! I’m no expert here! I did notice this week feeling gased out during my workouts and stuff and figured it was because of that! I switched to lower because I was so frustrated in that number not budging!

  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    @psuLemon and it’s stayed the same! The entire time!!!! I weighed the first week second week and then skipped third and weighed this morning! I instantly turned around and said “this scale has to be messed up” 😤
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    @J72FIT weighing! Minus like my dressings I’ll go off tbsp etc

    Definitely weigh calorie dense foods like salad dressing. And peanut butter. I was very sad when I had to stop deluding myself about what was 2 T of PB :(
  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    @autumnblade75 I stupidly have never thought about that!!! I’m going to go check ASAP!
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,122 Member
    @psuLemon and it’s stayed the same! The entire time!!!! I weighed the first week second week and then skipped third and weighed this morning! I instantly turned around and said “this scale has to be messed up” 😤

    Try changing the batteries if it's digital and as @autumnblade75 suggests test it by holding something of a known weight.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    @psuLemon and it’s stayed the same! The entire time!!!! I weighed the first week second week and then skipped third and weighed this morning! I instantly turned around and said “this scale has to be messed up” 😤

    I suspect a lot of it's from the exercise. How much weight do you have to lose?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Also, has your total weight loss in 4 weeks been nothing or just since you increase your deficit?

    Also, you should be careful about having a very aggressive goal with intense workout. It's a good way to not recover and increase injury risk, hurt performance (which is already impacted by keto) and could also lead to this not being sustainable.

    I belong in another group on Facebook and actually have asked this! Was wondering maybe from intense workout and going with such a deficient maybe I was doing more damage than good?! I’m no expert here! I did notice this week feeling gased out during my workouts and stuff and figured it was because of that! I switched to lower because I was so frustrated in that number not budging!

    Yes, you could be doing yourself more harm than good with the aggressive deficit and exercise. Stress > cortisol > water retention > no loss on the scale:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dietary-restraint-and-cortisol-levels-research-review.html/

    ...a group of women who scored higher on dietary restraint scores showed elevated baseline cortisol levels. By itself this might not be problematic, but as often as not, these types of dieters are drawn to extreme approaches to dieting.

    They throw in a lot of intense exercise, try to cut calories very hard (and this often backfires if disinhibition is high; when these folks break they break) and cortisol levels go through the roof. That often causes cortisol mediated water retention (there are other mechanisms for this, mind you, leptin actually inhibits cortisol release and as it drops on a diet, cortisol levels go up further). Weight and fat loss appear to have stopped or at least slowed significantly. This is compounded even further in female dieters due to the vagaries of their menstrual cycle where water balance is changing enormously week to week anyhow.

    And invariably, this type of psychology responds to the stall by going even harder. They attempt to cut calories harder, they start doing more activity. The cycle continues and gets worse. Harder dieting means more cortisol means more water retention means more dieting. Which backfires (other problems come in the long-term with this approach but you’ll have to wait for the book to read about that).

    When what they should do is take a day or two off (even one day off from training, at least in men, lets cortisol drop significantly). Raise calories, especially from carbohydrates. This helps cortisol to drop. More than that they need to find a way to freaking chill out. Meditation, yoga, get a massage... Get in the bath, candles, a little Enya, a glass of wine, have some you-time but please just chill.
  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    @kshama2001 I will begin to do that!! If it doesn’t start moving I’m thinking about going and getting my thyroid checked out and make sure everything is normal!
  • bbaumgart2011
    bbaumgart2011 Posts: 1 Member
    I have not read all the comments, so if this is redundant, sorry. Have you had your metabolism professionally tested? You may be incorrectly assuming your daily calorie needs. You could be eating too much or too little. Your body may not respond to KETO, and you may need a more balanced approach. You may be working out too hard and forcing your body to lean towards glycogen burn instead of fat burn.... It all sounded like hocus pocus to me until I was tested. I reduced my intensity when exercising (A LOT) and started, slowly to eat what my body actually needed (MORE), and am finding losing/maintaining weight is a lot less painful.
  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Also, has your total weight loss in 4 weeks been nothing or just since you increase your deficit?

    Also, you should be careful about having a very aggressive goal with intense workout. It's a good way to not recover and increase injury risk, hurt performance (which is already impacted by keto) and could also lead to this not being sustainable.

    I belong in another group on Facebook and actually have asked this! Was wondering maybe from intense workout and going with such a deficient maybe I was doing more damage than good?! I’m no expert here! I did notice this week feeling gased out during my workouts and stuff and figured it was because of that! I switched to lower because I was so frustrated in that number not budging!

    Yes, you could be doing yourself more harm than good with the aggressive deficit and exercise. Stress > cortisol > water retention > no loss on the scale:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dietary-restraint-and-cortisol-levels-research-review.html/

    ...a group of women who scored higher on dietary restraint scores showed elevated baseline cortisol levels. By itself this might not be problematic, but as often as not, these types of dieters are drawn to extreme approaches to dieting.

    They throw in a lot of intense exercise, try to cut calories very hard (and this often backfires if disinhibition is high; when these folks break they break) and cortisol levels go through the roof. That often causes cortisol mediated water retention (there are other mechanisms for this, mind you, leptin actually inhibits cortisol release and as it drops on a diet, cortisol levels go up further). Weight and fat loss appear to have stopped or at least slowed significantly. This is compounded even further in female dieters due to the vagaries of their menstrual cycle where water balance is changing enormously week to week anyhow.

    And invariably, this type of psychology responds to the stall by going even harder. They attempt to cut calories harder, they start doing more activity. The cycle continues and gets worse. Harder dieting means more cortisol means more water retention means more dieting. Which backfires (other problems come in the long-term with this approach but you’ll have to wait for the book to read about that).

    When what they should do is take a day or two off (even one day off from training, at least in men, lets cortisol drop significantly). Raise calories, especially from carbohydrates. This helps cortisol to drop. More than that they need to find a way to freaking chill out. Meditation, yoga, get a massage... Get in the bath, candles, a little Enya, a glass of wine, have some you-time but please just chill.
    That makes a lot of sense! Thank u so much
  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    edited February 2020
    psuLemon wrote: »
    @psuLemon and it’s stayed the same! The entire time!!!! I weighed the first week second week and then skipped third and weighed this morning! I instantly turned around and said “this scale has to be messed up” 😤

    I suspect a lot of it's from the exercise. How much weight do you have to lose?

    I’m at 184 right now 😭😭😭 5’2! 30 years old! I would like to get to 145! 3 years ago (before my third baby) I did this same workout regime but not witch keto, I didn’t track or log I ate things like chicken sandwiches and stuff and I got down to 150! And now here I am logging everything to a T and can’t even budge! Which is why I was wondering if I should even continue keto if maybe it just wasn’t for me but...idk ima keep pushing thru I’m just majorly frustrated!

  • WEIRDCITYBULLYZ
    WEIRDCITYBULLYZ Posts: 17 Member
    @bbaumgart2011 I haven’t!!!! But am for sure thinking about doing it! It’ll take a lot of the guesswork out for me
  • juliZ2
    juliZ2 Posts: 2 Member
    Check out this website: http://dietdoctor.com It will answer all of your questions.
  • maureenkhilde
    maureenkhilde Posts: 850 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    @psuLemon and it’s stayed the same! The entire time!!!! I weighed the first week second week and then skipped third and weighed this morning! I instantly turned around and said “this scale has to be messed up” 😤

    I suspect a lot of it's from the exercise. How much weight do you have to lose?

    I’m at 184 right now 😭😭😭 5’2! 30 years old! I would like to get to 145! 3 years ago (before my third baby) I did this same workout regime but not witch keto, I didn’t track or log I ate things like chicken sandwiches and stuff and I got down to 150! And now here I am logging everything to a T and can’t even budge! Which is why I was wondering if I should even continue keto if maybe it just wasn’t for me but...idk ima keep pushing thru I’m just majorly frustrated!

    Increased exercise, can and does cause a bit of water weight gain. Have you used a Keto calculator to get your grams for carbs, fat and protein. Not talking percentages, but grams. Because that will still equal out to a calorie total. And the better ones, ask how many times per week you exercise as well, and take that into account when coming up with totals for grams for each category. Which we know equals out to calories, and the deficit we all have to have to lose weight. I am on low carb, just up from Keto. So understand what you are asking. Key is you have to find something that works well for you. Be it keto or some other way of eating.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    psuLemon wrote: »
    @psuLemon and it’s stayed the same! The entire time!!!! I weighed the first week second week and then skipped third and weighed this morning! I instantly turned around and said “this scale has to be messed up” 😤

    I suspect a lot of it's from the exercise. How much weight do you have to lose?

    I’m at 184 right now 😭😭😭 5’2! 30 years old! I would like to get to 145! 3 years ago (before my third baby) I did this same workout regime but not witch keto, I didn’t track or log I ate things like chicken sandwiches and stuff and I got down to 150! And now here I am logging everything to a T and can’t even budge! Which is why I was wondering if I should even continue keto if maybe it just wasn’t for me but...idk ima keep pushing thru I’m just majorly frustrated!

    Another thing that you have to consider, if you are only weighing once a week, it's harder to account for daily fluctuations. It's actually the same argument I have with my wife. If you weight once a week, you have 4 data points. If you weigh daily, you have 28 data points. What you might find is that you have natural days of higher or lower weight. You may also find that certain things will affect weight loss (time of the month being a big one). For example, I had a drink last night and I am up 2 lbs today.
  • milaortiz2018
    milaortiz2018 Posts: 1 Member
    I’ve been doing keto for 4 weeks now! I’ve been eating very clean, meats and veggies! Moderate cheese nothing extreme! I was following along with carb manager, once 3 weeks hit I hadn’t seen any weight loss so I changed it to a 35% calorie deficient! All week I’m hitting my macros, again no processed foods, I don’t add a bunch of junk to reach my fat goal, I naturally meet my macros with the food I’m eating. Primal kitchen dressing that are all natural! I am also working out, I’ve been doing insanity for 3 weeks now! I AM improving in my workouts!!!! Things I couldn’t do my first week I am now doing which is awesome! I think my clothes fit and feel better, I’m sure I get into my own head also. I did before pics but I’m really hard on myself and not sure if I see much of a difference.
    I also drink a gallon of water a day sometimes more! Im honestly rarely hungry, which is a big change! So...yes I do see changes just not in my scale! I figured 4 weeks in I would budge but nada!
    Has anyone ever had this happen? I’m discouraged if I should keep going with keto specifically. I’m going to keep going on my health journey but just so unsure of this keto process!!!
    Any advice please!

    Eat more fat! I promise you this worked for me any time I plateaued. And, of course watch for hidden sugars in food for example I don't eat corn or carrots or beets when I'm being very strict. I don't count much just stay away from normal ole carbs and watch some key veggies like the ones I mentioned and of course I don't do fruit but fat totally helped me and I've lost 102lbs with Keto so believe me it works. Don't lower your calories that's rarely the cause. Good luck!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    @kshama2001 I will begin to do that!! If it doesn’t start moving I’m thinking about going and getting my thyroid checked out and make sure everything is normal!

    Caloric penalty from untreated hypothyroidism is only around 5%, IMU, based on clinical findings. It can cause fatigue (thus reduced activity) and water retention (which, as others have observed, can mask fat loss on the scale).

    There's no reason not to be tested, if you're concerned, I suppose; and if you do go for tests, might as well ask for other nutrition-related blood tests as well, for a baseline if nothing else, IMO.

    But hypothyroidism, if you have no other symptoms, is not very likely, and it is a poorer explanation for what you're experiencing than several other things that have previously been suggested (imprecise logging, exercise-related water retention, stress-related water retention, too-few weight data points to get a true weight-trend picture, for example).

    I started out at about your weight (183, in my case), though a little taller (5'5") and much older (59 at the time). I actually am hypothyroid. Then and now (weighing in the mid-130s pounds at age 64), I'd lose like a house afire on 1282 calories, if I could stick to it long enough (doubtful - but perhaps keto will help you with that, as it does for some people).
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,394 Member
    edited February 2020
    Your biggest problem is PROBABLY increased water retention from exercise and scale issues from a total of 3 weigh ins in 28 days, if I understand correctly what you've done. In the meanwhile you're probably losing fat. Increasing your deficit to something much more than 25% is not something that I would suggest, assuming you use a scale to measure everything you ingest before you ingest it and record it using correct database entries.