Hey! How are things going with your weight loss goals this week?
If you’re in our private Facebook group, here’s the Week 6 Weigh In post to share your total pounds lost since you started, or your starting weight if you just joined.
If you aren’t on Facebook (or prefer not to post on Facebook), simply leave a comment on this post with your results so far instead. This is also where you can post ANY questions you have.
Speaking of questions, I had four GREAT conversations about keto weight loss over the last week, and I’ll share those with you below…
KETO CONVERSATIONS
“I am staying within all of the rules. It seems to be going slow, but I’m not giving up.”
I love hearing that! Consistency is key in improving your metabolic health and creating a healthier lifestyle overall. And slow weight loss is actually BEST. 😉
I have always been a “slow loser” and find it really helps to stay focused on the long game: eating healthy, being healthy – and just let weight loss be a great result of staying focused on that.
When I was trying to rush it I would get frustrated and bail, then start back, and do that cycle over and over and over again – which never gave me great results with my health OR weight loss. :p lol
I’ve seen amazing results since I stopped dieting!
For the slow losers, like me 🙋♀️ this article on metabolism was very interesting – but mostly in terms of how FAST weight loss can negatively affect your metabolism long term. So there’s that working for you (us)! 😉
That’s great! There is so much going on with your body in the beginning, and throughout your weight loss journey. Even in a single day your total weight can fluctuate as much as 5 pounds throughout the day.
That’s the reason you only want to weigh yourself first thing in the morning right after you pee. Any other time of day is not an accurate weight.
There are many changes to your body composition as well, and in your body in general. As one example, the thermic effect of a healthy ketogenic low carb diet can cause you to burn more calories, even in a resting state.
Going by the way your clothes fit and the way you FEEL is smart. 😉 The weight will come off in it’s own time (frustrating sometimes I know) as long as you continue to eat and be healthy.
Just relax into a healthy lifestyle and trust the process!
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“I gained 1.6 pounds. I think I’ve done good, but may be eating too many calories, which I thought didn’t matter. I am trying to do 40 grams or less to start. I do have issues retaining water also. 🙁 Dang it, I want this to work! I am not ready for weight watchers, or nutrisystem, etc. That may be my issue, portion control, even with low carb.”
My advice would be to try 20 net carbs max for two weeks. That will help with both water retention AND appetite. Lowering your carbs more will ensure you get into ketosis, which is a fat-burning state and natural appetite suppressant.
You also want to make sure you’re getting plenty of healthy fats. If you track macros, shoot for 70% fat minimum. Otherwise just choose foods naturally high in fat: eggs, dairy, salmon, ground beef, ribeye steak, pecans, avocado, almond butter, etc.
As for portions, lowering your carbs will put you in ketosis if you’re not already, which is a natural appetite suppressant as I mentioned above. But also…
Pay close attention to your hunger signals. You want to eat when you’re hungry, don’t eat when you’re not hungry (never force it), and stop eating when you’re satisfied (vs FULL). I find listening to my body and being mindful of that helps a lot!
You’ll naturally start making smaller plates or portions as you get a feel for what you’re really going to eat and be satisfied with.
Prior to going low carb, I used to eat until I was FULL – or more often than not: stuffed. I don’t even like that full feeling anymore. I find it quite uncomfortable!
Another thing that I find helpful is to log my food choices BEFORE ordering a meal or dishing out my plate. If I decide to have seconds or get more of something, knowing I have to log it gives me pause for thought to decide if I’m REALLY still hungry – or “just eating.” 😉
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I have lost over 40 pounds throughout the years (2016). It seems that since the past spring I cannot lose weight and I have actually gained 10-15 pounds. I was wondering if you have dealt with this or know someone that has been doing keto but then started gaining weight and can not lose it.
What I would do is first: start tracking your meals & macros super close if you aren’t already, just so you can see exactly what’s going on and where you might make tweaks.
Think back to when you were easily losing weight. Is there anything you’ve added or changed that might be the culprit? Some products that SEEM keto friendly (shakes, bars, sweets, etc) may affect everyone differently, so the only way to know is through elimination tests on yourself.
For weight loss you want to do 20 net carbs max and 70% fat minimum every day consistently. I keep it THAT simple. If you’re already doing that with no results, switch to 20 TOTAL carbs instead of net carbs for 3 weeks.
I also find it helps to eat very simple meals, whole foods and few ingredients. That works like a charm for everyone that has tried it for two full weeks! I call it the 3IMAX method: https://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6064/3-ingredients-rule/
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There are more helpful links & motivational posts in the Celebrating or Struggling? post if you’re looking for some GETTING STARTED info or a boost to help you RESTART. 🙂
Don’t forget to weigh in here or by leaving a comment on this post.
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. What do YOU struggle with most? I was reading a great thread on binge eating and emotional / stress eating, and it reminded me several of you asked me to discuss more about how I overcame that myself – so stay tuned for that. 🙂
I’d love to hear YOUR story, what holds you back, what helps you most, and what seems to always stump you up… leave a comment & let’s discuss it!
Here is a warning to those folks who love “The Snak Yard” Shiitake Mushrooms they have at Costco. I love them… they are crunchy, satisfying and good. They originally said they had 1 net carb/serving of 1/3 cup. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t staying in ketosis and losing more weight. I went to buy another bag at Costco and noticed a new nutrition label stuck over the old one. It now says 15 net carbs. Holy cow… now I understand why!
Wow, Mona – thank you for that update! I’m so glad they caught it and relabeled the product, and that you thought to give it a second look. Geez!
Great post!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I’ve tried low carb/keto numerous times but always get frustrated and throw in the towel. I get overwhelmed trying to track calories, net carbs and fat. I seem to do fine if I’m only watching the net carbs but when I add in calories and fat, I get frustrated and use that as an excuse to quit. I also tend to lose weight the first week and then nothing for few days and that frustrates me too so then another excuse to quit.
Maybe the two week trial of only tracking 20 net carbs per day is something that I should try.
Hi Michelle,
First, it’s totally normal to see a brief hold and slight fluctuations during week two and/or week three, after your initial weight loss. That’s just your body adjusting. π It happens to all of us! The key is to simply keep doing what’s obviously working, let your body and body composition adjust, and stay focused a little further ahead.
You’re not alone on that by the way. A lot of people expect weight loss to be linear or continual, but there’s so much happening with your body at any given time! That’s why you’ll hear of people losing inches or going down in pant size but the number not changing on the scale. π
As for tracking, I ignore calories. I keep it SUPER SIMPLE: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum – and pretty much ignore everything else. In the beginning, simple is GOOD. There’s really no reason to count grams or to count calories.
Definitely try that, just do 20 net carbs max every day for two weeks consistently, make sure you don’t eat lean of course. I just choose foods naturally high in fat such as eggs, pecans, salmon, avocado, chicken wings or thighs (vs breasts).
I love cheesy scrambled eggs with bacon for breakfast, I love avocado salted & fried/browned in butter as a side dish with a meat for dinner – or as a salad topper. Just a few examples!
It really doesn’t have to be complicated at all. The simpler the better! I like easy. π My advice is to eat super simple and keep tracking simple too, and just relax into a healthier lifestyle and healthier food choices (low carb) and let the weight come off naturally as a result.