Keto Weight Loss Plateau

Have you added anything new into your diet that may have hidden carbs? Are your macronutrients still in check? Do you check regular and are you in ketosis still? We found that actually having a cheat meal not a day but one meal every couple weeks actually helped the weight lose start again. The gf had reached a stall on hers and it really seemed to help plus it makes you feel good to have a reward of carbs haha... It seems after the first initial weight lose things seem to slow to about 1.5 pounds per week average

For the love of God, keep it up! It’ll come off. What’s your exercise routine? Im either walking (2 miles in 40 min) or in the gym every day of the week. I dropped 100lbs in 6 months. I was well over 380lbs, now I’m down to my 220’s and content. Like Vinnie said, make sure you don’t have any hidden carbs. Use a keto macro app like Keto.app keto diet tracker. I only keep track of net carbs. Things like zucchini have a lot of carbs in them. I on occasion go all carnivore for 1-2 weeks to give my body a break. Don’t forget to drink water like nothing else matters! Keep up the great work!

I seem to be stuck at 186.75.

Thats down 20 or so pounds since starting this in February.

I either have to start feeling hunger pains or increase workout intensity/duration to lose more.

I believe my body is telling me this is my healthy weight.

Why suffer the discomfort of hunger or risk stress injury at 50 yoa if there is no need?

There is the shadow of a 6 pack sheathed in a layer of emergency rations.

If you can check out your belt buckle without the need of two hands to raise the gunt dont sweat it.

What do you want to be some sort of skinny jeans wearing effeminate?

Enjoy you some fresh berries smothered in whip cream fresh whipped by the home mixer! add a little pure vanilla to taste!

Dieting or better said, body weight manipulation, is a journey. Adding muscle or loosing fat takes time and effort. Your body is fighting you all the way, stalling out is part of the process. It’s your body fighting you for a stable state. Check your blood sugar and ketone levels. Net carbs is a trap most fall in. Some people are more sensitive than others. If you spend the time and money to sign up for PubMed, you learn the true Keto diet from the scientific experiments and studies. Not the regular crap on the internet. In the medical journals, no direct carbs of any sort are allowed. Except for the fiber found in green vegetables. This is because you can not accurately count carbs. Use your blood sugar meter to check your response to the foods you eat. Most people that stall on Keto are not eating enough fat, or are grossly over eating. It’s not a free for all. PM me if you need more help. Stick with it!

The initial weight drop of a ketogenic diet is mostly water as the ketogenic diet has a diuretic effect. From there on out the fat lost should be slow and steady. It didn't say in your initial post if you are exercising regularly. If not, this should be your next step. 3 days a week full body basic 5x5 workout routine is all you need. Adding some muscle will raise your basil metabolic rate. Give yourself a re-feed meal once a week. Lastly, dont become obsessed with numbers on the scale. It can become counter productive. Focus on how you look and feel. Take progress pictures to use as motivation and also to see how far you have come as it's easy to forget.

jsel10 said:

The initial weight drop of a ketogenic diet is mostly water as the ketogenic diet has a diuretic effect. From there on out the fat lost should be slow and steady. It didn't say in your initial post if you are exercising regularly. If not, this should be your next step. 3 days a week full body basic 5x5 workout routine is all you need. Adding some muscle will raise your basil metabolic rate. Give yourself a re-feed meal once a week. Lastly, dont become obsessed with numbers on the scale. It can become counter productive. Focus on how you look and feel. Take progress pictures to use as motivation and also to see how far you have come as it's easy to forget.

Click to expand...

Great advice! I'm down 55lbs in 4 months following Keto and busting my ass in the gym and on the track.

I usually stall out around the 8-12 week mark when I go back on keto. For me, it lasts 3-5 weeks, but then the fat really starts falling off. I"m 6'4", and my body really likes 230 lbs. Once I start getting south of there, it's a freefall to around 210.

One common mistake is overdoing protein and not ingesting enough fat. Too much protein can kick you out of ketosis.

I’ve been doing keto since July. Once I got off the road in October, I stalled every couple of weeks. Then I’d drop a couple then stall then drop a couple. Like was said above, your body I’d fighting any sort of change besides storing fat. So any thing you do that isn’t storing fat will be a battle of sorts. 6’2” 218 in July and 182 now. I did start back in the gym 3 times a week about a month ago. Sore all the time now ?

Hey,

I just want to say congrats on the weight loss and trying to get healthy. I am an exercise physiologist as well as being in the military for the last 14 years. fitness is a passion of mine. I will give you some of my thoughts on your situation and try and leave my personal beliefs on keto out of it.

First, do not worry about what the scale says. What we do with elite athletes either use water displacement or a BODPOD to get a better look at body composition. This is great if you have access to these tools but most do not. Essentially use the mirror or pictures to track your progress. If you are in the gym and working out appropriately you should be gaining muscle. This at times can make it seem like you are in a weight loss plateau. Hence why the scale is typically the enemy.

Second, diet is basis of fitness but plateau's can be caused by lack of variability in your workout plan. I would be curious on how you're working out. Adding a cardio centric part of your workout can help a lot. That doesn't mean running. I hunt out here in New Mexico, I use rucking as a great cardio workout. Start out with a 35 pound ruck and go for an hour. Depending on your fitness level and terrain you should start at 3 miles and hour and be working for more than 4 miles in an hour. If you can get 5 miles in hour that is hauling. Then when it comes to elk season I am crushing it above 7000 feet. There is also indoor rowing, cycling or swimming.

Lastly, I have been using Dr. Barry Sears Zone Diet for years. It is really designed for 2 types of people; sedentary and extremely active. Though it can be set up of anyone thats who it will benefit the most. I am not saying change up what your doing but do some reading on it and possible give it a try.

I hope this helps. If you want to chat more shoot me a message. I would be glad to try and help out the best I can.

Imabballer said:

I'm 34 and had been gaining weight gradually since high school. I was an athlete in high school and in very good shape and after school ended and real life with work, marriage, kids, etc happened I started gaining weight. I 6'1" and weighed about 185 in high school and I had got up to around 220 and stayed there for several years until I started gaining again a few years ago. This June I got up to my all time high of 261, and knew I had to make changes. I started the keto diet at the beginning of July and have gone from 261 down to my current weight of 226. I saw a very rapid weight loss the first month and a half and then it has gradually slowed until now, where I have been at roughly the same weight for a couple weeks now with no change at all.

Have any of you on keto experienced one of these "plateaus" like this before? If so how did you get out of it? My goal weight is 200, I would still have a little fat at that weight but would be pretty slim and healthy. I'm worried these last 25 pounds are going to be really hard to get off. I assume my metabolism has slowed to the point where my calorie deficit isn't doing much for me anymore, but I already feel like I am eating about as few calories as I can get away with. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Hello, do you know if you are you in Ketosis? Are you checking your blood sugar and ketone levels?
Very hot***** Remember Ketosis is a metabolic state in which some of the body's energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood, in contrast to a state of glycolysis in which blood glucose provides energy. Generally, ketosis occurs when the body is metabolizing fat at a high rate and converting fatty acids into ketones.******
Good websites with info https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto

What I found helpful in this same situation was intermittent fasting. Really just skipping breakfast. 16/8 fasting. Keto made this easy by reducing hunger by reducing blood sugar swings. Not sure I could do it without the Keto diet.

Downtown said:

What I found helpful in this same situation was intermittent fasting. Really just skipping breakfast. 16/8 fasting. Keto made this easy by reducing hunger by reducing blood sugar swings. Not sure I could do it without the Keto diet.

Click to expand...

Started fasting this week.

Work recently started a health program and introduced the term Autophagy to me...

Autophagy (“self-eating”) is a detox process your body undergoes to clean out damaged cells and regenerate new ones. A protein called p62 activates to induce autophagy and is the key to an improved human lifespan over time.

Im eating breakfast on Monday and Thursday mornings than not eating again until the next morning - Tuesday/Friday.

That big dose of fat in the morning makes it pretty easy to make it the 24 hours of fasting without energy issues or "hunger shakes".

I believe in the "cleansing" aspect of fasting - burning stored energy rather than letting it get stale - its more a "rotating of shelf stock" rather than a weight loss goal.

Added bonus it equates to about 28% less groceries required to buy during the week.

This thread needs some color......

I Second the guy that said Intermittent fasting. I used this in connection with Keto and have lost 125lbs in the last year.

pmclaine said:

This thread needs some color......

View attachment 7051574

View attachment 7051575

View attachment 7051576

View attachment 7051577

View attachment 7051579

Click to expand...

Like this?

Carb free?

Geno C. said:

View attachment 7051954Carb free?

Click to expand...

My next meal I'm thinking a Rye on ice with a cinnamon stick and lemon zest.

I dont know if such a drink exists but Im think the cinnamon and lemon would add flavors to girly up the booze enough for me to drink it.

It helps with fasting too. If you get drunk early, you forget to eat ?

The Durk said:

For the love of God, keep it up! It’ll come off. What’s your exercise routine? Im either walking (2 miles in 40 min) or in the gym every day of the week. I dropped 100lbs in 6 months. I was well over 380lbs, now I’m down to my 220’s and content. Like Vinnie said, make sure you don’t have any hidden carbs. Use a keto macro app like Keto.app keto diet tracker. I only keep track of net carbs. Things like zucchini have a lot of carbs in them. I on occasion go all carnivore for 1-2 weeks to give my body a break. Don’t forget to drink water like nothing else matters! View attachment 6960352Keep up the great work!

Click to expand...

well done, congratulations. My wife lost 41lbs on Keto nothing else worked. The key is stick to it and you will get over the hump/wall and then your gonna see results.

I’ve been sitting at -40ish for the pay couple months. I never really had a goal other than not going up another size in pants so I’m good with it. We’ve changed the way we buy groceries and order when we go out so I just stick with it. I don’t miss much from a non Keto diet, some beer here and there, that’s about it. Well, and bourbon pecan pie... damn I miss that!!

I've done 16 months on Keto dropping 99.5 pounds. Took 15 months off of that to do power-lifting putting on 35 pounds of hopefully muscle and some fat. Last month I got back on the Keto train and dropped 10 pounds over the month. In just a few days of weakness and I put that 10 pounds right back on via carbs. I'm a bit of a hot mess with knee and shoulder issues under the barbell right now too.
So the plan is to hold off on the barbell work for more cardio and Keto this month.

Instead of smokin in the boys room, drinkin in the gun room?

pmclaine said:

View attachment 7056482

Click to expand...

I usually don’t keep my bourbon next to my bore cleaner, but some people say we’re a bit bass ackwards here in WV so maybe I’m doing it wrong

My bourbon is next to whatever is in arms reach...

i'm doing Keto + 18/6 fasting. My diet pretty much just broccoli, bacon, avocado and coconut oil. I'm on my 15 days and i'm off ~14.6 lbs. I know that first few lbs might be just water weights, but i felt more energy and able to stay awake for extended period of time.

Nice work guys. I started the end of December and am down 40 pounds. I know the carbs I cant do without (spoonful of peanut butter occasionally or a couple Michelob Ultra's here or there to quench the the beer cravings) dont help, but it make life and the diet tolerable. Some weeks the weight comes of at a pound a day, then a week I will maintain. Keep after it.
Nice to hear how the diet is working for everyone. Keep up the good work.

Been on since the first week of January. Lost weight quickly at first, now more slowly. Was over 300 and now down near 275. Its really not that hard once you get acclimated. I have some "treats" from time to time but its OK. Would be thrilled at 250. Don't know what I'd do with myself if I got down to 200. I don't consider it a "diet". Its a change in living.

Today is May 1st, i dropped 25 lbs from April 1st.

my routine
Intermittent fasting 18/6 with 2 meals. Keto lunch - 1~2 Boiled egg + 4 slice of Bacon, Keto Dinner - Avocado with a small steak/chicken or 4 slice bacon.
3-4 times a week 30mins Hiit low impact exercise from Youtube

Dave62677 said:

Today is May 1st, i dropped 25 lbs from April 1st.

my routine
Intermittent fasting 18/6 with 2 meals. Keto lunch - 1~2 Boiled egg + 4 slice of Bacon, Keto Dinner - Avocado with a small steak/chicken or 4 slice bacon.
3-4 times a week 30mins Hiit low impact exercise from Youtube

Click to expand...

Nice work!

What's your workout routine like? I've found lifting heavy (6-10 reps per set) absolutely crushes any glycogen in your body and gets you into ketosis MUCH faster than cardio. If you're not doing it already I'd highly recommend strength training. Don't look at the scale, just the mirror. Lifting will also increase test levels and help you recomp even more and over time the muscle will replace the fat and fill out the loose skin.

generalzip said:

What's your workout routine like? I've found lifting heavy (6-10 reps per set) absolutely crushes any glycogen in your body and gets you into ketosis MUCH faster than cardio. If you're not doing it already I'd highly recommend strength training. Don't look at the scale, just the mirror. Lifting will also increase test levels and help you recomp even more and over time the muscle will replace the fat and fill out the loose skin.

Click to expand...

my workout routine is doing beginner HIIT for 30 mins at 9pm 3-4 times a week at home. During my lunch break, i go to 24hrs fitness walk & run combine at 1.5~1.7miles. 8rep 4 set of weight machine for chest,shoulder,arms. My goal is back to my normal weights at 175, which i'm 30lbs away. Without Carb, my workout endurance been increase. i felt my body have more energy. One last thing is without carb and sugar, my mind been more focus and clear.

Interesting. No carbs makes me much less motivated on the weights and have less energy and strength. It's amazing how much more I can lift after having some carbs.

generalzip said:

Interesting. No carbs makes me much less motivated on the weights and have less energy and strength. It's amazing how much more I can lift after having some carbs.

Click to expand...

During my first week of KETO diet, my body was weak. Just after 3~4 days, my energy is back and better than my normal carb diet. I also sleep less per days.

generalzip said:

Interesting. No carbs makes me much less motivated on the weights and have less energy and strength. It's amazing how much more I can lift after having some carbs.

Click to expand...

If you purge your system of the carb addiction you will be amazed to find out your energy level stays steady all day long whether you have food or not when you are a fat burner.

Im 15 hours into todays fast and I could hit the gym right now.

There is a time for carbs when a blast of energy is needed and the intensity of work is expected to be high and over time, but for a typical 1 hour or so session in the gym carbs arent needed when you can fuel with fats and oil.

I have to agree with the dropping of Complex Carbs (veggies have carbs too). Sticking to higher protein and veggie diet, with no complex carbs and little overall carbs will burn fat fast.
Second piece, or every normal person in the USA who doesnt have two hours a day to hit the gym, i do 10-15 minutes of weights/pull-ups/ Push-ups in the morning before breakfast, with another 10-15 minutes at lunch. I do between 5 and 15 sets in that time. I now weight less then i did when i graduated high school, have more energy, and more muscle (including my time in the marines). I do the Spartan Trifecta every summer, and rank in the top 10% for my age.

Very motivating thread, college roommate I years ago has dropped 57 pounds on Keto and the wife and I both need to do something. Since I retired out of the military I have just gotten fat and lazy.

Does Keto give the same impressive results for women as well as men?

awmp said:

Very motivating thread, college roommate I years ago has dropped 57 pounds on Keto and the wife and I both need to do something. Since I retired out of the military I have just gotten fat and lazy.

Does Keto give the same impressive results for women as well as men?

Click to expand...

As long as they are human I'd guess yes.

Eat carbs for a week (stay in caloric deficit) then get back on it. That helped me with plateaus during keto.

pmclaine said:

If you purge your system of the carb addiction you will be amazed to find out your energy level stays steady all day long whether you have food or not when you are a fat burner.

Im 15 hours into todays fast and I could hit the gym right now.

There is a time for carbs when a blast of energy is needed and the intensity of work is expected to be high and over time, but for a typical 1 hour or so session in the gym carbs arent needed when you can fuel with fats and oil.

Click to expand...

I'm speaking purely from a weight lifting point of view. I agree on keto I have more energy throughout the day and don't fall asleep at my desk after lunch like I used to after a carb heavy meal. The blood sugar levels are steady. But I notice a very significant lack of motivation/drive in the middle of a set when >315 is on the bar. Normally when I'd get to 6 reps and have that push for a couple more, I find that when on carbs I have the motivation and energy to get those last two reps. I just don't have the same explosion off carbs. However this is really only relevant if you're a body builder or strength training. If your goal is simply to lose as much weight as possibly the lower explosive energy in the gym is not a huge deal. During cardio I notice no difference in energy levels on or off carbs. Maybe even easier on keto because I drop so much water weight.

generalzip said:

I'm speaking purely from a weight lifting point of view. I agree on keto I have more energy throughout the day and don't fall asleep at my desk after lunch like I used to after a carb heavy meal. The blood sugar levels are steady. But I notice a very significant lack of motivation/drive in the middle of a set when >315 is on the bar. Normally when I'd get to 6 reps and have that push for a couple more, I find that when on carbs I have the motivation and energy to get those last two reps. I just don't have the same explosion off carbs. However this is really only relevant if you're a body builder or strength training. If your goal is simply to lose as much weight as possibly the lower explosive energy in the gym is not a huge deal. During cardio I notice no difference in energy levels on or off carbs. Maybe even easier on keto because I drop so much water weight.

Click to expand...

I could see where the carb fuel is readily available for that blast of needed energy.

Keto for me isnt a weight loss thing more so just a change of eating habits and avoiding stuff Ive come to realize is well,.........shit.

My workouts are more about function, what kind of shit can I do in the gym that will translate into daily function? Most of my weights are moderate with reps being more important. Thinking is injury preventation/maintaining ability to perform as an active human.

Keto probably works better for that steady state exercise vs an explosive type exercise.

I dont count carbs other than being pretty disciplined about reading package labels and avoiding anything that shows added sugars.

Probably the most "sugar" I eat each day is right before my workout - a cup sized tupperware of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and coconut milk based yogurt. I think its a good fuel source for my workouts. The timing is on purpose because I think even these low glycemic items still provide a boost that fat cant add as quickly to be used during my workout.

If I still wanted to be "strict" with keto but lift for power Id think it smart to include some sort of easily accessible carb - not endorsing them or knowing anything about them, but something like Gu Energy liquid packets - better yet maybe a banana or apple.

I have been burning fat for about 18 months now. When I burn sugar I can feel it in my system.

Its not a good feeling as Im usually sedentary when I do it - think dessert.

I bet that not good feeling is "the rush" that would help if was doing something stressful.

I lost a lot of fat on keto, but didn’t start packing on muscle mass till I started re integrating carbs back into my diet. I generally eat a pretty carb heavy breakfast like oatmeal and carbs with my lunch after my workout, but supper is generally a lower carb meal with the carbs that I do eat being complex. I noticed a significant improvement in my workouts when I started eating carbs beforehand. Not knocking keto as an awesome weight loss tool, but it’s not ideal for someone that has hit their fat loss goal and is trying to build lean muscle mass

Sbeatty1983 said:

I lost a lot of fat on keto, but didn’t start packing on muscle mass till I started re integrating carbs back into my diet. I generally eat a pretty carb heavy breakfast like oatmeal and carbs with my lunch after my workout, but supper is generally a lower carb meal with the carbs that I do eat being complex. I noticed a significant improvement in my workouts when I started eating carbs beforehand. Not knocking keto as an awesome weight loss tool, but it’s not ideal for someone that has hit their fat loss goal and is trying to build lean muscle mass

Click to expand...

I do targeted keto, eating some carbs only before workouts. If you get good at the timing/amount of carbs, you will burn them during exercise/lifting and get back in ketosis for the rest of the time. This is combined with intermittent fasting too, btw.

I don't normally do this, but for those wanting to gain, there's a hormonal benefit to eating carbs right after lifting. The insulin response at that time promotes better muscle growth.

Sbeatty1983 said:

I lost a lot of fat on keto, but didn’t start packing on muscle mass till I started re integrating carbs back into my diet. I generally eat a pretty carb heavy breakfast like oatmeal and carbs with my lunch after my workout, but supper is generally a lower carb meal with the carbs that I do eat being complex. I noticed a significant improvement in my workouts when I started eating carbs beforehand. Not knocking keto as an awesome weight loss tool, but it’s not ideal for someone that has hit their fat loss goal and is trying to build lean muscle mass

Click to expand...

Agreed -- if raw weight loss is your goal, keto is pretty much unbeatable.

That being said, any strength or physique oriented training should really be centered around carbohydrates. Insulin is anabolic, which is why keto aims to reduce insulin levels at all costs. Keto is catabolic in nature, just like every hypocaloric diet. Bodybuilders offset the catabolic affects of dieting by consuming carbs around their workouts.

Another point that should be made on keto is that 'Refeeds,' in their strictest sense, should not be used. A refeed refers, primarily, to a period of high-carb intake. The ultimate goal is to reduce catabolism, refill muscle glycogen, and increase leptin levels. In other words, refeeds are used on low-carb, non-ketogenic, diets when you're approaching sub-10% levels of bodyfat.

During your keto diet, eating more fat does virtually nothing, eating carbs kicks you out of ketosis, and moving to maintenance/hypercaloric just stalls your fat loss.

If you've hit a plateau, you have 1 of 2 options:
(a) Take a 2-4 week diet break at your maintenance calories
(b) Reduce caloric intake further

Well, I took a 6 month semi brake from the diet, once I achieved 217lbs. I carb loaded only on days I was training hard. It was actually difficult to put weight back on. I fluctuated from 224-227 that entire time. Before my last Strongman competition I intentionally ate hard, to put 10 lbs on, as per the instructions of my trainer. I got on the scale at 241 with full water weight (intentional) and cut my water weight down to 229 in a two week period. Now I'm back on the diet as of the first of last month, and I'm at 218 this morning.

My next goal is 199, which I should achiever in about 1 1/2 months. It seems like on this diet, if you eat 100% clean, after about 2 weeks the weight starts to plummet. I lost 10 lbs last month, another 3 in the last week.

tag

pabrousseau said:

tag

Click to expand...

Take the pill.......just do it......you wont regret it.

MrAdrenaline said:

Lose weight with low carb keto diet. At the moment keto diet was the most efficient for me. I have tried a lot of diets a not one was efficient for me. I have insulin resistance and should limit carbohydrates.
The way it works is the most simple. You receive the energy from carbohydrates when your body does not have a carbohydrate it starts to look for the energy and start takes it from the fat of your body. That is why the keto diet is the most efficient. Plus you do not feel any hunger.

Click to expand...

Lots to unpack there.

The reason you don't feel as hungry on a ketogenic diet is protein is extremely satiating and fat slows absorption out of the stomach. When you limit carbohydrates and starve your body of glucose the liver starts to produce ketones. The process involves no having enough insulin production to turn glucose into energy. Ketones are produced from fat as an energy source.

Most of the weight loss that people experience isn't from magic. Really comes from caloric restriction as you are removing a macronutrient and filling up one protein (satiating) and fat (slows absorption).

If you track your macros and eat in a caloric restriction the scale heads in the right direction. I have seen many people not lose weight on ketogenic diet because they eat like starved hogs then say, "This ketogenic thing is is bullshit."

I recommend if you are serious about losing weight then track your total calories each day and look at the average over 7 days.

If you want to put on muscle eat a high protein diet and lift some heavy weights.

P.S. And since we are posting meat pictures - here are two bone in ribeyes I cooked the other day.