Keto works for me but then stops

[rb426]

I have always had some kind of dieting to try to lower my weight. I am 214 lbs 5'10 I would like to be around 180, I have muscle but the belly area was always my issue. Diets rarely worked for me I would loose some weight but very very slow this is even when I was into weight lifting. I did the keto diet 2 times. 1st time I went from 229 to 190lbs. Saw a significant loose of weight within 4 weeks. Belly was flat but arms got much smaller. Then the the weight loss just stopped and I tried adding more fiber to my diet since I wasn't really going the bathroom. Decided to take a break. Weight came back on quickly. Round 2 I was at 218 and in three weeks I was down to 204. Same thing happened. Now I am back to 214. I workout daily but not like I used to with lifting in my earlier days. I do at least 1-2 miles on my treadmill and work on the abs since that is my trouble area. I never really see an improvement unless I am doing the Keto diet. Its the only diet that ever worked for me but again I plateau in 3-4 weeks. When I am not "dieting" I eat usually healthy. No sugar, eggs in the morning or protein shake, lunch 90% of the time its salad. I only ever drink water or once in a while a coffee. My wife is 99 lbs and can eat junk and I am usually the one eating fruit or veggies (I just always prefer fruit over junk food).

Any thoughts on dieting/exercising that can help me more? I've been like this for ever I would just like to get more cut and no belly.

[metroins]

From what I'm reading, once you plateau,
you stop your keto diet and you gain body fat. I am no Keto expert, so I will not comment on the body mechanisms specifically.

Everybody plateaus.

It is inevitable that you will plateau. There is science behind why and when for each person, but it will happen. The only way to break a plateau is to get stricter with caloric intake for 1-3 weeks, then you will likely see a "whoosh" of bf % loss.

I will let others comment, but I think you need to track your food meticulously for 6 months. If you did that you'd likely be as cut as you want.

[SuffolkPunch]

You are dropping glycogen. There is a limit to how much of this you carry - so it's not a plateau in fat loss, you just ran out of glycogen.

I think the problem here is expectations. You lose a lot of "weight" in 4 weeks and expect this to continue. You should actually be expecting about 1lb a week on average. Maybe 1.5 or 2 if you are pushing it. Anything more than this is just down to shifts in water and glycogen - fat doesn't come or go easily. Each lb lost has to be explained by 3500 calories burned and not eaten.

At this rate reaching your target is going to take 25-35 weeks - you just have to be in for the long haul...

[faithbrah]

you didn't mention calories at all... do you know how many calories you're eating daily? that's what you should be paying attention to if you're looking to lose weight

don't get me wrong, eating healthy is good, but it's possible to overeat on healthy foods and not lose weight

[metroins]

You are dropping glycogen. There is a limit to how much of this you carry - so it's not a plateau in fat loss, you just ran out of glycogen.

I think the problem here is expectations. You lose a lot of "weight" in 4 weeks and expect this to continue. You should actually be expecting about 1lb a week on average. Maybe 1.5 or 2 if you are pushing it. Anything more than this is just down to shifts in water and glycogen - fat doesn't come or go easily. Each lb lost has to be explained by 3500 calories burned and not eaten.

At this rate reaching your target is going to take 25-35 weeks - you just have to be in for the long haul...

Does it take a month to run out of glycogen via Keto?

I would have thought a shorter timeframe.

[SuffolkPunch]

Does it take a month to run out of glycogen via Keto?

I would have thought a shorter timeframe.

Depends on your deficit and your activity levels.

If you are at maintenance or above and you aren't doing a lot of high intensity exercise, you'll preserve glycogen for a lot longer.

[VySingh]

You have to start tracking your calories because what matters most is how much you're eating not necessarily what you are eating

[Tommy W.]

There is no benefit to KETO for fatloss over a carb inclusive diet given they both contain the same amount of calories. The only diet that works long term is one that you can live with for life if you don't want the weight going back on.

[Luclin999]

"Keto" doesn't cause fat loss, a calorie deficit does. The only reason some people lose fat on a keto diet is because the fat/protein dense food is satisfying enough for them to be able to consume fewer calories overall than they had been and still feel satisfied.

If Keto stops working for a person trying to cut fat then that just means that they have adapted their "keto" diet back up to their maintenance calories (or sometimes even more than that).

[faithbrah]

If Keto stops working for a person trying to cut fat then that just means that they have adapted their "keto" diet back up to their maintenance calories (or sometimes even more than that).

then you have people who add extra fat into everything just because "being on keto means that you need to eat a lot of fat", not realizing that it's still about the calories and eating "unnecessary" fat is counterproductive

[Luclin999]

then you have people who add extra fat into everything just because "being on keto means that you need to eat a lot of fat", not realizing that it's still about the calories and eating "unnecessary" fat is counterproductive

Which is why some people end up gaining weight while on Keto.

*Shocking* I know, but not entirely unexpected when people are dropping tablespoons of coconut oil into multiple cups of coffee per day...

[rb426]

you didn't mention calories at all... do you know how many calories you're eating daily? that's what you should be paying attention to if you're looking to lose weight

don't get me wrong, eating healthy is good, but it's possible to overeat on healthy foods and not lose weight

Sorry for the delay I wasn't getting email notifications on replies. Net calories were 1,638, net carbs 20g, protein 102g, fat 127g

[Tommy W.]

Sorry for the delay I wasn't getting email notifications on replies. Net calories were 1,638, net carbs 20g, protein 102g, fat 127g

In reality you’re taking probably almost twice that many calories

[rb426]

In reality you’re taking probably almost twice that many calories

Why do you think that is? I am just trying to figure this out because its one of the first diets I actually lose weight.

[AdamWW]

Why do you think that is? I am just trying to figure this out because its one of the first diets I actually lose weight.

Counting/tracking errors

[supermangik]

I have always had some kind of dieting to try to lower my weight. I am 214 lbs 5'10 I would like to be around 180, I have muscle but the belly area was always my issue. Diets rarely worked for me I would loose some weight but very very slow this is even when I was into weight lifting. I did the keto diet 2 times. 1st time I went from 229 to 190lbs. Saw a significant loose of weight within 4 weeks. Belly was flat but arms got much smaller. Then the the weight loss just stopped and I tried adding more fiber to my diet since I wasn't really going the bathroom. Decided to take a break. Weight came back on quickly. Round 2 I was at 218 and in three weeks I was down to 204. Same thing happened. Now I am back to 214. I workout daily but not like I used to with lifting in my earlier days. I do at least 1-2 miles on my treadmill and work on the abs since that is my trouble area. I never really see an improvement unless I am doing the Keto diet. Its the only diet that ever worked for me but again I plateau in 3-4 weeks. When I am not "dieting" I eat usually healthy. No sugar, eggs in the morning or protein shake, lunch 90% of the time its salad. I only ever drink water or once in a while a coffee. My wife is 99 lbs and can eat junk and I am usually the one eating fruit or veggies (I just always prefer fruit over junk food).

Any thoughts on dieting/exercising that can help me more? I've been like this for ever I would just like to get more cut and no belly.

Track your calories man. You need to know consistently what it is that's causing you to have a surplus in calories. You lose weight at a deficit. Keto has its benefits in terms of sugar levels and insulin resistance. But at the end of the day, it's the same thing, it's just calorie deficit. You don't even know how many calories you need to be in a deficit, so how exactly will you lose weight then? Cmon man.

Keto or not, if you are eating at a surplus, you going to gain weight. Also, I would find a more consistent lifestyle diet that will help your weight stay off in the long run. The motto is: HIGH VOLUME food that is LOW calorie and HIGH protein.

You should be aiming to lose 1% bodyfat per week. For you at 214, that's 2 LBS per week. First, figure out your BMR.
On the scale of 1.2 to 1.9, multiply it to your BMR depending on your activity level. And be honest with yourself, 1.2 is sedentary, office job, not working out. And 1.9 is athlete extreme. If I were you, just multiply your BMR by 1.2. After you figure out this number, SUBTRACT it by 500 calories. That will be your deficit. You should be losing 2 LBS per week, and if not, drop your calories by 100. If you are losing MORE than 2LBS, add calories by 50 - 100.

As you drop weight, your BMR will also lower to your new weight. So adjust properly and weigh yourself everyday. At each end of 7 day period, take the average and that's your weekly weight.

[Tommy W.]

Why do you think that is? I am just trying to figure this out because its one of the first diets I actually lose weight.

Why?? Because 1,600 calories you be dropping weight quickly. your counting and tracking is way off.

[rb426]

I was using the carb manager which ask all the questions mentioned above and gives you a daily plan based on the input, and adjust when you do weigh ins.

[TolerantLactose]

I was using the carb manager which ask all the questions mentioned above and gives you a daily plan based on the input, and adjust when you do weigh ins.

Doesn't matter what app you use. When you start trusting it in spite of your real life outcome, everything goes off the rails.