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WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU & LOSS OF ENERGY

Dave1975 said:
When you go low-carb, your body empties its glycogen stores.
Glycogen stores are made from carbs/ sugar.

Every gram of glycogen is attached to 3-4 grams of water, so thats why you drop all that water when you drop carbs and burn through your glycogen stores.

You should actually UP your salt intake on keto, to help your body retain water.
And an electrolyte supplement is recommended.

If that makes sense :)
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It does, thank you :)
 
I was prescribed 1 Metformin a day, regular was a no no with me, slow release no problem. Due to having Peripheral Artery disease, my doctor advised staying with that 1 Metformin just for the effects on the circulatory system. Within the last year prescribed low dose Dapaglaflozin, again not for the blood sugars, but as an aid to kidneys, which showed low levels of protein.
 
Skyrider said:
I understand that a reduction in calorie intake can cause a slowing of metabolism & energy output, so it does seem to be a bit self-defeating in this respect.
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You won't lose fat without a reduction in energy intake. And yes, a slowing of metabolism and lowering of energy can result, but there are various ways to minimise these issues. Certainly, in terms of perceived and real energy, it's possible to reduce size without encountering these energy slumps.

Edited to add: Also worth considering that slower metabolism neither unexpected nor inherently problematic.
 
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ajbod said:
I was prescribed 1 Metformin a day, regular was a no no with me, slow release no problem. Due to having Peripheral Artery disease, my doctor advised staying with that 1 Metformin just for the effects on the circulatory system. Within the last year prescribed low dose Dapaglaflozin, again not for the blood sugars, but as an aid to kidneys, which showed low levels of protein.
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Sorry to hear about your other conditions. I hope the medication is working for you.

These are not conditions that I know much about, but I expect you have done the research. I hope you can find other ways to help you...
 
Beating-My-Betes said:
You won't lose fat without a reduction in energy intake. And yes, a slowing of metabolism and lowering of energy can result, but there are various ways to minimise these issues. Certainly, in terms of perceived and real energy, it's possible to reduce size without encountering these energy slumps.

Edited to add: Also worth considering that slower metabolism neither unexpected nor inherently problematic.
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Thank you for your reply. Can you suggest any ways to minimise these issues, please?

As it happens, my weight seems to be on the way down again, following a further reduction in calories over the last few days & a small increase in activity, but I'm still struggling with lack of energy. I'm a bit wary of ending up with a permanently slow metabolism & low energy...
 
Skyrider said:
Thank you for your reply. Can you suggest any ways to minimise these issues, please?

As it happens, my weight seems to be on the way down again, following a further reduction in calories over the last few days & a small increase in activity, but I'm still struggling with lack of energy. I'm a bit wary of ending up with a permanently slow metabolism & low energy...
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Low energy can be down to various things. and not all related to diet. How are you keeping track of your energy intake?
 
Beating-My-Betes said:
Low energy can be down to various things. and not all related to diet. How are you keeping track of your energy intake?
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True. As it happens, I have suffered from low energy/fatigue since a bout of Covid nearly 4 years ago. All the regular tests report everything is normal. However, this additional energy slump is a recent change, coincident with the diet.

For tracking, I use this app: https://carbsandcals.com/app/features/
 
I definitely eat more calories these days - even though I only have two meals at the most, but I have lost a lot of weight and volume. It makes me very sceptical about the concept of calorie counting. Of course we can't live on nothing - but eating protein and fat with a low carb intake has resulted in a smaller, lighter but stronger me.
 
I'm another who lost a load of weight and brought my blood glucose into the normal range without any calorie control, just cutting out carbs and sugars. Prior to this I lived most of my adult life on calorie control until I just couldn't deal with the hunger any more. We are all different, so this may or may not help, but with carb control I only ever feel hungry when I haven't eaten for around 20 hours. From choice, I do intermittent fasting, but that's simply because I only ever eat when I'm hungry.
 
Outlier said:
I'm another who lost a load of weight and brought my blood glucose into the normal range without any calorie control, just cutting out carbs and sugars. Prior to this I lived most of my adult life on calorie control until I just couldn't deal with the hunger any more. We are all different, so this may or may not help, but with carb control I only ever feel hungry when I haven't eaten for around 20 hours. From choice, I do intermittent fasting, but that's simply because I only ever eat when I'm hungry. Apart from giving up carbs and sugar, I also use promo codes to save money on healthy food. and by the way, here you can find info about the 6 best promo code sites to save money on shopping
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It takes a journey of trial and error to find the approach that is right for the individual. Like me, some diets gave me tachycardia and tremors. I end up eating what I want, but I limit the "junk food". Although I can afford to eat something unhealthy once every few months.
 
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Resurgam said:
I definitely eat more calories these days - even though I only have two meals at the most, but I have lost a lot of weight and volume. It makes me very sceptical about the concept of calorie counting. Of course we can't live on nothing - but eating protein and fat with a low carb intake has resulted in a smaller, lighter but stronger me.
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Interesting. You're not the only one who is sceptical, you might find this presentation by Dr Zoe Harcombe of interest:

 
Outlier said:
I'm another who lost a load of weight and brought my blood glucose into the normal range without any calorie control, just cutting out carbs and sugars. Prior to this I lived most of my adult life on calorie control until I just couldn't deal with the hunger any more. We are all different, so this may or may not help, but with carb control I only ever feel hungry when I haven't eaten for around 20 hours. From choice, I do intermittent fasting, but that's simply because I only ever eat when I'm hungry.
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Interesting, glad to hear that approach is working for you. I haven't so far, had any issues with hunger or cravings, just a noticeable loss of energy. I'm able to restrict eating to a reasonable time window, but fasting is probably a step too far for me, at least for the present.
 
erikame said:
It takes a journey of trial and error to find the approach that is right for the individual. Like me, some diets gave me tachycardia and tremors. I end up eating what I want, but I limit the "junk food". Although I can afford to eat something unhealthy once every few months.
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Yes, it does, we are all different. Interesting that you have also experienced heart disturbances with other diets, I guess that the same causes are at play with these.
 
Skyrider said:
True. As it happens, I have suffered from low energy/fatigue since a bout of Covid nearly 4 years ago. All the regular tests report everything is normal. However, this additional energy slump is a recent change, coincident with the diet.

For tracking, I use this app: https://carbsandcals.com/app/features/
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Sorry to hear about the Covid issues.

I'm not familiar with the tracker you're using. Are you actually weighing your food? What kinds of things are you eating? What kinds of exercise, rough expenditure? and what deficit are you aiming for?
 
Beating-My-Betes said:
Sorry to hear about the Covid issues.

I'm not familiar with the tracker you're using. Are you actually weighing your food? What kinds of things are you eating? What kinds of exercise, rough expenditure? and what deficit are you aiming for?
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Yes, I weigh everything & log it in the tracker app.

I'm basically on an omnivore diet, although it is much more plant based these days, organic as far as possible:

Just the very occasional portion of red meat, but more poultry & fish. Veggie burgers/sausages instead. Tofu.

Eggs & dairy every day, full fat milk & yoghurt.

Loads of fruit & vegetables, although I try to minimise the higher carb varieties. Lots of pulses/beans/lentils. Not that I'm counting, but I probably attain the recommended 30 different varieties each week.

Some wholegrain bread, but zero pasta or rice.

Olive oil or avocado oil, definitely no seed oils.

Definitely no junk food of any kind.

I believe in diversity for microbiome health & am reluctant to exclude any particular food groups without very good reason, although I had to do so for a while whilst I was suffering from IBS & on a low-FODMAP diet. Fortunately that has now resolved.

Activity/exercise: Light. Usual activity around the house. Walks around the local area, adding up to around 6000 - 7000 steps/day. Gentle resistance training & muscle building exercise, all limited by overall health issues & low energy levels.

I have no idea how much energy I'm expending, but the tracker app calculates that a 500 calorie deficit equates to a current intake of around 1550 calories to achieve a weight loss of 0.5 kg/week. I'm aware that the whole weight/calorie connection is somewhat controversial.
 
Skyrider said:
Yes, I weigh everything & log it in the tracker app.

I'm basically on an omnivore diet, although it is much more plant based these days, organic as far as possible:

Just the very occasional portion of red meat, but more poultry & fish. Veggie burgers/sausages instead. Tofu.

Eggs & dairy every day, full fat milk & yoghurt.

Loads of fruit & vegetables, although I try to minimise the higher carb varieties. Lots of pulses/beans/lentils. Not that I'm counting, but I probably attain the recommended 30 different varieties each week.

Some wholegrain bread, but zero pasta or rice.

Olive oil or avocado oil, definitely no seed oils.

Definitely no junk food of any kind.

I believe in diversity for microbiome health & am reluctant to exclude any particular food groups without very good reason, although I had to do so for a while whilst I was suffering from IBS & on a low-FODMAP diet. Fortunately that has now resolved.

Activity/exercise: Light. Usual activity around the house. Walks around the local area, adding up to around 6000 - 7000 steps/day. Gentle resistance training & muscle building exercise, all limited by overall health issues & low energy levels.

I have no idea how much energy I'm expending, but the tracker app calculates that a 500 calorie deficit equates to a current intake of around 1550 calories to achieve a weight loss of 0.5 kg/week. I'm aware that the whole weight/calorie connection is somewhat controversial.
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Have you experimented with removing gluten and/or dairy?

Also, if you're aiming for 500kcal less and then exercising on top of that it could easily just be a question of taking in too little energy. From what you're eating, plus the fact you're neither experiencing cravings or hunger, it might seem fine to keep at that level, but perhaps not.

You seem to be in a no-man's land, currently. You're not low-carb enough to leverage the advantages of keto, and perhaps not high-kcal/carb enough to leverage those benefits. But the closer you can get to zero deficit, while still mainting a small amount, the less symptoms you should feel. Of course, that's a little more difficult to manage. It also means being more patient for the end goal to arrive. There are other benefits to be had for the slower approach.

I have to get on a plan within the next few days. Finally under doctors' care and have been threatened with Metformin unless I can get myself to remission. So I'm going to be right there with ya :)
 
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