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AnneG
Sun, Dec-30-01, 02:29
Does anyone know if you can be in Ketosis and not lose weight? I've been in Ketosis for 10 days and haven't lost a pound.

Rob
Sun, Dec-30-01, 07:48
Hi Anne,

I would like to answer you but I am asking a similar question to you . no one has answered me yet . Maybe no one has the answer .

My belief is that one can measure ketones from ingested fats as opposed to ketones from bodily fats and yes in that case you may not loose weight especially if you are not active and you take in more calories than you use in the day . So its not simply about eating fats , it must also be about not eating too many calories , or about eating not more than you use in thte day .

Maybe someone else will reply to us now

Rob :confused:

JoAnnAtkin
Sun, Dec-30-01, 10:27
But, Anne, it might be possible that you will just lose slower, because from your profile you don't have much weight to lose. So, I think if you hang in there, it will be coming off, if not by the scales, it will by the tape measure and the fit of your clothes. :D

I have been on the induction for 3 days, and I have lost 4.5 pounds. I am not using the keotstixs, however, so I don't know what I would show in that area?

Good luck and hang in there, Anne!
Jo Ann in TEXAS :wave:

Natrushka
Sun, Dec-30-01, 10:46
Anne , it could be a function of many things. Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating enough calories?

I've also noticed that at 5'6" you may have set a goal for yourself that is unrealistic. I don't know, I have no idea as to your bone size or muscle mass, and you haven't filled out your age. All of these things will effect what your 'idea weight' should be. Have you measured your % of body fat? You could be a lot closer to your goal than you think.

And yes, being close to goal when you start means that your loss will typically be slower than someone with 100 lbs to lose. This is why it is best to focus on percentage lost instead of lbs. For you 15 lbs will be 100% of your goal; for someone with 75 lbs to lose it will represent a drop in the bucket.

If you'd like more concrete help with what you're eating I suggest starting a Journal in the "bootcamp" section of the forum. Be sure to include as much information as possible, the more we know the more we can help.

Rob :

Testing for ketones really isnt a good way of measuring fat loss. Too many things can effect the outcome when you use those little stix; What time of day you test, if you've been drinking enough water, whether you just ate a fatty meal.

And calories do count, but probably not in the way you are referring. It is important that you eat enough , not that you limit your intake. Unless of course you're in the habit of ingesting over 5000 calories a day ;) To safely lose body fat you need to eat to maintain your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); eating below this will put stress on your body and it will start holding on to things in preparation for the famine it believes is impending. Our bodies do not know that there are grocery stores on every corner. You should be eating 10 - 12 times your body weight a day in calories. Percentage wise it breaks down to about 60-70% fat, 20-25% protein and 5% carbs.

Protein must be enough to meet your minimum protein requirement (.6g x LBM -lean body mass); that is the minimum. Fat should always be higher, because it is easier to make up calories with fat (as it is more calorie dense at 9 calories per gram) and because fat is metabolically inert - it will not cause a rise in insulin. Remember, fat cannot be stored in the absence of insulin and only carbs will be converted to glucose which in turns causes insulin to be released.

Yes, eating less than you burn is a funtion of a LC plan, but eating less doesnt mean eating 1000 calories a day as so many Low Fat diets maintain. What your body actually uses a day when it is functioning properly astounds most people. I burn over 1600 calories a day by fulfilling just my BMR - and BMR accounts for only 60-70% of the calories I need every day just to function. This doesn't take into acount whether I have an active lifestyle or whether I workout every day. I have lost 60 lbs eating 1800 - 1900 calories a day. Prior to LCing i was "surviving" on barely 1200 a day and gaining weight!

And please keep in mind, posts do get answered, but we can't all be here all the time ;)

HTH,
Nat

AnneG
Sun, Dec-30-01, 11:52
Thanks everyone for your responses. I am 30 years old, have a medium build, lean body mass of ~ 108lbs (and eat ~ 80-85g of protein per day) and drink tons of water--usually 40 ounces before I even eat breakfast. I have found that I have been extremely thirsty on this diet, which is good because I probably drink ~ 100ounces of water everyday, but is also bad because I am holding a lot of water. I think that may be the problem--when I weigh myself in the morning, I can tell I'm holding water because my fingers and toes feel like sausages! I suppose I'm consuming much more sodium than I normally do; lunch meats, nuts, etc.

And, as for the concern about my goal being unrealistic for me, I carry a lot of fat on my backside/thighs and that is what I want to get rid of. I don't mind having cottage cheese in the frig but I don't want it on my butt! :-)

Thanks,
Anne

doreen T
Sun, Dec-30-01, 12:39
Originally posted by AnneG
..........I am holding a lot of water. I think that may be the problem--when I weigh myself in the morning, I can tell I'm holding water because my fingers and toes feel like sausages! I suppose I'm consuming much more sodium than I normally do; lunch meats, nuts, etc. hi Anne,

Do you still have your PP book? Read the chapter about potassium, pp 182 - 184. If you have the newer PPLifeplan book, it's pp 351 - 352.

Potassium needs to be in balance with sodium in order for your cells to deal with water efficiently. Low carbing will have a strong diuretic effect initially, and you'll lose a fair bit of circulating potassium with the increased urine output. In original PP, the Drs. Eades recommended an extra 99mg per day (available as a supplement pill) and to use a salt-substitute, such as NoSalt or HalfSalt, which contains potassium chloride. In their recent edition, PP Lifeplan, they've upped the recommendation to 400mg (396mg ;)) for the first few weeks, then maintenance dose of 99mg a day. Plus using the salt-substitute.

If you're not already doing so, I'd also recommend that you take a magnesium supplement .. it's usually available in combination with calcium, which you should also be taking extra of that too. Magnesium does not have a direct influence on water regulation, but it is a vital mineral for efficient utilisation of calcium, potassium and sodium.

Doreen

AnneG
Sun, Dec-30-01, 12:53
Doreen,
Funny you should mention potassium because I just bought some last night. Since I'm still in the first 2 weeks, I'll take 3-4 caplets a day (as per your recommendation). No, I do not have the book anymore. I loaned it to my brother a few years ago and haven't seen it since. I did pp ~ 5 years ago and was successful, so I know it will work for me if I just stick to it long enough.

I was also looking at calcium supplements last night but couldn't remember what I was supposed to couple it with. Thanks for the magnesium tip.

Thanks,
Anne