Adjustment Needed to Exit Plateau?

Humm, in May I lost 8#, in June 4#, and in July #2?? (Well, more or less--certainly nothing good is happening here at the end of July.) July has been my first month eating lunch and dinner at Garito Manor while making (or skipping) my own breakfast. Also, I pretty much haven't been logging because I'm trying to just 'live the Keto life.' I would have guessed that, if anything, I was as usual simply eating too many carbs. But I researched a bit this morning and came across a neat site--RuledMe.com, the Keto Diet and Weight Loss Plateaus. I recomputed my metrics using their rules and came up with a very similar set to what I was already using--a few more calories and a few more carbs.

So, if the metrics aren't that far off, what else could be the trouble? The article suggests a number of things to try. I wish I had an expert professional, a doctor?, who could help me decipher this stuff. I have the discipline, but the application is confusing. It seems pointless to resume logging when I have no control or knowledge of the ingredients and preparation of my food--except the 'chicken platter' which is 4oz plain ol' chicken breast and the beef brisket. So, I CAN try doing this in  August:

There is very, very little variety here. I can substitute a smaller amount of broccoli for the zucchini--actually I can substitute any vegetable they serve if I find out in advance how it compares to the zucchini. And I can substitute the beef for the chicken--except it tastes so awful without gravy...

Oh, well, we'll give it a shot.

Another Re-adjustment: Independent Living

So, I was doing well. On February 1 I moved to a new and challenging environment: independent living in New York. Independent living means you get your meals and housekeeping and some trips to stores, etc. I researched the place but really didn't know anything about Westchester County, NY, and ended up living in a place where I could not ride my bicycle or even walk much--very steep, narrow roads, lack of sidewalks and shoulders. So: no opportunity for exercise!! More challenging was the meals because I had no information or control of the preparation or ingredients. I nevertheless held my weight steady for the month, coming in at 209.

Unfortunately, because of a family emergency, I found myself essentially living in a hospital for a week, unable to control my meals in any way, and returned to my residence out of ketosis. I then spent the next several months trying to live within the constraints of the meals provided by the facility. I DID manage to not binge more than once but was unable to resist the overwhelming carbs available--sweet rolls, begels, creamcheese, dessert--and ended up gaining back seven pounds before I started back on ketosis on May 8. I had energy, so I usually walked downtown (cab back up the hill) at least once a week.

Back on ketosis, for breakfast I ate scrambled eggs with two pieces of Swiss cheese. Sometimes this came with sausage or bacon. I tried keeping heavy cream on hand in my tiny refrigerator, so was able to have cream in my coffee (the residence serves only half and half).

Lunch was difficult. I coulf have a half cup of chicken, tuna, or egg salad. I could have lunch meat--cotto salami, ham, or turkey. I could have a salad.

For dinner it was possible to get a baked quarter chicken (leg parts). The baked tilapia was disgusting. I could also get a well done hamburger patty (ick). I really stuck to the chicken because otherwise, the meals were carb heavy (pasta, rice, sauce).

Today I weigh 207 even and have crossed the 40% fat threshold in that I am at 39.8% body fat, so I guess I can't complain. However, I have zero energy.

On July 1 I'll be in a new residence facility where I will be cooking my own breakfast. Yea!! I'll be back to cooking eggs with coconut oil and eating bacon and a variety of cheese!!

I found this very interesting site which lists ways we can screw up our ketosis. Interestingly, one of them is counting calories, which, also interestingly, I had stopped doing a week or so ago. I figure I know what to eat and what n
ot to eat, and I'll just have to focus on the future, not today. However, I may just try their 1:1 coaching to see if I can fine-tune my life style.

One Month Review of New Attempt

I started a new keto diet on the first and lost 12 pounds so far. Not bad, but I stopped losing several days ago, so I am doing a re-calibration. I found this new site: http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/# that--after calculating my metrics--told me to EAT MORE!! I was afraid that I wasn't eating enough. OK, so I plugged the new metrics into MyFitnessPal, and we'll see how it goes. Interestingly, the percentages are about the same, with a bit more protein (more in line with what I had the last time I did keto), but it adds 400 more calories to my daily consumption. I wonder how hard it will be to get enough calories and enough fat because my struggle is keeping carbs down--EVERYTHING contains carbs except coconut oil. Well, we'll see how it goes.

Devastating News!

Who'd think it? Working soooo hard to keep the carbs down. This morning I actually planned a nearly perfect day...

and then, for some reason, I took a look at the Equal sugarless gum that I eat constantly. What? Two carbs per stick?????????????????????? I probably eat 20 carbs of gum a day!!!!!!!!!! 

I immediately gave away my remaining packages of gum and made a quart of stevia-sweetened green tea. Oh my oh my. Well maybe this will improve my progress...........