Discouraged

Same here!!! Following to hopefully figure it out. 

Hi, my name is Laurie, and I'm new to Forums.  I've been  doing Keto and tracking carbs for almost 3 months now, with small but reasonable results, and I am now at what seems like a permanent weight-loss-stall.  I'm old (75), short (5'), and not very active; to be in a calorie deficit sufficient for weight loss, CM has put me in a 70-25-5 plan starting at 1053 kCal.  That is not very much - very close to starvation levels - and it is not surprising to me that with just a little weight loss the calories required for weight loss have begun to drop low enough so as to be unsustainable.  This means, in the long run, in order to reach my goal weight I will have to keep dropping my calories until I'm in full starvation mode and my body refuses to lose weight and wants only to gain; it means I will not be able to ever resume eating a sustaining amount of calories - even if low-carb - without regaining weight.  Because I have reset my metabolism to a lower TDEE (Total Dietary Energy Expenditure).  You know what?  This is unacceptable to me and I'm getting off the band wagon right now.  I know there are many, especially experts, who disagree with this assessment, but there are just as many (more) who see - or who have experienced - the inarguable truth of it.  And this all too easy to do, as I am comfortable on this plan, I can follow it to the gram, I have no cravings or hunger, and in general I feel pretty good.

Here are some options I'm considering (none of them abandon the promise of Keto):  Upping Total Calories, raising Fat % to 80 or higher, lowering protein % to very minimum amounts, and keeping carbs at 5% or lower.  There might be an initial weight gain, but if I preface this change with a Fat Fast (or maybe an Egg Fast), I might not have too many issues with weight gain.  I have issues with elevated AM blood sugars, so i want to keep carbs low.  People have reported great success with the Egg Fast which has significantly higher calories, especially in fats.  And then there are strategies like fasting and IF.  The goal is to someday reach a  Low carb maintenance diet rich and varied enough to nourish me and fully support my energy needs.  Some few (rare) endocrinologists advocate exploring  this alternative approach to weight loss, calling it a sort of "hormonal" therapy.  It helps sometimes when metabolic balances are disturbed, as when insulin resistance is high, for example.

PS:  Water is weight and it accompanies fat, but every pound of fat you lose requires that you burn 3500 calories more than you take in (GENERALLY).  For the average person, a 500 kCal/day deficit results in a fat loss of 1 lb/week, and that is actually quite a lot with all the water it pulls out.  Even half that weight loss is good and no one should feel bad about it or that they are doing something wrong.  CM told me I should expect to lose 2 - 3 lbs per month, average.  Not awesome, but I would be happy with it.

I happen to think 6lbs in a month is great!!! So congrats🎉 Keep up the Good Werk!

I think that’s pretty good.  If you maintain the 6lbs/mo, thats 72lbs in a year.  You exercise regularly too, so that helps you maintain muscle mass and keep a healthy body ratio.  Great job!