INTRO Hello from South Italy

[giuseptid]

Hey everyone,

I'm 26 and I come from Southern Italy, where eating well and sitting down to big meals is deeply woven into everyday life.

All through my childhood and up to age 18, when I finally got my driver's license, I stayed really slim. Things changed once I became more independent and began bringing in my own paycheck from work - my weight climbed a lot, going from 73 kg (I'm 173 cm tall) right up to 130 kg.

Since then it's been up and down like a rollercoaster. By sticking to a ketogenic diet I got myself down to 100 kg without any medication. Then, after a hard breakup last year, I fell to 85 kg. Sadly, it slowly came back and reached 105 kg.

At some point I began using Reta. Thanks to it I reached 94 kg, but for months now I've been stuck at a standstill and it's really frustrating. Even though I go to the gym on a regular basis, the number on the scale refuses to move, and lately I've felt worn out all the time.

So I joined this community hoping to pick up tips from people with more experience, figure out how to break through a stall, fine-tune what I'm doing, and move forward with my journey in a safe way.

Happy to be here and excited to get to know all of you!

 

[bare_essentials]

Ciao, whereabouts in southern Italy are you? My partner comes from Calabria, so we've done quite a bit of traveling around that area and Sicily. Food runs in the DNA there, so the weight yo-yo makes total sense to me. We also stuck with keto for years, but it kept coming back. In the end, both of us had the gastric sleeve done (that was before ozempic and similar things existed).

Are you getting enough food and plenty of water? It may sound odd, but particularly for a female, when we don't eat or drink enough, the body can cling to weight. I deal with this now, and making sure I get enough protein genuinely helps. Another thing I figured out by trial and error was stress. I've always been someone who either barely eats when stressed or eats more, and I noticed it made my body "hold on". Sometimes the scales don't change but I look more rounded. That also happens when my period is near, though.

These days I try setting a timer so I remember to eat small bits of protein, since I still have days when my appetite is blunted. I can't stand protein shakes, so I try to snack on things like babybel cheese, or ham and cheese rolled up (a habit from keto days).

Have you taken any measurements? Maybe the scales aren't moving but your shape could be changing.

 

[giuseptid]

bare_essentials said:

Ciao, whereabouts in southern Italy are you? My partner comes from Calabria, so we've done quite a bit of traveling around that area and Sicily. Food runs in the DNA there, so the weight yo-yo makes total sense to me. We also stuck with keto for years, but it kept coming back. In the end, both of us had the gastric sleeve done (that was before ozempic and similar things existed).

Are you getting enough food and plenty of water? It may sound odd, but particularly for a female, when we don't eat or drink enough, the body can cling to weight. I deal with this now, and making sure I get enough protein genuinely helps. Another thing I figured out by trial and error was stress. I've always been someone who either barely eats when stressed or eats more, and I noticed it made my body "hold on". Sometimes the scales don't change but I look more rounded. That also happens when my period is near, though.

These days I try setting a timer so I remember to eat small bits of protein, since I still have days when my appetite is blunted. I can't stand protein shakes, so I try to snack on things like babybel cheese, or ham and cheese rolled up (a habit from keto days).

Have you taken any measurements? Maybe the scales aren't moving but your shape could be changing.

Appreciate the response!

Sicily and Calabria are lovely, no doubt, though the way people eat around here definitely makes keeping weight in check a challenge. Naples is where I'm from!

Since I'm a man, there are no period cycles involved, but the rest of what you said regarding stress and weight swings rings true — I suspect I deal with water retention, and there are days when I eat only 800-1000 kcal/day yet notice fewer results than with a 500 kcal/day deficit plan, which still puzzles me.

Funny that you brought up the ham and cheese rolls, like sottiletta — that was my usual keto snack as well. Lately though, I've been reducing processed meats for overall health. Protein shakes also used to put me off, largely due to cheap powders that clumped up. Once I switched to a better-quality one, that problem went away. These days I typically combine Greek yogurt, protein powder, fruit, and nuts, and it makes a satisfying meal. Even so, savory food is more my thing, so eggs stay my go-to.

On the topic of water and retention: my job is at a desk, and I keep a 5-liter water bottle there that I empty daily. If anything, maybe I'm overdoing the water! Still, you're right that body measurements matter more than trusting the scale alone. With low-carb, the drop is quick largely from water loss, but sustaining it over the long run remains the hard part, and it's frustrating when that magic number refuses to budge.

Thanks once more for the input, I appreciate it.

Let's keep in touch!