Keto diet with intermittent fasting

Better than weighing yourself, take measurements. Arms (biceps), chest, waist, thighs, etc. Track your body changes there rather than weight. Weight can fluctuate dramatically. I think everyone is obsessed with "weight" when body measurements are a much better tracker of your wellness journey.
And congrats on the Keto journey. It does get easier with time. I find if I let myself "slip" by having that sweet thing, it really derails me and takes a while to get back on track.
Sometimes I wish I reacted to wheat the same way my wife does, she's very gluten intolerant and will be sick for days if she has anything with wheat/gluten. Makes it easy to stay away from it when you know how much pain it causes.

 

weight loss can hit plateaus, which can last days to weeks. Sometimes you just have to switch things up a bit, maybe do a bit longer fast, or check to make sure you are eating enough. If you are not eating enough you will start losing the weight but your body realizes it's in starvation mode and starts to store more fat.
As far as artificial sweeteners I have been trying to avoid the sweet stuff all together. Stevia is good, so is monk fruit. I did find that some the artificial sweeteners will spike my blood sugar as if I ate sugar!
Adding in weight training can slow "weight" loss, but if you are tracking measurements you'll see that the fat is going away and muscle is replacing it. Muscle weighs more than fat! If you just want to tone muscles, less weight more reps.

 

If you are still having sugar cravings consider increasing the amount of calories you get from fats (always natural, never processed like "vegetable", corn, or Canola/rapeseed).

To me the greatest thing about keto/carnivore is the total liberation from cravings. I had an apple fritter the other day to check my insulin sensitivity and it was just awful because of it's overwhelming sweetness. No desire for another (used to be my favorite food) whatsoever and drank about a half gallon of unsweetened tea to make the taste go away. BTW, my somewhat rehabbed body handled it nicely and quicker than expected.

When I was transitioning if I had a craving for sweets I would eat some cheese, olives, and a few grape tomatoes, with maybe a little salt. IMO way batter than any ice cream, candy bar, etc..

 

I must suggest to visit a wellness center as well time to time for better relaxation. Let me recommend you based on my personal experience i.e Wellness Bohinj. Must try once.

 

Alanaana, Good luck or should I say Good Health. My grand dad used to say that only 3 things in life counted, potatoes, being warm, and being healthy. If you have a good place to live, enough to eat, and your health, the rest is doable. In the long run you control them all. I think you have tried as hard as anyone to keep positive in all of these. I, for at least one enjoy your thoughts and watch your progress with great interest.

Life goes on and it is always changing. Some members have passed away and it may well be that the nature of the board will change. No one can replace some of those we have lost. They had life experiences and lived during a period in which our country, warts and all, was at its greatest. But we all have to adapt or fade away. In the short run it well may be more important to encourage each other in maintaining a healthy life style, getting that garden or greenhouse in, buying that house in the country, etc, than going to Alaska and being totally self sufficient. What counts in life is the way you get thru it and that you end it with memories and not things you wished you had done.