Human Growth Hormone:

How often do we see dramatic weight loss in the first few weeks of keto and then plateau?
Everyday we read of people who have started Keto and after an initial loss, plateau, and for some unknown reason, you just cannot shift weight. At this point you look at what you’re eating and check for hidden sugars or recheck you’re macros in case they are wrong or you cut dairy. You might even decide that this isn’t working for you and quit. But before you do quit, lets look at a few things:

Body composition:
During this plateau period we commonly experience a reduction in size. We lose inches but not weight. How is this possible? Surely if my body is getting smaller and my cloths are fitting better, then surely, I’m losing weight? It just doesn’t make sense, unless, we look a bit deeper.
What could be responsible for a change in body mass while we simultaneously maintaining current body weight?
One possible answer is :- Human Growth Hormone(HGH).

What is HGH?
“Growth hormone or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in human development. “

What does HGH do?
“Growth hormone helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, mental function, and possibly heart function.” HGH has also been linked to anti-ageing.
“The deficiency of growth hormone in adults can be most appreciated by assessing the bodycomposition. These important parts of our bodies are not nurtured properly in growth hormone deficiency, resulting in an abnormal metabolism. With this deficiency, fat tends to be deposited
more easily, especially around the central part of the abdomen. Since growth hormone can affect muscles, they also change for the worse, which means there is less muscle strength and less ability to exercise. Bones, too, are affected by becoming weaker with low bone mineral density, increasing
the risk of osteoporosis as we get older. This combination of more fat, less muscle and less bone mineral density represents the abnormal body composition changes as the result of growth hormone deficiency affecting adults.”
Conversely, stimulating HGH will alter body composition positively, aids Metabolism, reduces body fat, increase muscle growth and density, increase strength, better bone density and general repair of the body.

Can we stimulate HGH production?
HGH is seen in higher levels in children. As we get older the levels decrease, however, it is possible to stimulate HGH production. Here are some examples of how you can improve HGH production:
 Keto:- Studies have shown that a reduction in sugar intake improves HGH production.
 Weight loss:- The amount of body fat you carry is directly related to your HGH production.
 Intermittent Fasting :- 12 and upward fasting hours has been shown to stimulate HGH
 Sleep:- It is believed that high levels of HGH are released during sleep.
 No eating at bed time:- It is believed that significant HGH is released during sleep. Eating before bed and spiking insulin potentially blocks HGH release.
 Exercise :- Short bursts of high intensity exercise has been shown to increase HGH.

Summary:
When starting keto we reduce sugar consumption which aids a reduction in inflammation and consequently we experience significant water loss(Sugar retains water). This accounts for the initial weight loss over a 2-3 week period. During this time we see an increase in HGH which could explain the resulting plateau. HGH to all intents and purposes is healing your body, strengthening your muscles, toning, fixing metabolism, strengthening and increasing bone density. In short, HGH is adding weight to you’re body while it repairs it, and, at the same time, you are burning fat. The end result is no apparent weight loss and in some cases, weight gain!
During this amazing process your body appears to shrink. Your waist size decreases, dress size, trouser size, collar size, calf size and even shoe size, can all decrease. It should also be noted that the length of time your body takes to heal can be influenced by age and current health which is why we see some lose weight consistently and others don’t.
The positives are that this process is a sign of healing and that you are on the right track. The scales will tell you nothing of what is actually going on inside your body. They are a poor guide and definitely not your friend.
Also, during this phase we often experience increased energy, less fatigue and a general feeling of well being.
Keeping carbohydrates low and feeding you’re body nutritionally with sufficient fat and protein is the best you can do at this stage. Give it time to work and you will see the results.