Kickin' it Keto Style!

[soleuvanathlete]

Whew! So here goes, my BB.com friends. I stared the keto diet on Tuesday, 11/4 (from lunch forward - I had Ezek. toast w/ my eggs for breakfast). I have some Ketostix and am a bit discouraged that ketosis has not yet kicked in - at all, but if I recall correctly it may take 7 days or so for that to happen?

I weighed myself for the first time in MONTHS this a.m., so that I can accurately gauge my keto progress. Came in at 150 (I'm 5'6"), which was about what I expected after a summer of entertaining and going crazy with alcohol and empty carbs on the weekends. So, I gained about 5 l-bs. I'm lookin' "beefy" and feeling the gain in my clothes and HATE it!!

I have kept up my workouts and am currently doing 2-3 days of moderate cardio (30-45 min.) with 3 days of HEAVY weights (1-6 reps of compound exercises; 6-12 for isolation which I don't do much; 4 sets of each exercise).

I know this shouldn't concern me and is a GOOD thing, but I am currently feeling AWESOME and have experienced NO fuzzy head, sleepiness, loss of sleep, headaches, loss of strength, excessive carb cravings, etc. This is my 3rd full day on keto and either I'm doing something wrong, or this is the best diet for my "system"! I tend to have blood sugar issues on a regular "clean" diet.

So, I am asking for your thoughts and advice and encouragement. I've attached a link to yesterday's menu. Your thoughts are appreciated!! Can you see where I may be going wrong? It seems my percentages are good (Fat = 68%; Prot = 24%; Carbs = 7%), but maybe too many carbs? I think that my mixed nuts do have carbs. Maybe I should cut those out?

I intend to add some celery and tuna/full-fat mayo in the next day or so and get rid of the nuts. I'm also in the market for some full-fat coffee creamer and some whole milk for my protein shakes (Metabolic Drive is a low carb PP).

Your thoughts and encouragement are appreciated! I would, ideally, like to lose about 10 l-bs without losing muscle. Could my calories be TOO high. Don't yell at me, I know there are calculators for this stuff. I'm being lazy. I'll check it out...

http://www.thedailyplate.com/users/m...hen=2008-11-06

[soleuvanathlete]

Well, I'm on my 4th full day of keto and loving it! I just enjoyed a cobb salad w/ ranch for lunch and had eggs fried in butter and 3 slices of bacon for breakfast. Snacks have been cheese and Slim Jims.

My mood is great and I feel like I'm already leaning up a bit. My jeans are fitting better and I can see it. My keto test shows a "trace", so I'm excited about that!

This is working for me so far. Heading to friends' house tonight and I plan to take my pork rinds along for snack. They're getting pizza, but I'm not the least bit interested. However, if I am tempted at the time, can I just enjoy the toppings (cheese, pepperoni, etc.)?

[sblandrus]

Here, I did your macros for you on the CKD calculator, using your height, weight, sex, guessing that your PWO shake was approx. 140 cals, taking your exercise into consideration, and with a general 65% fat-35% protein-5% carb split for your nutrients....maybe this will help.
TOTAL NUTRIENTS PER DAY FOR MEALS (EXCLUDING PWO SHAKE)
Calories Grams
Fat 1078 120 Your Bodyweight (a)
Protein 498 124 150 (Remember, on g of protein per meal, this DOES NOT include PWO shake protein.)
Carbs 83 21
Total 1659

IDEAL TARGET NUTRIENTS PER MEAL (KETO PHASE) Meals per day:5
Calories Grams
Fat 216 24
Protein 100 25
Carbs 17 4
Total 332

IDEAL TARGET NUTRIENTS PER CARB-UP PHASE (b)
Calories Grams
Fat 544 60 Maximum per day on carb up.
Protein 517 129 Per day on carb up minimum
Carbs 2041 510 Per carb up phase (to safely restore most all your glycogen)

[soleuvanathlete]

Thanks SB! You really put in a lot of effort. I appreciate your help!

As far as my diet, I'm feeling great and had an awesome workout yesterday. Even managed 2 unassisted pull-ups, so my energy and strength are maintaining, if not increasing. I'm definitely looking leaner, which is GREAT motivation to stay on this diet. I wonder if I could stick to this for the rest of my life????

I'm finding that I'm pretty hungry though, so I think I need to up my fats. Heading grocery shopping today and have lots of good stuff to add to my menu: celery, regular mayo, whole milk, salad fixins...

[soleuvanathlete]

Day 6 of keto and still loving it.

Did some grocery shopping yesterday - got some regular mayo, celery, baby greens, smokey link sausage, pepperoni, cheese sticks, brats, sauerkraut. Whipped up some tuna/chopped celery/reg. mayo last night and, OMG, I forgot how awesome tuna and reg. mayo is - what a beautiful couple! I cannot wait to have some smokey link sausages later today...

Oh, and I found some flavored pork rinds (other than BBQ) - got 'em in salt & vinegar and chili lime flavors. DEE-LISH!!

I am feeling great! Feeling leaner, but I'm only going to weigh myself once a week, as I don't want to become obsessed with that number, like I used to be. I have loads of energy, feel sharp, no fogginess/fuzziness, feel strong during my workouts, no change in sleep patterns... My hunger is satiated and I do not crave sweets at all. If my energy flags, I know that I need some fat!

Last night, my husband busted out some Godiva's and I was not even interested! Very strange indeed....

I have been testing w/ Ketostix and have been anywhere from negative to moderate over the last few days. Later in the day, it's always higher. I tested right after my egg/bacon breakfast this a.m., and it was negative, but I assume that's normal? And it's normal for the level of ketosis to elevate throughout the day as you consume more fats? Or, should I awake and still be in ketosis?

[Verti-gal]

Hey there. Good to see your having a good first week.

I'm loving all the yummy new keto food that I didn't get before. My favorite right now is eggs over easy with melted provolone cheese on top.

[gecko...]

I'm loving the cream in my coffee!! Yummo! And real scrambled eggs with butter and cream! Olive Oil on my spinach and avocado! This just has to be the best eating plan

I'm only on the second day. Yesterday I only had 6.5g carbs (after subtracting fiber) and developed a headache in the afternoon that persisted right up until midday today. Now I'm feeling really good but thirsty (weird because I'm drinking a gallon of water a day)

I'm looking forward to your weekly weigh in result - and thankyou for the tip on the pork rinds! I completely forgot about the snack variety you can buy in the supermarket!

[soleuvanathlete]

Well, it's my first "angry day" since starting keto. I am absolutely, without a doubt, MISERABLE today. I feel cranky, FAT, irritable, near tears, FAT, blah, blah, blah. However, I don't want to grab a handful of french fries right now, so I guess that's a good thing, huh?

I felt weak during my workout this morning. Basically cut it short and went home. I've felt sleepy all morning (even though I've been stuffing my face w/ fat and drinking caffeine and h2o). I feel like I'm eating all the time. My work pants fit me EXACTLY the same as they did one week ago, when I started this diet. I'm afraid to weigh myself this Friday. I feel like I will weigh MORE than I did last Friday. I do hate that that number means so much to me! However, everyone is always saying "go by how your clothes fit", so that's what I've been doing and they fit THE SAME and have for a couple years - that's why I wanted to try this stupid diet!!! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Now I know the guys (and, possibly, the girls) are going to ask if it's possible that I'm "PMS'ing", but I'm not! I just feel like I am and it's awful. I just want to go home, put on some elastic-waisted pants, eat eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, steak, pork rinds and go to sleep!

Sorry for the rant, but if this isn't the place to rant about this diet and its effects, then I don't know where is!!

[Shenelle]

Oh bother :S
Ive been on keto for a week
and lost over 2kg in the 1st 3 days, then just stayed the same!
Maybe im eating to much...

[ErinB1218]

Hello!!! Have been following along on your journal... I am on my second day of keto. I am so sorry that you were feeling crappy today!!! I hope that tomorrow is better. I am not looking forward to days like that, esp in the beginning of this diet!!!

[gecko...]

oh dear - sounds like you had a pretty cr@ppy day. I hope tomorrow you wake up feeling a bit brighter. . and lighter

[namtrag]

It gets better quickly, just keep it up for a few more days! It took me 5-6 days to start feeling good.

[Verti-gal]

My first week was pretty crappy too until I adjusted. Things should get better soon.

Its your journal, rant if you want to.

[soleuvanathlete]

You guys are so great and I appreciate your empathy and encouragement SOOOO much! So far, today is good. The funny thing is that I really don't have any desire to eat carbs - the foods I'm eating on keto are delicious and satisfying. In my mind, I think that carbs will give me more energy, and that's the only reason I'm considering a carb up day, but I don't really want to and don't really need to. Still debating on that one...

My biggest worry is my lack of energy. I went home last night, took a nap, made a big salad w/ all the fatty fixins, laid down to watch tv, and fell asleep by 8:45 p.m. Got up at 11:00 p.m., went to bed, fell right to sleep, and THEN to top it all off, decided to turn off the alarm this a.m. and SKIP THE GYM!! However, I don't feel guilty for skipping. I felt like I needed to skip. I'll go back tomorrow morning with renewed motivation (and, hopefully, some energy)!

I hope everyone has a keto-rrific day! (corny, corny, corny)

[Atavis]

Have you considered that you may actually be under-recovered?

Also, hang in there, I am sure you will continue to adjust and make it through just fine.

[soleuvanathlete]

Hey Atavis, Thanks for your encouragement!! I'm hangin' in there!

What does "under-recovered" mean? I have just been "under THE covers"! Not the same thing? Seriously...not sure what you mean.

[Atavis]

Alot of people complain and are worried about overtraining and how that can affect their training, fatloss, and lean mass gains.

However, what that REALLY means is that you may have overstepped your bodies recovery abilities, hence under-recovered. Sometimes that means you need a nap or to make sure you are getting adequate sleep at night. Generally, for an athelete 8 hours is just the bare minimum. Quite often you can employ other techiniques that improve recovery abilities like active rest, massage, contrast shower/bath therapy, etc.

If you have been very active and also recently changed your diet, you may find you need a little more sleep. It's normal, especially if you are at a caloric defecit which by definition means you are not eating enough to support your activity level.

[soleuvanathlete]

Ahhhhhh, now I see. Makes sense. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Atavis!

I think that a little bit of sunshine might help me too!

[soleuvanathlete]

Well, I'm disappointed, to say the least, but I'm not giving up! Started diet at 150. This morning (9 days after starting keto) weighed in at 149. Only lost a pound.

HOWEVER, I definitely see changes in the mirror and feel leaner. Not sure why the scale is being so stubborn, but I'm going to stick to my guns and continue enjoying this diet. I'm trying not to focus on the darn scale so much anyway.

I know that a lot of my problem is eating more than I need. This week I'm really going to concentrate on listening to my body and only feeding it when it screams "FEED ME!!" I tend to eat just to eat 'cause I love to eat! I'm going to have to break myself of that awful habit. This diet may be just the trick, since I haven't really had hunger pangs.

[Verti-gal]

It will come with time. I didn't lose anything my first two weeks. Was always right back where I started after the carb ups. I'd say play with the calories and stop when you're full. Calorie intake seems kind of weird to me on keto, and it does seem to be paying off to listen to what my body wants. Have you compared measurements?

I did hit a low today I haven't seen since mid-September. I'm still 3 pounds up from the lowest I got then, but feel a lot leaner too and am seeing more muscularity. I'm planning on skipping the carb up since its my last week before Hawaii and taking pics this weekend to see the progress.

[soleuvanathlete]

Well, I seem to be back on track and feeling good on keto. Last night, I had a few extra carbs (couple bites of birthday cake), and I'm calling that this week's carb-up. Didn't really need it and I'm only on my 10th day of keto, so I didn't want to go overboard. Plus, I was just not tempted to consume sweets or pizza (which is VERY strange), which was offered at the b-day party.

My pants are fitting looser today and, even though I didn't plan to weigh myself again today (after yesterday's disappointment), I was down 1/2 lb from yesterday.

My only concern of late has been a slight loss of strength and energy during my workouts, but I think that once I've been on this diet a little longer, I will be fine. I recently purchased Purple Wraath and White Flood:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/clabs/purple.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/clabs/flood.html

I've only used them a couple of times so far, but do feel they help with my energy levels during my 6:30 a.m. workouts.

[Verti-gal]

Glad to hear the mini-carbup went well.

The pants fitting loser is a great sign. Yay on the half pound too.

Hope the strength comes back soon and your lifts improve. Hopefully its just a matter of getting used to the diet.

[gecko...]

excellent to hear your pants are starting to get looser!

[soleuvanathlete]

To date, this diet has surely been a rollercoaster of moods/emotions/energy levels. I'm on my 12th day, and today I feel great! Yesterday, I was sooooo sleepy I could hardly stay awake and took a 1 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon, which helped a bit. I kept eating fat/drinking water/coffee, but nothing helped. I am a regular 8-9 hour/night sleeper, so I may be "under-recovered" as I believe Atavis suggested. Or my bod is just not ready to adjust to this diet yet!

Since beginning keto, I've had some lousy workouts and some good workouts, but had noticed a loss of strength last week. However, today was totally different! I felt strong and had a GREAT workout:

3 unassisted wide-grip pull-ups (just started working on these - goal to complete 10 by year's end), 1 negative, 2 pull-ups, 1 neg, 2 pull-ups, 1 neg
Bent-over BB row: 90# x 6 reps x 4 sets
1-arm DB row: 55# x 6 reps x 3 sets; 50# x 6 reps x 1 set
BB military press: 60# x 6 reps x 4 sets
Wide-grip pull-down: 55# x 5 reps x 2 sets; 50# x 6 reps x 2 sets

I did supplement before/during w/ White Flood - had great energy and great pump at/after the gym!!

Menu today:

Pre-workout:
Coffee/Sugar-Free Hazelnut creamer
2 scoops White Flood (pre/during workout)

Post-workout:
Metabolic Drive low-carb strawberry whey/h2o
2 eggs fried in butter/2 smokey links
2 slices cheddar cheese

Lunch:
Small handful walnuts
3 slices summer sausage
3 slices cheddar cheese

Snack:
2 ?grab-n-go? Slim Jims
Sliced green peppers/cukes dipped in Ranch

Dinner (planned):
Sirloin steak wrapped in bacon (from Costco ? sooooooooooooo good!)
Broccoli w/ olive oil

Possible evening snacks:
Pork rinds
Verti?s ?pumpkin cheesecake?

I hope my energy level stays this high all week! That would be keto-rrific!! Oh, and my pants are looser than ever! I feel and look leaner in the mirror. Going to have my husband take some progress pics by the weekend!

Oh, and appetite is waning, which is great! Don't have cravings/want to eat just to eat (unusual for me).

[Verti-gal]

Hey there. Sorry to hear things have been a roller coaster. Hopefully things will settle down for you as your body adjusts.

I did notice there is a lot of processed food in your menu. Is that typical for you, or new with the keto? Sometimes that can cause issues.

I do highly recommend the cheesecake, so yummy.

[soleuvanathlete]

Hi Verti, Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, no, the processed foods are definitely new w/ keto and you mention a good point. I guess my struggle is that I LOVE processed foods and now that I'm doing keto, I think, "Heck, I can have Slim Jims, summer sausage, bacon, sausage...!" For about 2 1/2 years, I have eaten processed foods VERY rarely. Was eating clean 95% of the time: chicken breast, salmon, sweet potatoes, brown rice, egg whites, Ezekial bread, etc. You know the drill. However, I was NOT losing fat, no matter what I did in the gym, or with my diet (but I WAS starving all the time and having blood sugar crashes frequently).

I have looked at your menus, but it seems like you eat very few calories and I could not eat so little. I will check them out again (and others) and try and make some trades for my processed crap. You do mention a good point, as I said. Maybe these foods are to blame for my sleepiness???

I'll get back to you on the pumpkin cheesecake...

[NHeaven]

I was thinking that maybe the tiredness was part of your transition into fat burning... i often feel like i've hit a wall right before i go back into keto

[soleuvanathlete]

Hi NHeaven - I hope you're right! Thanks for taking the time to respond!

[NHeaven]

And remember try not to stress too much about weight, how you look and feel is key, if thats you in your avi you're not doing too badly at all i'd say.

[soleuvanathlete]

Well, yesterday, I had one of those angry days again. I have decided that I am one of those people who NEEDS carbs (to a degree) to regulate my moods. See: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/carbs.html. I am normally a very upbeat, easygoing, happy to be alive, individual. But since starting keto, I have been angry, irritable and tired more days than not, so I've had to reconsider my priorities.

I do NOT intend to abandon all keto principles and practices, in that I do feel that I am burning fat. However, when I have an angry day, I am going to up my low-glycemic carbs somewhat, which may take me out of keto and put me more in the carb-cycling club. It has to be done, my friends. While I am not happy that keto doesn't really work for ME, I know that it has worked and IS working for a lot of you, so keep at it and keep lifting heavy!