Starting 90 day Keto--1st time Newbie

[ctroberts]

Well, I've decided to start a Keto diet and I thought I would keep a log to keep myself motivated and hopefully chronicle my success. I'm new to both weightlifting and Keto, so I need all the help I can get

Over the past 4 months I've dropped from 235lbs at 33% BF (approx) to 200lbs at 22% BF (approx) on a more conventioanl diet, but I felt I was losing too much muscle so after a lot of reading I decided to try Keto. I will get some pictures of my current self including an avatar, up in the next day or 2 (I wish I had taken some pics of me at 235).

I don't have any specific goals for the next 90 days other than to reduce my BF by as much as I can while maintaining muscle and hopefully increasing strength (if that's possible on a cut).

Well, enough rambling and on with the show. Here is my plan which is by no means set in stone, and I am open to any suggestions and advice. One of the reasons I am here is because there seem to be a lot of experienced and helpful people here. I will try and keep my ratios to 60/35/5--F/P/C with one clean refeed every 14 days. My only supp atm is an EC stack twice daily and lots of water and diet green tea.

I am new to weightlifting, so I created a 3 day/week workout based on the Rippetoe guide. My workout M/W/F will be:
Deadlift 3x5
Leg Press 3x5
Bench 3x5
DB Squat 3x5
Overhead Press 3x5
Pendlay Row 3x5
Ab work (hanging leg raise, weighted decline)

Tues/Thurs I may do some light 30-45 minute cardio, usually stationary bike or elliptical.

Does this workout seem okay or is it too much? (I'm not out of shape, just got soft after leaving the military). Are there any problems I should expect? Again I am open to any and all advice and I hope to have some good progress to share with you all. Wish me luck!

[bigg_K]

Hey man, welcome first off and good luck.

The routine is alright. Personally I prefer a Upper and Lower body split for newbies, but if you really are new then a full body can work for you IF you can keep the intensity up throughout the lifts.

Benching, Squating, Deadlifting, all in one day, can really burn you out if you can kill it on all of these, then do it.

Get those pics up, and lets see you kick some ass!

Feel free to shoot me, or anyone with questions most of us are more than willing to help.

[ctroberts]

Thanks for the advice Konrad.

I start my workout in the morning..I'll find out if it is too much and adjust accordingly. You may be right about a split, I'm trying to maximize my limited gym time but if I kill myself its counterproductive. I'll have some pics up tomorrow evening.

My diet today was good, as far as I can tell. I may need to up the calories though. Should I calculate my BMR using my lean mass, or total body weight?

Day 1 Diet Breakdown

Total calories -- 2129

Fat-- 137g---1235cal----59%
Carb-- 10g-----40cal-----2%
Prot-- 203g----812cal----39%

9AM -- 2 sausage patties, 2 eggs scrambled, 2 pieces fried ham, EC Stack

1130AM -- 1 can tuna with mayonnaise

200PM -- 1 can tuna with mayonnaise, EC Stack

430PM -- 2 pieces pepper jack cheese, 2 slices ham

930PM -- 4 cheeseburgers (meat,cheese only)

I had to eat a late dinner due to family plans, but it's only for today. I checked on a Keto-stick, and I am at trace levels, so after a good workout and a couple days of eating, I hope to be into ketosis.

Any thoughts, suggestions, critiques? I can take criticism

[bigg_K]

calculate using LBM.

The diet looks good, consider adding some fibers. You may want to up the calories just a tad, so that when you're cutting you have more head-way to drop the calories. (Not a necessary) And this also depends on the amount of exercise and activities you will do during the day.

[ctroberts]

I got some pictures up (I didn't realized I looked that bad..wow..makes me wonder what I looked like at 235lbs)

First workout today, started with a little bit lighter weight than I thought I could lift. (It's pathetic how weak I've gotten in 3 years) I will increase weight by approx 10% Friday and see how that goes. I am a little concerned about my deadlift form. I feel like I may be raising my hips up too soon and using too much lower back, but I'm a newb, what do I know...lol

I think I can do this full-body workout every 3 days, I'll know more in the morning when DOMS sets in. (I seem to have to wait 24 hours to feel any soreness). I'm considering adding a couple of extra exercises for my arms (maybe curls, pullups, tri-pressdowns), as they don't really feel like they've been worked hard enough (but that may change after I up the weight)

I hate that my "gym" (actually a corporate "wellness center") doesn't have a squat rack. That would make the workout much better.

I upped the calories and fat a bit. I am considering fiber pills, but I don't have any "plumbing problems" yet. I also added a multi-vitamin to my diet. Pee-stick was pink, so I'm in ketosis and I feel fine. A little brain fog and a sore throat (don't know if the throat is keto related) are all.

Day 2 Diet Breakdown

Total calories -- 2753

Fat-- 190g---1706cal----66%
Carb----7g-----28cal-----1%
Prot--217g----866cal----33%

9AM -- 4 sausage patties, 2 eggs scrambled, 2 pieces bacon, EC Stack

100PM -- 4 cheeseburgers (meat,cheese only)

200PM -- EC Stack

730PM -- 13oz hamburger, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese

930PM -- 1 can tuna

2 Days down..88 more to go. Even more motivated to trim the fat and add some muscle after seeing my pictures.

[JavaMinx]

Looks like a good plan to me!

I agree, it would be good to add psyllium husk or flaxseed meal. I'm addicted to the flax myself because it has such great nutrients, lots of fiber and 0g net carbs

[ctroberts]

Damn, was I sore this morning! DOMS was a bit worse than I expected, especially in my lower back. I guess the deadlifts were mainly responsible for that. I had a little soreness in my upper back and almost none in my legs. I guess I need to go heavier if I have no soreness right?

I'm considering doing smith machine squats (even though my knees might protest) instead of dumbell squats due to the fact that I'm not sure my grip strength is where it needs to be to handle heavy enough dumbells. Anybody have an opinion on that?

Been thirsty as hell the past couple days. I'm drinking about a 1/2 gallon of green tea and probably another 3/4 gallon of water each day, and spending lots of time in the restroom at work.

I noticed that tuna packed in oil has 5g of fiber in each can, and no additional carbs. I guess this is from the soybean oil. Is 10g of fiber good enough to keep the "plumbing" clear? It would be a nice bonus if I could get my fiber from the meat I eat anyway.

I know that you're not usually able to add any muscle while eating less than maintenance, but I wonder if because I'm completely new to weight training if I may have the potential to. Would using a split workout instead of a full body one make any difference with respect to hormone release and muscle response? (i.e. are two smaller workouts better than one bigger one?)


Day 3 Diet Breakdown

Total calories -- 2675

Fat-- 182g---1642cal----65%
Carb---21g-----42cal-----2%
Fiber---10g----net carbs---11g
Prot--207g----828cal----33%

9AM -- 4 sausage patties, 2.5 eggs scrambled, EC Stack

1200PM -- 2 cans tuna in oil, 2 packets mayonnaise

200PM -- EC Stack

700PM -- 2.66 cups hamburger, 3/4 cup shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese

930PM -- 1 can tuna

Diet looked good today, keto stick still pinkish but I am staying very well hydrated.

[MarkVI]

Looks like a good plan to me!

I agree, it would be good to add psyllium husk or flaxseed meal. I'm addicted to the flax myself because it has such great nutrients, lots of fiber and 0g net carbs

Seattlite! Do you belong to a major gym over here?

[JavaMinx]

Seattlite! Do you belong to a major gym over here?

Anderson's Nautilus I lived in Issaquah not long ago! I went to Sammamish Club and then Klahanie Fitness. Where do you go?

[ctroberts]

Today I was pretty irritable, don't know exactly why as today was a good day. Can keto contribute to my mood? Morning workout went well, all lifts were increased...that's good news. I stepped on the scales, just out of curiosity and I'm down to 198lbs, so 2 lbs gone so far..I'm pleased with that also even if it is mostly (or all) water.

I'm going to add a proper PWO shake starting Monday (60g protein, 12 net carb, 2g fat.) Is this enough carbs, or should I add something to it? I'm also going to use N.O. Black Powder pre-workout (11g carbs, 2g sugars). Will those pre-workout carbs count towards my daily allowance or endanger keto?

------------Day 4 Diet Breakdown

Total calories -- 2584

Fat-- 180g---1616cal------65%
Carb---20g-----41cal-------2%
Fiber---10g--net carb--10g
Prot---212g---847cal------34%

545AM -- EC Stack

9AM -- 4 sausage patties, 2.25 cups egg scrambled

1200PM -- 2 cans tuna in oil, 2 packets mayonnaise

100PM -- EC Stack

200PM -- Salami snack

300PM -- Salami snack

800PM -- 4 McDonald's cheesburgers (meat 'n cheese)

1000PM -- 2 Ham 'n Cheese rollups

Diet seems to be good, still can't get used to the fact that I will be able to lose weight eating 2600 cals worth of meat, cheese, and eggs....tastes really good though.

[adwill]

you gotta drop the water to start losing fat, everything is working good, keep it up.

don't count post workout carbs towards your daily allowance, i believe thats the general consensus around here.

personally i only take in around 10 grams from my protein powder but you might consider taking pwo carbs in a higher dose if you prefer it. i'm not sure what most people recommend, the results have been solid for me so i just keep doing what i'm doing.

[MarkVI]

Anderson's Nautilus I lived in Issaquah not long ago! I went to Sammamish Club and then Klahanie Fitness. Where do you go?

I hike it over to The renton highlands to "East highlands fitness" but Golds is opening a full amenity gym like 1.5 miles from my house~!!!!

[ctroberts]

Had some major carb cravings today...probably because I was at home and was tempted by all the stuff around the house. I don't get these cravings at work. I didn't give in though, I grabbed a handful of pecans instead which then proceeded to screw up my macros and calories for the day...lol. 400 cals and 42g fat in 2 oz of nuts, ouch. Oh well, it's just one day.

I'm going to get some fiber pills (psyillium husk) tomorrow. I'm not eating any veggies (I probably should) and I'm starting to notice the lack of fiber.



------------Day 5 Diet Breakdown

Total calories -- 2831

Fat-- 206g---1856cal------70%
Carb---22g-----64cal-------2%
Fiber---6g--net carb--16g
Prot---183g---732cal------28%


9AM -- 4 egg omelet with ham, pepper jack and colby.

100PM -- 3 ham and colby roll-ups

300PM -- 2 oz of pecans

800PM -- 16 oz hamburger w/american cheese and bacon bits

[ctroberts]

Been busy the past couple days so here is a summary of Sunday-Monday. Sunday I blew my calories and macros (not carbs..just fat/protein ratios). I was in the kitchen all day trying out some of the keto recipes I found in the forum, and that combined with a strong pepperoni binge, my calories were in the 2800-2900 range with a ratio of about 75/24/1 F/P/C.

I highly recommend Ralph Wiggum's cheesecake recipe...that stuff is pretty good (and I have a huge weakness for cheesecake...it's my all-time favorite dessert). I also made some cheesesticks using flax meal and I'll have to watch myself on those or I'll eat a whole pound of 'em...good stuff.

Monday was even more scary for me. I was sure that I was going to blow myself out of keto. Everything started off well. My morning workout went well. It was my first workout using N.O. Black Powder and I must say that I was impressed.

I didn't really feel stronger, but I did have more energy (working out at 6AM I need all the energy I can get) and I didn't seem to get fatigued towards the end of the workout. I felt like I could have kept lifting for another 30 minutes easily. The best thing about it (and the reason I even bought it in the first place) was muscle recovery. I woke up this morning and I felt like I could go lift again. I have no DOMS and feel great. Maybe it's psychological, but I doubt it.

Everything fell apart in the afternoon though. My macros and cals were on track until about 4pm when I got off work. I took my family to a baseball game and what is baseball without overpriced beer and food? I had 2 large draft beers and some kind of sausage/cheese plate (spicy with a hint of sweetness, so I was worried about hidden carbs). I was sure that I had consumed way too many carbs and that I would be out of keto by morning. I went home and ate a bunch of pepperoni and cheesecake to make myself feel better (calories be damned).

Well, I guess I dodged a bullet because this morning the keto stick still turned red, so I'm assuming I'm safe now. Today I'm going to get back on track and not tempt the keto-gods anymore I need to start cutting back the calories. I don't see how I can cut on 2700 cals/day even though that's what Fitday says I can. Fitday says my maintenance cals are 3400, and I find that hard to believe. I'm considering dropping cals to just above BMR and see what happens. My weight seems to be fluctuating a bit 2-3 lbs and I don't know why.

[WaistofSpace]

Don't worry about the slip up. It happens. Try not tto make it a routine thing. If anything hold off until your carb ups to hit the foods you crave. you can get away with having a beer or 2 and not getting blown ot of keto, the average beer has 4-6 gs carbs. What you need to watch out for is the alcohol. Your liver will stop producing ketones and focus on the alcohol, hence not kicking you out, but pausing the process. At 6'1" 198, You can probably be safe around the 2500 calorie mark. See how it goes around there, if you aren't losing the 1-2 lbs a week (not counting water weight) then maybe reduce some more. I personally keep the fiber low after a carb up to try and get in ketosis faster, but you need to add some fibrous veggies. I wouldn't use a supplement for fibre unless you are still having issues. All the fat you are eating should keep you pretty regular.

[perkins2099]

There is a lot of good advice flying around and I have some too.

I would recommend sticking to your program for at least 2-3 weeks as you created it so you get a feel for keto and what you are currently doing. You will feel different and you will be adjusting to no carbs.

If you start changing things up before you become accustomed to it you will never know what has been working. Also try to only change one thing at a time.

Some people feel all sorts of weird (brain fog, moods, etc) things the first few weeks in keto so try not to use that as much as a guide.. wait for those symptoms to subside before judging effectiveness. Also your first week or two you will drop a lot of water and carb weight.

For FitDay It always overestimated my maintenance cals.. Pick a number and stick with it, no progress drop by 300 per week until you make progress. Your BMR is probably right around 2000 depending on muscle mass.. use that as your absolute minimum calories for the day.

Good luck and just stay focused and results will come.

[ctroberts]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement guys. Even though its only been a week, I still feel better overall than I did before keto. I have more energy, especially in the evenings.

I realized a bonehead mistake I made when setting up my daily cal requirements. Even though I specifically asked whether to use lean body mass or total body mass and recieved the correct answer from konradac....I misread his answer like a dumb***...lol. He told me to use LBM...which stands for Lean Body Mass. Well, LBM just so happens to be an abbreviation that I see a lot as an engineer and it stands for "pounds mass" as opposed to LBF (pounds force). So, like an idiot I used my total weight "pounds mass" to establish my BMR. No wonder I'm not losing much weight....I'm eating at or above maintenance. Yes, I know...I'm a moron..lol.

Anyway, now that I have a revised calorie requirement, we'll see how I progess for the second week.

[ctroberts]

---------Day 8 Diet Breakdown:


Total calories -- 1909

Fat-- 129g---1160cal------61%
Carb---11g-----44cal-------2%
Prot---174g---697cal------37%

9AM---2 Cups scrambled eggs, 4 sausage patties, EC Stack

12PM--2 cans tuna in mayonnaise

230PM--EC Stack

430PM--1 Tbsp Natty PB, 4 spoonfulls of keto cheesecake (I forgot to add
these to my macros)

930PM--2 Ham slices, 3 string cheeses, pepperoni


I cut back my calories to approx 2100, which should allow me to start losing some weight. My new BMR is 1820 Cals, so I will try and stay around 2000 and see what happens.

When I figure my protein needs, should I also use lean body mass to calculate that? It's easier for me to keep cals in check if I'm eating 170g protein, rather than 210+.

[ctroberts]

Another good workout today...lifts improved nicely, except shoulder press which I still have a good bit of pain and general weakness in the right shoulder due to a recent (1 year) rotator cuff injury.

Diet seems to be in check, lack of hunger makes it hard to eat sometimes. I didn't count my pre (Black Powder) or post (Protein) workout drinks in the macros. I also forgot to pack my EC stack in my gym bag before I went to work, so I skipped that today also.

Total calories -- 1944 (plus a few spoonfulls of cream cheese cheesecake stuff, so probably around 2100 total)

Fat-- 136g---1223cal------63%
Carb---17g-----57cal-------3%
Prot---162g---647cal------34%

9AM---2 Cups scrambled eggs, 4 sausage patties

12PM--1 can tuna in mayonnaise

430PM--2 Tbsp Natty PB, 6 spoonfulls of keto cheesecake

730PM--4 Ham slices, 4 string cheeses, pepperoni