Ketogenic log from an absolute amateur!

[otiso]

Okay so this might be helpful for those that want to see the process from the beginning, going to post all my findings and everything i learn / change to make sure i get this exactly right.. (ive done a lot of research, but this will be heavily based on trial and error in terms of what works/doesn't work)

I've been hitting the gym 5x a week for nearly 8 months now, and changed my body radically, but i've hit a plateau now and need to go to the next level, which is why i need to dramatically change my nutrition which is where i found the KETO diet!

I started this Monday but haven't been carb counting or anything, so now it's time to take it seriously and start getting all the counting in to ensure i get a 60%/30/35%/5% ratio in terms of fats/protein/carbs respectively.

I won't be "carbing up" until.... the 14th of next month.

I've got before and after pics from 8 months ago and now, and i also took some more yesterday, i won't be posting them yet, purely because i don't have 50 posts yet!! But they will go up and hopefully the changes can be seen on a regular basis. I predict my BF is @ 17% at the mo, down from maybe 20-22% 8 months ago. I am 6ft5 and weighed myself yesterday at 103.5kg (down from 105kg last week)

p.s i'm from the UK, so all weights i post in terms of workouts are in KG's... and you may find my way of talking unusual haha!

If there is any other info people think would be useful, let me know?

The goal here is body fat % to go down.. and i'm going to be estimating my BF with the help of a PT... eventually i'll get it professionally done perhaps in 3/4 months :-)

[Cilantro]

if you haven't read shadowwalker021's Guide to Keto I'd highly recommend it.

Track Calories and food on a tracker app. I take it a step further and track my intake on excel (just to ensure there are no discrepancies between Myfitnesspal and excel).

From what I've read this past week. the most important things about the keto-Diet are

Hitting Macros = 65/30/5 <-Golden Keto Macro

Getting Enough Rest

Ensure Carb intake is Low

READ all product labels and Research online.

Consume Leafy Green vegetables to keep things "Regular" (Kale, Spinach, Broccoli are my fav)

and

Patience!

Don't start off at an aggressive Calorie Deficit! <--My first Mistake
Don't Trust Myfitnesspal Entirely <--My Second Mistake
Get Enough Rest <-- My Third Mistake (I a night owl, have to learn to shut my body down by 10 PM)

Hope this helps

-a Fellow Newbie

If there is any other info people think would be useful, let me know?

[otiso]

if you haven't read shadowwalker021's Guide to Keto I'd highly recommend it.

Track Calories and food on a tracker app. I take it a step further and track my intake on excel (just to ensure there are no discrepancies between Myfitnesspal and excel).

From what I've read this past week. the most important things about the keto-Diet are

Hitting Macros = 65/30/5 <-Golden Keto Macro

Getting Enough Rest

Ensure Carb intake is Low

READ all product labels and Research online.

Consume Leafy Green vegetables to keep things "Regular" (Kale, Spinach, Broccoli are my fav)

and

Patience!

Don't start off at an aggressive Calorie Deficit! <--My first Mistake
Don't Trust Myfitnesspal Entirely <--My Second Mistake
Get Enough Rest <-- My Third Mistake (I a night owl, have to learn to shut my body down by 10 PM)

Hope this helps

-a Fellow Newbie

Think i've read that guide you're talking about, and i've referenced it lots of times since reading it and rereading it, it did help me get my head round things straight away!

I'm going to do what you do, get excel and track it exactly given the nutritional information on the foods i eat, before long i'll have a list of most things i eat anyway, so it should become easy to manage. It also will allow me to tailor what i need to add to my diet to reach that golden macro you described.

I also posted in your thread about the macro, i have a few q's regarding it, check your log and hit me back!

Rest - i am a night owl too, okay, lots of sleep, i'll ensure i get enough sleep, a solid 8 as they say.

Carb intake at a low is not a problem, ill just get it through my greens / fibres im hoping... :-)

I've been on about 1000-1500 calories per day for near 8 months now, so think i'm okay there... (except i would chunk out at weekends with maybe 3k a day, this has now stopped)

thanks for your post man :-) as i say, only trouble i can forsee is this macro - i need to know how it works!

[ghepardo]

Think i've read that guide you're talking about, and i've referenced it lots of times since reading it and rereading it, it did help me get my head round things straight away!

I'm going to do what you do, get excel and track it exactly given the nutritional information on the foods i eat, before long i'll have a list of most things i eat anyway, so it should become easy to manage. It also will allow me to tailor what i need to add to my diet to reach that golden macro you described.

I also posted in your thread about the macro, i have a few q's regarding it, check your log and hit me back!

Rest - i am a night owl too, okay, lots of sleep, i'll ensure i get enough sleep, a solid 8 as they say.

Carb intake at a low is not a problem, ill just get it through my greens / fibres im hoping... :-)

I've been on about 1000-1500 calories per day for near 8 months now, so think i'm okay there... (except i would chunk out at weekends with maybe 3k a day, this has now stopped)

thanks for your post man :-) as i say, only trouble i can forsee is this macro - i need to know how it works!

1000-1500 per day is pretty low... even I think my 2000 cals is pretty low for 163, and you have 230 pounds...
I'm a fatty at heart, so I'll enjoy eating a lot and still have a noticeable physical change

if you want more tips.... try to perfect mistakes and mistakes day by day, don't try to be perfect at once... learn area by area what food you like etc... at 1,000-1,500 calories, it doesn't leave enough room, I took like 15 days to find my food and to recalibrate my calories at last

[otiso]

1000-1500 per day is pretty low... even I think my 2000 cals is pretty low for 163, and you have 230 pounds...
I'm a fatty at heart, so I'll enjoy eating a lot and still have a noticeable physical change

if you want more tips.... try to perfect mistakes and mistakes day by day, don't try to be perfect at once... learn area by area what food you like etc... at 1,000-1,500 calories, it doesn't leave enough room, I took like 15 days to find my food and to recalibrate my calories at last

Don't get me wrong, that 1000-1500 was when i wasn't following a specific diet, that was when i didn't eat breakfast, had a salad for lunch and dinner was carb free! To tell the truth, one night a week id get pizza, or a takeaway, and weekends were really bad, there was no consistency.

This week so far my carbs are more 2000-2500 - i agree 1000-1500 is to low, which is why ive started this diet! :-)

[Cilantro]

Wow at your size 1000-1500 a day throughout the weekday must have been rough especially with working out...

1500 cals on keto diet is easy because the fat keeps you full but I agree with Ghepardo. with your size I'd recommend starting at a higher caloric intake

otherwise you will stay at the same plateau you're at now..


You have to remember when you're on Keto Diet:


FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY. Fat is the Energy.


I was equally appalled at the amount of fat you have to consume on this diet.. it took a few days but i'm now over that stigma and I feel im doing a good job..



Buy some ketostix to ensure you're in ketosis and refer to my previous post about macros.


hope this helps!

-A Fellow Newbie.

Don't get me wrong, that 1000-1500 was when i wasn't following a specific diet, that was when i didn't eat breakfast, had a salad for lunch and dinner was carb free! To tell the truth, one night a week id get pizza, or a takeaway, and weekends were really bad, there was no consistency.

This week so far my carbs are more 2000-2500 - i agree 1000-1500 is to low, which is why ive started this diet! :-)

[otiso]

Wow at your size 1000-1500 a day throughout the weekday must have been rough especially with working out...

1500 cals on keto diet is easy because the fat keeps you full but I agree with Ghepardo. with your size I'd recommend starting at a higher caloric intake

otherwise you will stay at the same plateau you're at now..


You have to remember when you're on Keto Diet:


FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY. Fat is the Energy.


I was equally appalled at the amount of fat you have to consume on this diet.. it took a few days but i'm now over that stigma and I feel im doing a good job..



Buy some ketostix to ensure you're in ketosis and refer to my previous post about macros.


hope this helps!

-A Fellow Newbie.

sorry said carbs earlier meant more like 2-2.5k calories nto carbs haha!

Not that tough with those calories tbh, i felt bad for having REALLY crappy weekends, so forced myself to really lower things during the week.. hence no change in my body for 2/3 months now.

Yup, i get that fat is my friend, i want to get some ketostix and really start recording what i do as of monday next week, this weekend is going to be to hectic (still sticking to low carbs and the diet though, just not recording it all)...

so yeah, im looking forward to actually recording everything i eat, ensuring im inline with the macro.. then i can use ketotest to see if it's working...

then ive got to look at these carb-up sessions, i work out 5x a week with what i consider alright weights, i bench 85kg, deadlift 110kg, squat about 90kg (needs improving i know!!) bent over row 80kg, just putting those as a reference if people can advise on whether i should do carb-ups... i'm mainly wanting to lower body fat %, so i don't know why i'd refill all my glycogen only to tear it all back down again? Or is it feeding the muscles to grow? Not sure, it's beyond me haha!

thanks for your posts folks

[otiso]

Hey guys, trying to get my post count up so can post pictures, just done a big shop, took a photo of the bill but forgot can't post it haha.

loads of stuff, bacon, sausages, ranch, tuna in sunflower, vegetable oil, turkey, pork, lamb, burgers, spinach! cant wait to start counting what i actually have on a daily basis. going to try pop to the pharmacy this week for some of these keto testing kits

[otiso]

Starting to feel a bit hazy now... i feel fine, and i feel like really good, just my head feels foggy, almost like looking from one side of the room to the other, but my eyes take a while to "catch up"...

Going to increase my water intake...

week and a bit in now, and had some good days.. going to get up my first nutrition log today once i've figured out a few things details - and then we'll see how we are within the macros! :-)

[otiso]

I have a question for anybody that may be able to answer.

Just been doing a load of reading about figuring out your macro's, i.e how many grams of protein/fat/carbs you should have per kg of your weight in order to MAINTAIN if you were inactive/active/heavily active etc....

I want to try and figure this out for myself, but i've tried to do the calculations and maths isn't my strong point, can anyone help me out?

Also, i know that following this will not have me doing a ketogenic diet, but it might give me an expected amount of calories i should be consuming given my size and weight, and then i can ensure i get this many calories down me through the Keto Macro?

[otiso]

Okay so far today

BREAKFAST

Handful of Almonds - Maybe 12.5-15grams
Fat: 12.4g
Fibre: 1.2g
Carbs:1.18g
Protein:2.65g

2 Raw Medium Woodland Eggs
Fat: 4g
Carbs:0g
Protein:6g

Protein Powder
Fat: 1.7
Carbs:1.5
Protein:19.6

Milk - 250ml
Fat: 4.25
Carbs:12
Protein:9

Total Fat: 22.35
Total Protein: 37.25
Total NET Carbs: 14.68 - fibre @ 1.2 = 13.48

Macros: 49% fat, 36% protein, 14% carb - for breakfast. I won't be having milk anymore but going to get some heavy whipped cream and some oils to add to this. Should get me in line for breaky.

can someone check this math for me though? Make sure i got it right?



SNACK:

Handful of Almonds - Maybe 12.5-15grams
calories: 94
Fat: 12.4g
Saturated Fat: 0.9g
Fibre: 1.2g
Carbs:1.18g
Protein:2.65g



LUNCH:

[Cilantro]

Your math is correct judging from your numbers listed..

But I have a question on the "eggs"

Looks like you only accounted for 1..

or are eggs that different on your end of the pond?



409 Calories for your Breakfast based on your numbers.

Okay so far today


Total Fat: 22.35
Total Protein: 37.25
Total NET Carbs: 14.68 - fibre @ 1.2 = 13.48

Macros: 49% fat, 36% protein, 14% carb - for breakfast. I won't be having milk anymore but going to get some heavy whipped cream and some oils to add to this. Should get me in line for breaky.

can someone check this math for me though? Make sure i got it right?

[otiso]

you're bang on, i need to double that!

Dinner is cooking now, i've written down all the nutritional values of whats cooking, i'll post it all after, plus i jotted down all my lunch ones too, so lets see how the first day writing everything down pans out :-)

Should be interesting

ive gone down a notch on my suit trouser belt i wear, and it's like, really comfortable, so somethings happening.. and my suit jacket has 2 buttons that normally feel quite tough, but now it feels.. looser.

I don't want to lose weight in terms of the fact im 6foot5 so i'd look like a lanky streak of nothingness, so i hope i'm losing the fat around the waist but maintaining bulk elsewhere. I do work out 5 times a week quite intense so i assume so :-) Ive taken photos will post when i have comparison ones to compare against!

[otiso]

Okay so today

BREAKFAST:

Handful of Almonds - Maybe 12.5-15grams
Fat: 12.4g
Fibre: 1.2g
Carbs:1.18g
Protein:2.65g

2 Raw Medium Woodland Eggs
Fat: 8g
Carbs:0g
Protein:12g

Protein Powder
Fat: 1.7
Carbs:1.5
Protein:19.6

Milk - 250ml
Fat: 4.25
Carbs:12
Protein:9

SNACK:

Handful of Almonds - Maybe 12.5-15grams
calories: 94
Fat: 12.4g
Fibre: 1.2g
Carbs:1.18g
Protein:2.65g


LUNCH:

Tuna in sunflower oil
calories: 197
Fat: 10.8
Carbs: 0
Protein:25

Tablespoon of Mayo
calories: 100
Fat: 11
Carbs: 0
Protein:0

8 slices of cucumber
calories: 4
Fat: 0
Carbs: 1
Protein:0

1 cup of baby leaf spinach
calories: 7
Fat: 0
Carbs: 1
Protein:0

ranch dressing (2 tablespoons ish)
calories: 150
Fat: 16g
Carbs: 1.1
Protein: 0.4g


POST WORK OUT SHAKE

Protein Powder
Fat: 1.7
Carbs:1.5
Protein:19.6

Dinner:

Mint Sauce
calories: 40
Fat: 1
Carbs: 6
Protein: 0

3/4 cup of caggage
calories: 19.5
Fat: 0.3
Carbs: 2.9 (dietary fibre = 1.8g, whats that all about?)
Protein: 1.3

Teaspoon of Vegetable Oil
calories:124
Fat: 13.8
Carbs: 0
Protein: 0

1/2 cup of broccoli
calories: 38
Fat: 0.2
Carbs: 3.2 (dietary fibre = 3.1g, whats that all about? do i deduct it from carbs??)
Protein: 4.2

2 lamb chops thin cut new zealand lamb couldnt find this anywhere except on fatsecret website, so i use those stats...
calories: 450
Fat: 35g
Carbs: 0
Protein: 30

Lamb Gravy
calories: 26
Fat: 0.7
Carbs: 3.9
Protein: 0.9


okay so, based on all this, these are my workings (i've not deducted "dietary fibre" as i've no idea about this until somebody clarifies please :-) )

Fat: 129.25
Protein: 127.3
Carbs 36.46
Fibre: 2.4 (from my almonds)

I think that puts me at

64%, 28% and 7%...

First day recording everything, kind of gone alright, no milk tomorrow, instead whipping cream and some soya alpen, like 0 carbs in that, i'll try get a photo when i get enough posts but it looks insane for an alternative milk :-)

[Cilantro]

Yes you have to deduct Fiber from Total Carbs (You can't Digest fiber)

Net Carbs = Total Carbs - Fiber


Example

1/2 cup of broccoli
calories: 38
Fat: 0.2
Carbs: 3.2 (dietary fibre = 3.1g, whats that all about? do i deduct it from carbs??)
Protein: 4.2


3.2 Total Carbs - 3.1 Grams of Fiber = .1 Net Carbs

okay so, based on all this, these are my workings (i've not deducted "dietary fibre" as i've no idea about this until somebody clarifies please :-) )

[otiso]

Yes you have to deduct Fiber from Total Carbs (You can't Digest fiber)

Net Carbs = Total Carbs - Fiber


Example

1/2 cup of broccoli
calories: 38
Fat: 0.2
Carbs: 3.2 (dietary fibre = 3.1g, whats that all about? do i deduct it from carbs??)
Protein: 4.2


3.2 Total Carbs - 3.1 Grams of Fiber = .1 Net Carbs

Crikey so even from my vegetables and salad i'm not getting much carbs!?

I had a great morning today, protein shake made with 200ml of Alpro Soya Milk (very low carbs, insane!), coffee with whipping cream, 2 bits of bacon, 2 sausages (bacon and sausage cooked with vegetable oil) and 2 boiled eggs with a tbl spoon of mayo =D


I have a quick Question re macros. Do i need to be hitting some sort of total calories, or does it not matter, as long as im hitting the macros, the total calories if less than my maintenance level = loss of BF?

I thought maybe 1800 ( i got 1827.89 calories) yesterday was fairly small, was tempted to eat like a spoonful of cottage cheese or snack on some more nuts to get the total calories up a bit more but thought the less the better.

[otiso]

Ok so i just figured out what i've had for the day so far! 1639 calories, 71.81% fat, 23.92% protein and 2.53% carbs.

For the first time i'm feeling properly hazy, it's a weird feeling, v.weird.

I think maybe my carbs were just too high for me to be falling deep into ketosis, today however i've completely stripped them back...

Going to take some more photos tomorrow so that'll be progress 1 week on (i know likely won't be anything, but i want weekly photos :-) )

[otiso]

Ok so yesterdays nutritional info.



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This is a spreadsheet i made myself - and it's got all the formula's in. All you have to do is figure out your fat, protein, carbs and fibre, stick them in the top left bit and the rest it figures out for you. If anyone wants it i'll send it over :-)


I have a quick question too - if anybody can help. I eat with my girlfriend, and so when we have say one orange pepper, i divide the nutrition by two, because i'll on average only be having half of the pepper.

Same with the onion, the vegetable oil serving, the lazy chilli, the soy sauce etc etc. I divide it all by two because it's a shared meal. Is that the right way of doing things?

[bigbody300]

Good luck bro. But watch those Macros... its the golden ticket to this diet. My buddy is lean as hell cause he was VERY strict.. as well as the single day "re-feed" of carbs..i wouldnt do 2 days..one should be fine to restore your glycogen stores.

[ghepardo]

Ok so yesterdays nutritional info.



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This is a spreadsheet i made myself - and it's got all the formula's in. All you have to do is figure out your fat, protein, carbs and fibre, stick them in the top left bit and the rest it figures out for you. If anyone wants it i'll send it over :-)


I have a quick question too - if anybody can help. I eat with my girlfriend, and so when we have say one orange pepper, i divide the nutrition by two, because i'll on average only be having half of the pepper.

Same with the onion, the vegetable oil serving, the lazy chilli, the soy sauce etc etc. I divide it all by two because it's a shared meal. Is that the right way of doing things?

I suggest Fitday or any program to track the initial calories/food logging, that way, is much easier and much less time consuming
(takes me 1 minute to calculate all)

[MaxBeast]

I suggest Fitday or any program to track the initial calories/food logging, that way, is much easier and much less time consuming
(takes me 1 minute to calculate all)

I agree. I use LoseIt (iPhone app), I hear FitDay is nice as well. I like LoseIt because I can scan barcodes, create recipes (for things I make a lot), and pull entire previous meals to log and adjust for a new day (since I eat about the same thing each meal during a week.)

[MaxBeast]

I have a quick question too - if anybody can help. I eat with my girlfriend, and so when we have say one orange pepper, i divide the nutrition by two, because i'll on average only be having half of the pepper.

Same with the onion, the vegetable oil serving, the lazy chilli, the soy sauce etc etc. I divide it all by two because it's a shared meal. Is that the right way of doing things?

In short, yes.

If you feel you're eating equal halves then yes. Typically my husband eats about 2/3 of a meal I make for two of us - so I appropriate myself 1/3 of the macros.

[otiso]

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[otiso]

Good luck bro. But watch those Macros... its the golden ticket to this diet. My buddy is lean as hell cause he was VERY strict.. as well as the single day "re-feed" of carbs..i wouldnt do 2 days..one should be fine to restore your glycogen stores.

Hey man, yeah first few days i was getting used to it, but two days in a row ive hit 70ish fat/ 25 pro and less than 5 carbs, so well on the way now!! :-)

I agree. I use LoseIt (iPhone app), I hear FitDay is nice as well. I like LoseIt because I can scan barcodes, create recipes (for things I make a lot), and pull entire previous meals to log and adjust for a new day (since I eat about the same thing each meal during a week.)

thanks to both of you for the suggestions, i do use loseit and fitday, but then i sketch the details down onto my excel sheet, and then divvy it up so i have a comprehensive list of my foods. i.e whipping cream i have in 30ml, 15ml, 70ml and 10ml servings!! Probably would be easier with an app but i'm an articulate mofo when it comes to this sort of stuff, so i don't mind. Takes me 2 mins now anyway as i have most foods i eat jotted down.

In short, yes.

If you feel you're eating equal halves then yes. Typically my husband eats about 2/3 of a meal I make for two of us - so I appropriate myself 1/3 of the macros.

Cheers, yeah like yesterday i had 2/3 of shredded beef, so i accounted for me having that much. I will just have to watch the portion control from now on

thanks

[otiso]

Interesting, look how much MORE food is on the first spreadsheet, the bacon, the eggs etc etc but i got more calories down me yesterday somehow! Think the shredded beef might be something to do with it....

Interesting though, felt like i didnt eat anything yesterday, yet managed that many calories. Think it might be too much...

[otiso]

few food pics







ran out of spinach last night so couldnt have spinach with my breaky, normally i would!!

[Shelk87]

Looks good man, great job on the work you've put in so far. Keep on those macro's and you'll be golden! Currently, I keep a portfolio of my meals and adjustments I've made. Your excel sheet looks great, and I would love to give it a try if you're up for sharing? Subbed for progress!

[otiso]

Hi Shelk,

definitely willing to share, give me a message on here and i'll email you it or something :-)

Ok guys so, mad weekend...

Friday night, i drunk. My pal from the marines was back in town, and he has had a few bad days and wanted me out too. Anyway, no excuses, i had a fair wedge of alcohol, and finished the night off with a nice big New York Burger from McDonalds. This whole things about being accountable right? So i'll tell you i had chips with that burger too...! Bad. Bad. Bad. That's what alcohol does though, i've been warned, but i ignored, and thus it happened.

Goal: Less drinking, it's only weekends that i do it, but it still is hampering my progress.

Despite feeling like ass the next day, totally depressed by the fact i had a mcdonalds + the hangover. I stuck to my guns and went pure healthy. Got my protein shake down me, and my eggs and that. Plus i went for a 2 and a half hour gym session. Parked a bit further away so i ran 5 or so mins to the gym. Done loads of stretching, all the compound stuff and then some arms. Felt good! Kind of removed a bit of guilt (6th session in the gym this week!!)

Sunday again good, ate really healthy.

Overall an OK weekend, just a bit of a screw up Friday. I bought some Ketostix on Saturday though, so will use those later tonight, see how that goes!

[otiso]

[otiso]

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