12 Weeks in, losing weight, but less sure than ever

keto
newbies
fasting
(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #1

I started about June 1st.
SW = 495
CW= 425
GW= God knows… Smaller & healthier

Weighed in with caution today as I was up a pound last week after a 5-day road trip. I’m down about 6 pounds today. Here’s a snap of my progress to date.

Screenshot_2018-09-03-12-35-03
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I am very pleased with the progress.

Here’s my problem: I’ve spent the last 6-7 weeks trying a little this and a little that to “dial in” what works for me.

I “was” pretty strict keto, eating “to hit my macros”. I ate a lot 3x per day. It worked.

Then I cut my carbs to sub-20g/day, lowered my proteins to match my LBM needs and didnt worry abt whether fats were hit… Still eating 3x per day. It also worked.

This last week, I stayed sub-20 on carbs, stayed with abt 60-100g protein, but only ate fats as hunger demanded. Also, I only ate when hungry, which turned into a 20-4 or 23-1 OMAD regimen.

This resulted in a sharp drop in daily caloric intake… Which many in keto warn about.

This pattern ALSO worked.

I feel good. I’m not starving.
I’m leery/afraid of EF eating.
I’m feeling like I should go back to “true” keto, but part of me wants to venture forth.

I’m waiting for the wheels to come off this freight train I’m on.

#2

:policeman:Hey, your not fooling around! Your definitely on top of your game. Keep up the good work, and very nice example of progress and inspiration. Keep on-keepin’ on!

#3

Hey Don,

Looks like you’re doing incredibly well!

Short answer to your dilemma is something along these lines: when you have plenty of weight to lose, dropping carbs is probably going to have a dramatic impact on fat loss regardless of how you implement LC.

Your question is whether settling on an OMAD pattern will slow down your metabolism over time? To me it seems that as long as you’re using your own fat as fuel, you’re not actually dropping your calories (there are the calories from your fat cells plus the calories from your dinner, so you end up with plenty of caloric intake for the day!). BUT some folks do find that OMAD in the long run slows down their metabolic rate and Megan Ramos - who oversees many fasting protocols at IDM - warns not to do it for more than a week unless you’re in maintenance.

I think you could get around this just by adding some extra meals on a few days so that you have something like - say - OMAD 4 days, TMAD (and plenty of food) for 3 days.

The wheels might come off much closer to your goal, whatever that turns out to be :slight_smile: , but for now I would enjoy the ride!!!

(Ellie) #4

It sounds like you are doing it exactly right.
At the beginning you should eat fat to help become fat adapted, but it should only ever be to satiety.
Now that you have been going for a few weeks, you are efficiently using your body fat for fuel so you reach satiety quicker.
You are still getting your calories but some of it is from what you are eating now and some is from what you ate before!!

KCKO!

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #5

Yes, my concern is regarding OMAD and my metabolism.

Fantastic. Thank you.

In my head I’d had the thought about my own fat calories becoming a component of my daily calories but it’s hard to keep it in the forefront.

I have to say, it is really, really difficult to stop thinking from a CICO position after growing up in a Food Pyramid world. I have to forcibly push subconscious thoughts back down at times…

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #6

By the way, this week I’ll continue to eat according to my perceived “need” but be sure to mix up OMAD & TMAD to keep my body guessing. :grinning:

(Raj Seth) #7

Whaddaya mean go back to true keto? This is the definition, a la 2KD, of the ketogenic diet. They summarize that in the beginning of EVERY podcast.
Limit carbs to below 20, eat minimal protein for maintenance, and get all your calories from FAT. Eat to satiety.

Combine with the Fung Trinity:
Eat when Hungry
Eat till full/satiated
DO NOT EAT when NOT hungry (the hardest rule to follow - habits…)

You are doing just that. Worry not. If you are eating to satiety, and eating when hungry, then why would you worry about anything. You are giving the body what it needs, when it needs it. You can’t outthink an evolutionary machine with millions of years of darwinian development.

An externally enforced/computed reduction of caloric intake is what I would warn against. But letting the body do what it wants - winning strategy!!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

We warn about deliberate carb restriction, because imposeing a pre-determined caloric intake runs the risk of failing to give the body enough energy to make it willing to release its store of excess fat. Eating to satiety, however, is exactly what we recommend. The body adjusts appetite automatically to the correct level, and it is completely normal for the appetite to drop once one’s insulin level has been low enough long enough for the leptin from the adipose tissue to start getting through to the hypothalamus again. So as long as you aren’t getting hungry between meals, and so long as the weight is still coming off, I’d say you have nothing to worry about.

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #9

Thanks Rajseth, for the the advice.

“Whaddaya mean go back to true keto? This is the definition, a la 2KD, of the ketogenic diet.”

Lol.
This was a little tongue in cheek. I don’t have a dog in the fight that exists between various Keto followers surrounding how, exactly, to define the hows & whys of Ketogenics. Since I started my learning process, I’ve found 3-4 “sides” defining what I can and cannot do…lest I be labeled Lazy or Strict.
All I mean by True Keto is cutting carbs (I allow 20 net max per day), very few sweeteners, protein to meet my LBM needs, Fat to satiety.
Because my venture down OMAD lane seemed to be turning into “my new regimen” with no end in sight, I was worried it might be too calorie restrictive… But this weekend my appetite returned a bit so I have eaten TMAD 2x since Saturday.

As has been suggested, I will “mix things up” and “listen to my body”.

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #10

“We warn about deliberate carb restriction, because imposeing a pre-determined caloric intake runs the risk of failing to give the body enough energy to make it willing to release its store of excess fat.”

This helps a ton. My understanding of bodily systems and behaviors is limited.

(KetoQ) #11

Don –

First of all congrats, that is amazing progress!

I’ve only been doing keto for about 112 days, so I’m no expert, but I like to change things up so my body doesn’t adapt and stall too long.

So that means: I started OMAD, stalled, then did two meals a day. Quit fasting and ate when hungry, but added a mid week fast for 60 hours, followed by feasting days of 2500-3000 calorie days – all keto foods. Now do OMAD 2x week, followed by eating when hungry on weekends, and eating 2x daily the rest of the week. Started doing lots of walking. Now joined a gym and doing more weight training.

This has kept me losing weight on a consistent basis, and not thinking about food very often, because I eat to satiety and when I need to eat and don’t ever feel that hungry.

So my advice is to keep experimenting, changing things up and do what works for you.

Good luck,
Q

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #12

Hi Q-

Thanks for that reply.

It sounds as though I may unwittingly be following your methodology! I like the idea of mixing things up from the standpoint of keeping my body’s built in defensive strategies at bay, but also because it allows me to keep adapting my eating so that I stay interested & focused.

I’ll just keep plodding along and see how things go.

(MelissaH) #13

Sorry for my ignorance but what does TMAD mean?

#14

@Monurse

TMAD = two meals a day
OMAD = one meal a day

(Alijim) #15

There’s a doctor on Youtube who posts very informative keto videos. This one might help you out:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #16

You might find this useful:

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #17

Dr. Fung’s website’s blog has good information on this, start with this one. Even if just doing intermittent fasting, you can reach your goals.

You have done really well, just keep it going.