1st Week on Keto

#1

Just completed one week on Keto. Just some thoughts and observations (some maybe tmi haha)

I have been eating the same thing all week, which is this meal prep plan from reddit : https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/one_week_meal_plan **
And drinking plenty of water

My hunger hasn’t been crazy, and I have had very little cravings for carbs or sugar, which is massive for me. Been taking a magnesium supplement every day and plan on taking potassium as well. Not yet brave enough to start ‘winging it’ and shopping for myself- sticking to the pre plan again this week, though hope to add more veggies to it.

I am very very tired though. Lethargic and foggy. I can’t sleep at night, and am sleeping in til 3pm some days, waking up feeling as if I have not slept. Have some heartburn and the sensation of acid in my throat. Peeing constantly which is kind of funny but a bit irritating also. Went from not needing to use the loo to poo at all, to experiencing bad constipation. I have also noticed though that I am passing wind far less frequently.

Since I am such a bad sleeper, I’m not eating breakfast until 1-2pm some days, and because I try not to eat after 8/9pm my lunch and dinner (or sometimes both combined) are both between 2-8pm. Am I IF without even meaning to? Is this ok? Or should I try and work on my sleep and eat breakfast a lot earlier, and IF (if I decide to start) a few days only?

I have noticed my calories seem really low. A day I’m eating between 850-1100, when my cronometer says 1400-1500. Mine seems too low and I’m worried it’s unhealthy or I’m going to ruin my progress in some way. Same with fat intake. I’m trying to add olive oil where I can but my fat intake seems low too. Even though I know it’s eat fat until satiety- I also know you need to be eating a certain amount to become fat adapted.
This is my best day I managed to do in terms of calories, fat etc:

hh
hh.png892×634 48.2 KB

But, The best news of all? 4lb down in one week. It’s not huge like others, and yes it’s only water weight, but it’s what I needed to see for the motivation to keep going.

**The meals are, Bacon and Egg with butter for breakfast. Some mince/shredded beef, with peppers, broccoli and cauliflower for lunch. Chicken thighs and broccoli and cauliflower for dinner.

(Lazy, Dirty Keto 😝) #2

Congrats, that’s good progress for your first week and you seem to have a good outlook on the process.

Don’t worry about meeting a fat macro. Net carbs under 20g a day, adequate protein, and the rest fat to satiety.

Don’t worry about not eating enough either. If you’re not hungry, don’t eat. If you’re hungry, eat.

Also the lethargy and every other odd side effect you’re feeling right now is normal. KCKO

#3

Thanks for the kind words beccs!

(Windmill Tilter) #4

You’re off to a great start. You really seem to have a handle on things for this being your first week! I think keto is going to be great fit for you. :grinning:

Don’t worry about this too much for the time being. It’ll sort itself out. The more carefully you listen to your satiety signals, the better off you’re going to be in the long run.

Some days that may go the other way and you’ll find yourself eating more calories than you’re totally comfortable with. Trust your satiety signals, which comes with a billion years of programming over an app that was built in 6 months using broad averages from thousands of people who are not you.

Satiety is going to by your compass for a while, so just get used to following it, and learn what screws with your satiety signals. Satiety scramblers are differnent for everybody, but some of the more common ones are:

  • exercise
  • zero carb sweeteners
  • keto baked goods
  • nuts
  • dairy

:+1: :+1::+1:

(Bunny) #5

Ox bile combined with Dandelion helps with this.

If I could tell any body about lessons learned when starting a ketogenic diet is to get three or four bottles of Ox bile and take them before you eat fat because it helps breakdown the dietary fat. Dandelion root helps stimulate the production of stomach acid and stops that awful reflux.

(mole person) #6

It looks like you are doing great. Moderate protein, low carbs, fat to satiety. You’re hitting everything you should. Don’t worry about appetite. That will normalize in time and you can’t hurt your metabolism by undereating for a few days.

Also, don’t worry about not getting fat adapted. You get fat adapted if your body has to use fat as it’s primary fuel. It doesn’t matter if that fat comes from your plate or your hips. As long as carbs and protein are in line you will get there. People can get fat adapted solely through fasting. You don’t even need to be on the keto diet.

#7

Thanks Ilana! I will just stick with what I’m doing for now :slight_smile:

#8

After a drastic change, it’s normal that your signals are off first. Your second (of it not, your third) week probably will be less crazy. Your body should nudge you to eat more if the current amount is inadequate. It’s probably not this nice for everyone but don’t worry about it yet, it probably get better, just like your tiredness but it’s individual when.
If IF comes naturally, do it. I surely didn’t force myself not to do IF on top of keto… Not like I had any idea about IF, I just did it and after some weeks I only had a 5 hour long eating window because that came naturally. Whatever works for you. If you eat way too little longer term and it’s because of IF, don’t do it but anyway…
You are probably quite aware about sodium too, right?

I never heard you need to eat a certain amount of fat to be fat adapted, it makes little sense to me. Eat little carbs, fat will come, if not enough from your food, your reserves, that’s the point for us who wish to lose fat, actually (obviously there are limits, starving isn’t a good idea but what is starving for who, that’s an interesting question). We don’t necessarily need high-fat or a certain percentage. Whatever suits you. Some people eat fattier, some prefer higher protein. Some simply eat their usual food until satiation and don’t care about macros knowing they are fine and a big wriggle room is okay.

('Jackie P') #9

Hi! Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy your Keto journey.
Just a thought on your heartburn. Are you taking a PPI or antacid? When I first started I had been on Omeprazole for years but developed terrible indigestion. I read by chance that there is a reason we have high levels of hydrochloric acid in our stomachs and that is to break down proteins and fats. I stopped the Omeprazole and I haven’t had a problem since.

This can be a problem in the beginning before your microbiome sorts itself out. I used to make chia seed pudding with 100%cocoa powder, erythritol and a mix of cream and water. I also used to add flaxseed to casseroles etc.

This is a good thing. Ridding yourself of glycogen stores, inflammation and fat cells!

You mention magnesium and potassium, but salt is vital, especially in the beginning as you lose a lot.
I’m sure all these things will soon settle down and the positives will emerge more apparent! KCKO you are doing great.:slightly_smiling_face:

PS maybe up your fat a little bit. This is important in the beginning to teach your body to see it as an alternative fuel.


Dr Berry explains it better than me.
('Jackie P') #10

This is also brilliant when you are just starting out.
#11

Thanks so much everyone. You have all been a great source of info!

(Troy Mitchell) #12

Hang in there. Your body has to adapt to the new regimen. I too had really bad constipation and so started adding a fiber supplement to help with that. After a couple of weeks I am regular and I no longer get abdominal cramps.as far as supplements go, I take a magnesium potassium supplement. I never got the keto flu while on it. I am also liberal with liquid fats like MCT oil and avacado oil. They are mostly tasteless so I put it on everything. Butter is also another staple.

As far as your meal plan, great job keeping it simple. For weeks mine was a Premier Protein shake with 2 tablespoons of MCT oil in morning for weeks. I just recently tried adding real food now that I got my WOE down.

BTW, air fryers are amazing.

Keep it up.

(Polly) #13

Glad to see it is going well for you Sallou. Keep up the good work and watch the fat melt away.