Advice for 2018 newbies with a lot to lose - keep it simple

simpleketo
omad
intermittentfasting
zerocarb
gluconeogenesis
#1

Introduction

One thing I see a lot of people, especially newbies, on here and elsewhere doing is worrying about how they’re going to go about implementing the diet.

I understand completely that you want to ensure you reach your goals and progress is not delayed, but you also need to be aware that overthinking it and making it more complicated than it needs to be simply puts up a bigger wall in front of you than there needs to be, and when you do that there’s a really good chance that you’ll end up becoming demotivated and fed up of implementing something that requires a lot of work.

About Me

I started off at 291lbs (132kg) and 8 months later I am 216.8lbs (98kg) by keeping it simple and I have found the diet itself incredibly easy because I allowed it to be easy and made the diet fit my life as opposed to trying to build my life around the ketogenic diet.

In addition to this I’ve had scans done and I’ve lost next to no muscle mass and I have been eating protein like there’s no tomorrow and have not worried about gluconeogenesis.

I let my body work it out because it will create what it needs to survive and will use the protein wisely for the direct functions required, and then use fat for other energy expenditure. I have since transitioned to pretty much a zero carb diet with a very small amount of cheese (small amount of carbs) and I’m feeling great.

I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to worry that you are entering the abyss, and I also want you to know that you’re getting advice from someone who has gone through the process and is constantly working to try and maximize the benefits I obtain from this diet.

Advice

For those with a lot to lose:

The most important thing I can tell you is that your mental game is everything. You need to be disciplined and have the right focus to obtain results. You will be told by many people to start lifting straight away. If you struggle with being disciplined and focus then I will tell you that this is not a great idea.

You are better off focusing on one goal first and that is losing the weight, and predominantly the fat. You can achieve this simply by eating enough protein or more than enough protein, and by keeping your carbs and fat levels low. Once you have the self-control instilled in your mindset and being, I would then recommend introducing exercise at a weight closer to your healthy weight.

For example, if you are currently regarded as obese then work your way down to the overweight range first and then start lifting weights as you continue your journey down towards a healthier BMI category. Constantly reevaluating your situation is important to ensure you maximizing the benefits you obtain.

Focus on one goal - e.g. lose body fat. Then focus on another goal. Outlining that one goal in your mind and instilling it so it becomes part of who you are is what matters most. Even if you end up somewhat skinny fat it’s better than being fat and you also have time on your side to readjust your goals and then work on implementing them.

If you feel a burst of energy then sure, go and do some exercise as it’s only going to be of benefit but do not dwell on it or put yourself down for not doing it. You have time and need to be patient. Rome was not built in a day and the body you want to have won’t be either. Just do the right thing, the simple thing, repeatedly every single day and eventually you will have that body.

For those with less fat to lose, I’m really sorry but I can’t help you as I have not reached that point, and I’m not going to start talking about something I have no clue about whatsoever. I would just be talking out of my ass about something that I have no experience of.

My Routine

It is arguably boring but effective, and it is very simple:

  • 6:30am - wake up and do some exercise before having a shower etc. (no breakfast)
  • 9.00am - go to work and fast throughout the day
  • 1.00pm - I don’t eat lunch so use the hour to do something more productive but I do take the break available
  • 5.00pm - fasting window opens (one meal a day - eat between 1000-1200 calories)
  • 11.00pm - fasting window closes (I usually have stopped eating before this time)
  • 11.30pm - Go to bed and sleep (no distractions - sleep is important)

During that window I will eat a variety of meats, some eggs and a very small amount of cheese. Exercising in the morning not only helps boost your metabolism throughout the day but also helps you enter the process of autophagy quicker maximizing the benefits you obtain.

Other Tips

  1. Intermittent fasting will help a lot especially with the cravings in the long-term
  2. Transitioning to one meal a day (OMAD) will help a lot
  3. Eat within a window in the evening after work (something to look forward to when you get home)
  4. Focus on doing your exercise in the morning before work to boost metabolism throughout the day
  5. Stop worrying so much about too much protein (gluconeogenesis is demand-driven)
  6. Your body can make enough glucose to function and survive
  7. Carbs are not a goal and fat is eaten to satiety - if you have body fat, use mostly that
  8. Do you research on the science side - check the ketoscience subreddit - it’s great
  9. Ignore the naysayers - they haven’t experienced the diet and it’s merely projection of their own issues
  10. Remember that research can be paid for so look in depth at the report (the media haven’t a clue how to interpret most studies and simply come to their own conclusions based on the agenda they wish to push - the vast majority of them have no understanding of the scientific method at all)
  11. Fiber - you will be told you need this yet you don’t - my diet has barely any fiber in it and my numbers are perfectly fine - fiber, and increased frequency of using the bathroom is associated with a higher risk of diverticulitis new studies have found.

Final Heads Up

Don’t preach to others who are not interested - you are wasting your own time and energy doing so because the cognitive dissonance people have is incredible - the majority of people are sheep and if they’re told low fat is good for them, they’ll do that.

They will try to tell you you’re wrong, it’s dangerous, that you need carbs and everything else but it’s not your job to convince them. You should only focus on yourself. I hear this all the time and I just sit there and smile.

I even have some vegan friends who suffer from issues like leaky gut and diverticulitis and yet they continue to tell me my diet is unhealthy. There’s just no winning with some people so don’t bother trying. All of your headspace and mental game needs to be focused on you.

Please feel free to respond here! Happy 2018 and good luck. I’m planning on a trip to onederland in the next few months! :slight_smile:

(Hallgeir Olsen) #2

Thanks for great the advice, I tend to get too hung up on the protein counting (and it is quite difficult to get right).

I’ve decided to follow your process/recipe, it fits with my own experiences one month into keto, and adjust my life when the weight is starting to come off.

I’m obese but have managed to shed 28 pounds and 58cm so far, and happy with that.

Thanks again!

(Karen) #3

Welshie
You are doing beautifully! Helpful advice. Yes, focus on yourself and your journey. It’s exhausting to convert others to your way of eating. Media is a real force and frequently wrong.

K

(Gargantuan B. Widebody) #4

A wonderful post with lots of good information and one possibly erroneous claim. I have researched this a bit and the scientific consensus seems to be that exercising in the morning does cause one’s metabolism to boost, but it does not keep it elevated throughout the day. Just as it does if you exercise in the afternoon or evening it elevates metabolism during the exercise and then it fades back into your normal waking metabolism. Not trying to rain on anyone parade, especially as a newbie to this forum. I am just always trying to separate myth from falsehood on my weight loss journey so I can be as productive as possible!

(Michael ) #5

I don’t know about metabolic claims, but if you IF until around noon, morning is absolutely the time to exercise (as long as you feel well). HGH levels climb during a fasted state and obviously insulin gets lower and lower in the absence of food. These two factors make exercising in a fasted state, very effective for weight loss and muscle gains. As far as metabolism throughout the day, im not sure, but having muscle tears to repair will certainly require energy to repair. I think weight training is especially effective in the morning fast. Obviously if you don’t feel well doing this, it may not be for you. It took me a while to get used to it and now I’m full beast mode in the gym, even after multiple day fasts

(Becky Searls) #6

Could you share your research?? I’ve also always assumed morning workouts are best. I especially heard that HIIT (high intensity interval training) boosts metabolism for several hours afterward?

Regardless of whether the science backs up these claims, I agree with the other person who said morning is best if you IF—even if only bc your stomach is more settled and digestion doesn’t interfere with the physical movements of exercise, etc. Plus, for me, at least, I find if I don’t prioritize exercise first thing it isn’t much more likely to not happen at all, as my resolve weakens as the day goes on. Same reason I like IF actually-black and white rules surrounding food help me limit overall calories bc I have little self control once I “break the seal” with eating, so to speak…so if I can just push the start of my eating to later in the day, I have less time to do too much damage lol.

Sweeteners - your experience?
#7

The metabolism claim isn’t specific to exercising in a fasted state, but exercise in general in the long-term will improve your basal metabolic rate. If you follow a routine whereby you are not eating breakfast in the morning then you will not obtain the metabolic benefits a meal will bring you at this point in the day. The best thing to do is to replace it with exercise. The food you eat during your eating window in the evening will again have an impact on your basal metabolic rate.

For example, if your eating window is in the morning (rare) then I’d recommend working out later in the evening.

(Michael ) #8

I think i read that wrong. You mean if your eating window is in the morning?

#9

Thanks for correcting me on that. You are right, the eating window. I’ve just corrected my previous post. :slight_smile:

(Michael ) #10

Lol, i thought you were saying the same thing as me and then i got confused.

(Gargantuan B. Widebody) #11

Here is one of the articles I read. But it was in several, to include articles about debunking exercise myths.

“Exercising at any time of day will speed up your metabolism, and it will stay elevated for a while after you stop exercising. A morning workout may help you burn a few more calories early on, but your morning metabolic boost will gradually fade. On the other hand, a regular resistance training program performed at a time of day that best suits you will maximize lean body mass, increasing your metabolism so you burn more calories all day long.”

#12

I’m glad you pointed this out though as it did come across initially as if I was saying a morning workout would always be better. The main point was to do it midway through the fast, which given most people’s fasting windows usually works out to the morning.

#13

Thanks Karen :slight_smile:

The goal is around 160lbs for now so still a long way to go. I’ll be here along the way and plan on putting together a blog or social media profile to show progress in the next few weeks and onwards. I just want to get #worldcarnivoremonth done and dusted first.

How has your start to the new year gone so far?

(Karen) #14

So far, so good. restocked the pantry/refrig. Ate big fatty breakfast and it feels like it’s still digesting. Not hungry yet. Good luck with your blog.

K

(Michael ) #15

How’s that going? Is that with dr. Baker? I saw him on joe Rogan and subscribed to his YouTube but didn’t feel i was in a place where I felt comfortable doing only meat. Especially since I like a lot of lean meat

#16

That’s the way :slight_smile: Good luck with it moving forward and thanks for the good luck message! I’ll be sure to share a link on here when I eventually decide what I want to do.

#17

Yep, that’s the one with Dr Baker.

It’s going pretty well so far. I pretty much stuck to my routine regarding time but I’ve just changed what I’m eating so plenty of steak, pork chops, chicken breasts, etc. now.

I will say my skin feels smoother already so eliminating the cheese might be the reason why. I will reintroduce it temporarily in February to see if I get any reaction to it and take it from there.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that coping throughout the fasting window is a lot easier when you are eating only meats (eggs aside) as your calories. I think I’ll do some chicken and pork skewers tomorrow.

I do eventually plan on sticking to IF + Zero Carb for the long term so this was the perfect month to get into it given that WCM is going on.

How are you doing? Also, did you check out his latest discussion with Nina Teicholz? That was also very interesting so worth checking out if you haven’t already done so.

(Michael ) #18

I heard that but don’t care for her. She doesn’t strike me as particularly knowledgeable about the science. With the exception of gary taubes, i generally prefer to listen to PhDs. Part of the reason I was so interested in what Dr baker had to say was because he’s a respected surgeon.

I’m currently just doing pretty regular keto with a bit more protein than recommended macros. I do intermittent fasting most days with a 4 to 8 hour window. And have attempted longer fasts with varying degrees of success. My main pursuits are centered around gaining muscle and weight training. I lift most days and have been playing around with the fasting windows to see what allows the most muscle and least fat. My goal is to keep my muscle whilst cutting down to 8 to 10 percent fat long term. This is why im trying to hack the diet and training times

(Becky Searls) #19

Thought you might find this article about the science of timing interesting! Ties in a bit to the ideas we were discussing with when to work out but also other things like best time for creative work, etc and its relation to our natural circadian rhythms — Good to reflect on as we start a new year!

How to Be Healthier, Happier and More Productive: It’s All in the Timing - The Wall Street Journal:

(Ana) #20

Awesome advice, thanks for sharing.