Alternate Day Fasting turned ZC...back to fasting

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(What The Fast?!) #61

Alright folks…my ADF experiment has turned into a ZC experiment! I’m day 6 of ZC, just meat and eggs.
So far, I’m down 4lbs but I know quick weight loss is likely water. Either way, I haven’t been bloated so that’s awesome!! I’m cutting back on magnesium and digestive enzymes, to see if my body can regulate itself without carbs clogging it up, so to speak.

Things I’ve noticed:
My protein is way higher than before (like 150g yesterday, compared to 60g before). Most ZC’ers don’t care about ratios but I’m trying to stick with keto ratios.
I am eating 3 meals instead of 2 most days (which probably is the reason for the high protein).
I haven’t :poop: In a few days but I don’t feel gross like before.
I miss keto dessert/halo top but I’m hoping to finally kick my sweet tooth
I am not eating dairy, which I’ve heard can cause excess hunger, constipation, etc. I’m not making this a hard and fast rule though - if I’m out at a party or nice dinner, I’ll make exceptions.

My N=1 is evolving and I’m okay with that!

(Crow T. Robot) #62

I’m happy with whatever comes naturally in the meat I eat, plus butter and a bit of cheese (dairy is not an issue for me). I think the ratios work themselves out. I think you and I both are not especially insulin resistant, so higher protein shouldn’t cause problems.

Side note: I tried Halo Top last week – delicious but I gained weight not even eating that much of it. I don’t think I’ll be buying it again.

(What The Fast?!) #63

I haven’t found that I gain on Halo Top directly, but I do feel like it’s a crutch. Like, if I have it one night, I want it every night. Plus, one serving is 5-8 NET carbs, and I really want to see the difference between a FEW carbs and absolutely NO carbs, you know?

I definitely have a sweet tooth and always feel like I need something sweet to “end” a meal, especially after a salty meal. Sometimes, I would just have a glass of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and that would satisfy the craving. But, since I stopped using artificial sweeteners as a part of ZC, I think I’m moving past that. It’s only been 6 days but I have high hopes.

@Chris_W About how many grams of protein are you getting a day? This week I’ve been between 120 and 150, maybe more than that on the night we went to Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner (I didn’t track that day).

(Crow T. Robot) #64

Usually about 150 g. Pastured eggs in Kerrygold, bacon or sausage, cheese for a snack if I feel like it, steak, roast or 1 lb of grass-fed 80/20 ground beef. I aim for a pound of meat daily minimum. Fat grams come out just a little less than protein. No supps other than liberal salting of food.

(What The Fast?!) #65

Thanks! I see the general guideline is at least a pound of meat, with most people around 2lbs, some up to 3-4 lbs of meat. By my calculations, 3lbs of beef, even it’s 30% fat, is about 270g of protein a day. (48 oz steak, for example @ 70% meat/30% fat = 33.6oz meat, which has 8g protein per ounce = 268g of protein)

It’s a little harder to figure out the fat grams because I don’t know how many grams of fat are in an ounce of beef fat. Beef tallow is 29 but I think that’s different. ANYWAY, my point is - I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around THAT much protein in a day, but it seems to be working for people. Maybe I’ll experiment with a few super high days.

(Crow T. Robot) #66

I hear ye. I know in my head that I should probably try eating more, but I am kind of still in the training wheels stage, plus I just don’t like cooking all the time. Not to mention it gets kind of expensive.

(What The Fast?!) #67

So, Day 8 of ZC.
Weight: 148.8 (started at 148.2)

I took 2 days off of working out (had super busy schedule) and have been eating around 150g of protein a day. As of last night, my ketones were at just 0.2 by blood and not registering on the breathalyzer. (My ketones stay high when I consistently work out and empty glycogen and I assume they’re lower because I haven’t done that.)

Based on those numbers, I wasn’t surprised by the 2lb weight gain this morning. I’m going to make a concerted effort to lower protein and increase fat. I’m trying to not eat added fats, but rather get the fats I need from the meat I’m eating…but it seems really hard to stay lower on protein that way. I realize most ZC people don’t care about keeping protein at any specific range, but do they care about maintaining ketosis? Would love advice from a veteran ZCer. I feel like I need a ZC spirit guide!

(Tad Hanna) #68

Andrea,

I think you should completely stop weighing yourself and remove your scale entirely from your house. As Megan Ramos says, “give it to somebody you don’t like.” If you want to measure something, measure your waistline or other body parts you’d like to be smaller.

Your life as you describe it feels somewhat … stressful? … busy, pushing, trying very hard. I wonder if a longer view, more relaxed experimenting, might be a way to go. Easy to say, something I struggle with myself.

Zero carb is interesting, it does remove a lot of foods that may be potentially allergenic or insulin-producing from the situation. Let us know how that goes.

Thanks,
Tad

(What The Fast?!) #69

I measure as well, no change there. I’ve gone through phases where I don’t weigh, but I prefer to have the data. I have an app that tracks it along with all my food, so I can go back and see what’s really going on.

I’m not a relaxed person, but I’m okay with that. I’m trying to take a long-term view, but it’s definitely easier said than done when everyone around you sees results and you’re just sitting there chewing on the bone from a steak wondering what went wrong. :slight_smile:

(James storie) #70

I know from what I’ve read on the zero carb Facebook groups that the veterans consider ketosis as negative. Not that they don’t admit it will happen from time to time, they just don’t emphasize chasing it. If you are fat adapted and eat a 18-20oz steak, chances are you will be knocked out of ketosis, but you should slip back in once the protein is taken care of. They just stress that ZC is not necessarily a ketogenic diet.

(What The Fast?!) #71

Hmm, I wonder why it’s considered a negative! I’m trying to stay in ketosis - I wonder if that affects weight loss and/or energy availability.

(James storie) #72

I don’t know, I think it was the ZIOH group that I read a pinned post about “ketosis”. I think it may be that in ZC the belief lies on just meat and water to cure in the same way ketosis is often touted. When 3-4# of meat is consumed on a regular basis, ketosis can’t be constant! I’ve been eating between 1-2# a day with added eggs and some dairy. I feel good, but haven’t lost any weight. But, I’m still struggling with my cream addiction! :smile:

(What The Fast?!) #73

Haha, you have to go cold turkey!!! (Or just buy the small container so you have to ration it…)

(James storie) #74

I think, I’ll just carry a little with me on the road and try to stick to one coffee per day! If I try to cut it out completely, I binge! I really need to just quit the coffee all together, but that makes me sad!

(KCKO, KCFO) #75

Andrea, are you a MyFitnessPal member? There is a great group of carnivores over there. FB groups are just too judgmental, pushy and everything I can’t stand in social media. You can learn a lot from the group over there. It broke off from the Low Carb Daily group.

Low Carber Carnivore Club

(What The Fast?!) #76

@collaroygal Yes! I didn’t know that, I’ll check it out.

You guys…I’m SOOO frustrated still.
Today is Day 12 of Zero Carb for me and I’m one pound higher than my starting weight.
UGH!!! So, officially, I’m the same weight as when I first started keto.

I know the scale is not the only factor, but I’ve measured and also not losing anything there. I know, I need to be patient. It’s just like…WTF? Everyone else I get into keto loses weight, but for some reason, any weight that I lose comes back within a week. I’m not currently restricting calories but I think maybe that’s the only way.

(Michelle) #77

I feel for you!!! I don’t know what advice to give you that you already haven’t tried… Do you weight train?

(What The Fast?!) #78

I was weight training for the first 3 months of keto (well, TRX and kettlebells), but I recently stopped doing that and am just cycling and doing yoga. I wanted to try and do less stressful activities in case that helped.

(Crow T. Robot) #79

Not calories, but I would try lowering fat while keeping protein high at this point. I’m not saying to eat low fat, but don’t add lots of fat just for the sake of ketosis. I’m getting the sense from a lot of ZC’ers that ketosis is something they dip into and out of naturally without the need to chase arbitrary numbers. Since you are looking for weight loss mainly at this time, and don’t appear to be insulin resistant, that’d be my thought. Maybe 2:1 protein to fat grams and see how that goes.

(What The Fast?!) #80

I don’t add fat to my meat at all, but I can try leaving off the visible fat. For ground beef, I could cook and then strain the fat out?