I used to be into low carb eating (not necessarily keto-low, though), and over the past couple of years it just faded away, I realized a few weeks ago that not only have my low-carb ways been gathering dust, 20 pounds has crept back on my bones.
So I kick started my keto journey with a 5 day water fast. It was pretty miserable, I was just exhausted. Producing Loads of ketones but apparently unable to use them. I ate (totally keto) over the weekend and felt fine and started up fasting again yesterday. This time I’m not so tired but I’m hungry, reading about all these delicious keto meals is making me nuts. Also, last time I dropped ten pounds. I put back about 4, which I totally expected, but this time I’m just standing still.
Anyway, is there such a thing as fasting too early in the keto journey? Should I be focusing on playing with all my keto recipes while keeping the calories reasonable? That ten pound drop spoiled me, now I just want to see a pound drop off every day.
Many will say you shouldn’t attempt it until you are fat adapted, which can take 6-8 weeks in ketosis.
I would start with IF like a 16:8 first and see how it goes. Baby steps. I just skip breakfast and eat TMAD. One at 12:30-1ish and the second between 6:30-8, depending on my schedule.
If you try IF and you’re still hungry all the time, I’d say your body’s not ready for it. But if you can get over hunger with a simple tea or coffe or other low cal drink, then go for it. Some people come to Keto through fasting, so I don’t think being fat adapted is 100% necessary. It certainly helps though.
Short answers, yes, no, stop it.
To elaborate, don’t fast until you are fat adapted. This takes 6-8 weeks for the average person doing constant keto. Feel free to use keto recipes but, the best advice is KISS (keep it simple…). Keto doesn’t need to be complicated. Fat, protein, low carbs. Done. That could be eggs and bacon with butter. Steak with a side of broccoli and butter. No recipes required. Your weight loss was not fat. It was water weight and, as your body stops rapidly dumping glycogen which retains excess water, it gets some of the water weight back. Below are my recommendations for newbies.
We have a few sayings here, “keep calm, keto on” and “trust the process.” Keto isn’t a quick weight loss diet. It’s a health gaining way of eating with fat loss as a side effect. If the scale is an unhealthy obsession, put it away for a couple of months or give it to a neighbor you don’t like. People like the idea of numbers because it feels like control. That’s an illusion. The only number that can potentially provide actionable information for most people is a blood glucose reading. While numbers might be interesting data to track, they aren’t something to chase. Everyone’s numbers are different, everyone changes in different ways.
There are two phases to ketosis and a ketogenic lifestyle.
Nutritional ketosis is phase one. Your body begins to produce and uptake some ketones while dumping the rest. It will still search for glucose to use as fuel. In this phase it’s not an efficient process. It has to work actively to get rid of stored glycogen, clean up excess blood sugar, and turn on the ability to use ketones.
Fat adaptation is phase two. Your body is efficiently producing ketones from intake and stored body fat and is also using them efficiently for energy. It takes around 6-8 weeks of strict keto to achieve for many but not all.
The basic “rules” I go by and many others can agree with especially for beginners are:
*20g net carbs max (you might tolerate more but, starting out, 20g net carbs or less will get you into ketosis.)
*Moderate protein (Moderate means eating different meats and eggs. Preferably meats with their own fat or meats you will add fat to. We aren’t trying to eat protein to be full, we want to add enough fat to our meals to be full with. If you are searching for a number, 1g-1.5g per kg of lean bodyweight is a good goal based on the 2 Dudes recommendations.)
*Fat to satiety (add fat to every meal and, if you are hungry, eat more fat. Don’t be afraid of fat. It is energy.)
*Do not restrict calories
*Do not exercise excessively in an effort to lose weight
*Drink plenty of water
*Get plenty of sodium and other electrolytes (Try homemade ketoaide)
You have to let your body decide. I went about 24 hours not eating because I felt satiety. But I cut it short because I want to try a longer fast and wanted to feed today in preparation for tomorrow. I let my body tell me when it’s hungry. Don’t force it.
