Couple questions from a stressed newbie 😟

(Becky) #1

Hello all, so happy to have found yall!! I am a 38 year old female, i work a moderately active job as well as trying to walk at least a mile a day. I have about 40 pounds to lose and am staying under 20 carbs a day.
Now on to my couple questions

  1. I am curious, due to hearing some on here talk about hormones, i have recently had to have a hysterectomy and would prefer not to stay on these hormone pills (husband feels differently about this :grin:). Will this lifestyle change help with this kind of hormonal issue?
  2. As stated above, i stay under 20 carbs a day and try and stay active. I have lost some in the past 2 months but i have yet to reach ketosis. Am i doing something wrong? Ive eliminated sugar, drink only water and black coffee, or a homemade smoothy to replace meals. Just wondering if i should be doing anything else…
    Any advice would be much appreciated!
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Here is a good way to tell if you are in ketosis:

  1. Are you keeping carbohydrate under 20 g/day?

  2. Are you alive?

If you can answer Yes to both these questions, then congratulations! You are in ketosis.

I’m assuming you have a bad batch of urine sticks that aren’t registering. It happens, don’t worry about it.

Now, fat-adaptation is a very different thing. Whereas ketosis starts as soon as your serum glucose and insulin drop low enough, fat-adaptation requires changes at the cellular level that take time to achieve. But once you are fat-adapted, you should have energy and be able to do all sorts of things without conking out. It takes around two months to get to that point, so be sure not to give up just yet.

As for the hormone question, I think I’ll play the coward it safe and let one of the ladies take that one, lol!

#3

If you’ve not got your ovaries then keto cannot fix things I’m afraid. It may make the HRT more tolerable for you by balancing your other hormones.

(Liz Ellen) #4

How do you know when you’re fat adapted? And what are your thoughts on fasting/eating very little. I find I can go for a day easily without eating, but I also worry about messing up my metabolism/burning muscles. Oh, and pulling out too many tricks too early. I’m down 25 or so and have 50 to go.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

There is no objective measure, unless you happen to be an endurance athlete, in which case you know you’re fat-adapted when you get your performance back. Otherwise, you have to go by subjective measures, such as a sense of energy and well-being. and so forth. If you can take on a big, all-day project, have the energy to get through it, not feel hungry while doing it, and go out dancing afterward, that’s fat-adaptation.

The body responds differently to each. As Dr. Fung explains it, when we fast, the body simply switches energy sources from our diet to our stored reserves, so we can go out and hunt down another mammoth.

Eating a restricted number of calories, however, says to the body that we’re in a famine, and this is all the food there is, so it had better hunker down, cut out non-essential processes (hair growth, reproduction), slow down the basal metabolic rate, and hang on to the reserves (including our excess stored fat) to get us through the famine.

(Becky) #6

Thanks…i will gladly take what i can get lol

#7

Hope it helps you - It’s balanced my hormones (to a degree :sweat_smile:)

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #8

Is it necessary to be on HRT?
I had my ovaries removed, but can’t do HRT for medical reasons. I have been doing well, with no noticable menopause symptoms. I’ve been keep for a while.

You might want to check out the menopause section to get further insight.

(Becky) #9

Thanks, i will definitely check that out…unfortunately for now the dr says its necessary so wooohooo for me i guess lol, but he did say if i lost some weight we could lower the dose so that is my biggest motivator right now.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #10

If ask the doc if it’s truly “necessary” and why. Also, ask about pros/cons of taking it and not taking it.

(Becky) #11

Thanks everyone, such helpful info. I never realized a difference between ketosis and fat adapted. And yes, i have spoken with my doctor and we are trying to find a natural alternative for me.:slightly_smiling_face:

(Charlotte) #12

Out of curiosity, why are you doing smoothies to replace meals?

What’s in them?

Get your stress down. Stress is underestimated a lot in the role of weight loss.

(Scott) #13

Yeah, I was wondering too, what’s in the smoothie. If if has any fruit it will also have carbs. They are lurking everywhere, even under the bed.

(Becky) #14

I do the smoothy in the morning due to having to be to work at 4 am…i do them 4 days a week, unsweetened almond milk, avacado, kale and a half teaspoon of munkfruit sweetener…not as tasty as bacon and eggs but im really crunched in the mornings…is it hurting me? Im really trying to figure all this out lol.

(Becky) #15

And yes im discovering carbs are everywhere, i was chewing gum like crazy in the beginning but stopped that after seeing it was 2 carbs per stick.

(mole person) #16

Are you counting all your carbs from vegetables? I remember being shocked at how much kale had.

(Becky) #17

Yes maam, and im averaging between 14 and 20 net carbs a day.

(mole person) #18

Then Paul is correct, you almost have to be in ketosis. How are you measuring your ketones? I assume you are being moderate in your protein consumption as well?

(Becky) #19

I am using the urine strips, and from reading other posts i need to upgrade. As far as protein i will be honest, im having some trouble getting enough in during a day.

#20

Hi Becky, I’m 35. You’re just a few years older than me. I wouldn’t deviate from your dr’s recommendations of the hormone pills but if you do, I don’t see why you can’t start taking the pills again if you start to feel a bit off with sudden onset menopausal symptoms. Have you talked to your dr about not taking them and deciding later on whether it’s for you?

Keto has regulated my hormones quite a lot but I haven’t had any major surgeries in my life so I can’t provide input on the effects of keto after hysterectomy. I can only say the elimination of carbs and sugar has tremendously lowered all negative side effects of periods and other monthly cycle processes including severe cramping which I used to have. Periods are virtually a 2-3 day affair with very little ado and for me, anyway, they come and go like clockwork. You won’t need to worry about that anymore though.

My simplistic suggestion: eat when you want and make it fatty or the night before if you need to. I used to put a pack of bacon in the oven the evening before and then refrigerate. I’d have cold bacon with coffee in the mornings. Alternatively, I used to drink coffee with whipping cream (this was plenty enough fat to keep me going). I don’t need this high fat in the morning anymore though. Your appetite will change over time. Don’t be afraid to change things up a bit and make room for more fat in the beginning. I have never been a proponent of smoothies in the morning (it’s a bit too easy to drink down unnecessary carbs and sugar in fruit/veg/milk).