Day 8 - Feel like I must be doing something right


(Rebecca ) #1

Rebecca from Colorado here. Just thought I’d introduce myself. Starting this WOE/Lifestyle and want to give it a very solid chance.

So other than one carb binge (two bowls of cereal on day 3 after waking up and feeling horrid) I’ve been strictly keto. Hitting about 5% carb/70%fat/20% protein for the week.

I have 60 lbs to lose at 43 years of age, and a family history of Type 2 diabetes plus some early (IMO) arthritis issues in hips and knees has inspired me to give this a fair chance. My husband is walking this with me as well and we have hopes of continually getting the sugar a little further out the door to see if that helps my ADHD 12 yo daughter. The more I research this (and I am definitely a nerd about it) the less value I see in having carbs/sugar in the house.

I am definitely fighting the urge to restrict calories as I know I should not be doing that right now. I am logging everything in MFP and have been a little over on what that app thinks I should be eating on a daily basis. Also trying to break my daily weigh in habit.

That said, I weighed last Monday for day 1 and today. Lost 5.1 lbs in a week without restricting calories and/or killing myself on cardio machines. Hubs and I just do a couple of weight lifting routines at gym during week. Only 2 this past week and one long walk with neighborhood crew. Otherwise I am pretty darn sedentary.

He lost about same.

I did buy keto sticks to test and be sure I am going in the right direction. We are both measuring moderate according to the label. I was thinking I was only partly in ketosis but google says it’s like a pregnancy test. You either are in Ketosis or you aren’t so the level the package shows doesn’t matter. Can anyone confirm? Just want further confirmation that I am on the right track.

No particular questions I guess, but observations:

1-I am REALLY struggling to not feel guilt that I do not have a fruit or veg with every meal. That was drilled into me, like many of us, as a child. I do feel relief that I do not have to eat fruit, cause I am not particularly a fan. Though I look forward to a treaty bowl of a cut up strawberries and lightly sweetened homemade whip cream from time to time.
2-Also really battling the CICO mentality. Although again, I am relieved. I’ve gone that route many times with nearly no success. Just never can stick to it. Last year for a few months I RELIGIOUSLY stayed at my 1600 for the day and lost 20 lbs (they are of course all back on my butt) but I hated it. Truly hated. I could not comprehend women who lived on 1000 a day and “felt fine” and weren’t hungry. But I also have some disordered thinking around food/eating in general
3-As I’ve felt pretty satisfied by the foods I have been eating and haven’t woke up starving, the idea that I truly may be able to fast occasionally once I get further into this is beginning to seem like a real possibility so I am rather excited.
4-holy smokes! When I eat a meal and still “feel like eating” and drink a cup of broth I cannot believe how quickly I feel satisfied. Salt is apparently magic! I have never really been a sweets girl anyway. I mean, I love a package of nutter butters, but give me salty chips most any time. So I’ve found it easy to find things I like that keep me from feeling deprived.
5-My dreams have been utter madness. Seriously. Vivid and crazy (with a few carb binge dreams in there as well) Even my hubs who doesn’t tend to dream has been like this. And I’ve ceased with my melatonin/otc sleep med combo to sleep. I am staying asleep all night. Both of us to the point of not being able to wake up in the mornings.
6-I am a pretty decent cook and love playing around with different things. Not a gal who can eat repetitively the same recipes. Astonished by how many fun keto recipes there are out there. So glad boredom cannot possibly kick in.
7-No keto flu here. (which is why I wonder if I am indeed doing this right) A few days of lazy/brain fog/lack of motivation/heavy legs but that was about it. I am really focusing on a ton of water and drinking salty broth to hopefully completely avoid it.

What a stark difference one week makes!

Thanks MUCH to Carl and Richard for their endless research and excellent podcast. I’ve really gotten into it and it’s so helpful, as is this forum.


(the cheater) #2

Looks good! I, too, have noticed the extra vivid dreams. I just wish I could remember them :slight_smile:

i wouldn’t worry about carb binges either - and a couple bowls of cereal hardly counts as a binge, you lightweight :wink: . I found that it keeps me sane; if for no other reason than I feel so crappy afterward that I don’t do it for a week or so! I have a weekly cheat day and have still managed to lose over 20lbs in 40 days. KCKO, baby!


(Rebecca ) #3

20 lbs in 40 days is excellent! I Hope to see similar progress.

Yeah, I know two bowls of cereal doesn’t really qualify as a binge…unless you saw HOW I shoved them in. LOL

I am pretty excited about this whole thing!


(Roy D) #4

Welcome Beckty. Sounds like you are on the right track with the macro ratios you posted, reference to keto sticks, and the use of MFP.

The keto sticks are a good way to start, but can give unreliable results after some time. There have been discussions that as your body adapts to burning ketos, the level of ketos in urine can decline. Monitoring ketos in blood is more reliable (but more expensive), and a breath device is also available for measuring ketos.

Since you are just starting, what references/resources are you using? (Many here can give recommendations on websites/YouTube Videos/books that could be helpful. The search function on this website is also very helpful for past discussions that may be of help.


(Rebecca ) #5

@rkd999 Thanks for the welcome and feedback! I think I had read that about the Keto Sticks somewhere. Don’t plan to utilize them long term, but at least for now it’s letting me know I am making some progress. I figure as I go, this will all be a bit more intuitive for me and I’ll be able to read my body better.

As far as resources, I have listened to SOOOO many of the 2KD’s podcasts and have done reading here and at Ruled.me. No books yet, but I’d love some additional podcast recommendations.

I see some meal ideas here and that helps me quite a bit and then pinterest and ruled.me have been my main source for recipes. I pop all recipes into the recipe builder in MFP to stay on track.


#6

seems like you’re doing great!
The hardest part for me was upending everything I once believed - CICO, too much fat, not eating fruits and veggies with every meal, all the ones you describe. You’ll get used to it and it won’t bother you any more.


(Roy D) #7

If you liked the 2 Keto Dudes podcasts, then I’d recommend giving The Obesity Code (TOC) podcast a try. TOC podcasts not only have Carl & Richard (the 2KDs), but also Jason Fung and Megan Ramos from IDM.

If you’re into YouTube, try searching for the following (lots of good videos on keto);

  • Jason Fung
  • Eric Westman
  • Low Carb Down Under
  • Sarah Hallberg

A book that is explains the keto process well is; The Obesity Code, by Jason Fung (2016)

Also, FAQ’s on the following websites may be of help;


(Stephanie Sablich) #8

Yay for you! Isn’t it exciting to realize how quickly this way of eating can change major parts of your life?

My comment: be kind to yourself, and trust the process. I REALLY hope your honeymoon period continues (mine did!) but if it doesn’t, or if you slip, or hit a stall, or or or… be kind to yourself and trust the process. It took a LOT of years to build the body you have now… it might take some time to undo all of that damage and recraft your metabolism.

One other thing: men often lose weight faster than women. If your husband passes you up… don’t sweat it. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. I’ll say it again. Be kind to yourself, and trust the process :slight_smile:


(Jay AM) #9

Google is right, you’re either in ketosis or you’re out. If you’re under 20g net carbs a day, you’re in or you’re dead.

Here’s why urine strips aren’t very useful. In the beginning, you might show really dark on the urine strip level and think you’re just super amazing at this keto thing. But, that’s not what it’s showing. What they do show is how amazing you are at peeing out ketones instead of using them. We want them inside at the correct levels, not flushed down the toilet. If you really want to use the strips for something, stay strict keto at 20g net carbs or less and use them. The LIGHTER they are showing, the more efficiently you’re using your ketones. Once you hit points where they are fairly light consistently and you know you are strict keto, you’ll probably be hitting fat adaptation which is the true goal of ketosis and takes an average of 6-8 weeks (though, it can be significantly longer for some people.)

However, they are utterly useless with cheating. High carbs can cause ketone flushing which will give you a dark strip color OR high carbs can stop ketone production which could give you a low strip color. Either way, you’ll have a false sense of your ketogenic state. So, don’t even waste a strip in that case.


(Rebecca ) #10

Thank you for that reminder! He always loses faster than I do and is not convinced there is a difference beteeen men and women. Bs :laughing:


(Rebecca ) #11

Good to know re:cheats

I’d figured on using them to gauge effects if I slip up


(Jay AM) #12

Let him take a few months of high dose estrogen birth control and see what he says then when he has moobs and mood swings.


(Jay AM) #13

The effects will be that you’re out of ketosis. But, yeah, the strips could go either direction in color after a cheat and that provides no info. The donut you eat today could make the test strip purple tomorrow and the one you eat next week could make it beige.


(Rebecca ) #14

Today begins week 5, so the hubs and I have been keto’ing for a month. He’s lost 16 lbs, I’ve lost 6. (I have far more to lose than he does) So yeah, I know that’s normal but it’s still a real kick in the gut. Not giving up, but confess I felt super pissy about it this morning and grabbed some tater tots on way to work. Obviously still struggles with food comfort. Oh well. I’ll keep at it, but sooooo so frustrating.

I am a bit worn out with trying to find the right things to eat/cook. I feel like all I do is come home, cook, clean up and repeat every day. I am sure it’ll become second nature, but it’s tough to be the one that has him on this plan, does the planning, food logging, measuring etc etc… and he’s the one winning (by appearance)


#15

Hi, Becky! Nice to meet you! I have been wondering if there were any other women over 40 on here and what their path/journey has been. I’m 43 and want to lose about 70 pounds and so fairly close to your stats as well. I weighed at the one month mark and was down 10 pounds. I’m now in week six and won’t weigh for another couple of weeks. Trying to focus on NSV and not just the number on the scale, but I’e really struggled with brain fogginess and my head just not feeling totally “right”. I’ve also had racing heart and other issues for the last couple weeks. Really struggling to get my electrolytes right I think.

Would love to hear more about how you’re doing! I don’t really feel like I’ve lost any weight and am just waiting for the other benefits to kick in. Mental clarity, boundless energy, etc. I had a few days to a week of that early on, but it’s been MIA since then.


(Jay AM) #16

Yep, you’re probably struggling with electrolytes. Also, lots of ladies over 40 and beyond here.


#17

Thanks, Jay AM! Much appreciated!


(Rebecca ) #18

Hi there! It does sound like our stats are similar. I feel like this first month was a good start, but I need to tweak some things. Really dial in more on my macros as I’ve gotten sloppy this last week on those. Not good enough at eating intuitively. So far I don’t feel like I’ve gotten that huge mental energy that everyone else has, but hope to get it turned around soon!

I am a drinking gal, so that HAS to go for this next week to see if that helps. I know it’s not helpful for my long term life style anyway. Just a lazy bad habit.