Did I do it right?

(Felicity ) #1

Hi all,
I’m 2 weeks into this WOE. 42, F, 173cm, 79kg. I.R. and PCOS. Want to heal and lose 9kg.
So today I was absolutely famished all day long! (Yesterday too, but was able to ignore) I reeeeeally wanted to binge on all my old familiar foods, cake, biscuits, hot chocolate, chocolate, you get the drift.
Instead I ate fat. A lot of fat!
I ended up at 1750cals, 2 grams over on protein, several grams under on carbs (go me :grin:) but 30 grams over on fat!
Did I do the right thing or am I to expect a weight gain tomorrow?
I’m half way through shark week too, not sure if that info in helpful??
I just want to drop these few kgs and stop being a glutinous pig.

#2

It would be okay.

In fact, I think just eat more.

Maybe salt is needed?

(Felicity ) #3

I have salting like crazy because I’m really craving it. Today was just crazy all my brain could think about was fat, butter, cream, pork rinds! I ate like a mad person!

#4

Week 2 - you’re still transitioning, carb withdrawing and not fat adapated. Stay steady on with the course and keep on with the keto. That calorie count is about right and good that you went for the fat instead of the carbs. The overage on protein is negligible, so don’t worry about that. If you’re hormonal - there will likely be weight fluctuations - so ignore that. As you adapt, those carb cravings will ease. Hang in there!

(Lonnie Hedley) #5

Having a Keto “cheat day” where you eat an excess of calories but stick to your macros is a lot better than a carb cheat day. Many people find that they continue to lose even when eating a lot more fat calories. With Keto, excess fat in food is better than calorie restriction.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

The whole point of a well-formulated ketogenic diet is to become fat-adapted, so that the body can metabolize its excess fat store. The way to achieve this is to keep carbohydrate really low (start out under 20 g/day, because that will get practically everyone into ketosis), keep protein moderate (because too much or too little is bad for your health), and eat fat to satiety. Eating fat to satiety is an easy way to ensure that you are giving your body enough energy to meet its requirements, and it makes the keto way of eating very easy, because there is no need ever to be hungry, except just before a meal.

If you are getting hungry, eat more fat. Fat is your friend. It is a source of calories that does not stimulate insulin, and if you keep your insulin low, your body can burn its extra fat instead of hanging onto it. It sounds odd, I know, but fat is your friend, so don’t be afraid of it, especially when you’re starting out. Once your satiety signaling kicks in, you will find yourself eating far less, because you will be satisfied. But until your body is sure that there is enough energy coming in, it will keep your metabolic rate low and hang onto its fat store, to see you through the famine. Eat enough calories, and your body will ramp up your metablism and use the extra fat.

Didn’t they mention any of this on the Web site that introduced you to keto? It seems that every newcomer these days need to be told all these basic facts about the ketogenic way of eating. If they didn’t tell you any of this, it’s a good thing you ended up here, where you’ll get the straight dope. For all the basic information on nutritional ketosis and how it works, check out the Two Keto Dudes podcasts. They’ve laid it all out, nice and clear, with all the science to back it up.

(Felicity ) #7

Thank you for your help. I understand repeating yourself must get really annoying. I think us newbies just need to be reassured. I know I read as much as I could but eating this much fat is scarey! Especially when trying to lose weight and get healthy. It goes against a lifetime of opposite conditioning. So I guess I ask for reassurance in this case, not so much for information purposes.
I have been struggling with hunger for a few days now. I have upped my fat to about 80% and dropped more carbs. I’m eating close to 1700 calories a day too which seems huge to me, another fear of the new comer!
Thank you taking the time to reply, I’m sure my questions will become less needy in tone as I reach the elusive adapted zone. I hope it’s soon! Don’t even know if I’m in ketosis!

(Rob) #8

It is scary after all the terrible advice we’ve been given for our whole lives. Once you get a bit deeper into the science and experience of keto, the staggering complexity of the human body is revealed and you’ll never obsess over simple calories and ‘old wives tales’ of medical orthodoxy. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

This experiment is a fascinating example of how old understandings of the body aren’t true…

Do watch the video of the results (linked about 3/4 of the way down the thread) but the net result was that Ginger ate 3000kcal of double cream (96% fat) for 5 days (nothing else significant) and lost 5 lbs! She is not a fitness model (47% Body Fat) unlike many of the other similar experiments (like Jason Wittrock) and probably has a somewhat deranged metabolism so much closer to most of us here. Just a great example of why you don’t need to fear the calories… as long as they are mostly fat!

This series is my favorite mind blower when starting keto…

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

Well that’s all right, then. Reassurance is what we’re here for! Sorry to sound testy, and I’m relieved to know that people are getting the straight dope.

#10

Hi I am new and not sure how to post a question.
All I see is the reply button?
If some one could advise I’d appreciate it.
My question is after being in keto fir over two months I ate Pizza and a lot of chocolate on Mother’s Day. I was thinking I’d get right back in after that in couple days. But it’s been a week.
I’ve been eating what I normally ate before. Probably 50 or so carbs. Do I have to go back to the 20 grams a day for two weeks to get back in?
It’s been a week. There’s been no color change on the strips and I’m hungry …
I work at night and sleep during the day.
I saw the cream experiment … would that help if I did it two days or so ?
Thank u for any advice.

(Chris W) #11

Hi Eva3
There are certain levels you need to achieve before you can post, mainly that just means you need to read some of the posts first.

To answer your question based on a normal person doing keto, the test strips only show an excess of one version of ketones that excess that the body does not need. The color change is not an accurate indicator of being in ketosis and some people after fat adaption don’t change colors at all at that point.
At this point in time if you have not eating a lot of carbs and kept your protein lower then you should be in keto.
There is no rule that says you need to eat 20g a day for 2 weeks, you can eat what ever amount of carbs you would like, however the lower the amount the less the body will react to it with insulin. And insulin is the one hormone you want to be lower on this WOE(way of eating). That said we encourage the 20g limit to be sure that you are well below your personal threshold to stop ketosis from happening(mine is 55g for instance). If you have been lower carb for 2 months now you may be fat adapted in which case your body is using your body’s fat and ingested fat directly at the cellular level instead of relying on the liver to process the fat into and energy and ketones (which is a byproduct of the which can be used for energy as well.)
You should not be hungry on this WOE and if you are then eat and don’t stop until you are full. I generally advise people to eat to there macros at first and then eat any more in fat until full. Satiety signalling can take a little while to develop and if you under eat it will take longer. You should not be restricting calories in particular fat, and that is the basis of this BMR boost as described in the cream experiment. Your body will if you calorie restrict(less than maintain of your macros) slow its metabolism, and when you eat more than target fat you will actually increase your metabolic rate for a while. Restricting calories long term leads to weight loss stalls, feeling tired, and cold etc.

I have done this “fat flywheel” approach for several weeks now, and that will increase your daily energy, make you warm, feel better, and I have every single 2nd day done it lost weight and couple times the first day. I normally do this for three days and then don’t for 2-3 days, when I am not doing it I either fast or eat near my macros. I did it for a week solid once and by the 5th day I was lower on ketones and starting to add body fat.

One thing I should say is that during this time I am very active, 12-15 hour days of hard work 6-7 days a week currently. I am also 7 months in on keto, and very well fat adapted, if you are not fat adapted it may not work as well, as your liver can only process so much fat into ketones and energy.

(karen) #12

Hey Flikster, I’m new at this too. What I’ve found in the last two weeks is pretty amazing. On some level I think I have always been in a subconscious panic, every time I put a bite of food in my mouth: how much can I eat, when can I eat again, and what’s this bite I’m putting in my mouth going to do to the scale. But I’m sensing a shift in my emotions around food. I’m actually starting to believe that it’s ok. I will put what I want in my mouth (as far as fat is concerned, I mean). It will be incredibly delicious. I won’t be hungry for quite a while. And I won’t gain weight. I started with a five day fast (not recommended) at 137 pounds and went down to 127. Gained 1 back right away. Have been holding steady 127.5 - 130.5 ever since, eating basically as much fat as I wanted (as Paul has said, my body firmly tells me when I’ve had enough.) My guess is that I’m rebounding from the fast with water weight gain but losing fat at about an equal rate, but whatever it is, I’m starting to believe the science on an emotional level.

Oh - I don’t know if "glutinous pig’ was an intentional pun or not, but I love it!

(Felicity ) #13

I have seen a shift in my weight, appetite and mindset in the last two days. I think things are moving at last.