First Week Success but I have questions

keto
newbies
fasting
(stephen Ira Goddard) #1

Hi everyone. I’ve just finished my first week on a strict Keto diet. I’ve been experimenting with IF for about a year (with a few EF periods) but I have not been seeing consistent weight loss. This led me to looking into a Keto diet which I started Dec 30. So far so good and I’ve been enjoying it. I have listed my stats below for reference.
I do have some questions:

  1. I’m only eating 1 meal a day (dinner about 7pm). Although I have not been able to accurately track my macro’s each day, what I have tracked has been averaged at 9% Carbs, 74% Fat, 17% Protein. Calories per day is between 1000 to 1700. My question is: Should I expect my metabolism to start going down if I stay on a OMAD regimen? My best guess is that I’ll eat around 1000 calories per day.

  2. When is the best time to take my blood tests? Before I eat or after I eat? My main concern is that I make sure I stay in ketosis.

  3. Is there a way to test my metabolism and track it to see if it is decreasing or increasing?

Here are my stats so far:
Height: 5.9’
Start weight: 184 lbs
End weight: 181 lbs
First ketosis test (Friday) after fasting 24 hrs.
Keytone - 2.0 mmol/L
Glucose - 78mg
GKI - 2.6

Second ketosis test (Saturday morning, 2 hours after breakfast):
Ketone: 2.0 mmol/L
Glucose: 90mg
GKI: 2.5

(Full Metal KETO AF) #2

So you are feeling ok with fasting while starting keto? No experience there myself but I have seen many people discourage fasting for several weeks while your body gets fat adapted ( accustomed to using fat as an energy source instead of carbs). Is your energy good through the day?

Also almost everyone here is not much into the testing thing. If you’re eating <20 carbs daily you will be in ketosis after your glucose is used up. What shows up in urine strips is ketones your body isn’t using. You may very well be in ketosis with no ketones showing up in your urine if your body is using them efficiently for energy.

That’s why you need to eat the fats, especially early on and when you reach your weight goals. In the middle of that you need fats but may trim back once your body is burning fats if your goals include weight loss. Your body has no need to use stored fat if you’re eating all it needs everyday out of habit so just pay attention to what’s going on with your body.

(stephen Ira Goddard) #3

Thanks. For the most part I have felt pretty good. I had a few headache’s and a little bit lower on energy but not too bad. The biggest struggle is wanting to snack. I’m not all that hungry so I know it is psychological. When I do feel like snacking, I just try to distract myself with something else or chew a piece of gum (sugar free) to keep my mouth occupied.

(Carl Keller) #4

In the ideal keto situation, we eat a lot of fat and protein while staying under 20 carbs per day. This trains/teaches our body to use fat for fuel. It takes some time but the body will figure it out if it keeps getting a belly full of fat with very little carbohydrates. Typically this takes a month or two. After we have learned to use dietary fat for fuel, then it’s possible to do IF and even EF without worrying about slowing metabolism.

I believe you will eventually slow your metabolism if your body has not yet figured how to use fat efficiently. If you choose to keep going this route, I would say listen to your body. If you find yourself cold and lethargic then yes, your metabolism is probably suffering. If you have good energy, no serious cravings or hunger then it’s not suffering.

Eating 1000 calories a day isn’t a big deal IF your body can tap into body fat for fuel. But if I were you I would just be patient and eat when hungry, whatever that time between meals is. Not being hungry is very necessary to get our hormones behaving the way they should and not overreacting to what it might consider a trend leading toward starvation.

So bottom line, how do you feel?