Hello! I’ve been doing keto for 4 weeks and thought I’d post a little about myself and also ask for advice on a problem I’m having.
My name is Stephanie and I’m 27 years old, 5’7 and about 170lbs currently. I’ve never been extremely overweight. Most of my life I floated around 150-160lbs. A bit of extra fat around my stomach but I did enough fad diets and calorie counting to keep it from getting out of hand. My entire family is overweight and we have a history of diabetes and cancer. Most of my family history passed away from cancer in their early 70s. Cancer and diabetes are a huge concern for me and that’s why I found keto.
About 3 years ago I was in the best shape of my life. I lifted using the Stronlifts program 3x/week, hiked every weekend and walked everywhere. Then life hit and I got extremely busy and lazy. Eating habits spiraled out of control and my exercise stopped. I started to feel worse and lacked energy constantly. 2 years ago I got engaged and despite all my desires to lose weight for our wedding, I never picked up steam. I felt crappy, had no energy and gave into my cravings constantly. A year ago we bought a house and got our corgi, Zwei. I got her with the hopes of having a hiking buddy but she wasn’t enough motivation for me to get back on the trails.
I got married in March of this year and then we went on our honeymoon and continued to eat out of control. After the honeymoon I stumbled across Intermittent Fasting and the effects it had in cancer and insulin resistance. That’s exactly what I wanted and it sounded so easy. So I’ve followed IF since April with very little “off” days. The weight slowly raised regardless. I hit my highest weight of 180lbs.
In the beginning of August I heard the term “keto” and started to do research and found 2 Keto Dudes. It sounded like a better option than IF alone. More energy, resist Diabetes, maybe help against cancer and maybe some weight loss on top. Weight loss wasn’t the primary goal but an added bonus.
I started keto on August 14th and I’ve lost 10 pounds so far. I have a lot more energy and have started working out again. Today I did something I’ve wanted to do forever, I took my dog hiking. We did a short 3 mile hike and I felt amazing. I wanted to go longer but she started dragging.
My problem is with constapation. I’m pooping once every 2-3 days but it’s forced. If feels like I need to poop but I have lots of trouble. I’m drinking over a gallon of water, plenty of electrolytes (5g+ sodium, 1.5g+ potassium and 500g magnesium citrate pill). I’m eating an average of 80g of protein and 15g of net carbs at most. I usually have anywhere from 4g-8g of fiber. Not sure if I need to up my fiber, I’ve seen mixed reviews on the use of fiber with Keto. Any advice?