Help! I'm new to this and not sure I'm doing it right

(Nicole Silvia) #1

HI everyone! I started keto Aug. 10th (2 weeks + 1 day). I of course, really want to lose weight because I gained about 35 lbs since I quit boxing/MMA 4-5 years ago (almost immediately btw). Although I’ve been very active (running, dancing, weight lifting) and even had a fight since (25lbs heavier than at my typical fight weight), I have not been able to keep the fat off.

This is not the only reason I’m trying keto. I heard there are benefits for inflammation (which I have issues off and on with) and I heard it is good for cognitive function. Honestly, I worry about my brain after getting hit in the head so many times!

Oh, and I’m 100% addicted to food and love sweets. Dieting has always been almost humiliating to me because it is so hard for me to say “no”. I don’t think everyone has this struggle because I’ve certainly met people who don’t understand how or why others over eat. I smoked cigarettes for years and quite years ago. Some people struggle to quit far more than I ever did, so I firmly believe that some are predisposed to food addiction. I even used illegal drugs in my early years, some were addictive and I was able to stop without having any desires to do it again. Food is my drug for sure.

My bio :wink: Stats: I’m a single mother of two teens, 35 yrs old, 5ft 5in, currently 187lbs. Back in my fighting days, I walked around at 151 lbs, was very lean, had excellent endurance, and was very strong. So, I’m not aiming for a super low goal weight. At that time I counted calories, ate a high carb/fiber/low fat diet. I did try cutting carbs at that time because I really wanted to move down a weight class, but it completely drained me, so I stuck with what I had. I trained a stupid amount of hours, very rigorous workouts, up to 15 hours per week, weighed myself and measured my waste daily. I ate around 1800 calories a day. I did and still do drink tons and tons of water. Sport fighting requires a lot of torture to the body imo. Although I would never ever take it back because it was so much fun and such an amazing experience and helped me mentally more than anything else could, it must be tough on the body. I had injuries frequently, ate Ibuprofen like it was a supplement, I’m sure many small concussions, and then there’s the game of cutting weight for competition. Those days are over now. I just want to be active, happy and healthy for the long run.

I think keto is going to be a good fit for me. I’ve been on it just over 2 weeks, but I’m already a little confused and discouraged. I would really appreciate some clarity and I feel forum should be my new home :slight_smile:

The first week I pretty much ate nothing but meat and cheese. I was estatic how my sugar cravings disappeared. The fact that i didn’t feel like a crack addict around a box of donuts in itself was a huge win for me. I lost 5 lbs.

2nd week I had a couple keto friendly alcoholic drinks which were spread out and I have 3 products with sweeteners which probably aren’t “keto”, but I needed then to help with mild cravings and to make my coffee tastey. I did not go over 20 carbs ever. I also use the pee sticks. Which I tend to be in trace or mild. I gained 1lb, now 2 more.

  1. I am not counting calories, just carbs. This week a ate a lot, but I was more hungry. Should I count calories? Some say not to. I’d rather not.

  2. Am I eating too much cheese? I had a ton of it the first week and felt great. Lost too. Is there a cap on cheese or any other zero carb food?

  3. Am I still losing fat so long as I’m in ketosis? Even if it’s just trace?

  4. I have 3 sweetened products that are important to me, but not sure if they are going to be a problem. 1 is a BCAA electrolyte powder with caffeine, 1 is my favorite protein powder (helps with sweet cravings) and the 3rd is skinny syrup for my coffee which I use a tablespoon each time. (Stevia tastes gross to me)

If I can get help with these, it would mean a lot! Thank you :slight_smile:

(Ellen) #2

Welcome! Just out of interest, why did you stop mma? I’m hoping to get back to it soon. Dairy is very n=1, I don’t seem to have an issue and eat cheese most days but many do have issues with it. Alcohol can stall keto for a bit but spirits aren’t too bad (in moderation, you’ll probably find you can’t drink as much), can’t comment on the protein powder/sweeteners as I’ve never used them. This forum is an invaluable resource.

(Stacy Blanchard) #3

Congrats on finding your way to keto. As far as doing it right, there is no one way to do it. Unfortunately we are very complex beings and require intuitive eating and health strategies. Everyone you ask will give you different info and you will need to discover which methods are right for you. You are new enough that your body is still adjusting to a new fuel source and as a women we have some pretty crazy hormones to deal with as well. I think becoming intuitive begins with respecting and listening to our own questions. If your question is about cheese go off it for a month and then one day eat a significant amount. You will know pretty immediately if it is beneficial for you of not. As someone that has done that I know that I feel pretty crappy if I have more that small amounts from time to time .
My other advice is to learn something new every week and try to continually make better choices in nutritionally dense foods and foods that help your body best. There are tons of great resources to learn from including podcasts, youtube, books.
As far as brain concerns there is a podcast called Adventures in Brain Injury and a website by the same name. The host is also that author of a book called How to Feed a Brain. He is a brain injury survivor with tons of great information on healing and strengthening the brain.
Good luck to you.

#4

Most people can get away with not counting, it’s really all up to your body and whether it decides to play ball or not. Once you carb detox you should be able to start trusting your hunger and satiety signaling to tell you when to eat, and when to stop.

Dairy screws with some people and stalls them out, many have no issues even when they go heavy on it.

Kinda, but not really. We can be in ketosis and still stall and gain, it really shouldn’t be a worry but most people that are stalled and even gain are still in ketosis. TECHNICALLY being in ketosis only means your liver is producing ketones from lack of carbs.

Depends on what’s in them. Supplements vary GREATLY! BCAAs are fine although you’ll find no shortage of people hating on them. Protein powders are just as varying, many are good, many are powdered snickers bars. I would recommend not using straight whey, but a blend, both because whey is insulinogenic which isn’t great for us AND because blends have been shown to be better for recovery and growth aside from that. On the skinny syrup, what immediately scares me there is the word syrup! Post what they are specifically and we can pull em up and dissect the ingredients.

(Laurie) #5

I sure enjoyed your post! I don’t drink or do a lot of other things, so people think I’m so virtuous, but I am a raging food and carb addict.

Re your questions:

1. I am not counting calories, just carbs. This week a ate a lot, but I was more hungry. Should I count calories? Some say not to. I’d rather not.
In my experience, eating more makes me hungrier. Make sure you’re eating plenty of fat along with the protein; eating fat helps keep hunger at bay.

2. Am I eating too much cheese? I had a ton of it the first week and felt great. Lost too. Is there a cap on cheese or any other zero carb food?
Dr. Atkins, who basically said eat as much meat, etc., as you want, did put a cap on cheese–4 ounces a day. I’m not sure why. But I will say I get hungry if I eat any kind of dairy other than cheese. So I’ll speculate that cheese can have some effect if we eat a lot; maybe the trace amounts of lactose in cheese can add up. Just for fun, could you limit yourself to 4 ounces of cheese a day? That’s still quite a bit.

3. Am I still losing fat so long as I’m in ketosis? Even if it’s just trace?
So they say. The idea is that the urine ketones are excess ketones; since you can see the excess leaving your body, you can assume that there is plenty still in your body. I like to see fairly high levels though–it means I’m not getting too close to zero.

4. I have 3 sweetened products that are important to me, but not sure if they are going to be a problem. 1 is a BCAA electrolyte powder with caffeine, 1 is my favorite protein powder (helps with sweet cravings) and the 3rd is skinny syrup for my coffee which I use a tablespoon each time. (Stevia tastes gross to me)
Probably okay. It depends on the individual. Sweeteners can make some people hungry.

(Nicole Silvia) #6

Thank you so much for the replies! I just wanted to add that I used my friend’s ketone blood monitor and read 2.0.

This is good right? Does this mean I can keep eating and drinking the way I have been despite the weight loss and gain?

(Nicole Silvia) #7

Initially I stopped because of a MRSA infection I got at the peak of cutting for a fight (my immune system was down I’m sure). I scratched the fight, couldn’t train, got very depressed, took a long break and just couldn’t get back to where I was.

Ultimately though, I got what I needed out of it. It’s not a sport you can half prepare for, so you have to give 110%, it’s very high intensity, very time consuming, expensive and as I mentioned not good for the body long term. My life consisted of training, kids and work.

I lost the “do or die” drive because my priorities in life changed and I wanted to enjoy a slower pace, more mindful existence. More time at home, with my kids, have a social life again, etc. It was only a hobby, not a career :slight_smile:

(Nicole Silvia) #8

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1st one is coffee flavoring, which is the last one I’d want to give up. 2nd is BCAA powder, which I take because it’s supposed to be good for me, I do like it. 3rd is my protein powder, which I used to have often, but now it’s only to curb a sweet attack.

I am very open to trying new products, so if anyone has alternative’s they think are comperable, I’d like to hear it :slight_smile:

(Ellen) #9

I hope you fully recovered from the MRSA, I never took it to the level you did, just enjoyed as exercise, hoping to be fit enough soon to go back to it.

(Jen) #10

I’m still pretty new to keto, about 5 months in and still learning every day. The most important thing I’ve learned is that it takes awhile for your body to change from a sugar burner to a fat burner. Definitely longer than 2 weeks to really be fat adapted. The 2nd thing is to just be self assessing all the time, experiment to find out what works for you.

(Nicole Silvia) #11

I did. Thank you! It took a long time to feel good again.

It is a very fun and excellent form of exercise. The actual full contact, 100% commitment, “do or die” part is what I try to stay away from. It gets obsessive and all-consuming. I just recently got back into bag work, which is an excellent workout. But it’s very hard to be a former competitor in the gym and not get back into old patterns. I still have friends begging me to spar. You have to learn to say no. Just like cake! :wink: