How am I doing so far?

(Cindy) #1

Can’t wait to be one of the “oldies”. :wink: I’m dealing with a headache hangover today. It’s NOT due to keto. I deal with headaches on a regular basis. They’re bad enough that once gone, I’m worn out for the next day. In fact, the headaches are something that I hope keto helps to fix. Anyway, I’d love to hear opinions on what I’ve been eating. I don’t track macros, but I have a pretty good idea of the amounts of protein I’m eating after years of counting calories, measuring, etc.

Day 1:
meal 1 - 3-4 oz chicken with a mixed green salad, small amounts (<1 oz) of bleu cheese, chopped pecans, balsamic vinegar, 1/2 avocado and homemade mayo.
meal 2 - 4 oz ground beef cooked with cabbage, onion, and garlic, 1/2 avocado.

Day 2:
meal 1 - 1 egg (not really a meal, but just needed a small something prior to taking my mom for a long day of chemo)
meal 2 - 3/4 of a bunless hamburger at Cheddar’s (hamburger patty, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ~1 tsp mayo)
meal 3 - 3-4 oz salmon, mixed salad greens, pico de gallo and mayo for dressing, 6 olives
snack - roasted pecans with butter and sea salt. That was an amazing snack and something I won’t fix again for a while…luckily I only fixed a small handful as a test, because I ate them ALL.

Day 3:
meal 1 - 2.5 strips bacon (again, not really a meal, but I ate this on the way to pick up my mom for another day of chemo).
meal 2 - 3 Applegate hot dogs, roasted garlic and brussel sprouts
snack - 2 slices bacon

Day 4:
meal 1 - homemade tuna salad (tuna, eggs, homemade mayo and pickles), mixed greens
snack - 2 slices bacon

Now, eventually, I want to cut out all snacks, but for right now, I’m not going to worry about it. I don’t particularly enjoy cooking, so something I can just grab to eat is much more appealing that a real meal. I’m chuffed that I’ve been ok not drinking sweet tea. Oh, and eventually, I probably won’t eat so much bacon, but I found a really good sugarless version. For years, I’d rarely eat it and then felt guilty when I did. So for now, bacon is my consolation prize for not drinking tea. :smiley:

Does anyone see any glaring mistakes with this?

(Omar) #2

I have chronic headaches.

It took almost 6 months of keto to get the headaches frequency reduced by 70%

(Running from stupidity) #3

Given I know nothing about you at all, this is a generic question based on reading the above:

Are you eating enough? There doesn’t seem to be much there.

(Cindy) #4

That’s not so easy to answer. :wink: I’ve struggled with my weight all my life (I’m 53 now) so food feels like the enemy. Or, at least, the calorie has always been the enemy. So eating more, unless it’s snacky, sweet, carb foods, isn’t easy. Add in a Lapband (and later a removal) from 10+ yrs ago, and my hunger signals are rather messed up. I can easily go 18+ hrs without eating.
But also, the only time I consistently lost a chunk of weight was in the first year of having the band…and then, I was averaging 600 calories/day with a LOT of exercise. Every single female in our extended family (I have 6 aunts and many female cousins) is overweight or obese…so we’re walking testimonials to genetics playing a role in body type.
I hesitate to increase quantities just for the sake of increasing them when I’m not hungry. I’ve done the plans where you’re supposed to eat a certain amount (like Whole30), and I quickly get sick of eating…so it’s not sustainable for me to force more.
So I’m eating when I’m hungry and stopping when I’m not. The snacks aren’t even when I’m hungry…they’re a response to the habit of snacking, so I grab something that’s keto at least.

(Running from stupidity) #5

Yeah, EXACTLY why I was asking :slight_smile:

I highly recommend The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung. It’s a mostly good and easy read.

It’s also a misleading name - it’s really about how this is a HORMONE control diet rather than a CALORIE control diet. (“Diet” being used to mean “the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats” rather than society’s current usage of “short-term fad eating pattern.”)

Anyway, one of the things it discusses (part 2) is how your metabolic rate will chase your calorie intake (which is why calorie restricting works until your body catches up and then it doesn’t), and the dangers of getting it too low due to calorie restriction (as per your history).

It’s a good read, anyway, IMHO.

#6

Mics right, don’t limit calories fat or protein too much, when you’re starting out. Limiting these can be a slippery slide to falling out of love with keto. Give yourself a fighting chance by eating plenty for a few weeks, whilst keeping carbs to 20g per day or less.

You will soon be ready and able to play around with your macros, in order to get the best results for your particular body.

(Cindy) #7

I really AM trying to eat plenty. Not intentionally calorie restricting. That’s why I’m munching on bacon. :wink: And ate all of my roast pecans. But I also won’t force myself to eat. For example, the tuna salad and greens that I had today. It was probably 1/2-3/4 a cup of tuna salad with a couple of handfuls of greens…and by the last bite or two, I really did NOT want any more of it.

So it’s a balancing act. Trying to eat more of what I should…but if I force it, I won’t keep eating this way either. If I eat too little and I’m hungry, then I’ll want to revert back to my old way of eating.

#8

Watch out for the nuts. They can sneak up on you and hinder weight loss. You might want to cut them out for a while until you get settled into this new routine. I did the same with almonds and cheese in the beginning and got stuck in a lot of plateaus. I too love pecans. If you have to have them just chop up a few and put them in your green salad. Not too many yet. Also try to go OMAD if you already can go 18 hours. It’s all about insulin.

(Alex ) #9

@cw2001

I’m also a headache sufferer - dont forget there are a myriad of other precursors for headaches outside of ketosis and diet - tension, stress, other meds, using your phone/devices/TV too much.

I ended up on a prescription for amitriptyline for migraines a couple of years ago, and still have these in my drawer for emergencies, eventually I worked out it was stress causing it - I was living with my parents at the time and they were very challenging!

Once I’d moved out, the headaches disappeared :wink:

definitely have a look at what lifestyle activities could be causing it elsewhere, caffeine too…

(Cindy) #10

The headaches are certainly stress related, also related to the work I do. But I’ve found that, when I drop weight and get busier and happier, the headaches are better. Because then, I’m less stressed and I’m moving more so the repetitive nature of my job isn’t as bad. It all goes together, doesn’t it?

(Cindy) #11

I’ve been limiting the pecans. Only had 4 or 5 halves yesterday. :slight_smile:

(Alex ) #12

Totally all comes from the same pot @cw2001