Keto - 4 Weeks in 35 lbs down

#1

Hello Everyone,
I started this journey with a 7 day solid food fast (only consumed lemon water, bovril (UK product, a hearty salty beef broth), coffee with HWC, electrolyte replacement and a multi-vitamin on Oct 7. I’m 49, started at 335 lbs. I experienced a mild Keto flu and went to see my GP on Day 5. She was shocked but pleased that I was taking this initiative. Had a complete blood panel conducted on Day 6, all numbers were good, ** except weight of course ! Ketones present (reading 2), strips read no Ketones ! (threw them out - waste of $10). On day 7 I was down 20 lbs (I know, some water weight but hey, its 20 lbs!).

From Oct 15 through end of month, I kept to a fairly strict Keto plan (occasional potato chip and small scoop of rice or Naan bread, I’m Irish and love Indian food !)

Nov 1 to 7, incl (finish tomorrow morning) I was back on the same plan as above. (I had gained 4 lbs in the non fast period so I guess the 20 above is really 16). So far I am down to 304, hope to see 300 very soon (ie. tomorrow).

I’m back to using 1212 (that’s short for Half&Half) in my coffee, I find HWC to impair the flavor too much, I’ll live with the gram of sugar. Otherwise its lots of Irish bacon, sausage, black/white pudding, all cooked in Kerrygold ! Yummy

Hope to stay on a steady Keto plan for the next 12 months and lose 10 lbs per month. That is to see the # 180 on the scale (the number that was on the scale when I moved to the USA in 1995 - I gained a whole person !!)

Clothes are feeling a lot looser, to those of you who might think this is hard… stick with it. It works… remember someone once said ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’. I’m still managing to visit the gym several times per week however energy levels drop toward the end of the 7 day fast. (I hit the sauna then).

I’d like to do the 7 day fast at the beginning of each month… now that will take some will power ~

Some Lessons I need to follow:
Drink more water, I dont drink enough of the stuff !
Portion control when I am eating again, hopefully a shrunken stomach will make this easier.

Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
IrishGuy, Menlo Park CA USA

PS. I had open heart surgery in Oct 2015 (septal myectomy), so far so good. I’m hoping to deal permanently with Sleep Apnea, Heartburn, Night Sweats with this new lifestyle (so far these past 4 weeks, all of the above are retreating fast)

(Doodler for @KetoKailey) #2

That is fabulous! Congratulations on your resolve!

So inspirIng!

(Beth) #3

Dude!! Way to go! You’re doing fantastic!
I am so impressed you dove in with the seven day fast. That’s terrific and speaks volumes about your commitment.
I started with two or three 36 hr fasts a few weeks ago, about five weeks into keto. They were pretty easy at first. Now I get much hungrier so I have been doing just 20 or 22 hours a day, two or three days a week. It’s slowed my losses, but I am trying to listen to my body.
Maybe my body wants to repair something? Maybe it’s the sudden onset of cold weather? It will work itself out. First time in my life I am setting goals but then not pressuring myself about the outcome.
So is your doctor supportive of keto?
So proud of you! Thanks for posting such an inspirational start story.

#4

Thanks for the kind words !! I really appreciate it. I achieved 300 lb today. Now I need to stay stable until 1/1/2018 ! (35 lbs lost in 4 weeks).

(Gale Dacalio) #5

You are doing great. And are an inspiration to others. Keep on keeping on!

#6

Hello Everyone (and especially those in the San Francisco area). I’m working with a great Dr. called Manuel Lam (see Yelp, Menlo Weight Loss). I highly recommend him. Best, IrishGuy !

(Doodler for @KetoKailey) #7

Woo-hoo! So happy for your continued success! Cheerig you on!

(Consensus is Politics) #8

Congrats Irish guy! Hang in there brah. You can dooo it!

I lost 45 pounds when I went carb free. I have an incentive. Was just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. So I took my life in my own hands. Kicked the carb habbit. Its been almost 3 months now, and no longer have the real carb cravings before that would have me go out and eat an entire box of little debbie cakes. I now see them as pure poison, put there by someone trying to kill me. I can ignore them now.

What I do now when I’m trying to do a short fast, and I feel the need to eat (not hungry, just the feeling that its time to eat) I put a pinch of salt on my tongue. I heard the 2 Keto Dudes mention that, and by golly it works! Within minutes feeling was gone. I think I experienced what everyone is calling the Keto Flu last night. I had some precooked slices of bacon in the fridge (I thank Richard for that one. He’s the guy in the hat that his Mum made for him). I ate one slice and was able to hold out for 4 more hours. Then ate another slice and held out for 4 more. Makes me wonder if maybe I could just eat one slice of bacon every 4 hrs like clockwork… just maybe…

#9

Hello Everyone,
Back for a little moral support. Well I continued the 7 day fast for Dec and Jan and stabilized at 300 lbs. since then I turned 50, had my 20th Wedding Anniversary …other weak excuses … and I have fallen off the wagon. Back to 325 and not happy. I dont want to do a 7 day fast again, too dramatic (I had open heart surgery in Oct 2015, have a very stressful job and life…)

I’m going to focus on clean Keto living moving forward and turn up the exercise (cardio and strength) when I lose some lbs. Starting off with some 15 min walks, hope to push to 30 soon. Would love to be able to run again … one step at a time.

If someone could point me to a concise list of what to eat for (especially) breakfast, lunch and dinner I would really appreciate it.

Thanks everyone for all your advice.

PS. My 17 year old son (6’6, 220 lbs has lost 45 lbs in 3 months on a super strict Keto plan, easy for him he doesn’t drink beer … consumes HWC like water, loves bacon etc.) He is a great motivator. Eldest son is only 6’4, 200 lbs and a competitive rower in college. (Final son 13 is a little chubby, has started Keto-lite , my wife wants to do this do…)

Have a great and safe weekend everyone !

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

Try bacon and eggs for breakfast. It’s a good fat/protein ratio, and tasty to boot. If you feel the need of a bit more fat, put some heavy cream in your coffee.

For lunch, I generally have some meat left over from the previous night (or Fathead pizza slices, if there are any left). Of course, at this point, I don’t usually feel like breakfast at all (except for the coffee!) and usually don’t get around to lunch until 2:00 or 3:00. We generally eat supper around 7:00, which is usually a roast of some kind, or a fatty chicken dish. Usually veg is either broccoli or cauliflower, and if I’m cooking, it will almost certainly have a cheese sauce. The meat will have gravy.

Sauce and gravy are made with butter and cornstarch (yes, I know, but almond and coconut flour don’t work, and at least it takes less cornstarch than wheat flour), heavy cream, pan fat and juices (gravy) or more cream, some cream cheese, and lots of cheddar (cheese sauce). My sister makes a wicked “Fully-Loaded Cauli,” which is parboiled, chopped, covered in cheese sauce, sprinkled with almond flour, and either baked or broiled. If we don’t have a veg, there’ll be a salad with blue cheese dressing (for me, at least). If I can find a supermarket that carries duck, there’ll be duck à l’orange one of these nights, from one of the keto cookbooks I bought.

These days dessert is likely to be either blueberries with (sugar-free) whipped cream or crème fraîche, or possibly just coffee with heavy cream. Or sometimes whole-milk or double-cream or Greek yoghurt, with or without blueberries. For snacks, when necessary, pork rinds or almonds.

#11

Thanks Paul. All great suggestions. Really appreciate it.