My intermittent fasting low carb journey

keto
(Chuck) #202

I am staying technically low carb but above my 50 carb goal. Calories wise I eat the amount I feel comfortable with eating but I am not eat the amount of calories I would on my more restrictive carb goals. I am doing a lot of walking and that is helping me a lot.

(Chuck) #203

Surprised this morning by needing to take up another notch of my belt. I have so far stayed within what is considered to be low carb, but not within my 50 total carb goals. But I have stayed within a calorie deficit. And I have to admit to being heavier on protein than usual

#204

BMI does not take into account age, gender, or muscle mass. Nor does it distinguish between lean body mass and fat mass. As a result, some people, such as heavily muscled athletes, may have a high BMI even though they don’t have a high percentage of body fat. In others, such as elderly people, BMI may appear normal even though muscle has been lost with aging.

Take, for example, basketball player Michael Jordan, when he was in his prime, his BMI was 27-29, classifying him as overweight, yet his waist size was less than 30.

Keep in mind that most life insurance companies still use the BMI figure to rate.

(Chuck) #205

So far so good, sunny a warm. Not really staying keto but staying reasonably low carb. We are doing a lot of walking and swimming. I am noticing my pants becoming looser.
I am wondering if I am learning what I can and can’t eat. I did eat a small baked potato last night with sour cream and butter, and it didn’t bother me much. And I had a small bowl of fresh fruit this morning. I am still eating mostly fat and protein, but I am concerned about the amount of carbs. My calories are still in deficit, but staying away from all grains

(Chuck) #206

I guess today is a carb cycle day and to be honest my first one since I started keto/low carb. I still haven’t given into any grains other than the rice in the Japanese food Sunday night, even then it was much.

(Robin) #207

Long term challenges like a cruise are a true test of your mettle.
You’ll be fine.

(Chuck) #208

We are on the return leg of our cruise and I have found staying strictly keto isn’t possible but mostly low carb is possible. I have had one really bad day and a few close calls.

(Bob M) #209

If there are carbs that are less bad, I think those are white rice and whole potatoes. For me, these don’t cause me issues and I don’t feel the need to eat more of them. Unlike, say pasta, where I could have three plates and still want more. (Luckily, I haven’t had wheat pasta more than 5 or so times in the last 9 years, and most of those were at weddings or similar, where I had to eat them or go hungry.)

Good luck on your journey.

(Robin) #210

Well, you look like a happy camper… er, a happy sailor.
Sounds to me like you are doing a fine job of enjoying but not going crazy. Well done.

(Chuck) #211

Maybe it has been the extra carbs that have had on this cruise but I have had three bouts with diarrhea this week. Nothing really serious but bothersome. My worst carb intake day was just under 100 carbs so I wouldn’t have thought it to be that much of an issue. I haven’t had grains other than a few bites of rice that had know of, but they did have a fresh fruit bowl the other morning. And I have had a few bites of baked potato a couple of times.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #212

Is it the carbohydrate, or the amount of salt in the processed foods the kitchen incorporates into their meals? Excess salt can have a laxative effect, just as too little salt can somehow cause constipation. Dr. Phinney explains this in a couple of his lectures on-line, but my brain apparently shut down when he mentioned the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathway as underlying the phenomenon.

Diarrhoea can also be caused by a change in water. Not that the water aboard ship is impure or contaminated, but simply adjusting to a different microbial ecology can have effects. I spent a year in London in my youth and it took my body about six months to adjust. It’s certainly not that London is any less careful with its water than New York is; just that it was a different environment.

(Chuck) #213

I have mostly drank bottle water and have noticed the extra salt but it is very possible

(Chuck) #214

Coming back into Port of Galveston Texas this morning. I have 2 more days away from home, the plan is to be home tomorrow evening. My pants are still very comfortable and possibly even looser than at the beginning of the cruise. It hasn’t been due to being strictly on my keto/low carb diet, but being constantly active, and 3 bouts of diarrhea. I do believe it was relaxing and having a sugary dessert that triggered the diarrhea it has happened before.
I am looking so much forward to being able to have my homemade smoothies. And getting back into my regular routine and back to my keto/low carb lifestyle.

(Robin) #215

There is always a price of admission.
When you get home and back in the groove, you’ll be able to look back and make a decision about whether sweet desserts etc we’re worth it.

Prolonged diet challenges (like a cruise) are a good way to take stock. They also remind us that the longer and further we stray from our path, the easier it is to keep deviating from our preferred norm. But staying active probably saved you, weight wise. Hope you had a great time!

(Chuck) #216

Yes, back home. I need a few days to rest and recoup. I need also a few days to detox. So I am going to do almost 24 hour fast the rest of the week, drink water and unsweetened tea, and one of my smoothies each afternoon for dinner. By the way the scale reading is still the same as before the cruise and my pants are fitting even better, I just feel crappy. I didn’t have any sinus issues at sea, but it is spring pollen season here at home.

(Robin) #217

That’s the truth… more important than the scales and how your pants fit is how you FEEL! It’s good you had a tangible reminder of how you felt before keto. Talk about motivation!
Glad you’re back safely and had a good time!

(Chuck) #218

I am a creature of habit so it feels good to get home and back into my routine. And my first smoothie after the cruise tastes so good and satisfying.

(Robin) #219

I love vacations and I love company…. But betting back to my own quiet life and groove is always so wonderful!

(Chuck) #220

Well I’d haven’t budged any off my plateau while going off the reservation food wish on the cruise. I have to admit that while I didn’t meet my total carb goals on the cruise I did stay within the definition of low carb. I did have chocolate fudge, a little bite of ice cream and even a hot chocolate chip cookie, as well as a few pieces of baked potato. But in all of that I stayed in calorie deficit.
For the cruise I almost tripled my carbs on average, compared to my normal diet.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #221

Be careful of intentionally limiting calories. The body responds to famine by cutting back on non-essential processes (the reproductive system, hair and nail growth, etc.) and by slowing the metabolism generally. This requires even further calorie-cutting and becomes self-defeating. On the other hand, the body adjusts to caloric abundance by revving up the metabolism and finding things to spend energy on. Many of our forum members have found that they only began to shed excess fat once they started eating more, not less.

As Amber O’Hearn once wrote, “We need a caloric deficit in order to shed excess fat, but we don’t need to restrict calories in order to achieve such a deficit.” And as Dr. Eric Westman famously says, “Calories count, but we shouldn’t count them.” :grin: