I’ve only been doing this for 78 days, but here’s a few things I’ve picked up. Most are from trial and error. I didn’t find this forum until I’d been doing this for 65 or so days on my own.
I’m an IT guy, with ADHD, and logical to a fault. I’m one of those people who has folks come up and say, “Why are you so mad/upset?” (Based on the expression on my face.) I tell them I’m not upset, I’m just thinking. It scares people when I list out the myriad of crap that runs through my mind constantly, and at speeds that would make most dizzy. Welcome to the world of ADHD…
These are just my observations. If some of them hit home with you, then I did my job. We’re here to help each other succeed. If something I say here resonates with you, then you learned from it.
- Keto is not a diet, stop treating it as such.
You cannot calorie-deprive your Keto program. I tried the 1200 calorie daily maximum for about two weeks before I read that this can drop you into Catabolysis instead of Ketosis. I lost almost nothing for that time period.
- The closer you come to your daily needs (in grams) for Protein and Fat, the more / faster you will lose weight.
The days I missed my Protein or Fat intake by over 10% were the days I lost the least amount of weight. Carbs did not play into this equation at all. (except when you go over)
The closer I got to my daily protein needs, the less hungry I was all day, and most of the next day.
- MCT Oil is your friend.
A tablespoon, or two, of pure MCT Oil can flip you from too much Protein or Carbs to back on track in an instant.
The other side of this coin: More than three tablespoons of MCT Oil in eight hours will make your toilet very unhappy. Someone listening might think you lost a kidney by the time you’re done.
- You cannot “Negotiate” with your Keto Program.
Ketogenics is not a food-based, “Let’s Make a Deal.” Keto is an all, or nothing program. You are either in ketosis, or you aren’t. You cannot eat 40 grams of Carbs for breakfast, then eat (Keto) clean for the rest of the day and expect to get anywhere.
I had planned to eat carbs this past weekend, and I did. I had no illusions that I would still be in Ketosis on Monday. All it takes is a few days of eating keto to get back on track. I’ll spend the next week returning to ketosis, then start adding a more intense fasting routine.
A coworker said they were on a Keto Program, but weren’t getting anywhere. I tried once to explain the Venti Mochachino, double-pump, extra foam, extra shot, with whipped cream and cinnamon they had in their hand every morning was probably the issue. They weren’t hearing it. Now they tell everyone I must be taking diet pills because I lost 50 pounds and Keto “doesn’t work.”
- If you’re not losing weight, you’re doing something wrong. Yes, it is really that simple.
Before someone here has a cow, this is geared towards me, I’m a 5’9” male still carrying 230 lbs. My BMI is in the 30’s, and my smart scale says I’m still over 27% fat (62 lbs). If you are 180 with 15% body fat, this might be different for you.
BUT, if you’re like me, here are a lot of factors to consider: Am I in catabolysis? Am I eating too much/too little protein? Am I eating too little fat? Am I eating too many Carbs? Am I drinking enough water? Am I eating too many hidden Carbs?
What this comes down to is if you aren’t losing, you need review your program to figure out what’s wrong with it. Don’t stamp your foot and demand keto work for you, review, understand, and adapt your program.
There are more caveats to this statement. We all know them, so I won’t write them.
- Knowledge is Power
Never think you know it all about this lifestyle. I learn new stuff daily.
Never stop reading and learning how Keto works. The more you know, the better your sucess rate will be. It will also be easier for you to recover from a setback.
As I stated above, I’m ADHD. That means I pour myself into things I want to know. I eat, breathe, and sleep it. Another work friend explained Keto to me in January and then I ran with it. He just came to me to get advice on adding fasting to his routine.
I really think Keto is tailored to those with ADHD. It appeals to our sense of balance, order, and structure.
Well, this is it for now. As always, I’ll help anyone here, if you need it. Your thoughts?
