New to Keto, in...out..in...out

(Toby Curry) #1

As the title suggests, I’m new to the Keto lifestyle (I realize already this is a lifestyle change, not a diet). My father-in-law is a 2 year Keto Vet, and served as the foundation to my keto transition. I started, based on his advice, by reading “Any Way You Can” by Dr. Annette Bosworth. I feel like I have a solid foundation of the science behind Keto. About me, well, I’m 41 years old 6’1" 230lbs, American male. At one point (mid 30’s) I was down to around 9% BF and VERY active in the gym, and starving myself of caloric intake, sustaining of high protein. The last few years I have neglected my eating habits and put on around 35 lbs. Thank you frequent trips to Italy and the carbs associated with them………and kids…and work…

Friday July 10, 2020.
Started “eating Keto”.
Target Macro: <20g Carbs with the remainder of calories at 75% Fat and 23% Protein. Off to a roaring start. Logging everything that I eat. Increased water intake to ~120 oz/day.

Monday, July 13, 2020
Produced my first “pink” urine test. Champion at watching what I eat, well under target for carb intake. Probably lower than what I should be (10g)

Tuesday, July 14 through July 18
Noticing some significant "changes in my appetitie. Historically, I could put down some serious quantities of food, and frequently chose to do so. If I thought I might be getting hungry, I would go for a full meal. Terrible, I know. However, I am noticing that I am not nearly as hungry as I have historically been. In fact, I’m eating a very light snack in the afternoon (3 hardboiled aggs and some cheddar cheese cubes) and a full dinner each night (minding nutrients). Still maintaining lots of water intake. Side effect: I’m a little tired. Taking crash naps for about an hour when I get home from work. Chalking that one up to the “Keto Flu”. Still peeing Ketones during every test (morning, noon, and evening)
Down 7 lbs. Weighed each morning after urine test after wake up.

Sunday, July 19, 2020
Gained two pounds in the morning. No idea why. Understanding that weight can fluctuate for a variety of reasons. No longer tired. In fact, I am full of energy. Ran about 3 miles today, because…I wanted to…seems funny to say that. I have had chronic back pain for years, lower back. Physical therapy and chiropractic routines have not offered any relief. In the morning, I have historically had to give myself a pep talk to put on socks. I noticed on this day, no more back pain. None. Gone. Inflammation leaving the body!

Monday, July 20, 2020 through Wednesday, July 22, 2020
13 days into keto. Huge energy. Zero brain fog, now 11 lbs down. Strict diet control. Positive keytone urin results, albeit on the low end of the spectrum. No back pain. Running daily. Sleeping like a baby (this had historically not been the norm). Zero cheats. not once. No cravings for it either.

Today…
Actually last night. I received my Keto Mojo blood tester. I also purchased strips for blood glucose and ketones. Super excited to try it. First round tested in the evening. GKI comes in at 14.1 :pleading_face:. Not in Ketosis. (Glucose 102 mg/dl and Ketones 0.4 mmol/L) BOOOO. Last time I ate was 4 hours ago, and the meal contained less than 5g of carbs. I cannot understand what happened. I checked my urine, again, not in Ketosis…
Went for a run. Checked again three hours later before bed. GKI is now 6.8, low level ketosis. (Glucose 99mg/dl and Ketones 0.8 mmol/L)m better, but still not understanding what happened.
Slept. Woke up this morning, peeking ketones, 0.7 according to the chart on the bottle. Ate breakfast this morning (three sunny side up eggs covered in sharp cheddar cheese, with 4 pieces of bacon. Tested my GKI two hours later. GKI is now 9.4, not in ketosis (Glucose 102 mg/dL and Ketones 0.6 mmol/L)

Somebody smack me and tell me that I’ve overreacting. I feel fantastic, why am I flirting in and out of Ketosis? Has this likely always been happening, but I just want picking up on it with the urine tests? Do I just need to chill out, put the meter away, and keep doing what I am doing? Honestly, I expected more weight loss than I have experienced. I’m looking for a VETERAN to chime in here.

Thanks for taking time to read that novel…

(Doug) #2

The low blood ketones definitely seems weird. Urine readings are notoriously unreliable, and if you’re making and using ketones, that there may not be much going out as waste just means you’re being pretty efficient at it. But the blood deal…?

I think you’re doing excellently, and as you’re feeling good, I wouldn’t change anything or get too concerned. 11 lbs. in 13 days includes some water, but even if you were outright fasting, it’d likely be around 0.6 lbs. of fat lost per day - overall I think your results are admirable.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

By now you have to be in ketosis, if you are keeping your carbohydrate intake below 20 g/day. On a very low carb intake, the liver makes a certain amount of glucose to supply the cells that require it; it is not a large quantity. The liver also makes ketone bodies, to supply energy to the cells, when dietary carbohydrate is not present. The process is pretty automatic, so measurements are essentially superfluous. If you are concerned about your serum β-hydroxybutyrate reading, scrutinise your carb intake and verify that you are eating 20 g or less each day. If you are seriously insulin-resistant, then you might have to drop your carb intake even further.

Also take a look at your fat intake. Excessive amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids cause chronic systemic inflammation and should be avoided. Stick to fats such as butter, bacon grease, tallow, palm oil, and lard, which are mostly monounsaturated and saturated fats, with a nice low percentage of PUFA.

(Toby Curry) #4

Doug, thanks for the quick response. As Paul commented in the following comment, I really need to watch the Poly fats. I honestly have not been watching it. Maybe this has something to do with it. Again, thanks for the feedback and inspiration!

(Toby Curry) #5

Thanks Paul for the feedback about the Poly Fats. I will start monitoring them as well. As for the carbs, unless the nutritional labels are incorrect, I have to believe that I am being very strict with the carb intake. However, you also stated I may be highly insulin resistant, I’ll keep that in mind and if I see these results repeat, I’ll cut the carbs deeper.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

You’re doing fine so far, Toby. Carry on! Just keep the carbs sub-20 grams per day and the lower the better. There is no lower limit - carbs are totally nonessential to health and well-being. Avoid seed oils and you won’t have any problems with PUFAs. Don’t worry about ketone measurements. Your liver will produce as much as you need as long as glucose and insulin remain low. It’s a very dynamic system and easy to get obsessed with 1/10th needlessly. Keto is a metabolic normalization process and lots of stuff happens all at once. Give it time and give it fuel and you’ll be OK.




25%20AM

(Toby Curry) #7

Update…
Still hammering away at watching what I eat. Logging everything. No cheats. None. I’m typically taking in one large meal a day (evening) and a snack around lunch. Still pulling in less than 20g of carbs each day. Weight loss has plateaued. Drinking buckets of water.

Blood tests keep revealing high glucose levels (100-107 mg/dL) with relatively low level of Ketones (.5 - 1.0 mmol/L)

I can’t figure it out. Super strict diet. Running 3-5 miles a day, logging 15k steps a day. Per the blood tests, I have only been in ketosis one day since last Thursday.

Yesterday was particularly frustrating. I only took in around 1460 calories, ending a 24 hour fast. 14g of carbs, 118g of fat, and 86g of protein. Ate at around 6:00 PM. Blood testing completed at 9:00 AM today showed glucose up to 107mg/dL!!!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Are you getting enough food? The Minnesota Starvation Study during World War II considered 1600 calories a day to be a starvation-level diet.

Remember that part of the thinking that underlies a ketogenic diet is that the body’s hormonal response to foods is more significant than the actual caloric value. It has been shown that the metabolism adjusts to the amount of calories supplied (within certain broad limits, of course), so that trying to lose fat by restricting calories can actually be counter-productive in the long term. The body is more likely to shed excess fat when given enough energy to do all that it wants to do. Reducing serum glucose and serum insulin by greatly restricting carbohydrate intake is a prerequisite for shedding excess stored fat, but the body appears to still be reluctant to part with its reserves unless given an abundant energy intake.

(Toby Curry) #9

I recently started cutting back my portion size. I have historically eaten the entire cow, instead of a steak. When I started keto, I immediately noticed that I was not as hungry as I had previously been, and I was only eating once a day with a small snack mid-day. However, since I was a submariner in the Navy, I learned to eat with both hands and ingest MASSIVE amounts of food before my body could register “full”. While I was eating less often, I was still taking in the same calories. Recently, I have switched that up. I still eat less frequently, but now I am eating slower, allowing my body time to say “stop it”.