Hello everyone. This Saturday will be six weeks for my wife and I on keto. I decided to send out some “encouragement” to any newbies in their first week or two from a week 6 newbie. My wife and I did go through some keto flu the first week but the Himalayan pink salt and drinking broth and some of the other suggestions on this forum really did help. It passed quickly. I have had several questions that I put out on this forum and had some great answers. The pee sticks were fine to use but looking back now, it was probably a waste of money. But it was enjoyable to feel like I was getting some kind of “results” when I would see that I’m in ketosis. But let me now get down to the “encouragement”. Wow do I feel good! Really hard to put into words. If you read around in this forum, you’ll hear people talk about
how good they feel when they get to a certain point. (I’m not even sure if I’m at that point?) But I have been feeling SOOOO good the last few days. My energy level is the highest it’s been in years. (I’m 47 years old with five kids and I usually get about 6 hours sleep per NIGHT) but I feel like I’m 21 and I feel like I could go run a marathon most of the day. I used to be in the Marine Corps , and I feel today like I just want to drop and do push-ups at different times during the day. And I have not woken up hungry in a couple weeks now. I used to be starving in the morning . And most days when lunch or dinner come around I’m not even hungry. I actually cannot remember the last time I was “hungry”. (That sounded unbelievable to me when I would read it when I first started on keto. But it is true.) I was struggling so hard to keep my carbs under 20 grams at first. Did not seem possible. Now at 6 weeks it has not been a problem at all. And I love the food that I eat. Absolutely love it. It’s great having my wife with me on this journey because we have so much fun making the meals. Sometimes I come home and I say “we’re having what? That just seems unbelievable that we can eat this on keto”. So many of our recipes have cream cheese , butter, bacon, pepperoni (all the wonderful things in life). At first we put a lot of focus on the fat bombs and Keto “treats” that we could get away with. But within the last week or so my craving for sweets is gone. I will still have a keto treat here and there but it’s not a “craving”. (I tend to Crave bacon, and buttery salty meals now… Not sweets). Both my wife and I were having a lot of GI “issues” the last several years. Mostly bloating and gas issues. Some days were awful. Sense sometime in the first week, it has been completely GONE. 100%. If doing keto for no other reason than that, it would be completely worth it. Cannot express that ENOUGH!!! And now for the weight loss. We obsessed over the scale the first couple weeks and someone suggested on this forum to put it away, and we did. Thank God!!! We made a decision to weigh in every week and it made this journey so much more enjoyable. I have lost 12 lb in 5 weeks. I am 5’ 8" and weighed in at 201lbs. Now 189lbs. But my clothes!!! I have worn 38 for the last several years. I had a few pairs of 36’s that I could “squeeze” into. Well, the 38’s are put away somewhere now. All of my 36’s were too loose and my wife said they look silly now. Soooooo, I went to the local Goodwill today and yes, I am happy to say, I BOUGHT FIVE PAIRS OF SIZE 34 WAIST. UNBELIEVABLE. It’s been 20 years since I wore a pair of size 34. So for the newbies that are getting discouraged about the scale and the weight loss. Put the scale away… Pay attention to how you feel, take measurements. My wife and I have been measuring in centimeters since week 2. I am down 6 cm she is down 8 cm. But the clothes tell the story. Ok… I’m sorry this is such a long rant and I’m not sure how many people will take the time to read it but I just wanted to send some encouragement to the people that are out there in their first couple weeks and put this out as a real life example of somebody who is having success with the keto lifestyle after such a short amount of time (6 weeks.) Keep doing it, it really does work. And I feel like The Best Is Yet To Come. For us, it’s just the beginning of this journey.
Newbie encouragement from a newbie
What a wonderful message of encouragement, Bill!
And I’ve been doing keto for two years! 
I’m very glad you decided to share this with us. Great news to hear!
Loved it! 
(I expect to see more of you around the forum, okay?)
Thank you for this encouragement, @Bill_Pratt. I read it all! It is good that you took the time to give us such detail of how your weeks have been. Congratulations on the centimeter losses, for you and your wife.
I’m one week and one day in…
That’s really cool. I’m grateful that it was helpful. I just felt like looking back, I was really struggling my first two weeks to stay positive. And it seemed like it was so far away before I would start seeing any results. My biggest problem was I was looking at the scale. It was helpful to read through the forums and to focus on all the non scale victories people had. But no doubt about it, it was hard to stay encouraged in the beginning so grateful that I push through all that. Keep it going Susan! Good stuff!
That’s just what I needed to hear @Bill_Pratt. It is difficult to be so out of step with the rest of the world. I am fortunate that I have two good friends and a brother who have been going Keto for awhile. I don’t know if I would have persisted this long without them. They have helped me find recipes and answers to questions, but also it helps to meet people online (like yourself) who have been where I am! I agree about the scales. This morning I stood on them six times and each time I got a different weight. It seems I have lost something but it could be anywhere from 1kg to 5kgs! I think I will rely more on measurements. There has been some little difference there. Thanks again for the encouragement.
Thanks for sharing your very encouraging story. It’s the best when shopping for clothing isn’t a bummer, isn’t it? I’ve also been hitting the thrift stores and taking chances on smaller sizes and really scoring! I thought I would thrive on ALL the compliments I imagined coming my way but they matter so much less than feeling good inside round the clock.
Your post is probably what a lot of newbies need to hear. Stick around!
I enjoyed every word of your rant Bill. Congrats on taking control of your diet, your health and your future. 
Another “strange” non scale victory to report. I think?? Or maybe I’m losing my mind? But I think my feet lost weight? I have had my shoes “tied” in the same spot for the last year or so. (I don’t un-tie them every day). Well, about 3 weeks ago they were “loose”. So I tightened the laces a little. Well, yesterday, my shoes were “loose again. So I tightened the laces a little more. Then I thought of it. Wait…” can my feet lose weight?" Crazy, but I think they did. Not scientific, but…
Sure, why not. I remember trying on shoes that sat at the back of my closet for ages. I hadn’t worn them since I had put on 40 pounds or so and I remember thinking “these shoes shrunk!”. In hindsight, my feet had probably gotten thicker.
I also remember a few people remarking, after weight loss, how they can wear rings they coudn’t before. So if our hands can get fat, why can’t our feet?
My shoes are definitely looser, too. It took a long time before my legs and feet thickened up, but it finally did happen, so it was very encouraging to notice I have my slim legs and feet back (the progression seems to be last-on, first-off, interestingly).
BTW, I got turned on to elastic laces after back surgery, years ago. (Any pharmacy that carries medical supplies, canes, crutches, etc., will also carry elastic laces.) I have preferred loafers to lace-up shoes since I was a very young child, and elastic laces are a great way of making all your shoes into loafers! Tie 'em once and forget 'em!
Thank you so much for your story … I’m on day 4 and I will take your advise regarding the scale. I took my measurements so lets see in 2 weeks 
Definitely on the scale. So glad we did. Changed everything for us. We do once a week now but focus on non scale victory!!! Keep it up. It gets so much better!
How wonderful to read such a positive post. I’ve been doing keto for seven months, and I still need to hear this.
Maybe you can measure in feet now?