Some progress

#1

Hi everyone. Today I weighed myself on the scale, I only do this every third week or once a month, and am aware my body does fluctuate. So this may just be down to water loss again which is fine, swelling seems much improved as well. Last time I weighed myself I was 117 pounds, this morning I weighed 114 pounds. And more interestingly, I measured my calves as I’ve been keeping a progress journal since I began keto and I appear to have lost half an inch on each. So at the start of keto they were 15.5" and now they are 15".

It is only a small bit of progress, but every little bit helps. The skin apart from a few bruises also appears firmer, perhaps again due to water loss and less inflammation and swelling.
My digestive system which took a tumble when I first started keto has now righted itself, as I allowed in more fibre-rich fruit, nuts and seeds, and green vegetables. Anyways I celebrated this small victory with 1 square of my favourite Lindt 90% chocolate. When I started out (to keep it simple) I mostly consumed saturated fats, but I have since made both saturated and unsaturated fats equal in my diet. So having lost butter I will replace it with extra virgin olive oil. When I enjoy fruit it’s usually avocado or a few cherry tomatoes, or olives. Otherwise I keep to berries. I find a bowl of different seeds mixed with berries have been so helpful for my digestion. And enjoyable as a snack.

To anyone looking for improvements in health, one tip I’d like to share is keep a progress journal. Mark down both your goals and achievements, rewards you could give yourself for reaching those goals, inspirational quotes for strength and courage, and some progress photos, you don’t need to share them with anyone else. A progress journal can be just like your most personal diary, and need only be known to you. But then, when you have days feeling frustrated and less positive, bring it forth and let it encourage you :slight_smile:

(Shannon) #2

I only weigh myself every week or every other week, but anytime I get discouraged or worry I’m in a stall, I look at my graph for the year. It does make me feel better and I realize how much consistency (and some sacrifice) have played such a crucial role in all of this. It also makes me think, I should go skiing this year! :laughing:

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#3

Hi, good for you! :slight_smile: I feel without such tracking of progress it would be all too easy to get a little lost along the way and then begin to backtrack to older less healthy habits. This way we have something to remind and encourage us :slight_smile:

(Shannon) #4

Agreed, that’s definitely happened to me in the past. I’m always in danger of reverting after taking a vacation somewhere. I just got back from Spain last week, and I wasn’t able to eat keto there (surprisingly difficult!), but I was able to do some intermittent fasting which I think really helped. That’s not a thing I even knew to do on vacation in the past! It was a great way to get back on track when I got home.

#5

Yes I do believe in teaming up keto with intermittent fasting, I do it myself. IF is a great tool for lowering insulin and regulating ghrelin the hunger hormone, and make it easier as you say to get back on track. And it’s such a good thing to have on hand too, because IF is more about firm habits than any use of willpower. I can understand how tasting different cuisines would tempt one away from keto though, and especially if keto foods were less available. And some time or other we all veer off the path a little, that’s only human. My belief is positivity and being kind to yourself is what matters the most on any journey, that and being able to listen to your own body.

#6

I experienced the same before :slight_smile: I need some focus to eat only once when I add much carbs (just focus, it’s VERY easy with carbs, I easily get satiated for a day) but that definitely mitigates my problems. (I eat big meals and 2 carby meals is often extreme overeating for me.) I avoid overeating, I feel better, I am nicely satiated all day…
Still not ideal but if I can’t avoid carbs, I should go for that :wink:
Or at least introducing (more than minimal amount of non-animal) carbs as late as possible. If I start, I won’t get back my normal state until the next day…

I weigh myself 1-2 times a day now, sometimes I skip a day :slight_smile: It’s perfect for me. My weight is almost always the same so I typically weigh once in a blue moon but now I started to lose and I am curious after a carby day too (no weight change there. I got back my no water changes on/off keto? sweet!).

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

As long as frequent weighing and measuring doesn’t drive you crazy, lol!

I remember corresponding with a woman who was so fixated on lowering the number on her scale, that she couldn’t grasp that the fact that she had gone down four dress sizes meant that keto was actually working for her.

A friend of mine tries to nip that kind of thinking in the bud by asking: “So you want to lose thirty pounds? Well, would you rather look as though you’d lost thirty pounds and remain the same weight, or lose thirty pounds and still look the same?” It usually works, but (sadly) not always.

#8

I would never recommend anyone to weigh themselves frequently, I only weigh myself every three weeks or a month. I do use a measuring tape on my lipoedema areas and I have lost half an inch on my calves and my boots which were really tight and wouldn’t even zip all the way up my right calf, fit better. I think, for someone who has a lot of weight to lose, keto works brilliantly. At 114 pounds I don’t have a lot of weight to lose, but I want to see if, by reaching fat adaptation, my body will eat the lipoedema tissue, but even if it won’t, I am experiencing reduction in swelling, inflammation and pain, so that’s a great motivator. We’re all different with different reasons for eating ketogenically, I was never diabetic or pre-diabetic, but I have had other health issues which may or may not resolve on keto. What I like about this forum is that it offers a plethora of knowledge as well as the general uplifting and supportive spirit of its users, and though we may not all be in the same boat we are sailing on the same sea :slight_smile:

#9

Weighing once a month is better. The body goes through a lot of changes and there is a lot of fluctuation, water loss, water retention, etc, and different foods dictate different changes. I am pretty sure the 2 additional kilos I lost is water loss, as my body just won’t hold onto to water anymore. And when your body isn’t holding onto water you’ll likely feel better, less bloated, less swollen, I know I do. But food should never be a struggle, just building healthy habits and eating foods both you and your body enjoy and that you can stick to. Of course our appetites change as we too change and so long as we still feel healthy, just doing what we can, that’s OK.

#10

No, weighing myself whenever I fancy is the best for me, hands down :slight_smile: Each to their own. I hate keeping myself from harmless fun things. That wouldn’t be good for my mental health.
Normally I don’t weigh myself every month as what’s the point? My weight is the same every day for years! But lately it changed so I weigh myself more frequently, sometimes in the evening, sometimes with my winter clothes, why not? :smiley: It definitely never can hurt me and it’s fun to me. But that’s not informative indeed. That’s just being a bit silly :slight_smile:

I am aware. I don’t care. And I have about zero of these. Sometimes I wonder if I am a human but my weight is super stable. Or my scale is super stubborn, that may have a bigger chance.
Either way, it doesn’t really matter how much I weigh. I see my changes on my pants. But I like numbers and I can’t measure my blood or ketones so I measure everything else (but I can’t measure my circumferences so not that) :wink: My weight changes actually show if something happened, I don’t remember what my pants did earlier as I wore them long ago (summer and even Indian summer ended so I don’t use my thinnest, not full length pants anymore) but now they will be helpful again.

Measuring my weight is still better than my macros as they are super inaccurate, it’s unavoidable. I still can’t or don’t want to stop yet. They still are a bit informative :slight_smile: