Things I've noticed after a month on transition to ketovore

#1

I started my journey on May 1, '22. I transitioned from 100 carbs to 50 to 20 and now I’m trying to do ketovore with under 10 carbs.

I was discouraged because I hadn’t lost weight, that my clothes aren’t looser. Posted and got some really good advice. Today, I wanted to see if I could pinpoint things that HAVE happened, so I started paying attention to things other than my size or weight.

1. No more gas and bloating. I used to have the worst gas and bloating, sometimes being in horrific pain as it moved through my colon. It’s all gone. I can’t remember the last time I had any gas at all.

2. Decreased inflammation in gut. I still have a gut, but it’s SOFT fat now. Before, my gut, especially the very top near my liver, was hard. I was very concerned about my liver because of this. I would press on my gut and there was no give at all. Now it’s just a soft mass and it actually jiggles. Never thought I’d be happy to have my belly jiggle, but I am.

3. Joint pain is so much better. Used to be I would get out of bed and literally have to hold onto furniture to walk. This was especially bad in the morning or at night when I had to wake up to go to the bathroom. I would think about how I used to just be able to jump up out of bed and go, and how it had turned into a chore now. Well, it’s not that way anymore. Most of my joint pain, especially in my knees, is gone. Not perfect, and I am still working on strengthening my knees, but soooo much better.

4. Brain fog has lifted. I used to think I was getting dementia, because there were days I simply could not think. I’m not talking about not being able to do complex thinking, I mean I would literally just walk around my apartment doing nothing, because I couldn’t put a thought together, much less get started on anything. I still have some brain fog, which I attribute to my lupus, but it’s about 50% better, and I never have those wandering days. I had gotten to the point where I had to look up words on Google, rather look up the topic and hope the word came up so I could use it, because I couldn’t remember it. An example is “oxalic acid.” I’m a horticulturist and amateur herbalist. I should NEVER forget that word, but I had to actually Google “plant toxic crystals” the other day to find it. Yesterday, it just came to me normally.

Now I’m just waiting for my depression to start lifting so I can accomplish more of my goals. It’s getting better, but I’m still pretty unmotivated. But at least now, I can use discipline to get things done, whereas before I changed to this WOE, I just sat on the bed all day watching TV and YouTube.

So I’m really happy with the progress I’ve made, and think maybe I am losing weight, because my shorts I’m wearing used to be uncomfortably tight in the waist to where I had to unbutton my waistband to sit down comfortably. They buttoned easily today, which I attribute to losing all that inflammation in my gut.

So if you get discouraged like I was, look for the positives that have happened. It takes awhile for your body to rid itself of all the toxins and inflammation from eating poorly. I was addicted to sugar, and it has taken me over a year to stop buying candy in huge bags, or buying licorice and calling it medicine. Seriously, sugar addiction is the worst.

(Bob M) #2

That is a very encouraging story. Thank you.

(Robin) #3

Good for you, in every way! The scales are the least of your worries, especially now. You are rocking it!

#4

Good going, keep at it!
Took me a while, but i lost a good 5 or 6 inches off my jeans size.

Thankfully I had kept some of my previous ‘skinny clothes’, so I don’t have to replacea complete wardrobe! (I put on weight pretty rapidly after moving into a less active role and developing Type 2 diabetes…luckily under Keto the weight loss was even quicker than putting it on.)

(Allie) #5

You’re making amazing progress, well done :grin:

#6

Such a great post. He says as he pats his belly.

#7

I have a couple of boxes marked “Smaller Clothes” that I’ve saved. I had bought some smaller clothes at one time to motivate myself to lose, but it didn’t, so now I still have all those brand new clothes. Good thing I wear classic styles, not into trends.

(Marianne) #8

This is a great post. You did really well by taking an inventory of the benefits you are seeing apart from weight loss - that will happen - but in the meantime, you are seeing a lot of really momentous changes. As an aside, your slower weight loss may in part be attributed to the high carb count you were allowing prior to going <20g/day. Now that you are doing that and more, I think it will pick up for you.

Are you fat adapted? I found that is when my motivation - and especially stamina - improved. I can be a pretty sedentary person, especially prior to starting keto and depression-wise anyway. It’s gotten better, but I find the key for me is to do something - even one thing - and then I am off and running. I firmly believe in the law of inertia because I regularly experience it. If I do just one thing, then I am usually good for a long stretch of activity until I come to a natural stopping point. I like to make a list of all the things I would “like” to accomplish (vacuuming, specific gardening tasks, whatever), and I try to gear up to do just one. If I can get past the hurdle of starting, I can usually check off multiple chores. It feels good and I feel good afterward.

Sounds like you are doing great! Keto is a lifestyle that is a progressive, dynamic journey. If you don’t see anything happening on the outside - yet - believe grand things are happening on the inside (as you have reported). People who practice keto for a month or so and stop are not doing it justice.