Wow, I'm loving Keto


#1

Hello,

I just started the ketogenic diet last Tuesday…and WOW, all I can say is I feel fantastic! I’ve lost three pounds already and it’s not a week until tomorrow.

I start my morning off with 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup of greens (kale, celery, omega 3 oil, ginger, tumeric) and whip it up in my bullet. Oh my, I love my morning smoothie.

My energy level is amazing. I used to sit around a lot and watch TV but no more. I go to the Community Centre to play Pickleball, Table Tennis, as well as I walk my dog on longer walks now than I did before. My head is clear, I’m getting chores done. I want this to be my lifestyle of eating. It’s healthy and tasty too.

I’m heading in for surgery at the end of March and believe if I’m 15 or 20 pounds lighter and I keep working out before surgery, I’ll be strong when healing. That’s what made me decide to go on this diet so I read a lot about it before I committed. And am I ever glad I did.

A couple of things that I’ve noticed the most is that I am tired. How long will it take before it goes away? Also I’m constipated, so now I’ve added (organic unsweetened) metamucil into my smoothies. Is it okay to use metamucil, and will the constipation go away?

I’m happy to be part of this forum.


(Jill F.) #2

Welcome! I am keto addicted for sure! I am about 9 weeks in, post menopausal, and over 40 so I expected it to take forever to see results. Investors you become fat adapted you will have more energy, and remember you are switching to burning fat not carbs so keep carbs under 20 a day, eat lots of fat and you will get there. I have learned to crave fat and veggies and I do not even crave carbs anymore! Welcome to the keto club!


(Carl Keller) #3

Hello and welcome.

Congrats on the wise decision to choose keto to improve your life. It really is amazing how much easier and more fun life is when we choose to eat the right things.

Your body might struggle as it learns how to properly use fat for fuel. This might last a week or two but once you are past it, you should have better energy than you have had in a long time.

An easier solution might be to increase your intake of sodium and stay well hydrated. When we restrict carbs, we don’t retain sodium as well as we used to and this mineral becomes more vital to ensure we avoid the “dreaded keto side effects”.

If you aim to get 2+ teaspoons (8 grams) of sodium over the course of a day and up to 2 liters of water per day, I bet your constipation goes away.


#4

Hi and welcome,

Make sure so you have plenty of salt every day or you will be tied. You are still keto adapting, this takes weeks, It does get better.

Meantime make sure you’re not half starving yourself or something, get plenty of fat and protein. Fat is energy.

Constipation is not really part of the diet but it can happen, in my case, keto made it better. I think it comes down to food specifics … fibre? Psyllium but check the carbs (total vs net?)


(Justin ) #5

Congrats! I have just started in the last week as well. Feel great and kinda miss my beer but have gone for the odd vodka soda! I also implemented intermittent fasting which is not too hard for me because I can go times without eating. I do a 16hr fast then eat keto within an 8 hour time frame. I can’t wait to see what a month and more does for my weight and metal clarity.


#6

Thanks everyone, appreciate the positive feedback. I weighed myself this morning and I was up a pound. Does that happen on this diet? I haven’t changed anything so that was disappointing when I got on the scale however I’m not going to let that discourage me. Perhaps my body is just adjusting or maybe I had too many carbs yesterday. Chicken, asparagus, bacon, 2 eggs, tomato, dill pickle, 1" square of cheese, fried mushrooms, handful of almonds, and lots of tea. Those foods don’t seem to have many carbs so today I’ll eat less. I’m still burning, normally it’s large but this morning it was small. Do you know why? Thanks.


#7

Great that you’re here and doing well!
Please don’t keep too close an eye on the scale. Your weight will likely fluctuate quite a bit day-to-day, and it’s only when you look at the long-term trends that you can see where things are going. Also, women often see some nice recomposition, and since muscle is more dense than fat, the scale won’t really reflect your true fat loss. Take photos and take measurements in several places (chest, waist, hips, butt, thighs, arms).
I don’t understand your note in the post above about “burning” - what do you mean?

Echoing everyone else about getting enough salt. Also I wouldn’t try to eyeball the carb content until you’re at least a few months into this. Right now your job is to get enough salt, keep your carbs under 20g, and try to eat not more than 3x/day.


#8

Hi Madeleine,

I bought some ketostix. Ketostix are small, thin plastic strips with a small reagent area on them. When Ketostix are dipped in urine (or passed through a stream of urine), the reagent area changes color to indicate the amount of ketones that are present in your urine. This is an important indicator for those on ketogenic diets because it lets us know that our body has adapted to ketosis and we are doing the diet right.

When I wrote I am burning, what I meant was that I’m in a state of ketosis. Being in a ketogenic state means that I am breaking down fatty acids at a fairly decent rate. I’m generally Moderate and Large when I dip the Ketostix in urine.
ketostix%201

Thanks, I’ll measure myself and take pictures as you suggested. I’m not looking forward to that, lol.


(Libby) #9

I find that if I take magnesium supplement it not only helps regularity but stops muscle cramps in lower legs. Also salt.

I am totally against any kind of “fiber” in my diet at this point. Feel fantastic.


#10

Ah, got it! That’s not the usual phrasing (the burning part!) so I wasn’t sure what was going on. Sounded scary :slight_smile: Great- that you’re in ketosis is good! The full adaptation to using fat as your primary fuel source can take a while (six weeks or so, longer for full-effort exercise)

I know!! it’s hard but it’s really worth it. Your future self will thank you! We often see this scenario: someone comes on to say that they haven’t lost weight or it’s only 10 pounds (or something) but it turns out they’ve dropped two pant sizes and they post a picture and they look like a completely different person. The scale can be a helpful tool but it’s a very limited one, so please don’t put too much store in what that number is. You’re after metabolic health and fat loss, and those are better measured by the tape and how you’re feeling.


('Jackie P') #11

Hi!
I suffered with constipation in the beginning and I think its to do with changing your microbiome.
I made "flaxseed foccacia " just Google it, and chia seed pudding. It helped me when I started but constipation was not a problem for me after about 8 weeks in .
I hope you continue to enjoy your journey.


#12

Thanks Jacqueline,

I’m determined to stick to this because I feel so good already. I’ve been reading so much about this as well because I want to be educated and do it right. :grinning:


('Jackie P') #13

There is so much to learn it’s mindblowing!


(Christine Flack) #14

regarding your weight fluctuation --i started this diet 2 weeks ago. In 5 days i lost 4 pounds and i was so excited! however i gained 2 back (despite eating correctly). So far in two weeks i lost about 2lbs only. My clothes do not fit differently yet (which is what I am hearing is a good gauge.) However I am already feeling less afternoon fatigue which i am thinking was probably a sugar crash because i always had a “protein” bar for breakfast (still lots of carbs) and then after lunch chocolate plus coffee with sugar… by 3PM i would be soooo tired!

and I am also constipated! ;(


#15

That’s good to know cmf1225 at least I know I’m not the only one and that it’s just part of the process.

Thanks for sharing.

:grinning:


(Scott) #16

Keto, It’s like a kid finding a new playground.

Watch carbs and keep low and the rest will take care of itself.


(Jill F.) #17

Hi there @Eye2Eye, trust me the before pics are painful, but I am so glad I have pics along the way! I am going to post a progress post soon so stay tuned! It is amazing to me how much my body has changed in 2 short months. Take pics, measure, and keep yourself going with those non scale victories (NSV). They are as important as the weight loss is!


#18

Thanks mommyjill. I weighed in this morning and am down 3-1/2 so I’m happy about that. What I love the most is just how good I feel mentally and physically. I get up and go whereas before I was brain foggy and slow to get up and go. Still loving the keto diet.


#19

Ok so I went out shopping for a measuring tape. I moved to a new town so that’s why I can’t find mine so I had to buy a new one. As I measured my waist I thought to myself "is that even possible?’ Then on to my hips, omg, then my thighs and arms. Well I could easily be two bodies. Totally depressing and shows just how much work it’s going to take to remove this fat waste.

I’m still feeling really good, although, yesterday I was completely exhausted…I napped and napped and then went to bed at 8pm. Is that normal to feel so tired on a day here and there. Other than that I’ve been very energetic.

I’m slowly going down in weight, I’ve lost four pounds now. It’s a very slow process however. I’m cutting out salads to see if I’ll lose more faster.


(Kimbrie) #20

Oh man, I hear you on the beer, I drank craft beer…mostly IPA but it was a worthwhile trade of in my opinion.