Original Post
The Ketogenic Diet Experiment (Before)
A few friends of mine, and I, will start a ketogenic diet on 28 Oct. I plan to do it only for 6 weeks, however, a few of my friends will make it a lifestyle change. I am doing it for two reasons: to offer them support, and to see if there are truly fat-burning qualities to this diet.
I already follow a very liberal low-carb diet. And by liberal, I mean I eat candy, cakes, and other sweets, but in moderation. I'm not really a potatoes, bread or pasta guy, but I do eat them. Matter of fact, I eat pretty much everything, but I have an inclination toward veggies and meat. This is why I see the positive effects of a low-carb diet, without planning my meals or following a strict plan.
This is all going to change for the next 6 weeks, as I have drawn up menus and recipes to accomodate a ketogenic diet. This is how I will do it:
- 7 meals a day (I already do)
- 50g-75g carbs daily
- 220g fats daily
- 180g protein daily
- 3,000 calories daily (I already do)
- Follow a Targeted Keto Diet, so that I can do crossfit everyday
- Adhere to the "net carb" philosophy and exclude dietary fiber from my carb count, so I can eat more variety of veggies and some fruits
- Use Ketostix to measure "ketosis"
- Take a Multivitamin
I'll do my best to keep this blog and let you know the results. I need to get my body fat %age done again (5.3% was from June).
A few friends of mine, and I, will start a ketogenic diet on 28 Oct. I plan to do it only for 6 weeks, however, a few of my friends will make it a lifestyle change. I am doing it for two reasons: to offer them support, and to see if there are truly fat-burning qualities to this diet.
Tomorrow's the Day!
So the last 3 days, I've eaten Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza, Lucky Charms, and all kinds of cake and candy. This all comes to an end tomorrow. I'll probably feel this bad eating during the first few days of cutting out carbs :-\
I went grocery shopping and spent about $155 and I hope the food will last about 2 weeks. Of course, I will have to buy fresh veggies every few days, but most of the meat I got was frozen and will store well. Plus, the oils I got (coconut, grapeseed, and olive) should last quite awhile. I bought some canned veggies, canned tuna, nuts, seeds, and a lot of cheese.
Here's my shopping cart:
Friday, I redid my body fat, and I am at 5.7%, 85.2kg, at 184 cm (roughly 189 lbs, 6'1'). I plan to restest every 2 weeks, for a total of 4 readings: before, week 2, week 4, and week 6. I am tracking all of my food with the myfitnesspal app/website, and the barcode scanner feature is awesome! It doesn't read the European food lables, but all the American food labels are scanned in.
And to the other 2-5 people who are/may/plan to do this with me, GOOD LUCK!
So the last 3 days, I've eaten Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza, Lucky Charms, and all kinds of cake and candy. This all comes to an end tomorrow. I'll probably feel this bad eating during the first few days of cutting out carbs :-\
I went grocery shopping and spent about $155 and I hope the food will last about 2 weeks. Of course, I will have to buy fresh veggies every few days, but most of the meat I got was frozen and will store well. Plus, the oils I got (coconut, grapeseed, and olive) should last quite awhile. I bought some canned veggies, canned tuna, nuts, seeds, and a lot of cheese.
Here's my shopping cart:
Friday, I redid my body fat, and I am at 5.7%, 85.2kg, at 184 cm (roughly 189 lbs, 6'1'). I plan to restest every 2 weeks, for a total of 4 readings: before, week 2, week 4, and week 6. I am tracking all of my food with the myfitnesspal app/website, and the barcode scanner feature is awesome! It doesn't read the European food lables, but all the American food labels are scanned in.
And to the other 2-5 people who are/may/plan to do this with me, GOOD LUCK!
Day 1
1 has been accomplished! It really wasn't too dificult as far as cravings or being hungry goes. There were a few times I walked by the office candy bowl, thinking, "Some chocolate would be delicious right about now!" But I held strong.
At lunch, I spread coconut oil on my lettuce wraps. I've never had coconut oil before, and let me tell you, if you like the smell of coconuts and the taste of butter, this will be a delight for you! I was blown away by how good it was.
From the weekend, I had been a bit dehydrated and I felt it today, so I drank about 80 oz of water, outside of exercising, so that should help get me back into a hydrated state.
I did really well on carb restriction, as i ended up with 51g of net carbs (minus dietary fiber). I missed my fat goal by one serving of fat, which I can add another tbsp of oil to my lettuce wraps or pour some Udo's over veggies with my dinner. I only ate chicken for dinner because I ate really late (I helped a friend move and it took awhile). I was 82g below my protein requirement, and I think I really need to hit that goal to help minimize muscle loss in the first 3 weeks.
I had a super unproductive meeting today during my normal workout time, so I went after work, at 5. It was awful. I had no motivation and I just didnt have any energy. We really are creatures of habit, and I am accustomed to working out at noon. Tomorrow, I'll get back to the noon session and I hope I feel better.
I still have glycogen stores, so fatigue has yet to rear its ugly head. Tomorrow or wednesday, I will likely start to feel the effects of ketosis. My ketostix have not arrived yet, so I still haven't been able to chart that. Hopefully by the end of the week, I can start seeing if I've reached ketosis.
Now that I've officially started, more people are claiming to join me next week or in the coming days. We will see. I do want to be an inspiration to others, and also be able to share feedback and support, so I am glad they are willing to try this out and see if it improves themselves and helps them get closer to their fitness goals.
1 has been accomplished! It really wasn't too dificult as far as cravings or being hungry goes. There were a few times I walked by the office candy bowl, thinking, "Some chocolate would be delicious right about now!" But I held strong.
At lunch, I spread coconut oil on my lettuce wraps. I've never had coconut oil before, and let me tell you, if you like the smell of coconuts and the taste of butter, this will be a delight for you! I was blown away by how good it was.
From the weekend, I had been a bit dehydrated and I felt it today, so I drank about 80 oz of water, outside of exercising, so that should help get me back into a hydrated state.
I did really well on carb restriction, as i ended up with 51g of net carbs (minus dietary fiber). I missed my fat goal by one serving of fat, which I can add another tbsp of oil to my lettuce wraps or pour some Udo's over veggies with my dinner. I only ate chicken for dinner because I ate really late (I helped a friend move and it took awhile). I was 82g below my protein requirement, and I think I really need to hit that goal to help minimize muscle loss in the first 3 weeks.
I had a super unproductive meeting today during my normal workout time, so I went after work, at 5. It was awful. I had no motivation and I just didnt have any energy. We really are creatures of habit, and I am accustomed to working out at noon. Tomorrow, I'll get back to the noon session and I hope I feel better.
I still have glycogen stores, so fatigue has yet to rear its ugly head. Tomorrow or wednesday, I will likely start to feel the effects of ketosis. My ketostix have not arrived yet, so I still haven't been able to chart that. Hopefully by the end of the week, I can start seeing if I've reached ketosis.
Now that I've officially started, more people are claiming to join me next week or in the coming days. We will see. I do want to be an inspiration to others, and also be able to share feedback and support, so I am glad they are willing to try this out and see if it improves themselves and helps them get closer to their fitness goals.
Day 3
Day 2 was pretty much a normal day, nothing to report.
Day 3, I began to feel a bit of fatigue, and even had a headache after lunch. I had to bump my workout to 17h again, but this time I didn't feel sluggish and after the workout, I felt re-energized. I was a bit worried, since I hadn't felt well all day, but after my protein shake, I had a burst of energy.
I know it's nasty, but it's important, so I need to report that I am still having 1-2 bowel movements per day. I used be 2-3 before, but occassionally, depending upon what I ate, I would just go once. If I didn't go at all, I would know that I didn't drink any water and didn't eat any veggies, and likely didn't work out. But I am still regular and that's good!
I bought a food scaled today and that thing is awesome! My measurements will be accurate now and people can use my recipes, knowing the correct amounts I used. :-P
I came in at 49g net carbs, which is great and below my goal, but I am still eating more fat than I planned and less protein. I plan to add a protein-only snack sometime during the day.
A friend let me borrow some ketostix until mine come in the mail. I tested myself before lunch and it showed "trace" amounts, light pink. I'll test again in the morning, and then wait until I get my own ketostix before I test again.
I began tackling this diet before I finished reading Lyle McDonald's book, which I am currently reading. It's pretty good and I love the science in it. My problem is, when he presents something, a table or example, I go into scenario-mode and draw up my own numbers and experiements, which is making my reading slow. My progress is further slowed by the fact that I look up every technical detail and then get side tracked on the internet researching unsaturated v. saturated fats or the merits of cholesterol. One thing that I can say I have learned, is that "conventional" or "mainstream" thinking has been proven wrong on many occasions, but we haven't been educated with the new knowledge or info.
Day 2 was pretty much a normal day, nothing to report.
Day 3, I began to feel a bit of fatigue, and even had a headache after lunch. I had to bump my workout to 17h again, but this time I didn't feel sluggish and after the workout, I felt re-energized. I was a bit worried, since I hadn't felt well all day, but after my protein shake, I had a burst of energy.
I know it's nasty, but it's important, so I need to report that I am still having 1-2 bowel movements per day. I used be 2-3 before, but occassionally, depending upon what I ate, I would just go once. If I didn't go at all, I would know that I didn't drink any water and didn't eat any veggies, and likely didn't work out. But I am still regular and that's good!
I bought a food scaled today and that thing is awesome! My measurements will be accurate now and people can use my recipes, knowing the correct amounts I used. :-P
I came in at 49g net carbs, which is great and below my goal, but I am still eating more fat than I planned and less protein. I plan to add a protein-only snack sometime during the day.
A friend let me borrow some ketostix until mine come in the mail. I tested myself before lunch and it showed "trace" amounts, light pink. I'll test again in the morning, and then wait until I get my own ketostix before I test again.
I began tackling this diet before I finished reading Lyle McDonald's book, which I am currently reading. It's pretty good and I love the science in it. My problem is, when he presents something, a table or example, I go into scenario-mode and draw up my own numbers and experiements, which is making my reading slow. My progress is further slowed by the fact that I look up every technical detail and then get side tracked on the internet researching unsaturated v. saturated fats or the merits of cholesterol. One thing that I can say I have learned, is that "conventional" or "mainstream" thinking has been proven wrong on many occasions, but we haven't been educated with the new knowledge or info.
Day 5 Halloween Recap
So, I went to a Halloween party last night and I was there for about 5-6 hours (Nov 1 is a holiday in Belgium, so no work for me :D). The only thing I could eat there was the hot wings and I drank water. Of course, dancing makes you hungry and thirsty, but I really didn't eat as much as I normally would have at that kind of party. I had 3 servings of 112g of hot wings and 8 glasses of water. Normally, I would have eaten 6 cupcakes, 3 handfuls of chips, a few jello shots, unlimited candy, and a few sodas, in addition to those 3 servings of wings!
Today, I woke up late and had a late breakfast. I have sitting around the house all day, mostly reading and trying to finish the Ketogenic Diet book by Lyle McDonald. I am super tired though. Everytime I eat, I get sleepy, and my meals are rather small, compared to what I eat during a workday. Not sure if it's the combination of reading while trying to digest, with the beautigul gray Belgian skies, or what, but I am tired. I'm going to try to force myself to sleep at my normal time tonight (11ish) to get back on my normal schedule. Sleep is obviously very important!
Also, I spoke with one of the others starting this diet next week, and they went to the store and got all of their ingredients and they are ready to hit it hard Monday. I hope they stick it out and see the results they are looking for.
So, I went to a Halloween party last night and I was there for about 5-6 hours (Nov 1 is a holiday in Belgium, so no work for me :D). The only thing I could eat there was the hot wings and I drank water. Of course, dancing makes you hungry and thirsty, but I really didn't eat as much as I normally would have at that kind of party. I had 3 servings of 112g of hot wings and 8 glasses of water. Normally, I would have eaten 6 cupcakes, 3 handfuls of chips, a few jello shots, unlimited candy, and a few sodas, in addition to those 3 servings of wings!
Today, I woke up late and had a late breakfast. I have sitting around the house all day, mostly reading and trying to finish the Ketogenic Diet book by Lyle McDonald. I am super tired though. Everytime I eat, I get sleepy, and my meals are rather small, compared to what I eat during a workday. Not sure if it's the combination of reading while trying to digest, with the beautigul gray Belgian skies, or what, but I am tired. I'm going to try to force myself to sleep at my normal time tonight (11ish) to get back on my normal schedule. Sleep is obviously very important!
Also, I spoke with one of the others starting this diet next week, and they went to the store and got all of their ingredients and they are ready to hit it hard Monday. I hope they stick it out and see the results they are looking for.
Day 6 New Recipes!
I enlisted the help of uber-chef Steph, and we made 5 new low-carb recipes that I found online (recipes below). 4 of them were delicious and 1 wasn't so good. Euphemisms aside, it was terrible; it was like eating cardboard that smelled really good. It was the chocolate almond sponge cake. I'll try to put peanut butter on it to see if that helps with the flavor at all.
I noticed after eating just one serving of pumpkin chili, that even though I didn't eat it with bread, and didn't eat multiple servings, that I still felt content and had no need to eat more. Normally I would have eaten several servings, with bread, but I would have eaten it so fast that satiety wouldn't have had a chance to set in. On this diet, I've noticed that I am fully satisfied with less food than I'm used to.
Also, thanks to the high intake of sodium via cheese and meats, I am noticably thirstier. I know I need to drink lots of water and keep my fiber intake high to balance out this high cheese intake.
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/mint_choc_chip_clouds.html
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/sausage_pumpkin_chili.html
http://www.deliciously-thin.com/broccoli-cheese-soup-recipe.html
http://www.deliciously-thin.com/easy-chicken-casserole-recipe.html
http://www.ketogenial.com/recipe/chocolate-sponge-cake-with-almond-flour/
Day 7 Feelin' Renewed
Today, I just felt awake and alive all day. I missed my workout due to work but I was even able to stay awake in my nightly Spanish class and stay focused (as opposed to sleeping through half of it and then struggling to catch up).
Yesterday, I played about 90 minutes of basketball and had full energy and felt strong the whole time. Also, I didn't drink any water during basketball (forgot my water bottle) with no adverse effects. I drank quite a bit when I got home though.
All those meals I prepared over the weekend have been coming in handy as easy-to-prepare dishes in the microwave. Today, I went over my calorie goal, but I think its because I am putting too much emphasis on eating as much fat as possible, regardless of the calories. I didn't need to have 2 servings of coconut oil at lunch, so i'll cut it one out tomorrow.
I've been reading on the whole subject of insulin spikes in the morning and how it impedes fat loss and so on. Of course, there is the camp that say breakfast is absolutely necessary and builds muscle and prevents cortisol from catabolizing the muscles. Then, the other side says if you let cortisol do its work in the morning it will burn fat for the first few hours, and skipping breakfast is optimal. I've decided that this is irrelevant to my current experiment and I will continue to eat breakfast.
Also, my ketostix arrived today, so I can begin taking readings. I'll try various times, and see which ones report the highest readings. I am also measuring my ph, via reagent sticks, and I've been pretty much 5.5 everyday for the last two weeks. It appears to be in the safe zone, so I will only use it as an obervation and not change anything.
So, I've done a full week of low-carb inducing ketosis and I have to say it hasn't been that bad. There was a day or two where I felt sluggish, but I generally feel like I have as much energy or more than before. I can't believe how many carbs (specifically sugar) are in everything! It's ridiculous, and once you count all the calories, its easy to see why people get/ stay fat. The food industry seems to be just as bad as the tobacco industry (although tobacco will always be #1 in my heart).
Here's to week 2!
Day 10 Ketosis bound
I have my Ketostix and I've been getting my highest readings in the early evening after work, a reading of 40 has been my highest. Every morning I get a 5 or 15. Late at night same story. I hope to get to the point where my body is using the ketones properly and I never get high readings.
Interestingly, I get little to no gas, despite the massive amounts of cheese and creams that I eat. Matter of fact, I have gas well less than 50% as often as when I was eating whatever I wanted. And even when I get gas it doesn't smell nearly as rancid as after a trip to Burger King.
I drink so much water, not much more than I used to, however, my urine is rarely clear now, except at night. Durring the day, I imagine thanks to the protein and sodium, I am pouring out gold colored urine.
I take Spanish classes in the evening and I usually only have time to grab a quick snack beforehand so I'm not starving to death in class. Usually it's a sugar cereal or some leftover pasta. I would get to class and after about 30 minutes of being lost and confused and overloading my brain, I would start falling asleep, almost without fail, after an insulin spike and subsequent crash. I chewed gum to try to stay awake and ate during class, whatever I could, to stay awake. Bent mentally I would still be drowsy and not learning at all. This week, I have been so alert in class, not even a bit drowsy. I eat a leftover low carb dish just before class and it doesn't send me into a incoherent stupor. I am still lost and confused, but now I am wide awake doing it!
I've also been logging some serious hours in the kitchen, as I cook/prepare all of my meals now. I have a really good knife a friend bought for me and it makes cutting veggies so easy. :)
i am at the point now where it's just fun trying to find delicious ways to keep my carbs under 50g net (even though my initial goal was 50-75g net carbs). I eat lettuce wraps at my desk and I spread coconut oil on them like butter and my colleagues look at me strange and say "oh yeah, your doing that no carb thing". Haha good times.
Day 14 Two weeks in
After having done a full two weeks, I feel pretty good. No sugar crashes, no being sleepy after a big meal, no lackadaisical-ness, lol.
Tomorrow I will get my body weight and body fat tested to see the numbers of how this whole thing is going.
Friday I was able to go to crossfit at lunch and play basketball in the evening, with full energy. So, I'm at the point where my energy levels are not being affected, even though I've been eating less than 50g carbs for most of the time. Carb timing has been important to maintain my energy levels, in my opinion. I have a trip planned to Madrid this week, for four days, and it's going to be interesting to try to avoid carbs while I'm there. I'll say no to arroz, el pan, y los tortillas. Just meat and cheese and veggies.
I will still track everything. I should be able to do this, but while I'm there I'll probably be guessing on my food or making up stuff. Haha.
I have eaten so many new combinations of foods and I like quite a few. Foods that I ate as a kid (because my mom loved variety and I had to eat what she made) like cauliflower and celery, I forgot how much I liked them and will definitely eat more of once this is over. The only area where the low carb foods have not tasted good has been with the sweets. I've been using stevia as a sugar substitute and it is awful and has a terrible after taste. I'll just stick to 90% dark chocolate.
Tomorrow I'll be co-hosting a low-carb party and we have several dishes that we will prepare and try. Looking forward to it! If I can figure out how to post pictures on here, I'll do so.
So, after 14 days, my first check-in....and the results are...drum roll, please....
82.2 kg, and 4.7% body fat.
That's a reduction of 3kg and 1% body fat. I'm sure most of the weight was water, but that 1% is actually fairly surprising so soon. I was expecting to maybe lose 1% after the whole 6 weeks. I dont want to lost too much more, so i'll make sure i eat enough calories to maintain my weight.
I am still in ketosis (according to the ketostix) but my readings are rarely over 15-small lately. I imagine this is due to my body adapting to ketosis and learning to use ketones better and gradually spilling less into my urine.
I also realized today, that taking one scoop of syntha-6 before and one scoop after, is not giving me the energy I need for longer workouts. I will change to take two scoops before, and then take a protein whey isolate (no carbs) post-workout.
The Keto Party went really well. There were 10 of us, some doing the ketogenic diet, and others who just like free food and to socialize. 4 of us prepared dishes and brought them, and then we cooked two dishes together as a team. All of the dishes were delicious (recipes and pics below). One thing I noticed abou the desserts was that the stevia did not really bother me tonight. I could still taste it, but it wasn't as terrible as last time. Am I acclimating this quickly? I'll still stick to 90% dark chocolate.
Also, we ate so much and normally after such a big meal I would need a nap. I feel full but I'm not sleepy. I dont have that general fatigue that comes with eating big meals. Interesting. Meaning? I'm not sure.
I’ve tried to figure out how to post pictures and for the life of me I cannot figure it out. So I am giving up for now. Tomorrow I’ll try again and maybe I’ll be able to post them.
Day 16 Enegy Burst?
Yesterday morning, I had some 3 week old opened uht milk. I was (psychologically only) sick all morning until about 10 when I got hungry. So I only ate my usual omelette before crossfit and nothing else. I had so much energy and had an excellent workout. So I don't know how to explain it. Was it the 29 carbs I had at the keto party the night before, or did my muscles replenish themselves off of my protein intake from the omelette alone? Or was it a combination of them together? I only use about 329 calories (according to myfitnesspal) exercising, and that is 82 carbs, which I could have accumulated between that night and yesterday morning. Something to think about.
One of the things that I like since I've started this diet, is that I am eating a better variety of veggies. I used to stick primarily to fruit and the same four or five veggies. I've had 15 different veggies so far in the last two weeks! No potatoes or corns, either.
Im curious to know if the progress that I've shown is due to me doing low carb or if it's primarily due to just cutting out sugar. I am averaging about 25g of sugar (almost no refined sugar) and about 60g of carbs. That is considerably less than the 125g of sugar for the average American. And that's refined sugar! (nice sugar info at end)
Numerous websites that I have visited say that if your poop floats then you have excess fats or oils in your diet. Well, that explains that, lol.
I FaceTimed with my parents last night and I was explaining to them how to use this website and the app on their phones. It really is a good app for tracking food. I recommend it to everyone.
The link for the following infographic: http://dailyinfographic.com/nursing-your-sweet-tooth-infographic
Yesterday morning, I had some 3 week old opened uht milk. I was (psychologically only) sick all morning until about 10 when I got hungry. So I only ate my usual omelette before crossfit and nothing else. I had so much energy and had an excellent workout. So I don't know how to explain it. Was it the 29 carbs I had at the keto party the night before, or did my muscles replenish themselves off of my protein intake from the omelette alone? Or was it a combination of them together? I only use about 329 calories (according to myfitnesspal) exercising, and that is 82 carbs, which I could have accumulated between that night and yesterday morning. Something to think about.
One of the things that I like since I've started this diet, is that I am eating a better variety of veggies. I used to stick primarily to fruit and the same four or five veggies. I've had 15 different veggies so far in the last two weeks! No potatoes or corns, either.
Im curious to know if the progress that I've shown is due to me doing low carb or if it's primarily due to just cutting out sugar. I am averaging about 25g of sugar (almost no refined sugar) and about 60g of carbs. That is considerably less than the 125g of sugar for the average American. And that's refined sugar! (nice sugar info at end)
Numerous websites that I have visited say that if your poop floats then you have excess fats or oils in your diet. Well, that explains that, lol.
I FaceTimed with my parents last night and I was explaining to them how to use this website and the app on their phones. It really is a good app for tracking food. I recommend it to everyone.
The link for the following infographic: http://dailyinfographic.com/nursing-your-sweet-tooth-infographic
Recipes!!! (with photos)
I finally figured out how to upload photos. I think it has something to do with my Mac, because I am doing the same exact thing as before, but on a PC and it works. Oh well.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/low-carb-new-york-ricotta-cheesecake-recipe/index.html (was most people's favorite)
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/split_pea_soup.html (we substituted bacon for smoked turkey)
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/mint_choc_chip_clouds.html (no pic)
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/peanut_butter_fudge.html (no pic)
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/coconut_fudge.html (the dark ones are without stevia, and the lighter ones are with stevia. The dark ones were AWFUL)
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/peanut_butter_fudge.html (no pic)
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/coconut_fudge.html (the dark ones are without stevia, and the lighter ones are with stevia. The dark ones were AWFUL)
I dont have links to the recipes for the following, as they were made by others. The first are smoked salmon rolls with cream cheese inside...delicious!
These bacon-wrapped shrimp were just divine!
Day 17 Keep on Truckin'
Interesting firsts today:
- had a negative ketostix (right after my workout too [this has been documented in studies according to "The Ketogenic Diet"]) but then my next reading was 40-Moderate.
- noticed that my back is breaking out a bit (similar to what you would see on a detox).
- had a bit of blood in my last stool (will monitor and seek help if needed).
So, I finally finished chapter 20 in Lyle McDonald's book (only 6 chapters left!) and I haven't noticed a decrease in my crossfit performance, as stated in the studies of 2-6 weeks. Later in the book, I see that sprint training should fatigue me more quickly, but basketball has been fine. Then, I remembered, that's why I'm doing a targeted keto diet, so that these things don't happen to me! Also, cited in the book, he states that this decrease in performance happens after week 8. So, I guess that explains why I still have good energy.
One more thing on this, I don't lift consistently with the same movements (grace à crossfit) and so I haven't notice any strength gains either. I could just be maintaining and that's as far as I'll get. Not sure.
Tomorrow, I am going to Madrid for vacation for 4 days. The land of rice...I will do my best to document my food and I'll likely be making a lot of it up and guessing. I'll have my ketostix with me, so I'll try my best to stay in ketosis. Lots of meat and veggies and cheese. Avoiding everything else. I'm taking my jump rope, so hopefully I can burn whatever extra carbs I eat immediately and not get knocked out of ketosis.
Day 19 El Ketosito
So, I'm in Spain enjoying the sights and articulating Spanish like a man with no tongue. I AM using that tongue to taste some good Spanish food. However, I have been avoiding the breads and rice. I've tasted the paella and other dishes, but just one bite. It's not as hard as I thought it would be to eat low carb here. The spanish mostly eat veggies, cheese, and meat anyway. There are a lot of bakeries that I have been avoiding, though. I have noticed that I have eaten significantly less carbs since I've been here. I might splurge tonight, as we are going to a sports bar, and fried foods tend to be prevalent there. I'll be as strong as I can...
Here are some pics of dishes I've tried here (the spanish names may be wrong :P)
Pollo con las verduras (chicken, cucucumbers, red peppers, and eggplant)
La sopa de verduras crema (Cream of vegetable soup)
Hamburgeusa de Cebra (Zebra burger) Yes it was delicious, and I didn't eat the buns or the potatoes
Pelucha de Povo (turkey with salad) I didn´t eat the bread things
I am still in ketosis according to the ketostix. I have noticed the acne that broke out a bit on my back has started to spread to my chest a bit. It seems to be more like detox ance than real acne, since I haven´t had it since college.
I stopped drinking sugar in my coffee a few months ago, but I couldn't seem to do it with tea. But now I have no choice and it's not so bad. My new favorite sweet snack is 90% dark chocolate with hazelnuts or almonds.
Someone asked me what I will continue to do after and what things I'll stop once its over. I'll do an in depth analysis at the end of the 6 weeks, but I know for sure that I will try to cut as much refined sugar out of my diet as possible. Definitely adding fruit back in, though.
Day 20 Twenty days in
Still in beautiful Spain. Walking everywhere I go and surely burning lots of fat.
Eating my daily omelette, this time with added salami. Yum!
I had to try some Spanish tapas today at the Mercado San Miguel. We tried salmon, tuna, codfish, and octopus tapas.
Then, I ordered a Cajun chicken sandwich without the bun and it was delicious.
My travel buddies ordered this and I couldn't resist taking one small bite. Heaven in my mouth, is the only way I can think to describe it.
I also tried some white wine tonight that is typically very dry, but to my sugar-deprived palate, it was actually very sweet. Also that carrot cake above was really sweet (and delicious) and I could really taste all the flavors. I normally eat almonds and some other nuts occasionally, but I found hazelnuts here and I have been tearing them up! Mixed with dark chocolate, it is a delight. Plus, almonds and pecans, for the most amount of nuts I've ever eaten in any given time. I never really liked to snack on them, only if I was hungry, but now they are becoming a preferred snack for me.
I leave Spain tomorrow, having been able to eat fairly low carb and still enjoy some of the local delicacies. Adios, España!
Day 21 Traveling…and Official Ketosis
Aside from nuts and beef jerky, it seems all travel food is just sugar and carbs. Today was so rough, traveling home from Spain. I had lettuce wraps for breakfast, then ate some nuts and dark cocholate for snack, and then a few pieces of salami, and then nuts, and then some more nuts... because there was nothing in the vending machines that wasn't sugary or starchy carbs.
It does make sense though, most of the food I eat, I have to prepare. In order to have convenience, I lose a bit of nutrition. I see the philosophy behind Paleo or natural foods diets, as my body has reacted better to real food, than it did to so much processed food.
I still have the acne on my back and chest; hoping that goes away soon. Also, in the mornings, some of my old injuries flare up a bit, until I get the blood flowing, and then they disappear. I feel like I'm doing a fast, with all of these detox symptoms! I guess that is a bonus for me.
According to Lyle's book, tomorow I will have officially completed induction and I am in full ketosis. My brain is operating 100% on ketones! The next three weeks likely won't be as interesting as this three weeks, since all there is to derail me is Thanksgiving. The first three weeks, I had Halloween, a trip to Spain, and the beginning of this diet (cutting carbs was HARD).
I plan to go get my blood test done on Dec 7, which is 2 days before I finish this experiment and return to a balanced diet. I'm curious about the cholestrerol and blood lipids.
Day 23 Going strong
Today was a good day as far as energy goes. I had a really good workout at a very high intensity and had no issues pushing myself. I think I am performing at my normal level. I've made a point to eat more the last few days and maybe that has been helping.
Today, for the first time since I've started this diet, I had some gas. It smelled awful. It wasn't a lot of gas but it was potent. People could have died. I'm better now. :-D
I definitely can tell the difference when I am dehydrated vs hydrated. My bowel movements are little pellets and I have to force it out when I'm dehydrated. Hydrated, it just comes on out with no struggle. I also noticed that my lips became chapped when I was dehydrated. My lips are not normally chapped, and once I hydrated, they returned to their lustrous juiciness.
I did some calculations based on Lyle's formulas and I have to eat 3258 calories if I want to gain muscle. I'm barely hitting 2500 each day, which are slightly below maintenance calories! We will see over the course of the next three weeks. I definitely don't want to lose anymore weight.
It also sucks that there isn't significant research out there on crossfit and it's effects on the body with this kind of diet. I guess I'm the guinea pig.
I also was reading that carbs help athletes perform better but I feel like I am currently performing at peak performance. So once this is over and I go back to a balanced diet, I hope I perform even better!
It just hit me that I didn't take any before pictures for this. I'll have to take some later...
Day 25 Coasting
I'm now at the point where I am just coasting through this diet. It is almost second nature to me to avoid carbs and eat more raw veggies. I had a taco salad, minus the shells, and I didn't even miss them. It was just as delicious.
I have been tracking my ketosis levels via ketostix for 25 days now and I see that my highest reading are 4-6 hours after I exercise and my lowest readings are first thing in the morning (both of my negative readings) and right after exercise. My ph has been a consistent 5.5-5.75, even from two weeks before I started this diet.
A friend of mine made the comment that this diet is a bit easier for me than others because I don't mind eating the same foods over and over and live happily off leftovers. This is a true fact and cuts down on my preparation time when I'm in a rush. For the last 25 days (monday-friday) I've eaten the same lettuce wraps.
I've gotten quite a few comments, and I noticed myself, that my clothes are baggier are on me. Even my watch is looser, and I didn't really have any wrist fat before. I have to take my belt an extra hole now, as well. I've heard that my cheek bones are becoming more visible, as well. Those who workout with me at crossfit have commented that I have better definition now in certain areas. Since I didn't do a good job of pics of myself, I've found one that may help.
Yesterday, I had a real tough crossfit workout at noon and then went to basketball at 9pm and couldn't sleep until about 1am. Today I was struggling! I skipped crossfit because I was just weak. I was awake and alert, but physically exhausted. I attribute this entirely to sleep and not to my diet, since I haven't felt like this any other night. Tonight, I went to a gymnastics class, which was really just an intense stretching class and I feel pretty good now. I plan to ensure I get all the sleep I need to keep me performing at a high level.
Day 27 First basketball game
I had a basketball game tonight in the 3rd national league in Belgium. We lost, and I am clearly not in shape yet, however I wasn't tired. I feel as though I could maintain this diet indefinitely, as It has become more of a habit now than a chore.
I was looking at the records feature on this site and I saw that I very rarely hit my fiber goals, though I have been able to stay regular. Maybe the exercise is what is keeping me regular? Or a combination of things. I wonder if I would go more often if I hit those fiber goals?
My friend, Stefania, made these super delicious cookies: http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-chip-cookies-video-tutorial/
I found some pics that compare my face a bit, to see the difference over the last few weeks.
It is amazing how easy it is to eat healthy, and how good the food can actually taste. This salad below is a "quick" (15 min) and easy to prepare meal with fiber, protein, and fat, and deliciousness sprinkled in.
I've done more research on the topic of nutrition since I've started this diet, then ever in my life. Nutrition was never really important to me before since I exercise so much, I never really considered it. But it is very important and dramatically effects how I look and feel. But, having done some research, I can see why people struggle so much with their diet. The info on the internet is so inconsistent and constantly contradicting. There are always 2-5 sides to a story and each has a compelling argument. Even the U.S. institutions have their recommendations, which have been discredited and/or hailed as law. It's confusing and tough for someone who doesn't know. But, this is why I chose to do my own experiement, rather than just taking what I read at face value. I think this is a better way of learning. :-)
Day 29 Last two weeks, partial check-in
This week, I decided to take my normal Syntha-6 protein for pre-workout, but then try a low carb protein for postworkout. I tried ON Platinum HydroWhey Turbo Chocolate, and it tastes awful! I'll monitor how I feel to see if the benefits outweigh the taste. I'll use it for the rest of the week and then next week, I'll try MusclePharm Combat Powder.
I recently started noticing that I am hungrier. Normally, I would eat at whatever times I have set, but now once meal time arrives, I am hungry, vs just eating because it's time. This could be because I am playing more basketball now than when I started.
I was supposed to weigh in today and get my body fat done, but the guy who normally does it for me was sick, so I have wait until tomorrow to get my body fat done. I did do my weight, and I am now at 80.5 kg (177 lbs). I started this at 85.2 kg (190 lbs). I dont feel like I've lost any power or strength, but I haven't tried to lift what I could before, either. Maybe a test is warranted...
I was also looking at some old measurements, and 5 June 2012 I had a 31" (78.75 cm) waist, and today it is 29" (73.7 cm). Most of my other measurements (arms, thighs, calves, hips) were close. A suit that I was fitted for about 2 years ago is now extremely loose on me. It's kind of weird, since it used to be my tightest suit.
[Day 30 update: I am still at 4.7% bodyfat, which is good, but I also need to not lose anymore weight. Only one more weigh in, the day after the diet ends]
Tonight, I had spanish class and I decided I would eat heavy before to see if I would be sleepy. I had a rack of ribs and a cookie. About 600 calories of food. Nothing. I was wide awake the whole class and fully coherent. It's amazing to be so alert! I think this may be the best thing I've benefited from on this diet.
Last night, Stef made another low carb meal, while I labored over the weighing and math and calculating and putting it into myfitnesspal (her job was definitely harder). We came up with meatloaf and zucchini fries, both of which were delicious. The meatloaf was a bit spicy, due to the chili powder. The fries were just delightful. Stef will have to put in the comments if the leftovers were just as good or not.
[Day 30 update: I am still at 4.7% bodyfat, which is good, but I also need to not lose anymore weight. Only one more weigh in, the day after the diet ends]
Day 31 Progress Pics
I ate a fairly large lunch today and I realized that there is such thing as too much of a good thing. I wasn't sleepy like after a high carb meal, but I could feel the extra food taxing my system. Moderation is clearly important, regardless of quality of food. But Steph made these chocolate truffles that were so good and I ate 6 of them today! I dont have the recipe, maybe she will put it in the comments.
I've decided to start doing heavy squatting on Mondays, since I dont have basketball until Wednesday, and that way, I'll have time to recover before practice day. Tonight, I was less tired than last week, but these late practices are rough!
I have always wanted some vascularity in my legs, and I now have that. I also found some old pics to compare with. I couldn't really find any of my legs, but you will get the picture (at least you'll see it).
This first one is from Panama, May 24, 2012, to see my legs before.
Here are a couple current pics of my legs from today.
Now to see a bit of progression over the last few years. This is from December 30, 2007. New Year's in Orlando, FL.
This is May 27, 2012 in Panama.
Here is one from Aix en Provence, August 26, 2013
This is one we took Nov 22 of this year.
I have slimmed down a bit from previous years, while maintaining muscle. I don't think I've gotten much bigger, but definitely stronger and faster.
UPDATE*
I forgot to add this picture of me being silly, but showing vascularity, from yesterday.
Day 32 Happy Thanksgiving
Today, I ate more carbs than any other day since I've started this diet; 99g net and 14% of my daily intake. I was nervous that it would knock me out of ketosis, but my ketostix readings say otherwise. That is nice to know. Still using fat!
I went to Thanksgiving at a friend's house and all the usual temptations: sweet potato pie, gravy, casseroles, cobblers, pudding, sauces, and pies. I picked a few things I really wanted to try and just had one small spoonful of each, in addition to lots of ham, turkey, and deviled eggs.
I'm so glad Steph is supporting me on this thing, because she made two low carb desserts and one hors d'oeurve that was delicious and helped me get through tonight.
Another friend mentioned to me about how you tell someone you are doing this diet and they immediately shoot you down for doing it and never offer support. I happen to be strong in this area, so I am not easily dissuaded, but I definitely understand how and why people with these kinds of support systems fail. So, thank you to all of those who had faith in me and encouraged me instead of discouraging me.
Day 35 End of week 5
I have completed 5 weeks of a ketogenic diet. Aside from this morning and afternoon, I have been in ketosis for 30+ days. Early this morning I got a negative reading, and then again after lunch. But after my basektball game, I was back in ketosis.
But, I have felt alert, awake, with normal energy levels. I haven't felt that energy surge you get right after sugar, but I'll take sustained energy over a spike and crash, anyday.
If you look under my inspirations, you'll see I vainly sought after those veins in my lower abs. Boom! (pic is not intended to be sexual, just to show off the veins)
But, today was not all about success. This morning I attempted to make a modified version of pumpkin pancakes...epic fail. I couldn't get the pancakse to stick together, despite it tasting quite decent. I ended up eating a bunch of crumbs. A waste of quite a bit of carbs!
Also, I've been experimenting quite a bit lately with fresh herbs, and since I make an omelette every morning, I've tried different ones to see what I like best. I can attest that an omelette with rosemary in it can have any other ingredients and it will still be delicious! Thyme and sage make good additions, as well, but rosemary wins in my book.
My friends and I are planning to have one last Keto Party this saturday. So, we will try some soups and some new dishes. Speaking of new, I tried unsweetened almond milk today, and it was pretty good. I prefer cow's milk, but it isn't a bad substitute.
Day 37 Almost there
So I did not like the Optimum Nutrition Hydro Whey, so I tried MusclePharm Combat powder, which was equally bad. The only difference is I got the s'mores flavor for the combat powder and the little marshmallows remind me of Lucky Charms (my favorite cereal). I'll finish both proteins, but then switch back to BSN Syntha-6 for all my protein shake needs.
In the last 4 days, I've had two mornings/ pre-workout day time negative readings on my ketostix. I am not sure what is causing this. After exercise, I get a moderate keto reading. I have narrowed it down to what I have changed:
- New post workout proteins (MusclePharm and ON HydroWhey)
- Eating more sweets (low carb choco turffles and low carb almond cookies)
- Eating more food in general (to prevent further weight loss)
I imagine its one of these items. I am going to abstain from the sweets until the end of the diet. I will not change the other two, so if I still get negative readings, its possibly one of the other two.
I found this old pic of me and some friends back when we were 14 or 15. I'm on the far left.
Day 39 What now?
Today, I did my bloodwork so I had to fast until about 10am. I then ate my omelet and then 1.5 servings of my pre workout shake. This seems to have been the recipe for total energy, because, even after my workout, I had boundless energy.
Maybe, it was partially due to the meal timing, partially due to my excitement of Steph doing her first kipping pullup, partially due to the fact that I finally have my basketball wind back. Last night after practice, I wasn't dragging like I usually do, and plus, during practice I felt good.
New fresh herb used today: cilantro, aka, coriander. I put it in my pumpkin chili and it was delightful! Speaking of pumpkin, I tried a new recipe http://www.cookincanuck.com/2010/10/savory-pumpkin-sage-gougere-recipe/ and it was a bit flavorless, maybe due to me using coconut flour instead of all purpose? I put some butter, cheese, and peanut butter, none of which really made it any better. I think they would be great for eating with soups, stews, and chilis.
I am now in the process of deciding what to do after I finish this diet in 3 days. I really like the way I feel and the way my body looks, with the extra vascularity, and that my abs seem to look good whether I flex them or not.
I'm relaxed (below)
Im flexing (below)
However, I do miss some things like ice cream, fruit, milk, and lucky charms. Over the next couple of days, I will develop my new eating plan, hopefully one I can maintain forever.
Im flexing (below)
However, I do miss some things like ice cream, fruit, milk, and lucky charms. Over the next couple of days, I will develop my new eating plan, hopefully one I can maintain forever.
Day 40 Analysis
40 days. Jesus drank only water for 40 days, and I feel like that would be much harder. Though he didn't have to worry about weighing and measuring everything!
A note about the gougères I made yesterday, I added a bit of salt and ate them with some chicken tonight and they were a tasty side. I guess they aren't a stand-alone food. I took some to work, and despite their lack of flavor, they disappeared quite quickly.
I have to extend my diet one day because I can't do my weigh-in and body fat until a day later and I dont want a return to glycolysis to affect my readings. But, thinking about it, I am a bit sad the diet is ending, because I really have enjoyed this experience, and feel as though I could continue it...more on that later.
I have noticed that since I am lighter (4kg, ~9lbs) pullups, handstands, and other body weight movements are easier. I was able to hold a handstand for 5 seconds today! [URL=http://tinypic.com/m/hty2y8/1]View My Video[/URL]
Along with sucess comes failures :-P [URL=http://tinypic.com/m/hty3ad/1]View My Video[/URL]
According to Lyle McDonald's book, I calculated my resting energy expenditure (REE) , thermic effect of activity (TEA), and thermic effect of feeding (TEF), at my initial weight of 190lbs (85.2kg) and my current weight of 178lbs (80.7kg).
- REE @ 190 = 2090; REE @ 178 = 1958
- +TEA @ 190 = 3553; +TEA @ 178 = 3329
- +TEF @ 190 = 3908; +TEF @ 178 = 3662
Just to maintain my weight, I would have had to eat 3908 calories! Obviously, that didn't happen. I am trying very hard to eat near 3662 calories now, but it is very hard.
So, now that I have 40 days under my belt, I have some statistics:
- Average calories: 2812
- Average carb intake: 73 (10.4%) net carbs: 51 (7.5%)
- Average fat intake: 200 (64%) w/ net carbs: (66.1%)
- Average protein intake: 180 (25.6%) w/ net carbs (26.4%)
USDA (interesting info here http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm), for the "average" American, which they interestingly qualify as a 5'10" man weighing 154lbs and 5'4" woman weighing 126lbs (Who do you know fits that???), recommends the following breakdown:
- Calories for modertely active man/woman 2,600-2,800/2,000-2,200
- Carbs 45-65%
- Protein 10-30%
- Fat 20-35%
Evidently, I don't fit the bill, in that I am not that small and I eat/ate a grossly disproportionate amount of each macronutrient, except protein.
The USDA and WHO both recommend very moderate sugar intake, which no one follows. I assumed since the rest of their recommendations are faulty, that they would fail in this area too, but it is clear that sugar is just plain bad for you, as even governments got it right. They recommend 15% or less of your total calories and some governments recommend less. I was able to keep my sugar intake to an average of 27g per day, or just under 4% of my daily calories.
A friend of mine makes really delicious cupcakes and he will be making some for an office party in two weeks and I decided to see the nutrition on what I'll likely be ingesting. He let me expose one of his secret recipes... here's the ugly truth:
One of the first things people ask me when I tell them about this diet, is what about high cholesterol? I tell them that I dont discriminate on the types of fat I eat. With this lack of control on fat, I was still able to keep my average cholesterol to 347mg per day. The USDA recommends 300mg for the "average" person. I am larger and exercise more than the "average" american and I barely ingested more than the recommended allowance. Monday, I should have the results from my blood test and I can expound upon this further then.
- Calories for modertely active man/woman 2,600-2,800/2,000-2,200
- Carbs 45-65%
- Protein 10-30%
- Fat 20-35%
Evidently, I don't fit the bill, in that I am not that small and I eat/ate a grossly disproportionate amount of each macronutrient, except protein.
The USDA and WHO both recommend very moderate sugar intake, which no one follows. I assumed since the rest of their recommendations are faulty, that they would fail in this area too, but it is clear that sugar is just plain bad for you, as even governments got it right. They recommend 15% or less of your total calories and some governments recommend less. I was able to keep my sugar intake to an average of 27g per day, or just under 4% of my daily calories.
A friend of mine makes really delicious cupcakes and he will be making some for an office party in two weeks and I decided to see the nutrition on what I'll likely be ingesting. He let me expose one of his secret recipes... here's the ugly truth:
One of the first things people ask me when I tell them about this diet, is what about high cholesterol? I tell them that I dont discriminate on the types of fat I eat. With this lack of control on fat, I was still able to keep my average cholesterol to 347mg per day. The USDA recommends 300mg for the "average" person. I am larger and exercise more than the "average" american and I barely ingested more than the recommended allowance. Monday, I should have the results from my blood test and I can expound upon this further then.
Day 41 Keto Party Reloaded
In honor of those who participated in the six-week keto diet challenge, we decided to celebrate with another keto party. Steph graciously hosted again.
Here is me slaving away on myfitnesspal because they still haven't added the features I suggested to them that would greatly reduce the amount of time I spend inputting stuff. :-P
Aggie brought veggies and cheese for us to snack on in between dishes.
Dave, who doesn't read my blog, came over to offer some assistance with cooking, and of course, eating!
We started with a delightful egg crust pizza that came out hundred times better than the already delicious cauliflower crust pizza at the last keto party (Day 15). http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=85042&welcome=true&welcome=true
My mother sent me an old recipe I used to enjoy, curried butternut squash soup. Because of the local pumpkin squash here in Belgium, the recipe came out a bit sweeter, but it was still delicious. https://www.dropbox.com/s/0l0m5zc7ytn4ham/Curried_Squash_Soup.doc
We followed that soup up with another soup, leek cauliflower and bacon soup. Absolutely wonderful! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Low-Carb-Cauliflower-Leek-Soup/Detail.aspx?evt19=1
The soups were so delicious.
After the soups, we got to our main dish for the night, blackened chicken with avocado cilantro cream sauce. The chicken and sauce complimented each other so well and thoroughly pleased my palate. http://www.deliciously-thin.com/blackened-chicken-recipe.html
We coupled this with a side of zucchini fries, that unfortunately came out a bit soggy, but still tasted ok.http://allrecipes.com/recipe/low-carb-zucchini-fries/
For dessert, we had a reprise of the chocolate truffles, in the peppermint, almond, and peanut butter varieties.http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/truffle_cups.html
Then, we had another great dessert that we can't get enough of, Elana's primal cookies, with almond flour and hazelnut flour variations. http://www.elanaspantry.com/primal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
And the surprise hit of the evening was the dark chocolate avocado cookies. In the perfect summation from Will Ferrel's imitation of James Lipton on SNL, "Scrumptralescent!" http://greatist.com/health/recipe-dark-chocolate-avocado-cookies
The soups were so delicious.
After the soups, we got to our main dish for the night, blackened chicken with avocado cilantro cream sauce. The chicken and sauce complimented each other so well and thoroughly pleased my palate. http://www.deliciously-thin.com/blackened-chicken-recipe.html
We coupled this with a side of zucchini fries, that unfortunately came out a bit soggy, but still tasted ok.http://allrecipes.com/recipe/low-carb-zucchini-fries/
For dessert, we had a reprise of the chocolate truffles, in the peppermint, almond, and peanut butter varieties.http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/truffle_cups.html
Then, we had another great dessert that we can't get enough of, Elana's primal cookies, with almond flour and hazelnut flour variations. http://www.elanaspantry.com/primal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
And the surprise hit of the evening was the dark chocolate avocado cookies. In the perfect summation from Will Ferrel's imitation of James Lipton on SNL, "Scrumptralescent!" http://greatist.com/health/recipe-dark-chocolate-avocado-cookies
Day 43 Last Day
Today is the last day of my ketogenic experiment. It started out a bit tough, but I stayed strong and saw it through. I learned so much along way, was exposed to new foods and recipes, and am now armed with new outlook on food and nutrition.
I feel one of the greatest things I learned was portion control. Because I had to weigh and measure each serving, I was less likely to have seconds, to avoid the extra math, but then realized once satiety set in, that I wasn't hungry anymore. I didn't just eyeball food and run the risk of my "eyes being bigger than my stomach".
I have a bit more analysis and data to share after 43 days:
- Not one single day did I eat the RDA for iron or potassium.
- Not one single day did I not eat the RDA for saturated fat, vitamin C, and vitamin A (i did only hit 93% one day for vit A).
- I did not eat the RDA for fiber until the 23rd day and then only 6 more times, 5 of which were in this past week.
- Only one day did I ever go over the 51g RDA for sugar (72g) and that was Thanksgiving Day.
My blood test should be in tomorrow, so I can do the recap on that. Now the million dollar question: What do I do now the diet is over?
Well, I decided, for the rest of this year, I will follow a similar diet, until I go on a family cruise at the end of December, where I'll throw caution to the wind. So, what will I do until then?
- 100g net carbs.
- Add fruit, milk, and some grains back into diet.
- Still aim to keep sugar under 50g per day.
- Have no discretion on types of fat I eat, excluding trans fat (may change when I get my test results back).
- Aim to get my daily dose of iron and potassium (potential experiment???).
- Aim to hit my fiber goal everyday.
And once the New Year is here, I'll reassess my nutrition goals and decide how I'll eat. I have developed a major bias against sugar, my scapegoat for all dietary evil. Whatever I do, it will definitely have a "limit sugar" component to it.
Also, I wanted to share some references that I've read and found pretty interesting.
Sugar: The bitter truth is by Robert Lustig, a good video with lots of science and bit nerdy and long at 90 minutes. If you like science or want the full explanation, this is a great video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
If you prefer a shorter (58 min) and less technical view on the dangers of sugar, Dr. Lustig has another video, an 8-part series, outlining sugar's evils. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moQZd1-BC0Y
A blog that I followed quite a bit that has a good overall summary of the ketogenic diet, with good links can be found herehttp://josepharcita.blogspot.be
And, lastly, here are a few websites where we found some good recipes to start with:
- http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/
- http://allrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-recipes/special-diets/low-carb/
- http://www.elanaspantry.com
- http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/low-carb-recipes.html
- http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=low+carb&fnSearchType=site
Today, I am officially finished with my 6-week ketogenic diet experiment. I recieved my blood work and did my final weigh-in and body fat measurements today. Results:
So, my cholesterol did not change much. I had a noticeable increase in triglycerides, yet I am still well below the mean level of triglycerides for American adults age 20 and older, which is 144.2 mg/dl. My LDL dropped by a point, despite the VLDL rising almost 3 points. My HDL to total cholesterol actually got lower, decreasing my risk of heart disease.
- LDL and VLDL are "bad" and HDL is "good".
- Your LDL is computed by plugging the measurements for total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides into a: LDL = Total cholesterol – HDL – (Triglycerides ÷ 5)
- VLDL = Triglycerides ÷ 5
- Your total cholesterol score is calculated by the following: HDL + LDL + 20% of your triglyceride level
How can you tell which type of LDL you have? All you have to do is determine your ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol, which would be found as part of the results of your last cholesterol screening. If you ratio is less than 2, you have predominantly large, fluffy LDL particles that are not going to do you much harm. If your ratio is greater than 4, you have a lot of small, dense LDL particles that can accelerate the development of atherosclerotic plaques – regardless of your total cholesterol levels. My ratio was 0.58 and is currently 0.71, both well under 2. (Source:http://www.cbn.com/health/naturalhealth/drsears_heartattack.aspx )
The American Heart Association has determined that Americans should limit their intake of saturated fats to 7% of their total calories in a day. Unsaturated fats can form 30% of the calorie intake. My saturated fat was 35% of my total calories and unsaturated was 24%. Trans fat was 0.02%.
In total, I lost 6.1kg (13.45lbs), 1.93kg (4.25lbs) was fat. Despite the correctness of my initial body fat percentage at 5.7 and my final at 3.7, I made sure the same person did my measurements the same way each time (electronic calipers) in effort to make the progression as accurate as possible. So, even if these aren't my actual numbers, I definitely had a progressive loss of fat.
Not once during the diet (except for the first few days) did I feel like I had a loss of strength, power, or energy. This was while maintaining a workout regimen of 5 days/wk of crossfit and 3 days/wk of basketball.
One funny thing is, I increased my caloric intake the last two weeks, after my Nov 25 weigh-in, in hopes to maintain or increase my weight, but I still lost weight! I did not increase my protein intake, so maybe that had something to do with it?
I had a banana today before my workout, in lieu of my pre-workout shake. I had boundless energy and felt sustained throughout my entire workout. The banana, though not fully ripe, was actually quite sweet to me.
I thoroughly believe this type of diet is an effective plateau breaker. I was at 5.7% body fat, which is low, and very difficult to lose more fat. I had already had a routine of 5 days/wk of crossfit with basketball at least once per week. The addition of two days of basketball can't singularly account for all the fat loss I had.
So, I will track my diet until Dec 19, then I'm going on a cruise and I'm gonna eat like crazy! When I get back in the new year, I will follow the following guidelines:
- Limit sugar whenever and where ever possible.
- Avoid trans fat at all costs.
- Continue to add new foods and recipes to my diet.
- Aim for 6-8% body fat.
My advice to others would be, whatever you do, stick to it and finish it out. Once you are done, you can reassess and then jump back in. Never quit.
What's progress in health without also being able to SEE the results?
Day 44
Day 45 (after crossfit)
When you forget to breathe!
This is breathing
Learning bodybuilding poses from Kosty and Big G.
Thank you pullups!
Can't forget leg days!
So, I've slowly assimilated milk, fruit, and simple sugars back into my diet. Over the next few days, I'll add complex carbs back in. I am eating darn near 4,000 calories every day. I am just hungry. The extra carbs creating hunger?
But, in the last three days, I have definitely felt an energy increase and my workouts have been really good. I have full energy at basketball too.
Today, I was a bit sleepy after crossfit and when I got home, I ate, and then took a 35 minute nap. After I got up, I felt great again and went to practice. Afterward, I was hungry again and ate.
Dead lifts make me hungry!
I'm trying to limit my sugar intake to 75g per day, but I haven't even added breads and pastas back in my diet and I'm already hitting that limit! I am avoiding processed foods, but it's easy now that I am in the habit of preparing all of my food. I am struggling to hit my protein requirements each day, but I just bought some Greek yogurt, which should help.
I have been getting quite a bit of feedback from all the people who have read my blog and I really appreciate everyone's comments. I hope that these last 6 weeks will be a guide to help others to reach their nutrition goals and/or muster up the courage to try something new and go against conventional thinking.
So, just going back and looking at my numbers and the outcomes, and I came across something interesting. Despite my meticulous efforts of inputting every ingredient correctly and ensuring that the nutrition facts lined up, I did not catch that the eggs I used every morning and in several recipes, did not reflect the correct cholesterol! They were all zero.
Only accounting for the 3-egg omelette that I had every morning during the past 6 weeks, my cholesterol totals are at least 561mg under. This is an amazing revelation because it tells me:
- I ate at least 3 times (≥895mg) the USDA recommended (300mg) dose of cholesterol per day.
- My blood work showed my cholesterol barely budged (see here).
- The combination high cholesterol and high saturated fats did not have adverse effects on my blood pressure, cholesterol, or energy levels.
My question is, what else did I miss?? I thought I was very detailed and methodical in how I input my data, but it's still possible to make mistakes. A lot of the foods in the databse are input by calorie-counters, so they disregard that other important info. I recommend that anyone using this database to track ALL of your nutrition, to be diligent in checking and double checking all your info.
I had a friend who is starting the keto diet and he had some really insightful questions, that I'm sure others have. So, he and I decided to share our discussion with everyone:
1) Did you weigh yrself everyday? Special scale?
I weighed myself once every two weeks. That was it. For body fat, I used bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Whatever method you choose to gauge body, use the same method. The accuracy of the #'s is not the most important; you just want to see your progress. That's how you can be sure if you are losing.
2) Measurements? Everyday? Neck, arms,…
Again, I only took measurements once every two weeks. I did neck, chest, arms, waist.
3) Where did you buy yr food? How did you know what? Costs? Price? Time for buying? Time for preparing?
I got a good portion of it from the commissary. However, all my veggies and cheese came from Cora. I just made sure I didn't buy anything low-fat or reduced-fat. I don't think I spent much more money than I normally would, except for some of the exotic recipes I tried that use uncommon foods. Time preparing the food is what was the hardest thing for me. 30 seconds to open a frozen dinner and 3 minutes to cook it. I'm eating in under 5 minutes… with this diet, almost no meal, snack, drink I made took less than 15 minutes to make. I weighed EVERYTHING. And I put everything into myfitnesspal too. Took up to an hour to prepare some of the complex meals. Then I had to cook it all…
4) Fat measurements where and how?
I answered this one above. I went to the NATO staff centre because I know a guy there that had the BIA. But you can use the fat calipers from bodybuilding.com or wherever.
5) Is the speed of eating important?
I have never been a fast eater. It generally takes me about 20 minutes to eat a normal sized meal, that would take my friends 3-7 minutes to eat. I didn't change the speed at which I ate during this diet.
6) Carb timing what is that?
Since I opted for the Targeted keto diet, I had to eat a majority of my carbs around exercise. I ate them before (Sytha-6 protein shake) to give my body energy to do the workout, and then immediately after, to replenish the muscles. Most of the rest of the carbs I ate were veggies and were dispersed throughout the day.
7) I read that undigested fibers like grains and corn arent good for you (paleo)... doesnt lettuce digest in your body?
I didn't do massive research on how healthy fiber was. Just as far as I was concerned, they didn't count against my diet. Fiber doesn't provide energy, your body digests it but cannot use it for energy.
Today I weighed in, to show no change in weight at 79.1kg (174.4 lbs ) and up to 4.25% body fat (from 3.7%). I've been eating consistenly 3,000+ calories each day. I've added most carbs (except bread, rice, potatoes, and pasta [not because I don't want to eat them, but just because I haven't had the desire to eat them yet]) but my fiber has remained the same. Probably not good.
I've added potatssium to my diet via bananas and yogurt, but I'm still not hitting the mark. I wonder how important potassium is really? Because, it seems like I'll never hit it.
I have been feeling so good in my workouts. I definitely feel and see the added boost of energy and sustained energy, thanks to the carbs (fruit and yogurt are my pre-workout, plus a bit of sugar). I like the feeling and I definitely see the value in having carbs before working out. I think the 15g in my protein shake, during my diet, wasn't quite enough. Lyle McDonald does recommend 25-50, and I think that would be more effective than what I did.
So, I've been tracking my diet since Oct 28, about 7 weeks, 3 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes and 21...no 22 seconds. My last positive reading on a ketostix was dec 16, so I am fully out of ketosis and back into glycosis. Today is the last day that I will be tracking. I am going on vacation where I wont have internet and I'll be eating all the terrible food available to me :-D
I am grateful to have to have had this experience, as I've learned a lot and had some great results. Maybe in the new year I'll decide to do another experiment, when I'll track my food again. I also want to say thanks to Steph for helping me with the recipes and encouraging me throughout.
To everyone out there, I hope you stay strong and reach your fitness goals!
