Ketosis, an experiment (week 2 results)

I decided to get on the scale today to check my progress after two weeks. My clothes are feeling looser and I just feel less bloated overall. I don’t know what I expected, but I am determined to be thrilled by any movement in that arena. I know the scale is not everything, but I can’t help wanting to see it go down. And it did! The first weeks of this experiment resulted in 2.6 lbs lost. That brings my overall weight loss to the 48 lb. mark, just three pounds shy of my all-time low of 51 lbs. down that I hit last February. I feel like I am back in control of this process and I know just what to do to keep things going.


Keeping my daily total carbs to below 50 grams is both easier and more difficult that I thought. I really thought that I had been doing that previously just by not eating any overt processed carbs or even fruit. I knew (in theory) that nuts can add carbs and just overall calories, but I never really let that sink in and always ate them freely. Now that I’m counting everything, I recognize how “expensive” they are both in terms of carbs and calories. It is extremely easy to pack them away adding way more to my daily tally than I would like. The couple of times I’ve had some recently, I’ve been shocked at how little an ounce truly is and to see what happened to my daily tracker when I ate much more than that. I’ve also been surprised to see that I can’t eat massive quantities of veggies, either, although I feel less in need of the bulk they used to provide in my diet. With adequate fat, I just don’t seem to crave that volume.

Basically, it comes down to awareness. I thought I had a good grip on what was going on in my diet in an intuitive sense. But not until I put it down in black and white did I realize just what was happening. Now that I’m aware, it’s not a hardship to keep the amount of nuts low or to keep an eye on eating too many veggies. How insane(ly awesome) is it that I cut the amount of Brussels sprouts down and just added more ghee to them last night? Sounds crazy, but it kept my carb tally in line and helped me get closer to my goal for fat (I was STILL several hundred calories under my total for the day!).

I pretty much wind up bumping up against my carb ceiling of 48 grams each day. I never realized just how many random carbs are in things, which add up quite quickly. I’m working on getting my protein up to at least 90 grams a day (more concerned with the minimum than the maximum) – 30 grams at each meal is the goal, as I discussed in the last post. Breakfast is still the toughest, but I’m doing it, with the help of MANY eggs. I used to think I was “good” on protein and even suspected I might be eating too much. Boy, was I wrong! As usual, eating the fat in my diet is fun but I only use what tastes good and ads flavor. No need to gob it on. As a result, I’m always way under the goal amount, which is fine. I’m happy to supply plenty of saturated fat out of my own reserves, thank-you-very-much! This has kept my daily calorie counts 100-350 under my target of 1900. I’m not doing this to deprive myself, it’s just what happens when I hit my carb total and I’m full for the day. I theoretically could eat some more fat bombs or something, but usually have no desire for more. It seems I could “always” eat more of something like nuts or some other carb containing snack, but with the carbs gone, I’m set for the day. It’s really liberating!

This change is not only about jump starting fat loss, but about feeling better as well. I’m glad I used this past three-day weekend to get off of coffee again. Just like when detoxing from lots of carbs, it takes me 3 days of feeling kinda crappy to come out the other side feeling great. This time was no different. I slept a ton over the weekend and just generally took it easy. I dealt with a few cranky moments and slight headaches, but nothing horrendous. I just felt a little run down. But, just like clockwork, I woke up today (day 4) and I feel terrific. No fogginess or lead in my bones urging me to hit the coffee pot for some relief. I have no doubt that many people enjoy coffee with no ill-effects, but I’m just not one of them. I cannot help but become dependent and a little strung out, even on only two cups a day. I feel much better and on an even keel when I eliminate it from my diet. I’m sure I’ll “treat myself” to a decaf now and then, but there’s no reason to keep it as a daily part of my life.

So, there you have it. Two weeks down and no sign of turning back. The cravings are gone and I'm feeling so good, I can't even imagine stopping any time soon.