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Just a journal for my Keto experience and fitness journey. |
| This is it, page one on my journey through Keto and fitness. I tried blogging in the fitness/diet site but it's difficult to link to and they do not have the formating and editing qualities found here. Since I'm just setting this up, and want to share the link with others outside of WdC, this is merely an introduction to my journey and the items I blogged over there. |
| Besides just journaling my Keto experience, I want to include a few specifics: Weight loss Fasting Sleep Health/How I feel Logging Food/Nutrients Body Measurements Today is the fifth day of my Keto restart, so not even a week yet. Here's how it's going. Even though I made a sudden change to my carbohydrate intake, I did not get the Keto flu! Keto flu is flu-like symptoms from the sudden drop/change in glucose that results from lowering carbs, that usually lasts a few days to a week. I read that taking B vitamins can prevent this, so I began taking them on Tuesday and I'm assuming they worked. Even with the sudden change, it took a few days to reach ketosis, a metabolic state that occurs when your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. I noticed the change Wednesday night, I slept better, but was up numerous times through the night to urinate (as glucose and insulin levels drop, excess water retention drops). This may take a few days. By Thursday morning I was feeling better, had less pain and stiffness when I awoke, and I had more energy through the day. I got on the scale this morning even though it hasn't even been a week and discovered I have already dropped five pounds. Yes, five pounds in four days, but this isn't fat, it's the excess water I'm retaining, and explains why I have less aches and pains, and why I'm already feeling better. Along with Keto, I'm also incorporating intermittent fasting to increase my metabolism. I'm still doing research on this to find the best fasting schedule, but for now I'm doing it like this; two days of three meals a day, then a short fast and two meals, followed by a longer fast and one meal. So, the first fast is 18 hours from dinner at 6:00 p.m. to lunch the next day at noon, followed by dinner again at 6:00 p.m., the next day is one meal, dinner at 6:00 p.m. so a 24 hour fast, then back to a couple of days of regular, three meals a day, eating. I completed one cycle yesterday, and it was difficult. I did pretty well up to about 3:00 p.m. then the hunger started in. But, I made it. Now I have today and tomorrow of regular eating before starting the fasting cycle again. I'm logging all my food and beverage intake with Cronometer, https://cronometer.com/ and have purchased the premium membership so I can take advantage of all the features; it just makes monitoring my calorie and nutrients easier because the premium has settings for the Keto Diet. It's going great so far and even though this is my second time with the Keto plan, I'm surprised how much better I feel and how much my energy is already increasing. I know the large weight loss at the start is just water, or mostly just water, but it still feels good to see the scale dropping. I have not taken any body measurements yet, so I still have to get them logged so I can blog on them as well. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| I have restarted my Keto diet as of Monday, February 5; a pause of just over a year and a half. I did well with it, but decided I didn't want to spend the summer missing the scrumptious foods that go along with summer and camping. Surprisingly, I did well at maintaining my weight. Although I didn't follow it very precisely, I adopted a modified Mediterranean diet and lost a few more pounds, reaching 230 pounds, a weight I had not seen in about five years. But, I tend to be an emotional eater and by early spring the s*** hit the fan. I began eating more of the foods I had been avoiding or limiting. Gradually simple carbs and sweets put me back into a pre-Keto stage; Inflammation returned, I was not sleeping well, I lacked energy, my aches and pains returned, and I slowly gaining weight. Over the summer, fall, and through the holidays, twenty unwanted pounds returned. Now, I have eliminated all simple carbs and sugars, I'm logging my nutrients through https://cronometer.com/ and anticipated getting the Keto-flu, normal symptoms from drastically reducing carbs over a short time but, I'm actually feeling better already. I know I haven't reached ketosis, it takes two to four days, but at day three, I'm beginning to feel the transition. To speed up the weight loss, I will be doing some exercises, walking, and intermittent fasting. At the same time, I'm monitoring my calorie and nutrition intake to maintain my health. I'm will also be logging my progress here a few times a week; a diary of how much I'm losing, my overall health, and how I'm feeling. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| It has been quite some time since I made an entry, so I thought today would be a good day to break that streak. It's been a crazy month, busy, and not much time for anything. I forget what my last entry was, but it's of no matter, today we talk about the evil spell the Easter Bunny cast on me. I was going strong in Keto and had finally hit the 230's, so I was extremely pleased with my progress. I don't remember when I last weighed this amount, but it's been a long time, at least eight or nine years, maybe ten. I tried on a pair of pants never fit since the day I purchased them, and they fit; very tight, a bit uncomfortable, but they fit. I bought two pairs that day, one tan, one black, but the same pants. I tried on the tan ones, they fit, so I assumed the black ones would fit, too. They did not. Anyway, On Wednesday, my daughter and I had to take our written driver's test, me to get a Minnesota license, and her to get a driving permit. We both passed, and since it was lunchtime, I took her out to an oriental buffet for lunch and to celebrate. Keto was shot, but I still did pretty well at keeping my carbs down. Then, Easter arrived, and since we should be going to relatives for dinner, I knew that I wouldn't be sticking to my Keto diet. I was still out of Ketosis from Wednesday, but feeling pretty good. Before we left, I decided to snack on a few pieces of Easter candy; I was already out of Ketosis and dinner wouldn't be Keto-friendly, so what the hell, right? Dinner was a bit late, and since I hadn't eaten anything filling, I was starved. So, I decided to go back for seconds, enjoying things like slow-cooker corn, scalloped potatoes, and baked beans; things I haven't been able to eat for months. After dinner, a little pie, some bars, and I was carb-heaven. Monday came and I felt terrible. I had aches and pains that I hadn't had since I started Keto, I was tired, foggy, and just felt like a road-kill. I hadn't slept well, waking and having night sweats. Again, stuff that ended when I cut back on carbs, especially simple carbs, and sugar. I went on a 36-hour fast to get the Keto jump-started but ended up with Keto flu when I run out of carb energy. Tuesday I broke fast with some Keto cabbage soup for dinner, nothing more. Wednesday, I introduced eggs for lunch and made some Keto meatballs for dinner. I was still feeling out of sync, tired, and achy, but the worst had passed. This morning I woke to feel much better, I had more energy, and believe I'm finally back into Ketosis. I had a Keto coffee before I went to the gym to work out and put in at least two hours, burning over 800 calories. Then to the store to get potatoes and to fill the water jugs. The potatoes are for the rest of the family, not for me. I did feel pretty tired after working out, but then I was running on a large deficit of calories since Monday, although last night's dinner was getting close to my daily intake. That's what it took to regain my Ketogenic state, and now I can eat my required calorie intake as long as I keep the carbs down. I know I won't be staying on the Keto diet after I get my weight down where I want it, and had thought about slowly introducing more carbs at that point, but after my Easter experience, I know that's not the way to go. So, now's the time to start researching some new eating habits; low carb habits. I'll look into some various diets that offer more carbs than Keto, but when it comes to simple carbs and sugar, I know I'll be very limited. Mayhaps I'll look into some diabetic diets as well.  "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| We're seven days into March so it's time for an update. I'm still doing Keto and my weight is still dropping. Not as fast as it did at the start of this journey, but still dropping; I've dropped nineteen pounds since January first, and about thirty pounds in the last year. There's something to think about, last spring I started trying to lose weight using conventional methods, cutting out sweets fats, and increasing my activity. I had my setbacks, but all in all, I did well at sticking to my diet. I don't remember how fat I actually was, but I had to go up another size in my clothing and weighed about 288 pounds. I also don't remember just when I started my diet, but it was around March, so about a year ago. Over ten months, I lost a total of about nineteen pounds and finally got under 270, by one pound. Over Thanksgiving and Christmas, I gained a few and jumped up to 271 pounds, so after Christmas, I put a lot more into eating what I thought was best for losing weight, tried to get more exercise, and didn't step on the scale again until January first. I thought I was doing great, but I hadn't changed my weight much at all, I was still at 269 pounds; right where I was before Thanksgiving. In fact, I was kind of stuck at 269 pounds for a few months. I was frustrated, it seemed that I just could not get the weight to go down, even though I was active and eating right. In fact, I often felt like I was starving myself and was hungry and filled with cravings all the time. I started doing research and looking into other diet options and found Keto. It went against everything I had learned over the years about losing weight! Eat more fat and cut out carbs to lose weight. I knew simple carbs were bad, but according to most weight loss ideals, so was fat. But, I did know that simple carbs did not agree with me and I had to try something different, so I gave Keto a try. Now, two months into this diet plan and I'm already down another nineteen pounds. I've lost as much in two months on Keto, as I did in ten months on conventional dieting! What's even more impressive, I'm not hungry all the time, I'm not tired and lethargic, I feel better, and I seldom have any cravings. I do admit, this last weekend was a bit difficult. I found myself hungrier than normal. I would eat, and instead of feeling satisfied for hours, would soon be feeling hungry again. I gave in to the hunger and ate more, but still sticking to my Keto diet. I went a bit high on my daily calorie intake but kept my fat/carb/protein ratios within the guidelines. I figured it was because I was eating fewer calories most days than I was supposed to; I just got full and didn't eat quite enough. But, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I went a bit over on calories, not enough to gain weight, but enough to satisfy my hunger. By yesterday, however, I was back to feeling full and satisfied, and hopefully, this week will see me down into the 240's; a weight I have not seen in about 15 years! "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| It has been a while so I thought I should do an update. Awhile? Hell, it's been 22 days! Keto is going good, although there are still some days with higher than desired carbs. But, even those days are better than when I first started. I can't say I go off my diet, it's more like I have a day of Modified Keto here and there. Of course, I do allow for a free day every week, so in actuality, I'm right on track. So, how's it going? It's going great! I do notice things after a day of intaking higher carbs, but if I stick to healthy carbs it's not bad. But, if I eat junky carbs, like the frosted cake at my granddaughter's birthday, I feel like crap the next day; almost like a hangover. I have also noticed, that if I am going to eat crap-carbs, I should eat them in moderation, of course, and early in the day; no later than early afternoon seems to be best. That way, I kind of get them burned off and out of my system, some before bed and I wake feeling less hungover. If I eat them in the evening, however, I don't sleep well, I feel like crap, and all my aches and pains are back. It's definitely a learning experience. I know, in time, I'll have to switch from Keto to something more fitting for a warm-weather lifestyle. I mean, let's be serious, a summer with no watermelon or corn on the cob? Not to mention all the other yummy summer foods, especially when out camping. But, knowing what I do now, about how crap carbs mess me up, I'll still be limiting them, eating only the good carbs, and probably doing some type of Modified Keto. How well is Keto working? I feel better, I have more energy, and I'm losing weight. I tried on my "too tight" clothing today and they are not too tight. I also put on items that did not even fit last fall, and they fit. In fact, they are getting a bit too big for me. I tried on a pair of 38 jeans this evening, something I have not fit into since about 2004 and they fit; snug but wearable. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| February, the month of purification. "Bunk!" I say. Not that it has anything to do with February or anything else for that matter. No, it has only to do with me. I had harbored thoughts a bit ago about purification, but I had not thought this through. See, it's also the month of Valentine's and I suspect someone will provide me with some item of food that does not fall into the Keto diet (I've already hinted that dark chocolate is listed on the Keto diet, but I think there's is sugar-free and I doubt that's what I'll get.) Besides that pesky Cupid, it's also my Granddaughter's birthday. She lives with us, so it's up to us to make her day special, so I'll be fixing her a favorite food and baking her a cake. My wife will help, but since she has to work, I'll be doing more of it. She is, however, going to decorate the cake. Ah, cake and ice cream... not Keto-friendly, but oh so yummy. On top of this, we went to a neighboring town that has a Wal-Mart to do some shopping for the birthday girl. Not a problem, except, they also have a very good Asian Buffet. I know, just drive past it. "Yea, right!" The problem is, both our grandchildren were with us, and both absolutely love dining there. Add into the equation the fact that the last two times we told them we would take them, it was closed. Now you can see why driving by and not stopping was a big, "Oh, hell no!" We would have had a mutiny on our hands had I even attempted to drive past. Besides, I also enjoy eating there, and the last time we went was shortly after I started Keto. Therefore, I had to restrain from about seventy-five percent of the scrumptiousness. Since I have been doing really well, and since I've managed to hit my first goal in my weight loss, I wanted to reward myself. So, we had a wonderful dinner of terrific foods, and sure, I know I went over my calories and carbs, but it was worth it. Now, it's time to buckle down, watch everything close until next Saturday, then I'll have to splurge and have a little cake and ice cream for my granddaughter's birthday. A couple of days later, I'll probably get some candy, hopefully, it's dark chocolate, which I do like, but whatever the gift, I'm going to enjoy some of it. Mayhaps I should rename the month, February, the month of practicing moderation. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| I'm still Ketoing! Is that even a word? It must be, I'm doing it. I had a total of 13 pounds vanish in the month of January, not too shabby. I also felt better, had more energy, and all the good stuff. All without feeling like I was starving, and all without all the cravings. Sure, there were a few, mostly towards the beginning, but nothing that haunted my thoughts to the point of insanity; very easily ignored. But, and there's always a but, the month did not end well. The diet was going well, I was feeling well, and then Mucus Monster came calling. I'm talking about a sinus infection that set in and kind of put a damper on everything. I still followed my macros and kept my calories down, but I wasn't active at all. We know how this works, exercise and activity burn calories and the more you do, the more you get to eat. Inactivity, however, doesn't help anything, and even with a close eye on the calorie intake, I still seemed to creep up a bit. Not bad, but I started the month with an increase of 3 pounds. Now, with the new month, I'm feeling better, I'm more active, although not quite up to the level I was at before the sinus infection, and hopefully when I weigh in, I'll have them three nasty pounds removed again. I was reading about the month of February and saw it was in past times, the month of purification. I kind of like this idea, since we just ate our way through Thanksgiving and Christmas, not to mention snacks and drinks for New Year. It seems fitting, that instead of failed resolutions, we bring the new year in right, and then in February, we start our month of purification. Nothing crazy, although I may do a two-day fast after I fully recover. I've not yet decided on how deeply I'll purify for the month, or what purification actions I'll incorporate, but I'll be thinking on it, doing a bit of research, and maybe next week I'll let you know. By then I should be fully recovered and ready to go. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| Yes, it's the last week of January already and I'm into week four of my Keto adventure. At the start of the week, I stepped on the scale and found myself down yet again; a total of eleven pounds since I started. That was Sunday, the first day of the week. I'm not sure where I'm at today, since it's been a difficult week for me. The Keto is still going great, but I seem to be the latest family member to catch this nose cold. I was fine over the weekend, a bit ticklish and sneezy on Monday, and stuffed up fully by Tuesday. Yesterday was the worst for sinus pressure and not being able to breathe at all through my nose. Last night I seemed to be a bit better, and so far today has been a lot better. I'm still all stuffed up, but at least I can breathe through my nose again. I also seem to be a bit more energetic today, I was able to do a few things and I only took a two-hour nap today. There are no other symptoms, no fever or anything, just a stuffed-up nose, sinus pressure, and no energy. I'm still tracking my Keto and staying within my guidelines, but I'm not doing anything, so my activity level is down for the week. If I feel better tomorrow, and I'm assuming I will, I'll step on the scale and see how this week progressed. I'm sure there won't be much of a weight loss since I've done hardly anything all week except sleep. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| Funny but true. Years back, while trying to lose weight, we cut back on calories and increased activities. It worked and we lost weight. But, in getting serious about eating healthier and keeping the weight off, we listened to the hype that fat is bad. Think, "Momma says fat is the devil!" But, even as we cut out fat from our diet, purchasing low-fat foods, trimming the fat from meats, not frying foods if possible, and when we did, it was with Pam or something similar. Yes, we did a great job at cutting out fats and most days our fat grams were way under our daily goals. So why did we stop losing weight? In fact, we not only stopped losing weight, we slowly gained, more and more. We blamed exercise since we were not as active, but we still tried to eat smart and keep calories down. Yet despite eating smaller portions and eating as lean as possible, we continued to gain weight. In fact, I hit a new high while eating healthy. I had reprogrammed my brain to think fat was bad and the reason I was at my heaviest weight ever. I also was tired all the time, had little energy, lots of aches and pains, and my digestion was a nightmare. I knew sugar made everything worse, so I restricted sugar, but it only helped a little. I tried dieting and cutting back on calories by reducing fat and sugar, but it didn't help much. I would get unsatiable cravings and I was starving all the time. Then, I came to realize that simple starches were as bad for me as sugar. I researched things like flour and realized that as we have advanced in technology, we have removed a lot of the good stuff from our foods, leaving only simple starches and empty calories. I started removing starchy foods from my diet, and when I did consume starches, it was things like brown rice, potatoes, and whole grains. I felt better almost right away. But, I was still getting cravings and I had an over-active appetite. I continued to look at my diet and starches and found Keto. The more I researched it, the more sense it made; things start going the wrong way when I removed fats. Growing up we consumed a lot of fat, most of my life I consumed a lot of fat, and for most of my life, I've been healthy and fit. Then, I put on a little extra weight as a result of not being nearly as active but still having the same appetite. Instead of cutting back a little on how much I ate, I cut out fats like they said I should, and things have spiraled out of control since. Now, I have to rethink everything. I buy low-fat items without even thinking, it was supposed to be healthier. It's going to take a while to get rid of the low-fat way of thinking, but as we shop we are catching ourselves grabbing the light sour cream. We put it back and get regular. We look for lean cuts of meat, but then we catch ourselves and put back the skinless chicken breast and by wings instead. Will I stay on Keto? Not likely. I will until I reach a healthier weight, but then I want some of my carbs back. Will I return to my former way of eating? Oh, hell no! I'll keep my fat intake up, for one, stuff just tastes better. For another, it's healthier. I'll balance it out more between carbs and fats, but the restriction will always be on the carbs, never on the fats again. Even after Keto, I know I will have to greatly restrict simple carbs from my diet, but fruits, potatoes, and all that good stuff will eventually start increasing as I reach a weight I am happy with and want to maintain. But, if I find myself gaining weight, feeling tired, or just plain hungry all the time, it's good by carbs, hello fats. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| The following is a summary of previous entries I had made in MFP before moving my blog over here. First Week: I started Keto on January 1, 2022. I did not go full Keto but eased in over the first week. It took five days to both eat all the high-carb foods I had and ease my carb intake down to my new goals. By the end of the first week I was feeling better, but having some cravings for high carb foods. I lost four pounds in the first week; I know some is the water I'm no longer retaining. Week two: I continued to have trouble keeping my carbs as low as the Keto diet requires, but for the most part, was very close on my macro-nutrients. Saturday was spent shoveling out my Mother-in-laws's driveway and then we ate at a Chinese Buffet. That put my carbs way over the limit, and the next day I actually had a carb hangover. We do have one cheat day each week, so this was it. Note for future cheat days, watch the carbs... Not only does consuming a high level of carbs bring on a food hangover, but it started me craving carbs all over. Yet another note, for in the future when I reached my desired weight and go off of Keto, ease off slowly! Week three: The pounds are melting off, slowly but steadily. I'm down nine pounds so far, feeling great, have more energy, and I'm not hungry all the time. The biggest problem I'm having on the Keto diet is reaching my calories and fats. I come close but seldom do I finish a day without being a few hundred calories under and still have about one-fourth of my fats left. I tend to be short on fiber as well, but it's difficult to get high-fiber foods without having high carbs. We have incorporated Mission Carb-Balance wraps as a solution. The carbs are kind of high, but the fiber off-sets them and in the end, they are five net carbs. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
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That's awesome. I really need to start doing that as well. You're inspiring me. 
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