Title says it all, doesn’t it?
I want to start by saying this. Trying the ketogenic diet is not something that you should take lightly. You don’t just casually try to get into ketosis. It takes a dedicated effort, especially due to the carb-laden world we find ourselves in on a daily basis.
To attempt this diet is to declare a war on carbs, no doubt.
This post is in no way to encourage you to attempt a keto diet. This is merely my experience and self-testing with the ketogenic diet. With that said, I think there will be a lot for you to take away from this.
If you are not familiar with the keto diet, check out this post first:
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE KETOGENIC DIET
DAY 0
It’s 8:30 PM. I’m sitting in a Motel 6 (long story) and enjoying my last evening with significant carbohydrate intake. I went to Walmart and grabbed a family pack of Reese’s. They were abundant due to Halloween being a month a way.
I found myself in a bit of a rut. Motivation level pretty low and battling a slight case of depression. I’ve been a bit out of sorts since probably middle of June. I could probably argue even the end of April. This was the third night in a row I found myself stuffing my face with Reese’s and Snickers Peanut Butter.
I did this out of straight hedonism, but still aware of body composition and future goals, I monitored my weight. I got away with the first two days with no harm, no foul. Scale didn’t move and still looked the same in the mirror (the real test). After day 3, I saw a 3 lb jump in the scale and there was no doubt I was pretty puffy looking (hate this feeling).
The next morning my adventure into keto would begin.
DAY 1
Sat, Oct 10 @ 9:30 AM
177.2 lbs
0.0 mmol/L Blood Ketones
92 Blood Sugar
I decided to kick start my ketosis by going into a bit of a “fat fast.” Anybody that knows me, knows that I fast quite often such as when I travel, etc. You can read more about how I travel here.
This “fat fast” would be a bit different. I limited by calories to around 1,000 and they would consist of primarily fat.
I woke up and didn’t feel real well at all, thanks to the chocolate coma the night before. I played golf this afternoon and managed to not eat anything until after the round, ~ 6:30 PM. I should note that I really didn’t drink much water either. We made the turn to the back nine and my head started pounding.
I got through the back nine and then we proceeded to go eat. I ordered a 12 oz Ribeye with some squash. Ate about half of the steak and most of the squash. Felt pretty bad.
Got back and crashed. My head was pounding and shoulders and traps were super tight. Bitter sweet because I told myself this was all part of getting “fat-adapted.” I didn’t experience this my first time attempting keto but then again, it was a half-ass attempt.
DAY 2
I woke up and my head felt a lot better. I ate 1 oz of Almonds around 10:00 AM. I was going to hang out with a buddy at his house and catch some football games. He grilled some steak and asparagus and I brought over some grass-fed butter (Kerrygold) and macadamia nuts.
I felt a bit nauseous while eating and ate slowly. I ate the whole steak (~8 oz) this time with 2 tbsp of grass-fed butter and about 1/2 can of macadamia. I got back to the hotel and finished the day with a scoop of protein and 2 tbsp of almond butter.
“Fat-Fasted” weekend complete. Although I still felt a bit hazy and kind of out of it. I considered this to be part of the keto-flu, which is welcomed.
I was anxious to check out the markers the following morning.
DAY 3
Mon, Oct 12 @ 6:00 AM
172.2 lbs
0.2 mmol/L Blood Ketones
could not measure blood sugar as I ran out of sticks. More are on the way
Felt pretty out of it again today. Spent most of the morning and early afternoon intermittently napping between getting groceries, testing out a fat bomb and keto pizza recipe, and doing a bit of laundry.
I was excited to see my Blood Ketones begin to rise and these flu symptoms ironically comforted me a bit as this is typical when the body begins to adapt into ketosis.
DAY 4
Tues, Oct 13 @ 6:05 AM
171.7 lbs
I was unable to measure blood sugar or ketones, as previously alluded to, I’m out of sticks. Good news, they should be arriving today.
Today, I felt much better during the day. It was spent mostly fasted up until 3:30 PM. I broke the fast with 2 fat bombs (shown below) and about 225 g of 80/20 ground beef, 2 tbsp of almond butter, and a Quest bar.
(fat bombs, each one of these bad boys pack approximately 23g of saturated fat, blowing the lid off of the caloric load of a Reese’s)
90 minutes later, I felt very full and had some inclination of vomiting. It never came to fruition, thankfully, as that would have ended my 13 month streak, which ironically enough is the same streak since my last alcohol consumption, but I digress.
Still feeling very hot after eating. Haven’t found much research on this symptom but my speculation is that I’ve increased thermogenesis while my body adapts to using fat as it’s primary fuel. Although I’m not officially counting calories, I am being mindful of them. Below is what I configured for the day, once again these are not official. I don’t plan to count calories on paper or app but will be mindful of them.
~ 2,400 kcal
~ 200g fat
~ 100g protein
~ 30g active carbs
DAY 5
Wed, October 14
170.7 lbs @ 6:10 AM
0.1 mmol/L @ 9:55 AM (Blood Ketones)
92 mg/dL @ 9:55 AM (Blood Sugar)
The 9:55 AM measurements where taken after 1 hr car ride and 20 minute brisk walk. Before the trip, I had 1.5 oz of Almonds (eyeball-measured).
I am a little perturbed about the where my blood sugar is at. Have I become insulin resistant?
Lunch @ 1:30 PM
Bacon Cheddar Burger (No Bun, dry)
Feeling pretty good thus far, as usual during my typical intermittent fasting set up and after lunch continued to feel well.
Supper @ 7:15 PM
1 oz Macadamia Nuts
Fat Bomb with whipped cream
Ribeye Steak (~12 oz)
Brocolli drizzled with Macadamia Nut Oil
Almond Butter (~2 tbsp)
Brazil Nuts (4 nuts)
Felt the same after dinner as I have previous nights. Very full feeling, on the verge of vomiting. This what I refer to as “feeling nasty.”
On a side note, I had a solid bowel movement (numero 2), which was the first since my keto journey began. They say it’s typical to be a bit constipated initially. I wouldn’t consider myself as constipated but this BM was solid but a bit difficult. Very light brown in color. I’m anxious to weigh in the morning and check fasted blood sugar and ketones. Striving to test 12 hours from the last bite (~8:20 AM).
DAY 6
Thurs, October 15
170.6 lbs @ 6:08 AM
0.2 mmol/L @ 8:00 AM
88 mg/dL @ 8:00 AM
Measurements followed a 30 min brisk walk with no water or food intake beforehand whatsoever. I may do some additional blood sugar testing after meals today. I feel like that is higher than what it should be.
I’m gonna try and avoid a fat bomb today, as I think those may be the cause of the nasty feelings I’ve been experiencing. If that’s the case, I’ll experiment further. Coconut oil? Cocao?
Breakfast @ 10:00 AM
4 Whole Eggs cooked in 2 tbsp of grass-fed butter
3 additional tbsp of grass-fed butter on top of eggs
Delicious.
Approx. kcal/macro yield:
640 kcal
24 g protein
60 g fat
0 g carb
12:45 PM – 2 oz Macadamia Nuts
DAY 7
Friday October 16
170.5 lbs @ 6:04 AM
0.2 mmol/dL @ 8:17 AM
79 mg/dL @ 8:17 AM
Measurements were taken with no water or anything. I’m very happy about my blood sugar being down below 80. Still curious as to how long it’s gonna take to get my blood ketones up. Possibly increase fats today?
On a side note, I did pin point that the coconut oil in the fat bomb was the culprit to feeling like complete crap. I made a new batch and substituted grass fed butter and natural peanut butter. Check it out!
I finished off the last of my macadamia nuts around 8:20 AM.
WEEK 2
Week 2 would be a bit differently. Saturday I travelled back to Nashville and fasted on my trip. I met up with a Garrett McLaughlin and we enjoyed some football, food, and conversation at Wild Wing Saloon in Franklin.
I ate 4 burger patties with cheese and bacon and a few leaves of lettuce. What? I fasted all day and I was hungry.
A few days later, after an intense morning circuit workout, my blood ketones reached 1.3 mmol/L. I was pretty pumped! That same day, I weighed in a new low (168.6 lbs).
Now, most of the weight lost is from water. But, I can’t imagine almost 9 lbs from just straight water. My speculation is that 5-6 lbs from water, 1-2 lbs being from glycogen depletion in muscle, and the resulting 1-2 lbs being from fat. There’s no sure fire way of confirming this. Like I said, it’s merely speculation.
Sat, October 24
171.2 lbs @ 5:54 AM
0.5 mmol/L @ 7:39 AM
84 mg/dL @ 7:40 AM
0.8 mmol/L @ 11:37 AM
82 mg/dL @ 11:38 AM
This reading was taken ~90 mins after a 5,000m row. No food. No water. I felt a bit foggy and sluggish, could use a nap. This could be a hangover from the travel the day before. Nonetheless, I speculate that my body is stilling trying to fully adapt. My ketone readings indicate that I’m still in the beginning stages.
A Brief Note about Blood Ketone Readings
The reason why I’m not getting a higher ketone reading could be do to the efficiency of how my body is utilizing them. The body utilizing them for energy as soon as it’s producing them leaving no extra to be in the blood stream. It’s impossible to tell. As of this moment, I think I’m still transitioning to becoming more “fat-adapted.” This is the first week back in the gym on a 5 day routine. I think this will have great implications for fat loss.
To solve this problem I have ordered a KETONIX. This will measure ketones by analyzing my breath. The specifics I will not get into here. Just follow the link above if interested in the science behind it.
Week 2 is in the books and I’m excited to see what is to come. To wrap up, here are some things that I have noticed in the first 2 weeks:
Decreased appetite
Foggy/Sluggish feeling first couple of days
Slight stomach discomfort due to excess coconut oil consumption
No bowel movements (i.e. #2) for the first few days. No other trouble afterwards
Approximate weight loss: ~9 lbs
Approximate fat loss: ~0.5-1 lb (speculative)
Energy was great on some days
