Nutritional Ketosis (LC/HF/MP) Challenge Anyone?

[pantograph]

Lots of amazing posts this weekend. Especially nice to see Rebecca's long term results. (As an engineer, I love plots!) Her lean mass is holding very steady, so it's clear you don't have to lose muscle along with fat on NK. Volek & Phinney, in "Performance", on page 27, cite several of their test subjects who gained several pounds of muscle, while losing lots of fat, on NK plus resistance exercise. (I was re-reading their book late last night instead of sleeping!)

Here's what I consumed yesterday.
Protein: 117.6 g (23%)
Carbs: 63.3 g (11%) (incl 25.5 g fiber)
Fat: 159.5 g (66%)
Calories: 2,095 (Est. burn rate 2,734)

This morning:
Weight: 178.8 (no change) (-4.2 since starting NK Aug 30)
BMI: 22.96 (target 21.83)
Ketones (blood): 0.7
Blood Glucose (fasting): 100

Kind of went over on carbs (one large avocado did that), but at least a lot of it was fiber.

Very happy to see my first morning reading of BOHB at 0.7 millimolar and in the desired 0.5 to 3 zone! (I was really depressed when it was only 0.2 yesterday afternoon.) I've only been at this for 10 days, so I'm approaching the 2 week mark where keto-adaptation typically begins.

Keep clam,
Terry

[3Kids4me]

Anyone have any particular goals for this week?

I want to get in my 3 resistance workouts and 2 runs for exercise, keep my protein in the 70-80 g range daily and my calories under 1600, and stick with Atkins-induction food options. (I'm looking forward to bringing back some nuts/nut butters and full-fat Greek yogurt in October too, hope those work with my ketosis-levels)

My dream goal is to pull on my size 12 jeans by next weekend...it'll take losing a couple of pounds and inches though.


--Jamie

[portcop01]

Went to store to get stuff for fat bomb! The almond butter they had was with add sugar.so I come home made my own.not bad but I'll find some without sugar..so I made them there in freezer now.cant wai to have one??

Rebecca,thanks for all your post..my name is rebecca too...I very new to this so I'm learning as I go. Did you eat the fat bombs ever day?

[Flavia]

I wonna get into the 180's....haven't seen those in about 2years....

[3Kids4me]

Originally Posted by portcop01

Went to store to get stuff for fat bomb! The almond butter they had was with add sugar.so I come home made my own.not bad but I'll find some without sugar..so I made them there in freezer now.cant wai to have one??

Rebecca,thanks for all your post..my name is rebecca too...I very new to this so I'm learning as I go. Did you eat the fat bombs ever day?

The Maranatha Almond Butter sold at Costco is sugar-free. If you have a Costco around or are a member. :-)

[miker295]

Thanks all for the clarity on the protein calculations. I will stick with what's in the book!

Yesterday I held protein to 76g and my keytones were up to 1.1 this AM and waist was down .25"! That is encouraging.

I will talk to Dr. Ellis tomorrow and stick with this for a few more days to see what transpires. My main concern with going that low on protein is that I will lose LBM. I have always heard to eat 1g per lb of LBM so that is a big change for me. But if my waist continues to go down that is a good sign I'm burning fat instead of LBM.

For those of you looking for the Phinney podcast the best thing to do is search for "ask the low carb expert phinney" and that should get you there.

It is birthday party season for all the kids in our circle of friends so I am off to another one today. I am finally to the point where the cake and ice cream don't appeal to me. However the Triscuts and Wheat Thins remain a nemesis. Thankfully this AM's HWC shake has me comfortably full!

Mike

[portcop01]

Thanks 3kids4me! No I don't live near one.i keep looking?how many fat bombs does any of you eat a day or a week.i dont want to gain weight,but I do love this way of eating,thanks all.

[betty301]

I want to go walking everyday and do at least 2 yoga/pilates classes. I'm giving my back a rest from weight training. Seems like every time, I get a flare up that lasts a week!

I'd also like to be out of the 190s..I might already be..who knows! I haven't weighed in two days and at least check I was 191..I'd really REALLY love to be below my low of 188

I will weigh in tomorrow am. Impending TOM is approaching and you know how that goes(accept you fellas, haha)

I was thinking, do you all think there would be an accelerated benefit of weight loss with calorie cycling, such as JUDDD with this woe? I'd imagine there wouldn't be much to eat on a DD though, lol
Maybe not going that low though? like one day I have 2,000 then next 1500, then 1200, then back up..Sort of like carb cycling, but it's fat cycling, lol. And of course if you eat less fat on those days you are eating less of protein/carbs so the ratios are still the same.

[3Kids4me]

Originally Posted by portcop01

Thanks 3kids4me! No I don't live near one.i keep looking?how many fat bombs does any of you eat a day or a week.i dont want to gain weight,but I do love this way of eating,thanks all.

I'm not personally eating the fat bombs right now because I'm not eating any sweeteners this month. I do put coconut oil in things like coffee and eat cream cheese and butter liberally. I track my calories and shoot for 1600 a day right now. If I wanted to eat 2 or 3 fat bombs a day I suppose I'd have to cut back on some of the butter and coconut oil I put in other things, it would be a trade off.

--Jamie

[3Kids4me]

Originally Posted by betty301

I want to go walking everyday and do at least 2 yoga/pilates classes. I'm giving my back a rest from weight training. Seems like every time, I get a flare up that lasts a week!

I'd also like to be out of the 190s..I might already be..who knows! I haven't weighed in two days and at least check I was 191..I'd really REALLY love to be below my low of 188

I will weigh in tomorrow am. Impending TOM is approaching and you know how that goes(accept you fellas, haha)

I was thinking, do you all think there would be an accelerated benefit of weight loss with calorie cycling, such as JUDDD with this woe? I'd imagine there wouldn't be much to eat on a DD though, lol
Maybe not going that low though? like one day I have 2,000 then next 1500, then 1200, then back up..Sort of like carb cycling, but it's fat cycling, lol. And of course if you eat less fat on those days you are eating less of protein/carbs so the ratios are still the same.

I find I naturally zig-zag my calories if I pay attention to appetite. Some days I'm honestly not hungry and my calories dip lower toward 1200-1300, other days I'm ravenous (the day after a hard workout especially) and I might creep up to 1800. But my average naturally seems to fall in the 1500-1600 range and that's a very comfortable amount of food for me, hits my protein needs perfectly, and is induction level carbs. I find I have to be careful about trying to keep calories too low or restrictive...I'm a recovering binge eater and too much restriction can mess with my head.

[betty301]

ya,good point I'm trying to recover from being so restrictive as well. My thyroid does not like it. At all.

so far I've only had 880 cals today. I'll be lucky to get to 1200 before nighty-night

2 coffees with HWC

1 cup of broth

another

Bacon

guac

cream cheese/ccn/pb thing

[mom2zeke]

Originally Posted by miker295

Thanks all for the clarity on the protein calculations. I will stick with what's in the book!

Yesterday I held protein to 76g and my keytones were up to 1.1 this AM and waist was down .25"! That is encouraging.

That's great news Mike!

I will talk to Dr. Ellis tomorrow and stick with this for a few more days to see what transpires. My main concern with going that low on protein is that I will lose LBM. I have always heard to eat 1g per lb of LBM so that is a big change for me. But if my waist continues to go down that is a good sign I'm burning fat instead of LBM.

I will be interested in what Dr. Ellis has to say. I wasn't doing NK when I saw her--I was strictly paleo. But I mostly saw her to get my hormones straightened out and I was just happy that she was supportive of my WOE! I need to make a follow-up appointment soon.

It is birthday party season for all the kids in our circle of friends so I am off to another one today. I am finally to the point where the cake and ice cream don't appeal to me. However the Triscuts and Wheat Thins remain a nemesis. Thankfully this AM's HWC shake has me comfortably full!

Mike

How old is your little one? My before picture was taken at my now 16 y.o.'s 4th or 5th birthday party. I definitely couldn't say no to cake at that time.

[mom2zeke]

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

Tested my ketones today:

2.9!!! Woot!

Woo hoo Jamie! You're doing great!

[amlyjo]

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

Sometimes a girl just wants to be left alone with her chemicals!

I know, right?!! I think it's hysterical that I get "the look" for putting stevia in my coffee, meanwhile they are sitting there with a big ol' Dr. Pepper. Know your facts people!!!

Anyhooooo, I'm down another pound this morning! This makes a perfect 20 since I started low carb mid July. Not exactly lightening speed losses, but I have had a couple of major stalls. I started with Atkins, then tried JUDDD, and now here. This way feels really really good, and my body likes it, so I am sticking here despite the occasional stall (and I have been learning not to give up when I go a week without a loss).

I think I have overdone the fat today in an effort to make sure I get it in. I had my coffee with HWC, then the almond milk "shake", then for lunch I had 3 pieces of cheese crisped with avocado in them and dipped in sour cream. And I was all excited to have macadamias on hand so I had an ounce of those while my lunch was getting ready. Oh sure, it was yummy, but before I knew it (meaning it was in my belleh before I could track it) I was at 149 fat, and only 29 protein. It's shaping up to be an all protein dinner for me. Lesson learned: PLAN THE DAY IN ADVANCE

[JoeEO]

Originally Posted by mom2zeke

Joe--I'm a bit confused! You say that 200 pounds your lean body mass (lbm) goal? At 240 @ 30%BF your lbm is 168. Are you trying to gain muscle and stay the same weight?

I am rounding and guess-imating to a certain degree....120 grams puts me toward low end of the .6 to 1.0 gram of protein per lbs of lbm....

[Flavia]

For those who can't have dairy or choose not to have it =
google: mygutsy Coconut Whipped Cream

[betty301]

I don't know what possessed me to weigh myself so late in the afternoon but I'm only 1lb higher than my last weigh in..I think I'm out of the 190s!!!

[mom2zeke]

Originally Posted by JoeEO

I am rounding and guess-imating to a certain degree....120 grams puts me toward low end of the .6 to 1.0 gram of protein per lbs of lbm....

Not to be dense, but I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out how your lean body mass goal is 200 pounds when you currently weigh 240 @ 30% BF and you're trying to lose weight.

Are you trying to lose fat and gain 32 pounds of muscle at the same time?

What is your goal weight and BF% goal?

[3Kids4me]

Originally Posted by betty301

I don't know what possessed me to weigh myself so late in the afternoon but I'm only 1lb higher than my last weigh in..I think I'm out of the 190s!!!

I love the afternoon/evening weigh in that gives me a hint that the morning weight will be a new low!

[portcop01]

This my days food any advice.

Co 2 tbs
2 small eggs
3/4 cup hwc
4 oz beef roast
Olive oil 2 tbs
Fat bomb 1
Zucchini small
Stevia 3
Coffee 2
Water lots

1343 cals
134 .3 fat...83%
42.2 prot.....13%
13.5 carbs....4%

protein was low cause I could not eat the 5 oz.after that fat bomb I was not hungry!!

[shelley]

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

I can't imagine not missing diet soda, it's such a happy thing. But I get tired of my health-conscious/Paleo friends reminding me that I'm drinking a neurotoxin according to some studies. And there's no convincing them that aspartame is relatively safe. Or that for *me* with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, etc. that artificial sweeteners may be less toxic than sugar in my body.

Sometimes a girl just wants to be left alone with her chemicals!

Hi Jamie....

I buy my husband "Zevia" (hope it's okay to say brands) soda since it is made with stevia and not the other "stuff" that is usually used for the diet sodas. Since it's a "plant" and not an artificial sweetener, would that be "legal" for you???

[shelley]

Originally Posted by pantograph

Ketones (blood): 0.7

Terry

Hooray!!!!! Terry, that's just great! I can only imagine how you were feeling with yesterday's reading.....I was very nervous to do my first test after what yours was. So, today we are twins at .7!

Re: losing LBM....I did my math of all the weights for the last 2 weeks, all the bodyfat readings on the Tanita and figured out that I lost an "average" of .2# for the week, and the LBM was identical to the tenth of a pound and the bodyfat average was a .2# loss. So, even though I'm keeping my protein around 60, I still lost only bodyfat! It's going to take lots of "playing around" to figure out what is right for each of us, that's for sure!

[Doggygirl]

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

Tested my ketones today:

2.9!!! Woot!

I think I'm going to keep my chemicals too. I am just so on the same page with you that there are some "natural" things that are fine for others that are not fine for me (sugar being just one). I think SF Jello might make a return to my kitchen one day soon!

DG

[Doggygirl]

Rebecca - congrats again on your results! Every time I look at your graphs and measurements I am just astounded how the losses have been so targeted to the "apple" areas.

OK - so you can keep a FEW loose clothes for work. But girl. GO. SHOPPING! (you've earned it!)

DG

[3Kids4me]

Originally Posted by shelley

Hi Jamie....

I buy my husband "Zevia" (hope it's okay to say brands) soda since it is made with stevia and not the other "stuff" that is usually used for the diet sodas. Since it's a "plant" and not an artificial sweetener, would that be "legal" for you???

Oh sure, I'm not against other artificial sweeteners in general. I've never personally had any bad reactions to aspartame, but I do believe some the stories of those who have very severe reactions. I'd rather not drink much soda anymore in general. We discourage the kids from drinking it and my husband very rarely drinks it, so it seems hypocritical of me to sit there with my diet Coke. I would like to try a Zevia at some point, just to see if I like it.

I do use powdered stevia occasionally and stevia drops. I may try xylitol once I add back in sweeteners, but my stomach seems sensitive to sugar alcohols in general.

I'm on the fence about Splenda. There do seem to be some studies that it might be destructive of helpful gut bacteria. But I may test a few things that are Splenda sweetened and see how I feel. The DaVinci syrups always look so yummy to me!

But, in general, it's probably better for me to just live a mostly sweetener-free life. Save artificially sweetened treats for the times that most people should limit sugar-sweetened treats to--maybe one dessert on the weekend or on special days like holidays or meals with friends, not a daily thing, KWIM? Trying to change my mental habits about food all the time so I can keep the weight off for good.

We'll see how I feel in 21 more days when my personal sweetener-free challenge ends.

[portcop01]

I don't no why i feel fat this after noon.but I do I felt like I ate a lot of fat!!maybe it's just in my head,not use to be able to have cream in my coffee.and those fat bombs were so good,only had 1

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by Buffy45

Oh, and a another thought. Back when I was young, a looonnnggg time ago, people didn't exercise for fitness, they got their exercise through their daily work, etc. And, people weighed less but were the same size as people today who weigh more but have more muscle, etc. My daughters weigh more than I did when I was young, but they are as small or smaller than I was. If any of that makes any sense.....

Not sure if it's true? I know from my daughter's children's sizes have changed. When I was her age I was about 5 pounds heavier than she is and wore Husky sizes. She's 5 pounds less than me and wears "slim" sizes. Even children's sizes have changed due to our ever increasing waistlines.

But I think you have a point that people nowadays are emphasizing protein in kids diet, and maybe they come out of childhood with better lean muscle mass. I would hope so!

[paulabob]

Sending out a quick congrats for all the losses and great ketones!

And sympathy for those with slow scales. Tomorrow am having totally off day for my birthday, then will get back into the swing of things!

[3Kids4me]

Here were my numbers for today:

Calories: 1,553
Carbs: 17
Fat: 133
Protein: 80
2 HR Post-Dinner BG-82



I'm going back to (mostly) internet-free during the week here, it makes for a better school and work week if mom isn't distracted and such.

So have a fantastic ketogenic week all and I'll try and check in on Friday with how my week has gone. Eat that fat! Burn that fat!

[JoeEO]

Originally Posted by mom2zeke

Not to be dense, but I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out how your lean body mass goal is 200 pounds when you currently weigh 240 @ 30% BF and you're trying to lose weight.

Are you trying to lose fat and gain 32 pounds of muscle at the same time?

What is your goal weight and BF% goal?

I apologize for not being exact in my math. The protein specified in Phinney\Volek book is a range of 1. to .6 of LBM. I pretty sure that I am somewhere between 20 and 30 % BF and I know my weight...so I am estimating my protein requirement.
I guess my goal weight to be 196 at 10% body fat. Losing around another 40 lbs of fat.