Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
It took me almost a month of reading and slowly reducing carbs untill I actually started experimenting with this diet. My previous diet was gluten "free" (used buckwheat and rice), dairy, sugars (except xylitol) free since 2010. The one thing I hadn't managed until now though was to find certified pastured meat in my area, so I was using organic but gluten-fed red meat.
From 11/1 until 8/2 I started thinking "less carbs" without forcing a specific schedule, which led to a single bowl of green salad daily and 2-3 rice cakes or buckwheat crisps per week. It wasn't too hard because untill then I was already taking most of my calories from meat (with its own fat) and seafood. I wasn't adding extra fat though other than butter or olive oil.
So here's a small summary
8/2-The first week, I completely eliminated the high carb/sugar-foods - potatoes, rice, buckwheat, fruit - but I kept eating vegetables to taste, to start slowly. Still, whenever I allowed myself to go veggies-to-taste, they usually rotted in my fridge so, while eliminating carbs as much as I naturally could, it became a straight up 3-5gr without any serious effort. I did dream of a red juicy apple from time to time but after some buttered herbal tea I completely forgot about it.
I felt lighter and more energetic at this time, yet I had cravings for 2 completely awkward things for me. Peanuts and whiskey! That was puzzling because I normally don't eat peanuts and I NEVER drink whiskey or alcohol except for a glass of organic wine very, very rarely - 0-3 times per month. It was funny to experience that! I couldn't help wondering WHO was craving that stuff cause it surely wasn't me
Going from my first to second week I made the nut balls from PBPM as a cravings' safety net but that was wasted resources because I had a bite 2 days in a row and then I didn't feel like touching them at all.
15/2-The second week I was increasing fat intake. I had no cravings at all but was in a miserable mood. Coincidentally my week started with the Russia meteor and ended with the flood in Athens, so I think of it as my cataclysmically change-induced depression week.
I'm not complaining though because I could use that mood to go a bit deeper in my programs, (ouch!). Plus was in luck because I had planned (over a month ago) a week off work at precisely the same time period and that gave me time to process stuff that surfaced.
During this second week I also had trouble laying down as mentioned by others, feeling a generalised tenderness. Even the the duvet was too much to bear at times.
Palpitations were noticeable during both weeks, but mostly the second. Energy wise, I experienced a steady increase since day 1. Even when in the miserable mood of my second week, I had enough energy to go about reading and doing stuff all day, sometimes grumbling and aching but nonetheless on the move.
22/2- For the third week I had decided to increase fat intake more aggressively and restrict protein. I also made my first bone stock (I froze the bones for now and saved making broth proper for the 4th or 5th week). This was interesting, I had a cup of stock along with eggs fried in lard for breakfast and then I didn't want to eat for the rest of the day. I had already read the experiences with IF shared here, so I wasn't too alarmed, I thought that maybe my body decided to do a small fast to induce ketosis, so I just allowed myself to go without food for as long as it felt natural. I was ready to eat only after 36 hours.
During this 3rd week I noticed a diffuse muscle and joint pain especially at the back of my neck, the right shoulder and the lower limbs. I also felt a bit tender at the general area of the stomach. Having some vinegar with my fatty meals though has alleviated that completely. Also using digestive enzymes before each meal. Palpitations were still there, slightly less but noticeable.
So, I'm now in my 4th week but no technical results to speak of yet - I ordered ketostix and a blood ketone meter but I'll have those next week. I now have to measure my protein intake not in order to restrict it, but to make sure I eat as much as I should otherwise I drop to under 40g per day. I calculated that I need 65x0.8=52g , and thinking I should ease in on the restriction maybe even start with 65g per day but that feels too much. On a side note, I really dislike measuring food but for now I'm doing it, because reading similar experiences here, I saw how nasty it can be to neglect protein intake.
I read PBPM before starting any dietary changes and now going through The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. Great books, yet this thread is invaluable in getting a glimpse of what symptoms may appear, what to look out for, and some brilliant ideas - like buttered tea, THANK you for that gem!
Just one last thing to add, yet for me, the most important. There are a lot of resources out there discussing healthy living - in many, many different shapes and forms - and I never cared about the whole package. If the diet changes - starting from stopping being vegan, to eating red meat and using supplements, to the ketogenic diet now - reached me from a nutritionist ONLY pov I'd never have implemented them. Ever. It's the focus on the spirit and working from there to find the best configuration of the body in order to be in its full potential to accommodate changes that reached me.
There's this paleo community, which I did read a bit into a year ago and stopped bothering pretty soon. The focus seems just as hollow as it ever was and the whole thing screams of commercial adds, selling stuff and deifying matter from miles away. That, while surely valuable in itself, may still turn someone away.
The experiment that's going on here is a lot more in depth, following a specific aim while using science to reach that aim. It's simply invaluable. And it reaches out in ways far beyond "healthy living".
So, many, many thanks for your work
I wish I had been part of the experiment in a more timely and useful fashion.
EDIT to add : I plan starting resistance exercise and cold showers after the 4th week has concluded and I have checked my ketones.