Keto diet experiences?
12-06-2016, 08:45 PM
Ketosis Datasheet
Introduction:
I had become obese from my mother, when I say this it isn’t a cop-out, she fed me fast food and processed food until I was old enough to see that it was shit for your mind and you’re body. This revelation came about 4 years back(I am 17). The following 3 years were an absolute clusterfuck of trying to get into a diet groove to no avail. So, September of 2015, I started dieting. My weight was 319lbs(I was around 6’ with 100lbs of fat), bodyweight % was mid-thirties. I had(and still have) a lot of work to do. So, I got a gym membership, and a mind-numbing size of diet articles to read.
I found out at about 13 years old that I had hyperinsulinemia, I didn’t give it much thought(I was pretty much sleepwalking through life at that point) until a year ago. I researched and researched until I amassed enough information to know what had to be done, more on that later. So, I started to diet, lift, and hit the heavy bag. The latter two, almost daily. The process was rinse and repeat for months. The goal of the first six months was to start to slowly decrease calorie intake while building up resting kcal to the most possible.
The following will show you how I have went from 319lbs(measured sometime in the first two weeks of September 2015) to 272lbs(measured September 2016) using a ketogenic diet.
A Quick Ode to Hyperinsulinemia:
In all honesty, I think I could have shredded closer to 100lbs in the last year if not for this little fucking thing called Hyperinsulinemia. After doing a shit ton of research, the most concise definition of Hyperinsulinemia I could come up with was: The over production and resistance of insulin. Meaning that my pancreas releases so much insulin that it can be up to 10x harder for myself to lose weight than others(sounds so victim complex-y to me, but lets roll with it).
Insulin helps convert the carbs in your diet into usable energy by the body, however, if your body is resistant to insulin it will need to produce more insulin to cause the same effect it would have on others. Therefore, for someone with hyperinsulinemia, the carbs you eat takes more insulin to break down than normal functioning bodies. The more insulin is released, more weight is gained, the cycle goes on.
So, now you might be thinking “But Uncle Ivanis, what can you do to combat hyperinsulinemia?” Great question. You can eat less carbs(more on that later), or you can take medication. I hadn’t had any medication for the first six months, but what I currently take is called Metformin(or Glucophage), which helps better regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. It works wonders(I dropped 3lbs the first week I took it.) But it isn’t a fix-all drug.
Ketosis:
This is where the magic happens, folks. Ketosis is the process of converting your body to run on fats(ketones) instead of carbs(glycogen). This is an easy process because your brain naturally prefers ketones due to their efficiency.
It is a very good way to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass due to the fact that you are running off of ketones, and not glycogen. Ketones are only produced in the liver by fatty acids, so you are able to go a lot deeper into a calorie deficit while not risking any muscle mass. If you’re body primarily operates on ketones, than you don’t need to worry about muscle deterioration as much. I am currently in a 1000-1500 calorie deficit and have not lost any noticeable amount of muscle mass.
Common Fatigue
People often complain about the first two weeks of low carb dieting. This is because your body is making major changes becoming keto adaptive. I like to use the analogy that your body is basically switching its fuel source, like from gasoline to diesel. So because you aren’t eating the carbs that your body gets it energy from, you start to produce ketones, but first your body uses all of the glycogen stores throughout the rest of your body. So you are left fatigued until this process is over. It is commonly referred to as “hell week.” In reality though, hell week normally takes two weeks. After the first two weeks, most people, myself included, experience more energy, less brain fog, and better memory.
Diet:
Now to the meat of the datasheet; what can you eat!
You can eat a lot of great and healthy things. I follow a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. It works well for me and there are some great food options which I will highlight below:
Fats & Proteins: They are, for all intents and purposes, connected in a ketogenic diet.
Meat: Any kind, better kinds are stuff like salmon, but really you can eat any kind so long as you’re proportions are within reason.
Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, coconuts, etc. They have great fat content and with some cinnamon are delectable!
Cheese: Any kind. Hard cheese is better for you but any will do(I am a sucker for some local made sharp cheddar)
Condiments: Peanut butter is great, if you are craving carbs, a tablespoon or two of fluff is great to curb a sweet tooth. It is also good to use during the first few weeks of ketosis to get a little boost of energy. Use with caution though, carb cravings are heightened the first few weeks of ketosis.
Whey Protein: There have been studies showing that whey protein helps with insulin resistance. So it has been a staple in my diet. However, you must walk a thin line, because if you eat too much protein your body may convert excess protein into glycogen using the process of gluconeogenesis. This process is used normally in a ketosis diet to produce needed glucose for the body, however if too much protein is ingested it can become detrimental to weight loss.
Carb Re-feeds
Previously, I used to say “It’s to help with metabolism!” Which, it does help with, however, I find that it is great for morale. If I am sick in bed and feeling like shit, an omelette doesn’t sound as good as a cup of oatmeal.
The main goal(for me), is to eat as many carbs as you want(or as possible) in a couple days. I think of it like this; I have restricted my body from carbs for 2 months, it has had carbs most of its life, so it must be craving carbs, which it is. So once and a while, most times in the winter, right around the holidays, I’ll give in and cheat for a few days around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It is also a primal thing too, naturally my body seems to crave more food in the winter and less in the summer. It is like a natural bulking and cutting routine. So sometimes I just give in.
Strength Training & Cardio
At first I lifted, trying to take advantage of “beginner gainz” so I could maximize caloric burn before starting a more drastic caloric deficit. I did no cardio and only lifted for the first eight to nine months. After that period I started focusing more on cardio; Boxing with the heavybag for 5, 3min rounds almost daily, along with battle ropes after strength training.
I am still debating whether or not I am going to post pictures, I got a lot of insecurities still, but we will see…
Supplements
Since I have found the forum, I have started taking zinc, magnesium, and a daily multivitamin from Solaray. Other than that and the Metformin, nothing but blood, sweat, and tears…
Hopefully this will be useful to some of you.
Sidenote: I would like to thank Roosh and RVF as a whole for the knowledge you have provided me. I know it seems like a small gesture to you, however you all have no idea how much you have changed my path in life. It is incomprehensible, I have gone from a 16 year old who was a die hard romantic with the number one goal of marriage. To a 17 year old man who is dead set on becoming location independent, gaming women, and living my life however the fuck I see fit. I have only been here for five months, and it has been the most important five months of my life. My sincerest thank you's to everyone who has provided help, guidance, or general fuckery with me.
"You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. Indeed that's what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant... oh, fuck it." -Monsieur Gustave H, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Ketosis Datasheet
Diet Update #1
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