Ketogenic Diet

OK, so I have been very frustrated with not being able to get my weight loss started.  Since last September, I have been trying to focus on changing this… found HSM, joined Weight Watchers, started a blog, focused on my binge eating issues, low carb, carb cycling,  exercise consistency, getting out of slumps, juicing… but nothing has worked.  I’ve been on this vicious cycle of being motivated and on track and then being totally off track.  I’d lose 2 lbs, then gain it back.  I would have clean eating days, and then binge days. Just like a not-so-merry-go-round.  I did manage to stop my weight gain last Sept that had been consistently occurring over 5 years, so I guess that is good.  But enough is enough!

I was looking over all my photos over the years.  In 2007, I got down to my lowest weight ever 148 lbs!  I can remember looking at those pictures thinking I was still a bit big (I’m 5’2”), but I really wasn’t… maybe 15-20 lbs overweight.  Even when I went to China in 2009, I was still only around 170 lbs.  For most of 2010 and 2011, I hung out in the 180’s.  It seems like the end of 2011 was the time I went from being overweight back to the big me.   I so want to get back to the little me.   I’ve tried many plans over the years, but the one and only plan that ever got me where I needed to be was the fast I did in 2007.  This was low carb, low fat, and low calorie fast that was physician monitored for 120 days. I thought about doing it again. Even pulled up the website to see about making an appointment and contemplated how I would tell my husband I wanted to spend more money on another weight loss attempt.    But then I thought, what was it about that diet that made it successful for me? It wasn’t just the low caloric intake (500-800 cals).  It was more due to the fact that my body was in ketosis.  My body was burning fat as fuel… this is why I got smaller.  It also eliminated cravings, so I had absolutely no urge to binge.  So I searched the ever mighty internet and found info on the Ketogenic Diet (http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketogenic-diet-plan.html).  I also picked up a couple of books on this diet that I found very useful: Dr Phinney and Dr Volek’s books The Art and Science of Low Carb Performance and The New Atkins for a New You.  Atkin’s is a version of a ketogenic diet – especially the induction phase.  I do like the newer version of Adkins because it stresses the importance of eating veggies for carbs.

This diet is very similar to the fast in that it obviously gets you into ketosis, but it is not a low calorie or a low fat diet.  The opposite - high fat, moderate protein, with very low carb.  Now, I had been following the HFLC (High Fat Low Carb) diet, but I never really controlled the low carb portion of it.  I do believe I am carb sensitive.  What most people see as a ‘treat’, I see as a trigger that will cause me to lose control. This lead to sabotaging binges that kept me off track and damaged my self-efficacy (see, I am a student of HSM).  What I found is it takes a restriction of < 50 grams of carbs a day to be in Nutritional Ketosis – to be a fat burner!   Some need to restrict more carbs to get to this level.  And protein should not be high, just moderate. So I developed a plan for myself with 10 rules:

1.      Stay in ketosis – this means no cheating!  Doesn’t mean I can’t have tasty low carb treats, but I cannot have anything with sugar.  This is my main tool that will help me succeed. I test ever day using keto sticks

2.      20-25 grams of carbs per day - This may be a bit aggressive, but I still have about 60 lbs to lose.  I do plan on gradually increasing to 30 grams, then 40 grams, and then eventually settle on a maintenance level

3.      15 grams from veggies – minimum.  Need the nutrients and fiber in veggies

4.      Lots of water!

5.      Track – only way to know that you are meeting the numbers is to track

6.      Exercise minimum 4 x per week. Includes high interval cardio and weight training. Also get outside to exercise as much as possible to get the benefit of the sun – vitamin D

7.      Sleep 7-8 hrs everyday – dark, cool room is key for me!

8.      Limit sugar substitutes to 3 a day

9.      Limit gum – 2 grams per stick add up

10.  Supplements: multivitamin, magnesium, fish oil, and 5HTP. Extra sodium if needed

So, I have decided to stick to very low carb for the summer, 20-25 grams per day with a ratio of around 65% Fat, 25% Protein, and 10% Carb.  Because I am very sensitive to carbs (carbohydrate intolerant, insulin resistant), I feel this is right and doable for me.  The fats I eat are ‘good’ fats like avocados, butter, coconut oil, and heavy cream.    I love the control I have when being in ketosis and I physically feel better eating this way.    I can live without grains and other refined carbs long term, plus I’m finding a lot of tasty carb friendly meals and treats (http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/).

For years, I would look at my photos and be so mad at myself for regaining the weight after my fast.  I hid them away in photo albums so I would not see on a regular basis.  Now I look at them and I’m confident I can get back to little me.  They are a huge motivator for me at this point.  Being in ketosis gives me the strength to really focus on the nutrition I am putting into my body.  My binge tendencies have disappeared.  It motivates me to work out and to strive to improve my performance.   I’m already noticing a difference in my running and swimming times.  And I am so into lifting weights now (I did cardio only for 6 years!).  It has been 3 weeks, 21 days for me to form this new habit.  I’m down 8.2 lbs so far.   I know the loss will slow down and may even experience plateaus as the weeks go by, but that is OK.   I jumped off the vicious merry-go-round and found a path that will work for me.