Keto Diet Update Day 26: 2 meals a day with decreased appetite

This was yesterday's breakfast at 11am

Aidell's Sausage-180 cal., Small Avocado-322 cal., Almond Butter-202 cal., Macadamia Nuts-203 cal., Eggs-160 cal., berries- 70 cal., and Goddess Dressing- 80 cal.  We're looking at about 1300 calories.

This was yesterday's dinner at 9pm

Roasted Chicken Quarter- 220 cal., Avocado-165 cal., Cheese slice- 100 cal., Butter-107 cal., and Goddess Dressing 80 cal.  Total was around 600 calories.

What you see is yesterday's total consumption.  The two remarkable things about yesterday's intake were the total caloric value (for both meals) and the large gap of time between meals.  My total intake was approximately 2100 calories (counting  a serving of coffee w/cream) while my expenditure was 2744 calories according to my Polar activity tracker.  Yesterday was a rest day without any formal exercise and despite that, I was still able to generate a deficit of approximately 600 calories.

It's day 26 and I've been following my Ketogenic diet pretty religiously.  There's been evidence of excess ketones in my urine (a pink test strip) since day 3, and that's even with the occasional consumption of beer and liquor!!

My weight continues to drop at a slow but consistent rate but what I really want to mention are the steady energy levels and decreased hunger.

It's crazy!!  I don't get the spikes or drops in energy and I don't get hungry until later in the evening.  If my wife hadn't ordered Greek food last night, that 220 calorie leg quarter would have been a 180 calorie sausage and my caloric deficit would be even greater!

The absence of starchy carbohydrates keeps my blood sugar from spiking so my energy levels remain consistent; I haven't had the afternoon 'crash' since starting the diet.

My appetite has significantly decreased and I find myself only eating two meals a day.  The amount of food you see is what I eat ad libitum meaning that I stack the plate with as much as food as I want and measure calories after.

SOME REAL SCIENCE

A 2014 systematic review and Meta-analysis (the highest level of research) was performed by Australian researchers to determine if Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets really do suppress appetites.  The result of the study was a resounding YES and they mentioned the following:

"Although other contributory factors cannot be ruled out, ketosis appears to provide a plausible explanation for the suppression of appetite during adherence to a ketogenic diet."

The research is there ladies and gentlemen.  I eat as much as I want, I don't feel hungry throughout the day, AND I don't carb crash like I used to.  The moral of the story is that nutritional ketosis does well at suppressing one's appetite and if you ask me, it's worth the initial few days of discomfort.

I know that one day I'm going to indulge in some bread, a fresh bagel, a Danish, or even a doughnut but for the moment, I don't have the urge or desire to.

Happy eating,

DAVE