Ketogenic Diet Day 30: Decreased consumption

I took AD LIBITUM to another level:

Teriyaki Hawaiian Chicken-180 cal., Avocado-364 cal., Butter (on veggies) 140 cal., and Cheese-150 cal.  Total is approximately 934 calories counting the cup of coconut milk I drank.  

...and now I'm gonna fix it!

AD LIBITUM (adjective) - in accordance with one's desires.  In the world of nutrition, it means as much as one feels like eating.

 If you've been keeping up with my food posts, you've probably seen the high-volume and high-calorie breakfasts (between 1300-1500 calories) I've consumed over the past month.  I'm at exactly 30 days of being on this diet and have steadily lost weight but not enough, at least in my mind.

A 2008 study involving obese men on a high protein Ketogenic diet had subjects losing approximately 14 pounds (6.34 kg) over the course of 4 weeks, all while eating as much as they wanted.  Granted, I'm not obese, but I expected to lose more than the 3.5 pounds I've lost this past month.

The one point I wanted to get across in my posts was that I've been eating to my heart's content; I haven't made any effort to limit my calories this whole month and have been losing instead of gaining weight.  I think I might have done too much to make that point.  You see, I would practically force myself to finish the food I prepared in each post (but c'mon, you gotta admit it was some tasty food!)  It pains me to admit that there were even times when my stomach would actually hurt from eating so much!

Another study published in 2003 compared the effects of a low carbohydrate diet vs. a low fat diet on overweight adolescents and it showed subjects that consumed a low-carb diet (ad libitum) losing an average of 21.78 pounds over 12 weeks, that's 7.26 pounds per month and over double what I've lost!

My clothes fit me better, I've maintained my strength, and my fitness levels have improved so I'm happy but I could afford to lose more fat.

My plan now is to decrease (NOT LIMIT) my breakfast calories.  Today's total was approximately 600 calories less than what I've been eating (934 instead of 1500) and I still felt full after eating it.  I'll continue to focus on eating 1-2 meals a day with occasional snacks.  Race day is exactly 2 months from yesterday so I've gotta get leaner faster.  #RippedbySeptember

I'll keep you posted.

DAVE

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

My 4 reasons for going Ketogenic

My wife recently underwent some serious steroid therapy to keep her body from rejecting her newly transplanted kidney.  A side-effect of such therapy is the onset of diabetes; her blood sugar spiked to the mid-200's the other day.  Anyway, I wanted to find a way to decrease her carb consumption and blood sugar and found the ketogenic diet.  It's a diet that body builders and athletes have used for decades to promote the processing of bodyfat for energy.  From what I've seen so far, it's a diet significantly  low in carbs and likely unsustainable for me.  I'll go as far as to say that it's somewhat extreme.  BUT my goal is to adopt such a regimen to encourage my wife to do something similar but less drastic.
Before you guys start asking me if I'm going to go 'Paleo', the answer is NO.  If one does their homework, the author of the Paleo Diet book (published 2002) does not allow for dairy.   If I have butter on my asparagus, it's not Paleo.  The ketogenic diet has been around since the middle of the 20th century and has been used as effective means of controlling epilepsy.  It puts more weight on the macronutrient component than the popular Paleo diet that puts a heavy emphasis on the food source and quality.  One interesting fact is that the 'Paleo' diet was released in 2002, many years AFTER the SIMILAR Atkins diet (1972).  It's hilarious to see how the proponents of both Atkins and Paleo argue about how different their protocols are and whose is better.  I might also mention that the Atkins diet is NOT specifically ketogenic as its primary focus is carbohydrate restriction and not so much the establishment of a ketogenic metabolic state.  I'm just going to count my macros, drop my net carbs, and keep the foods that I do eat as whole and organic as possible.

The remaining reasons why I'm going ketogenic  include the following:

• I need to shed some fat to look sexy for the summer
• I need to shed some weight to increase my strength to weight ratio and improve athletic performance
• Reap the benefits of a gluten and HFCS free diet (as mentioned in Pearlmutter's Brain Maker book)

So WHAT IS a ketogenic diet?  It's a high fat, moderate protein, and very low carb diet that shifts the body into a state of ketosis; fat is metabolized as a primary source of energy in such a carbohydrate depleted state.  One typically consumes between 20 and 80 grams of carbohydrate per day. 

For a lifetime sugar burner like myself, this diet won't be easy so I might as well entertain the masses while I get my ass kicked!

Dave