Current weight: 297 lbs,
Total weight loss: 8.8 lbs.
Recap of My First Week
So far things have been going well – I stuck to the guidelines the first week (with the exception of some extra wine during the middle of the week as I mentioned before).
And I had a loss of 8.8 pounds!
The big milestone of course is to be under 300 pounds! Even though the first week was obviously a lot of water loss, it is still nice to see.
And while I recognize that being under 300 pounds is a big (although artificial) accomplishment, I’m not as excited as others may be because of my history of yo-yo dieting. Unfortunately it’s a little of ‘been there, done that‘…
It would be nice to continue to reach new low weights and stay there. About two years ago, the lowest weight I remember was 278 pounds. Once I get and stay below that, I will be excited and feel like I have made real progress.
As for this week, I did notice that I was a little bit tired and sluggish, although I’m not sure if that was my body withdrawing from a diet predominantly of sugar (maybe what people call the keto-flu on a ketogenic diet?) or just being unusually busy at work. Or maybe it was a combination of both.
Meals
My meals this week have consisted mainly of: lots of low carb veges (one positive- I have always loved salads and all sorts of vegetables, even more than fruit), chicken, meats of all kinds, some fish, eggs, olive oil, nuts, and small amounts of cheese. As I mentioned before, a few times I had an Atkins protein shake or trail bar. I know these don’t count as real or natural foods, but they hit the spot if I’m at all craving something semi-sweet.
Speaking of cravings: I was surprised how few I had. Just an occasional one for something sweet. It may be because I’ve done the low-carb dieting so many times in the past – maybe I’m more used to the transition to less sugar.
I do think I eat a smaller overall quantity with these foods – I seem to be fuller faster, which I’m sure is part of the benefit of having a diet of real foods.
Some Stats
For those that like numbers (like me!), here are some for the first week:
Average daily:
- Calories: 1,498 kcal
- Fat percentage: 68 %
- Carb intake: 37 grams
I also checked my urine ketones almost daily this week. They were positive starting on the fourth day of the ketogenic diet (Day #3) and were positive every time that I checked them after that.
I do have to admit that keeping track of what I’m eating can be annoying. I’ve never liked calorie counting, and that’s one of the reasons that I have preferred a low-carb approach in general.
However, to make sure that I’m eating a ketogenic diet, I do have to pay attention to what I’m eating. Not really to keep track of calories, but to make sure I’m staying under 50 grams of carbohydrates a day and getting most of my calories from fat (at least 60%).
A Calorie Counting Trick
One trick I’m using: On my phone, I keep a list of common foods that I eat with their total calories and the individual calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates**. This information is easy to find online.
At the end of the day, I add everything up, and it’s made easier by the fact that most of the numbers are already on my phone.
(**Remember, I’m keeping track of the calories from the fat, protein and carbohydrate – not the grams. This is because fat has 9 kcal per 1 gram while fat and protein each have 4 kcal per 1 gram)
Some examples of the foods I keep on the list:
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil (40 calories: 40 from fat, 0 from protein, 0 from carbs)
- 1/2 cup of specific type of chicken salad I love (300 calories: 207 from fat, 64 from protein, 48 from carbs.
- 1/2 an avocado (161 calories: 135 from fat, 8 from protein, 36 from carbs)
- 1 cup cut bell peppers (39 calories: 0 from fat, 4 from protein, 36 from carbs)
Any food that I eat regularly, I add to the list and I group them by food type so they are easy to find. At the end of the day I have most of the information I need and I just add everything up to get totals and percentages.
So there it is – my first week an overall success. Of course I’m happy that I lost weight. But more importantly I am finally taking control of my health and making a positive change in my life.
And no number on a scale can beat that.
Day #8:
Current weight: 297 lbs
Total weight loss: 8.8 lbs
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