When do you start feeling great on Keto?

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Replies

  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    FINALLY.. i feel great today! :)

    I've been taking the higher doses of potassium & magnesium, and drinking 2 big mugs broth through the day and today ive felt really pecker. My hunger is starting to go down and satisfaction is up, and guess what? I felt so good that i dragged my bloke and son out on an hour and 20 mins walk after dinner! I know this doesnt sound much, but i havent wanted to move for a lonnnng time. Ive got so much energy i could walk for another 2 hours. This is such a huge difference to me barely being able to drag myself up the stairs the past few weeks.

    Im really really really relieved, and pleased that i stuck with it through those hooorrible weeks of adjustment. I thank you all so much for helping me through it. Right now i feel so happy & healthy and like it may well have all been worth it. What a turn around! Now if the scale will keep moving down regularly all will be well with the world :)
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Awesome!!
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    SO glad to hear this for you!!!! Yes, broth was crucial to my survival that first month or two!
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    *happy dance* :)

    Thanks so much Deksgrl & Knit.

  • toadqueen
    toadqueen Posts: 592 Member
    Coconutty...it sounds like hypothyroid to me too. I was just diagnosed last year after years of being told my thyroid is fine. Most doctors just test for T4 and TSH. Have them check your T3 levels and for antibodies. These do not show up in regular screenings.

    Thanks for this thread. I was going to ask the same question. I have not been doing this WOE long - just 10 days. I am losing weight like crazy but still feeling sore, bloated, inflamed, cold, etc.
  • AngInCanada
    AngInCanada Posts: 947 Member
    Yay!!!!!
  • JustMe2C
    JustMe2C Posts: 101 Member
    FINALLY.. i feel great today! :)

    I've been taking the higher doses of potassium & magnesium, and drinking 2 big mugs broth through the day and today ive felt really pecker. My hunger is starting to go down and satisfaction is up, and guess what? I felt so good that i dragged my bloke and son out on an hour and 20 mins walk after dinner! I know this doesnt sound much, but i havent wanted to move for a lonnnng time. Ive got so much energy i could walk for another 2 hours. This is such a huge difference to me barely being able to drag myself up the stairs the past few weeks.

    Im really really really relieved, and pleased that i stuck with it through those hooorrible weeks of adjustment. I thank you all so much for helping me through it. Right now i feel so happy & healthy and like it may well have all been worth it. What a turn around! Now if the scale will keep moving down regularly all will be well with the world :)


    YAY for you!!!! I'm soooooo very happy to hear this! :)

  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    toadqueen wrote: »
    Coconutty...it sounds like hypothyroid to me too. I was just diagnosed last year after years of being told my thyroid is fine. Most doctors just test for T4 and TSH. Have them check your T3 levels and for antibodies. These do not show up in regular screenings.

    Thanks for this thread. I was going to ask the same question. I have not been doing this WOE long - just 10 days. I am losing weight like crazy but still feeling sore, bloated, inflamed, cold, etc.

    Thanks toadqueen, i'll ask for those specific tests.

    Sorry to hear you're still feeling off-it - it does take some of us a lot more to adjust than others - but GREAT news that you're dropping the weight readily. I wish my flab would start to melt :)

  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    toadqueen wrote: »
    Coconutty...it sounds like hypothyroid to me too. I was just diagnosed last year after years of being told my thyroid is fine. Most doctors just test for T4 and TSH. Have them check your T3 levels and for antibodies. These do not show up in regular screenings.

    Thanks for this thread. I was going to ask the same question. I have not been doing this WOE long - just 10 days. I am losing weight like crazy but still feeling sore, bloated, inflamed, cold, etc.

    Thanks toadqueen, i'll ask for those specific tests.

    Sorry to hear you're still feeling off-it - it does take some of us a lot more to adjust than others - but GREAT news that you're dropping the weight readily. I wish my flab would start to melt :)

  • mlinton_mesapark
    mlinton_mesapark Posts: 517 Member
    I am thrilled for you, @CoconuttyMummy! Way to stick with it!

    I'm feeling much better, too, though I've increased my carb allowance to the point where I'm not sure I'm in ketosis at all anymore. Around 50g carb per day. I've started getting severe leg cramps at night, so I'm getting serious today about broth and potassium/magnesium supplements.

    So glad to hear you've reached the "boundless energy" milestone! You are awesome.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Well, things seem to be improving. My body is still not letting go of any weight, which is hugely frustrating, but im feeling good and that's a start. Most notable change is my appetite reducing dramatically. I heard so many other people declaring this amazing lack of hunger on keto and i just wasnt getting it - i felt constantly hungry and i made myself sick with too much fat for the 1st month. And now all of a sudden im finding myself satisfied on 800 cals some days (like today). Seeing as i wasnt losing on 1000 cals a day im reluctant to force food in my mouth for the sake of it just to raise up my calories. So i think im going to listen to my hunger signals and if im not hungry im not going to eat. Ive never had a day in my life where i dont feel like eating - im the type of girl that will be groaning from a too-stuffed, stretched stomach and still posting more food in her mouth. So this is a revelation. Im not sure if regularly eating below 1000 calories will kickstart some weightloss (finally) or if it will work against me and slow down my sluggish metabolism further. I guess all i can do is listen to my body and try not eating if im not hungry.

    Is anyone else experiencing a huge reduction in calories consumed due to lack of hunger? What are the lowest cals you would allow yourself for the day? Do you have a minimum calorie allowance that you force yourself to eat up to, regardless of hunger? Or do you go some days with very low calorie intakes?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I have had a couple of days down around 1,000 where I have made myself eat something more to get to 1,200. 1,200 is way low for me. But typically if I have a couple of 1,200-1,300 days I do get really hungry again and eat more the following days.
  • Fvaisey
    Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
    I sometimes will go a day eating very little if I don't feel hungry and I'm busy. I've done that for much of my life. It's not harmful to you unless your metabolism is messed up. (Which yours may be.) I, personally, would say that you need not eat if you don't feel hungry. After what you've been thru your body might just need a little rest. However, if you aren't eating don't overexert yourself and hydrate well.

    Your body has huge stores of energy available to it, that you are trying to get rid of anyway. A lean person will have over 50,000 calories of stored fat. Most of us have much more...
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    deksgrl wrote: »
    I have had a couple of days down around 1,000 where I have made myself eat something more to get to 1,200. 1,200 is way low for me. But typically if I have a couple of 1,200-1,300 days I do get really hungry again and eat more the following days.

    What are your standard daily calories?
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Fvaisey wrote: »
    I sometimes will go a day eating very little if I don't feel hungry and I'm busy. I've done that for much of my life. It's not harmful to you unless your metabolism is messed up. (Which yours may be.) I, personally, would say that you need not eat if you don't feel hungry. After what you've been thru your body might just need a little rest. However, if you aren't eating don't overexert yourself and hydrate well.

    Your body has huge stores of energy available to it, that you are trying to get rid of anyway. A lean person will have over 50,000 calories of stored fat. Most of us have much more...

    Wowza! That really puts things in perspective doesnt it? - more than 50,000 calories of available stored fat. That suggests to me that you could survive on really low calories for a good while whilst tapping those reserves.

    The only thing that concerns me is the broken metabolism issue. I definitely have a slow metabolism at best, so i dont want to be doing anything to impede my metabolic process further.

    I think i'll play it by ear. I'll try not eating if im not hungry and see how this affects my weightloss.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    deksgrl wrote: »
    I have had a couple of days down around 1,000 where I have made myself eat something more to get to 1,200. 1,200 is way low for me. But typically if I have a couple of 1,200-1,300 days I do get really hungry again and eat more the following days.

    What are your standard daily calories?

    Maintenance when I'm fairly sedentary is about 1900-2000. So I lose in the 1500-1700 range. I'm 5'6" and 154 pounds currently.

  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    I just got my new digital scale with bodyfat monitor and im weighing in at 5 pounds heavier than my old scale. Great! I had a feeling that was going to happen. *sulks* :(

    However, its nice to have an accurate baseline to work with, and knowing my bodyfat, bmi, total body water & lean muscle percentages now is enlightening.. disappointing, but enlightening all the same :)

    My bf% is 28.8%. *cries*. Im hoping i will see this number go down even if the numbers on the scale remain the same. My muscle% was 30.4%. BMI was 27. This will be interesting to track - gives me something else to obsess over! :P

  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    It's all perspective..... my body fat low a couple of years ago was about 28% and I was happy with it.... lol..... striving for 25%, but still pretty happy at 28. But then I have a few years on you. I do have quite a bit of muscle though because strength training.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Yeah, thats the thing you see, ive lost all the muscle i once had, so at nearly 29% fat im looking really squishy and wobbly and loose. Ive just got no body tone or condition anymore. My plan is to cut the fat down to hopefully well below 25% and then work on buulding some muscle back up, and then cutting again. This is all dependent on the fat sodding off though - so far my plans have been scuppered by clingy fat cells.
  • Fvaisey
    Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
    Remember to be patient with yourself. It's taken years for you to get where you are. any progress in the right direction beats going in the wrong direction. Glad that you are feeling good now. Don't be surprised if you hit a bad day or two again. I think you are on the right track.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    edited June 2015
    @Fvaisey . That's a good point to be mindful of. Im impatient and want results, like, yesterday, but it does take a long time to wreck your body so it's sensible to presume it will take a while to undo all that damage. Sooner the better in my book, but you're right that any progress is still progress.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    If you are feeling well enough, I would encourage you to start strength training before then. Even if just body weight exercises at home. It should help you reduce the fat.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Ive been avoiding the time to start training again because ive become allergic to exercise but deepdown i know that i cannot achieve the slim, tight, toned, wobble-free body id like without it. Ive been putting it off for long enough, i think you're right. To be fair, for the past month since going keto i obviously wasnt well enough to think about adding extra exertion, but now im feeling better i really dont have any excuses left to delay starting a bit of strength training.
    Thanks deksgrl for giving me a gentle shove in the right direction. I'll ease in gently and hopefully get over this fear of exercise ive developed.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    edited June 2015
    Little cheery update. I re-weighed myself this morning on my new scales, with an empty stomach etc, and im showing a few pounds lighter and a wee bit lower bodyfat. Yay!

    So my new stats are:

    Height: 5ft 1"
    Weight: 128.8 pounds
    BMI: 24.3
    BodyFat %: 27.7%
    Muscle %: 31.3%

    Im not sure what a healthy BF% for me would be. Is 20% a good figure to aim for, do you think? I wonder what a healthy muscle % is? Hmmm.

    Its nice to have these measurements to judge success by, rather than just scale weight. There's nowhere to hide now :)

  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Im sooooo mad at myself. I've just messed up my whole days carbs by having one large cappuccino at lunch. I happily sat through my partner and son stuffing their faces on sandwiches & cakes at a nice cafe for lunch. I was strong and decided i would just have a cappuccino. BIG mistake! I knew cows milk was carby but, oh my days, 14g of carbs for one stinking large cappuccino! Grrrrrrrrrrr! I just checked my ketostix and yup, its kicked me right out of keto. Was it worth it? NOOOOO! What idiot thought up drinking cows udder juice anyway? Pfft.

    OK, stress over. What's done is done. On the plus side this little carb scare has forced me to get off my butt and start doing some strength training tonight, for the 1st time in 3 years. I figure i might be able to minimize any damage if i push a few weights to try and make up for those crappy extra carbs. Im hoping thats how it works!?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member

    Im not sure what a healthy BF% for me would be. Is 20% a good figure to aim for, do you think? I wonder what a healthy muscle % is? Hmmm.

    Its nice to have these measurements to judge success by, rather than just scale weight. There's nowhere to hide now :)

    Well, ideal body fat % is a range based on age. You are nearing the age where 22% is the low end of the ideal range. Depending on what motivates you, you might want to make an initial goal for a higher % like 22 and see how you look and then adjust lower if necessary? I wouldn't want to have you aim for 20% and then get discouraged and give up. Up to you how you approach that. The good thing is, if you go too low it is usually quite easy to put fat back on!

  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Haha, damn right! Wouldnt that be a nice problem to have? - too little bodyfat! Ha, it wouldnt be too low for very long.. nom nom nom!

    I really like your advice, thanks so much Deksgrl. 22% sou nds like a solid BF goal to aim for. And so shall it be! I'll keep chipping away til i get there.. hopefully :)

    After the cappuccino fiasco yesterday, i started easing into some strength training last night to try and make up for the carbs. I went over on carbs and my calories were approaching TDEE, but by some miracle i had lost almost a pound this morning! Very very weird. So maybe my calories HAVE been too low and my body was in starvation mode? Id love to know, but i guess the only way im going to know for sure is to keep trying things and see what happens.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Well, a lot of people stay starvation mode is a myth, or rather, the term is misused. Metabolic adaptation might be a better term, your body wants to maintain and adapts to the level of energy you give it.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    Oh and that 300ml of cows milk in the large cappuccino has kept me out of ketosis for 28 hrs so far. Still nothing showing on the sticks. Crazy, huh?

    Now i see the blessing of using butter, coconut oil or HWC for coffees. I thought the calories were high with these additions but actually a really milky large coffee works out pretty close in calories to just under 2 tbsp cream, but with a huge portion of carbs on top.

    Makes me shudder to think how many calories and carbs i ploughed down my neck with all my huge milky coffees in a day before going keto. No wonder i never lost weight.

  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Yep, I know exactly what you mean. And unless you made it yourself, you don't know exactly how much milk they used. Even if a restaurant publishes the nutrition data and has a procedure for how it is supposed to be made, doesn't mean the employee actually made it that way.
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