Keto Fast (and my first post here!)

briteyes

I'm having a hard time jump-starting my diet. I did so well back in the spring when I lost 15 lbs. during a Body Composition Challenge (I didn't win, but I was still very happy), and I've continued to lose a few more lbs since, but I yo-yo back and forth 3-5 lbs. At least my new baseline is 15 lbs lower than it was 6 mos ago!!!

I have another goal to lose another 8ish lbs (depending on where i'm at on my yo-yo) by my Birthday (18 days left!) I'm not doing too well I've dipped down a couple lbs and always come right back up a few days later..... but sugar addiction is killing me!!! I'm fine w/ out all other carbs, but I just LOVE sugary drinks! I know that's my nemisis, so today, I'm forcing myself to drink unsweetened coffee w/ Coconut oil instead. It's ok and I think I can get used to it.

I was thinking, why don't I try a Keto Fast? I would do it until midday on Tuesday, since Tuesday evenings I train Jiu-Jitsu and burn way too many calories to continue to fast. I typically eat a banana right before as I need explosive energy (picture me - a small girl trying to spar with 200 lb men...)

I need whatever tips, advice, concerns, etc you may have for me! Recipes/food ideas would be great too! And wondering if I should workout during these days (pushups/pullups/squats/sprints/burpees, etc)

Thank you!!!!

wabmester

Keto fast? If you google "fat fast," you might find more ideas.

If you're just doing it for a few days, and you're starting from a high carb diet, you'll only be glycogen depleted (and thus ketogenic) for about a day.

If you try to exercise, you'll almost certainly feel not-so-well due to a couple factors. But you will boost your ketones.

I'm not sure what your expectations are. If you're doing it for quick weight loss, you will probably lose a few pounds of water and then gain it back once you start consuming carbs again.

Sunny_Bunny_

I agree with wabmester. It's not going to help you achieve "real" weight loss in a short term application. You will probably feel not so great due to the carb withdrawal and you can avoid the electrolyte loss symptoms if you make sure to get lots and lots of sodium during that time. But by the time you would be planning to end the "fast" would be just the beginning of the benefits you could gain and when "real" weight loss starts.
A person that is fully fat adapted often finds that exercise before eating and without any sugar for "burst energy" Is not a problem at all as the body will just use its stored energy to power through.

briteyes

Let me explain a little better... I'm still Lchf just not as extreme. I was keto adapted for about 2 months but didn't like how it made me feel, so I allow higher carbs now, but I've gotten a bit lax... I'd like to go keto adapted again to reach my goal once and for all, then up my carbs (50-100) again for maintenance purposes.

Id like to do the fat fast/ketogenic fast and have done some research and pretty much am doing it. Wasn't sure if anyone here has done this. Once the fat fast is over I'd like to remain in ketosis.

monikker

I'm sorta doing some IF, just drinking liquids until I feel like I really gotta eat - it's been around 4 or 5 pm the last couple days. I'd say workout if you have the energy otherwise do light walking? If you're keto adapted then supposedly you should have the energy to workout.

Sunny_Bunny_

briteyes wrote: »

Let me explain a little better... I'm still Lchf just not as extreme. I was keto adapted for about 2 months but didn't like how it made me feel, so I allow higher carbs now, but I've gotten a bit lax... I'd like to go keto adapted again to reach my goal once and for all, then up my carbs (50-100) again for maintenance purposes.

Id like to do the fat fast/ketogenic fast and have done some research and pretty much am doing it. Wasn't sure if anyone here has done this. Once the fat fast is over I'd like to remain in ketosis.

Are you able to acheive ketosis with carbs from 50-100 or at your current low carb amount?
IF or a fat fast may help shake things up to get the pounds dropping again. Just have to give it a try and see.

wabmester

briteyes wrote: »

I was keto adapted for about 2 months but didn't like how it made me feel, so I allow higher carbs now, but I've gotten a bit lax... I'd like to go keto adapted again to reach my goal once and for all, then up my carbs (50-100) again for maintenance purposes.

How did it make you feel that you didn't like it? A lot of people seem to resist the advice to increase sodium intake, but I didn't start feeling well until I did. This is especially true if you exercise, even when adapted.

I haven't done a fat fast, so I can't help you there, but whatever you do, get some extra sodium -- broth, pickles, whatever.

Slowly ramp up the exercise again. In a month or so, you should have no trouble doing Jiu-Jitsu totally fasted. Check out Peter Attia's site if you want more info about exercising while keto. He can bike for about 6 hours on just water.

http://eatingacademy.com/

briteyes

monikker wrote: »

I'm sorta doing some IF, just drinking liquids until I feel like I really gotta eat - it's been around 4 or 5 pm the last couple days. I'd say workout if you have the energy otherwise do light walking? If you're keto adapted then supposedly you should have the energy to workout.

I can do some IF - usually I'll just stop eating after dinner and not eat again til lunch the next day, but usually, I do have a coffee - I'm trying to convince myself I don't need to sweeten my coffee - so if I can get away from the sweetener in my coffee I think that will solve 90% of my problem. I could live off of veggies, avocadoes, eggs, and meat, as long as I can at least have my coffee!!!!

And yes, I trained 2 hrs at a time in Jiu Jitsu while keto adapted and was perfectly fine. The first couple times, I definitely felt weaker/spent more than usual, but as I stuck with Keto, I felt a lot better. My problem and why I went out of ketosis, though, was I felt hypothyroid symptoms something horrible after a while. So I can do keto for a period of time, and then I have to allow the carbs back in a bit in order to feel well. I'd love to find a balance where I can still be in ketosis, but not feel sick.

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

Are you able to acheive ketosis with carbs from 50-100 or at your current low carb amount?
IF or a fat fast may help shake things up to get the pounds dropping again. Just have to give it a try and see.

I'm not sure.... I am going to start out with super low carbs and slowly add them back in until I kick myself out of ketosis. Then I'll have to see how I feel over the long term. I feel like the idea of a fat fast gets my mind set where it needs to be more than IF would. Again, IF is something I do naturally anyways because I'm not a breakfast eater. I can go about 12-14 hrs on a daily basis w/ no food. But then my mind plays tricks on me and I end up wanting to justify having sugar/carbs (mainly sugary drinks - again...)

ladipoet

This is not quite on topic but feel I should chime in with the following info anyway:

Add granulated seaweed kelp into your diet on a daily basis. Use it like salt to season pretty much every meal you have and it will help quite a bit with your hypothyroidism. Here is a link to the kind I like and use:

http://www.seaveg.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=32&products_id=81

This particular company offers four (4) different varieties and they all come in shaker seasoning type bottles too.

http://www.seaveg.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=32

ladipoet

Oh yes, I forgot to mention thatyou might want to look into trying Virgil's Zero sodas if you have a thing for sugary drinks. It will give you the same or similar flavor without the sugar. I haven't tried them yet, but plan on it in the future.

http://reedsinc.com/product/virgils-zero-root-beer/

Seems to me this would be an easy way to trick your moth/body into thinking it was getting what it wanted while actually being good for you in disguise. lol

briteyes

It's working! I'm definitely in ketosis but definitely tired lol... It's worth it if I can get this Keto party started I am not sure if what I'm doing is technically a fat fast because I'm really struggling to keep my calories low enough, but my macros are spot on. I think I'll push myself as long as I can this week to stay this strict, I'll just have to eat a banana before my Jiu Jitsu training

Foamroller

FYI: Fruits are fructose. It goes to liver and excess gets stored as liver glycogen, NOT muscle glycogen that's used for sports. Fructose also stops ketone production. Liver busy.

In other words, the boost you feel from banana is possibly mostly placebo. Which can also be very powerful, up to 40% effect according to a study.

briteyes

Foamroller wrote: »

FYI: Fruits are fructose. It goes to liver and excess gets stored as liver glycogen, NOT muscle glycogen that's used for sports. Fructose also stops ketone production. Liver busy.

In other words, the boost you feel from banana is possibly mostly placebo. Which can also be very powerful, up to 40% effect according to a study.

Anything you would recommend to eat instead of a banana for instant explosive energy? I've also tried chocolate milk and had good luck with that... I will try to forego any extra prework-out carbs but I know halfway through training I'm going to really be feeling it...

Kitnthecat

You could not pay me to eat a banana, that's way too much sugar for me! If I find I need the potassium, I eat some avocado.

Sunny_Bunny_

I'm confused about your goal and expectation

briteyes

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

I'm confused about your goal and expectation

That's good because I probably am too. I have a weight goal and a deadline but I also have a specific look I want to achieve... Mainly at this point that my thighs will be smaller.... They are my trouble area.

I feel like I'll just keep doing what I'm doing as its working and I know hat I'll eventually reach my goals

briteyes

Kitnthecat wrote: »

You could not pay me to eat a banana, that's way too much sugar for me! If I find I need the potassium, I eat some avocado.

Is it potassium that I'm looking for to fuel an intense workout? In Jiu Jitsu one typically burns between 600-1000 calls in an hour so I'll have room to have some extra carbs and definitely calories. I want just what is necessary to die my workout without feeling like I've hit a wall. I do not want to kick myself out of ketosis

radiii

briteyes wrote: »

Anything you would recommend to eat instead of a banana for instant explosive energy? I've also tried chocolate milk and had good luck with that... I will try to forego any extra prework-out carbs but I know halfway through training I'm going to really be feeling it...

For folks that do it, pre-workout carbs should be dextrose. Check out the TKD protocol at https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index. However, I am pretty sure if you're just getting back into keto after being away the rather strong advice is to simply suck it up for a couple months and realize your performance will drop, and only mess with this down the road once fully adapted and only if you really need to then.

Sunny_Bunny_

If you're trying to get fat adapted, I would think offering your body only fat to use as fuel for working out, while tiresome at first, would be the goal. If you have 8 extra lbs of body fat available, maybe just allow your body to use that, then eat a little later. One of the benefits of burning fat for fuel is that you pretty much always have a carry on source of energy.

Foamroller

briteyes wrote: »

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

I'm confused about your goal and expectation

That's good because I probably am too. I have a weight goal and a deadline but I also have a specific look I want to achieve... Mainly at this point that my thighs will be smaller.... They are my trouble area.

I feel like I'll just keep doing what I'm doing as its working and I know hat I'll eventually reach my goals

Agree with @Sunny_Bunny. And then you contradict yourself saying you have a tight deadline. Then next sentence you're ok with reaching your goal of specific looks regardless of timeframe.

Manage your expectations. Focus on what's most important. In general, achieving a specific look you have in mind is opposite of an urgent deadline, unless you're willing to lose a lot of LBM too. It takes time and patience to recomp, ESPECIALLY when already close to goal weight. Hitting the balance of training, eating and resting right is a puzzle. Only your body knows the key...and it's your challenge to find it. Good luck!

briteyes

Thanks, I know I'm a bit confusing but so is figuring out what is working and not working. I want to meet my weight loss goal and from there figure out what else to do regarding my look.... Italy mean adding back on a few pounds... It may mean throwing away the scale and never weighing myself again, and just focusing on the body staring back at me in he mirror

I do get a bit impatient and bored but I have learned so much about my body since starting this journey. I know I can cheat or even practically stop lchf for a long time and I won't gain it all back right away. It's good to know finally have a way to reach my goals

Foamroller

It's ok. We all have our journeys, mistakes, NSV and whatnot! It's what keeps it interesting for me, lol. Btw, forgot to mention that since you feel better with a banana, you're possibly deficient in potassium. Avocado is good source, I'm not sure but I vaguely remember cucumber being an ok source as well. Since I do IF, I usually just supply with it or drink some pickle juice.

Re weighing. According to Krista Varady, the success rate of dieters who keep weighing themselves after reaching GW is substantial. Like statistically significant. I guess it's just a way to keep tabs on oneself. I do recommend to not use scales as the only metric for success. But you have to do whatever is best for YOU It's all about body composition, IMO. I weigh more now than before, but clothes are fitting much better and I look and feel better than when I was young. During the summer the veins on arms and thighs have started to show (not popping). I've never had that before.

So keep on truckin'. Work hard --> patience --> results!

GaleHawkins

@briteyes this last year has been a real learning experience and I have chased a lot of keto rabbits too so to speak.

I did an 10 hour fast yesterday and about 9 PM last night I had eggs, bacon and coffee/HWC. After I walked a 1/4 mile this AM I blew a 0.077 on my $15 breath analyzer. On that meter anything over 0.050 means I am well into ketosis based on benchmarking with the prick meter . I was a 0.036 at bedtime yesterday.