Week 1 of KETO

[TheMoaningViolet]

I got some really good advice here almost a week ago and started a new approach to eating which eliminated fruit, oat milk, basically, all carbs, and I combined it with time restricted eating (no food after 4pm). Some days the fasting gap would be even 18 hours but I was aiming for at least 16. In 6 days I managed to lose 1.3kg, most of it on the second day.

I wanted to get some further support for the idea of eating as much as I like as long as it's the right type of food. It turns out, in my case, this may be quite a lot at lunchtime (I am not particularly hungry in the morning in spite of the fasting gap). I eat meat or eggs, olives, tomatoes, green salads , spring greens and Keto granola (slightly sweetened with erythritol) with almond milk as a dessert. On a few days I also had my turmeric drink with double cream (it has a few drops of Stevia and 2 small squares of 100% dark chocolate).

Am I on the right track? The plan was to do this for 2 weeks and then talk to you all, but I feel I need some words of wisdom now.

Thank you.

[MikePollard]

Yes, definitely on the right track.

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to MikePollard]

Thank you. You don't think that the weight loss is too slow?

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

Sounds like you're doing just fine to me.

Funnily enough, skipping breakfast and having an early-afternoon/midday meal seems to be a very common pattern on LCHF.

If you feel comfortable with your routine so far, I'd say "if it ain't broke don't fix it", but in my opinion the time-restricted-eating thing is unnecessary. As time goes on you will probably settle into a natural two-meals-a-day pattern, but at this point you should just try to trust your body's hunger signals. I get the impression you're only having one (large) meal a day, but I really suggest aiming for two.

I'd also caution against being impatient! You're in this for the long haul - depending on how much you have to lose, it will probably take several months before you're happy with the results. But the results are pretty much guaranteed. You just need to sit back, relax, enjoy your food, and wait.

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you. So no need to restrict the amount I eat at lunchtime? I hope I will naturally start to feel satisfied with less.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

It is critically important that you do not restrict the amount that you eat, or when you eat.

Follow your hunger signals. If you're hungry then eat, whatever the time happens to be. Don't worry if your eating patterns initially seem slightly odd - it will quickly settle down to a sensible routine. My meal pattern is a modest brunch and a ginormous dinner, but that's not some sort of ideal that you should aspire to - it's just where I ended up.

At some point, yes, your appetite will start to drop. But don't force it. Your own body will make that decision.

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Sorry, I do have breakfast as well, but it's not too huge comprising mostly coconut yoghurt and kefir with linseed , chia and macadamia nuts.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

Ah, OK.

All sounds fine to me. As long as you're not hungry, and not forcing yourself to 'fast' when you really feel like you ought to eat, then it sounds like you're on the right track.

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to TheAwfulToad]

No, in fact, I feel too full to eat in the evening and like you suggest, on days when I had a smaller breakfast than usual, I ended up eating my lunch early. Thank you, I feel reassured.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

Keep us updated on progress! It's always interesting to hear how people get on.

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you, I will. I feel spoiled with so much generous attention. 🙂