Return of the Egg Fast

After being so thoroughly disappointed with how last week went, I'm returning to the egg fast, with some modifications:
1. Eggs and fat (mayo, cheese, butter, BPC) will be my primary source of food.
2. I will be able to eat LCHF/keto for my lunch meals at work.
3. If I am home, I will eat eggs for lunch.
4. Just as before, it's 1 tbs fat per egg.

I hope this will get me on track. I'll be doing it until Monday, then  I'll review. The egg fast really helped last time. I hope it will help again.

Okay, so, let's talk about goals, since I didn't address them in my Measurement Monday post. I'm hoping to drop 5 pounds. I know that sounds like a lot, but last time, I dropped 4 pounds and only fasted 2.5 days. At the time, I only lost .75 inches. This time I want to lose at least 4 inches, the 3.75 I gained last week, and a little more for good measure.

I'll report back soon!

Measurement Monday: June 2nd, 2014

Time to see the results of my egg fast:
Abdomen: 43.75 (-.75)
Waist: 34 (-.5)
Bust: 42.5 (.5)
Chest: 37 (-.5)
Hip: 46 (0)
Left Arm: 14 (.25)
Left Forearm: 10.75 (0)
Left Calf: 16 (0)
Left Thigh: 27.25 (0)
Right Arm: 13.75 (0)
Right Forearm: 10.75 (0)
Right Calf: 16.25 (.25)
Right Thigh: 27.5 (-.25)
Neck: 14.75 (.25)
Current Weight: 195 pounds (4!)
Inches lost: -.75
Running total: -1

Okay, so, only .75 inches lost, but 4 pounds down! I'm so excited! I'm only 15 pounds from the weight I was last time I thought I was fat. I'm also incredibly pleased to see I finally lost around my gut and waist. Next week I hope to lose two inches and another two pounds.

First Signs of Progress!

I've been feeling a little better about myself recently (the 10 pound loss is really helping), but I still don't really feel like I'm getting thinner. I was looking at pictures on my phone and found one from about 2 months ago (right before I started paleo).

Left is two months ago, right is yesterday

I can't believe how much better my skin is! I've had awful skin since I was 11. I've has 10 years of acne. It's almost gone! People are even saying my face is thinning out.

Doubts and a Fat Fast Update

First the good news: the fat fast is over! Bulletproof coffee is going to be replacing my breakfast from here on out. I love the taste, it's filling, and I feel like I'm treating myself to something. I'm a big fan of treats.
In other good news, I dropped almost two pounds over the last few days and I'm really motivated to stay on my Keto diet. We'll see if the weight stays off. Either way it isn't a big deal to me. The fat fast wasn't about immediate fat loss (though that is a definite bonus), but about getting me back into ketosis and motivated to stay on my diet.

In shittier news: my fiancé was giving me a hard time about my diet this evening. He thinks that someone, whether it be the American Heart Association or the manufacturer of a cholesterol pill, has created this diet to earn money. Even though I've lost 10 pounds in three weeks, what he said bothered me. I'm not having doubts, that's not it. I just want his support. If the food is good, I feel good, and I'm losing weight, who cares? Hopefully he was just kidding. He'll be eating his words soon.

Fat Fast

I generally don't like the idea of fasting as a weight loss tool. Nevertheless, I'm going to give this a shot. Now, I try to so my best to reference and cite the website(s) that I find information on when trying something new. Dear readers, I've failed you. For the life of me, I cannot find where I read about this particular fat fast.

Anyway, the theory is to eat nothing, and only drink bulletproof coffee (BPC) and water. Bulletproof coffee is basically coffee that has a high fat content. I make mine with 2 tbls butter and 2 tbls heavy whipping cream. I use a stick blender to make it frothy and creamy and it tastes like a latte. I also add some Trivia, because I like sweet coffee, but most people don't seem to do so.

Here's the plan:
Day 1 - BPC (as much as im hungry for) and lots of decaf green tea  (water in our area tastes gross)
Day 2 - BPC (until 2pm), lots more green tea and a low carb, high fat dinner
Day 3 - BPC for breakfast, and a low carb, high fat lunch and dinner

The theory is that this will get me back into ketosis. I ate whatever I wanted yesterday (oops) and kicked myself out of ketosis. This should get me back into ketosis in a shorter amount of time than what it typically takes.

I'll report back on how I'm feeling soon.

The End of Hunger

I've always been hungry. Even as a kid,  I could always eat. After starting at the hospital it went from being a little hungry all the time to starving constantly. After doing Keto for about a week, I'm no longer hungry.  Yesterday I skipped lunch. I'm not sure if that's ever happened before.
The other benefit? I'm actually under on "recommended" calories. To be under in calories and not hungry is just awesome. I'm not really counting calories, but it was nice to see. 

First Week of Keto

I must say, after doing (and sucking at) Paleo for barely a month, the Keto diet is liberating, to say the least. It's also sent my digestive system through one hell of a loop. I've gone from constipated to exploding in the course of a few hours. Sometimes I have more energy than ever before, sometimes the simplest actions leave me exhausted. Its been rough. There's such a thing as the Keto Flu - which is a horrible sneaky bastard. Anyway, the worst of it has passed. I've actually lost quite a bit of weight - more than I ever did with paleo, or with just exercise and counting calories. Plus this way of eating is liberating: sour cream, cheese, heavy whipping cream, oh my! This feeling if being liberated, instead of feeling restricted; it feels sustainable. That all brings me to this point:

I can't wait to get back to the gym! I've got my diet under control and in check. I'm losing weight, while exercising less than ever before. My previous job required pushing 300-900 pounds, lifting up to 80 pounds regularly throughout my shift, and walking up to 25 miles in a day (while pushing the weight). Needless to say, it was physical, but I didn't really lose weight. I put on about 10 pounds over the course of six months. It wasn't all muscle, unfortunately.
The point is, I can't believe I'm losing weight being unemployed and relatively sedentary drinking whipping cream as a snack. Although I've been weighing myself, I'm not really counting it until tomorrow. Tentatively, I've lost up to 6 pounds. Probably water weight, but I'm curious to see the measurements tomorrow!
Tuesday I will be getting a CT scan to check out my hernia. I could be cleared to go to the gym as early as July...or I could end up needing surgery and then who knows when I'll be able to get back.

Ketogenic Diet: Day 1 of 21

Science says it takes 21 days to make something a habit. I tried Paleo for 30 days (okay, no, I failed at Paleo for 28 days. The first two days went well though), and decided it wasn't for me. I've been playing around with Keto for about a week now, but the thing about Keto is it isn't something you can do for a day, then not do for a day. The great thing behind the Keto diet is that it trains your body to want to use fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. There's even science behind it. Although the article I cited didn't say there was substantial evidence toward weight loss, many people have experienced positive results and cyclical Keto dieting (CKD) is used by many body builders during their cutting period.

As someone who loves research, I dove in head first. The dietary goal is to have at least 70% of your calories come from fat, and no more than 5% of your calories come from carbs.  My goal is 143g of fat (72%), 100g of protein (23%), and 20g of carbohydrates (5%). This is just a rough goal. The important thing is to limit carbohydrates (no more than 20g until ketosis is achieved), keep protein moderate, and have at least 143g of fat. We'll see how it goes!

Why Paleo Didn't Work for Me

A lot of people that are big into weight lifting and fitness swear by paleo. For those who don't know, paleo is a way of eating that emphasizes, more or less, the way our ancestors ate during the Paleolithic era. I know it sounds crazy, but the more you read into it the more logic you can see behind it. To summarize, no grain, no beans or legumes, no dairy. Everything else is fair game. I can live without peanut butter, bread, noodles and even beans. You know what I can't live without?

I tried paleo. I really gave it a go. I missed cheese way too much. Oh, and butter. Vegetables sautéed in olive oil do not compare to those sautéed in butter. I did lose weight and it eliminated my intestinal issues, but it wasn't a lifestyle I could see myself committing to.
For those of you stronger willed than me, I do highly recommend checking out paleo! Want to learn more? Nerd Fitness has a wonderful explanation as well as an awesome free eBook. Check out the whole website while you're at it. Its full of fantastic resources and great motivation.