Thursday, July 25, 2013

CYCLING FAT FASTING WITH ATKINS INDUCTION

Today is my second day fat fasting. I am doing it by the book which means I'm keeping my calories under 1000 and a ratio of 2% Carbohydrate, 8% protein and 90% fat. Very radical but then that's how I roll.

I'm also posting progress on Livin' La Vida Forums. I really, really want to see some progress.

I'm not a stranger to fasting but fat fasting is another ball game and I find myself constantly working out what I can eat and drink to keep my ratios within the limits I have set. My general well-being on a fat fast seems to be good. There are moments of hunger and those I have to tough out but they do not last very long. The biggest challenge is breaking habits. The one I am finding the hardest right now is not having enough calories to munch on nuts when I go to bed. I have got into a habit of reading or filling in the days Sudoku and munching until I feel sleepy. It's just a habit and not a good one at that.

I have a diet tracker which allows me to work out recipes and save them ready to log them n the da with no further calculations. It freaked out when I put in my calorie target and ratios but it seems to have settled down and I find it easier to use than say Spark People or others that I've seen mentioned. I did pay to download it but from here on it is supposed to be free and it does seem to be worth the small sum I paid. I might add I'm not very clever when it comes to this kind of thing and it has taken me months to work out some of the features. It's kind of cool to fill in a food and work out the nutritional content and have it stored to use at any time. The program also has many foods already listed but not always the brands we have available so I do read labels and check the stats. Sometimes a more vigorous search is needed and I guess at best the break-down of nutrients is approximate anyway.

I usually fill in my menu for the day first thing in the morning and then I forget about it until the next meal is about due to be prepared. It's quite liberating in a way because I have a written plan which is flexible according to the activities of the day. When I do not do this I am obsessing on food day and night.

I do have problems on the days we are not in our own home whether it be a day out shopping or visiting, or living in a different environment. I am disappointed that I am challenged so easily. It means that on the days I go to church, for instance, I need to be extra vigilant and aware of pit-falls. We are staying in other people's homes for several weeks in the next 4 months and although I will be almost 100% in charge of meals I find that after a while I begin to feel stressed and it becomes difficult to follow my plan. I am guessing this has something to do with just being out of my known environment. Somehow I will find a way through this one and come out the winner.

Today's food is mapped out. I begin with Keto Coffee. We bought a Coffee Maker a month or two ago and I am finding it brilliant. I grind my own beans and set it up so that I have at least 4 large mugs of what many people would call weak coffee. Then I get out the container that goes with my new whizz stick and get it ready with 30 gm coconut oil and 30 ml of unsweetened trident coconut milk. To this I add enough coffee to make 2.5 mugs and whisk it all together. When I remember I add a pinch of cinnamon. This keeps me satiated for hours. The remainder of the coffee I drink black and often cold.

For lunch I have developed a concoction of 50 gm Easiyo Greek Yoghurt, 10 gm berries, 50 ml cream and 15 ml cod liver oil. I only use Arctic Lemon flavoured and the yogurt seems to blend well with it. I am noticing the cream and find the colder this is the more palatable it is. Today I might add a few drops of fresh lemon juice and maybe even a little zest.  Easiyo is a brand of yoghurt we make at home using sachets. I am not sure whether it is the best yoghurt we could have but it works for us. I am finding that good plain Greek Yoghurt harder and harder to find on the SuperMarket shelves and Easiyo works every time. What is even better is that for some reason John has taken on the responsibility of making it so all I have to remember is to tell him when my container is down to the last serving.

Dinner is where I have variety. Last night I made an omelet with two eggs and cream filled with silverbeet/chard, parsley and parmesan. Today I am having mushroom stuffed with spinach and cheddar cheese with lots of butter and some olive oil. I also have some broth in the slow cooker. I have no idea how to work out the nutritional count so will probably not be counting it. John will have the meaty, veggie part and I will have the clear liquid.

Although the plan suggests you eat 5 x 200 calorie meals I find this a chore and am content to continue my normal pattern of Keto Coffee, 2 main meals and a snack. Yesterday my snack was a Fat Bomb made with butter, coconut oil and a dark chocolate bar. Today it will be a 25 gm  piece of cheddar cheese.

Because I believe exercise or physical activity is an important part of maintaining my health I am working at developing good habits around this too. I am so much of a couch potato that it's embarrassing. My excuse right now is that I am knitting John a jersey. Right! But I have much gardening to do and the cross-trainer sits waiting in a corner not too far from the TV. I am also supposed to be getting cycling fit for a rail trail ride in September. Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the cross-trainer and was pleased that I could do it so well. Will have another go today.

I need to rebuild healthy routine into my life. Trouble is, I do lose the plot when the pattern is interrupted for any reason.

My best plan is, get up and put on the coffee. Turn on laptop and record blood ketones, weight and blood pressure. Do the meal plan for the day. Blog, both reading and writing while I drink my coffee. Exercise. Whatever else I am working on whether it's gardening, knitting or reading. Dinner is around 5.30 - 6 pm and then the evening is spent watching TV. It sounds really basic and boring but believe me, I treasure the boring days. There are never enough of them.

And I guess that's about it for now.

I am interested to see how this works out in results.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

MORE ABOUT FAT FASTING

Today I came across this article written by Di Bauer. I thought the food ideas and recipes are very worthwhile so will refer to it often long with The Fat Fast Cookbook.

A comment made by Dana Carpender at Carbsmart


Jackie Eberstein, who was Dr. Atkins’ right hand for thirty years, says that when people have a lot of weight to lose and are badly metabolically resistant, she puts them on a rotation of five days fat-fasting, 2 days of Atkins Induction. They continue the 5/2 rotation until they’ve lost all they need to lose, or can’t handle it any more, whichever comes first.
I think the longest I’ve fat fasted without a break was 8 or 9 days. The longest I know of in a clinical trial was 10.


I am intrigued by this idea. I am really having trouble losing weight these days. The Fat Fast idea no longer freaks me out. I can do it without any adverse effects. It's not difficult or even unpleasant for me. A rotation of 5/2 rotation seems rather strict but I'm seriously thinking about giving it a go for the next 2 or 3 weeks before our world goes crazy again with hospital appointments and other stuff. It will be a good test and just maybe I can crack through the 80 kg barrier into a happier place. Currently I weigh in the vicinity of 80.5 kg/177 pounds. I really want to get under 70 kg/153 pounds ASAP. I'm tired of the way my body is messing around. I know I should be more patient but I want this period over. I know that losing the weight is only a small part of the picture but it's taking up too much of my energy. I want to put my energy into other things. It's not unrealistic for me to lose 1 kg per week or a minimum of 3 kg in a month. At that rate I could be very close to 70 kg by the end of September or at least by the end of this year, allowing for stuff that is already booked in.

Another thing I have become aware of is that I probably have a chronic yeast infection. This could be why my scalp is not healing from the scaliness that is far more than dandruff. It is hideous. Recently I noticed it was much worse on the days I missed out on coconut oil. I think I read somewhere that coconut oil is helpful in healing yeast infections. If that is so Fat Fasting just might bring about some health benefits. That would be awesome.

Today I am not seriously Fat Fasting but ....... It is close to dinner time for us and all I have consumed today is coffee laced with coconut oil and coconut milk. I have begun to prepare plain Greek yoghurt, to which I add cod liver oil, a few berries and some whipped cream, and that will be my dinner today. If I'm really hungry I have some cold pork and a green salad in the fridge but today could be as good a day as any to begin the 5/2 rotation. I think I can do it without upsetting John too much.

Watch this space.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

UPDATE JULY 4TH

May 1st

My goal over the next 5 weeks is to stay in ketosis. I am increasing my calories to 1250 and relaxing my macro ratio to 10% carbs, 25% protein; 65% fat

I hope to lose another 3 - 4 kg in that period........

If I don't stay in ketosis or lose at least 0.5 kg per week I will change things toward my modified fat fast.

The above ratio seemed to be working but ......


May 8th

This is easier said than done.

My Modified Fat Fast took place between April 18th to 28th. Since then I've been all over the place. Some days in ketosis other days I chose to eat desserts or higher carbs and calories. My weight loss has become unstable over the last week and I see that as a direst result of eating desserts and increasing my carbs. I'm doing something rather drastic today and eating low cal as close to 4% carb; 6% protein; 90% fat. Hopefully this will put me right back into ketosis and I will feel more lively.

Eating those desserts certainly lowered my mood and I had to struggle with some grumpiness. I was also 3 kg up in weight this morning. I know that's not real weight but it is a warning sign. It could settle on me so easily. I won't have that and unhealthy as it might seem in some people's eye's I am on  a Fat Fast closer to Dana Carpender's version for today and maybe tomorrow depending on my ketone reading.

I can eat at home for the next 4 days. Sunday, Mother's Day, might be another 'off the charts' food day but I'll take more care and hopefully avoid dessert. It will help that I am doing the Mother's Day 5 km walk with Jane and friends.

JUNE

Somehow I managed to maintain my weight loss through May and when we left for two weeks in Christchurch I weighed the same as when I finished the Fat Fast at the end of April. A few days after returning, I found myself up 2 kg and struggling to get back into the routine of tracking.

This coincided with South Island and North Island celebrations of my 75th birthday. Far too many excuses to indulge in desserts.It took me a few days to pull out of this slump.

I ended the month with three days Fat Fasting. This time I chose to go with 1000 calories with a ratio of 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fats. This went well. I felt good and lost 3 kg so that I was able to show a loss of 1 kg for the month.

JULY

The last few days have been a bit up and down. One thing I know is that I feel so sluggish when I eat too much. It pays me to keep track of the total calories and staying under 20gm carb certainly feels more comfortable. But I miss veggies. It is a learning process to make the most of veggies with the lowest carbohydrate count. The last three days worked out like this.....

Tuesday:- Calories 1632

  • Carbs 28 gm
  • Protein 82 gm
  • Fat 137 gm
Wednesday:- Calories 1345
  • Carbs 36 gm
  • Protein 53 gm
  • Fat 111 gm
Thursday:- Calories 918
  • Carbs 13 gm
  • Protein 36 gm
  • Fat 82 gm
I feel good tonight and was not hungry during the day. I will go to bed without eating anything more except maybe a couple of almonds. Last night was a different story but that may have been because I did not move enough during the day because I spent too much time knitting.

The thing that continues to amaze me is that I am keeping the weight off. I have been working at this weight loss thing fr 18 months straight. That has never happened before. The amazing thing is that not only do I have the will to continue but I am determined to do so.

And it is comparatively easy. 

I don't enjoy the long period of slow weight loss that looks too much like a plateau for my comfort.

I am hoping that as I continue to work to stay in nutritional ketosis that I will lose weight on a regular basis again.

I am thinking of doing a three day Fat Fast toward the end of each month. It's a routine that would help me to stay in nutritional ketosis ling term.