One week under your belt … and less inches under your belt, too!
Following a strict keto diet, you will track everything that goes into your mouth. Focus on consuming whole foods only; no processed foods or treats.
I encourage you to try doing a 9-hour eating window on your strict keto / macro tracking days. Not necessary, just beneficial! Refer to the Intermittent Fasting post for more information.
If you need access to the weekly eating plan, click here.
Refer to the Recipes – Week 2 post for some great keto-friendly recipes.
This week, the following topics will be addressed:
When I first started keto, I was scale-obsessed. I weighed myself multiple times a day. (This is how I know that weight can fluctuate 2-5 lbs throughout the day). Now, I weigh myself once a day; every morning as soon as I wake up. (Even doing a once-a-day-weigh, fluctuations can occur).
All of our lives, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the numbers on the scale indicate if we are losing fat or not. What we need to realize is that the scale doesn’t show us all of the other positive changes occurring in our bodies. Additionally, fat loss is definitely not a nice, smooth linear process; particularly when following the ketogenic lifestyle. That aside, why shouldn’t we always rely on the scale?
Many people lose a fair bit of weight when they first start keto. For the most part, this is water weight; water being exerted from your body as you restrict carbohydrate intake. Every gram of glycogen (coming from carbs) is stored in our bodies with water. As you introduce more fats to your body and remove the carbohydrates, you will experience water loss and this causes your weight to drop quickly.
When following a ketogenic lifestyle, it is very common to see the numbers on the scale drop very quickly and then come to a complete stop. Keto people call this a plateau. This is totally normal. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t losing fat. In fact, as your body adjusts to this new way of eating, you may even gain some weight. But, this doesn’t mean that you’re gaining fat.
As an example, here is a screen shot of my first month on keto. Look how quickly the weight dropped. Also look at the fluctuations.
Here are a few more reasons as to why we shouldn’t measure our success by numbers on the scale:
The key takeaway message here is not rely too much on the scale!!!
There is a good reason that I asked you to take ‘before’ photos. There is also a good reason for you to take your measurements each week. In many cases, your clothes may fit better but the numbers on the scale haven’t moved. This is where photos and measurements become extremely important. Don’t rely solely on the scale.
If yu notice that your clothes are fitting better, maybe getting a little loose, yet the scale still isn’t moving, this is fabulous news!!! It means that your body composition is changing; you’re losing fat and building muscle at the same time. 5 lbs is 5 lbs, whether it be feathers, bricks, or – in this case – fat or muscle. The difference is due to density.
Notice the photo below (from Enlightened Health and Fitness). 5 lbs of fat on one side of the scale and 5 lbs of muscle on the other. They weigh the same – 5 lbs. But notice how the fat takes up more space than muscle. This accounts for why your clothes might be fitting differently, but your weight has remained this same. If you find this happening to you, don’t get frustrated. This is the ideal situation – celebrate!
Do not give up if the scale isn’t going down every day … or is staying the same … or even going up. If I had given up every time my weight plateaued or if the numbers went up, I’d still be back at square one. I did enough research to know that plateaus and small gains are common, so I persevered. As an example, here is a screen shot of my weight 7 months into my keto journey.
Rather than rehash that which I have already written, please make sure that you read the following post: The Difference Between Total Carbs & Net Carbs
The menu for next week is anything that falls under the strict keto umbrella. You will carefully log and monitor all of your macros and calories. You can follow an optional 10-hour eating window, fasting for 14 hours each day. Remember, fasting is recommended, but optional.
See the post entitled: What Is Intermittent Fasting? How To Do It?
Are there other Mommas you know who might enjoy this post? Share by clicking one of the icons below.
Mommas supporting Mommas!!!