Week #6
It’s going to be an ‘egg’-cellent week!
Lame, I know.
Reminder ….. referring back to the egg fast information from last week, you will eat only eggs, butters/oil, and cheese from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday, you will return to strict keto and track all calories and macros. Keep in mind last week’s information about transitioning off the egg fast.
Refer to the Recipes – Week 5 post for some great egg fast recipes.
And, be sure to check out the Recipes – Week 6 post.
This week, the following topics will be addressed:
I’ve told you a few times that I lost my first 30 lbs really quickly. I began my keto journey shortly after the initial covid-19 lockdown. I work in the education field and was one of those people who worked from home from March through to the end of June and then had the entire summer off. I was living in sweatpants and shorts. Essentially, I went for about 5 months without seeing anyone that I would typically have seen on a regular basis. I saw my family daily, but none of them noticed that I had lost any weight. It didn’t make any sense to me. 5 lbs down. Then 10. 15. 20. Before I knew it, 30 lbs was gone. No one said anything. When I returned to work at the end of August, I put away my shorts and sweat pants and pulled out my work clothes. Low and behold, they were way too big!
I’ll never forget the looks on my co-workers faces – and their comments – on my first day back to work. They were stunned. Suddenly, my weight loss was evident …. It seemed like this happened overnight. At this point (perhaps because I was no longer walking around daily in ratty old short and sweatpants), my family began commenting about my weight loss.
So what happened???? Why were the numbers on the scale dropping, yet I didn’t appear to be losing any weight? I attribute this to the whoosh effect!
Although it is often reported that the whoosh effect happens after you hit a plateau, my whoosh effect was delayed – 2 ½ – 3 months into my journey. The weight was dropping, but my body wasn’t showing it … my fat cells were hanging on tight to every drop of water. They finally gave in and … BAM …. they shrunk right down and my weight loss was evident!
Be mindful of the whoosh effect and don’t give up. Even if the scale doesn’t seem to be moving and you feel that you look exactly the same, something crazy (the whoosh effect) may be working its magic, unbeknownst to you!
The keto police are alive, real, and always on duty! These are, for lack of a better descriptor, those people who are 100% strict keto and cannot understand why anyone would opt for anything else than whole, 100% keto-friendly foods. They shame you when you reveal that you have been known to eat 5 Russel Stover’s sugar free pecan clusters in a single sitting – “You do know that those are sweetened with malitol, don’t you???? You should not be eating those things!!!” They criticize your food choices and have zero problems telling you that what you are doing is wrong. Then they tell you what you should be doing. Have you joined any keto Facebook groups? This is where many of the keto police hang out. I have seen some incredibly rude and condescending comments made by the keto police in Facebook groups. Ignore the keto police. End of story.
You’re not losing weight, yet doing everything right. What is going on????
Here are some common mistakes that people make on keto:
Remember, divide your body weight in half and this is the minimum number of ounces of water that you should be drinking each day. As carb (and fat) stores are depleted from our body, water and sodium are also lost. Drink more water and be sure to keep your electrolytes up!
Without keto-friendly foods on hand, a plan for what you will be eating each day, and groceries to make meals, it is incredibly easy to make poor food choices that can not only kick you out of ketosis, but cause you to gain weight. Always have keto foods (snacks) on hand and plan your weekly meals.
This is obvious. Everyone’s macros and daily calorie count will be different. Follow yours, not someone else’s.
It’s human to under-estimate how many calories we take in each day …. or how many grams of fat, protein, and carbs. Use your tracking app to stay on track.
Vegetables are good for us! But, not all are keto friendly. Even those that are keto friendly contain carbs. It can be easy to justify consuming a ton of lettuce, cauliflower, or other healthy veggies. But, we need to be mindful of the carbs that are in these.
In week 3, we talked about the importance of reading labels and understanding how rounding works with labelling laws. You may be over-consuming those hidden carbohydrates.
Protein keeps us full and aids in weight loss. Make sure that you are reaching your daily protein macros.
Remember, fat is a lever that does NOT necessarily have to be met each day. It is designed to keep you full. Dairy products are typically high calorie foods. Try reducing your dairy intake (my weakness is cheese – I always have to be mindful of how much cheese I am eating each day).
Intentionally undereating in order to cut calories can often backfire. Although calorie reduction is key to weight loss, cutting too many calories can send a ‘starvation’ signal to the body. The body will hold onto fat cells in anticipation that it is being starved.
In the preparation week discussion, I presented you with some visuals of acceptable and unacceptable keto sweeteners. Try to adhere to those lists. Also be aware of the fact that sugar substitutes trigger that same sugar ‘reward’ in your brain that real sugar does. This can lead to cravings and, if we succumb to them, we can stall, get kicked out of ketosis, or gain weight.
Sometimes, we can get so caught up with counting calories and adhering to macros, that we forget about the importance of eating high quality foods.
When we’re stressed, our cortisol levels rise. High cortisol levels affect our hormones and can lead to weight gain. Stress signals our bodies to release cortisol, which is stored in glucose. This can cause our blood sugar levels to rise, making our cells more sensitive to insulin. The glucose then stays in the blood stream making it harder for our bodies to produce and use ketones.
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 9-hour eating window, fasting for 15 hours each day. Remember, fasting is recommended, but optional.
See the post entitled: What Is Intermittent Fasting? How To Do It?
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