Keto Comes Early

Keto - Week One in Review

Alright so a bit of a change in schedule / plans. Instead of waiting until Aug 29th I decided to begin my Keto journey on Aug 7. There were a few factors in this decision but when it comes down to it I was mentally prepared and ready to go. I will post below some information with a breakdown of my first weeks macros - percentage of fats , carbohydrates proteins. The first week went really well. Within just 3 days I had a feeling of being "cleansed" . Now I don't belief in cleansing or detoxing and juice diets and all that stuff but reducing carbs and all the sugar and fructose that is contained in my normal diet definitely feels very good. That being said historically I always feel good the first few days of starting a new nutrition plan.

How am I Doing Indicators?

 

Feeling of well being- Excellent

Weight Change - Week One Start weight 206 lbs
                           Week One Finish weight 198 llbs


Endurance, Strength and fatigue levels - The first 3 to 4 days I definitely noticed a performance drop during the very beginning of my training sessions. However this was only the first couple of sets / minutes and once I got into my usual "zone" everything went well. Yesterday (Sunday Aug 14th) was my back training day. Next to leg day, Back day is usually my most grueling and longest workout. I maintained my strength levels and actually was feeling so energized I added  additional volume to my session.

Hunger Satiety - Not much of an issue. I have kept my eating patterns the same and am averaging 2400 - 2500 calories.per day. My stomach feels empty (not hungry) but that is good because often with higher carbs I feel bloated. 

Cravings- I did not experience any sugar or carb cravings.

Muscle Cramps - Some muscle cramping in biceps and upper back during the first 3 to 4 days.

Sleeping - I do find my sleeping a bit more restless so far although I find myself waking up early and refreshed.

Frequent Urination
On average I drink approx 1 gallon of water daily.
Normally when I am sleeping well I may take 1 trip to the restroom overnight or in the early morning.

After the first full day of going Keto I took about 6 trips to the restroom and about 4 trips each evening after. . This means my body is burning up the extra glycogen (stored glucose) in my liver and muscles. Breaking down glycogen releases a lot of water. As your carb intake and glycogen stores drop, your kidneys will start dumping excess water.
When going low carb high fat one needs to make sure sodium, potassium, magnesium and electrolytes are kept up.

I anticipated this possibility and have been taking  magnesium supplements . I am eating plenty of avocado  which is extremely high in potassium so I am not too worried but I have potassium on hand if needed. I am also monitoring my sodium intake and it is between 3 grams to 5 grams per day which is right where I want it to be. I have also added MCT oil  supplement an or medium chain triglycerides. More on this in a followup post.

Next Steps

I still have some very minor adjusting to do to tighten up my Macros. I need to get my fats to 70 % and keep my carbs as close to 5 % percent as possible. I will just need to swap a few grams of protein for fats. It should be dialed in by the end of week Two.