Attractiveness: The Keto Nutrition – Week 1

As I write this first diary entry I am finishing week 1 on the keto diet lifestyle. I don’t think the weekly updates will be forever. Maybe the first month and then I shall do them monthly. As I said in my previous entry (The Introduction can be found here)this is more of a diary for me to document changes, feelings and any weight loss etc. If you want to know more about why I am doing this Keto thing then check out my introduction.

So how was the first week on the Keto Diet Lifestyle?

Actually it was a lot better and easier than I thought. I have done numerous diets/eating plans/lifestyles in the past. I think I even documented Paleo on here. My issue with most was… Well, they were boring! Paleo = VERY BORING FOOD! Dukan = 2 Weeks of hell/constipation! Weight Watchers = Results were poor as I didn’t eat enough! In fact the only diet that ever worked for me was the original Red/Green Slimming World one and that was only following the rules my friend told me. I never attended a class or meeting. But this food wise has been really good and easy.

If you want me to say one thing I really hate about the Keto Lifestyle is the weighing! I weigh not just my stuff but Mark’s too. To say it’s a faff is an understatement. So I’ve bought new Sistema storage pots etc to store things in so I’m not weighing everything multiple times a day. Also for those considering this diet, DIGITAL FOOD SCALES are a must! You’ll thank me later.

Side effects?

I’m sure this is the one most people are interested in. The first full 3 days all was well. I didn’t have any cravings, no side effects or anything else. On day 4 constipation hit for 2 days. This wasn’t fun but not especially uncomfortable. Day 5 and 6 bought me the complete opposite. I’m sorry I won’t wash over this delicately. If you want that, you are reading the wrong blog! It wasn’t diarrhoea but it definitely wasn’t normal poop! I have also had mild stomach cramps on and off for days 5 and 6. Again this has more to do with needing to go for that no.2 there and then and not hanging about.

FREQUENT peeing! See we are going through all the bodily waste here! If you don’t like having to get up to go to the loo frequently then do not do this diet! I probably go once an hour? Maybe more? For a wee I mean.

On day 4 I started to experience what I feel may have been mild Keto Flu. I ached like crap, felt shit and my head was all over the place. I hadn’t been sleeping well since day 4 and kept waking. So there was some sleep deprivation there too. This went onto Day 5.

I had a feeling I might be lacking something, so tried to eat more things to help with my electrolytes (Is that the right way to put it?). I took in more water. My sodium count was already decent. But other things lacked. I already take a decent Multi Vitamin (Plus a Hair and Nails one), so added a Berrocca to my day too. This actually really helped! In fact I have been taking the Berrocca 3 days now and have noticed the Flu like symptoms are pretty much gone. I’m still a little tired (Still waking middle of night like I’m ready to start my day at 1:30 then 3, then 5….), but its all tolerable.

I think those are all the bad side effects I’ve noticed.

So what’s been good the for Week 1 of Keto Diet/Lifestyle?

Ah the good bits. Well, the first thing which is a bit random is my mood. Generally I’ve felt, happier. Calm. Content. I’m not saying I’m a miserable bitch, but I do get very irritable. Especially if I’m not sleeping (Today has been a VERY irritable day as everything that could go wrong did – but alas I’ll get to that later in this post). I think this is a placebo effect? Maybe it’s the lack of gluten/carbs/sugar? Either way my mood has definitely been lifted.

I’ve noticed also Mark wasn’t snappy this week. Usually first few weeks of a diet he is a miserable arsehole! It’s ok, he knows I think this. But it’s been like having the normal non diet Mark. In fact at times he’s been a lot more cheery and more his old Twenty something self (And that was a fair while ago for both of us!).

Energy… The day before the Keto Flu like symptoms appeared (Day 3 I think) I had a ridiculous amount of energy. I walked to the shops (Something I don’t do very often). It was great to get out, just on my own. Obviously the Flu then kicked in for a couple of days.

Since then my energy levels have been decent. Even now I’m a little tired but I have done all my house work already, made lunch, done 2 washing loads plus washed and dried my hair. That’s a lot for me to do in 2 days sometimes, but I got it all done in a morning. And I’ve wrote 3 blog posts (Well, 2. I’m still writing this one). My hands are a little achy but doing ok. I’m a little tired, but I feel focused. This diet is definitely doing something with my mind and energy and I like it. I feel a bit like the old me pre illness and that makes me happy.

The food. As I type this I have just finished my lunch. Today I had a mushroom, spinach, cottage cheese, cheese omelette (Now thats a long title huh). I’ve included a pic. I don’t really do fancy Instagram pics, again if that’s what you want this is the wrong blog. It was super tasty and I am super bloated after! This was my own made up recipe but this week we have had some AMAZING dinners. Lucky for you I bookmark these things so I can make them again. To show how not boring this lifestyle can be, here are 3 of my favourite dinners I’ve had this week including links to the authors websites…

Keto Fajita Chicken Casserole

Cheese Mexican Taco Skillet

Kristie’s Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

There is also the normal things you see on Keto people have. Like Bacon and Eggs. Yesterday we had Sausage and Eggs (Make sure sausages are gluten free and high % of pork!!). We have a lot of salads for lunch with meat or fish. Breakfasts have been interesting. We struggle to find things we actually like. So have opted for Coffee with Double Cream (Yes you read that, real dairy double cream!). So all in all its been good. Yes we’ve had NO sugar like goodies.

We did have some fruit earlier in the week. But the carbs are so bloody high in it, I’d rather have some cherry tomatoes or an extra piece of cheese which is a lot lower. We eat a lot of nuts too. At present its been Brazil Nuts and Walnuts. This week we have some Almonds and Brazil nuts again.

One thing I will say, this lifestyle on Keto has really opened my eyes to all the things that do contain carbs! Having done Dukan and Paleo I was quite knowledgable when it came to Gluten/Grains/Pulses etc. But the things that have carbs and high carbs that you think are good for you is scary. Apples anyone?! Fruit mostly has a lot of carbs and natural sugars too.

I do miss bread but my body isn’t screaming for it. Nor crisps which have always been my weakness. So, 1 week in and I’ve not slipped up once! Nor has Mark I should add and I’m super proud of him.

So have you had mad weight loss?

Ok, every diet you do the first week seems to get the best weight loss right? Mark has proved this by weighing himself yesterday on Day 5 and finding he had lost 13lb! Yes 13lb! He couldn’t believe it! So I am immensely proud of him. Now I tend to weigh myself in kilos and up until day 4 had lost 2kg almost. So 4lbs is fairly ok with me. But then things went awry. 

I’ve always had issues with our bathroom digital scales. The are on a flat tiled level floor. However, I can weigh myself and get one weight. Repeat this action and get another. So general rule of thumb I weigh myself twice at a time on them. I don’t know why they do this. But I generally keep going till I get matching figures. I know daily weighing isn’t good for you, but when on a diet I’ve always done this. They aren’t cheap scales I should add either and are around 4 years old with a new battery replaced December time.

So Day 5 I get on them to find I’ve only actually lost 1kg this week? WTF! Today I got on them to find this week I had only lost 0.5kg! Then it changed to 1kg and then to 0.3kg! By this point I was going potty. The scales would not make up their mind. How much did I weigh and how much had a I lost. Was my starting weight even relevant?

I have stuck to this diet completely all week. 100% No cheats. I’ve weighed everything. I’ve even tried to be a bit more active. Walking about more and have got my average 3000 steps a day to about 4500-5000. I have had NO GLUTEN. Last time I cut gluten alone I lost 7lb in a week. So honestly wtf is going on?

To say I’m disheartened is an understatement. Then after that everything today that could go wrong did. I come downstairs to a destroyed knocked over plant thanks to the twins (Kittens I should add). And another in my kitchen (Not sure who the culprit is there). I clean those up, do house work and then come back to find Sam (Cat again) had knocked over the dried biscuit bowl and my nice clean living room now had bloody cat biscuit everywhere! So, yeah day went to shit.

I jumped on Amazon and looked at other digital scales with good reviews. Found a set (These ones link to an app and do all sorts. I’ll give them a go!)and have got them coming on Same Day delivery. So they should arrive tonight. So on the start on Week 2 tomorrow I will weigh myself. I am hoping I have lost at least something compared to the figures I’ve had this week and will go from there.

I’m pretty sure I have lost weight. I can feel it in my jeans (I got into my black ripped New Look Size 18 jeans comfortably yesterday which I’ve not been able to do up a few months ago. In fact I haven’t wore them frequently in nearly 3 years!).Although this diet for me isn’t about weight loss but more health goals, I did expect to lose at least 4-5lb my first week. Still we shall see what the new scales say.

I’m not giving up though due to the shitty scales. I feel good, better. If this is how I feel just a week in, imagine how I will feel a month in? If that isn’t motivation I don’t know what is!

-Mel x