The Return to Keto Progress: Week 1
Results, keto flu report, and a recipe for peanut butter pie
Ah, the return to Keto. They say the first week is the hardest. I restarted Keto about a week ago and since Medium rewards us for putting out a large volume of articles, including short form, I’m going to include little progress reports here as a way to keep track, and maybe it will benefit a few readers.
When I’ve restarted Keto in the past, I’ve often started with an egg fast or with doing a super strict clean version of Keto that user @ketochix on Instagram calls her “Keto Reset”. Previously, the reset by @ketochix has helped me get over stubborn plateaus but it is intense and you need to be in full ketosis before you begin because she cuts out extra fat to make sure your body is actually burning fat.
This time, however, I couldn’t stomach an egg fast and I couldn’t stand the thought of doing the @ketochix reset, it’s too restrictive. So, I’ve begun again but this time using plain Keto ingredients in moderation. The usual stuff, a few eggs for breakfast with a slice of bacon and maybe an ounce of cheese with one cup of coffee with HWC. I don’t have lunch most days but at the beginning of the week, I think I did eat lunch a few times. Dinner is usually a moderate amount of protein, mostly chicken and sometimes beef. Often there’s a salad involved, but you don’t need another article outlining the basics of Keto.
Results
I think that my starting weight was 96kg which is nearly 211lbs! I haven’t been that heavy since 2013. Now, I say think because 96kg is what I have on a doctor’s report from July 24 and I began Keto again around August 11. I have no reason to believe that I would have dropped weight between late July and early August but I’m sort of surprised by how much I’ve dropped this week.
This morning I weighed in at 92.4kg or 203lbs, meaning that in my first week of Keto I dropped nearly 8lbs or 3.6kg.
That’s an incredible first week for me especially considering I’ve used almond flour and alcohol sweeteners this week, something that often causes stalls. I know a lot of the weight loss could be water as well.
General Morale
At the beginning of this week, I spent a good amount of time going back to the basics and reviewing old Keto influencers that I followed previously. A favorite of mine is Go Keto with Casey on Youtube. Casey is sort of a keto motivational speaker. She does very little in terms of talking about what she’s eating and basically posts videos where she stands in her kitchen and talks about her mindset. She’s from North Carolina and doesn’t mince words. Something she said in a video recently was sort of what helped me get through the week-
“If hunger is not the problem, food is not the answer”-Go Keto with Casey
She also talks a lot about how food doesn’t fix feelings.
I’ve never been a binge eater and I’ve never wanted to consider myself an emotional eater. But thanks to the journals and notes I have from the last four years of watching my weight fluctuate, I have to admit that when I’m stressed I gain weight. Watching Keto bloggers like Casey is something that I find to be helpful to stay motivated.
Overall, I’m feeling optimistic.
Keto Flu and Cravings
I took magnesium and some supplements the first day or so but haven’t been consistent. Today, I feel exhausted and I think I’m getting hit with the Keto flu which isn’t good because I’m supposed to drive at least 10 hours tomorrow to go house hunting in another city. This afternoon I’ve taken some magnesium, and I’m hoping that will help. I’ve also made sure to keep up with my salt intake to replace what’s being flushed out and I’m trying to eat enough vegetables and avocado to replace my trace minerals. I did have a case of the Keto stomach one day this week, but nothing out of the usual. Mostly, I’ve felt clear-headed and incredibly alert, which is a sign that I’ve entered into Ketosis.
Favorites from this Week
A favorite keto treat of mine is peanut butter pie, which is frankly so simple to make that I don’t use a recipe, although you can find tons online.
Ingredients
crust
almond flour
butter
stevia
Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
Filling
Heavy whipping cream
stevia
vanilla extract
cream cheese
peanut butter
unflavored gelatin
The crust is simple enough and you can find other recipes that are similar with measurements online. The filling is something you assemble in two parts by first whipping the cream with stevia to form stiff peaks. Then, in a different bowl, you want to mix the cream cheese and peanut butter. Once finished, you fold these two together, taking care not to knock the volume out of your dessert. I sprinkle on the gelatin in the end and fold it in to make the whole thing firm
Instead of making a thick chocolate ganache for this peanut butter pie, I simply used a dusting of dark cocoa powder on the top and one layer of it in the middle in the style of how you do when you make tiramisu. The goal of Keto is to lose weight, after all. If I were to make this for a dinner party, I’d probably add the ganache and crushed peanuts or something fancy.
Unflavored beef gelatin is something that I often incorporate into my diet on Keto
Gelatin is made from pure beef collagen and has a unique blend of amino acids which are very helpful. In addition to being good for nails, skin, and hair, I’ve read that gelatin contains the amino acid glycine which is helpful to aid sleeping. You can read more about the health benefits of gelatin here.
This is a simple salad with arugula, romaine, cilantro, mint, red peppers and a homemade Thai keto peanut dressing. It’s something I’ve been craving for ages but next time I’ll try to hunt down lettuce or spinach as the arugula was a bit bitter for this flavor profile. Also, no Thai basil where I live.
Until next week.
-Lavender
PS, this is part of a series. Find the first post here.
You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.
If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.
