Experiment 1: 3 months of Keto
Why Keto? Why 3 months?
What really attracted me to this diet is the fact that it’s supposed to change the fuel our body burns. From glucose to fat. Is it possible? I have heard for a long time that we need glycogen to be able to function, burning fat instead sounded impossible. And I like to at least investigate the impossible…
The first idea was to do it for a month, but after that it was clear that 3 months (a quarter) wouldn’t be that hard. So why not extend it?
This experiment was conducted from April 3rd to July 3rd 2017.
First step, research
Where could I get information about this thing? I remembered I have a colleague who’s been doing that for more than a year, and talked to him to understand the basis of it. Apart from that, youtube and wikipedia were my friends. I also rented That Sugar Film, that gave an extra incentive to cut down sugars to zero.
It’s interesting what you can find on these resources, because there’s always gonna be someone passionate about [add any topic here] and someone bashing it. I tried to be impartial, but knowing someone who has being doing it for a long time, who’s still alive and who I trust the opinion biased my judgement, for sure.
Second step: don’t do it alone
I’m lucky to be married to a person who is open to try out these crazy experiments, because It’s possible do crazy diet experiments while in a family, but I can imagine how hard that would be.
The hardest part: adaptation and Keto Flu
The first day of Keto was ok. We’ve been having black coffee with coconut fat for a couple years (since after a guy at a conference told me it was a good idea). Eggs, bacon, avocado… that’s a very good breakfast, actually.
The first difference is reading labels when buying food. I usually did that maybe 20% of the time, now I was doing it for every single item. It’s interesting to observe that most food we consume contains some form of sugar.
Then after 2 or 3 days, I started to observe withdraw symptoms. Sugar cravings and extreme fatigue were the most impactful, after 7pm I just wanted to crawl to bed and didn’t have energy even to speak. It was horrible. Based on what we’re exposed in pop culture, I felt like giving up a very addictive substance. And I don’t believe it was psychological only based on what I was physically feeling at that point.
I was also consuming more fat than I should, I now believe, because I was being nauseous consuming coconut fat, which is something I actually like (maybe full spoons of fat wasn’t such a great idea)
Came the second week. And after 7pm, you couldn’t count with me for absolutely nothing. For 3 days, then…
The miracle
Ok, that was too much. Was not a miracle, but it felt like it. I woke up feeling normal, actually better than normal, like the last week hadn’t existed. Felt so good that I started to resume normal activities, like biking to work and even running, that I haven’t done in some time. The first results amazed me. I was biking faster with less effort, and was able to run without knee issues afterwards. I also ran (by mistake) 7k, something I didn’t think was possible. How do you run 7k by mistake, you ask? By misreading your running App.
After that I’d say was smooth sailing. Sugar cravings were gone, got used to only eat dark green vegetables, drink only water, loads of olive oil.
The first 30 days
After the first month mark, was actually easy. You don’t feel hungry at all, due to the fat consumption, found out that once you don’t eat sweets, normal food starts to taste sweeter. We’ve bought a scale for the first time ever, and the first month saw the biggest decrease in terms of weight, most probably water weight. Was already taking supplements (Potassium, Magnesium, B complex) and eating habits are not hard to keep once you overcome the first weeks hardship. The mind is the challenge though. What I was thinking (and saying) before the first month is that after 30 days I’d buy a melon and devour it at once, then cycle like a maniac to burn it. When I got there, why not extend for 3 months, I thought? Was not that hard. Sleeping was a little challenging, usually woke up multiple times or slept little hours. But that might be the effect of European summer as well (long hours with daylight).
Creativity in the kitchen
When your main challenge is food, food centric you become. We subscribed to many youtube keto channels, and were watching recipes of keto bread, cakes, etc. Result is that Karin (my wife) started to experiment with almond and coconut flour, with delicious results.
The benefits after 2 months
I don’t believe that weight loss is a benefit per se, but the fact that you feel lighter is a benefit. I could be more active with less effort, biking to work was a breeze, I was running more often, something I didn’t do since I was 15, eating different was not a challenge. To give an example, we were able to go to a barbecue in a friend’s house, just didn’t eat the bread, brought olive oil, sparkling water and a dessert that was 3g net carbs.
It’s interesting to note that it’s not the same effect for everyone; my wife started to feel the need to reintroduce some simple carbs in her diet and felt better after doing it. I kept the keto because it was working for me and the experiment would last only one more month.
And after 3 months?
8.5kg thinner, I started to think I was becoming too slim (and so my wife). But the benefits were clear: less bloating, more active, more focus, less distracted. More conscious about when/what I eat, reading more labels and not eating anything just because.
Some new habits: lactose free cappuccino, no sugar at all at home, grains are a thing from the past, as well as pasta. I ate a pizza to experience it, my conclusion is that pizza is overrated. Also ate a hamburger once, was delicious, but probably would eat once a quarter. Ate some bread and even a little pasta, but really don’t miss it.
Now I eat a fruit once in a while, but realized that if I indulge too much on it the effects are not that good.
In general, I’m more careful with what we buy at the supermarket, and always prefer to eat dark green vegetables. As of fruit, avocados are my new best friends. Also, in case I’m not hungry, found out it’s best not to eat, instead of eat something.
So… 3 months, not even a single cheating day?
I’ve read about this cheating days thing, but I really didn’t want to go back to keto flu state, so I just kept the diet. There were 4 ocasions that I consumed more carbs (and even sugar) though. 3 ice cream scoups in 3 months, one day that I wasn’t feeling well, felt that I needed fruit, and only ate fruit that day.
There was once that I bought an yogurt that I used to drink before, and after 2 gulps started to feel a rush… checked the ingredients, was loaded with many types of sugar, that I had no idea. Stopped there.
So considering those 4.1 episodes in 92 days, still feels a pretty decent experiment.
And now, what’s the plan?
Well, I can say a ketogenic diet is a transformative thing. I don’t drink soda anymore, sugary drinks or even fruit juice because of sugar contents. It’s just too sweet. Sugar in general feels excessive, and consider this comes from a guy who used to think something too sweet only when the roof of the mouth was burning or peeling out due to too much sugar.
I’d say today my diet is ketoish. I eat carbs in very low amounts, and prefer simple carbs, instead of refined or processed. I read labels with more care and prefer to ingest better quality food than just anything.
Those behaviors, I credit to 3 months of keto. Now I’m doing something called intermediate fasting (16/8) and my meals are more and more keto than not.
The conclusion is that carbs are really not necessary (for me, do whatever works for you). Still love watermelons, but eat a slice from time to time, instead of the whole thing. Grains in general don’t work anymore, and I believe I’m more considerate in terms of the sheer amount of food I consume.
So, the result of the experiment is that my dietary habits are more conscious, better and healthier (in my opinion).
Worth a try? I believe that everything you do to know yourself better and change habits for healthier ones is worth trying.
Did I prove that it’s possible to change the fuel source from glucose to fat? I believe so, because for 3 months I kept the daily level of net carbs below 30g. Based on the effects I believe that it’s not only possible, but better and healthier as well. Will I keep a ketoish diet going? I believe so. The habits were changed and I really don’t see a way to go back to the old ones.
This experiment is closed.
