Part 2 – My First Week on Ketogenic Diet

Part 2 – My First Full Week on a ketogenic diet

If you’re just jumping in to my journey, I recently started a ketogenic boot camp that will last for six weeks.

Part 1 is here.

The main reason I started such a strict, low carb diet, which I do acknowledge, goes against my belief that anything is possible in moderation, is to cut my sugar cravings. Over the course of several months, I started eating more and more junk food until it became a daily necessity. I’ve learned a few things about myself over the years of losing weight, and I knew I needed to go cold turkey on sweets.

So, here we are. Starting week two on a super low carb eating plan.

Week 1:

I feel like my first week was a surprising success.

Most ‘diets’ I’ve attempted, I’m starving throughout the day

Don’t get me wrong, I did get hungry, but that was usually because it was past the time I should be eating. I was at a birthday party and it went past my normal dinner time, so I definitely got hangry. Had I not been on this diet, I would’ve eaten pizza and ice cream cake at the party. I waited until I got home, made my dinner, and stayed on track. It was my most challenging day, that’s for sure!

My food options weren’t too restricted

Okay, so, yes, no carbs and no dairy are two pretty restrictive elements. BUT, my proteins were very flavorful. I had taco salad one night sans the shell, cheese and sour cream. It was still delicious. I had steak, BLT chicken, herb rubbed pork loin and more. I did eat a lot of eggs and I broke down and went to Costco a few days early. Costco carries a great selection of chicken sausages, salmon burgers, and meatballs that fit into my daily intake. VARIETY. Thank goodness!

I’m not much of a carb eater, so there were no carb savory cravings. Sweets, though, I missed them so much. I had one day of BAD cravings, but that was a day I just didn’t want to eat, and my calories/fat/protein was way below what I should be eating and that’s probably why I had such strong cravings for sweets.

I’d say no sweets is my biggest dislike of this diet, but here’s the thing. It’s been a week. That’s it. It feels like it’s been a year. I really want to have a sweet treat once a week. For me, that’s great moderation. I realize that my junk food intake and cravings were WAY out of control. This way of eating is a good thing for me right now.

I kept my electrolytes under control

One thing that scared me most about this way of eating was the emphasis on electrolyte balance and succumbing to the ‘keto’ flu, flu like symptoms that knock you on your butt. Wednesday I didn’t pay attention, and Thursday, until lunchtime, I felt like I’d been knocked on my butt. I had to alter my crossfit workout because I kept getting lightheaded during burpees. So, lesson learned. I take magnesium supplements and I have this salt water drink twice a day to get in my sodium. Thankfully, I get enough potassium in on my own.

I lost weight and inches

I lost 3.9 pounds and 7.4 inches in week one and in my book, that is a success. I’m not fond of the required daily weigh in because I’ve worked so hard to break my addiction to the scale as a mode of success. But, for the boot camp, it is required, so I’m doing everything. I had to work hard not to get discouraged when the scale jumped one day.

My Bank Account is Happy

This way of eating is not conducive to eating out. In all actuality, most healthy eating is quite the challenge if you are going out to eat frequently. I have not gone out to week in a week. Not a cup of coffee, nothing. Nothing!! This might be a record for me, and I see no change in this pattern anytime soon. So, sticking to my food budget is much more simple right now.

Week 1 Summary

Overall, following the parameters hasn’t been as difficult as I worried about. I still have several concerns about food options as the weeks progress, but I’m constantly looking for new ideas. Since I’m not allowed to have dairy during these weeks, it’s a bit more of a challenge finding options that work for me. And I will be looking for a keto dessert to enjoy sometime this week.