Keto: Week three
A week of excellent energy, plenty of walking . . . and dealing with the feelings around a disappointing check-in.
The stats
After three weeks on keto:
| Stat | Starting | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting blood sugars | 6.8 mmol/L | 4.6 mmol/L |
| Weight | 246lb | 237lb |
| Waist | 49" | 47" |
Thoughts and feelings
This was a really mixed week. I felt great, my blood glucose remains awesome, and I had enough energy to go for a couple of decent walks (there's no such thing as a flat walk in my area, so some nice steep hills to get my legs working). However . . . one pound lost? And weirdly an inch regained around my waist? I'm not too worried about the waist measurement (I'm not sure I'm very precise with the tape measure) but the weight hurt. I know it's normal for weight loss to slow down, and with my calorie deficit I was only expecting 1-2lb a week, and of course weight can vary based on water retention, and hormone. But I thought might get a little longer with faster losses.
But the flip side is:
- My aim was 1-2lb a week. I know that slow and steady weight loss is a better idea.
- I also know comparing myself to people on Reddit is a really bad idea.
- I've skewed the stats by doing a very low calorie diet for a couple of weeks before starting keto: I will have shifted a few easy pounds, and might not have been carrying as much water weight as normal, before I even started.
- And I've been saying from the start that this needs to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet.
So the plan:
- Get off the forums. They were helpful at first, but now they're just stressful.
- Check in next week, then switch to a monthly check-in.
- Accept that it may take a couple of years to reach a healthy weight. Let this be something that happens in the background, not something I obsessively push.
- Lay the foundations of long-term change: come up with a small list of recipes I can rotate endlessly, and start consistent exercise sooner rather than later (I seem to have ample physical energy, so there's no reason not to get started).
On a happier note: walking!
I'm finding myself with tons of physical energy, actually wanting to get out and walk. A few pictures from Wednesday's walk.
It feels great to have energy - to want to get out and move.