It’s one ‘working’ week since I started my second diet roadtest for 2018, and needless to say the past five days have not been my favourite.
If you’ve been watching on my Insta profile (@heymel.fitness) you would’ve seen a little of what I’ve been eating on this diet – basically, all the fats, some of the proteins, and just forget the carbs.
A quick recap of what my menu has looked like for the past five days (breakfast, lunch, dinner):
The good things:
- Batch cooking – ie, the menu plan is devised so you can do all of your meal prep for one week in advance.
- I’ve had to cut out all of the sugary crap I’d started eating again (thanks to the permanent lolly jars at work).
- I like cheese, and there’s a lot of it.
My biggest gripes thus far:
- I’m REALLY missing my green veggies, especially broccoli and such.
- After avoiding most dairy products for quite some time now, I’m having difficulty adjusting to eating all the cheese and cream that’s in these recipes.
- Difficulty finding snacks to eat that allow me to stay under the macro limits for carbs. Quest bars are coming in handy at least. And cheese. And eggs.
- I’m not sure whether it’s related, but I have been having issues sleeping, which is rare for me. The last couple of nights I’ve woken up in the wee hours with my heart racing … I’ve heard it can happen, but again, no proven link.
- Difficulty in choosing food I can eat when I’m out and about.
- I WANT CHOCOLATE.
Here’s a quick snapshot of my macros from a couple of days this week:
What’s happening to my body?
Apparently at some point either in the next few days or in the next few weeks I should enter ketosis, where my body will essentially start using more fat for energy given my carbohydrate stores are depleted.
I’m keeping in mind the following:
- I don’t have a gall bladder, which will make it more difficult for my body to break down all the extra fat I’m eating – as such, I’ve started having apple cider vinegar with some of my meals to assist with digestion. However, I’m not going to be stupid about this – if I start experiencing any issues as a result, I’m calling this thing off.
- I train a lot, usually at least twice a day, so I really need the energy, and without the carbohydrates right now I’m feeling more fatigued. I’ve read that regular exercise can help speed up the ketosis onset, so I guess there’s that.
Having said that, I was talking to an acquaintance on the weekend who is super fit and healthy. She trialled keto a while ago and never reached ketosis. Never. Even after weeks of eating like this. Let’s just say it wasn’t much of a confidence boost to hear that.
So, how will I know if I’ve reached ketosis?
A blood test, or I can pee on a stick.
I’m yet to do either but once I do, I’ll update y’all on whether or not this is working.