Edited Date/Time:
Going "keto" has been life changing for me. And others here have asked for some help so I thought I'd start a thread for anyone with questions or who has struggled to "kick" sugar.
I've coached a LOT of people thru the process. So far, everyone that has followed my steps has succeeded. The success rate is mainly due to the fact that I've identified and worked on how to overcome the underlying hurdles we all face when trying to get healthy. I have focused heavily on the mental aspects of goal achievement as much as the nutrition plan itself.
STEP 1: DONT CALL IT A DIET
First and foremost, living healthy is NOT a diet. It is a lifestyle. Diets typically fail. And while lifestyles are hard for most to change, the terminology is important as it sets you up for what you're actually undertaking. Getting healthy affects pretty much every aspect of your life and that includes personal relationships. From how you socialize to how you spend your free time. If a person is not ready for the sometimes radical changes that a lifestyle adjustment brings, they simply are not ready to get healthy physically or mentally.
STEP 2: WHAT IS KETOSIS?
Ketosis is a completely natural metabolic state of the human body. At the core, it’s about burning fat for energy instead of sugar. It's important to understand that humans, for better and worse are OMNIVORES. Which means we can metabolize both carbs and fats for energy. Due to the ease in which carbs/sugars convert to such quickly accessible energy, if both macronutrients are available, the body is going to take the path of least resistance, which is the sugar. (For the sake of this discussion I will be referring to anything that converts to sugar as sugar, such as wheat/corn/beans/rice/starches/alcohol/carbs/etc).The ability to find energy sources from two very different types of macronutrients is a great survival mechanism in times of famine where we need whatever we can get our hands on. Carbs are high in calories and cheap. But let's face it, we are not living in times of famine. When there is an abundance of sugar available, as is the case in the American diet, the body stops burning fat for energy entirely and just stores it. Meanwhile living on sugar for energy. This is an either/or situation. The body gets used to one way and expects it to stay that way. The energy spikes from sugar are quick and fleeting. Often tricking the body into thinking it still needs more calories and thus why we get "hungry".
Everyone you know is addicted to a substance that they cannot go a day without. In fact, they need their “fix” multiple times per day. From what I've researched, I believe this drug causes the majority of our American culture’s health problems. And the industry that profits from this drug has done a incredible job for the last 70+ years convincing the American public that it is safe while also telling us the enemy is fat. That drug is sugar. Insulin helps our metabolisms to regulate sugars. For many around the world, they are genetically predisposed to being unable to regulate this process. And even for those who do not have a problem, they can create insulin resistance after prolonged periods of too much carbs in their diet. A good read on this is here: https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-insulin-resistance/
What happens in the absence of sugar? The body produces ketones which are basically the breakdown of fatty & amino acids for energy. The switch from being sugar dependent to fat adapted can take some as many as 4-6 weeks. My wife just did the flip in about 11 days. And we know this because we bought "ketone strips" home tests at CVS and tested our ketone levels.
So how does this deviate from previous fad "diets"? If it sounds similar to Atkins or Paleo, that's because it is. I tried both to decent results. In fact, I got great results from Paleo while living in Europe. Not so much while in America. The reason is the flour is not the same over there. GMO is banned for starters, and Europe does not permit the use of glyphosate to desiccate wheat (we use it America in our meats, wine, beans, and flax). In Europe the lectins are naturally removed from flour when you use traditional methods such as yeast or sourdough. Yeast and natural bacteria are great at breaking down gluten and other lectins. Paleo is the same in principle in that it too asks you to get your body into functional ketosis. I like Paleo because it demands that you eat no processed foods, which is a great thing. But where Paleo (and Atkins) missed the mark is they never really stress how important fats are as an energy source. And they lean way too heavily on protein. Too much protein will easily cause a insulin spike because your liver will process excess protein into glucose (aka sugar).
This program is all about HIGH amounts of fat, MODERATE amounts of protein, and MINIMAL amounts of carbs.
For me, based on my size & weight that works out to about 25 grams of “net” carbs per day. For reference, the average American eats no less than 200 grams of carbs per day. And try if you may, but there is no evidence to prove that carbs are a essential nutrient to sustain a healthy life. Carbs are nature's "backup plan". And never were intended to be a staple of any healthy human's diet.
STEP 3: WHY PEOPLE FAIL
Why do most people fail nutrition changes? I have identified the 4 main reasons:
The Weak - They cannot handle the lifestyle change. Be it via peer pressure or from society constantly telling them to do otherwise, they fold and fall back into their sugar addiction. Sometimes it can be our own family members that cannot handle the drastic changes we have made for ourselves. Getting healthy can make others around us very insecure about their own shortcomings. The backlash can be hard to deal with and in some cases, if your close ones are not supportive, it can cost relationships or cause relapse.
Sugar Addiction - For some, the withdrawal symptoms can be quite rough. I've helped a LOT of people quit their sugar addiction. Extreme cases puked violently on days 2-3. Kicking sugar is no different than any other drug addiction. There's a huge mental component to it (comfort foods) but also a very real physical addiction that can lead to headaches, vomiting, fatigue, etc. For some, the pain of the withdraws is too much to take as it can last up to 6 weeks in rare cases. Most last 4-6 weeks. Everyone I've helped on this were past the symptoms in about 10 days.
The “Short Timers” - Let's say your family does not drive you nuts with complaints about your new eating habits. Let's say you kick your sugar addiction. Now you have hit your goal weight & body fat % so you think it is time to relax. If you are not prepared to continually track your caloric spending & intake every day, you are asking for big trouble or a relapse. Because we can no longer just manage our energy use with subconscious reminders to go eat every 3 hours when the sugar withdrawals kick in. It is very easy to have problems if you are not tracking your calories, fiber, and micro-nutrients. If you're not getting enough sodium or fats in your system, you're going to have trouble performing. Your body will start taking muscle away to compensate if there is no fat on your body or in your diet. You will not be running on all cylinders, and likely will blame it on a lack of carbs rather than on your own mismanagement of your body's caloric intake. Ask yourself how many times you have heard someone say “that lifestyle did not work for me”. No wonder they failed. Because the proper mentality is to ask “how hard did I work for that lifestyle”. That goes for ANYTHING you try to accomplish in life, be it a job, relationship, your children, or your personal health. Did you work for it? Or did you simply expect it to do the work for you?
The Weight Loss Motivated - If your motivation for starting a new program of any type is to lose weight, we can stop right here. I can guarantee you will fail because EVERY person I’ve helped that simply wanted weight loss has failed (whereas everyone else I’ve helped has succeeded, and lost a ton of weight in the process). Weight loss is not a long term motivational goal. Because once you reach your goal weight, what is it that will keep you motivated? Losing weight is simply a nice byproduct of a healthy LIFESTYLE change. Keeping that in perspective is integral to your success.
STEP 4: HOW TO SUCCEED
So how do you succeed where the others fail?
Make sure your family is supportive. A man can't do much in this life without a good wife at his side. My wife was fully on board because she knew how frustrated I was with my weight and after she saw my immediate results, she jumped on board herself. WHILE BREASTFEEDING OUR NEWBORN. (side-note: all babies are born in a state of ketosis). Another side-note, since changing our nutrition, children become much more emotionally stable. We've been closely monitoring the baby’s weight and vitals and they've only improved since my wife kicked sugar because her breast milk now has a higher fat content than before. Ketosis is KID SAFE and has huge benefits to their behavior and immune system.
Battling the sugar addiction withdrawal symptoms (aka "keto flu") is not easy but it gets easier if you can keep a few things in mind:
- accept the fact that every time you are hungry, you're not actually short on calories, you're going thru a minor sugar withdrawal
- drink a ton of water (mix in some sea salt as your body will be purging itself of a lot of excess water storage and that costs you a lot of salt as you sweat it out)
- eat lots of fats (avocados, cheese, dairy, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, bone broth)
- take a multivitamin
- relax and do not go to the gym until the symptoms subside, you will be tired as your body is tired from a lack of sugar and not yet burning fat for energy
- stay occupied so your mind isnt thinking about food
- in a pinch, treat this like a hangover and go eat the greasiest burger patty (with cheese) you can (no bun of course), it will do wonders
Do not go below 1500 calories per day. In fact, dont count calories at all. Make sure you are eating as much as you can and that it is all fat heavy foods. I know this sounds counterintuitive but shorting yourself calories will only make the keto flu symptoms worse and increase the chances of relapse. Do not worry about burning fat, your body will do that on it's own once it's made the switch.
The hidden secret - FIND YOUR MOTIVATION... for everyone, I expect this to be different. For me I started this because I wanted to lose weight, but by day 3 all the back pain, pulled muscles, joint inflammation from years off sports abuse, THEY WERE ALL GONE!!! My motivation in that instant switched from losing weight to never wanting the chronic back pain from inflammation again. Maybe you simply want to avoid cancer. Yes, cancer feeds off of sugar. The list of issues caused by sugar is extremely long and if you want a good book to read on it, I suggest this one: "The Case Against Sugar" by Gary Taubes. Whatever the case, you need a real motivation! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/the-case-against-sugar-gary-taubes/1123624154/2660020441870?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_New+Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP211463&gclid=CjwKCAjw7IbaBRBqEiwA6AyZgt57kACQJx5uV1FtD94kzKmmUGNELV8OPlSGG5lM2m3nXx037evbIRoCN5QQAvD_BwE
The point is, FIND YOUR MOTIVATION and it must be something tangible. It cannot be "for you kids". Because let's be honest, your kids are going to love you whether you're healthy or not. All they want is your time & love. There is no true accountability. And on a subconscious level, you know that. So it's just not a great motivator. It's noble, but for whatever reason, I've yet to see it work real well. On the flip side, I've seen some of the most shallow motivators get results. How many millionaires has this country created that were the nerds in high school that just wanted to be rich so they could get laid? Shallow... yes, but it's a motivator that you can touch-taste-feel ... aka TANGIBLE. Just like my back pain. So find something tangible to motivate you. It's the single most critical mental part of this process.
STEP 5: LET'S GET STARTED
So now, let's get started...
Get a Apple Watch (or equivalent) and wear it religiously so that we can keep a close eye on your exact caloric output every day
Set-Up the Apple HealthKit app on your iPhone, input the following:
- Age
- Height
- Weight
- Lean Body Mass (just google an online calculator)
- BMI (the app automatically calculates this, just hit the “+” symbol, then “add”)
- Body Fat % (I will calculate this for you)
- Waistline (measure at the belly button, no flexing)
Download the MyFitnessPal app to your iPhone and set up a account in the following order:
MyFitnessPal will ask you a series of questions about your goals
- starting weight
- current weight
- goal weight (this is determined by setting a healthy body fat %, every male should aim for 15% and female 20% as that is pretty much the natural state of the human body without training)
- activity level (it will use this to give a baseline determination of how many calories it thinks you should eat on a given day, don't worry, it adjusts for you as your Apple Watch syncs and notifies the app of any workouts or elevated heart rates)
On the bottom right of the home screen click MORE > GOALS > Scroll down and click CALORIE, CARBS, PROTEIN, and FAT GOALS, set to the following:
Carbs - 5%
Protein - 20%
Fat - 75%
Link your Apple HealthKit App to MyFitnessPal by allowing it to write data (go back to your Apple Healthkit App and Click SOURCES > MyFitnessPal > TURN ALL CATEGORIES ON)
MyFitnessPal will automatically pull your current weight from your Apple HealthKit data
Watch this video (I have a ton more reading materials, recipe websites, nutritional guides, and videos... just ask and I'll send them your way)
Now track everything you do for a week. I do not want any change in your diet or exercise routine. What I want is to get an idea of where you are at currently. And for most people, I want to see if they even have the discipline to track everything. I nerd out on this type of stuff and when I have a goal Im obsessive over it so I never miss tracking a meal. I find treating my body like a science experiment a fun thing but hey, that's just me. For the highly motivated it only takes them about 3 days before they get sick of looking at the high numbers of carbs in their diet and they start making adjustments to their eating habits on their own.
STEP 5: TIPS
Addiction Withdrawal…
- Be very patient. You will feel tired until your body has fully adjusted to being fat adapted. But trust me, as long as you keep your calories up, you will be able to perform better than when you were on carbs full-time once your body has adjusted.
- There are ketone drinks that are very helpful during the first month at giving you ketones and getting good electrolytes into your system. The product I recommend is “Keto Rise”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079G26KD4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lmBnBbC2W0XG8
- During the first 2 weeks you should do your breakfast meal prep the night before. Hard boiled eggs and cooked bacon store well in the refrigerator. They are life savers in the event that your sugar withdrawal symptoms leave you feeling too sick to cook in the morning. But you need to eat thru the process. Preparation is key.
Estimated Schedule
Days 3-6 ... Flu like symptoms from sugar withdrawal will hit the worst
Days 7-10 ... General fatigue
Day 11 ... Increased energy and mental clarity
Day 21 ... Your body should be in mid ketosis stages, producing plenty of ketones
Day 30 ... A ketone test should reveal full ketosis, No more carb cravings, Begin training again, moderately with weights
Day 90 ... Full athletic performance should return, Goal weight / body fat % should be obtained, Calorie & nutritional maintenance is at a premium
Fats…
- Fats are your friend, especially saturated fats. Never mind the lies the wheat & sugar industry have spread. The "four food groups" & "food pyramid" are scams to get people to eat cheap calories.
- Get yourself a good FAT BOMB recipe. My wife has one for these blackberry fat bombs. They're about 450 calories per serving and taste delicious. Pure energy.
- CAVE SHAKES are great as both a meal replacement during & after the withdrawal period: https://www.amazon.com/CAVE-Shake-Ready-Drink-Chocolate/dp/B07G3KNCBP/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1533865082&sr=8-3&keywords=cave+shakes
Proteins…
- Fall in love with steak again. It has a ton of good fat in it. So eat it guilt free. Along with bacon, bison, fatty fish, and any other meat high in fats.
- Be careful with white meat. It’s very low in fat and not nearly as nutrient dense as fish or red meat. You can easily throw off our protein ratio by eating too much chicken for example.
- The human brain is more than capable of running on ketones as a primary energy source. The remaining glucose needed for optimum brain development/function will be pulled from your excess protein consumption. Again, carbs are not only a poor source of glucose, but a unnecessary one thanks to the gluconeogenesis process of your liver.
Carbohydrates…
- Vegetables typically have carbs BUT since they are carbs from fiber they do not count, thus the term I used earlier, "net carbs". I don't even track my vegetable intake on my MyFitnessPal app because the carbs are from fiber and since fiber does not metabolize into sugar, it passes thru our system. Great for the digestive tract, and not harmful to our metabolic state. There are a few veggies that are high in actual carbs that you do need to watch out for but in general, eat as many veggies as you want/can as the micronutrients are essential.
- When to eat carbs and how much is a key component to both high performance and staying in ketosis. it should be done before and during intense exercise, and in moderation. That's when fruits are necessary. Stick to berries. Avoid high Glycemic Index foods. The key is to make sure that quick energy you eat is (1) clean and (2) burned off as soon as it is metabolized. That way you stay in ketosis. Think about it, in nature, humans ate berries as they found them while on long treks. Fresh off the vine and quickly burned off. Not to mention the fact that produce is seasonal by nature. Not something that humans ate year round traditionally.
Weight Loss…
- Cardio is not for fat loss. Total waste of time as it's extremely inefficient. Do cardio to get your heart strong for endurance events (if applicable). If you wanna build muscle and burn fat, weights are where it is at because long after you've left the gym the body is burning calories to repair the muscle fibers whereas with cardio the "fat burning" zone is difficult to even get into and is over once you step off the treadmill. (Ask about our training programs).
- If you are looking to burn fat faster, you want to keep your caloric intake at 1500 calories (+/- 100) during the weight lost period. In other cases you might be more interested in the health benefits of reducing inflammation in your body and avoiding all the cancer risks of sugar. Everything you do (exercise or diet related) must be tracked so that you can make sure you are not shorting yourself on anything. You're not gonna like losing muscle mass because you were unable to keep up on your caloric intake. Once the fat is gone, if you do not eat enough of it, the only thing left is your muscle mass. That is NOT a situation you want to be in.
- Intermittent fasting has many health benefits. But I really only recommend it once a person is already fully burning fat for energy. Getting thru the first month can be tough both mentally & physically so I feel it’s best to keep eating during that period. You’re already going to be losing weight at a rapid pace early on. No need to make things harder on yourself. Once fat adapted, fasting becomes so natural that you won’t even realize you’re doing it. Your daily intake will naturally start to look like:
Breakfast: Espresso w/ heavy cream
Lunch: 500-700 calories
Dinner: 1000-1300 calories
Safety…
- You will will encounter naysayers that claim staying in ketosis is unsafe. Read this blog post: https://ketokrate.com/is-the-keto-diet-safe-10-myth-busting-arguments-for-the-safety-of-ketosis/
- Carbs cause water retention. So by going Keto, you have switched your body to it’s more natural state of a water flushing system. That's where the initial 10-15 lbs of weight loss is going to come from, simply your body dumping all the excess water is was carrying around. Drink plenty of water to maintain proper organ function. I cannot stress this enough.
- Use Himalayan sea salt (on food & mixed in your water) to prevent your kidneys from wasting potassium to compensate for low sodium. Otherwise you may experience cramping.
- If you haven’t noticed by now, your liver plays a huge role in all of this. Think about that when considering alcohol consumption. It produces your ketones and manages your insulin. The liver is a vital organ and should be respected, not abused.
Staying on Track…
- Adding your food into the MyFitnessPal app takes about 2 minutes per meal. For a total of about 4 minutes per day. There is no excuse that this is too time consuming or a hassle. You wouldn’t guess on the oil you put in your car or the measurements of building your home. So give your body the same respect. 4 minutes per day is all it takes and you can do it while eating as easily as checking your social media. Tracking your food intake is the single most important physical step you can take to ensure your success in all of this. Prioritize it every day. Failing to use the app is guaranteeing failure in this process. By 90 days everything will be so habitual, the lifestyle change will be set & the app will more be a backup tool than a daily necessity. Im 9 months in and I still track everything religiously, but again, Im nuts. I dont expect everyone to be that OCD once this far along.
- Weigh-in only once per week (I do it Sunday mornings) and update all the Apple HealthKit body measurements. Take a pic of your body at this time as well. These pics are hugely important for when gauging results over time and usually are very encouraging, unlike the scale. Also keep measuring your waistline. These 3 different metrics will keep you encouraged as some will show progress while others dont.
- Get in the kitchen. Dinner prep will be some work, but so what. It’s only one meal a day and can be done while watching TV or better yet a great time to spend time with your family.
- Literally every food you love can be made with a healthy recipe. My wife made me pizza last night. She's figured out how to make almond flour pancakes (super high in fat) and later this week she's figuring out how to make a healthy jumbo soft pretzels because they were my favorite thing at ball games.
- Fat is efficient and slow burning. Which means it is by far the best energy source out there. But you will stop feeling hungry. You will skip breakfast most days (totally ok) and have to remind yourself of lunch. Which is fine. The meal you MUST eat is dinner and it should be the biggest meal of the day. Go big and guilt free.
- The most successful participants in this program I’ve helped asked the most questions, so ask questions, lots of them! I see it as almost as vital to your success as disciplined food diary logging.
- And lastly, have a support group. Success is much easier with a team. For me I was extremely motivated on my own but the person who turned me on to this still texts me a few times per week with videos & articles to read. In turn, I've been there for everyone else that I've helped as a sort of "pay it forward". So if you have questions, lean on me. I want updates. There's an entire culture out there working against us all to keep us unhealthy. The least we can do is team up to give ourselves a fighting chance against society's influence.
STEP 6: IN REVIEW
1. Accept the Lifestyle Change
2. Find Your Motivation
3. Use the App to track your Food Intake Religiously
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: A loser, poser, lame-ass. One who talks the talk, but could never walk the walk.
One who talks shit and doesn't back it up, but rather ends up eating their shit in return. A fuckin 'tard.
Usage: Slang
