The Perfect Keto Ratio...

For the past 8 months I have been following a fairly strict Ketogenic diet.  I have been sticking with it pretty consistently, and really not cheating much at all, but I still have not had much success.  My experience thus far has been disappointing.  I lost two pounds the first week.  Then gained one back,  Then lost 2 pounds again and gained three, etc...This is the pattern I have been accustomed to.  Every time I gain anything I get disheartened.  My doctor has been working with me diligently to come up with good ketogenic ratios that will actually allow me to lose weight.

This past week seems to have been a turning point.  This week I have lost between 1/2 to 1 pound every day.  I think I have finally found my perfect Keto ratio.

This is currently what is working for me:

Protein 80-100 grams
Fat 90-100 grams
Carbohydrates 25 or less
Calories:  1300-1550

It is interesting that previously when I was following keto ratios from the same calculator, it suggested I should be able to lose weight at a moderate rate of 1-2 pounds a week at 1800 calories, 60-70 percent fat, and 5% carbs I did not in fact seem to lose much weight at all.  So, at my doctor's suggestion, I took another look at my ratios and re-entered the info.  I changed my profile to "sedentary" instead of "lightly active." I do walk every day at least 6 days a week-- 5-6 miles (and some days as many as 10-11), but at work I am primarily at my desk the whole time.  This put my ratios to what you see above.

Cutting my calories back to around 1500, seems to have really helped.  When I was testing this out, I tried to keep my ratio as close to 1300 as possible and plateaued after a couple of days.  So my sweet spot seems to be around 1500 calories.

I know I am totally over-analyzing this, and I know that daily weigh-ins are not a good indicator of how you are doing, but I like the feedback--and I want to know myself and figure out what works best for me.  When I started, I also took measurements for future comparison.  Like anything else, a ketogenic diet needs to be highly personalized in order to work for an individual.

I have changed several things about my diet overall.  One of the first things I did was replace the cream I have in my coffee every morning with unsalted butter and added a tablespoon of coconut oil.  In the past, coconut products have made me gain weight, but the research really suggests that coconut oil is very good for you and I wanted to include some in my daily diet.  I started off with 2 tablespoons, but in order to keep my calories down, I cut it to one tablespoon of coconut oil, and two tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter.  This is a good flavor ratio as well--I mix the coffee with the butter and shake it in a covered container until it is melted and incorporated.  It seems to blend well, and doesn't leave a filmy oily layer on my coffee! (yuck!).
I have also made an effort to only include organic veggies, and pastured or grass-fed animal products.

In order to keep my protein levels adequate, and not go overboard on fat, I also have to lessen the amount of added fats I use, and cut back on the fattier cuts of beef and lamb.  This means I must eat leaner cuts of meat.  If I were to stick to getting my fat and protein in the appropriate ratios from strictly meat sources, I would have to cut out the added fat in my coffee entirely I think.  I may do that later, but for now I like the shot of energy in the morning that the coffee gives me, and the way the fat helps to modulate my hunger in the morning.  I have cut out most of the added dairy in my diet, although I do have a dip for raw veggies that I make that includes about 1 tablespoon of pastured sour cream--I tend to have that on week days.  I take a lunch with me to work that includes a couple of ounces of lean protein, or three hardboiled eggs and up to 1 cup of raw low carbohydrate veggies like celery, cauliflower, cucumber, etc...I usually try to wait as long as possible to eat my lunch so that I don't get too hungry in the afternoons.

So far on this plan, I have not experienced nausea or the absence of hunger.  But it has only been a week--the non-hunger might kick in soon.  As an experienced ketogenic dieter, the nausea has never been something I have experienced really except for maybe a day or two.  For that matter neither has the non-hunger that people talk about.  I am hungry, but not desperately so--It is not markedly different from the hunger I experience from fasting.  I am basically fasting from 8pm to around 12 or 1pm the next day.  I expect that the hunger will go away as I adapt to these ratios and as my stomach adjusts to the meal plan.

So when I look over what I am doing, I see that I am following a very paleo-influenced ketogenic diet with a strong fasting element which allows me an effective calorie control strategy.  I expect to follow this for some time, and will try to report back each week...