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My Experience with Ketogenic Diet
Nutrition | August 13, 2015
I recently followed the Ketogenic diet (click on the link to learn more) for over 6 weeks and I wanted to give you guys my honest opinion and an overview of my own experience.
It wasn’t my first time doing Keto, however it was different from the first and second time I tried it. They say 3rd time is a charm, and it sure was this time around. Our bodies are really good at adapting and the more you do something, whether it be exercise or diet, your body becomes better and more efficient at dealing with the situation. In this case, I have noticed a huge difference in the rate that my body adapted to the high fat diet and using fat as a main source of energy, in comparison to my past 2 trials. It felt like my body was telling me: “oh, are we doing this again? I remember, and I can do better this time”. It took me only 3 days to get into Ketosis, however I was really diligent and followed strictly the jump start rules, I have posted for you guys.
The entire adaptation period took about 10 days, which is quite fast. Some people take as long as 3 weeks. These were the stages of my transformation to a burning fat for energy:
The first 3 days I was peeing every 10 minutes like a 4 year old, and had to drink a lot of water not to become dehydrated. Some people experience headache during this time, but I was ready. I was drinking a lot of water, had salt if I started to feel tired (mostly in the form of home made chicken broth), and I supplemented with Pottasium and Magnesium.
After the first 3 days I have already noticed an increase of energy that lasted the entire day. I didn’t feel like I wished I could take a nap during the afternoon, and despite how busy I was, I didn’t feel overwhelmed (we were in the process of moving into our new home, and I have a lot going on with my book, supplements, clothing line, ZGYM, etc.). I noticed my body started to appear slimmer, because my body was no longer retaining water. I have also noticed I didn’t feel any stiffness in the mornings, and my flexibility had started to increase noticeably. The only problem was the lack of strength I felt during my workouts. After doing a single push up I felt like like I had already done 20 reps. It’s the weirdest feeling to feel exhausted like that after doing a beginner-style workout, when you know you’re in really good shape.
I did not have cravings for carbs or anything sweet and I wasn’t experiencing hunger the way I normally do. Not that I normally starve or something, but in Keto I was just not hungry for hours on end. I had to remind myself to eat.
During the 2nd week my frustration with strength and endurance continues, however I am slowly seeing an improvement. I exercise daily so I notice even the slightest change in my performance. After 10 days, my stamina was back to where it was when my body was using glucose as the main energy source. That’s when I knew my body had finally adapted and it felt amazing. I was utilizing all the fat I was eating to generate energy for my brain and muscle activity.
After the first few weeks, besides having more clarity and having a constant flow of energy, from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed (which I expected), I was taken by surprise when I got my period and didn’t have any cramps! Normally I suffer 2 days every month from really bad to sometimes debilitating cramps that I can’t deal with. This time however, without taking pain killers, I had no cramps! Even though I did notice my energy was lower, I didn’t feel as exhausted as I normally do during this time of month.
I went off Keto after 6 weeks, after we moved to our new house. I didn’t stop because I had some uncontrollable cravings but because I just simply wanted to enjoy my glass of wine in the evening watching the beautiful sunset from our new back yard, I wanted to enjoy a bowl of cherries while sitting by the pool, and I wanted to prepare delicious salads with juicy peaches which are currently in season. It’s just the romantic in me that wanted all those things.
I believe the Keto diet is an amazing sugar detox and it’s worth trying especially if you need that sustainable energy throughout the day. This is helpful if you need to be really focused on important projects for your job or school. Fat has been proven to be a far better quality fuel than glucose and even though it’s not as widely spread news yet, you are going to hear more and more people turning to Ketosis mainly for health and energy purposes.
Remember, you have to give yourself at least 2 weeks for a complete adaptation. Some people left comments saying that this diet can’t be healthy if it makes you feel like a crap at the beginning. Well, that’s not true. Remember, that your body doesn’t like change. If you have ever recovered from an addiction to any harmful substances like cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, you may recall the horrible feeling of withdrawal. Your body was not happy, when you tried to quit, you felt horrible, and this is exactly why so many people have a hard time quitting the unhealthy habits. Sugar is the unhealthy substance you’re trying to quit, when you go into Keto. Of course it’s not going to be pleasant to go through sugar withdrawal. I used to be a chain smoker, believe it or not. I remember the headaches, anxiety, moodiness and constant coughing each time I tried to quit. I gave up a few times and the cigarette made me feel good again. How is it possible that I didn’t feel better instantly when I stopped smoking if it’s so much healthier for me not to smoke? It’s because our bodies hate change which makes any adaptation period uneasy to deal with.
After 6 weeks I stopped doing Keto and went back to earning my carbs with my workouts. I’ve maintained that lifestyle for almost 8 years and I’ve felt great and have gotten great results. Although there were a lot of benefits to being in ketosis, you have to be very strict and I don’t think it’s for everyone, all the time. It’s fine to detox for periods of time but I personally prefer to control my carb intake and enjoy the foods I love on a regular basis. In a sense, I’m a carb addict that controls her intake. I’m all about owning it, instead of living in denial. I believe I can stay fit and healthy following this lifestyle and live a very long life.
Unless, I get some horrible disease like cancer, if that happens I’ll go back to ketosis long-term. Research shows that cancer cells can survive only off of glucose and that Ketogenic diet has the capability to starve those cancer cells and heal people. I’m wondering why this information is not spreading already like a wildfire… If giving up sugar can actually save your life, why aren’t there more programs out there and information to help people do it? Oh wait, are those expensive cancer treatments making a lot of money for the big companies? That makes sense then, let people use more drugs and put them through chemo rather than letting them know that there’s a more natural and completely holistic solution that might save their lives. Here’s a great article about Dr. Fred Hatfield who had only about 3 months to live before he got introduced to Ketogenic diet and starved those cancer cell f**kers. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would instantly stop eating carbs and sugar if I was diagnosed with cancer. I mean, that’s a no brainer, right?
Private Member |
lodz, poland
great piece of information. Thank you,Zuzka for sharing. I’ve been waiting for your feedback. I’m definitely trying to go on Keto when the fall comes,when the only local fruit in Poland is apples ( most of hazardous factors that could make me quit the diet are reduced, hahaha).
PS: I have one more question about Earn Your Carb approach,which I’ve followed for months: how do you decide if the product is low or high in carbs? I know the obvious: starchy carbs,grains.But what about some fruit or veggies: melons, carrots,beets,pumpkin? I have no idea how to decide if the given product could be eaten before or after the workout.For example: I check the pumpkin’s content and I see it has 1,3 g of protein, 0,3 g of fat and 7,7 g of carbs per 100 grams. Is it still a low carb veggie? I have no idea 😀
If you could help with all this math,it would be awesome 🙂
Xo,
Magda
Private Member |
québec, canada
Magda, I’ve found a while ago that using the G.I. (Glycemic index) is helpful.
You can find listings of fruits on the internet and the ranking of each respective fruit on the index. This can give you an indication of the most sugary fruits and those that are more low in sugar. 🙂
Sorry about my English that may look weird. I’m a French canadian to begin with. Hehe!
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
Hi Zuzka,
thanks for sharing your honest feedback. Uterus being a muscle too, I am not surprised that it did react also differently during your periods, as it is basically contracting during those times.However I understand it is a surprise as we wouldn’t expect it to be like that.
Have you read the Bulletproof Diet ? I have just started and it looks promising….the inventor of the bulletproof coffee that you drink 😉
In our western society, doctors just FIX things, they are not nutritionist and that makes me MAD!
We are lucky nowadays to have the internet and all infos flowing to us more easily (well…good and bad infos, unfortunately) so it is sad to say that we have to make the effort to look for the information. We should not rely on what our doctors will have the goodwill to tell us.
I never consulted a nutritionist, so I don’t know what they are worth. I am afraid they would tell me about food pyramid, ha,ha!
Private Member |
I really roll my eyes when people do not read the whole article and start arguing about “facts” that Zuzka never said LOL.
Private Member |
I agree about the theory which says that cancer feeds off sugar, but I do not think that simply changing your diet and cut off sugar will heal you completely. This diet is not wildly known for having the capability to heal people because it does not work with everyone (but it is out there for sure)…
At present there is no ultimate method which can cure cancer apart from knowing that chemo destroys the cells for sure – both cancer cells and the healthy ones. Unfortunately I had a few friends and family member who passed away before their time because of cancer and trust me, they have tried everything. All of them were different in age, lived a different lifestyle, diet etc and once cancer stepped in, they all started to experience with different diets, cures, injections, medicines whatever was out there including those mythical rip off miraculous healing stuff which circulated at that time and actually some of them are still out there…(which i find absolutely disgraceful but that is another story). The experience also included giving up chemo and going on strictly by keto diet and “positive thoughts”…. Unfortunately none of them had a chance to beat cancer…
We are all different even though our genetics are similar and unfortunately because of this we can not consider one or two or hundred success stories as the ultimate solution for beating cancer… and about the expensive cancer treatment conspiracy part. In my opinion pharmaceutical companies would make significantly bigger money selling the treatment cheaper available for the mass of people instead of selling it expensive to “some” privileged people who can afford them… but it is my logic only
On the other hand the diet definitely sounds interesting and the recipes are great, but for me it might be a little too strict. Since I quit gymnastics – where I counted calories for 10 long years – I promised myself that never ever follow an extreme diet where a) need to count anything e.g. calories, fat, carb, sugar intake etc… or b) cannot enjoy occasionally my little pleasures without feeling guilty or breaking the diet… (Belgian beers, good red wine, quality dark chocolate etc. just to name a few 🙂 but who knows maybe at one day I will try this out… Tbh that painless period part is extremely intriguing, I would love to experience one…
Private Member |
I agree. I for one, appreciate information such as this that Zuzka takes time to explain in depth. I have been on keto for a few weeks and love it so far. I plan on coming off for holidays as i believe a little break from such a strict diet will be good. Thank you for this information Zuzka. Ive trusted your workouts to get me in awesome shape and make me feel good, they have. I trusted your yoga routines and therapy to help with my injuries and flexibility, they do. And especially when it comes to diet, its hard to get accurate information, but Ive always trusted your advice ,and thank god for you! 🙂 You CLEARLY know what you’re talking about. Thank you! 🙂
Private Member |
Hey Zuzka!
Question: Have you heard of the Carb Nite diet and the Carb Backloading diet, created by John Kiefer? Essentially, they are cyclical keto/low-carb diets, and with Carb Nite you get a carb re-feed in the evening every 7th day and with Carb Backloading you get a carb re-feed after a heavy lifting session (which I guess is what you basically do with your “workout earned” meals!). Just wondering if you have heard about these diets and what your thoughts were.
Private Member |
I similarly tried Keto, strictly, for 6 months. I definitely experienced the increase in satiety and went loooong periods without eating. However, over time, I did gain weight and an increase of inflammation. My joints hurt more, my face became puffy, my HIIT workouts suffered as well as you dont have the explosive energy from glucose. Before going Keto, I was vegan, believe it or not. I am 6 months back on my high carb, mostly raw vegan diet and I feel SOO much better. I slimmed down, have explosive energy, little to no inflammation in my body and feel ever so hydrated; Keto made me feel very dehydrated. I absolutely agree with your cancer outlook, as I too read many articles and watched many videos which supported Keto in curing cancer. Cancer is BIG business as is disease in this country. BIG business! We have sick-care not health-care in America and oncology brings in billions. Another topic of concern, just as a side note, is any diet that highly promotes protein. Slaughter houses are another big business. Buying high quality, farmed meats is so important to good health and nutrition if you’re going to consume meat. Spend the extra $ for sure and support the local farmer who personally cares for the animal he puts on your table. The whole food chain benefits; meat is simply not just meat anymore.
Private Member |
Good on you Zuzka for highlighting the sugar/cancer research. I wonder too how many people may still be with us today had their care providers discussed nutrition as a cure. Was it not Hypocrites himself that stated ‘Let food be thy medicine”? Far too many people rely solely on allopathic methods and don’t take the holistic or whole approach to healing. Mind, body and environment all play factors in our health.
Private Member |
Zuzka thanks for sharing your keto experience. Many people do cycle into the keto lifestyle once or twice a year. Yes there are so much research done on how keto actually starves those cancer cells by low levels of glucose in our cellular environment.
Private Member |
Though I can’t do keto long enough to go into ketosis (I’m assuming), I will say that minimizing my carbs 6 out of 7 days a week does show. I like that I feel like bloating and flab on my tummy. I feel tighter. And I don’t crave carbs and sugars.