My Keto Journey - Part 6 - Week 4

Day 22 - Weekend Bake day!

I do like to bake, and play with new ingredients or new ways of thinking about food. Today though was a good old fashion Vanilla Cheesecake. A Keto Vanilla Cheesecake. 

Keto Cheesecake

• 1 tsp Natural Vanilla Essence
• 0.50 cup(s), Truvia
• 0.67 cup, Almond Meal

• 375 g, Soft Cheese, Full Fat
• 2 medium, Egg (Medium)
• 86.00 g, Nuts, pecans
• 75 g, Butter - Salted

Crust: Melt butter, mix in pecans and almond meal. Add in a little Truvia to make it nice and sweet. Pat into 9" cake pan.

Cheesecake: Mix eggs, cream cheese, truvia, and  vanilla extract until creamy. Pour on top of crust.

Bake at 180 d for 20-25 minutes or until it is firm. Chill in freezer for an hour or two or leave in refrigerator overnight. 

I will leave it in the fridge tonight and have some tomorrow. So I will tell you how it tastes then! A weekend little badness! Nom nom nom!

We've had bad...so what about some good. The discovery of Cauliflower Cheesy Mash! Ooof, this is good!

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Cauliflower Cheesy Mash

• 1 Cauliflower Head
• 100g Soft Cream Cheese
• 50g Butter

Put cauliflower in a blender and rice it. Then cover it and put in microwave for 3 minutes. 

Mix in cream cheese and butter, then put it back in blender and blend till smooth. Season to taste. 

I had mine with Mackeral today...and it's a revelation (Thanks for this Vanessa!) 

You can make a light version of this replacing the cheese and butter with 150g Quark, and 50 ml Coconut Milk. It then drops to 55 calories per serving! I added this to my meals today as follows -

Yay! 70% fat reached! But calories a little high. by about 100 cals. Hey ho. It is a good days menu!

Day 23 - Night Eating

I have for some time now (like years I'm talking!) been getting up in the middle of the night to eat. I normally feed every 3-4 hours, last meal being between 8-9.00 pm. So by about 3.00 am...I wake up proper starving! This is when I have my first meal. The yogurt/fats/strawberry shake. I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep otherwise. For body builders and Athletes, night time is when we repair and grow and recover from the days workouts. So, I have no problems with this. It does in fact help me massively, and improves my sleep. Look below. The pink lines are when I get up, and the low lines are when I'm in deep sleep. 

You can see once I eat, I generally have the best quality sleep of the night! And the longest deep sleep period. It just knocks me out, stops me from thinking of food, and relaxes me. Perfect. 

Not the best idea for non exercisers mind. This is to aid muscle and workout recovery, so don't think I'm telling you to get up and eat in the night if you've sat on you back side all day! And be aware, these calories are are worked into my macros, and is counted as one of my meals.

Oh and the sugar free Keto cheesecake is a winner! Had it for breakfast! In the middle of the night! Nom nom!

I have to mention, I have been feeling a little out of sorts for the last 2 days. Pressure headache quite a few days now, hazy eye sight, lethargic, palpitations and irritable. Lurgy Coming? Or something else. Didn't go to gym, as just too lethargic. Mmmmmm......?

Day 24 - Coconut Oil - If its saturated...why is it good? 

Promised you an updated Keto Coconut Bread recipe, this is really tasty! It not Vegan like the one before, but it is Keto.

• 1 tsp(s), Vinegar, Apple Cider
• 4 tbsp, Flax seed
• 4 tbsp, Coconut Flour, Organic
• 36.00 gr, Baking Powder *

• 75 g, Butter - Salted
• 150 ml, Coconut Milk
• 3 egg whites, Medium - Fresh
• 20 g, Desiccated Coconut

Mix all dry ingredients together, then mix wet ingredients together, then mix them both together. Mixture should be quite dry and not too moist.

Put in baking tin covering in parchment paper, and bake on 180 degrees for 30 minutes. And boom, a very tasty keto bread. 

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While chomping on my Keto bread and peanut Butter, I began thinking about a conversation I had with my brother in law Paul, about the fact he had read that although coconut oil is a saturated fat, it has been proven to be still good for you. I was aware of this, but as he was wanting to up his fat intake after reading my blog, I still couldn't bring myself to suggest he start adding even more coconut oil to his morning oat soak, and found myself advising him to add more olive oil, or Hemp oil, or invest in some Udos oil to drizzle on food, or eat more avocados/nuts, as these are known good sources of unsaturated fat. But I needed a refresher on the benefits of coconut oil and why it was different to other saturates.

Coconut Oil is a saturated fat. To put it into perspective, it is about 90% saturated fat. So to compare, butter is about 60-64% saturated, and lard is about 40% saturated. So coconut oil is way up there. And we have already learn't that too much saturated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. Right?

However, it has been proven that coconut oil does actually give your good cholesterol HDL, a boost? Remember though, that our bodies do actually need a level of saturated fats, just in much less quantities than unsaturated. And a good balance of these both is known to boost HDL levels, but coconut oil seems especially efficient in doing so. Why?

About half of the saturated fat in coconut oil is made up of Lauric Acid. This is much higher than in most other oils. Lauric Acid is an MCT Medium-chain triglycerides. These are basically a type of fat in the blood. Triglycerides and Cholesterol are both part of the 'blood fat family' also known as lipids. MCT's are easily digested whole by your body, and have slightly less calories per gram (8.3 instead of 9). Lauric acids have been proven to help speed up your metabolism, and to lower your cholesterol. Hence coconut oil, although saturated, been seen to lower cholesterol. As well as this, plant-based oils (coconut oil and palm oil) are more than just fats. They contain many antioxidants and other good substances too. 

So, with Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect from it's high levels of the MCT Lauric acid, and from being plant based, having antioxidants and other good substances too, it may make it "not as bad" than the high saturated fat content would indicate. However, it's still probably not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease. So use sparingly, but it is still worth including in your diet. 


I'm still not feeling great today, headache won't go. Tired hazy eyes won't go, have developed a thirst, still got palpitations. Lots of bugs going round...Booked to see a doctor in the morning. Didn't go to gym.
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Day 25 - Doctor...Doctor..gimme the news...

I woke up this morning, and did my cholesterol and blood sugar checks. I found these results middle of the 4th week-

Good news - My cholesterol has settled to a normal safe level. Even after eating all this extra fat. Interesting really. You would of expected a large increase with all this cheese and fats! But no, I have happy cholesterol still. Mmmm, more evidence that fats are not so bad for you after all maybe?

Bad news - My blood sugars are continuing to rise...a lot! Remember this chart below? This 9.2 mmol/l reading was taken FASTED in the morning. So this is saying I am currently diabetic...off the scale diabetic! Now I had previously mentioned that this was the norm in a lot of cases of low carb diets, that blood sugars rise, stay consistent as they have no where to go. But this level is very high. And also, could account for my tired eyes, permanent headache, irritability, palpitations and the last couple of days of thirst I have been suffering from? These are all symptoms of diabetes. In 4 weeks could the Keto diet made me a diabetic? And started all the symptoms that go with it? I'm off to the docs....

So I did consult with my doc Marios Josephidou (Peachy Health, Milton Keynes), and I had sent him over my blog, so he understood how I thought I had got to this level of blood sugar. He was very concerned. He suggested I have a HBA1c blood test done, which takes an average of your blood sugar levels over the last 12 weeks. So this would tell us if this rise is definitely a recent thing since this diet, and confirm that I hadn't been having blood sugar spikes for a while without my knowledge. We did the blood test, now to wait for the results. 

Day 26 - The results are in!

Hba1c test results were normal. Confirming that this diet has been the cause of the rise, as I had no previous issues before. 

So, Marios has suggested I move to a diabetic diet, adding complex carbs (no simple sugars) back into diet and come off of Ketosis, as its put my glucose levels simply too high. And is very much the reason I have developed these  diabetic symptoms. 9.2 - 9.6 mmol/l is too much sugar in my blood to be ignored. And I can't continue to live feeling this exhausted. It really has given me an insight into how a diabetic has to live their life. I'm so lethargic and anxious. I need to reverse this...and quick!

I did this Keto diet as an experiment, to see if it worked as a fat burner. And also, I was also always openly vocally negative about the Keto diet, saying that I felt it was a fad, as with my nutritional knowledge, I felt taking out a macro-nutrient such as carbohydrates, simply can't be good for you, and your body needs a balanced diet. I am coming out the end of this diet, still now thinking the same thing, possibly even more so.

Day 27 - Ketosis end of the line

So on the 6th day of the 4th week being complete, I will be coming out of Ketosis. And going on a diabetic diet until my blood sugars have returned to normal. I will be gradually adding small amounts of complex carbs into my diet, so not to encourage a return reaction, as they have been absent for this time. A reverse diet. I have devised the following diet, and will gradually up the carbs and proteins over the next 3 weeks. -

As well as slowly bringing up the carbs and proteins, I do plan to keep a better ratio of fats in my diet. I am just adding extra vegetables, high fiber whole fruits like berries, peaches and melon, and oats to start with for carbs. I have enjoyed discovering more unsaturated fats, and ways of eating them, and these will be staying in and plentiful. And will also be a lot more at ease with eating saturated fats, knowing a balance of good and bad, doesn't harm my cholesterol levels. It's been a great learning curve.

I did a final weigh in, although I hadn't trained for 3 days of the last week,  as I just felt awful. 

DAY 1 - 
Weight – 75.3 kg / 11st 12lbs
Height – 5 ‘6 / 168 cm
Body Fat – 22%
Muscle Mass – 53.5kg / 8st 6lb
Water % - 61%
Visceral Fat - 4

DAY 7 - 
Weight – 72.2 kg /  11st 5 lbs
Height – 5 ‘6 / 168 cm
Body Fat – 24.5%
Muscle Mass – 51.8 kg / 8st 2lb
Water % - 56.4%
Visceral Fat - 4

DAY 14 - 
Weight – 71.2 kg /  11st 3 lbs
Height – 5 ‘6 / 168 cm
Body Fat – 23.3%
Muscle Mass – 51.8 kg / 8st 2lb
Water % - 57.7%
Visceral Fat - 4

​DAY 21 -
Weight – 70.9 kg /  11st 2 lbs
Height – 5 ‘6 / 168 cm
Body Fat – 23.3%
Muscle Mass – 51.7 kg / 8st 1lb
Water % - 57.7%
Visceral Fat - 4

DAY 27 -
Weight – 70.8 kg /  11st 1.5 lbs
Height – 5 ‘6 / 168 cm
Body Fat – 22.9%
Muscle Mass – 51.4 kg / 8st 0lb
Water % - 58%
Visceral Fat - 4

So I have lost weight at about a pound a week as intended (once the fake weight went) this is eating 2200 on my diet. (So you see, starving yourself isn't the answer on any diet!) But, there is a consistent loss of muscle more so than fat loss. Not the greatest for a body builder.

And the before and after shows improvements in 4 weeks. But to be fair, wouldn't any diet if you had followed it as necessary? 

Conclusion

Pros - 

• Proved that a balance of saturated and unsaturated fats are good to have in your diet, and much more than most people tend to think. My skin immediately improved, my dry scalp disappeared, I got the best all clear from my hygienist and dentist during this diet too, and I know fats help in this area too. I learn't and discovered more about why some oils are better than others and have a better knowledge on more oils rather than an educated guess.
• I did feel less hungry. But wait...I wouldn't say I was less hungry, but more unlikely to resist temptation. I felt I simply couldn't have anything off the radar, as it would put me back to square one. A big deterrent for me. I did regularly feel hungry, but handled it better. As it was a simple 'no can do, and that's that'
• I finally withdrew from bad sweeteners! I had been wanting to do this for quite some time, and this gave me the reason to start, and I definitely will continue with the healthier options. Stevia in my cooking is good, you don't get the bitter taste that you get with it in tea/coffee, and Erythritol in hot drinks, just tastes like sugar. So no reason to go back. I will also use real good sugars like honey/manuka honey and Agave when I can eat simple sugars again. You can't beat the real thing.
• With regards to going to the loo, it did seem to help a bit...even if sporadically with my number 2's. But that I don't put down to Keto, I put down to the large quantities of fats working as a lubricant...if you know what I mean! Another reason to keep them regular...and me regular!
• I will never to attempt to make Vegan/Keto 'Rye' Rolls again...lol!
• I've slept really well, I am always a good sleeper, and I thought the lack of carbs would have an impact, but it didn't. Probably because I was eating enough to make me rest, and not under eating too much.
• I finally cooked with Tofu, and it's staying in my diet as a protein supplement. As I still plan to stay away from sweeteners, that will also include all Protein powders, pre-workouts and all that jazz. So tofu will be added to shakes to bump up my proteins, along with good old fashion egg whites.
• Lime and Coconut Cauliflower Rice and Cauliflower Mash is the nuts! Two large cauliflower heads bought today in my shop. These recipes are keepers!
• Do I look different after 4 weeks of dieting? Well yes, after all, I have been dieting for 4 weeks. Did I get better results than say carb cycling, or back loading? No, not really. No better or no worse. But did lose muscle quicker.

Cons - 

• The Ketogenic Diet made me (temporarily I hope) diabetic. And with all the diabetic symptoms. What more can I say. How can it be good for you? This living without carbs? And feeling this rough?
• It's so restrictive. Life is mean't to be enjoyed. Why punish yourself but cutting out all the things you enjoy? A little bit of what you fancy, is definitely the order of the day. I love fruit, a large variation of veg, my baileys at Christmas, my cider in the sun, chocolate hobnobs and coffee with my Mum and my occasional flap jack at the gym. These simple sugars make me happy.
• Did I lose any extra body fat after 4 weeks of dieting, as is claimed on the Keto diet? Not any more than any other diet I have done. I did consistently lose muscle each week. More so than body fat. This is not great for a body builder. I have in the past seen body builders do this diet as prep and visually lose a shed load of muscle as well as fat. I suspected over dieting, but it looks like this diet assisted in the muscle loss too. And it has confirmed my opinion that the Keto diet isn't a full prep diet. Some people use it as a last minute fix when fat isn't shifting..but I don't see fat moving any more that say carb cycling or back loading diets. Patience is a virtue. Doing a long enough diet to lose all the fat is the better option.
• Cutting back so dramatically on carbs, and eating very low proteins is essentially purposefully stopping your pancreas from producing the hormone insulin. Insulin basically opens up the doors for glucose, Creatine and amino acids produced from the carbs/proteins you eat, carrying it through fibers to enter your muscles. So the production of insulin is an extremely important for your body. So, why would you want a diet that stops this? That actually encourages your pancreas to stop producing this hormone? Is fat burning that much more important...that you try and shut down the job of one of your body's organs? The focus on the Keto diet has always been fat burning. How if the brain is fueled on Ketone's, then it is forced to live off of fat stores. But in exchange, it stops insulin being produced. But it would seem that that bit isn't so important, as the words 'fat burning' sells a diet. Another need for insulin is, when it delivers the Amino acids to the muscle cells, it instigates an increase in protein synthesis, which is the building of muscle out of the amino acids that are entering the muscle cells. So as well as delivering the fuel to the muscle, insulin also decreases muscle breakdown, which further enhances muscle growth. So why on earth would any body builder want to do the Keto diet? Or anyone, in my humble opinion?

Well, I think that's me concluded for now. I will update you all in a few weeks on how and if I return easily to a normal blood count, and when I start to feel better. I will continue to diet as I need to tighten up for a few things in the pipeline in April / May. But I'm doing it with good old fashioned carbs in my diet this time! And MAN was the porridge good today with vanilla essence, cinnamon, coconut milk and Stevia this morning! Oooof yes!

I hope you've enjoyed following my journey. And I'll look forward to any comments or questions you may have. But...until the next time. Have a great evening!

​Terri