A few months ago I started a new eating regime. I don’t feel right calling it a diet, as will become clear later.
I don’t so much have a sweet tooth as sweet teeth. Lots of them. This is especially dangerous if I’m in the coding zone, I can go through pack of chocolate without even realising it. I knew something had to be done, so after a bit of research I discovered Ketogenesis. Luckily I had a friend who already followed this so I was able to understand it and start almost straight away. Months on, and aside from pre-planned breaks I’m still going strong.
At its simplest, ketogenesis is a state your body enters when its deprived of carbohydrates. “Wait, so it’s like the Atkins diet that made loads of people collapse?” Well yes and no. Yes, it’s the same biological principle, but there’s a much better understanding of it now and as long as you follow a few guidelines you’re fine.
After a few days of no carbs, you body starts to convert fat stores to energy so it can still operate. This means that while you still have energy to go about your daily business, it’s not available on demand in high levels. I walk to work most days, three-mile round trip. Absolutely fine. But if I was to start running my body wouldn’t be able to produce its energy quick enough and I’d be in danger of collapse. You also have to up your protein in take quite a bit; as well as eating in to your fat reserves your body will also take your muscle mass.
The other key factor is insulin production. See if this sounds familiar…
Have breakfast (toast, cereal, just a pot of coffee) that’s full of carbs / sugar. Your blood sugar level starts to rise. Your body notices this and ramps up its insulin production to combat it. The blood sugar is brought under control but your insulin production is still high. Your blood sugar then drops below its base level as the insulin continues to combat it. The lack of sugar causes your body to crave a quick sugar fix to get back on track. So at about 11am you’re on the hunt for a chocolate bar, maybe a muffin. And the whole cycle kicks off again.
By avoiding any influx of carbs and sugar, my blood sugar and insulin levels remain steady through the day. I don’t crave chocolate. It’s not willpower that keeps me off the snacks, it’s controlling how my body works.
So how does all this fall together? An average day can look like this
- Breakfast: Smoked salmon and spinach omelette
- Lunch: Wafer thin ham, brie, green leaf salad, normally with lashings of mayo
- Tea: Steak, curly kale, mushrooms, home-made creamy mustard sauce
- Snacks: Rare I want any, but a few sticks of cheese, maybe a couple of rashers of crispy bacon
Now looking at that list, do you see why I don’t feel right calling it a diet?
So is it all worth it? As well as helping me lose weight, I’ve found I sleep far better. No more staring at the ceiling at 3am. I’m far less irritable. And oddly, I feel like I have more energy. There are downsides, I’m pretty much restricted to drinking dark rum and diet coke if I’m out on the town, and grabbing a bite to eat on the go takes some fore-planning.
I also find that due to the 3-to-4 day warm up period, there’s far less chance of giving in to “Oh go on then, just one biscuit, I’ll do an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill”. One biscuit could knock me out of keto for a few days. So I have pre-planned carb days. Normally pay-day weekend, a two-day splurge of KFC, real ale and chocolate. By the Monday I’m back on the wagon and another four weeks tricking my body into losing weight while I sit at my desk!