Negative Press

There’s been a slew of negative press in the last few months calling fad diets out for being negative among other things. The other issue I have is lumping the Keto lifestyle in with other diets without doing the proper due diligence.

I was sent an article recently that quoted a prominent American cardiologist as saying that the Keto lifestyle can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. (For reference)

I generally steer clear of these types of articles because the people like this specific cardiologist who ran the American College of Cardiology will generally adhere to the standard american diet view and find a way to down something that is low carb.

He mentions the Lancet study completed and published in Aug 2018. Here’s a rebuttal arguing that the science is flawed: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2018/08/low-moderate-or-high-carbohydrate. Zoe Harcombe is an incredible resource and she dissects the science of studies like this with such finesse. I truly admire her dedication. Back to the flaws; One of the reasons that Zoe Harcombe states is the reliance on people reporting their own food intake and not being strictly Keto which is 70%+ of fat. There is strong science that says that 30-60% fat is not good for you which is why being Keto is defined as staying above 70%. You do not enter a state of nutritional ketosis below 60% fat and therefore do not reap the benefits of such a state.

The other study he mentions is actually just a review study of 17 others. Most of the data they’re analyzing is referring to Low Carb and High Protein diets. The accepted percentage to deem something as “high” is above 33% of the caloric intake coming from a specific macronutrient. That would mean these people are eating at least 33% of their calories in the form of protein which is not suggested on Keto either. It should be around 20-25% when Keto which is considered a moderate protein intake.

Basically, Keto ends up getting lumped into anything that is “low carb” where low carb essentially can mean anything that is less than 50% of calories from carbs. This is the danger when reading anything that refers to a scientific study measuring results including a low carbohydrate diet. It is very important to review their methods and data. The conclusions of the study and the interpretation of a writer summarizing the study may not always jive.

I would encourage everyone to take some time to read up on the topic and definitely question articles that come out until you’ve taken the time to really look at the studies they are referencing.

How Do You Feel?

I’ve gone through some pretty drastic changes over the last couple of years. I have made a number of changes to my lifestyle to optimize my health and with that has come quite a bit of weight loss. For those who know me personally, you know that I’m a big fan of self-experimentation and tweaking anything and everything to ensure I obtain the results that I want. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, my goal when starting on this journey was weight loss and it is still an important factor to me. The key is that it is no longer the most important factor. It has long become the second fiddle to feeling better both physically and mentally.

Back up a bit; I once snickered when told by a former colleague that he only ate once a day in a feeding window that resembled 6 hours of feeding and 18 hours of fasting. He’d come across this practice in reading about some military practices. I stuck to the conventional wisdom that I should eat as often as I could to avoid getting too hungry and overeating.

Fast-forward to today; I found intermittent fasting and the associated benefits through research. I happened upon the research and the work of Dr Jason Fung. Dr Fung can be found all over social media and he is constantly preaching the benefits of fasting. I’ve also read his books, The Obesity Code and The Complete Guide to Fasting.

I have started an intermittent fasting protocol which resembles a 20 hour daily fasting window and a 4 hour feeding window. The benefits have been incredible. Yes, I have seen my weight go down overall since I started fasting almost daily. The other physical benefit has been the total lack of extra skin that becomes a problem for most people when they lose a significant amount of weight. I’m currently down 53 lbs overall and I haven’t had any issues with excess skin. The major difference I have seen has been in my mental clarity. I have never had the level of focus that I have while fasting.

Well, that is until now! I’m currently on day 4 of a 7 day extended fast. I have never felt as good as I have this week. Hunger has subsided and I have subsisted on water and tea. Most of it is based on how I feel throughout the day and would end any fast if I did not feel right. The benefits I have read about in my research are so attractive to me that I had to give it a shot. I stick to the keto lifestyle fairly lazily overall so an extended fast like this really gives my body the chance to get back into a stronger state of ketosis and ensure that I’m fat adapted. Fat adaptation means that my body is using fat for fuel efficiently and is not relying on glucose for fuel.

So, what is the point of the title of this post, you ask?

I have come to realize that most people spend quite a bit of time focusing on overall weight loss and appearance over anything else. I get it, we focus on what we see first. Yes, I have lost quite a bit of weight and have not seen 177lbs since at least my years in college. Clothing doesn’t fit the same way anymore and I appear to be floating inside most of my shirts. My wardrobe is definitely due for a renewal and it will happen when I feel like I have achieved my goal. Here’s a post I did about my goals and progress.

I have come to realize that we all focus on physical appearance so much that we tend to forget about other benefits to a weight loss journey. I have lost a lot of weight and I am quite literally a fraction of the physical being I was just 2 years ago. Although that is a fact, it should not drive others to a negative conclusion that it may not healthy to continue doing what I am doing. It’s quite a shock to me too! That being said, I have never felt as good as I do today.

I’d like to propose a simple change to how we approach those of us who are going through any journey but specifically a drastic lifestyle change. Here are a few questions that should be asked instead of making our own assumptions about the person’s well-being:

How are you feeling both physically and mentally?
Are you happy with where you are right now?
Does what you are doing make you happy?
Do you have any information you can share about this journey?

Okay, the last one was a bit self-serving in that I do love to share research and I always prefer to do some research before jumping to any conclusion.

If you are content with the way that you feel both physically and mentally, then that is so awesome! Think about that when asking a friend, coworker or family member about their new lifestyle. Give them the chance to provide you with feedback prior to jumping to a conclusion.

Now get out there and support the people who are important to you! Go hero, go!

Here’s a comparative of before and after discovering a fasting protocol. The weight difference here is 18 lbs.

Alex is a friend and we can say “client” of mine who has been keto for the last month. He fasts almost 16-18 hours daily and he eats mostly in restaurants. He works out 4 days each week and has been quite strict in sticking with the lifestyle. Alex is down almost 25 lbs in his first month. I really wanted to highlight his progress thus far. Feel free to give him a follow!

Progress

Progress is one of those seemingly easy things to define ahead of starting a journey like the keto lifestyle. Ahead of starting, I had an easy time telling myself that progress was weight loss. With progress comes the feelings of accomplishment and pride which are both tied directly into your progress marker. What happens if and when you hit a plateau in your weight loss, or even worse, you gain weight? That’s why I say progress is easy to define in the beginning. It’s when you get into it, say a month, six months or a year later that you may need to reevaluate your definition of progress.

I started this journey in January of 2017. As you’ve probably read in my other posts, I spent time prior to going keto experimenting with other ways to improve my life. Most of them worked for a time but I could not sustain them over the long-term. (I define long-term as more than 6 months.)

In July 2016, I went for an appointment at the Bone Wellness Centre in Toronto, Ontario for a Dexa scan. The Dexa measures bone density, body fat percentage, lean mass, etc. My goal for the scan was to have an accurate view of my body fat percentage as a starting point that I could compare to in the future. I’d heard about the Dexa from Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Body.

My first scan showed me that my weight was 217lbs, body fat percentage of 33% and lean mass of 140lbs. As you can no doubt see, the majority of my adipose tissue was centered around my abdomen as what is called visceral fat. The Fat Distribution information on the scan provided the A/G ratio of 1.2. For men, the A/G ratio should be around 1. A/G ratio refers to Android (waist) to Gynoid (hip) Ratio – Carrying too much fat in the wrong areas can increase your chance of serious health problems. Men with waist to hip ratio of > 1 & women with ratio > 0.8 have increased risk of cardiovascular illness, diabetes, stroke, cancer etc. (Source: http://www.bonewellness.com/dexa/dexa-terminology/)

My weight increased by another 13lbs after the scan to about 230lbs. That’s when I decided it was time for a drastic change.

After starting keto, my weight dropped pretty quickly. I went from 230lbs to about 210lbs in a matter of weeks. The drastic weight loss was astounding to me and was a huge motivator! Keep in mind, the weight loss was all due to nutrition as I had not changed my workout habits at all. I was eating 2-3 meals per day but was strictly tracking my macros to ensure I was sitting around 70% fat and 25% protein. My carbohydrates were limited to green leafy vegetables.

The first few weeks were so easy! They also happened to fall immediately after the winter holiday season and before any other occasions to indulge in carb heaven. So as not to feel as if I was depriving myself, I allowed myself to have carbs when the first event came around. Having plateaued at about 20lbs of weight lost, I thought it was okay and that it would help me reset to break through the plateau. Spoiler alert! That did nothing for my plateau.

As you can see from the chart above, I spent most of the spring and summer of 2017 hovering between 200 and 205. I was no longer as strict with my eating because I felt as if I’d accomplished my goal of weight loss. That was my definition of progress of course!

Fast-forward to October of 2017 and I decided that it was time to reevaluate what progress really means to me. Progress needs to be something more concrete and cannot be simply routed in one metric. That is not to say that weight loss is not important because it’s an incredibly important part of becoming healthy. There are so many factors that will lead to overall wellness that need to be taken into account.

Mental Acuity

As I’ve mentioned in the past and you may have read elsewhere, the keto lifestyle has been associated to an increase in alertness and mental acuity. The focus I have felt when being stricter about sticking to the lifestyle is second to none. I have been able to cut out the need for caffeine. My ability to focus on one task without getting distracted has never been at the same level as while in a state of ketosis.

Energy

Along with mental acuity, I’ve experienced a level of energy that has been unmatched. I will be clear that I have also worked to ensure that I sleep more than I used to. That being said, I have also felt much more energy throughout the day than I used to. I can also feel the difference in energy level when I have had a day where my carb intake was higher than normal and may have contained far more sugar that I am typically used to. Yes, that is my way of saying a day where I ate like garbage!

Endurance

I took up running in March of 2018 and cycling in May 2018 for fun and to push my physical fitness. I have noticed a heightened level of endurance and stamina since being keto that I had not prior. Even in the early weeks of switching to the keto lifestyle, I had an easier time playing hockey and was not getting nearly as winded after a shift on the ice as I had been experiencing before. I do understand that this can be attributed to the weight loss and will not discount it. I have heard some anecdotal evidence of the oxygen requirements during a workout being decreased while in a state of ketosis which I found very interesting and corroborated the way I feel.

Sleep Quality

I spent a good part of my 20’s working very odd hours including nights and shift work. I also spent much of my 20’s eating a ton of carbs. Since being keto, my sleep quality has improved exponentially. I no longer wake up as much at night and I feel much more rested when I wake up in the morning. Snoring has also seemed to cease by way of weight loss and improved sleep quality so there’s a benefit for Diana and Reo.

Inflammation

Now, I understand this goes hand in hand with weight loss but I would argue it’s only a partially dependent relationship. My reasoning, you ask? Sugar is inflammatory and will basically cause you to retain more water and seem “puffy.” (Yes, that’s the medical term I’ve elected to use.) The transition to keto gave my body the chance to remove much of the extra water it was retaining and I slimmed down without seeing a shift on the scale. Today, one carb heavy day will bring some of that puffiness back and I can see the difference immediately.

As you can probably tell, there are a number of ways to measure progress and I encourage everyone to look at the all instead of focusing on one in particular. The reason is quite simple: focusing on one metric is great as long as it is positive. The moment your weight plateaus, then you might get discouraged because you’re no longer progressing and could potentially revert back to your old ways and regain the weight. That would be the worst outcome!

My advice to anyone willing to listen is to give yourself as many chances to succeed as possible. Here are a few ways you can measure these non-scale metrics:

Take measurements of your body like chest, waist, butt, legs and arms. Track your changes every week or month.
Keep a journal of how you’re feeling when you wake up and compare based on the food you’re eating.
Take progress pictures daily.
Start an endurance activity like running, cycling or any other where you can compare how you’re feeling after each workout.

Ok, What’s Your Point?

The point here is there are plenty of ways to measure your progress. Don’t get down on yourself because your weight has plateaued. If you’re still seeing progress with other metrics, then trust the process and your weight will catch up to you! The really fun exercise is to see people you haven’t spent time with in a while and gauge their reactions! It’s even more fun when your weight has plateaued but others still see those ameliorations you may not have noticed.

This was all spurred on by my second Dexa scan in May 2018. I went to the same place since they archived my first results and could compare. Here are some of the stats:

23 months between scans
– 33lbs
17% body fat decrease
+ 8lbs lean mass
One happy camper!

DEXA_SCAN1_-_ry_burnham_gmail_com_-_Gmail

DEXA_SCAN_-_ry_burnham_gmail_com_-_Gmail

Be proud of any progress and keep in mind that you are doing it to improve your health! That should be your main goal. Now, go hero, go!

The Post-Carb Struggle

I seem to find so many positives about adapting to the keto lifestyle online without finding too much about the pitfalls of the “heavenly” cheat meals, cheat days and weekends. I spent last weekend camping in beautiful Sutton, Quebec. The plan was to stay keto for the majority of the trip except for some chips since they’ve always been my go-to snack while camping. Doritos and All-Dressed for those interested.

Camping is one of my favourite activities and even more so when you add in a couple of days of hiking in the mountains. I love the outdoors and the serenity of being away from the city lights. Making the effort to essentially disconnect from our always-connected lives is a welcome bonus. It was my first time camping in May so I have to add frigid temperatures to my list of favourite things about Spring camping!

It was an awesome weekend where I hiked with Diana and Reo, read a couple of books and just relaxed. The only hiccup came with the chips. A little background; chips have always been my Achilles heal. I’ve always loved chips and even more than any dessert you can put in front of me. Chips are what derailed my lifestyle for a period in 2017 before I got it back on track and threatened to derail me earlier this year. I gave myself permission to buy two bags of chips that I would eat at my leisure until they were gone. Chips were the only carby item that we brought with us for the weekend.

I proceeded to eat most of both bags on the first night and didn’t feel well. Although I’d eaten more than I am used to eating in one sitting, I just didn’t feel full. I was far from satiated. To the contrary, I felt sick to my stomach. The one good feeling I had was clearly the satisfaction my body was feeling from the rush of sugar from the chips I’d just eaten. This is where the problems started.

Saturday, I went out and picked up more chips to feed what felt like an unending hunger that I had not felt in a very long time. It felt just so foreign to me! We hiked on Saturday and I used the exercise as an excuse for more chips since I’d likely emptied some of my liver’s glycogen stores and would definitely need more glucose to fill them up. It’s incredible the lengths we’ll go to in order to justify cheating to ourselves!

Sunday held a much longer hike that drained me and, of course, gave me another reason to finish off the chips. This time, I held off from dropping by a nearby store to buy more. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend and a great way to start the camping season! I’m really looking forward to the other trips I have planned this year.

The weekend was fantastic but it was when I got back to the house that everything turned. I decided to have one last carb-filled meal in the form of roast chicken, ribs and fries from a local chain. I didn’t know it at the time but it was the straw that clearly crippled this camel.

It’s pretty easy to detail the physical effects of a weekend of cheating. They include heart burn, bloating, inflammation, dehydration, gastro-intestinal issues, and fatigue. The part that I was not prepared to encounter and endure was entirely mental. I lost all mental clarity and experienced a kind of fog and I was harder on myself than ever. Let me explain:

General Negativity:

It wasn’t a good idea to go out and buy the chips in the first place but let’s face it, we have all gone down the road of negotiating with ourselves and lost. I already felt some shame for giving into that purchase and doubled down when I went back to the store for more. The negativity crept into absolutely everything. As soon as I woke up Tuesday, I found myself being critical about not getting up as early, seeing a higher number on the scale and being sluggish to the point of avoiding certain tasks that have become staples in my morning routine to ensure I start each day off right.

Mental Fog:

Tuesday and Wednesday were very difficult at work. I found myself struggling to focus on simple tasks that I would normally have no issue doing while in a state of ketosis. Tasks could seemingly take twice as long to get through and my effectiveness went way down. I even found myself resorting to coffee as a pick me up. I have not needed to rely on coffee for energy in months.

Lethargy:

Most people who know me well might use the word “enthusiastic” or some synonym to describe me. I’ve described being in ketosis as a state of controlled mental euphoria. I think it’s safe to say that my mental state after my chip-filled weekend was the exact opposite. I found myself struggling to get enthused about exercising which has not been an issue recently as some of you may have seen on social media.

Almost There

It’s Thursday now and you might be wondering how things are going at this point. Great question! It’s not like I was leading you there anyway.

The physical issues faded as the days wore on and I’m happy to report that I’m back to normal! I even tested my blood for ketones yesterday and found that I was at 0.3mmol which is close to ketosis so that’s a very positive sign. My blood glucose was down to 3.9mmol and that’s a very encouraging sign! The first thing that I set out to do was to get back to fasting each day and reducing my feeding period to give my body the chance to recover from the beating it just took. My normal fasting protocol each day is 18-20 hours of fasting and 4-6 hours of feeding. My feeding window usually just consists of dinner and some snacks. I’m definitely not eating for 6 hours straight! Fasting on Tuesday was difficult because I was very hungry due to the carbs I was used to ingesting. I added some butter to my coffee and pushed through the hunger.

I felt less lethargic waking up this morning although I did need to motivate myself to go through my morning routine. I’ve worked out twice, run 6km and played hockey once this week with another hockey game coming tonight. The physical exertion has not been easy but the feeling after a workout is like no other! I immediately felt better after the first workout on Tuesday even though I felt pretty terrible throughout. For those interested, it was just a simple plyometric circuit.

Overall, my mental clarity and focus has returned to normal and I’m feeling very good. My meals this week were very high in fat and very low carb to make sure I didn’t slip back into the negative loop I was in just a few days ago. I’m planning to stay far away from high carb food for a couple of weeks to give my body time to get back to a fat adapted state.

Advice From a Carb Lover

As the good people at Nike say, “Just Do It!” Well, maybe it’s not that simple. I don’t regret eating the chips that I did because I felt good. Yes, it’s a hedonistic point of view but I think we should all be allowed to falter every once in a while. Let me be very clear though, I’m talking about a quick weekend binge followed up by getting back to the keto lifestyle and the same pre-binge protocols I was following. I spent 3-4 days feeling off and in a pretty negative state of mind. I don’t wish that on anyone nor do I want to experience it myself. I did find myself wondering if that was an expression of the status quo I’d been so accustomed to prior to finding the keto lifestyle.

I will never tell anyone to avoid carbs at all costs all of the time. Carbs are attractive for a reason; sugar is addictive. I found myself craving chips after just a few bites. My advice is to control your intake if you’re going to binge and make sure you have a plan to get back on track. If and when the time comes where you’re going to a party or some other excuse to eat/drink (try to avoid drinking them!) carbs, then make sure you know how you’re going to give your body a break afterwards. My suggestion is to get back to an intermittent fasting protocol or to simply take a day off from eating and fast 24 hours. Make sure you’re hydrating throughout because you’re going to be dehydrated! It’s easy to forget that my body has done a great job healing itself over the last 18 months and it will recover from a weekend like the one I just experienced.

A carb-filled weekend will cause physical stress but it will also cause far more mental stress than I was prepared to endure. The complete mental shift I experienced was very difficult to navigate. My advice is pretty simple: Do not be too hard on yourself. You’re only human and you’re allowed to make mistakes. It’s how you come back from those mistakes and learn from them that counts. So go ahead and have carbs every once in a while but just be prepared for the negative feedback your body is going to provide. Carbs are hard to resist for a reason. Don’t be too hard on yourself because that will only help to exacerbate the situation. Work to get back to whatever protocol you were following before the binge and you’ll see that your body will respond positively. Our bodies are capable of incredible things so just give yours everything it needs to heal.

Monday

Thursday

Resources

Below are a few of the products that have become staples in my journey through the Ketogenic Lifestyle.

Featured

Getting Started

It’s hard to prescribe a starting point. Mine was pictures I saw of myself online. I got to a tipping point and that was when I knew I had to make a lifestyle change. As I’ve said in other posts, I have tried a number of different things ranging from working out to exhaustion, slow-carb diet, low-fat diet, etc. Nothing seemed to be sustainable. I did a lot of research into the Keto lifestyle and then decided to jump right in. Almost 18 months later, I thought it would be practical to share how I think it would be best to get started.

Firstly, what is the Keto lifestyle? Basically, it is a way to get your body into nutritional ketosis. Your body will switch from mainly burning glucose for fuel to burning fat for fuel. The fat being used can be the fat you’re eating or the fat (adipose tissue) you’re carrying. I am going to make the distinction between fat you consume and the fat stored in your body as they are not at all the same thing. The adipose tissue you’re storing on your body is caused by the insulin secreted by your pancreas initiating a storage response due to your glycogen deposits in your liver being full. Essentially, you have more glucose than your body can process so it will store it in case you need it later.

Back to the point… Ketosis is achieved by keeping your carbohydrate intake below 10% of your daily intake, fat above 70% and protein around 20%. These numbers can and will vary but that’s the generally accepted rule of thumb. Once you’ve entered a state of Ketosis, then your body will burn fat for fuel. That’s the layman’s explanation. Your liver is actually breaking the fatty acids down into ketone bodies which can be used for fuel by your cells. Your body will continue to produce glucose, though. It can produce glucose from ingested proteins and glycogen stores in the liver. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!

Now that we’ve covered the basics, here’s how to get started:

Forget all of your old dietary habits. I’m not being facetious here. There are times when you are going to put butter in your coffee or add salt to your food that will feel downright wrong because of everything you’ve been told in your life but just remember to trust the process.

Calorie Counting

FORGET IT! Please move to the next step.

Lowering your calorie count is just going to push your body to lower the energy it needs to compensate. It will lower your body temperature, heart rate and even blood pressure. Basically, don’t count your calories.

If your body needs energy, then it will go and get it from the stored body fat.

Macronutrient Tracking

I’m a fan of My Fitness Pal. I have no actual affinity to it other than it’s a free app that has a pretty extensive food database. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, then you can create it.

I suggest tracking your macros for the first two weeks. The reason being it will give you a good baseline for the foods you are going to be eating. Once you get a good handle on the macro breakdown for basic foods like eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, broccoli, steak, butter, etc, then it will just become second nature. It’s not a bad idea to pick up a food scale so you can ensure better accuracy. Here’s a scale similar to mine.

You’re going to focus on limiting your carbohydrate intake to less than 20g of net carbs per day. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting grams of fibre from total carbohydrates.

Progress Pictures

I know, I get it… Taking pictures of yourself in the mirror right now might be one of the last things you want to do but it will definitely prove worth it. Your body is going to change pretty drastically. Sugar is inflammatory so you’re going to see your body composition change and see inflammation come down. These results might not show up on your scale though. I find looking back at progress pictures is what keeps me going when I feel like I’ve plateaued in my progress.

Hydrate

Yes, I’m beating this old drum. It’s very important that you hydrate. I went out and bought myself a pretty large bottle that I take along with me almost everywhere. Here’s the Camelbak Chute I bought.

Replenish Those Electrolytes

No, please don’t go to the level they did in the movie Idiocracy. That being said, most people are actually lacking on some very important electrolytes. Most people do not take in enough Magnesium so supplementing it will never hurt. You can also add Epsom salts to a bath and your skin will absorb some of the Magnesium.

Carbs increase sodium retention so the lack of carbs in your new lifestyle will require that you increase your sodium intake.

Avocados are high in potassium and high in fat so they’re great for increasing your potassium intake! If you’re like me and not the biggest fan of avocados, then it’s not a bad idea to supplement.

Potassium
Magnesium
Sodium – Pink Himalayan sea salt at Costco

Some people complain of what has been commonly been referred to as the Keto Flu. You might experience headaches so you need to make sure you’re hydrating and getting all of the electrolytes your body is craving. If you have a headache, then you can add some salt to your water.

Staple Foods

A cursory search online will provide an exhaustive list of foods that are going to be staples in your diet. Here’s a quick list of the foods I stick to on a regular basis:

Steak
Salmon
Bacon
Pork loin
Chicken thighs
Chicken wings
Eggs
Heavy whipping cream
Hard cheese
Butter
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Asparagus
Coconut oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pork rinds
Bone broth

Basic Recipes

One of the big complaints I read online involves ingesting too many carbs and not knowing how to adjust. You should get out in front of this issue! Find yourself some go-to recipes that you know are low to no-carb. It’s a cliché but bacon and eggs are a great staple! Here are a few more:

Steak and broccoli
Taco salad
Roasted salmon with roasted cauliflower
Coffee with butter and heavy whipping cream
Bacon and eggs

Eat to Satiety

This is probably the most fun! Do you remember the feeling you get when you’ve eaten tons of chips, cookies or cake and how you felt? Stomach was full and you just didn’t feel well? Worse yet, you were hungry not long after! That has happened to me too frequently to remember.

The good news is I’m going to encourage you to eat until you’re full each and every time! The even better news is you’ll feel much better and will not be hungry nearly as quickly. You’ll likely end up skipping meals over time and you should just listen to your body! You can and are encouraged to fast for longer periods than you do on the standard, high carb diet.

Add Fat to Your Meals

You’re going to start through the motions of eating and you’re inevitably going to come to a point where your macros may be a little off. I ran into higher than desired protein and not enough fat. That often led to me feeling hungrier and eating more frequently. Luckily, there’s a pretty easy solution: Add more fat to your meals. Here are a few ways that I add fat to my meals on a daily basis:

Butter sauces – Beurre Monté, Lemon butter, etc.
Butter coffee – Often referred to as Bulletproof coffee. You can also add heavy whipping cream.
Olive oil – Add some olive oil to your veggies before roasting in the often or even just as you put them on your plate.
Salad dressing – Avoid packaged dressings and opt for a simple olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper recipe.

I think you can see a pattern here wherein I’m suggesting that you add additional whole fat products like butter and olive oil as toppings to boost your fat intake.

Fasting

I’m going to be brief here and post about fasting another time. If you are not hungry, then do not force yourself to eat. Fat will keep you feeling more full than carbs so you will naturally eat less frequently. This is also encouraged as you’ll lower the amount of insulin your body is secreting. Insulin is the hormone secreted by the pancreas to trigger energy storage which is a fun way of saying fat storage.

Listen To Your Body

I have found that I have become in tune with my body over the last 18 months. I have learned to simply listen to what my body is telling me.

If you feel hungry, then eat.
If you are full, then don’t eat.
Thirsty? Drink!

I think you get the point.

Am I In Ketosis?

You’re going to find a ton of resources here and elsewhere that will suggest other ways to get into Ketosis and stay there. Again, I will repeat that you should listen to your body. There are a number of ways to test if you’re in Ketosis and the most accurate will be a blood glucometer. Abbott Labs may provide you with a coupon for a glucometer online. You’ll need to buy blood glucose test strips though. You can then purchase blood ketone test strips. It will cost you about $2 per test so it can get pricey. A reading over 0.5mmol means you’re in Ketosis.

You can also use urine strips for testing but they are not as accurate and as your body becomes fat adapted, you will not be excreting as many ketones through urine.

There are other methods including breath tests but the two mentioned above are the ones I use on a regular basis. Now that I have a pretty good handle on how I feel when in Ketosis, I have begun to use them less frequently.

Other Miscellaneous Items

MCT Oil: this is purified fatty acids derived from coconut oil and are the easiest for your body to turn into ketone bodies. People generally add this to coffee.

I think that just about covers how I go over the keto lifestyle with anyone who wants to hear more about it. Below are a couple of pictures of the changes I’ve seen over the last 18 months thanks to keto. I share these as I understand how motivating progress pictures can be. As I said earlier, the weight loss is incredible and the mental acuity and focus have really been what has continued to drive my keto journey!

fat ryan fat ryan christmas

The above pictures are from October and December 2016 respectively.

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The above pictures are from May 2018.

Taco Tuesday

What you’ll need

Frying pan
Spatula
Garlic press
A big bowl

Ingredients

2 tbsp Butter
1 Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
1 lb Medium Ground Beef
Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
2 tbsp Sour Cream
2 tbsp Pickled Jalapenos
2 cups Lettuce
2-3 tbsp Homemade Salsa or Low-Sugar Salsa
2 Eggs
Hot Sauce to Taste
Salt and Pepper
Optional: Pork Belly

Get to cooking!

Heat 2 tbsp butter in a skillet
Cook the onion until translucent – about 5 minutes
Crush garlic and add in – cook for 1 minute
Cook down the Ground Beef until almost fully cooked through
If you decided to add pork belly, then chop it up and add it to your pan
Add the taco seasoning package, mix well and let simmer for a few minutes

Prep to serve:

Tear lettuce, add it to your bowl and add the olive oil on top
Add half the ground beef on top of the lettuce
Add your salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, jalapenos, and cheese
In a skillet, cook the eggs sunny side up and add to the taco bowl

Backstory

As was the case with the last recipe, Spiteful Shrimp and any other recipe on this blog, I’m adding a bit of backstory AFTER the recipe itself! I’ve become a pretty fan of specific traditions and Taco Tuesday is definitely an example. While I was living in Toronto, Ontario for a couple of years, my roommate and I became big fans of Taco Tuesdays. We would not spend much time in the same room for most of the week but Tuesdays became somewhat sacred.

That has continued on over the last couple of years. The major difference now is that I have changed the delivery system. I used to have fun with hard shell and soft shell taco shells or even a mix of both similar to how it’s done at Taco Bell. Since going Keto in January of 2017, I’ve adjusted Taco Tuesdays with one key factor: salad. Ever since I went Keto, tacos have transformed from hand-held food delivery to a giant salad that might tip the scales at 3-4lbs depending on how hungry I am!

Taco Tuesday has become even more sacred in recent weeks as I’ve fully embraced intermittent fasting. I am currently on a 48h fast beginning Sunday after dinner and ending at dinner on Tuesday, right in time for tacos! Yes, I planned it that way.

So get out and there celebrate Taco Tuesday! Do it with standard taco shells or in a salad! It’s a fantastic meal that is sure to keep you full and happy until Wednesday rolls around.

Helpful Information

Rule #1 – Forget everything you know about nutrition!
Rule #2 – Keto is a lifestyle and not a diet!

I’m really excited that you asked for more information on the Ketogenic Lifestyle! It might seem like a daunting task to sift through all of the research right now but just know that it’s much easier than it seems. My biggest piece of advice is going to be to listen to your body! If you’re hungry, then eat. If you’re not hungry, then don’t eat! Just make sure you’re sticking to some pretty basic rules.

But first, what is Keto?

Basically, you want to keep your Macro Nutrient intake as follows:
– Fat: 70%+
– Protein: 20%
– Net Carbs: 5% – This is carbs minus fiber
– 0 Sugar – This is KEY!

Your body will enter a type of starvation mode called Ketosis where you switch from using Glucose for fuel and your body will start converting fat to ketone bodies or Ketones. The ketones will then be used as fuel for your brain and cells. It appears as though ketones may be a more efficient fuel for the body. Do not fret though, your liver is storing 24 hours worth of glucose as glycogen and will dip into this reserve as needed. Proteins you’re ingesting will also be converted to glucose to replenish your glycogen stores meaning your body will not be attacking your muscles for fuel. If you have weight to spare, then you’ll lose weight as a byproduct of this lifestyle. The main benefit you’ll experience is mental alertness and clarity, lots of energy, and you will no longer experience that fog and fatigue you face every afternoon.

You may experience what is called a Keto Flu in the beginning which is like a hangover. Your body is just transitioning. Essentially, your body is lacking key electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, and potassium) that it might not be getting from your new lifestyle. You’ll want to make sure to add salt to your food and supplement magnesium and potassium. Avocados are high in potassium and you can use epsom salt baths for magnesium. Once you’re in a state of Ketosis, which can be measured through a blood test like diabetics do (above 0.5 mmol of Ketones in your blood), then your body starts burning all fat for fuel. This is called becoming fat adapted. If you’re not consuming enough fat for your body, which is normal, then your body will start burning the excess fat reserves that you have stored. The key here is to not consume sugar or carbs as it will invoke an insulin response from your pancreas and your liver will then trigger a fat storage response for your body. Stick to green leafy vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, etc.

After some time of sticking to a high fat lifestyle, you should start noticing that you’ll be less and less hungry compared to a higher carbohydrate lifestyle you’re used to following. THIS IS NORMAL! Like I said, just remember to eat when you’re hungry. The practice of grazing or eating 6-10 meals per day is wrong. Along with making sure you’re eating healthy fats like butter, heavy whipping cream, animal fat, etc, you’ll want to make sure that you stick to foods that are low on the glycemic index. This means they are not causing an insulin response. Lower the amount of insulin in your body will encourage your body to stay in a state of ketosis and continue burning fat for fuel rather than storing it.

I think that’s enough to get you started! Here are a few resources that I’ve used to get to where I’m at today. If you have any other questions, then please just let me know!

– https://celticketo.blog/ – My blog
– https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ – Tracking food and macros
– https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto#food
– http://tim.blog/2016/07/06/dom-dagostino-part-2/
– http://2ketodudes.com/ – Podcast
– https://www.ketoconnect.net/

Oh, here’s a progress picture that keeps me going:

A Little More About Me

I thought it might be a good idea to share more about myself with you just in case you were wondering. I’ve had a pretty eclectic journey thus far and I’m very grateful for your interest so buckle up!

Ryan and Reo I have always been an active person and have practiced a number of sports including rugby, baseball and hockey. I have a Bachelor of History with a Minor in Computer Science so technical information and research have always come naturally to me. Most of my career was spent in a customer service roll including several years in an emergency call centre.

Years of abnormal working hours, traveling and generally living an unhealthy lifestyle caused me to gain more weight than I ever thought possible and I was not feeling good about myself.

After a few years of weight gain and generally negative living, I was directed to Tim Ferriss as a great resource to start on a journey of self-improvement. Funny enough, I was directed to Tim’s book, Four Hour Workweek, in an effort to optimize my workday. I started improving my work life by consciously reviewing each and every task to remove anything that was redundant. An unforeseen side effect of all of the optimization exercises at work, I also started reviewing things in my personal life to make sure I was fully optimizing my life as a whole. Through Tim Ferris’ three books, Four Hour Workweek, Four Hour Body and Four Hour Chef, I discovered concepts like diet changes, Stoicism, and the minimum effective dose.

While I was working to optimize my life, naturally, my health became a very important area of focus for me. I tried basically everything I could find including cutting out fast food, the slow carb diet, calorie-restriction, and lots of exercise. Sadly, nothing seemed to work for me. I did some work with a coach back in 2014 wherein I was powerlifting and had a prescribed diet to follow. The diet, while being high in carbohydrates did call for an increased fat intake. It was the first time I saw my weight drop at all.

Side-by-side

Fast-forward a couple of years and an additional 25lbs gained, I found myself at a loss yet again. I had hit 230lbs and as someone who always had a hard time putting on weight as a teenager and young adult, I was appalled by the state of my body. I just happened upon the Ketogenic lifestyle online and decided to do some of my own research. I did research for over a month before I decided to dive in. The initial weight loss was a total shock! I went down 20lbs in the first two months. Better yet, I felt absolutely incredible! My performance in ice hockey had improved significantly, mental alertness was through the roof and I just felt so good about myself.

I spent the better part of 2017 eating lazy Keto which basically means giving myself some leeway and not strictly sticking to the guidelines of the Keto lifestyle. While letting my health fall by the wayside a bit, I continued doing research into another passion: lifestyle optimization. The end of 2017 saw me get much more serious about Keto and my overall health. I started 2018 officially down 34lbs and looking for any way to be healthier both physically and mentally.

As of May 10, 2018, I am down 45lbs overall and my body composition has changed completely. I have become even more active adding in three to four 20km bike rides to and from work, three lunchtime runs of 6+ km, and three hockey games each week. All of these changes have helped to improve my attitude and general outlook. I have never been as positive as I am today. I’ve begun evangelizing about the benefits of lifestyle changes and all of the talk seems to have had an effect on a few people in my life who are making similar changes and are not looking back.

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I’m not exactly certain about the future. I’m going to continue working on myself each and every day. I’m also going to consider lifestyle coaching and putting in more work on my blog to see where this incredible journey will take me.

On this blog, you’ll find everything from stories about my progress and journey, research I want to share, book reviews and stories about my four-year old Weimaraner Lab mix, Reo.

Stay tuned!

Spiteful Shrimp

What you’ll need

Frying pan
Spatula
Garlic press
Zester
A big appetite!

Ingredients

1lb of Shrimp (21/25 size), peeled
3 tbsp of butter
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup of white wine or homemade broth (recipe coming soon!)
Chili paste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Get to cooking!

Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet at medium heat
Once the butter is simmering, add in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds
Stir in the chili paste and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes
Add the wine/broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper
Let the whole thing simmer for 1-2 minutes
Lay as many of the shrimp down into the pan and cook for 1 minute or until they become pink on the pan side (The first shrimp should be ready to turn by the time you’ve put them all in the pan)
Flip the shrimp over and cook for another 1 minute on the opposite side.
Take the pan off of the element and serve on a plate with the extra sauce in a ramekin or I love throwing it all in one big soup bowl!

Backstory

I figured it would be a good idea to add this to the end of the recipe rather than at the beginning since I’m always cursing when I get to a recipe and there is a gigantic blog post ahead of it! Let’s do the opposite around here!

I’m a big fan of both shrimp and spicy food so combining the two only seemed natural. I’ve done the cajun-style boil both in restaurants and at home before. They’re absolutely amazing but the time it takes to both prep and cook take away a bit of the lustre of it all.

Along came Carl Franklin, one half of the 2 Keto Dudes. On one of their more recent podcasts, Carl discussed a shrimp recipe that sounded incredible! I quickly took a mental note of the ingredients and drove to the store to buy everything I needed. I found a great garlic chili paste (link here) that is Keto so I decided to use it in the recipe. Along with shrimp and spicy food, I adore garlic so it was the perfect match.

I prefer my sauce a bit on the runny side so I don’t cook it down nearly as much as I’m sure you could so I’ll definitely leave that up to you. I’ve used the sauce on roasted broccoli which just elevates an already incredible veggie.

All in all, if you enjoy cajun-style shrimp, then this little asian/cajun fusion spin will blow your socks off!