Challenges this Week

Hitting 20 total carbs on a daily basis has become a challenge, so I have decided to move the goal post to 30 grams per day as a target. Without testing Ketones there is no true way to know my current levels/status of ketosis or not, so I am going by feeling. Going by feel, I’m hypothesizing that I could stand a few more non-starch carbs on my exercise days. I am making an educated guess that I can handle a few more carbs on this diet based on my activity levels, and that I am not using Keto therapeutically to treat a chronic condition.

Keto Tips of the Week

Bulletproof Coffee is my tip of the week. The idea behind Keto is using fat for fuel/energy, so a coffee can be a great medium for quality fats.

*Source for Bulletproof Coffee: https://www.bulletproof.com/recipes/bulletproof-diet-recipes/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/

There are many ways to make this coffee (pictured above), the basic concept is butter and MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil in coffee. Coconut oil is a source of MCT, so I used one spoon of that, one spoon grass fed butter and a little sea salt, used milk frother to combine. A word of caution, if you don’t use the milk frother or a blender, you get an oil slick on top of your coffee.

The drink above is 0 sugar, 0 carb, and around 230 calories if you are counting, which is significantly less than most latte/ cappuccino drinks. 

Meals

Sunday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 8:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: 4 slices bacon.

Around 1 pm: Olives, cheese, salami.

Morning Totals:

Total Carbs: 5 grams

Protein: 40 grams

Around 3:30 pm: Roasted Brussels with grass fed butter and olive oil, roast chicken 🍗, coconut flakes with coconut milk.

Meal Totals:

Carbs: 10 grams

Protein: 25 grams

Daily Totals

Total Carbs: 15 grams

Protein: 65 grams

Monday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 8:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 1:22 pm: Nut butter, 1 spoon coconut oil, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, salt, coconut milk to drink.

Total Carbs: 16 grams.

Protein: 15 grams.

Around 4:30 pm: Coleslaw with cabbage slaw mix, chopped garlic, 6 slices bacon, cheddar cheese, dressed with salt and pepper, avocado mayo, sriracha sauce, apple cider vinegar; 8 olives.

Total Carbs: 10 grams

Protein: 35 grams

Evening: Herbal Tea

Daily Totals

Carbs: 26 grams

Protein: 50 grams

Tuesday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 8:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 10 am: Green tea.

Around 12 noon: 2 servings natural peanut butter, 1 spoon coconut oil, 1 serving hemp seeds, shaved coconut, coconut milk to drink.

Total Carbs: 16 grams

Protein: 28 grams

Around 4:30 pm: Coleslaw over lettuce, greens powder, dressed with olive oil; can of salmon with 1 spoon melted butter; 8 olives.

Total Carbs: 12 grams

Protein: 55 grams

Evening: Herbal Tea

Daily Totals

Total Carbs: 28 grams

Protein: 83 grams

Wednesday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with coconut oil, grass fed butter, and salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with grated ginger.

Around 4:30 pm: Coleslaw with lettuce, avocado, greens powder; can of sardines; cheddar cheese with 8 olives; 2 spoons peanut butter.

Meal and Daily Totals:

Total Carbs: 26 grams

Protein: 52 grams

Thursday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with coconut oil, grass fed butter, and salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea.

Around 12 noon: 2 servings natural peanut butter, 1 spoon coconut oil, 1 serving hemp seeds, shaved coconut.

Total Carbs: 15 grams

Protein: 28 grams

Around 4:30 pm: Coleslaw with lettuce, avocado, greens powder; can of sardines; 8 olives; 2 spoons peanut butter.

Meal Totals:

Total Carbs: 26 grams

Protein: 48 grams

Daily Totals

Total Carbs: 41 grams

Protein: 76 grams

Friday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with coconut oil, grass fed butter, and salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea.

Around 1 pm: Chicken Jerky, 1 Whole Avocado.

Total Carbs: 12 grams

Protein: 18 grams

Around 6 pm: Grilled chicken salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, egg, cheese, bacon, ranch dressing.

Approximately 20 grams Total Carbs

Approximately 50 grams Protein

Daily Totals

Total Carbs: 32 grams

Protein: 68 grams

Saturday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 8:30 pm: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 3 pm: 3 Handfuls of Cashews.

Total Carbs: Around 15 grams

Protein: Around 10 grams

Around 6 pm: Roast Pork with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Olive Oil and Grass Fed Butter.

Total Carbs: Around 12 grams

Protein: Around 35 grams

Daily Totals

Total Carbs: 25 grams

Protein: 45 grams

Favorite Meal of the Week

Exercise

Sunday

Mowing lawn, 2.5 miles, around 1 hour total.

Monday

2.5 miles walk, around 50 minutes total, stretch and roll.

Tuesday

Morning stretch and roll.

Deadlifts 205 x 3, 225 x 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,2; Ab wheel roll, 6 sets of 6-8; pull up bar hangs.

Wednesday

2.5 miles walk, around 50 minutes total, stretch and roll.

Thursday

Goblet squat 35 x 8, 44 x 5,6,5; Kettlebell swing 53 x 10, 72 x 8,8,8; Pull up 6,6,6,5; Pushup 10,10,10,10; Total Gym row 10,10,10,12; Concentration curl 20 x 10, 10, 26 x 6, 6

Friday

Morning run, around 4.9 miles, 45:05, no rest.

This time is a full minute faster than last week, and 3 minute improvement from the start of Keto! I have a theory that one factor in my 1 minute improvement this week is my slight increase of total carbs this week, giving me more stored glycogen to chug up the hill towards the end of this run.

Saturday

Stretching and activite rest.

Benefits Noted This Week

I noticed a boost in energy during exercise this week, and I am going to correlate that to adding a little bit more carbs than previous weeks. In particular, I noticed increased energy and performance in types of exercise that would rely more on glycogen stores, such as weight lifting and running up a hill. I decided to strategically move the target of total carbs per day up from 20 grams to 30 grams, specifically to see if I may see a benefit in my exercise.

Important to note, I increased my daily carb intake by adding such items as a whole avocado, or a few spoons of peanut butter (not rice, bread, pasta, etc.).

Sleep was excellent this week! Every night was at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Sleep has been a focus area of mine for the last few months, and it is very encouraging to see it paying off.

My Compliance Grade for the Week

Given that I moved my target of total carbs this week from 20-30 grams per day, I give myself a 95% compliance. Moderate protein ranges were easily achieved, and I held firm with no processed food, grain, starch, or alcohol. I found the move to include more carbs, particularly on or before exercise days, was beneficial to my energy levels.

Looking ahead to next week, I will be wrapping up 4 weeks of Keto and reporting out about the experience. The post will include favorite meals, top tips and benefits, and challenges. Thanks so much for checking this out, I will update you soon!

Benefits Noted this Week

Energy! I have felt very high and sustained energy levels this week, at work and while exercising. In addition to energy, I have noticed that I am able to feel more full, or “satiated” while eating Keto; with this change, I have not felt the urge or craving to overate Keto/high fat foods like I have with higher carb foods in the past. I am making an educated guess that eating the right amount of (real) food to meet my energy needs is helping with my feeling of sustained energy, as compared to periodic grazing/overeating.

Challenges this Week

Keto rash! I noticed that I had a few raised red bumps on my chest, a mild rash. Listening to an early episode of the “Keto Talk” podcast by Jimmy Moore with Dr. Adam Nally, I learned that sometimes your body has reactions (such as a rash) when adjusting to Ketosis, due to temporary changes in your body’s PH (acid vs base). I cannot think of another potential culprit right now, and the rash is not causing any discomfort. I am going to monitor, and hope my body balances out and it disappears soon.

I had a challenging week at work. I will not go into details due to privacy considerations, but lets just say it was the kind of week in which an after work Scotch (or 3) would have been in order for me previously. Accompanying the after work Scotch would most likely be some form of overeating for comfort, followed by bad sleep, followed by more stress the next day (a domino effect).

The situation(s) I faced at work were not any less challenging than others I have experienced previously (far more so, actually). I have recognized and interrupted that previous pattern to the point that over consumption is not even a consideration as a way to deal with stress. So, mark this one as a challenge, and a benefit…

Keto Tips of the Week

If you are trying to eat Keto/achieve Ketosis, try making food choices that have most of their calories coming from fat. Some basic nutrition for you, here are the number of calories per gram of the three macro-nutrients:

• Carbs: 4 calories per gram
• Protein: 4 calories per gram
• Fat: 9 calories per gram

Another way you can accomplish this ratio, is adding fat from real food sources if your meal is naturally higher in protein or carbs by itself. For example, my Coleslaw; by adding some slices of bacon, cheddar cheese, and dressing with avocado mayo, I created a meal that is higher in fat content as compared to protein or carbs.

Meals

Sunday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with coconut oil and salt.

Around 10:30 am: Wedding brunch buffet; eggs, bacon, sausage, smoked salmon, cream cheese, onion, capers.

Total Carbs: Around 5 grams

Protein: Around 45 grams

Around 5:30 pm: 2 spoons coconut oil, Keto shake, 1 cup coconut milk to drink; 1 serving hemp seeds, 1 serving shaved coconut 🥥.

Total Carbs: 9 grams

Protein: 21 grams

Daily Totals

Total Carbs: 14 grams

Protein: 66 grams

Monday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with grated ginger and lime.

Around 4:30 pm: 3 scrambled eggs with 1 spoon grass fed butter and greens powder; 4 strips bacon; 1 serving coleslaw (chopped salad mix with kale, cabbage,lettuce, carrot, chopped garlic, sauerkraut, cheddar cheese, bacon, dressed with avocado mayo, apple cider vinegar, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper); 1/2 avocado; 8 olives; handful sunflower seeds; 1 cup coconut milk to drink.

Meal (and Daily) Totals:

Carbs: 22

Protein: 62

Tuesday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with grated ginger and lime.

Around 4:30 pm: Keto Coleslaw with greens powder; 3 scrambled eggs with grass fed butter and sriracha sauce; 8 olives with 1 serving cheddar cheese; 1 serving hemp seeds, 1 serving coconut flakes; 1 cup coconut milk to drink.

Meal (and Daily) Totals:

Total Carbs: 20 grams

Protein: 58 grams

Wednesday

Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with grated ginger and lime.

Around 4:30 pm: Coleslaw with greens powder and sardines; 2 egg omelet with 1 serving cheddar cheese; 2 spoons coconut oil; 1 serving coconut flakes, 1 serving hemp seeds; 1 keto shake to drink.

Meal (and Daily) Totals:

Total Carbs: 23 grams

Protein: 70 grams

Thursday

Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with turmeric.

Around 4:30 pm: Coleslaw with greens powder and 1 serving cheddar cheese; can of sardines; 2 fried eggs; 2 spoons coconut oil; shaved coconut with hemp seeds; keto shake; coconut milk to drink.

Meal (and Daily) Totals:

Total Carbs: 23 grams

Protein: 70 grams

Friday

Coffee and water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with grated ginger and lime.

Around 4:30 pm: 3 egg omelet with cheddar cheese and greens powder; Ruben bowl with 3 servings corned beef, sauerkraut, avocado mayo; 8 olives; macadamia nuts and coconut milk to drink.

Meal and Daily Totals:

Total Carbs: 18

Protein: 72 grams

Saturday

Morning: Coffee and water.

Around 8 am: Coffee with coconut oil and grass fed butter.

Around 10 am: Bowl with nut butter, 2 spoons coconut oil, macadamia nuts, shaved coconut, hemp seeds, salt. Coconut milk 🥛 to drink.

Meal (and Daily) totals:

Total Carbs: 20 grams

Protein: 30 grams

(Fast rest of the day)

Favorite Meal of the Week

Exercise

Sunday

Mowing lawn and weed whacking, around 3 miles, around 1.5 hours total.

Monday

Around 50 minutes of walking, 2.5 miles total, stretch and roll.

Tuesday

Morning stretch and roll.

Deadlift: 205 x 3, 225 x 3,3,3,3,3,6; Ab roll wheel 6 sets of 6-8 reps; Pull up bar hangs 6 sets.

Wednesday

Morning stretch and roll, 50 minutes waking, around 2.5 miles.

Thursday

Kettlebell swing 53 lbs x 10, 72 lbs x 8,8; Goblet squat 35 lbs x 10, 44 lbs x 6, 6; Pull up 6,6,6; Push up 10,12,12; Total gym row 10,10,10; Concentration curl 20 lbs 10, 26 lbs 10, 6

Around 5 miles walking at work.

Friday

4.9 mile run (same route), 46:20, no rest breaks.

Saturday

Around 3 miles walk at work.

Compliance Grade for the Week

This week, I give myself an overall 95%, up from 90% last week. I based this completely arbitrary number on a few factors:

1. Like last week, I have 100% compliance of avoiding junk food and alcohol.
2. As a slight improvement from last week, I did not exceed my daily protein target of 90 grams once.
3. I did exceed 20 grams of daily carbs on a few occasions, however I never went over 25 grams of total carbs in 1 day.

Overall I feel I am following the program in a way that makes sense for me, looking forward to week 3!

Benefits Noted This Week

My energy levels felt great during my first official week of Keto; day to day energy and mental focus have been excellent, as have my energy levels for sustained endurance activities such as jogging. Focusing on my carb and protein totals has been beneficial, and forces me to make smart food choices. For example, I have noticed that Keto compliant snack foods, such as pork rinds or cheese crisps, may put me over my daily protein limits. With this being the case, I am not going to include snack foods which are easy to overeat during week 2, and see if this helps my protein intake.

Challenges This Week

Adjusting to consuming 20 grams of total (not net) carbs takes FOCUS! FYI-Net carbs is a measure by which you start with total carbs, and subtract dietary fiber and sugar alcohols to arrive at “net carbs”. For example, Chia seeds have 12 grams total carbs, 10 grams of dietary fiber, and therefor 2 grams of net carbs per serving. In the spirit of this Keto experiment, I am counting and recording total carbs each day.

Another challenge was a family wedding, and weekend trip to Vermont. While this was a happy occasion and truly wonderful experience, it was a challenge in the sense that I needed to do some serious pre-planning to help me stay on track. Weddings are typically times for eating, drinking, and being merry, and can easily get you off a Keto diet plan if you are not careful. If you are thinking “couldn’t you just give yourself a ‘cheat day’, and have some flexibility?” Well sure, I could, but I chose not to sacrifice the progress I am making during my adaptation phase of this plan.

Some pre-planning and routines that helped me meet this challenge of a Keto wedding weekend included:

1. Committing to keeping my sleep routine during the weekend away (and keeping my 3 year old son’s schedule as close as possible, goes hand in hand).
2. Packing Keto supplies and snacks for the weekend.
3. Planning (roughly) what/where I would eat each day, look at what would be available.
4. Committing to not drinking alcohol, but still having a wonderful time and enjoying the celebration and scenery.
5. Committing to exercise/move everyday of the weekend.

Keto Tips of the Week

Coconut oil, grass fed butter, and salt in coffee is my first tip of the week. This has helped me feel peak levels of energy in between my meals, and also not feel hunger cravings. Important to note, when you drink any caffeinated beverage, you MUST stay hydrated with water.

Another tip for the week, do not supplement with protein if eating Keto, you can easily achieve the moderate amount recommended from dietary sources. Supplementing may actually put you over the recommended moderate intake. Now, if you are trying to do vegetarian or vegan Keto (which is possible to do) perhaps you may look into protein supplementation at that point.

Finally, listen to your body. If you find that 20 grams of carbs is not working for you, adjust your intake. If you need more dietary fiber, eat more dietary fiber. Try different (real) foods and fat sources, and see which ones agree with you and/or you like the best. This post series is my experiment, it is definitely not one size fits all.

Let’s Talk About It [Video]

Meals

A few notes on meals:

1. “Coffee” always means black, unless other additions are noted (such as coconut oil, or grass fed butter).
2. I will list any beverages consumed which are not water, or seltzer water.
3. Periods of fasting always include plenty of hydration with water.
4. “Greens powder” is a powdered green vegetable supplement I take for vitamins (Keto or not), it has around 6 grams of carbs (4 grams are dietary fiber), and 4 grams of protein per serving.

Sunday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 10:30 am: (Mix together) 1 serving nut butter, 2 spoons coconut oil, 1 serving hemp seeds, 1 serving coconut flakes, 1 cup coconut milk to drink.

Total Carbs: 14 grams

Total Protein: 20 grams

Around 11 am: Black coffee.

Around 6 pm: Bunless Burger from 5 Guys with 2 Beef Patties, Bacon, Cheese, Pickle, Lettuce, Jalapeno Peppers, Grilled Mushrooms, Mayonnaise.

Total Crabs: Around 5 grams

Total Protein: Around 48 grams

Daily Totals: Carbs 19 grams, Protein 68 grams

For day 1, I was able to easily be within the moderate protein range, and just barely stay below 20 grams of total carbs. Based on how I have been eating before starting Keto, I am not worried at all about staying moderate protein during this Keto experiment…20 grams of carbs in a day will take focus.

Monday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 9 am: Coffee with 1 spoon coconut oil, 1 spoon grass fed butter.

Around 10 am: Iced green tea with ginger and lime.

Around 11 am: Hot green tea.

Around 1 pm: 1 serving Coleslaw with cabbage and cale mix, chopped garlic, sliced hot pepper, bacon.

1 Gyoza filing burger patty.

2 fried eggs.

1 Bowl Miso soup broth.

Total Carbs: Around 10 grams.

Protein: Around 40 grams.

Around 5:30 pm: 2 egg omelet with 1 serving cheddar cheese, and greens powder. 8 Olives, 2 seaweed snacks.

Total Carbs: 10 grams.

Protein: Around 30 grams.

Daily Totals:

Carbs: 20 grams.

Protein: 70 grams.

Tuesday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with 1 spoon butter, 1 spoon coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with lemon and ginger.

Around 4:30 pm: Can of salmon with salt/pepper, and 2 spoons melted grass fed butter; bowl of Coleslaw with green powder, avocado, 1 serving cheddar cheese; 8 olives; 2 seaweed snacks.

Evening: Cup of Herbal tea.

Meal (and Daily) totals:

Carbs: Around 22 grams

Protein: Around 65 grams

Wednesday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with 1 spoon butter, 1 spoon coconut oil, salt.

Around 9 am: Iced green tea with lemon and ginger.

Around 5 pm: Bowl of coleslaw with greens powder, 1 serving cheddar cheese; 2 fried eggs cooked in grass fed butter; 1 can sardines, 1 can herring; 1 avocado; 8 olives; 2 seaweed snacks.

PM: Herbal Tea.

Meal (and Daily) totals:

Carbs: 24 grams

Protein: 72 grams

Thursday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 8:30 am: Coffee with 1 spoon butter, 1 spoon coconut oil, salt.

Around 4 pm: Keto shake; cheese crisps, 4 Olives.

Total Carbs: 6 grams

Protein: 38 grams

Around 6 pm: 10 oz prime rib; thick cut slab bacon, asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, green beans.

Total Carbs: 14 grams

Protein: 70 grams

Daily Totals:

Total Carbs: 20 grams

Protein: 108 grams

Of note, I overshot my protein today for the first time, but managed to keep carbs in the range. I could have planned my snack protein content a little bit better to give dinner out more flexibility…lesson learned, I am not sweating a delicious steak dinner too badly 😉

Friday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 9 am: 2 cups coconut milk, coffee with 2 spoons coconut oil.

Total Carbs: 2 grams

Protein: 0 grams

Around 1 pm: 2 cups coconut milk, 1 serving Brazil nuts, 4 servings pork rinds, 2 servings shaved coconut 🥥.

Total Carbs: Around 14 grams

Protein: Around 40 grams

Daily Totals:

Carbs: 16 grams

Protein: 40 grams

Saturday

Morning: Coffee, water.

Around 7:30 am: Coffee with coconut oil.

Around 12 noon: 1 cup coconut milk, 1 serving shave coconut, 1 serving hemp seeds, 1 serving Brazil nuts, 2 servings pork rinds.

Total Carbs: 13 grams

Protein: 36

Around 4 pm: Wedding buffet, cheese and vegetables appetizer; prime rib with sides of carrots, salad, asparagus.

Carbs: Around 10 grams

Protein: Around 50 grams

Daily Totals:

Carbs: 23 grams

Protein: 86 grams

Favorite Meal of the Week

Exercise Log

Sunday

Mowing the lawn, around 2.5 miles, around an hour total time. Additional 2 miles of walking at work.

Monday

Morning stretch and foam roll, 50 minute walk, around 2.5 miles total.

Tuesday

Deadlifts: 205×3, 225×3, 255×2, 255×1, 255×1, 205×3,3; Ab wheel roll, 6 sets of 6-8 reps, pull up bar hangs.

Wednesday

Morning stretch and roll, run 4.9 miles, 48:04, improvement from last Friday, same route.

Thursday

Pull up: 5,6; total gym row: 10, 10; concentration curl 20 lbs 10, 10.

Friday

Around an hour of running and walking, hilly terrain in Vermont.

Saturday

Waking, around an hour, hills again (Vermont).

My compliance grade for the week

My compliance grade (out of 100%) is going to be based on the following factors each week:

1. Staying at or below 20 grams of total carbs per day
2. Staying at or below 90 grams of protein per day
3. Eating real food, no processed food or alcohol

I give myself 100% for no processed food (sugar, grains, oils) and no alcohol, which I am very impressed with and proud of. As an overall Keto compliance grade, I am going to give myself a 90%. This number is based on going over carb daily limits, and protein daily limits a few times. Although I did go over my limits on certain days, it was never by a significant amount.

Important to note again that I am not measuring my Ketones, so I am not able to truly grade myself on Ketosis. Thanks so much for following along and your encouragement, comment with any thoughts or questions, see you next week!