Weird diet side effects

A couple of weeks ago I got a bit of a shock. I weighed in at nearly 15 and and a half stone. I thought I was 14 and a half, and wasn't happy with that, never mind the extra stone.

No worries though, its just a case of making a few diet and lifestyle changes. Nothing drastic (drastic action doesn't work in my experience), just subtle and gradual changes to both diet and exercise level.

Its working, I've shed about 6lbs in two weeks, which I'm happy with and kind of expected. However, in addition to the expected results, there's been some strange unexpected ones.

I've noticed:
* I seem to have learned to play the trumpet. Ok I'm not very tuneful, but it seems I practice regularly whether I want to or not.
* I seem to have learned to relax. I sat in front of the telly for more than an hour in one go last night, and it wasn't even Dr Who that was on.
* I find I'm not missing my bacon sarnies. In fact I really don't fancy anything fatty or greasy any more. That's not self discipline, its just I find myself craving rabbit food and fresh fish and fruit.
* I appear to be more mellow. Things that would normally enrage me, I mostly just brush off.
* I need to go for a wee much more often than normal, but equally I find myself drinking more water, like gallons of the stuff.

What's going on? Have I accidentally put myself on some sort of detox? I only meant to lose a bit of weight and get a bit fitter. I didn't intend to become a monk of the Shaolin temple.

 

May be it's the time of life where you going through the change

I think i'm doing the same, more relaxed etc, but we've not got a nasty neighbour and family any more
Life is now sweet
May be your life is sweeter as well

 

It sounds as if you have gone into ketosis. It is a quick way to lose weight and works extremely well for men. Men seem to lose great chunks of weight at a time on it.
When you reach your goal weight be very careful about adding things back It is so easy to regain all the lost weight.
Good luck.

 

It can work with women too if you have the will power.

 

"* I seem to have learned to relax. I sat in front of the telly for more than an hour in one go last night, and it wasn't even Dr Who that was on."

With eating less , your body can relax more , less food less energy ,, 6lb in two weeks sounds quite a lot to me though, got be careful with the "YO YO diet" as you can pile it back on in the same time then it will takes you more than two weeks to lose it again as your body knows what you are up to

Spruce

 

Oh yes, I am a big fan. I lost a lot of weight last year and brought my diabetes under control using ketosis.

 

I've seen the yo-yo effect a few times, which is why I'm being a bit more careful about it this time.

In the past, I've gone to the extreme, and practically starved myself. Weight drops off, but your body goes into 'starvation mode' so frees up less energy from the food you eat, choosing to store it instead, so you just get very tired, and then when temptation happens, you eat 3 portions of tyramisu in one go and wash it down with few pints

This time I've vowed not to starve myself, but instead just eat better, do more, and still fill up but on healthy stuff instead of that nemesis of mine, chips (and chocolate biscuits, oh and tyramisu, and cheesecake, and bacon, ...).

 

Lots of fruit and lots of water and you will still have lots of energy

 

I've just read up on ketosis, having never previously heard of it. It talks of nasty things like strain on the kidneys, the brain not being able to make use of energy reserves, blood filling up with toxins, kidney stones etc.

Should I be worried? I want to shift some weight, and the only way to do so is to burn it, and as the body will always choose carbs over fat for energy, if I eat enough carbs to avoid this ketosis thingy, I'm not going to loose a single ounce.

I feel fine though. Well, I'm full of lurgy at the minute but its the same lurgy as everyone round here, i.e. a germ, and not my body crying foul, but apart that I don't feel tired or ill or anything.

 

Yes, you would Low carb and high protein is not the only weight loss idea out there.

Maybe a GI eating plan would suit you better (and it doesn't come with all the dire warnings of ketosis )

 

The stuff I read says that ketosis is the only mechanism for burning fat, and it only happens if your calorie consumption in carbs drops below your calorie expenditure.

I'm not doing one of those weird fad diets or anything. I'm just eating the kind of stuff that is supposed to be healthy, and I'm not going hungry or anything. I reckon my total daily calorie spend per day is about 3200 (based on my weight, age, gender and lifestyle), and I reckon I'm currently consuming about 2000 calories per day, most of which is carbs (fruit and veg, and bread, rice and pasta) with some protein and even fat from a small amount of cheese, and fish.

 

It sounds like a perfect healthy eating plan. Ketosis or not, I can't see any other way forward. You could up the protein and cut down on some of the carbs but as long as you didn't completely cut out carbs I think you would avoid ketosis and still lose weight.

If you are sure you're using 3200 calories per day you would still lose weight slowly even on 2500 calories a day. Slow, steady weight loss and dietary retraining is the best plan for avoiding yoyo dieting.

So it would happen even if you ate 3199 calories of buttered pasta and nothing else each day. Or chips.

 

Ketosis is only dangerous in diabetics (ketoacidosis) and then only under certain circumstances. There are thousands of people worldwide that deliberately go into, and stay in, ketosis every day. Doctors used to freak out about it but are now actively encouraging ketogenic diets. I can honestly say that had I not found out about low carbing I probably wouldn't be here now. I now live a Paleo lifestyle.
I strongly believe that everyone should find their own way to health and fitness and I would encourage anyone whatever route they decided to take. Well done you!

http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/is-ketosis-dangerous

 

Oooh, sounds fun. tell us more!