Well, two weeks in. Just to remind you all, I started the ketogenic diet at 15 stone, 10 pounds. My goal is 12 and a half stone, by mid-March 2015. This means a target weight-loss of 2lb per week.

Week Two’s target weight therefore? 15 stone, 6 pounds. Waistline measurement only once a month, so not this week.

I step onto the scales…

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. Something has gone drastically wrong. 15 stone, 7 pounds. Not only have I missed my target; but I’ve actually gained a pound since last week! This sends me into a spiral of despair. I immediately think about giving up…

What can have gone wrong??? I wrack my brains repeatedly then turn to on-line guidance and the books I have bought.

All the literature says ‘don’ trust the scales’; weight fluctuates within quite a wide margin due to water-retention &tc. Yes this is true; but one whole week in ketosis should certainly have shifted something! I’ve been checking for ketones every day, and I’ve definitely been burning body-fat for energy. In spite of this, I’m heavier??

Admittedly all is not lost; I’m still 3 pounds lighter than I was 2 weeks ago, so that is a positive. But the ‘scales thing’ doesn’t quite add up. They say muscle weighs more than fat. Yes, I’ve been far more active over the last couple of weeks; but hardly in a ‘muscle-building’ kind of way. Am I dehydrated therefore retaining huge quantities of water? No, I drink a lot of water and top up regularly throughout the day.

My only assumption is that it has to be something to do with the food I am eating. Have I been doing anything differently this week? A short reply – yes.

I’ve been reading a lot about long-term carb-reduction. Examples include how First-Nations peoples such as Inuits survived almost exclusively on a diet of high levels of saturated fat & smaller quantities of protein (strangely enough, the body doesn’t get scurvy). Add to this, I’ve been reading blogs on things like ‘bulletproof coffee’ (apologies if you’re a fan, but this is REALLY not for me – my journey is about real food). In short, all these sources advocate upping your levels of saturated fat; which I’ve duly actioned.

So the one thing I’ve changed over the week, is adding additional saturates to things, e.g. stirring an extra tablespoon of butter into a sauce, when there is already some in there, and double cream to boot!

I’m firmly convinced that this is where my error lies. The additional fats are for long-term weight-maintenance i.e. when your body has lost all the weight. Only then do you need to up the calories, to stop you from wasting away & keep you steadily at your target-weight. I think I’ve somewhat lost sight of the fact that I’m in a weight-loss phase; I’m not a lean Eskimo, who requires a vast number of calories just to survive (yet). I sit behind a desk!!!

Yes, I’m convinced I’ve worked it out. I’ll just have to stop adding additional fat, and see if I can get back on track. Next week’s weigh-in will be a nerve-racking experience, that’s for sure.

So apart from my devastating results and probable humongous error;  how have I found this week?

Headaches still recurring, but with lower frequency. Slightly lower energy levels this week; but I expect this may have something to do with my ‘saturated fat overload’! Mood has also stayed on the grumpy side; but work has remained super-stressful, so cannot differentiate between the two.

Still thirsty and drinking a lot of water. The body-temperature thing seems less noticeable, but maybe I am just getting used to it. All in all, I am still highly motivated to continue and shall chalk this week’s setback down as a simple case of ‘you live, you learn…‘. I just hope I’m right; I certainly don’t want to go to all that effort, only to find I’m getting fatter!

Only time will tell. Feel free to check in on Week 3’s progress to see if I’m right!

Thanks for reading, and have a nice week; Adam.

Please note – as highlighted in the my first weekly weigh-in post, I hadn’t yet had the idea to write this blog when I started the diet. The first couple of ‘weekly reports’ are therefore retrospective; but as this was only a week ago, I more than remember how I felt! The results were naturally recorded aside from this blog, so no chance of variance there.

Enjoy the read, and with thanks, Adam.