I must admit that one of the main reasons I decided to try this diet, is because I have friends and family that are more or less fanatic about it. Aggressivly so. Even strangers could come up to me and tell me how fast I would loose weight if I only tried this. My arguments that I don't feel comfortable with it - that I have had gall stones and kidney stones and joint problems, - nothing seems to deter them. So I decided to give it a try. I also wanted to curb my sugar craving, and it made sense to me that this diet could do the trick. That was the more valid reason.
I decided to go all the way. I read up on the subject, and chose to do the ketolytic diet, wich is the more extreme variety, but I was determined to really go for it, covinced or not. I bought ketosticks to ensure I stayed in ketose. I bought green veggies and weighed them to be sure of how many carbs I was getting. I bought meat and fish and eggs, and thought to myself I might enjoy some fatty food and fried stuf I don't usually touch. I have been dieting more or less successully for five or six years, and lost 60 pounds. I know how to diet. I have had many slip-ups during depressions, but Now I was in a calm and rther happy stage of my life, so I was rearing to go.
During the three weeks (as I read about it and did some research)I discovered how many miscoceptions there was about this diet. People told me I could eat as much as I wantedd. WRONG, I had to count calories as well, and alternated between 1000 calories and 1600. Less than that just didn't meet the reequirements to protein and fat content. I actually ate very little.
They also told me about the burst of energy and happiness, the feeling of beeing full everyday and all the delicious meals. I had some really yummy stuff, but it was yummy the first time, not the second.
The first week, I gained three pounds, felt a bit nauceous all the time, and had no energy whatsoever. My hot flashes accellerated, my skin broke out in pimples, and my heart pounded like crazy. I felt like crap, and wasn't able to do anything at the gym. But I was told that was to be expected the first week, so I plodded on. My sugal craving was low, and I tokk that as a really good omen.
The second week I was able to stay awake a whole day at the time, I actually digested some of the food and could stop powdering my bum again. I lost the weight I had gained, and a pound extra. I was beginning to think this could work. My headaches were endurable, and I didn't feel sick, but terribly out of shape. At the gym I could barely walk five minutes on the treadmill before my heartrte went up to the 160-170'ties, And I felt it took hours to cool down. My best friend urged me to see a doctor, so I obliged and made an appointment.
The third week, I was still plodding on, stubborn to the last. I gave up going to the gym, as I was unable to do anything that made any sense.The doctor took my blood pressure, and in just two and a half week I had gone from 120/80 to 191/110. He made me come back two days later to get a 24-hour monitor. At the check-in my pressure was 195/117. 24 hours later I returned the apparatus, and it showed a lot of spikes well over 200/ 120, and a few lows, all well above 170/100. The same night my doctor texted me and told me to make an appointment on monday, to discuss medication for bloodpressure. I had lost half a pound this week.
I stopped. I went out and bought some fruit, yoghurt and oatmeal, and decided to relax over the weekend. Now it is sunday night in Norway, and I feel much better! I am out of ketose, and don't care!I still have no bad sugar cravings, and I'm satisfied with fruit for sweetness. My heart stopped pounding, and I am able to use the stationary bike for ten minutes without getting dizzy. I am actually eager to see how my pressure is doing on the next test.
Many of the fanatics tll me I should continue to do the diet, because it is fantastic for getting down pressure. I also get a lot of questions to proove I did it by the book. But I am done. My strong belief is that not everybody reacts to everything the same way. They also tell me my blood pressure must come from other sources, or have been high all the time, bbut the only thing I changed these three weeks was my diet, and I went to the doctor because my heart rate was out of control t the gym. (and because my best friend threatened to kick my butt if I didn't)
Now I am back to my normal diet of veggies and fruit, yoghurt, oatmeal and today even the pasta with lean minced meat. And I'm feeling good. (but a little bit hungry!) Going to the gym tomorrow! After making the doctor's appointment.