So just an update on how my trial to undo keto diet damage was working for me and what if anything, has tripped me up so far. The original story here.
So I’m about 2 months in and yes I have noticed some changes.
Night-time temp is regularly in the high 35 degrees (95F) now and even sometimes in the low 36s (96.8F) where as before I started this I was low 35 all the time. So it’s definitely having an effect.
What’s working…
Weight training
So just continuing to do a tiny bit at home. It’s such a small amount that I find I can do it every day or if I’m super busy and miss a day, it’s no biggie. Add any more though and I would avoid it like the plague.
Feeling stronger and it just feels better throughout a busy day.
(To learn more about the One Ten Toned fast metabolism exercise program, click here.)
Carrot salad
If I was organised I could grate a big batch and have it over a few days, alas unfortunately it doesn’t happen. So what does seem to happen, is chopping carrot sticks and having those, so it’s better than not at all.
Raw Fruit & honey
This is working well – a full explanation in the what’s not working section below. I had to switch it around to suit me better – which is really what you need to do with all dietary advice. Go by how it feels for you and adjust as necessary.
I will say though, I think there may have been some freaking out going on inside my body while I was changing things around a bit. This is what they say happens when you switch from getting your energy mostly from fats (keto) back to glucose burning.
While I felt fine, (clear head, energetic) my body seemed to have a low immune system response. I had flare ups of certain infections that I hadn’t had for years on a lower sugar protocol. Also I think something else was the issue too, which affected my sugar metabolism, which I will touch on at the end.
What’s working with a twist…
Caffeine
Ok so I gave coffee another look in with a new method of having it with food etc just to see if the pro-coffee pundits were right, or if coffee really is the devil for me.
The result was – feeling twitchy and edgy and a bit out of control. It disturbed my sleep big time where I was awake at 3am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Where as usually I am rock solid, and sleep all the way though. So messing up your sleep is a health disaster.
I was having only one coffee a day and when I ran out, I didn’t think much of it until I had a severe withdrawal headache all that morning – even when I had switched to something else that still had caffeine in it.
So coffee is back in the naughty corner for me. It’s just too harsh for my delicate bod at this time anyway. I think I just need more time to undo more keto diet damage and I will try it again as I love it!!
In this process too, I was trying Matcha Green Tea and I love that stuff. It makes you feel amazing without any crash. I have it as a latte with milk, gelatin, raw honey and cinnamon and it’s awesome.
What’s not working…
So the only thing I couldn’t continue was the 30g of protein within 30 mins of waking.
It’s a lot of protein! Eggs themselves are only like 6g each, so you would need at least two eggs and some kind of meat or a shake with protein powder and eggs in it.
Constipation
All that happened was that it felt like I had to force the protein down that early in the morning. It didn’t make me feel energetic at all; it made me feel tired and a bit gross. And the worst part was it made me severely constipated – to the point where I was quite concerned about it. Lower gut pains that I have never felt before and great discomfort.
It’s really important to have a fool proof system when it comes to elimination, as bowel cancer is frightening and this is where it all starts.
So this prompted me to read the book again by Harvey Diamond called Fit for Life, where way back in the 80s, he was a proponent of fresh fruit only – until noon.
Natural Hygiene
The reasoning is that fresh fruit should be eaten alone, on an empty stomach, as it passes through the system quickly and assists in the natural elimination systems of the body. If you eat anything else during this time, it upsets the processes and you get jammed up. Which was certainly my experience.
And using this method was one of the ways that helped me to lose weight in the first place, all those years ago.
So of course, this goes against Dr Ray Peat’s and others’ advice about eating fruit with a protein. However I’m a bit of a rebel like that!
And besides, fruit actually has a bit of protein in it anyway – nature packs in all the nutrients you need. And the best part is that fresh fruit is one of the highly thermic foods recommended to eat for high metabolism. So totally winning!
Dizziness
Some reported feeling a bit dizzy just eating fruit, however the answer was because they were not having enough of it. However, if you are already diabetic, be careful with this fruit only thing, because your cells are likely to already be damaged with their sugar processing abilities. You need to repair all of that damage first and go very slowly.
So one other twist I add to the fruit only thing, is that I sip my Matcha Green Tea during the morning as well. Strictly should only be water or herbal tea from the natural hygiene elimination point of view, however again it’s working for me and that’s all I need to know.
Success!
So with a few twists and adjustments to suit, the five factors I was trying to undo the keto diet damage is actually working quite nicely. So that’s exciting!
One other thing I came across this week that is linked to all of this – is B12 and magnesium deficiency.
Do you know why?
It’s because both play an important part in how the cells convert glucose and create energy. So you won’t have a fast, efficient metabolism, if your cells don’t have the necessary tools to make it happen.
More on this in a future blog post. It’s quite huge and especially in the case of B12, it’s nearly epidemic. (I have about 10 deficiency symptoms, so no wonder I’m interested!)
So yes I’m successfully undoing the keto diet damage and you can too.
Kristy x
2021 Update: I now consistently get 36.7C (98F) waking body temperatures. I’m back on coffee and have now written four books based on the Dr Ray Peat health principles. See the Zen Beach Diet and others here.
