Here, I will share my results with you, 3 months after the start of my ketogenic diet. I would also like to take this opportunity to describe a significant event during this period. To better understand what this diet consists of and get the details of my first days, check out the two previous articles (A danger is hidden behind the ketogenic diet…? and Three days with the ketogenic diet…)!

Result: 2nd Blood Test

Before going further, here is a table that illustrates the figures from my second blood test dated May 18, 2018 compared to my first, dated January 9, 2018.

board - second blood test J-Y Dionne

We can note that some results were positive and encouraging. My blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin (Hb A1c) and CRP (C-reactive protein, linked to inflammation) numbers had decreased compared to the first blood test. However, the values for lipids and insulin were more worrying.

Looking at the table, you can quickly see that my cholesterol and my other lipids had increased since the start of the diet. For these values, treatment is normally recommended. Fortunately, by referring to the authors Tim Noakes, Stephen Phinney, Jeff Volek and Jason Fung, one can be reassured by understanding that these are not worrying figures with regard to this food approach, since it would only be transitory (do not miss my 4th article on the subject to find out more). These authors suggest continuing the ketogenic diet for more than 6 months so that these values stabilize. Which is exactly what I did for my ketogenic diet experience!

While remaining between normal values, my insulin had increased to 47.7 versus 19 at the start of the adventure. It seemed very curious to me. I remember telling myself that this may explain the fact that I used to have hypoglycemia regularly (which was no longer the case at this stage). Regardless, I preferred to continue to closely monitor my insulin results.

Fasting: Yes or No?

When talking to people who practice this diet, many have mentioned how easy it was to fast. In addition to reading about the benefits of intermittent fasting, I wanted to try it out during my experience. Therefore, I tried my very first fast on a Friday. The day before, I had finished supper at 7 p.m. The next morning, I skipped my breakfast. The morning went well. However, at lunch time, hunger was very strong. I then consumed a homemade broth to quell this feeling of hunger. With difficulty, I had managed to hold out until supper (around 6 p.m.). I also remember having difficulty not eating 2 large servings of my meal.

Body Results

In the previous article, I mentioned that losing weight was not my priority. I wanted to focus more on preventing certain aging-related illnesses and improving my health and energy. To reduce a good number of diseases, it is strongly recommended to decrease visceral fat (my personal goal: decrease my visceral fat up to 5%). By consulting the table of my physical parameters below, we can see that the results were encouraging.

physical analises J-Y Dionne

A Memorable Challenge

Having set myself the goal of completing at least one obstacle course during my ketogenic diet, it was on Saturday May 19, 2018 that I completed my first challenge of the season. This was the Rx1 Nation Race (http://rx1nation.com/index.php). Closer to that of Cross Fit Training, here are the strength tests that I had to overcome during this race totaling 7 km:

  • Throwing a balloon (50 lbs.) over a distance of 100 to 150 meters (up a slope);
  • Lift 100 lbs. over 50 meters (on a slope);
  • Perform 30 Chin-ups (from the knees to the elbows).

Not to mention the fact that I was so motivated by this event that I registered in the 45+ intermediate category instead of the amateur category which would have been more representative in my case. Despite this, I managed to do all the tests without injuring myself while maintaining the best possible position. Overall, my goal had been reached within 2 hours!

This challenge was of high intensity. I expected to feel empty on energy and fully crash towards the end of the day. To my surprise, I had enough energy to continue my day and even go shopping! I felt good. There was obviously fatigue and dehydration associated with this event, but I still had energy to continue my day. I also won’t hide from you that the days that followed, brought out some of the usual aches and pains as a result of the efforts made during this challenge, but nothing out of the ordinary.

I could see why some very high endurance athletes swear by this diet. I will admit that after this milestone, I understood their opinion.

Conclusion

The results I had obtained after 3 months had made me enthusiastic. I was feeling more energy, my visceral fat had decreased and the constant feeling of hunger was behind me. My personal experience was not yet over. Since most authors speak of a period of 6 months before being fully adapted to the ketogenic diet, my adventure continued.

 

Do not miss my next article to know the details of my experience with the ketogenic diet after 6 months!

Jean-Yves Dionne, Pharmacist

 

 

References:

Fung J. Code obésité. Trait Carré 2017. http://www.editions-trecarre.com/code-obesite/jason-fung/livre/9782895687078