So, time to take a look at my progress. The key, I've always found is to set goals, test and measure your or success or failure, then evaluate the next step forward.
Below is the results of the body composition scan I had done at 6 weeks post partum. I was at 30.7% body fat. Goal was to lose 8-10kg of body fat. A big ask but I was confident I could do it.
...and this is the most recent one below, almost exactly 12 months later. To summarise I've lost 10kg of body fat or 9% total! Yippee! I also lost 13kg total weight. But I've also lost about 3 kg of muscle mass which isn't great. Muscle is way too hard to gain. Interestingly my muscle mass is almost the same as the scan I had done 2 years ago when I was the same fat percentage and weight so maybe it is not cause for concern. Maybe it's all just levelling itself out. I do know that when you carry a baby for 9 months all your support i.e. legs etc obtain more muscle. That could explain the gain of muscle at the 6 weeks post scan. The muscle loss could possibly be due to my recent nutrition. I've been trialling nutritional ketosis. Perhaps the loss of muscle mass can be explained through the effects my nutrition is having. It could be due to my lack of recovery/ replenishing after training. So I've decided to test and measure. I've pre booked in for another scan in 3 months time on 5th June.
I have been trialling nutritional ketosis on and off over the last 3 months or so to see whether it works for me as an individual. If your from my gym you'll probably be familiar with the term ketosis as a few of us are also experimenting and have all had good results. No two of us are alike so it makes sense that no two of us will have the same results doing the same thing . Ketosis definitely has it's advantages and I also think that it is unrivalled through it ability to burn your fat stores quickly and efficiently and has done so for me. What I'm interested in now is whether or not it will work for me in line with my current goals.
The way I really kick started my weight loss was through a herbal cleanse. I adhered to the cleanse strictly for 11 weeks, never deviating at all from the guidelines. It was tough but worth it, plus I felt great after it and the bonus was that I lost 9kg. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. True that.
Mu curent goals are to lose 2-3% body fat in 3 months (so by the next scheduled scan). This is desired purely from a performance point of view. Hopefully being just under 20% body fat will make body weighted movements easier and more efficient. Of course I want to get stronger and I'm also chasing a 120kg back squat. I can't do this if I continue to lose muscle. I'm interested in how ketosis will stand up with the demands I'm putting on it. My goal is to be able to move more load faster and I need to be fuelling my body so it can do so.
I also have to be aware that there are a lot of other factors that can influence the next few months. I have to take into account the amount of sleep I get or lack there of, stress levels, hydration etc and all the elements that are associated with everyday life, especially with having a demanding 1 year old. But hey I love a challenge :) and I'm also determined not to let myself off the hook so to speak. Everyone has certain hurdles to face day to day. My life is no different. It's neither easier or harder for me to commit myself to this than it is for you. It all comes down to how badly you want it. So many times over the past 12 months I could of given in and let myself listen to the excuses that were there in the back of my mind. We all have them, right there threatening our success. You are stronger and more capable then you realise. Don't forget that, EVER!!!
My trainer Shane Richards recently did a pod cast about the subject of nutritional ketosis. Do yourself a favour and have a listen. He knows some stuff :)
http://www.180nutrition.com.au/2013/03/20/can-we-thrive-without-carbs/
Another great source of information is on Jimmy Moore's blog. He's just a regular guy that's doing his own experiment on ketosis. Interesting reading.
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/n1
A great book on the subject is
The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
by Jeff S. Volek, PhD, RD and Stephen D. Phinney, MD, PhD
Below is an extract from his book. I'll let him explain ketosis...
Taken from Chapter 1
Defining 'Nutritional Ketosis'
The second way to define "low carbohydrate" is physiologic – specifically that level below which there is a fundamental shift in your body's fuel homeostasis (i.e., energy regulation) away form glucose as a primary fuel. This shift is the adaptation of the body's hormonal set and inter- organ fuel exchange to allow most of your daily needs to be met by fat, either directly as fatty acids, or indirectly by ketone bodies made from fat. This process, …, begins for most adults when total carbohydrate is restricted to less than 60 grams per day along with a moderate intake of protein. After a few weeks at this level, the primary serum 'ketone' (beta-hydroxybutyrate or B_OHB) rises above 0.5 millimolar (mM). At this ketone level, which is ten-fold higher than that in someone with a daily intake of 300 grams of carbohydrate, their brain begins to derive a substantial portion of its energy needs from B-OHB, resulting in a commensurate reduced need for glucose.
With further restriction of carbohydrate below 50 grams per day, the serum B-OHB rises in response to reduced insulin secretion. However, because dietary protein prompts some insulin release, and serum B-OHB itself stimulated insulin release by the pancreas, (albeit subtly), adults eating 20 grams of carbohydrate and 75-150 grams per day of protein rarely run serum above 3 mM. …
This 10-fold range of serum ketones, from 0.5 to 5 mM, is your body's normal physiological response to varying degrees of dietary carbohydrate and protein restriction. This response rate is called 'nutritional ketosis', and is associated with metabolic adaptations allowing your body to maintain a stable stare of inter-organ homeostasis. This process is dependent on an adequate, albeit minimal, ability of the pancreas to produce insulin in response to dietary protein and serum ketones, thus maintaining serum B-OHB in the range where it replaces much of your body's (and your brain's) need for glucose without distorting whole-body acid-base balance.
Taken from Chapter 13
Ketones-To Measure or Not
As noted in Chapter 1, nutritional ketosis is defined by serum ketones ranging from 0.5 up to 5 mM, depending on the amounts of dietary carbohydrate and protein consumed. In most people, the combined intake of 100 grams of carbohydrate and 100 grams of protein with drive serum well below 0.5 mM. While there is nothing magical about having circulating ketones above this threshold level, it does have the practical value of providing he brain with a virtually limitless, fat-derived fuel source. This alternative fuel is eminently more sustainable, particularly in the insulin resistant or carbohydrate intolerant individual.
Within a few days of starting on our carbohydrate restriction, most people begin excreting ketones in their urine. This occurs before serum have risen to their stable adaptive level….
Meanwhile, the body is undergoing a complex set of adaptations in ketone metabolism. ….
… Over time the urine ketone excretion drops off, ….
These temporal changes in how the kidneys handle ketones make urine testing a rather uncertain if not undependable way of monitoring dietary response/adherence. Testing serum for beta-hydroxybutyrate is much more accurate but requires drawing blood, and it is expensive because it is not a routine tests doctors normally order.
…
… the key question is why do it? Many people are able to initiate and follow a low carbohydrate diet just fine without ever measuring ketones. Others, however, find an objective measure of nutritional ketosis to be reassuring. …
Taken from inset in Chapter 16
Human Protein Tolerance
…
As a result of these observations, plus our studies of muscle retention and function during carbohydrate restriction, we recommend daily protein intakes between 1.5 and 2.5 gram per day per kg of reference weight. For a person on weight maintaining low carbohydrate diet, this typically translates to somewhere between 15% and 25% of your daily energy coming from protein.
Always do your own research when it comes to anything to do with your health. I don't profess to being a nutritionist and always suggest that you do your own experiment if you will. Find out what works for you. Sometimes It's about fine tuning and tweaking until it fits you. That's half the fun! Happy tweaking :)
Taken from Chapter 1
Defining 'Nutritional Ketosis'
The second way to define "low carbohydrate" is physiologic – specifically that level below which there is a fundamental shift in your body's fuel homeostasis (i.e., energy regulation) away form glucose as a primary fuel. This shift is the adaptation of the body's hormonal set and inter- organ fuel exchange to allow most of your daily needs to be met by fat, either directly as fatty acids, or indirectly by ketone bodies made from fat. This process, …, begins for most adults when total carbohydrate is restricted to less than 60 grams per day along with a moderate intake of protein. After a few weeks at this level, the primary serum 'ketone' (beta-hydroxybutyrate or B_OHB) rises above 0.5 millimolar (mM). At this ketone level, which is ten-fold higher than that in someone with a daily intake of 300 grams of carbohydrate, their brain begins to derive a substantial portion of its energy needs from B-OHB, resulting in a commensurate reduced need for glucose.
With further restriction of carbohydrate below 50 grams per day, the serum B-OHB rises in response to reduced insulin secretion. However, because dietary protein prompts some insulin release, and serum B-OHB itself stimulated insulin release by the pancreas, (albeit subtly), adults eating 20 grams of carbohydrate and 75-150 grams per day of protein rarely run serum above 3 mM. …
This 10-fold range of serum ketones, from 0.5 to 5 mM, is your body's normal physiological response to varying degrees of dietary carbohydrate and protein restriction. This response rate is called 'nutritional ketosis', and is associated with metabolic adaptations allowing your body to maintain a stable stare of inter-organ homeostasis. This process is dependent on an adequate, albeit minimal, ability of the pancreas to produce insulin in response to dietary protein and serum ketones, thus maintaining serum B-OHB in the range where it replaces much of your body's (and your brain's) need for glucose without distorting whole-body acid-base balance.
Taken from Chapter 13
Ketones-To Measure or Not
As noted in Chapter 1, nutritional ketosis is defined by serum ketones ranging from 0.5 up to 5 mM, depending on the amounts of dietary carbohydrate and protein consumed. In most people, the combined intake of 100 grams of carbohydrate and 100 grams of protein with drive serum well below 0.5 mM. While there is nothing magical about having circulating ketones above this threshold level, it does have the practical value of providing he brain with a virtually limitless, fat-derived fuel source. This alternative fuel is eminently more sustainable, particularly in the insulin resistant or carbohydrate intolerant individual.
Within a few days of starting on our carbohydrate restriction, most people begin excreting ketones in their urine. This occurs before serum have risen to their stable adaptive level….
Meanwhile, the body is undergoing a complex set of adaptations in ketone metabolism. ….
… Over time the urine ketone excretion drops off, ….
These temporal changes in how the kidneys handle ketones make urine testing a rather uncertain if not undependable way of monitoring dietary response/adherence. Testing serum for beta-hydroxybutyrate is much more accurate but requires drawing blood, and it is expensive because it is not a routine tests doctors normally order.
…
… the key question is why do it? Many people are able to initiate and follow a low carbohydrate diet just fine without ever measuring ketones. Others, however, find an objective measure of nutritional ketosis to be reassuring. …
Taken from inset in Chapter 16
Human Protein Tolerance
…
As a result of these observations, plus our studies of muscle retention and function during carbohydrate restriction, we recommend daily protein intakes between 1.5 and 2.5 gram per day per kg of reference weight. For a person on weight maintaining low carbohydrate diet, this typically translates to somewhere between 15% and 25% of your daily energy coming from protein.
Always do your own research when it comes to anything to do with your health. I don't profess to being a nutritionist and always suggest that you do your own experiment if you will. Find out what works for you. Sometimes It's about fine tuning and tweaking until it fits you. That's half the fun! Happy tweaking :)
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