My 100-Day keto results and experiences were both better and worse than I thought they would be.

10 Pound Weight Loss

First, the good. My 30-day weight was right at 186 on April 18, my birthday. I’ve seen a couple of days under 185 on my 7-day chart. That beat my goal of 190, and I’m still seeing a downward trend. Here’s my weight for the last 11+ years:

The only time I’ve been lower was when I made myself incredibly sick trying to start keto by replacing oatmeal with eggs for breakfast. It turned out I’m allergic to them!

I’m thinking I’ll “bottom out” this time a little under 185.

I had the thought the other day that I after taking off the “last 5 pounds”, it’s not *really* the last 5 pounds, and it may not even be the 2nd to last five pounds! I don’t want to drop under 180 by any means, but I’m not going to be looking “fat-free” either.

Reduced Alcohol Intake

I also had the goal of reducing my alcohol intake. I noticed (probably for the first time) that I’d never gone a full week without a drink. I realized I’m not a heavy drinker, but I’m a very consistent one. I set out to have a bit less and also go a full week without any at all. I did it twice, and was very close on a 3rd time.

Here’s a breakdown of my 7-day (blue) and 28-day alcohol intake for a little over 6 years. It was definitely nice to see that blue line touch zero a couple times.

I’d say my desire for alcohol is also down significantly. I wouldn’t say it’s gone, but I’m not desiring any during the week at least.

The weekends? Yes, I still like to have a few drinks for the fun of it. I’m not sure that will change, even though I find the hangovers are much worse than they used to be.

Now, the bad stuff…

Muscle Loss?

My second time with a stricter keto diet was much more difficult. Part of that was due to a couple of weekends where I didn’t stick to keto. Both times, plus the initial induction, the “keto flu” got me. I felt tired and thought I had a cold.

This time around, I kept my protein a lot lower than I had throughout last year to see what would happen. My macros were around 75-80% fat, 5% carbohydrates, and 15-20% protein, which was only an average just over 100-130 grams.

I did that for an extra 40ish days or so compared to last year, and I think I lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I felt much more tired, especially while exercising, and only felt the “brightness of mind” a few times.

During this time, I was also trying to rest from my arm injuries by not doing my resistance exercises. That’s obviously going to cause some muscle loss. My shoulder pain did go away almost 100%, but the tennis elbow didn’t improve much at all.

In mid-March, I’d had enough, and I increased both my protein and my resistance training. I’m now trying to get a minimum of 150 grams of protein per day, so I’m at 20-25% protein, 70-75% fat, and still just 5% carbs.

I’m feeling much better now, and I’m still continuing to lose some weight. I have enough energy throughout the day and during exercise, and I feel happier with the “light and bright” mindset I had last year. I don’t think I’m losing muscle mass anymore, but I’m not sure I’m gaining it too fast yet either.

I’m now resolved to continue the journey at my current macros or maybe a little more protein – up to 25-30% on average to see how I handle it.

My other big goal was to do more treadmill running and get down to a 6:30 mile. This was the biggest failure, and I’m actually much slower than I was. I just didn’t have the energy to do the runs. I don’t think I can even do an 8 minute mile anymore.

While it’s disappointing to have these results, I’m still fired up to try to get down to 6:30, and I’m starting to run more than I had been. It’s also spring, and I’ll do most of my outdoor running in the next month or two. As soon as the snow melts off, that is.

Overall, I’d say this 100-day experiment was balanced between the good and the bad. And now I know for sure what my body needs going forward.

I’ll stay on top of recording my calorie intake for at least another 6 weeks, when I’ll go to Las Vegas to play in the National Open again this year. That’s the official beginning of pool season for me, and I like to see if I can get a leaner look each year. Sometimes almost the end of pool season, too, as I just don’t go to the pool very often anymore. This makes the stakes a bit higher.

I’d say I’m now hitting my personal stride for 2024, and I’m excited to see where it takes me!