Over the months, I have posted many articles about intermittent fasting without keto. I love the food freedom that intermittent fasting affords and I didn’t want to impose myself food restrictions like low carb or keto unless necessary. Even though I was feeling great and maintaining my weight loss without difficulty (read How to Lose Weight After 40 – And Not Gain It Back), I decided the time had come to experiment with intermittent fasting and keto. Since so many of my posts mention the keto diet and most women who practice intermittent fasting also want to try the keto diet, I wanted to be able to back up the information I share with some personal experience. In this post, I am going to share my 14-day intermittent fasting and keto results. I will tell you everything you need to know to have a good idea of what to expect during your own keto experiment, should you decide to give it a try.
Intermittent Fasting and Keto Results: 14-Day Overview
My first concern when considering the keto diet was having to count carbs. I felt like it would be such a drag. Although the experiment did require some planning, it turned out to be surprisingly easy. Moreover, all the meals I created were extremely quick and delicious, so I did not feel deprived or stressed out about it one single bit. Check out my free 7-Day Keto Diet Meal Plan to get your own intermittent fasting and keto results without the headache of trying to figure out what to eat.
Days 1 and 2
The first two days were very easy. I felt energetic and enjoyed my meals with no cravings at all. I tested my ketones every day after working out. It turns out you should measure your ketones before working out because ketone production decreases after a workout. However, since I made the same mistake every day, the progression was consistent and the data is still helpful. I have been in ketosis from morning till late afternoon for months because of the Warrior Diet, but as you will see, the keto diet did increase my ketone production during the experiment. On the second day, I had lost all the carb water weight, as is typical for anyone going on the keto diet.
Days 3 to 6
The next three days were the hardest. I didn’t expect to experience the “keto flu” because I was already in ketosis from intermittent fasting. However, I started feeling weak for my workouts, dizzy, and a bit headachy throughout the day. On day 3, I noticed my appetite had decreased already. I didn’t even feel hungry for dinner and ended up eating much later than usual. I did enjoy the different type of freedom that comes from feeling so satisfied for so long. By then, my ketone levels had reached the number I would normally get in the late afternoon right in the morning after working out (between 1.1 and 1.5 mmol/L). Even though I didn’t feel good, I still didn’t struggle too much with cravings, which was great.
If you would like to test your ketones as well, I recommend the Keto Mojo. You can use it to test your glucose too. You will receive a 15% discount if you use my affiliate link.
Days 7 to 11
I started feeling normal again on day 7. I was happy to be able to push myself again during my workouts. It was nice to not feel weak and tired. At first, I thought maybe it was due to lower ketone levels that I had caused by experimenting too much with keto wines (read my post The Ultimate Guide to Buying Keto Wines for more info). It turns out it wasn’t the case because right on day 8 my ketone levels went through the roof (well, for me anyway, I got a reading of 2.2 mmol/L) and I still felt amazing.
Day 12
This is where things went downhill. I tried really hard to stick to my meal plan, but I had uncontrollable cravings. Yes, I experienced cravings on other days, but all I had to do to overcome them was to eat a keto snack or wait for a couple of hours. The cravings would go away. However, in this case, nothing I did helped. After 6 hours, I broke down and ate carbs. It was evening by then and I made myself a snack of almond butter, maple syrup and chococolate chips.
I often talk about how most women should avoid the keto diet during the week leading up to their periods. Well, I started thinking, maybe that’s about where I was in my cycle. I checked and found that there were 6 days left until my period! I thought that was really interesting! It’s one thing to repeat what other fasting experts talk about when it comes to the keto diet and a woman’s cycle. It’s another thing to experience it for yourself!
Intermittent Fasting and Keto Weight Loss Results
If you are reading this, chances are you are hoping to lose some weight. You may be wondering why my 14-day overview doesn’t include any information about weight loss. Don’t worry! Even though weight loss wasn’t my focus during this experiment, I did monitor my weight.
My Weight Loss Results
I experienced effortless weight loss during the experiment. The weight loss I experienced was much quicker than with only intermittent fasting. My average weight loss with intermittent fasting only (eating during a 4 to 6-hour window) was about 2-3 lbs a month. After the initial water loss (which was 4 lbs the first day), I lost two more pounds. Losing 2 lbs over less than 2 weeks is a lot for me! Since weight loss was not my focus, I was eating a lot and snacking between meals. This made me wonder how I would maintain my weight if I decided to keep up the keto diet long term. Now, that I am back to eating carbs until the beginning of my next cycle, I can say that I have not gained any of the weight back after 5 days. I assume the appetite suppressing effects of increased ketones are still at play.
Tips for Women on the Keto Diet for Weight Loss
If you are a woman and hope to use the Keto Diet for weight loss, I have a few simple tips to share:
- Follow my 7-Day Intermittent Fasting With Keto Meal Plan (just click on the image below to download it). I picked simple and tasty recipes that will provide a good balance of energy to ensure you don’t feel hungry, yet lose weight.
- Listen to your body and add some keto-approved snacks if you do end up feeling too hungry or struggle with cravings.
- Start the Keto diet at the beginning of your monthly cycle. If you experience unmanageable carb cravings toward the end of your cycle, put the keto diet on hold and start over at the beginning of your next cycle.
- Whenever you practice intermittent fasting without keto, make sure your fasting window lasts for at least 18 hours.
- Remember that sustainable weight loss is a long-term project.
If you would like a Step-by-Step Success Formula to Lose Weight, Kick the Cravings, and Tone Your Body in Just 30 Days, don’t forget check out my 30-Day Intermittent Fasting Transformation.
Weight Loss as a Long Term Project
In all my weight loss posts, I talk about the importance to pick an approach that you want to sustain long term. It doesn’t matter how you manage to shed the extra weight, if you don’t at least maintain it somewhat, you will gain the weight back. If you lose weight on the keto diet and start eating tons of carbs again, you will gain the weight back. Whether you practice intermittent fasting and keto, just intermittent fasting or just keto, understand that this is your new life. Give it some time (a month or so) and you will see if you start enjoying enough to keep it up. I used to think I was a breakfast person. I didn’t think I could go without breakfast for the rest of my life. When I got started with intermittent fasting, I would take the weekends off and treat myself to a nice big breakfast to make it more manageable. Now, months down the road, I don’t ever want breakfast. Give yourself more freedom if that helps so you can start adjusting gradually, but you may be surprised at the lifestyle you will start enjoying.
Intermittent Fasting and Keto Results: Looking Ahead
So, what is my overall opinion of my intermittent fasting and keto results? I have to say, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I figured I would do this just to be able to say I had done it. It turns out, I loved the food and how it made me feel. Looking ahead, I plan on eating keto at least two weeks out of each month. I bet you will see me post more on the keto diet in the coming months! The same thing could happen to you. Sometimes, we have preconceived ideas about our bodies and how we feel our best. Experimenting and trying different things allow us to learn and evolve. A friend of mine said that what he notices most people do when they go on the keto diet is that they keep a foot out of the door. I have seen that too. I recommend you give it 2 weeks. Think about it, just two weeks! See how you feel and make up your mind about how YOU will be looking ahead.
Intermittent Fasting and Keto Results Video
In Summary
After months of enjoying the food freedom that intermittent fasting affords, I am surprised I enjoyed intermittent fasting with the keto diet as much as I did. I really thought I felt my best and there wasn’t much room for improvement, but I loved how much more satisfied I felt on the keto diet. Moreover, for women who are looking to lose weight, I now realize that combining intermittent fasting with keto will yield results much faster. Most women who struggle to lose weight will find that combining modified fasting, intermittent fasting and the keto diet are surefire ways to reset your metabolism and achieve the desired results.