Starting weight and BMI on the ketogenic diet

Starting weight and BMI or body mass index go hand in hand. I’m 6ft 1 inch or 185cm and 17 stone 13 pounds (108kg/239 pounds). Checking on the BUPA healthcare website on the BMI calculator it states my body mass index is 33.1. So the plus side is the Renpho bodyfat scales I am using are fairly accurate and the down side is the confirmation that I am obese!

The recommended weight for me is between 10 stone (63.5kg/140 pounds) and 13 stone 6 pounds (86kg/ 190 pounds). To be honest I think that 10 stone is far too much on the light side but I’m not a medical professional. At least I have a guide and a starting goal to aim for.

Mentally I think the hardest part is accepting we are obese. Yes we know we are over weight and in some cases a lot over weight but if we continue through life blocking it out or ignoring it like I have then that’s where the problems will eventually start arising.

Starting weight and BMI

Obesity

Whether we like it or not, obesity is linked to a lot of health problems. Tie that in with a sedentary inactive lifestyle and we are asking for trouble. Obesity is the body’s accumulation of fat in an excessive amount. 

Symptoms of obesity include (but are not limited to):

• Osteoarthritis
• Gallstones
• Skin problems
• Varicose veins
• Sleep apnea and trouble sleeping

What is the cause of obesity?

Well, genetics can play a part along with psychological influences. Having an unhealthy diet is a contributing factor, combine this with no exercise or an inactive daily lifestyle and the weight is starting to build up. Medications, pregnancy, lack of sleep and quitting smoking all can have an impact.

What problems can obesity cause?

Obesity is linked to:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Infertility
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Cancers (breast/colon/endometrial)
• Strokes
• Gallbladder disease
• Liver disease
• High cholesterol
• Sleep apnea
• Chronic lower back pain
• Osteoarthritis

Looking at the above details on obesity it is easy to get paranoid about your health!

So what were my issues that one fateful morning that I woke up and decided my life had to change?

Mobility/Daily functioning

Firstly, it was hard to put my socks on and tie my shoe laces. I was struggling with breathing each time. 

Mental health

Add to that the emotional struggle. When certain things in our life happen, whatever your outlook on life is, when there is a continual build up and sequence of events that happen in a negative way keeping a positive mindset is very hard. That mental struggle to keep thinking the glass is half full rather than the glass is half empty is difficult.

Deep down I think I knew and we possibly all know that train of thought cannot continue forever. That leads to comfort eating. That leads to I’ll do something about it tomorrow. Burying my head in the sand and not looking in the mirror. If I couldn’t look in the mirror at myself and be happy then why should anyone else be happy looking at me? Mental health was a big struggle day by day.

Digestion

I had digestion issues which had a big impact on my life. To such an extent that if I was going anywhere the first thing I did was look for where the nearest WC/toilet was. If I didn’t find a conveniently located toilet then I didn’t stay long. Every day became a day with indigestion. It didn’t matter what I ate or what foods I tried to remove for a few days at a time, the heartburn was always there in the evening and the acid reflux kept me up at night.

Skin problems

For a number of years I had some minor skin issues which related to psoriasis around my scalp and face predominantly. The itching was constant and the red blotches were getting worse covering my face.

Tiredness and lethargy

I was constantly tired and unwilling to do things. When work was finished all I wanted to do was sit down, relax or sleep.

Sleep

I wasn’t sleeping well. Which is a bit of a contradiction to wanting to sleep a lot. Most nights were nights of broken sleep. Never sleeping all the way through the night and always waking up tired. I also considered that sleep apnea may be a contributing factor.

Back pain

My lower back pain was getting worse as time went on. For many years the bottom 2 discs in my spine were slowly deteriorating and carrying the extra weight definitely wasn’t helping.

Exercise

Apart from the walking I did at work on a day to day basis, exercise was pretty much at zero. To get the grocery shopping from the local shop was always a trip in the car and never the short walk. I wasn’t doing myself any favours. We don’t do ourselves any favours doing this but this happens all the time and I was no different.

Conclusion

So tracking my starting weight and BMI on the ketogenic diet, it’s going to provide valuable data so I can assess progress along the way. Aiming to understand the impact of this low carb way of eating on the weight and BMI, I can aim to make informed decisions to optimise health and hopefully achieve my wellness goals. I’ll be doing regular monitoring and analysis of these metrics to stay on track and make the most of the ketogenic diet’s potential benefits.