Starting Keto, got Craig's 30 day plan! Help?

miamouse3

I have some questions, and I figure asking here rather than on ruled.me would get a faster response though it makes sense I might post on reddit too. I am on week one, and there are some things I couldn't get because I was rushing. I completely forgot grass-fed salted and unsalted butter. I almost grabbed President (an imported butter, full fat and delicious) but I had no idea if it was grass-fed and I couldn't find Kerrygold so I was going to check the other butter section (why we can't keep all the cheeses and butters with their respective family members I will never know. Grocery stores aren't designed for logic, they were designed for capitalism lol) which I also saw nothing so I was going to grab the rest of my week one list and head back. I got stuck in the spice section though (What the actual cluck is Xanthum Gum and where is this located?? It's listed under spices, but saw nothing in the spice section) and completely forgot afterwards!

So:

-Will coconut oil or olive oil make effective substitutes and match close stat wise, or should I just add a couple tablespoons of cream to my coffee on days I don't have the butter, to keep up on fat and cal content (since most butter is made from cream)?
-Do I need Xanthan Gum?
-Is there anything other than the food I should be doing? Vitamins? Exercises? What are your Keto recommendations? What are good substitutions for other ingredients that tend to come up?

If it weren't for Reddit, I don't think I would be trying Keto. Thank you Reddit people for being awesome. Time to go check Reddit now that I am reminded lol. Love you guys!

FIT_Goat

I've never consumed xantham gum since going keto. You absolutely don't need it. If you want it, find it with the Bob's Red Mill stuff (almond flour area).

I wouldn't put olive oil in coffee, if that's what you're saying. But, it's fine elsewhere. I wouldn't cook with it, use it cold. Coconut oil is good in coffee. You don't absolutely need grass-fed butter. In times of trouble, grocery butter comes to me, whispering words of wisdom, "just use me." Truth be told though, I usually just add heavy whipping cream into my coffee instead of butter or coconut oil. Cream has more carbs, but not a significant amount unless you're using a ton of it.

Vitamins and supplements: I use none. But, until you're adapted (and some would say even after), you should up your sodium, magnesium, and potassium intake. Eat more salt, add a magnesium tablet to your morning routine, and maybe use some "Lite-Salt" which has potassium instead of sodium. That will help keep your electrolytes balanced. In the early days of adaptation, you're going to be losing a lot of water weight, which will cause a loss in these things as well and can lead to muscle cramps and other unpleasant side effects. I almost never supplement these now (over a year into keto) without issue.

Exercise: Less strenuous than usual (if you're into heavy exercise) until you adapt. After that, whatever you like. You can do none. You can do tons. It's all personal preference. Exercise is generally not part of the diet. It's great for health, it's a wash for weight loss.

Recommendations: Learn to love fatty meats. Add butter to everything. Substitutions rarely satisfy the craving you had and only keep it alive. Giving up trying to replace carb-filled foods with substitutions made my mental life so much easier for keto. That's just me, some people love substitutions.

marjorieallred839

Xantham gum is a thickener, that's all. It can upset your system and you don't have to use it. Coconut oil- the unrefined with flavor upsets my stomach so I use the refined with no problems. I can't find grass fed butter in my small town so I go with Land o lakes brand unsalted mostly. I started keto with ruled.me too in Oct. I have lost over 30 lbs. so far!

niffer_marie03

Small town resident here too. Kerrygold butter is grassfed and is usually found in the deli department.