One week on and feeling better

Leanbean65

Hi, I just started this. I've lost 10 lbs of the 20 I have to lose by doing the calorie counting thing but I've stalled and wanted to give this a try. My first week was hard but I'm feeling better now.
I'm still having some difficulty with eating fat as I've been low fat for many years.
Any words of wisdom?

camtosh

keep calm and keto on! read up and keep your head straight. Saturated fat is good!

SteveKroll

I know exactly what you mean about having difficulty eating fat. As a former low fat dieter myself, it was especially hard to wrap my head around some of the keto concepts. We've been told for decades that fat makes you fat and is the enemy of successful weight loss, but it turns out that it doesn't really work like that. Butter is your tasty and nutritious friend!

A few things I've found key to getting the most from keto:

1. Drink lots of liquids throughout the day. It helps keep things moving.
2. Until you get used to how the macros work, it will be helpful to track everything in your daily diary. Be sure to set up your daily goals for percent of fat, protein, carbs, and yes, calories.
3. Avoid the temptation to eat too much protein. Any protein your body doesn't use will turn to glucose and can kick you right out of ketosis. My own weight loss stalled for a bit because I fell into the trap of thinking I could eat as much meat as I wanted. As soon as I dialed back the protein to my original target number, the pounds started coming off again.
4. Everyone is different, but I find it very helpful to take a few supplements. In addition to peeing out ketones, you're also going to be losing electrolytes. I've been remedying this by taking a low dose magnesium and potassium supplement, in addition to my daily multivitamin. And don't shy away from salt, unless you have a medical reason for doing so.

That's all I have. Good luck!

baconslave

It is pretty easy to get the fat in if you are sneaky. Don't shy away from meats that aren't lean. Choose foods with a higher fat concentration. Cook with butter or animal fats or make sauces and dips with fats in them: butter, cream, and cheese. I will melt a tablespoon of butter, olive oil, or bacon fat in my veggies, or add sour cream. I eat nuts and cheese. Use mayo liberally in tuna or chicken salad. And always choose the fattier meats. You don't have to gnaw on a stick of butter or anything. Some people mix butter or CO in their coffee in addition to cream and find that enjoyable. Or in broth. I put both butter and cream in mine. Delicious!

I recommend checking out some keto recipes to get ideas.
Reddit's r/ketorecipes is a good place to look to start off.

HTH.

Leanbean65

I tried the keto calculator but found it a bit confusing. The ratios seemed a bit extreme. I'm 5'4" 130 lbs and trying to get to 120 lbs I'm 49 years old. I work out with weights ( more endurance than heavy) 3 times a week and walk 30-60 minutes/day. My job is active as I'm a physiotherapist. I'm set at 1,300 calories per day but on the days I work out more I do add in more calories. I'm trying to stay under 50 grams of carbohydrates.

Any suggestions?