Just a couple questions

jjejjtu

I've been toying with the idea of trying a ketogenic diet. I have been keeping my calories at about 1400 per day since January 1st, and have lost one--ONE--pound. I am feeling extremely frustrated right now.

I am a vegetarian and typically eat a lot of grains, pasta and beans. I highly suspect that this is what's working against me. I am beginning to believe that a calorie is not just a calorie after all. I tried a ketogenic diet briefly at the end of last year, and had some success on it, but it was highly limited due to me being a vegetarian, and I also don't think I had enough information, so I didn't maintain it.

One of my main concerns, since I will be eating a lot of eggs and cheese, is, how bad is that for my arteries? Is that even a valid concern on this diet?

Also, if there are other vegetarians out there doing keto, how do you get your protien? Tofu, cheese, eggs, nuts, veggies, and.....what else is there for vegetarians?

Also, do I need to count calories? Do you guys count your calories? MFP has me set for 1200 per day, though I eat more because I am fairly active during the day. Should I throw calorie counting out the window?

Also, do you prefer to eat full meals, or just graze throughout the day as hunger hits? Have you found one way of eating to lead to more success than the other?

Any help is appreciated!

racquelpeters

Hey there, I am new to Keto too. Since trying to start keto about 3 weeks ago, I find myself hungry all the time. Where should we start for calories and macros? 1 am 5ft and 122lbs; looking to lose 15lbs
And help or advice would be greatly appreciated. As well, any info on IF would also be great

Dragonwolf

looking4better wrote: »

One of my main concerns, since I will be eating a lot of eggs and cheese, is, how bad is that for my arteries? Is that even a valid concern on this diet?

It's not a valid concern in general. The idea that eggs and cheese (and animal-based foods in general) are bad for us is based on faulty science.

I highly recommend checking out http://eatingacademy.com/ for a bunch of stuff on keto in general. If you check out his "My Journey" section, it shows how his "risk factors" improved on keto. Also, if you have an hour, watch his video on the history of the whole fat-phobia thing -- https://player.vimeo.com/video/45485034 .

looking4better wrote: »

Also, if there are other vegetarians out there doing keto, how do you get your protien? Tofu, cheese, eggs, nuts, veggies, and.....what else is there for vegetarians?

That's going to be the bulk of your protein if you want to stay vegetarian. I'd be careful with the amount of tofu you eat. Most western soy products are not fermented, so there's still a lot of negative compounds that can work against you.

Now might be a good time to re-evaluate your reasons for being vegetarian and what your limits are. You don't have to tell me or anything like that, unless it helps you work out what you want to do, but here are some things to consider, which may help broaden your options for protein:

Are you doing it for health reasons? If so, then it's possible it's not the plan for you (since you're struggling). Vegetarian can be healthy, but no single diet is right for everyone, and that's okay.

Are you doing it because you have issues digesting meat? If so, have you had your gut flora checked? If you have a history of antibiotic use or other medicines that destroy gut flora, that may be contributing to your issues digesting meat. This can be remedied through probiotics that help replenish the missing flora and help control the parasitic one (this has benefits far beyond just digesting protein and into general health and immune system function as well).

Are you doing it for ethical reasons? If so, where are your lines in the sand?

Is your concern with how animals are treated or ecological reasons? If so, are you willing to eat animal products from humanely raised/sustainable sources? You can do this by finding local farms, which tend to use more humane and sustainable practices.

Is your line on the "anything that requires killing the animal" due to feeling pain in general? If so, are you willing/able to eat bivalves (mollusks, oysters, clams, etc), which don't have a nervous system and therefore don't feel pain? These are also a great source of B12 and other nutrients that are often hard to find on a vegetarian diet. Are you willing to go a little farther and eat fish?

Regardless of what you decide, you may not have as much issue as you're anticipating when it comes to your protein target. Keto is a moderate protein diet, so you only really need about 50-120g of protein, depending on your height and physical demands. That's pretty easily attainable on most diets, especially ones that include any animal products (in this case, eggs and dairy).

If you still want to be vegetarian, there are a bunch of keto-vegetarian resources out there. A google search for "vegetarian keto" should pull up a bunch. Sorry I can't give many specifics, I'm not vegetarian, so I don't know them offhand, but you might be interested in this article -- http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/11/07/pegan-paleo-vegan/ (it's paleo-related, but there's a lot of cross-over between paleo and keto, so it might still be useful).

looking4better wrote: »

Also, do I need to count calories? Do you guys count your calories? MFP has me set for 1200 per day, though I eat more because I am fairly active during the day. Should I throw calorie counting out the window?

If you're taller than about 5'2", you should be able to eat more than 1200 base. Re-set your weight loss goal to 1lb/week of you have it set to anything more aggressive. Alternatively, if your activity level is pretty constant on a day to day basis, increase your activity level accordingly.

With keto, you don't generally have to count calories. Most people find it sufficient to just count carbs, and the rest falls into place. However, it's often good to track, at least for a while, to get an idea of where you naturally fall and to make sure you're also eating enough food. Calories do matter, but they're not the be-all, end-all of weight management.

looking4better wrote: »

Also, do you prefer to eat full meals, or just graze throughout the day as hunger hits? Have you found one way of eating to lead to more success than the other?

Any help is appreciated!

I personally do better on full meals. I eat 2-3 meals in a day, depending on hunger levels. A lot of people in the LCHF/keto circles also do well with intermittent fasting.

However, meal frequency doesn't really matter. If you do better grazing, then by all means, go for it. The way that leads to more success is the way that works for you.

Hope this helps, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

lizpitts

I log my food mostly to count carbs, protein and fat. So, calories are logged but that isn't a goal for me. The first week my carbs were around 50 and calories were around 2200, the second week carbs dropped to about 30 and calories to about 1900. Currently starting the 4th week and carbs are 20-25, calories around 1700. This is without ever being hungry or denying myself food based on calories. The carb cravings just seem to disappear.

KetoCutie

My thoughts: Up your calories. At 1520 a day (I am barely 5'3) I am satisfied. Also, make sure you're getting enough quality fat (grassfed butter, coconut oil, etc.) that should help with satiety. Its worth noting that if I go over on calories I don't sweat it- as long as I am on target for carbs.

As far as protein sources go- if you used this calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ you might find that you can meet your protein goal with nuts, nut butters, and chia seeds.

Edit: have something to eat 5x a day. Two of those meals (lunch and dinner) are significant calorie-wise- and breakfast is typically bullet proof coffee with butter and coconut oil).

Keep tweaking. It took me a good month of playing with my macros, etc. to find out where I was comfortable, and still at a point where I was losing weight. So far I am down 7lbs. and I feel awesome. Be patient with yourself.

KetoCutie

racquelpeters wrote: »

Hey there, I am new to Keto too. Since trying to start keto about 3 weeks ago, I find myself hungry all the time. Where should we start for calories and macros? 1 am 5ft and 122lbs; looking to lose 15lbs
And help or advice would be greatly appreciated. As well, any info on IF would also be great

Start with this calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

robert65ferguson

racquelpeters wrote: »

Hey there, I am new to Keto too. Since trying to start keto about 3 weeks ago, I find myself hungry all the time. Where should we start for calories and macros? 1 am 5ft and 122lbs; looking to lose 15lbs
And help or advice would be greatly appreciated. As well, any info on IF would also be great

Have a look at the announcements section in this group and follow the link to start for lots of useful information.