Just Starting, looking for support and friends

Telugammayi87

I started trying to do the Keto Diet Tuesday After Memorial Day. I lost 8 pounds in 6 days (starting weight 208) and that included a big binge on Atkins bars. LOL. I made it 10 days and then I had an emotional weekend and had graham crackers, marshmallows, chips and salsa, Indian buffet and TCBY over Saturday and Sunday.. ;-) I "gained" back 1-2 pounds after the binge, which I accepted, and I started back from yesterday. I realized I was doing it wrong and instead of taking the net carbs from each food, I was using the totals at the end of the day and subtracting the fiber. I probably got around 50 or so net carbs per day. I have no idea if I ever actually got into ketosis. I did not have any typical symptoms, but I was thirsty all of the time and the scale was going down every morning. I'm looking for some friends to add and help support.

I did fairly well yesterday. 33 Net carbs with a macro ratio of 10/61/29. (carbs/fat/protein)

Today I overdid the peanuts and had 44 net carbs, but still kept a macro ratio of 10/67/23.

Am I consuming too many carbs to enter ketosis? Feel free to check out my diary.

Also, I'm constantly fatigued. I work hard all day on my feet running around a lab. My muscles are achy. I tried going to the gym once on day like 8 of the first 10 days and I could barely stay at 5.5mph on the elliptical for 35 minutes when I usually stay at 6.5-7 for an hour. I understand that there are no carbs for energy, but shouldn't my fat "kick in" sometime soon? Or am I still consuming too many carbs? Aaaahh can someone help me out ?

Telugammayi87

Oh, and before anyone says I'm eating too much... I have tracked it and from working I walk 15k-20k steps and burn around 3,000 calories per day.

kiramaniac

Regarding the fatigue and aching muscles. In low carb, you need to supplement key minerals. You need to add sodium, potassium, and magnesium. If you have some chicken broth (or bouillon to make broth) have a cup of that. Start using Lite Salt with potassium. And look for a good magnesium supplement (I use slo-mag).

20 g of carbs is the typical target. You are pretty active though, so you may be able to get into ketosis with a higher level of carbs. in general though, higher fat and lower carbs will get you there faster, and keep you there more easily. Personally, I target 70-75% fat; 5% carbs; and the rest from protein.

It takes 2-3 weeks to become keto-adapted. That means your body begins to utilize ketones for energy. Until then, you body is still looking for carbs / glucose for energy. It will happen eventually!

Golightly17

Hey Telu!

Sounds like some of my benders haha! I would say to try and cut on the nuts and change your focus to fat and protein and fat sources with minimal carbs. I am obsessed with walnuts and almonds. I always overdo it, it impedes my weight loss, so I have just started to either avoid completely or measure out 1/4 cup serving and walk away.

Anyway crappy workouts and a general blehh feeling is normal and I promise it does pass. What has helped me in the past with the "Atkins flu" is to eat as much of the allowed foods as I want, restrict carbs to enter ketosis (you feel sooo much better in ketosis) drink a ton of fluid (but be careful with caffeine as it can make you shaky or trigger insulin), and not stress so much about the workouts until I adjust. My net carbs are between 25-30 and that number has worked well to kick me into ketosis. For some this icky feeling lasts a week or more. I feel better after about 3-4 days.

I'm actually getting back on the wagon myself. It's been about 3 days for me. Feel free to add me!

JisatsuHoshi

Welcome aboard the keto train. Keto is not easy to jump in the first time, but im glad you're understanding the concept.


A good place to start would be to read up on the guide I posted here in this group that I found.

Dont feel bad about the 1~2 lbs weight gain. Most likely water weight as 1 gram of Carbs = 4 grams of water retention. I say dont make looking at the scale a daily routine. Instead look in the mirror and see how your clothes fit.

Havent looked at your diary but will do so here in a bit.

Fatigue & weakness is a side effect that happens during the first few Weeks of keto until your body becomes used to using fat sources as energy. It's something you must endure and results in dieting discipline.

tracking steps throughout the day does sound like a great idea, but I would scrap it. Trying to factor that in would give you false calorie count and macro adjusting. Only thing you need to worry about is the calories burned from actual cardio workouts. Find your maintenance calories and create your macros based off a 500 calorie deficit from that.

keto macros = 65% fats, 30% proteins, and 5% Carbs.

If you have anymore questions to ask then feel free too. Im very active here on MFP and have been doing keto now for 3 months.

Telugammayi87

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I have read that guide, actually I read so much weeks before I started. LOL.

I don't feel bad about the weight gain, I was actually expecting 4-5 pounds I've definitely slimmed down just from those 10 or so days of low carb (even if I wasn't in Ketosis....) I actually started this whole weightloss journey over 90 pounds ago eating 1000-1200 calories per day. Yikes! Actually I had lost around 105 pounds, but started eating "normally" and fuelling my body properly and gained some back.. without gaining many inches! I can eat around 3100 calories and maintain as long as I'm not going overboard with carbs!

Yes, I figured it would take some time to adjust to Keto. I know after a workout I instantly crave carbs very badly. But not keeping anything "bad" in my house helps for now. It's too much of a pain to drive to the store for a bar of 90% dark chocolate. lol.

Maybe I'l try cutting out the cucumber after this week because I don't want to waste them. They're low calorie, but about 9 net carbs. I guess I could take a fiber supplement. If I cut any more fiber out I'll never use the bathroom. LOL. TMI I know.

I'll also try the chicken broth to see if that helps . I do make sure to get enough sodium, but I think my potassium may be lacking.

JisatsuHoshi

just looked at your food diary going back a few days and these are my recommendations:

- replace coconut oil with other healthy fats more often. coconut oil is indeed a healthy fat, but it is made with medium chain triglycerides meaning that the body does not have to process it. it would be like drinking an energy drink... by consuming other fat your body will have to process it meaning calorie burn. do not be scared to consume fat sources such as butter, heavy cream, & mayo as I actually would recommend them in moderation.

Taken from bodybuilding.com
" There are many advantages to dietary fat on this diet: Feeling of fullness since fat digestion is slow (less hunger), tastes great, and lowers blood glucose levels (lowering insulin and allow all the fat burning hormones to do their job)."

- incorporate more high fiber is vegetables. I noticed several veggies such as cucumbers and onions. the carb content of these items are high, but the fiber ratio is very low. Instead consume things such as broccoli,cauliflower, and spinich. This will help with adding more fullness to your meals while keeping Carbs low.

- replace peanuts with either almonds, walnuts, pecans or if budget allows macadamia nuts. These are usually higher in fiber content compared to peanuts.

- eggs and egg whites can become your new best friend if you need more meal ideas. 1 whole egg is almost the perfect keto ratio. So eat the yolk but not make it a ritual. Normally I would eat 4 hard boiled eggs for breakfast and an egg white omelette with shredded cheese and mayo before bed when I did induction.

Avy1976

My recommendation is definitely to not be afraid of fat, eat if you're hungry, and make sure you're getting enough salt, potassium, magnesium, and supplementing your way of eating with any other vitamins or minerals you are lacking. Keto/low carb is very diuretic, and it flushes out a lot of salt etc along with the water, and can throw your electrolytes out of balance, leading to fatigue and generally not feeling well.

Also for the binging/cravings, L-Glutamine between meals works wonders. When I stop taking it, I definitely notice. The Diet Cure by Julia Ross is a great read.

Make sure you're drinking enough water too! I drink anywhere from 64-100 oz a day, plus tea and some decaf coffee. Some days less, I don't drown myself, but I do make sure I have plenty, and at least drink to thirst.

And feel free to add me if you like, I like having active friends so I can spy on their menus for ideas.

kiramaniac

just looked at your food diary going back a few days and these are my recommendations:

- replace coconut oil with other healthy fats more often. coconut oil is indeed a healthy fat, but it is made with medium chain triglycerides meaning that the body does not have to process it. it would be like drinking an energy drink... by consuming other fat your body will have to process it meaning calorie burn. do not be scared to consume fat sources such as butter, heavy cream, & mayo as I actually would recommend them in moderation.

This is not consistent with sources I've read regarding MCT.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa23.htm

According to Dr. Laurie Cullen at the Women's Institute, when MCTs are absorbed into the blood stream, they bypass the digestion process that longer chain fats go through. MCT's provide quick energy for the body and are thus less likely to be stored in the fat cells. Further, Dr. Cullen says that when a meal includes medium chain triglycerides, there is a significant increase in the number of calories burned (thermogenic effect). When more calories are used, fewer are stored as fat, which helps to reduce body fat levels.

Coconut oil is also not pure MCT oil. It is roughly 55% MCT, and also has a lot of saturated fat. There is no need to replace it with another fat.

JisatsuHoshi

Ah good points noted. This is why I disagree. Sorry not trying to turn this into a debate...

Dr.Mauro DiPasquale who developed the Anabolic Diet (a carb cycling ketogenic diet that uses ketogenic principles) said this about the uses of MTC's.

"It’s also important to note that Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s) get a big thumbs down for use in the Anabolic Diet. Very few foods actually contain MCT’s, but you’ll find many people are very big on MCT supplements, most of which are derived from coconut oil. They’ll say, “It’s fat, why can’t we use it?” but it basically bypasses the whole energy pathway we’re trying to establish with the Anabolic Diet and can be very counterproductive.

MCT’s can be of great use on a diet high in complex carbs because of its protein sparing effects. But on the Anabolic Diet, the body, instead of using the long chain fatty acids that make up most body fat, uses the MCT’s. The body ends up bypassing the very metabolic processes that the Anabolic Diet sets up: to burn its own fat and use the long chain fatties as a primary energy source."

In terms of ketogenic dieting. Dr.Mauro DiPasquale is pretty much saying: To add mtc's is like adding "ready made" ketones to the body. You want the body to produce its own ketones for energy by breaking down body fat.