My vegetarian keto experience- one month in
fileshiny
Posts: 149 Member
Hi everyone! Yep, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (NOT vegan) trying keto for the first time, and it's been an interesting experience, to say the least. My first week was a "practice week", as I was on vacation and couldn't really do what I needed to do. After that, all keto, all the time. A lotta eggs, a lotta mayo, a lotta cheese. NOT a lotta variety.
What I've found so far:
Any other lacto-ovo vegetarians giving this a go? What's your experience? Any suggestions?
What I've found so far:
- Wow, this is one crazy diet - vodka is fine but cauliflower is a cheat food
- The scale has only moved a bit and I definitely did not drop the 5-10 pounds a lot of people do at the beginning of a low carb diet (or even any weight at all in the beginning); however...
- I am not on a low-calorie diet - 2200 cal/day, so I don't really expect to lose a lot of weight quickly; and
- The biggest change is that my energy levels are stable and static throughout the day. This is a HUGE change and benefit for me. Until I changed to keto, I had no idea that my energy levels fluctuated so much with my blood sugar drops. As a vegetarian, I was always hungry- I had to eat every 3 hours or I was starving, couldn't concentrate and couldn't exercise until I had eaten. On keto, skipping snacks is no big deal and even if I get hungry, my energy levels don't drop - I can't keep doing what I'm doing. To not be hungry all the time, and to not have to worry constantly about what might happen if I don't have food handy, is so freeing!
- I don't crave sweets or breads at all, but goddamn, I miss my cauliflower! (I know I can have it in moderation, but I LOVE cauliflower and can't do it in moderation)
- My earwax has become a marvel of viscosity
- My tongue has developed a permanent black/brown layer on it that can't be removed no matter what - seriously, what's up with that?
Any other lacto-ovo vegetarians giving this a go? What's your experience? Any suggestions?
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Replies
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Vodka isn't actually Keto just because it has no carbs. It's not Keto at all because it stops ketosis.
Cauliflower is not a cheat food just because it has carbs. It is perfectly acceptable on a Keto diet. Just have to figure out how much you can tolerate in one serving before ketosis is affected.
I have no idea why your tongue is black. I've never heard that before. Related to dehydration maybe? Candida die off?
Also don't know about the earwax change thing...
Anyway, glad to hear your hunger is normal and you're getting the expected energy. Keep an eye on sodium levels and electrolytes. You need a lot more sodium on Keto.0 -
Excellent update.
I love the energy improvements too. It's my favourite part too.
The black tongue could be a yeast. If it doesn't resolve soon you may want to get some antifungals.
I can't imagine missing cauliflower... LOL
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Nifty stuff!
The big drops that are commonly heard of in low carb typically come from water release when switching from a poor diet (like SAD) to just about any healthy one. You might have seen it when you first went veggie if you're a convert and went from SAD to whole food veggie. Otherwise, it might have been a slow thing if your transition to healthy eating was slower (like, junk food -> junk food veggie -> whole food "upgrades" -> whole food veggie).
I hear you on the cauliflower, though I'm more of a broccoli fan. I've been known to take a family pack of frozen broccoli (you know, the ones that have like 4-6 servings; bonus points for a bag full of florets), heat it up, douse it in butter (or cheese), and eat the whole thing by myself.
(Mod hat, just admin type stuff)
@baconslave info/source for veggie keto info0 -
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
That's all I've found so far. No one has volunteered anything else when I've asked so I'll have to hunt for some others.0 -
A quick search says:
http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/07/05/2-week-vegetarian-keto-diet-plan
http://vegetarianketo.blogspot.com/
http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/05/27/81-delicious-savory-low-carb-vegetarian-recipes
https://vegetarianketo.wordpress.com/
And of course, Pinterest will have a bunch of ideas for variety.
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Vodka isn't actually Keto just because it has no carbs. It's not Keto at all because it stops ketosis.
Sunny, this is terrifying! Please say more about this. And cauliflower is a cheat food when you eat a whole huge head of it!
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@Sunny_Bunny_ I'm curious too. I don't drink much so I've never looked into the effects of alcohol on ketosis.0
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theketogenicdiet.org/keto-diet-and-alcohol/
The writer of the article seems to have a sense of humor.
"You will not be eating pizza and other delicious, but carb-laden foods that drunk people normally eat,"0 -
@Sunny_Bunny_ I'm curious too. I don't drink much so I've never looked into the effects of alcohol on ketosis.
Your liver just can't do anything else until the alcohol is out of your system. So you can't burn fat, make ketones, because it burn the alcohol first.0 -
- My earwax has become a marvel of viscosity
- My tongue has developed a permanent black/brown layer on it that can't be removed no matter what - seriously, what's up with that?
Wow. New symptoms!
Google "black tongue". Apparently harmless, but might be due to foods you're eating or dehydration.
Ear wax apparently can change with diet. Maybe the fats you're eating?0 -
I'm no keto expert, but I eat cauliflower often (with cream and butter). It's really not that high in carbs. I can't imagine doing keto as a vegetarian, you are amazing!0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »The big drops that are commonly heard of in low carb typically come from water release when switching from a poor diet (like SAD) to just about any healthy one. You might have seen it when you first went veggie if you're a convert and went from SAD to whole food veggie. Otherwise, it might have been a slow thing if your transition to healthy eating was slower (like, junk food -> junk food veggie -> whole food "upgrades" -> whole food veggie).
My diet before now was pretty good, just too heavy on portion sizes (I love to eat!) My previous macros were more of an emphasis on protein and carbs, lower on fat (but not low fat). Lots of veggies, whole grains, ethnic foods from around the world. Typical hipster vegetarian stuff, minus the kale. I get quite a bit of exercise, even with some significant injuries, so that probably plays a factor as well.0 -
baconslave wrote: »
Hey, thank you! There's a cauliflower falafel in those links that I MUST try!0 -
Evelynandchris wrote: »I'm no keto expert, but I eat cauliflower often (with cream and butter). It's really not that high in carbs. I can't imagine doing keto as a vegetarian, you are amazing!
I'm aiming for a maximum of 20g total carbs a day, and a large head of cauliflower has 45g of total carbs, so it's out for me. And yes, I know I could have a little of it, but cauliflower is like ice cream for me - completely irresistible once I get started.
I do think I might have chosen the single most impossible WOE for a vegetarian to pull off successfully, but it's worth a shot, dontcha think? 13 years ago, the Atkins company told me that it was impossible for a vegetarian to do Atkins, so I didn't even try for all that time. This is my screw you to the Atkins company.0 -
- My earwax has become a marvel of viscosity
- My tongue has developed a permanent black/brown layer on it that can't be removed no matter what - seriously, what's up with that?
Wow. New symptoms!
Google "black tongue". Apparently harmless, but might be due to foods you're eating or dehydration.
Ear wax apparently can change with diet. Maybe the fats you're eating?
Thank you! Apparently, it is not only black, but hairy! Altogether now, everyone say "eeewwwwwwww"!!!!0 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »theketogenicdiet.org/keto-diet-and-alcohol/
The writer of the article seems to have a sense of humor.
"You will not be eating pizza and other delicious, but carb-laden foods that drunk people normally eat,"
Ah, so it's a temporary stop to ketosis, Interesting decision - is the trade off of alcohol worth losing fat burning for a while? I may (MAY!) give up alcohol for a while to see what happens.0 -
baconslave wrote: »https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
That's all I've found so far. No one has volunteered anything else when I've asked so I'll have to hunt for some others.
Thank you for this!! This is actually really helpful- I may have found my peeps!0 -
baconslave wrote: »https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
That's all I've found so far. No one has volunteered anything else when I've asked so I'll have to hunt for some others.
Thank you for this!! This is actually really helpful- I may have found my peeps!
AND a paneer-crust vegetarian keto pizza recipe! OMG!0 -
Great results, you're amazing for pulling this off! I imagine only vegan keto would be more difficult than what you're doing.
Please keep us posted. And I totally get the cauliflower thing. First time I had cauli mashed "potato" I ate so much I felt stuffed the rest of the day (and out of keto, of course, even with all the fat).
Best of luck!
::flowerforyou::0 -
KetoGirl83 wrote: »Great results, you're amazing for pulling this off! I imagine only vegan keto would be more difficult than what you're doing.
Please keep us posted. And I totally get the cauliflower thing. First time I had cauli mashed "potato" I ate so much I felt stuffed the rest of the day (and out of keto, of course, even with all the fat).
Best of luck!
::flowerforyou::
Thanks!!0 -
- My earwax has become a marvel of viscosity
- My tongue has developed a permanent black/brown layer on it that can't be removed no matter what - seriously, what's up with that?
Wow. New symptoms!
Google "black tongue". Apparently harmless, but might be due to foods you're eating or dehydration.
Ear wax apparently can change with diet. Maybe the fats you're eating?
I've been having really annoying ear wax build up too! I'm having to use ear drops once a week. And I'm not a vegetarian, so I'm eating very different fats and having the same issue. It hadn't dawned on me that it could be diet related, but I guess it makes sense. My eyes are also constantly bloodshot, like really badly bloodshot. I read that this diet reduces the amount of mucus we produce, so the bloodshot eyes would be due to dryness. I've been keeping that at bay with eye drops now and that's been working. I suppose there could be added dryness inside the ear canal, causing more dead skin to build up, which is an ingredient of ear wax. Or, there could be less mucus going into the ear wax, so it's not as likely to drain out when one takes a shower and it heats up.0 -
Evelynandchris wrote: »I'm no keto expert, but I eat cauliflower often (with cream and butter). It's really not that high in carbs. I can't imagine doing keto as a vegetarian, you are amazing!
I'm aiming for a maximum of 20g total carbs a day, and a large head of cauliflower has 45g of total carbs, so it's out for me. And yes, I know I could have a little of it, but cauliflower is like ice cream for me - completely irresistible once I get started.
How are you possibly making a reasonable calorie goal with 20 total carbs a day and a vegetarian diet? Why aren't you subtracting fiber? Fiber does not effect blood sugar or ketosis and should be subtracted.0 -
Evelynandchris wrote: »I'm no keto expert, but I eat cauliflower often (with cream and butter). It's really not that high in carbs. I can't imagine doing keto as a vegetarian, you are amazing!
I'm aiming for a maximum of 20g total carbs a day, and a large head of cauliflower has 45g of total carbs, so it's out for me. And yes, I know I could have a little of it, but cauliflower is like ice cream for me - completely irresistible once I get started.
How are you possibly making a reasonable calorie goal with 20 total carbs a day and a vegetarian diet? Why aren't you subtracting fiber? Fiber does not effect blood sugar or ketosis and should be subtracted.
My understanding is that it does affect blood sugar and ketosis, just more slowly than non-fibrous carbs. I'm tracking both total carbs and net carbs, but aiming for 20g total carbs. Now, I didn't say I was actually meeting that target! I'm usually around 30g total carbs.0 -
PaleoInScotland wrote: »
- My earwax has become a marvel of viscosity
- My tongue has developed a permanent black/brown layer on it that can't be removed no matter what - seriously, what's up with that?
Wow. New symptoms!
Google "black tongue". Apparently harmless, but might be due to foods you're eating or dehydration.
Ear wax apparently can change with diet. Maybe the fats you're eating?
I've been having really annoying ear wax build up too! I'm having to use ear drops once a week. And I'm not a vegetarian, so I'm eating very different fats and having the same issue. It hadn't dawned on me that it could be diet related, but I guess it makes sense. My eyes are also constantly bloodshot, like really badly bloodshot. I read that this diet reduces the amount of mucus we produce, so the bloodshot eyes would be due to dryness. I've been keeping that at bay with eye drops now and that's been working. I suppose there could be added dryness inside the ear canal, causing more dead skin to build up, which is an ingredient of ear wax. Or, there could be less mucus going into the ear wax, so it's not as likely to drain out when one takes a shower and it heats up.
For me, it was a noticeable and very fast difference within a couple of weeks of changing my diet.0 -
How are you hitting 2200 calories a day, with only 30 grams of total carbs, while eating vegetarian? I know tons of people who try to be vegetarian keto at lower calorie levels and they usually end up at 30-50 grams of net carbs just to make it work
Can you give an example of what you eat, each day, because your diary isn't public? I am sure it could help a lot of people out here.0 -
I have the earwax thing too. I like it, because my allergies make my ears as well as my nose runny, and some drying is good!
I do eat a lot of cauliflower. This is the first time in my life that I've ever craved stewed celery and leeks, all by themselves. I've eased up on my keto, since not eating sugar seems to be enough to get the result that I wanted, and I'm enjoying craving vegetables for a change.0 -
baconslave wrote: »https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
That's all I've found so far. No one has volunteered anything else when I've asked so I'll have to hunt for some others.
Sorry, that wasn't a request for info for her (though it's cool you had some things). It was more tagging you so you can use her as a resource for the veggie keto section of the Launch Pad, since this thread had gotten buried pretty quickly.0 -
How are you hitting 2200 calories a day, with only 30 grams of total carbs, while eating vegetarian? I know tons of people who try to be vegetarian keto at lower calorie levels and they usually end up at 30-50 grams of net carbs just to make it work
Can you give an example of what you eat, each day, because your diary isn't public? I am sure it could help a lot of people out here.
Well, as I mentioned, it's a lot of eggs and cheese and butter. I also make a rather fantastic dip of very high fat sour cream, mayo and high fat plain greek yogurt mixed with salt and spices that goes really well with eggs, and that ups my fat significantly. I have a spring mix or spinach salad every couple of days, with eggs, full fat feta and this dip. Cheese omelettes made crunchy in butter with onion sprouts is pretty crazy good.1 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »baconslave wrote: »https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
That's all I've found so far. No one has volunteered anything else when I've asked so I'll have to hunt for some others.
Sorry, that wasn't a request for info for her (though it's cool you had some things). It was more tagging you so you can use her as a resource for the veggie keto section of the Launch Pad, since this thread had gotten buried pretty quickly.Dragonwolf wrote: »baconslave wrote: »https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
That's all I've found so far. No one has volunteered anything else when I've asked so I'll have to hunt for some others.
Sorry, that wasn't a request for info for her (though it's cool you had some things). It was more tagging you so you can use her as a resource for the veggie keto section of the Launch Pad, since this thread had gotten buried pretty quickly.
I know. I got lucky to have a few sec to investigate. We've needed this for awhile. I figured since she was talking about lack of variety, that would help her a bit.
I'll probably link the thread in there as well later.
So people, keep the convo going.
I'll look around a little more later. I have to take the kids to a party in a sec...blurgh.0
