One more shot..
wishfullthinking79
Posts: 322 Member
Hi there- I haven't been on mfp in a very long time and you can tell. The last 6 months have just been so hectic with school and internship. I am a very unhappy person right now. I am ready to put forth the necessary effort to be successful at this. Today is my first day tracking. So far so good. I am not going to take everything away all at once. Before I was doing keto. Not sure if I will shoot for that or just maintain with low carb. What are your thoughts about that? Does it make a significant difference in weight loss in your opinion?
-nicki
-nicki
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Replies
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I might be the wrong person to answer. LOL. One does not have to be in ketosis to lose their excess weight. At least I did not need to. I eat keto now for a reason other than weight and have found it easier to keep to my maintenance calories. This super low carb/high fat satiates me nicely and my cravings/binges are very few. I'd like to eat more vegetables though. But I don't.
Find YOUR balance. 2 -
I see a lot of people post very different approaches, from zero carb to "shoot for under 100g". I think it is up to you and what works best for your body. I, personally, am still trying to find my sweet spot. I try for under 20g, but usually end up under 40g. I haven't lost a ton, but I am close to goal weight. I am much happier with my food choices though, and I quit the gaining I was doing, so I think that is a win! Good luck. This is a great group!1
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I think many of us do keto more for the health benefits than for weight loss. There is a theory that ketones contribute to appetite reduction but who knows.
I do ketosis for health (insulin resistance, autoimmune problems) but I have also found weight loss is easiest when my carbs are very low. Fewer cravings and less hunger. But that's just me.
Do what works best for you.4 -
I do keto to avoid type 2 diabetes. I don't think it's necessary for weight loss, however it has been the only eating style I've been able to stick to for longer than a couple of weeks (over 4 years now) due to the fact that it controls hunger. I can not do low fat high carb as I'm constantly hungry and want to start eating the furniture when my calories are restricted. I can eat the same calories on keto and be perfectly in control and satisfied. Having said that, it's entirely up to you. There's no dispute that lowering your carbs is good for you for a whole range of reasons, and grain is not at all good for you, but you might be able to be perfectly healthy eating the odd baked potato etc.0
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When I was following a keto diet before I definitely could tell a big difference in how I felt. I slept much better and had fewer headaches which says a lot because I struggle to get sleep and I have chronic headaches/migraines. I just couldn't maintain it longer than 6 months. I am trying a different approach this time. Instead of restricting everything all at once, I am easing myself into it. I am hoping by doing it this way I can create a positive life change that is sustainable. I really just want to be successful. I logged for over a year then slowly stopped. I am getting ready to start my 2nd semester in my master program so I will have to be smart while doing meal prep. I could really go all day without eating but I can't eat enough calories or proper macros in one meal.1
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Hi, I am maintaining on LCHF now, after losing 11kg over about a year, which was pretty slow by most people's standards. I have my macros set for keto, but I often eat more carbs than the daily allotment--though very seldom more than 100 grams in a day. and I don't worry too much about it. If I gain a bit, then I am more strict over the next few days until I lose that weight. Yesterday I did a 22-2 intermittent fast, and woke up .7kg less on the scale! So you could combine IF with lchf to stay on target. I find I always feel worse (achy, bloated) on those higher carb days, which reminds me to kcko. This is my way of eating for life now--I turn 60 this year!2
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wishfullthinking79 wrote: »When I was following a keto diet before I definitely could tell a big difference in how I felt. I slept much better and had fewer headaches which says a lot because I struggle to get sleep and I have chronic headaches/migraines. I just couldn't maintain it longer than 6 months. I am trying a different approach this time. Instead of restricting everything all at once, I am easing myself into it. I am hoping by doing it this way I can create a positive life change that is sustainable. I really just want to be successful. I logged for over a year then slowly stopped. I am getting ready to start my 2nd semester in my master program so I will have to be smart while doing meal prep. I could really go all day without eating but I can't eat enough calories or proper macros in one meal.
I'm sensing that you may have stressed the macro breakdowns and trying to eat with specifically balanced proportions in mind and I honestly couldn't possibly live being so meticulous about every little thing.
I think this kind of pressure to achieve proper macros is a huge reason why people don't stick with it in many cases. It's really not necessary to measure and calculate your meals and macros.
If you're only hungry once a day, then just eat once a day. Eat real food that's low carb and avoid protein shakes and fat bombs and convenience foods and you'll have no reason to be concerned about macros.
If you are suddenly hungry two or three times a day and it's not because of cravings that got triggered from eating the wrong kinds of foods, then eat two or three times. If we listen to our body, it will not steer us wrong.
It's unfortunate when stressing macros or working to balance protein and fat because some facebook group or blog said you have to maintain some specific proportion for it to "work", keeps people from being able to commit long term.
Take the stress out of it. Remove the prescription style of dosing food out and simply eat meat and veggies and dairy if it agrees with you and don't be afraid of fat. The macros are not what makes it work it. The not eating so many carbs is what makes it work. If you're not hungry, then you are getting enough fat. If you eat one meal a day, then make it a decent sized piece of meat to get enough protein. Or make it a higher protein meat like chicken. If you're working your muscles, then you should consider getting more protein around that.
Don't let complicated macros and meal planning rob you of your long term success. It doesn't make it lazy low carb or lazy keto. It makes it sane low carb. It makes it something you can live with. Forever.
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wishfullthinking79 wrote: »When I was following a keto diet before I definitely could tell a big difference in how I felt. I slept much better and had fewer headaches which says a lot because I struggle to get sleep and I have chronic headaches/migraines. I just couldn't maintain it longer than 6 months. I am trying a different approach this time. Instead of restricting everything all at once, I am easing myself into it. I am hoping by doing it this way I can create a positive life change that is sustainable. I really just want to be successful. I logged for over a year then slowly stopped. I am getting ready to start my 2nd semester in my master program so I will have to be smart while doing meal prep. I could really go all day without eating but I can't eat enough calories or proper macros in one meal.
Just want to say KUDOS on pursuing your master's degree! I hope to be there in the next year or two, just finishing my bachelor's that took me forever lol Wish you the best in reaching all of your goals0 -
@wishfullthinking79
Personally, I have developed the opinion over the years that if you personally know that keto is not a lifelong choice for you, that you should aim higher in carbs. When I originally went low carb, my endocrinologist suggested starting in the 50-75 gram range. 50 net, 75 total...to allow for more veggies, should I choose. I did well at that level, but realized that most of my days were significantly below 50 total, and so I decided to try keto for the benefits. While I'm glad for having had the experience, and I loved how keto felt for me, my BODY really didn't do well long term on keto.
THIS ARTICLE was posted here recently, and it really helped me dig into the details of why I wasn't losing with keto after month 3-4. I maxed out after 3.5 months, and just slowly gained/ate off plan/got back on, etc. over and over again. Now, looking back at labs, every time I went hard keto, it kicked my thyroid and it started going downhill. With the levels of stress and such that you are under, my endo essentially gave me the "don't you do this or it will only get worse" speech about overtaxing my thyroid and adrenals and how IF, even pushing back breakfast by a few hours was stressing my system, and if I get hungry, I should eat, not push back, and all that. He personally suggested that keto be used as a tool within a higher low carb diet. His suggestion was that one should not LIMIT any kind of nutritious food, but rather moderate the volume of low carb foods to get the best variety in. I've a few podcasts and authors I've followed lately, but none I can recommend offhand.
That being said, please remember that keto is not for everyone. It has some amazing health benefits, but just being lowER carb (under 100 preferably, under 150 with no grains/sugars) has amazing benefits, too. Also, "cheating" or eating off plan is not as huge a whammy for someone low carb as it is for someone keto. If you know that is more likely to be you, and that you'll still work to limit and control it as much as you can, you might do better to have a higher carb limit still within a low carb plan. Eating a few berries or including peaches and SOME root veggies and such may make it easier for you to stay on plan long term. I got to the point that my highest points of stress were somewhat controlled by me tightening down my macros...
It is all about you and what is sustainable. Many folks here have lost on all levels of carb restriction - just the keto crowd can be the most passionate about their choices - because of how it feels, particularly in the first 6 months...but there are MANY success stories here at all carb levels...even higher with exercising and such... It's all relative, and it's all about you and what will work for you...4 -
As others have said, keto may or may not be the best for you. No WOE is right for everyone. However, in the great nutrition debate about 15 years ago which included several experts from Atkins to Ornish (so from keto to vegan with 70% carb) agreed on one dietary rule. That is sugar and processed carbs are not good for anyone. If you just avoid those two things (including most breads, cereals and pastas), you will be lower carb than the vast majority.
From there, you can decide how low you want to go based on what level makes you feel your best. Personally, I stay at keto level, but am looking at moving more to a low end carb level of paleo/primal WOE.
If you are interested in the great nutrition debate, it is almost 3 hours long:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feCpP40ZHqI
I watched it in segments over several days since I am not one to focus on anything for anywhere near 3 hours.3 -
@cstehansen thanks I'm going to watch this.0
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@wishfullthinking79 - Any updates for us? How are you doing?0
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