That Keto Life

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DRivera501
DRivera501 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Any tips for a beginner like me? I want to try it given that if done, it might be effective in loosing weight. I've been conditioned to avoid fats at all cost and so having to consume fat to loose weight seems mind blowing to me.

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  • AlyssaPetsDogs
    AlyssaPetsDogs Posts: 421 Member
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    toxikon wrote: »
    Keto has its pros and cons, and you don't need to follow a keto diet to lose weight. I found that it helped with my satiety but you still need to count calories and eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight.

    I've done keto on and off (currently off) for years. Here are my pros and cons:

    Pros:
    - Better satiety, less tummy grumbles and quick onset hunger pangs
    - More energy and mental clarity
    - Much less flatulence, less frequent BMs
    - No more stomach bloating
    - Quick water weight loss within first week

    Cons:
    - Too restrictive and unsustainable, even with substitutions
    - Difficult to eat with friends and family (restaurants, special occasions)
    - Constipation
    - More expensive groceries
    - No energy during exercise (running especially, but strength also suffered)

    I would echo this as well! I've been on and off keto and I hated the weight jump when I would go off keto. I still do relatively low carb but mainly so I can eat a bigger portion of something else (ex; I eat shredded chicken taco meat with veggies and cheese and can eat more chicken cause I don't have to account calories for the tortilla). Honestly, I am happier being informally low carb but still having fruit and other stuff!

    If you are going to give it a try, just know that cheating will cause a weight jump! And things like onions and garlic have carbs! But it is a lot of fun eating bacon and cheese a lot!

    I would join the low carb group on here! They would have more tips!

    Good luck!
  • kokonani
    kokonani Posts: 507 Member
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    Same here, ex-ketoer. It was not fun for me.. constipation (BM every 4 days or more), Not happy eating mostly fat. Could not eat the healthy vegetables and fruits I wanted (limiting only to about 25-30 g of carbs). Most of the time, I just wanted a darn donut! This was truly not sustainable for me, yet there are alot of people who do keto for years and are successful. I am more happy eating high carb, having deficit calories, and having the same exact results.
  • NGC6960
    NGC6960 Posts: 10 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You don't consume fat to lose weight, you replace some of your carbs with fat. You lose weight if you have a consistent calorie deficit. Pay attention to "consistent" - you have to eat less day in, day out for quite some time, and you can only do that if you like the way you are doing it. Eat in any way you like, but keep your calories in check. Your food diary is a great tool as long as you use it correctly.

    This 100%
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited August 2017
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    In case Keto does not work for you, you can choose other eating plans to lose weight.
    It's all about the daily calories and tracking. Get a food scale. I lost weight eating high good-carb.
  • meganbayramoff12
    meganbayramoff12 Posts: 5 Member
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    That's so awesome, also your love for macaroni and cheese speaks to me on a spiritual level lol. I'd love to have some more keto friends!!
  • DRivera501
    DRivera501 Posts: 6 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Thank you all for the insight! If you have any ideas as what I can snack on, your input will be appreciated.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Keep in mind that there's nothing magical about keto...it's just a really strict and restrictive eating protocol that for many people results in a calorie deficit...thus weight loss.

    I personally would be miserable...the only way I would consider doing it is if I had a medical condition that warranted that kind of torture...I have an aunt who is keto because she's epileptic and it helps with that...
  • 93634
    93634 Posts: 7 Member
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    I read that pork rinds are a good snack if you want that crunch but the serving size on a bag is TINY, still, they satisfy my need to munch and don't add up to too much on the calorie count so that's good. I know they can't be that healthy though but I'm at a loss for snack ideas too. I think nuts, maybe?
  • jelizabeth713
    jelizabeth713 Posts: 98 Member
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    Hello I'm Julie and I'm on my 14th week into keto. Big thing to remember is eat less than but no more than 20g Net Carbs to start, hit your protein macro and eat enough fat to feel full on a daily basis. You don't have to hit your fat macro, but I usually get somewhat close myself. Basically if you aren't hungry at the end of the day and have some left to fill on your macros, don't stress over filling them. I mix it up when I eat meals and keep it interesting by making different keto friendly recipes everyday. Keto chicken parm with zoodles is my fav, zucchini noodles are delicious!! I fry them in a skillet with a little oil and season them. I use pork rinds for the breading on chicken, just put them in a big ziplock baggy, close it and smash them into crumbs! You can add parmesean or mozzarella cheese and seasoning to the pork rind breading, put chicken in the bag and shake to coat. They bake on the chicken so nice. Best of luck to you! If anyone wants a fellow keto friend feel free to add me for support! :smiley:
  • jelizabeth713
    jelizabeth713 Posts: 98 Member
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    93634 wrote: »
    I read that pork rinds are a good snack if you want that crunch but the serving size on a bag is TINY, still, they satisfy my need to munch and don't add up to too much on the calorie count so that's good. I know they can't be that healthy though but I'm at a loss for snack ideas too. I think nuts, maybe?

    You could make some parmesean chips. Or snack on rolled up lunch meat or pepperoni/salami, cheese and mayo or even without mayo they are tasty! I make pork rind nachos or pork rind cinnamon twists. I also snack on babybel cheese, fat bombs(sometimes), or pickles.
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
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    Hello and welcome! I suggest you check out the following main low carber daily forum group here in MFP. It's where most of Ketophiles tend to hang out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • kimjschroeder
    kimjschroeder Posts: 35 Member
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    jelizabeth713 wrote: »
    hit your protein macro and eat enough fat to feel full on a daily basis. You don't have to hit your fat macro, but I usually get somewhat close myself. Basically if you aren't hungry at the end of the day and have some left to fill on your macros, don't stress over filling them.

    I thought I had to hit my fat macro 1st. This makes me feel a bit better. Also, I've spent hours trying to make meal plans for each day to get as close to goal as possible on carb/protein/fat. I actually forced myself to snack the other day when i really didnt want to eat. I thought I had to. Wont you mess up your macros if you dont eat accordingly?

  • jelizabeth713
    jelizabeth713 Posts: 98 Member
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    kimjschroeder wrote: »

    I thought I had to hit my fat macro 1st. This makes me feel a bit better. Also, I've spent hours trying to make meal plans for each day to get as close to goal as possible on carb/protein/fat. I actually forced myself to snack the other day when i really didnt want to eat. I thought I had to. Wont you mess up your macros if you dont eat accordingly?

    Nope. Carb is a limit, protein is a goal and fat is a lever. Keep Carbs low(usually under 20g for ketosis), hit your protein(sometimes I go over a smidge with zero issues) and eat as much fat to feel full. If you're not hungry then don't eat. :smile: only macro you need to focus on hitting good is protein.
  • Autoroam
    Autoroam Posts: 3 Member
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    Im not an expert on keto….I got into it because of inflammation and general uneasiness suffered by eating carb heavy foods day in and day out….insulin spikes and hungry every 2 hrs or so. Just incessant hunger.

    my keto eating is based on keeping the carbs below 20 and certainly not over 30gm a day. I do not follow the concept of gratuitous loading up on fat….but i will use it without fear. But will i put 2 pats of butter in my coffee…
    no f'kin way. The idea is to allow the body to utilise your own excess fat at first…and slowly ratchet up fat intake.
    I will do this over the next 3-6 months.

    The most important part of the journey is to figure out replacements to 3-4 things that most people can't do without: rice, breads, noodles and sugar. As these pretty much accompany whatever your main course is.

    I haven't tried cauliflower rice yet but have started making keto flatbreads and these can go with anything….

    don't find shopping for groceries more expensive….i have saved a lot on not buying carb loaded junk so it's almost the same for me expense-wise.

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