Ketogenic

I'm thinking of starting a keto diet in the next week or so. Any others on this thing have and success or tips? What do your shopping lists look like, and do you have a meal plan?
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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Why are you considering this? To lose weight, for health reasons, or just to try something different?
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  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I haven't done it but a friend of mine did and I just thought I'd warn you that you might start smelling kind of gross and/or have really gross breath. But for her it was worth it, soooo...
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    edited January 2018
    I do keto and I am pcos and it has been amazing for me. All my cholesterol numbers have gone down in just 6 months. My grocery list is pretty basic. I eat a lot of mushrooms, eggs, salmon, tuna, I also eat fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut which really is a good part of Keto that nobody ever seems to mention, they focus so much on the fat portion of it. I consider myself cured of chronic IBS-D just from eating this way for 6 months, it's been amazing. I still track all my calories etc and do my macros. I do IF as well 16/8 every day and work out fasted. My body changes are significant. I have stopped focusing on the scale and the "weight" because I work out a lot so I'm more focused on my body changes, with tape measure and my clothes. The scale just frustrates me. I have always done low carb, but keto has changed my stomach issues and inflammation greatly and the first time in my adult lifehood that my cholesterol is finally almost normal.

    Just to add, I know you asked about meal plans. I followed a meal plan from Maria Emmerich's cookbook, and I pretty much eat them even now after the first 30 days, she's got amazing recipes so I always go back to it, for ideas. But pinterest is your friend if you are looking for meals. I would recommend not getting caught up with cheese at every turn like some people do. I limit my cheese, because dairy does seem to be a hindrance for me. Some people eat cheese until it's coming out of their ears.

    Its not for everyone but I haven't felt this good in a long time.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    I haven't done it but a friend of mine did and I just thought I'd warn you that you might start smelling kind of gross and/or have really gross breath. But for her it was worth it, soooo...

    HAHA Yes the dragon breath is off putting, typically if she takes chlorophyll it goes away.
  • angeladrosinis
    angeladrosinis Posts: 1 Member
    I'm thinking of starting a keto diet in the next week or so. Any others on this thing have and success or tips? What do your shopping lists look like, and do you have a meal plan?

    Hi, yes. Today is my day 14. I am very energetic and so far I have lost 6 pounds. My husband has lost 8pounds. I have been using the ketone urine test and the blood test to make sure I am on ketosis. I feel more alert and really have no complains so far.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    I did keto for about 4 months last year and was completely miserable. Just putting this out there for another point of view as there seem to be several keto success stories and not really any posts from people who tried it and it didn't work for them.

    I didn't do it for health reasons like some of the posters above, I did it just to try it as I tend to be a carb binger. I was very strict about it, but never experienced the energy increase and felt very heavy all the time and occasionally nauseous. After 4 months or so, I knew that keto was not working for me at all and I started working more carbs back into my diet. My energy increased immediately and I stopped feeling heavy all the time. I'm doing much better back on my regular routine of CICO with moderate carbs.

    I've got a friend that really thrives on it, so I don't really have negative feelings toward the diet. It just simply didn't work for me. Keto is extremely trendy in the diet world right now, and I think people need to know that it does not work for everyone. That said, because it's so trendy there are tons of recipe books, keto meal plan books and online resources, and lots of meal ideas on Pinterest as well, some of which were very tasty. I still prepare meals and sides here and there that I used to make while doing keto (for example, using cauliflower and nutritional yeast to make a creamy sauce - yum!)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Like others have said it doesn't cause any more weight loss than any other diet, but some find it easier to keep a deficit on it (I'd say that might matter more if you've been struggling to keep a deficit, although I would probably try just cutting carbs some first), and others really enjoy it.

    I don't believe it has any health benefits except for some rare conditions (epilepsy) when presumably it would be prescribed by a doctor. That said, I think it is ONE way that can help to control IR or T2D, so might be something to try if it appeals to you (or doesn't sound impossibly hard). You can do keto healthfully or not, IMO.

    Good source for information and others doing it: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    What to buy, from my own perspective: lots of non-starchy vegetables, I think these still should be consumed at most meals. Eggs, full fat dairy, meat (I personally found fatty fish a good option). Part of the fun of keto is being able to eat meals/foods that feel indulgent, so what high fat, low carb foods do you like? Buy them. I ate somewhat more cheese, olive oil, and nut butters when doing it (nuts and nut butters are kind of higher carb if you are doing really low carb, though -- I struggled to fit them in sometimes at 60 g total carbs (which was quite a bit lower carb if you focus on net and thus ketogenic)). Other options if you would miss beans are black soy beans, which are so high fiber that net carbs are very low. And, of course, avocados.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2018
    mwillder1 wrote: »
    I struggle with what many people post here on MFP about a calorie being a calorie. Sure, in terms of them all being a unit of energy, but the impact of, say 100 calories of a Krispy Kreme donut isn't the same as 100 calories coming from healthy fats from an avocado or salmon.

    The difference between a Krispy Kreme donut and an avocado and salmon isn't a difference between the type of calories (calories don't come in types), but because other things about those foods are different, and no one denies that. If you think people do, you aren't understanding what is being said.

    Also 100 cal of avocado = 9.16 g fat, 5.33 g carbs, 1.25 g protein, decent amount of fiber
    100 cal of wild caught salmon = 4.59 g fat, 14.14 f protein, no fiber
    100 cal of KK donut = 6 g fat, 11 g carbs, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber

    So the donut has more fat than the fish (and gets more of its calories from fats than from carbs). To suggest this shows the superiority of fat is odd.

    I'm pro fat, but fat is not filling for all (more often protein and fiber are -- and the avocado has fiber and the fish protein), and has little to do with nutrition -- there are healthy fats most would probably do better eating more of, IMO, but most people eating the average American diet get plenty of fat.

    That said, clearly nutrition matters, and saying "a calorie is a calorie" does not contradict that. I think someone should care about calories and nutrition. And, as noted above, a keto diet can be a nutrient dense one or not, just like every diet.
    Not than many posters would advocate us consuming only donuts, but carbs do impact our physiology in ways that aren't exactly positive.

    Disagree. Among other things, you can't generalize about carbs or sources of carbs.

    But there's nothing inherently bad about carbs.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    mwillder1 wrote: »
    I've been following a low carb eating lifestyle for 4 months now and it's been great. I do also track all my food religiously in MFP, as others have suggested you do. I've found it to be a fantastic and sustainable way to eat. It's reduced cravings for sugar/carbs--these have traditionally been my downfall--and I find myself eating a lot more salad that I used to. I've had great energy levels as well.

    I've lost 22lbs in 16 weeks, with no more vigorous exercise than simply walking for 30 minutes at lunch.

    I struggle with what many people post here on MFP about a calorie being a calorie. Sure, in terms of them all being a unit of energy, but the impact of, say 100 calories of a Krispy Kreme donut isn't the same as 100 calories coming from healthy fats from an avocado or salmon. Not than many posters would advocate us consuming only donuts, but carbs do impact our physiology in ways that aren't exactly positive.

    What happens after a calorie hits body is really important, and I've found that keto/low carb lifestyle has helped me tremendously.

    What about salmon, barley, and broccoli vs. bullet proof coffee and bacon fried in butter? I mean, if we can pick whatever we want within the categories, let's flip it around.

    OP, check out the Low Carb group linked in lemurcat's post. If you are satiated by fats, and not by carbs, keto or a less restrictive low carb plan might work for you and there are lots of people in the LC group to help you. Just watch those calories too.
  • MissyCHF
    MissyCHF Posts: 337 Member
    I am following a low carb diet plus tracking my calories. Keto is a little strict for me. I feel fine but a bit miserable this evening, I've run out of cream and had to put milk in my coffee.... :(
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I tried keto before I knew I had a certain health issue and it made me very very ill, and Im not talking keto flu. I have a health issue where my body cannot properly process fats and cholesterol.once I stopped I started improving. I have to eat a low fat diet which means often I eat a high amount of carbs. I lost 45 lbs eating less calories than I burned(CICO). my health markers improved .

    I have RA(rheumatoid arthritis) and have no issues with carbs causing flare ups or anything else.what helped my arthritis when I was first diagnosed was lifting weights. so far I have not needed meds and its been more than 10 years since I was diagnosed. I definitely did not lose more weight doing keto than I did eating the way I am now. I lost more water weight sure. heck this past week I lost 3 lbs.which Im sure some of it was water weight.

    if someone wants to try keto thats fine. but its not sustainable for everyone and not everyones body can run on ketones safely either.I know I was in ketosis and for me I did have the bad breath and the stinky awful sweat. some people may not experience that. I also dont eat krispy kreme donuts either. most of my carbs are fruits,veggies,whole grains and so on.
  • TaraEdVan
    TaraEdVan Posts: 4 Member
    I am on week three of the Keto diet and here is what I will say:

    1. I did A LOT of my own research and I mean A LOT. I heard about it and I saw it gave great weight loss results but when I started researching there was so much more than weight loss. My viewpoint switched. I researched the good, the bad and the ugly. Watched a lot of youtube videos with people who were successful and people who were not (including people who gained weight on the keto diet).

    2. Keto is not for everyone because of how restrictive it is. You need to be in the mind set of this is for HEALTH not WEIGHT LOSS. Once you do it for health, there are things you start to understand, the science behind certain things, how your body reacts to certain things, how it doesn't react. Can you be a part-time "keto-er"? Maybe paleo is what you need to do, or maybe nothing at all and just plain old look at your eating habits and cutting out little by little. Only you can know it - and you can ask people as many questions as you want but you need to know what you are willing to change. I have tried dieting a billion times including just plain old cutting stuff out and I am finding that keto is sticking for me, not even sure why, it just is.

    3. Like every other diet, this cannot be a diet but a lifestyle change. I did not do a "clean house" when I started. I have 3 girls who are pre-teen and teenagers, I want to live to see tomorrow. But I did put limitations on myself. I bought what I needed to succeed and I also informed by family what I was doing. Sent my husband some youtube videos on the good and the bad and told him that I don't expect my family to eat that way but I will be preparing the meat dishes "keto" (which I was doing anyway - so it really isn't much of a difference, I just didn't know there was a name to it".

    4. You better like cooking and you better like preparing because you will encounter food everyday and you cannot avoid it so you better be prepared to draw your line or in the very least figure out alternatives on the fly.

    5. So what you had a donut from Tim Horton's and you are possible kicked out of ketosis. Worse things are happening in the world so don't sweat it. Just start over again. At lot of the videos I watched were basically stop beating yourself up about food. We live in a world were food is seriously over-stimulated by everything and in everything. You cannot possibly be perfect.

    6. Lastly, if you really want to do the keto diet, make it work for you, not the other way around. I am not zero sugar, I am low sugar, which is better than the mounds of sugar and refined carbs I was eating before. My daughter and I go out for breakfast every single Sunday and I get this taco breakfast dish with fried squared potatoes and I love love love it. I tell me not to bring me the toast or eggs (don't need too much protein) and I look at it as it's better than the French toast with powdered sugar and mounds of syrup (that's not even maple syrup) that I would have ordered so what, they are fried potatoes....

    I guess what I am trying to say in this long-winded response is in the end, you need to live period and what does that mean to you and how can you live but still be healthy and it being something you can stick to. I love doing this keto diet but I also understand I am working it, it's not working me.
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
    TaraEdVan wrote: »
    I am on week three of the Keto diet and here is what I will say:

    1. I did A LOT of my own research and I mean A LOT. I heard about it and I saw it gave great weight loss results but when I started researching there was so much more than weight loss. My viewpoint switched. I researched the good, the bad and the ugly. Watched a lot of youtube videos with people who were successful and people who were not (including people who gained weight on the keto diet).

    2. Keto is not for everyone because of how restrictive it is. You need to be in the mind set of this is for HEALTH not WEIGHT LOSS. Once you do it for health, there are things you start to understand, the science behind certain things, how your body reacts to certain things, how it doesn't react. Can you be a part-time "keto-er"? Maybe paleo is what you need to do, or maybe nothing at all and just plain old look at your eating habits and cutting out little by little. Only you can know it - and you can ask people as many questions as you want but you need to know what you are willing to change. I have tried dieting a billion times including just plain old cutting stuff out and I am finding that keto is sticking for me, not even sure why, it just is.

    3. Like every other diet, this cannot be a diet but a lifestyle change. I did not do a "clean house" when I started. I have 3 girls who are pre-teen and teenagers, I want to live to see tomorrow. But I did put limitations on myself. I bought what I needed to succeed and I also informed by family what I was doing. Sent my husband some youtube videos on the good and the bad and told him that I don't expect my family to eat that way but I will be preparing the meat dishes "keto" (which I was doing anyway - so it really isn't much of a difference, I just didn't know there was a name to it".

    4. You better like cooking and you better like preparing because you will encounter food everyday and you cannot avoid it so you better be prepared to draw your line or in the very least figure out alternatives on the fly.

    5. So what you had a donut from Tim Horton's and you are possible kicked out of ketosis. Worse things are happening in the world so don't sweat it. Just start over again. At lot of the videos I watched were basically stop beating yourself up about food. We live in a world were food is seriously over-stimulated by everything and in everything. You cannot possibly be perfect.

    6. Lastly, if you really want to do the keto diet, make it work for you, not the other way around. I am not zero sugar, I am low sugar, which is better than the mounds of sugar and refined carbs I was eating before. My daughter and I go out for breakfast every single Sunday and I get this taco breakfast dish with fried squared potatoes and I love love love it. I tell me not to bring me the toast or eggs (don't need too much protein) and I look at it as it's better than the French toast with powdered sugar and mounds of syrup (that's not even maple syrup) that I would have ordered so what, they are fried potatoes....

    I guess what I am trying to say in this long-winded response is in the end, you need to live period and what does that mean to you and how can you live but still be healthy and it being something you can stick to. I love doing this keto diet but I also understand I am working it, it's not working me.

    Did your research involve looking at peer reviewed studies, or just youtube videos? Because from what I have read, there is not weight loss or health benefit to keto over other ways of eating in people without medical conditions.

    Also, I'm glad you like it but at 3 weeks in you can hardly speak to your adherence or long-term success.
  • TaraEdVan
    TaraEdVan Posts: 4 Member
    Did your research involve looking at peer reviewed studies, or just youtube videos? Because from what I have read, there is not weight loss or health benefit to keto over other ways of eating in people without medical conditions.

    Also, I'm glad you like it but at 3 weeks in you can hardly speak to your adherence or long-term success.[/quote]

    I can only speak from my own experience, even at week 3. All I am trying to say (without sounding like I am going to Keto chuch because I don't think I sounded like that) is that you need to do what is right for you and you need to research what you want to do whether it be Keto, just plain old CICO or nothing. Either way, you need to do what is right for you. I found what I feel is right for me. I am not asking anyone to join me. Just giving an opinion.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    TaraEdVan wrote: »
    Did your research involve looking at peer reviewed studies, or just youtube videos? Because from what I have read, there is not weight loss or health benefit to keto over other ways of eating in people without medical conditions.

    Also, I'm glad you like it but at 3 weeks in you can hardly speak to your adherence or long-term success.

    I can only speak from my own experience, even at week 3. All I am trying to say (without sounding like I am going to Keto chuch because I don't think I sounded like that) is that you need to do what is right for you and you need to research what you want to do whether it be Keto, just plain old CICO or nothing. Either way, you need to do what is right for you. I found what I feel is right for me. I am not asking anyone to join me. Just giving an opinion.
    [/quote]

    keto is still CICO. you still have to be in a deficit of calories with keto or you wont lose weight. CICO is the formula for any"diet"(aka way of eating)
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    The battle continues to rage but really folks what matters is can you live with the lifestyle indefinately. If you can then do Keto. Personally I have done various low carb diets over the years and was never able to get past about 6 months. That's me. But there are people who love the lifestyle. I have been doing low calorie for 2 years and lost over 100 pounds. This works for me. I can maintain it. If you think you will just do Keto until you get thin then go back to "normal" eating you are less likely to be successful because you won't have learned anything. That's the difference. If you are learning a new way of eating that you plan to maintain then you are much more likely to be successful. If you're looking for some magic way to lose faster you're wasting your time. Losing weight and Keeping it off is about changing what you've been doing permanently.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited January 2018
    TaraEdVan wrote: »
    Did your research involve looking at peer reviewed studies, or just youtube videos? Because from what I have read, there is not weight loss or health benefit to keto over other ways of eating in people without medical conditions.

    Also, I'm glad you like it but at 3 weeks in you can hardly speak to your adherence or long-term success.

    I can only speak from my own experience, even at week 3. All I am trying to say (without sounding like I am going to Keto chuch because I don't think I sounded like that) is that you need to do what is right for you and you need to research what you want to do whether it be Keto, just plain old CICO or nothing. Either way, you need to do what is right for you. I found what I feel is right for me. I am not asking anyone to join me. Just giving an opinion.

    keto is still CICO. you still have to be in a deficit of calories with keto or you wont lose weight. CICO is the formula for any"diet"(aka way of eating)[/quote]

    This why it annoys me when someone choose to do the keto diet by default, many want to do it because they ignore that fact. Keto is like any other diet, it has it's pro's and cons, but in the end, for someone to chose keto as a diet is because they have to love it and understand that it's all about CICO in the end and not feel forced to do keto because they believe it's a fail proof safe to losing weight. Layne Norton made a video mocking people who ignore that fact and were stuffing their face with all fatty foods, it was a funny video, but his message was the foods with fats have calories too and the body takes it into account .
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    fb47 wrote: »
    TaraEdVan wrote: »
    Did your research involve looking at peer reviewed studies, or just youtube videos? Because from what I have read, there is not weight loss or health benefit to keto over other ways of eating in people without medical conditions.

    Also, I'm glad you like it but at 3 weeks in you can hardly speak to your adherence or long-term success.

    I can only speak from my own experience, even at week 3. All I am trying to say (without sounding like I am going to Keto chuch because I don't think I sounded like that) is that you need to do what is right for you and you need to research what you want to do whether it be Keto, just plain old CICO or nothing. Either way, you need to do what is right for you. I found what I feel is right for me. I am not asking anyone to join me. Just giving an opinion.

    keto is still CICO. you still have to be in a deficit of calories with keto or you wont lose weight. CICO is the formula for any"diet"(aka way of eating)

    This why it annoys me when someone choose to do the keto diet by default, many want to do it because they ignore that fact. Keto is like any other diet, it has it's pro's and cons, but in the end, for someone to chose keto as a diet is because they have to love it and understand that it's all about CICO in the end and not feel forced to do keto because they believe it's a fail proof safe to losing weight. Layne Norton made a video mocking people who ignore that fact and were stuffing their face with all fatty foods, it was a funny video, but his message was the foods with fats have calories too and the body takes it into account .[/quote]

    exactly if it works for someone great more power to them. but I hate when they think they can eat as much as they want and burn body fat like they are a coal furnace filled to the brim with coal. it doesnt work that way. I had one woman the other day say that I was wrong saying keto is not a special fat burning diet. she said she ate 1500 and on keto can eat 1800 calories.

    I told her she was still in a deficit which is why she was losing weight. come to find out when I did the math, she was losing almost 5 lbs per week and when she was done she was burning way more calories than she was taking in,dangerously so,she had a VERY big deficit to where she was netting negative numbers in calories. I showed her the math and told her she could do the same thing eating any kind of way, but that it wasnt healthy doing it that way.she never said another word after that.

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited January 2018

    OP do go to the low CarberDaily or keto MFP groups for more information or support. You'll get more information there that you can use to decide if keto is right for you.
    I'm thinking of starting a keto diet in the next week or so. Any others on this thing have and success or tips? What do your shopping lists look like, and do you have a meal plan?

    Many are doing it. We just do not post often on the main forums (to avoid misinformation or hearing again that keto is not magic). I have been doing mostly keto for most of the last three years. It has helped me improve some health issues and made weight loss and control easier for me.

    My shopping lists have mainly veggies, meats, nuts, coconut (oil and shredded), olives, full fat dairy (cheese, whipping cream, sour cream, cream cheese, etc), seafood, and some treats like xylitol choc chips to have with nuts. my family is not keto so for them I buy coconut flour, noodles, rice, potatoes and fruits.

    We all eat similar meals but mine are lower in carbs. If we have pizza, I make a fathead pizza. If we have meat and veggies, I skip the potato. Instead of a sandwich I will eat cheese and pepperoni. My kids put stir fry on rice while I skip the rice. I just skip sugar, refined carbs with flour, and limit my fruit and root vegetables. Otherwise, I eat much like most people with a healthy diet do.

    Good luck.

    And do not forget to increase sodium to about 2 tsp of salt a day to avoid symptoms of electrolyte imbalance (headache, fatigue, brain fog, etc).