Keto Diet - Yay or nay?

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  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    tried it for almost 2 months before I knew I had familial hypercholesterolemia(my body cant process fats and cholesterol sufficiently). so it made me really really ill and Im not talking keto flu either. needless to say it was most likely all that high fat that was causing me so many issues. I was beyond lethargic,had bad breath and even worse smelling sweat,I couldnt think straight, was even more forgetful than I am now. once I stopped I started feeling better and was not as lethargic and things went back to being normal. so for me its a NO because of the high fat aspect.
  • Falklang
    Falklang Posts: 220 Member
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    Nay from me. I tried for around 2 weeks but I found it unpractical and boring. I love my bananas, oranges, apples, rice, potatoes etc...I would rather change my lifestyle than drop LOTS of weight and look skinny fat by the end of the 'diet'.

    Also just the simplicity of counting calories is awesome and i get to eat pizza, kebabs and cheeseburgers every now and again ^^
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    edited February 2018
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    The question to ask is can you follow it, are you ok with restricting a lot of healthy foods, and does it support your goals?

    Our success is not going to be indicactive of yours. Personally, any time i restrict carbs and increase fats, i am starving. But as i increase carbs, i am satiated. Fruits are a huge part of my weight loss and health. I have lost and kept off 50 lbs for 6 years by eating a ton of carba and protein. When i cut weight, i cut fat, because fats are expensive and dont fill me up. And i can easily binge on cheese.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    kimcalica wrote: »
    Has anyone here actually done Keto? I’ve been doing it about a week and I’m shocked at how amazing I feel and how my food control has changed. I do t see how t as a sustainable diet for life, but I definitely see it as a great way to Get a good education on how food works for us and get a whole new mind frame about portions and it could possibly change the binge mentality. I’m very excited with the changes I’m seeing and plan to keep practicing this for awhile!

    I feel great when fully in ketosis. Hunger is minimal and I don't get that afternoon "carb crash".

    But I do love carbs and don't think a fully ketogenic diet is compatible with real life.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
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    if you love fats, yay. If you love carbs, nay. It doesn't really matter either way, all diets work via calorie deficits, and keto is certainly one perfectly valid way to get one.

    I prefer a more typical macro breakdown of 50-20-30ish.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Chigreydog wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Chigreydog wrote: »
    I've been doing it since July 1st and have lost 42 pounds. My blood chemistry and lab values have all come back with flying colors, and I feel much better than I have in years. There is a fair amount of misinformation in this thread re. what restrictions exist, (for example, I eat a ton of vegetables, but they are all green and grow above ground) but that's to be expected with any non-mainstream way of eating. I basically just follow the protocols of Dr. Westman of Duke University Health and Dr. Eenfeldt of dietdoctor.com. I do miss beer and bread, but that's the only "sacrifice" I've really made.

    There isnt misinformation in this thread. The fact that almost all fruits, breads, legumes, many high GI veggies, starches, oats and more are restricted demonstrates that its restrictive.

    Heck, you even point out that you miss carbs... So just saying.

    Actually, there is. I specifically pointed out that I miss beer and bread, not carbs in general, and of course, I didn't say that no restrictions existed, so let's dispel that strawman. Let me change 'fair amount' to 'some' then. Some posts mentioned vegetable restriction to the degree that would lead one to believe that vegetables weren't allowed, and that isn't accurate.

    Well there are a lot of vegetables that are restricted. And depending on if you are going to total carbs or net carbs, and whether or not you are at 20g vs 50g, it could be pretty substantial. And vegetable restriction is different than eliminating veggies. If you took it that way, i suspect it is your interpretation of restriction vs elimination.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Chigreydog wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Chigreydog wrote: »
    I've been doing it since July 1st and have lost 42 pounds. My blood chemistry and lab values have all come back with flying colors, and I feel much better than I have in years. There is a fair amount of misinformation in this thread re. what restrictions exist, (for example, I eat a ton of vegetables, but they are all green and grow above ground) but that's to be expected with any non-mainstream way of eating. I basically just follow the protocols of Dr. Westman of Duke University Health and Dr. Eenfeldt of dietdoctor.com. I do miss beer and bread, but that's the only "sacrifice" I've really made.

    There isnt misinformation in this thread. The fact that almost all fruits, breads, legumes, many high GI veggies, starches, oats and more are restricted demonstrates that its restrictive.

    Heck, you even point out that you miss carbs... So just saying.

    Actually, there is. I specifically pointed out that I miss beer and bread, not carbs in general, and of course, I didn't say that no restrictions existed, so let's dispel that strawman. Let me change 'fair amount' to 'some' then. Some posts mentioned vegetable restriction to the degree that would lead one to believe that vegetables weren't allowed, and that isn't accurate.

    Lol...all but eliminating and entire macro-nutrient is the very definition of restriction...

    And how does vegetable restriction = elimination? Depending on how many grams of carbs you're keeping under for keto, it can be very restrictive in regards to what vegetables you can eat...and there are a whole boat load of healthy foods that you can't eat or can only eat very sparingly on keto.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 6,958 Member
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    kimcalica wrote: »
    Has anyone here actually done Keto? I’ve been doing it about a week and I’m shocked at how amazing I feel and how my food control has changed. I do t see how t as a sustainable diet for life, but I definitely see it as a great way to Get a good education on how food works for us and get a whole new mind frame about portions and it could possibly change the binge mentality. I’m very excited with the changes I’m seeing and plan to keep practicing this for awhile!

    Did it for 1.5 years. Lost 102lb. It restricted the foods I used to binge on so I could work on the why and strategies to fix my relationship with food.

    I'm no longer keto for various reasons, including that I developed an autoimmune disease that really does not mesh with ketosis at all. I had intended to stay keto. Life happens while we are busy making plans.

    I'm still low-carb but not keto. Though I don't doubt I'm in ketosis off and on on days my carbs are lower due to burning off glycogen from exercise. I do have weekly refeeds on Saturday evening though. Because, I like to drink bourbon while eating chocolate and popcorn. :blush: And like I said, I can't hang out in ketosis or my body starts to be a real *kitten*.

  • balvis3919
    balvis3919 Posts: 60 Member
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    Also u can make keto bagels, pizza, pasta, "rice", tacos. And a lot of things do have low carb versions like bryers no sugar added cream.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    balvis3919 wrote: »
    Ive been keto 2+ years and i love it. Its not hard, just takes time to adjust. Yea u will make mistakes. Yea there is something called the keto flu that WILL make u feel like crap for a week... And weird things will happen with ur hormones and bodily functions .. but after that.... ull feel great. Ur body has a transition period where it basically resets. And it's easy. Anyone who says it's hard was probably trying complicated recipes or something. Its not boring. After a while u don't even think about food much or what u can't have because ur so used to it. U can friend me and ask all the questions u like. At this point I've heard a lot of weird questions... it's ok. Lol I've been through or heard just about everything at this point.

    for you its easy and for you you felt great after the keto flu. its not that way for everyone,nor will it be. and your body doesnt reset changing from one way of eating to another. your body will change fuel types it will stop using carbs and glycogen and use dietary fat to produce ketones to run on
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Well- My real advice would be "stop trying to be entertained by your food"

    yes- food can be delicious and fun- but so what if you're food is boring. eat it anyway- and then go out and enjoy a banging steak somewhere.
  • Suzanuh
    Suzanuh Posts: 36 Member
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    I have done keto in the past, but could not stay on it for more than a couple months at a time. It does something wacky to my hormones and my hair will start to fall out. I've done all the research. Some said to up the protein while others said to up the fat, but just couldn't sustain it without going bald. I enjoyed that I didn't really feel hungry ever and I lost some weight, but I think it might have been the fact that I didn't feel like eating anymore because there wasn't enough variety. And then I started to develop a really unhealthy view of carbs. Almost a strange fear.

    That being said, I think the diet has some major benefits to it, being that it has helped so many people get their diabetes under control, which is super important! But I have decided that it's time to change how I look at food, even the dreaded carb. I do eat low carb I guess, but decidedly not keto. I just eat a lot of fruits and vegetables for carbs instead of bread/pasta along with calorie counting and I can feel a huge difference in my body already, just because I'm giving it vital nutrients that are found in all kinds of produce, not just leafy greens.

    I think you have to do something that is sustainable for life if you want to lose weight for good. For me, it's focusing on healthy fruits, veggies, meats, fats that I love and every once in awhile having a cupcake on my birthday or something, because hey, cupcakes are good!
  • williamsjmPDX
    williamsjmPDX Posts: 5 Member
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    "You forgot about beer..."

    Came to say this!

    I'm No Sugar No Grain (NSNG) kinda-sorta. I went nuts on the kid's Valentine's Day brownies and had what, 5 or 6 beers last Sunday? But I'm a work in progress. It took me 50 years to get to where I am; it's gonna take me a few more to get to where I want to be. I'll share my diary with anyone.

    I am hard-wired to eat carbs. I get a rush when we eat them. My body is a champion at using them for fuel or storing them for later. Get! In! My! Belly! The kids mocked me when they busted me with brownie crumbs all over my face: "What happened to No Sugars No Grains daaaaad?"

    Aside from the occasional brownie and beer, I eat as few carbs as possible and still usually "eat too many." No bread on my sandwich. No rice with my curry. No potato with my steak. Never sugar pop or fruit juice. NSNG is just an easy way to cut a whole chunk of crap out of my diet - and I don't really miss it (cough cough brownies and pizza cough).

    I think I'd be a cheating pig on any "diet" - it's a character flaw.

    I love my micro brews and wine too much to ever be keyto, but when I close my eyes and picture myself I am Keyto Joe!

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