Keto diet

Sandeeng84

Thinking of trying keto diet short term 2/3 months only. Do’s? Don’t’s? Pros? Cons? Rules? What Not to eat? What to eat? Include calorie counting? Heard its low carb high fat but can’t eat much fruit due to the amount of sugar that can turn to carbs. All advice greatly appreciated please. Thanks in advance

L1zardQueen

Do eet!

Teabythesea_

What are you looking to get out of it by doing it for 2-3 months?

kimny72

It's not really the type of thing you do for a couple of months. It can take a couple of weeks at least for your system to get used to it, and when you stop and increase your carbs you'll gain back a fair amount of water weight.

The rule is to stay under 50g of carbs (some say less than that). It's recommended to eat high sodium to avoid electrolyte imbalance.

What are your goals?

MichelleSilverleaf

My opinion? Don't. If it's not something you're feeling you can stick to long-term you're not going to get much out of it.

dillianavramov

Started keto myself.
Do's:
1. Eat plenty of healthy fats (like 80%) - MCT Oil, Coconut Oil, Ghee or Butter, Avocados, nitrate-free bacon, eggs, Macadamia nuts, Beef Bone broth, Kalamata Olives, Sardines, Herrings, Salmon (in moderation due to high mercury unless wild-caught). Look for foods whose fat contents surpasses the combined protein and net carbs.
2. Use plenty of Himalayan pink salt;
3. Use a complete multivitamin;
4. Eat one Brazil nut a day (source of Selenium);
5. Start your day with a glass of water with 1tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tbps lemon juice.
6. Drink coffee (black or bulletproof, with Stevia if you have to), imperial or ceremonial grade matcha tea or green tea (can drink decaf in the afternoon).
7. Count calories and macros - it helps you avoid overeating, since fatty foods are very calorie dense. And it also allows you to adjust if you go over on protein.
8. Keep protein moderate - about 15% of your calories. You want your body to burn fat, not convert protein to glucose.
9. Drink plenty of water - a gallon would be great.
10. Once you get fat adapted (about 3 weeks if you never did keto before) you can mix in Intermittent fasting (16:8).
11. Keep your carbs to 5% or 20 grams net carbs. Focus on leafy greens like chards, kale, spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli. Fruits are not your friend, especially while you are getting fat adapted (making the transition from carbs to fats).
12. You can use 100% unsweetened baking chocolate or Cacao powder if making fat bombs to deal with cravings. It has some carbs, so make room for it.

Don't's:
1. No sugar, sweets, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, candy, cereal, oats - too many carbs and raise Insulin.
2. No protein powder (huge spike in Insulin) or protein bars (too many carbs+protein). There are keto friendly bars like Suzie's Good Fats bar, but still use in moderation (3 net carbs each)
3. Don't eat Macadamia nuts from the bag, always measure. Very calorie dense and very tasty. Remarkably easy to overeat.
4. No fruits (some berries in moderation, like a quarter cup). Avoid apples, oranges, pineapple, bananas, grapes.

worm1957

Very concise, thank you for the info.

jdog022

dillianavramov wrote: »

Don't's:
1. No sugar, sweets, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, candy, cereal, oats - too many carbs and raise Insulin.

And there it is. Keto’s misleading fear of insulin. Fung will have you believe that carbs get stored as fat no matter what because “insulin”

I can eat all this stuff and get extremely lean so unless you have a medical reason to avoid carbs then I just want to make sure it’s clear that this diet is completely unnecessary for fat loss. Calories balance is king, in any diet. Give it a whirl but you can eat carbs and meet goals too. Pick what’s sustainable forever

katrina6823

I have just completed my first 3 weeks of keto. It takes a little to get a good balance of everything and get your body to get used too it but I am 7kgs/15.4lbs down already!! I was skeptical too but just give it a go

Sandeeng84

My goal is to lose 25-30 lbs. Right now I’m just doing cardio 30 mins a day 4xweek and counting calories to be under 1200

Sandeeng84

For those who mention long term vs short term. The reason I’m not sticking to it long term is because it’s not safe.

jasonpoihegatama

as you may hear 1200 may be to low if you are active. And keto is low carb high protein. The Atkins diet is high in fat.

Sandeeng84

I’m slightly active.

KetoLula

Like all WOE, you're not going to be able to maintain the weight loss if it's something you're not going to stick to long term. Hubby and I did Keto last year for 4 months, slid off with our anniversary, birthdays, holidays and gained back pretty much everything. We're back to keto because when we drop weight loss as a benefit, we felt pretty amazing on it (I had balanced energy levels, more energy overall, less pain, better Tom's).

jasonpoihegatama wrote: »

as you may hear 1200 may be to low if you are active. And keto is low carb high protein. The Atkins diet is high in fat.

Keto is low carb, moderate protein, high fat. Carbs are a hard limit, protein is a goal, fat for satiety.

Sloth2016

DP.

Sloth2016

Hi and welcome! Good on you for taking the initiative.

Remember that no diet is going to yield linear weight loss; you will experience fits and starts, plateaus and "whooshes" and even then only if you consistently maintain a calorie deficit.

Here are some keto recommendations:

1. Set up your height, weight and goals into the MFP app. and log your food daily to track your intake; If you've never tracked your intake, a food scale is your best friend/necessity.
2. You can also use the app to plan your day.
3. Target 50g or less of net carbohydrates (Net = Total - Fiber).
4. Get enough protein, at least 0.8g per lb. of your lean body weight.
5. Fill in the remainder of your calorie goal with protein and fat as you like.
6. Get enough sodium (~3000mg to 5000mg daily).
7. Track your calories using the MFP app.; make sure that if your appetite drops drastically that you are still eating enough calories (1200 cal/day for females, 1500 cal/day for males) and OTOH that you are not overeating either.
8. Remember that nutrition still matters, try to get the predominate portion of your intake from delicious whole foods/home cooked meals/quality restaurant meals.
9. Remember treats help; this shouldn't be drudgery, if it is your doin' it wrong.
10. The amount of carbohydrates can be increased if you exercise or are especially active without adversely affecting you; remember this when you want to have rice or pasta with your meal.
11. Consider joining a group and meeting new friends: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum and/or https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1143-keto
12. Avoid silly supplements (exogenous ketones, etc.); they are not necessary and mostly just reduce the weight of your wallet.
13. Remember that with keto, as with other diets, weight loss isn't linear; you will experience rapid loss at the beginning, more gradual loss thereafter, and likely plateaus and "whooshes".
14. Check out different keto protocols (SKD, standard keto diet, CKD, cyclical keto diet, etc.)
15. Read up on the science behind keto diets and how they work in Lyle McDonald, "The Ketogenic Diet".

Best wishes for success!
-S

snickerscharlie

Sandeeng84 wrote: »

For those who mention long term vs short term. The reason I’m not sticking to it long term is because it’s not safe.

Then why do it at all?

psuLemon

dillianavramov wrote: »

Started keto myself.
Do's:
1. Eat plenty of healthy fats (like 80%) - MCT Oil, Coconut Oil, Ghee or Butter, Avocados, nitrate-free bacon, eggs, Macadamia nuts, Beef Bone broth, Kalamata Olives, Sardines, Herrings, Salmon (in moderation due to high mercury unless wild-caught). Look for foods whose fat contents surpasses the combined protein and net carbs.
2. Use plenty of Himalayan pink salt;
3. Use a complete multivitamin;
4. Eat one Brazil nut a day (source of Selenium);
5. Start your day with a glass of water with 1tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tbps lemon juice.
6. Drink coffee (black or bulletproof, with Stevia if you have to), imperial or ceremonial grade matcha tea or green tea (can drink decaf in the afternoon).
7. Count calories and macros - it helps you avoid overeating, since fatty foods are very calorie dense. And it also allows you to adjust if you go over on protein.
8. Keep protein moderate - about 15% of your calories. You want your body to burn fat, not convert protein to glucose.
9. Drink plenty of water - a gallon would be great.
10. Once you get fat adapted (about 3 weeks if you never did keto before) you can mix in Intermittent fasting (16:8).
11. Keep your carbs to 5% or 20 grams net carbs. Focus on leafy greens like chards, kale, spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli. Fruits are not your friend, especially while you are getting fat adapted (making the transition from carbs to fats).
12. You can use 100% unsweetened baking chocolate or Cacao powder if making fat bombs to deal with cravings. It has some carbs, so make room for it.

Don't's:
1. No sugar, sweets, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, candy, cereal, oats - too many carbs and raise Insulin.
2. No protein powder (huge spike in Insulin) or protein bars (too many carbs+protein). There are keto friendly bars like Suzie's Good Fats bar, but still use in moderation (3 net carbs each)
3. Don't eat Macadamia nuts from the bag, always measure. Very calorie dense and very tasty. Remarkably easy to overeat.
4. No fruits (some berries in moderation, like a quarter cup). Avoid apples, oranges, pineapple, bananas, grapes.

I wouldn't recommend such a low level of protein. Even the studies from Vokey are between 20-30%. And being at the higher end during weight loss is important to preserving muscle mass and metabolism.

And nothing wrong with whey or protein powders during keto.

Teabythesea_

Sandeeng84 wrote: »

My goal is to lose 25-30 lbs. Right now I’m just doing cardio 30 mins a day 4xweek and counting calories to be under 1200

Under 1200 calories? You should be eating at least 1200 and some of your exercise calories. With into 25-30 lbs to lose you can expect it to be slow. Eating so little or jumping on a fad diet for a couple months to lose quickly is not the proper way to go about it.

psuLemon

Teabythesea_ wrote: »

Sandeeng84 wrote: »

My goal is to lose 25-30 lbs. Right now I’m just doing cardio 30 mins a day 4xweek and counting calories to be under 1200

Under 1200 calories? You should be eating at least 1200 and some of your exercise calories. With into 25-30 lbs to lose you can expect it to be slow. Eating so little or jumping on a fad diet for a couple months to lose quickly is not the proper way to go about it.

And its a great way to lose muscle and have large rebounds.

kshama2001

Sandeeng84 wrote: »

Thinking of trying keto diet short term 2/3 months only. Do’s? Don’t’s? Pros? Cons? Rules? What Not to eat? What to eat? Include calorie counting? Heard its low carb high fat but can’t eat much fruit due to the amount of sugar that can turn to carbs. All advice greatly appreciated please. Thanks in advance

If you want to do keto, do keto. You do indeed need to limit fruit to not exceed your carb goal.

But in general there is no reason to be afraid of fruit. Plus I think you meant "sugar that can turn into fat" - and it's not sugar per se that turns into fat, it's excess calories from any macro.

When I was in Costa Rico I dropped a size without even trying while eating tropical fruit all day long plus rice and beans twice a day, so likely exceeded 60% carbs. I lost weight because I was eating less overall calories than I normally do, mostly fat calories.

If keto helps you stay in a calorie deficit, go for it. But keto "works" the same way every other diet does, nothing magical about it, despite what you might be seeing on social media or youtube.