Born for Keto
Options
Emmapatterson1729
Posts: 1,296 Member
New to community, group, and fairly new to keto.
I read a lot of posts and talk to a lot of people who tried keto and couldn't do it, because they say it's too restrictive.
For me, I only ever added rice, potatoes, beans, and pasta to meals as fillers (ironically thinking we wouldn't get full off of just meats and veggies cooked in fat). Yes, I laugh at this thought now!!
Because after a couple of days, my family was stuffed off a few bites of veggies and meats, and not hungry again for hours.
Didn't know what IF was the first couple of weeks and didn't realize we were already doing it.
We started IF naturally after a couple of days, just because we don't wake up hungry. Not hungry for hours.
A little bit of a struggle with mindset, because as many others have stated, I was taught through childhood fats will make you fat. Grew up in a house with a mom who yo-yo dieted (which meant the family yo-yo dieted), and she kept fat-free everything!
I was wondering if anyone else felt like keto just comes natural to them, like born to eat this way? And don't find it very restrictive?
I read a lot of posts and talk to a lot of people who tried keto and couldn't do it, because they say it's too restrictive.
For me, I only ever added rice, potatoes, beans, and pasta to meals as fillers (ironically thinking we wouldn't get full off of just meats and veggies cooked in fat). Yes, I laugh at this thought now!!
Because after a couple of days, my family was stuffed off a few bites of veggies and meats, and not hungry again for hours.
Didn't know what IF was the first couple of weeks and didn't realize we were already doing it.
We started IF naturally after a couple of days, just because we don't wake up hungry. Not hungry for hours.
A little bit of a struggle with mindset, because as many others have stated, I was taught through childhood fats will make you fat. Grew up in a house with a mom who yo-yo dieted (which meant the family yo-yo dieted), and she kept fat-free everything!
I was wondering if anyone else felt like keto just comes natural to them, like born to eat this way? And don't find it very restrictive?
3
Replies
-
I have found it easy to accept also. I was a sugar addict. Serious candy problem. My motivation was to be a good example for my daughter who is Type 1 diabetic so pure determination got me past the initial sugar cravings. Then I used keto sweets and was still drinking diet soda at the time to keep me going until eventually, I decided they were just a crutch keeping me addicted to sweet.
I don’t miss any of that stuff now. It’s never an issue to stay on track anymore.
I’m over 4 years in and 3 years carnivore now. I will have a very rare single bite of a vegetable or a strawberry or something but that’s as bad as I ever “fall off” these days. Things that are perfectly acceptable for keto and low carb. They do mess up my gut if I have too much so that’s why I am carnivore.5 -
I find it a very natural way for me to eat. It is satisfying, and I have not had a problem sticking with it. I have been keto since late 2016, so that is not the track record of @Sunny_Bunny_ , but I am working on it.3
-
@Sunny_Bunny_
Four years, that is awesome! We actually started keto due to medical issues. My daughter has crohns, and I have a rare disease that comes with bloat and pain.
After week of unleavened bread (religious observation), I realized I had no pain or bloat the entire week. And my daughter's symptoms had also decreased. So, started researching into low carb lifestyles.
I haven't craved sweets or starches yet! Never hungry, and energy boost out of this world!!!
Love it!5 -
@2t9ntu
2016 is still impressive!
The staying satisfied is a huge deal for me. I never in a million years would've thought giving up sugars and starches would be this filling!4 -
Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »We actually started keto due to medical issues.
I started for medical reasons as well, to help with autoimmune related inflammation and migraine control.
2 -
Anyone in here on Insta? Trying to use it as a way to held myself accountable. F4F.
I started keto 5/4/18 to get fit for my wedding. At the same time I was in the process of getting a million tests to figure out why I was getting dizzy spells that caused me to loose my vision. The doctor put ke through thousands of dollars of tests and never evaluated my diet. After starting keto I found all the info on keto for seizures. Reading on this topic I found that my symptoms were very similar to those of a seizure. I brought that info to my doctor who told me I could be right and tried to load me up on 3 different prescriptions. I decided to skip the meds and see what happened. Well here I am over a year later and I haven't had a single spell since my first week of keto. I also looked great and was down 60lbs for my wedding. After the wedding I found it hard to stick to my goals. So now I have been off the wagon for 2 months now (keto m-f, carb and sugar load on the weekends) and gained back 20lbs. Soooo here I am looking to restart my journey and find some accountability buddies. Add me on here or on insta. Brobro9793.6 -
shelbydodgeguy wrote: »Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »We actually started keto due to medical issues.
I started for medical reasons as well, to help with autoimmune related inflammation and migraine control.
Has it helped so far? If so, how long before you started seeing major improvements.
I have a lymphatic/brain disease that causes gastric and lymphatic inflammation and attacks the brain causing head pains.
This is a huge flip for my daughter's crohns. Going from an all starch and sugar diet to veggie carbs, meats, and fats. But nothing's worked and willing to try anything, so hoping keto will turn things around for her.2 -
Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »Has it helped so far? If so, how long before you started seeing major improvements.
It definitely helps with my joint inflammation, migraines, and skin rash. I'd say on average it's 70 - 90 percent better depending on the day/week. The one thing that it hasn't helped is my pain levels and I'm in some pretty awful pain most of the time. Some is lifelong, some from injuries, and some is autoimmune related and combined it's a nightmare to deal with.
I saw improvements within the first month. Just on migraine meds I went from near daily migraines to migraines every few days and now I really only get them when exposed to something that triggers them and even then it's not usually as terrible as before.
Though my finger joints still hurt like hell my fingers aren't swollen up like they used to be. My skin rash, particularly on my face, isn't very noticeable most days unless I spend much time outside in the heat and then it'll flare back up. I do still have to cover up when I'm outside but I'm terribly sun sensitive, that'll never go away. I've also noticed a cognitive improvement - my short term memory is better than it was.
June 28th marks a year since I started and not only have I seen those improvements but I'm also a hundred pounds lighter than I was before.
I have varied my carb levels a few times and experimented with foods a bit to see what does and doesn't trigger symptoms. I can get up around 100 net carbs before things come back and I for sure have to avoid potatoes, breads, pastas, sugars, corn, starchy beans, grains of any sort, and I'm sure I'm leaving some things out. However, rice does not seem to affect me whatsoever. Also, low sugar fruits don't seem to have any effect either but I don't make it a habit. Nuts in moderation are fine. No issues with sugar substitutes either, I put a small amount of Splenda in my coffee on the regular.2 -
@shelbydodgeguy
Thanks, I've already seen significant decrease in bloat and stomach pains. Hoping daughter starts improving.
I am a little more limited, almost all sweetener substitutes give me headaches and cause bloat. Can't eat any nuts or small berry seeds they cause extreme pain. And I eat somewhat kosher, lol, no pork or shellfish, which seems to be a main staple of most ketoers' diet.
Thanks for replying!!1 -
It has definitely become a lifestyle for me. Started Jan 2017 and I have days (sometimes more like weeks) where I fall off and allow carbs to creep back into my life but the minute those pounds start packing back on, I am able to get back to the basics. And I NEVER eat the way I used to even when I have moments of weakness. Its like a mindset where I know what is good and bad for me now and I am super conscious of it. I think its hard(er) for me now because I am in a maintenance weight phase and since I don't see the scale move anymore, I get more relaxed with my eating sometimes. But I just started with some new fitness goals so I am back to strict Keto and tracking everything!!1
-
@ketofitnessmiranda for maintenance, do you keep to the same ratios and just up your caloric intake? Or did you up your carbs slightly?0
-
@Emmapatterson1729 I stopped tracking calories and carbs and just ate low carb but I did it more intuitively trying to listen to my body and hunger/full cues. After tracking for so long, I have learned portion control and can very well estimate calorie/carb content. Although this makes it easy to overeat and put on the weight slowly. I find that for me to really lose or maintain a low body fat, I have to track my food.2
-
@ketofitnessmiranda
I know the feeling and can relate.
I've been off and on MFP for years. When I go a few years without tracking my food intake, I maintain for a couple of years, slowly gain for a couple of years.
Even before eating keto, I've always eaten whole foods, never eat out, haven't had fast food in over 10 years.
But not tracking food intake, even eating whole healthy foods, here I am again, overweight!
1 -
i don't have the health benefits that others have mentioned, but other than the sugar cravings, i can't believe how easy this way is to eat. i still struggle with sugar cravings, but giving up all the other things was not hard for me. i felt when i started last year, and still now almost a year in, that i must be doing something wrong because i don't feel hungry all the time, i get to eat what i want, and i am not falling asleep at work or on the way home.
glad i am not the only one that has had that same initial response1 -
@zanyterp
The energy from eating this way, how it fights fatigue, is I think one of the biggest health benefits!
And yes, the never being hungry is what I consider a very nice side effect!
Only been at it for a month, and literally everyday, looking in the mirror and saying, "This diet is insane!" Crazy and insane in a very good way!
Can't wait to see my results after a year of doing this!1
