New to the board and the keto lifestyle

LifeOfBacon

As with many people, I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, and except for some short term losses, have gained continually over the years. So I've been circling this low carb thing for about two months now and have managed to lose 20 pounds. I'm trying now to get into ketosis and really start some weight loss. I've got the blood meter and some ketostix.

Any advice or pitfalls from some of you that have been doing this for a few months and have had success?

Thanks.

fruttibiscotti

What helped me is logging food on MFP on a daily basis. And log as accurately as possible. It's been an eye opener for me to discover and learn the macronutrient levels in various foods, and helped me make better choices. For example, cashews pretty high in carbs relative to Brazil nuts and macadamia. These bits if information can make the difference when trying to get into or stay in ketosis.

I got a blood meter and Ketostix too. I used to use both frequently during first month or so, and now I don't, because I can "feel" that I'm in keto. Give it a go, and you will see what I mean. I remember it used to freak me out poking my finger for blood, but you will get used to it.

There is a good blog by Jimmy Moore, where he tested himself daily with blood tester for a very long time, learning lessons along the way on the best ways to embark into keto for the first time and trying to stay in the keto zone. He called it the "n = 1" experiment. All his data and insights are in the blog. If you are doing keto for the first time, I recommend you read through his n=1 blog.

Another piece of advice is to get over your fear of eating lots of fat. Not sure if this happened to you, but I was very hard wired to think how evil fats were. You need to be ok with eating lots of fat, and never eat a meal or snack without fat included. For example, don't eat a plate of steamed vegetables all by itself. Add olive oil, or melted butter to it. Same goes for protein too. And watch your protein levels, you will need 1.5 grams daily per kg of lean body mass. Anything more than that your body will convert excess protein into sugar, so it's like defeating the purpose of eating low carbs. I target less than 25grams carb per day, with approx 10% carb, 20% protein and 70% fat in my diet.

Good luck sweetheart.