Starting Keto.. any tips/critiques for my plan?
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I was drinking 5 diet sodas a day and still lost weight at 30 grams of carbs a day. I personally dont think it is worth the time worrying about them. Drink them if you like and if you do notice no losses then maybe phase them out.0
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Have you checked to see what your BRM is? You probably ought to if you haven't because, unless you're very small, 1100 calories is extremely low. 4lbs per week is also an extremely high goal, many sources say it's not safe to go above 2lbs per week caloric deficit.
I'm no expert, all I know is that in the past when I've gone too aggressive I've set myself up for failure.
Good luck whatever you decide! :-)
wow how long did it take for you to lose all those pounds and what was your plan? I havent checked my BRM yet...
Since June 2011. I started with Medifast, got rid of about 50lbs that way, then did Dukan until recently. Lbs drop really fast with both of those, but, at least for me, they're not wise choices. At the end of the day they have me hand over responsibility for my diet to someone else, and that doesn't let me do the work to change my dietary psychology.
The way I look at it severely restrictive diets are like prison and binges are like escaping and embarking on a crime spree. Even when one is released from prison the chances of criminal recidivism are high, meaning that even when hitting goal weight the likelihood of going back to old ways of eating and gaining it all back is very high with severely restrictive diets.
I prefer a halfway house approach. I get some help from some guidelines I use (keto macro goals, calorie goals, MFP tracking system, articles and blogs for both information and inspiration, and of course my new support system here), but my daily choices are mine. I take the responsibility to decide what foods, but I am given the tools and support to make good decisions. This way not only do I lose weight but I also develop the mindset to keep it off in the long term.
The weight loss is significantly slower so far on keto than on either Medifast or Dukan, but I trust the process and my belief is that over the long run the change will be more profound since I won't gain it all back. I believe that my body is still adjusting to my new diet and instead of letting the scale dictate how I feel about my day's progress I trust the science and my body.
I always remember this: If I lose 4 lbs a week but gain it all back, I've actually lost 0 lbs a week at the end. I'd prefer to lose 1-2 lbs per week and at the end have actually *lost* 1-2 lbs per week instead of 0.
I looked in your diary and I don't see the pie chart, but it looks like your protein may be at a high percentage. I really recommend that you follow the link someone posted:
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
Or else set your macros to the classical keto distribution.
Set things up appropriately for a sustainable dietary lifestyle and just try the absolute basics until you see how they work for you. Probably a maximum of 2 lbs per week loss. Get a healthy mix of fiber rich veggies (especially green leafy) in your diet, and vary things so that you get new foods all the time.
The last thing anyone wants is to lose weight at such a fast rate that they sacrifice everything else.
They sacrifice the learning they need to do. Which means they don't have the mindset in the end to maintain a healthy diet.
They sacrifice the lean muscle mass. Which means they don't have a high enough BRM at the end to have a sustainable calorie goal for maintaining their weight loss without feeling hungry.
They sacrifice their looks by not maintaining muscle. Which means they end up looking skinny fat and may have a higher chance of loose skin.
In the end all those sacrifices are for nothing since they haven't developed the physiology or psychology to keep the weight off, and they end up with it all back and just having served time in diet prison for a while instead of using a diet halfway house to reintegrate into food society.
EDIT: Look for hidden carbs in diet sodas and other sources. A packet of Splenda has just under 1g of carbs. Here's a couple links you might find useful:
http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips009.html
http://www.lowcarbfreedom.com/2005/06/an_update_to_th.html
In the US, food lobbyists have managed to get away with making it legal to call anything under 5 calories 0 calorie, and anything under 1g to be 0g.
Diet soda:
http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/diet-soda?portionid=419118&portionamount=1.000
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-diet-coke-caffeine-free-i14146
Personally, I have a food set up for 1g of carbs and I add it in when I add spices to foods or have other things I know have hidden carbs. I'd rather overestimate a bit rather than not count them.0 -
Great post! I actually tried medifast and i lost some but the meals wrre boring and i couldnt take it anymore. I am still bit new to mfp so it might not look good now...not sure what pie chart you are taling about though... i really love the food flexibility in keto and i dont miss carb that much except maybe ramen and pizza... i know ramen i can use shirataki noodles while pizza i can use lettuce leaves...0
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You can make pizza with a mashed cauliflower crust you bake first then put the toppings and bake again. The recipe is on the internet. Just Google it. It's a pretty good pizza. Is it just like a regular pizza? No, but will satisfy a pizza craving.0
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Great post! I actually tried medifast and i lost some but the meals wrre boring and i couldnt take it anymore. I am still bit new to mfp so it might not look good now...not sure what pie chart you are taling about though... i really love the food flexibility in keto and i dont miss carb that much except maybe ramen and pizza... i know ramen i can use shirataki noodles while pizza i can use lettuce leaves...
Ah, ramen, the bane of my dietary existence!!
I'm currently living in Japan and the foods which make it tough for me sometimes are ramen (especially with koteri broth and fried chicken strips with sesame to dip in the broth), udon (the udon with curry from this place near my apartment is amazing!), the patisseries (Just... Wow!), and a specific pancake place I know! I thought I'd miss pizza, but strangely I don't. Perhaps because it's not easy to find really good pizza here. The places I've gone don't really get the concept. In the same way that western style beds here *look* exactly right, but are usually extremely hard. It's not that wasabi and corn pizza is bad, but it doesn't exactly connect with the craving for pizza from home.
The pie chart. Well, when I look at my goals I see the percentages I set as well as the absolute numbers. I'm not sure how to see that when I look at your food diary. I read that too high of protein can push one out of ketosis, so I don't just keep an eye on my carbs but also my protein.0 -
Yeah i read about protein too being too high is bad too. But i did use 70% fat which is 5% more than the suggested 65% no? I guess i could step it up and eat more fatty foods... i saw the pie chart next to my nutrition and my protein is more or less +/- 5% while the rest inc/dec comes from fat.0
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Yeah i read about protein too being too high is bad too. But i did use 70% fat which is 5% more than the suggested 65% no? I guess i could step it up and eat more fatty foods... i saw the pie chart next to my nutrition and my protein is more or less +/- 5% while the rest inc/dec comes from fat.
Ah, I probably just got it wrong. If you've got your macros set go with it! :-)
Still seems low cal to me, but then you're the one eating them, not me.0 -
I have a question about working out while on ketosis. As before mentioned that fat energy is not as quick as carbs for workout and when i searched on the web the opinions about whether eating carbs before workout is mixed. Is there anything i should be taking (energy drinks?) before or after workout? i usually bring with me a 0 calorie "vitamin drink" throughout workout...0
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Some people suggest if you are trying to burn fat by using cardio to not eat carbs before you do it. But if you do things like weight lifting you are going to have a harder time lifting if you dont have the carbs in you. Having an energy drink may help you work out better without the carbs though.0
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This is the best, most concise advice link I have ever found about carb ups/carb loading and keto:
http://i.imgur.com/H5HY685.jpg
Sourced from:
http://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index
Some additional words from that FAQ:About 80-90% of the people who ask this question do NOT need to deviate from a SKD. CKDs and TKDs are for people who know their limits and find that they cannot regularly achieve and exceed these limits without carbohydrates in their diet – they should typically be reserved for high-intensity exercise. It should NOT be used as an excuse to eat something sweet before a workout. Follow this diagram when in doubt [see first link in this post].
...
If you are not "bonking" or "hitting the wall" consistently (say for example, more than once a week) you most probably don't need carbs. Again, TKD and CKD are advanced approaches for people who are pushing their bodies to the limit, not for people who just want to eat carbs or have a cheat meal once in a while.0 -
Does it help to have dinner a smaller meal compared to other meals or it doesnt matter for keto diet?0
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Dinner size doesnt matter. I would just try to stay within your caloric requirements. On keto you start feeling fuller so a lot of times you will eat less.0
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i have been taking this fiber gummy thing that has 5g dietary fiber which they say is soluble fiber...that counts as 5 carbs right? and i still dont have nay idea i am in ketosis or not.... i am still losing weight though....0
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i have been taking this fiber gummy thing that has 5g dietary fiber which they say is soluble fiber...that counts as 5 carbs right? and i still dont have nay idea i am in ketosis or not.... i am still losing weight though....
Fiber is not counted as carbs. Why are you taking a fiber gummy thing? Have you tried green leafy vegetables? They have lots of fiber along with all sorts of other great things for you.
Some examples of awesome ways to get fiber (and feel a lot fuller than fiber gummy things can make you):
160g celery - 5g fiber
1/2 avocado - 5g fiber
175g komatsuna - 5g fiber
415g bok choy - ~5g fiber
2.5 tbsp Hersheys unsweetened cocoa powder - 5g fiber
180g broccoli - 5g fiber
Lots more too, and all of them will make you feel fuller and healthier than any fiber gummy thing! :-)0 -
While in keto would i still see weight fluctuations as much as 3 lbs? i had a bigger dinner last night of eggs and meat and found myself gaining 3-4lbs! Is this normal even on keto? I certainty didn't eat that many calories..0
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Just depends how much water your body stored. IF you didnt over eat on carbs maybe its just from too much salt, or perhaps your period. Best thing to do is weigh yourself every once in awhile around the same time.0
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It was probably too much salt then. I did have a liter of diet soda as well.. today i did see a pound come off.. i guess i should stop overeating even if it is not carbs...0
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Not sure if accurate or not but i bought some ketostix and it shows my level is between 10-40...basically the color is darker than 10but not as dark as 40... this is bad isnt it0
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I would toss the keto stix in the garbage and not worry about it. If you are eating less then 50 carbs net grams you are probably in ketosis. Its not worth fixating over those things. You cant really tell exactly how much weight you are losing due to being in ketosis. I eat at a defecit just in case my body isnt using much of my fat for energy.0
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It was probably too much salt then. I did have a liter of diet soda as well.. today i did see a pound come off.. i guess i should stop overeating even if it is not carbs...
Watch for hidden carbs in diet soda. Double check the label for ingredients and then google the name of the soda along with the words 'hidden carbs' (so google: diet coke hidden carbs).
Some people are sensitive to artificial sweeteners and some aren't, you might want to try going without for a couple weeks to see how you feel.Not sure if accurate or not but i bought some ketostix and it shows my level is between 10-40...basically the color is darker than 10but not as dark as 40... this is bad isnt it
Nope. If it shows you have ketones in your urine you're almost definitely in ketosis.
You probably don't want to read this unless you're just kind of a science geek like me, but it shows that false positives are quite rare and that Ketostix often show lower amounts of ketones than other methods, but "Highly pigmented urine specimens may yield false positive readings. Levodopa will also cause a false positive result."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK247/
Take away from that to make sure you're drinking enough water to have normal urine when you test (not super concentrated yellow) and I'd presume you know if you're on L-Dopa.
It doesn't necessarily matter, though:
"For the most part, I simply see ketosis as a "side-effect" of fat loss (burning to be more accurate), more than something to be explicitly sought out. That is, when you accelerate fat oxidation with the methods above, you tend to enter ketosis. Ketosis in and of itself isn't any big deal."
-Lyle McDonald
Is your body looking and feeling better? Clothes seem a little looser? Fridge full of stuff which is good for you like leafy green veggies and real, unprocessed foods? Are you doing a good job of keeping an eye on your food intake using MFP?
If yes, be happy and don't worry about it. You're doing fine. :-)0
