Keto Questions

klkateri

My SO loves Reddit.com and has become enamored with the idea of Keto. I think it's just Atkins in a new package but he also really liked Atkins but only half-a$$ed it so he never really lost the weight. Needless to say, I've done some reading and some research but now I'd like to turn to you all here for some help.

1. This doesn't seem to me like a "Life Change". It seems to me like something you do to lose weight but then what? Can this really be kept up in the long term?

2. I do like that in Keto they advocate (At least from the readings I've done) that not all fat is equal and that you just can't eat a pound of bacon but I'm still concerned that high fat leads to high weight, cholesterol, heart disease, etc.

3. Is this safe for woman... especially those who may want to conceive in the next year or so?

4. Any success stories out there and would you please share any issues you may have had that you didn't think of/prepare for/even know of before starting this diet?

Thanks all!!

rinjin86

I've been on keto for a 1.5 months now, and have also been on reddit a lot for info/advice/support. To answer your questions:

1. It depends on what you define as a "Life Change". A lot of people on keto who have been on it long term (and I'm talking 10-15 years) see it as a way of life, and it could be a challenge at first, in my opinion, as you need to change how you view food and how you interact with it. Label checking is a habit for me now, for example. From what I have read, a lot of people see the benefits of a keto diet as more than just weight loss - there are whole communities dedicated to body building on keto, people who are on it to control their blood sugar and cholesterol, etc. So can it be a lifestyle? Sure, if you want it to be.

2. You still need to be careful about the fats you eat, but saturated fat is not the enemy everyone thinks it is. Transfat, however, is. Along that line, Bacon is not an enemy, too.

3. There has been threads on reddit asking about this, and while I'm not in a position to provide expert advice, there have been women who are on keto and pregnant, and also breastfeeding mothers in keto. I am not sure if there is enough data on keto to say if it is 100% okay for women looking to conceive/pregnant mothers to be on it, but I don't see how it would be bad.

4. I've lost 8lbs (3kg) on keto so far, the first time I've actually lost weight on a diet. I'm still doing yoga, same as before, although before I started keto, my weight change had always been +/-1kg. I'm also not hungry all the time like I was before, and my mind is clearer. In the past, I've always had problems staying alert and concentrating after lunch, but not anymore. I live in an environment where everyone around has a carb-laden lunch (rice, noodles..), and they'd all get hungry again in 2 hours, but I have found that I stay full till dinner time.

As for issues - the first 3-4 days were hard, with the cravings and temptations all around me, but I was okay after that. Some people talk about the "keto flu" where your body tries to adjust to the change of the fuel you're giving it, but I've not experienced that. There are also some who complain about smelly urine/BO.

Hope that helps! I'm sure there are others who will be able to share their experience with you

aeb09

Hey Op!

1. This doesn't seem to me like a "Life Change". It seems to me like something you do to lose weight but then what? Can this really be kept up in the long term? **Yes it can be sustained longterm. It is a lifestyle change for pretty much everyone serious about keto, including myself. I have researched people that have done it for 10-15 years with no plans to stop.

2. I do like that in Keto they advocate (At least from the readings I've done) that not all fat is equal and that you just can't eat a pound of bacon but I'm still concerned that high fat leads to high weight, cholesterol, heart disease, etc. **This is because there is a huge myth that dietary fat = fat body. The government supports a low fat diet and has for years, but for many that is not the best option to losing weight and getting healthy. The NYT just posted this article including a lot of info about saturated fat: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html?ref=health&_r=0 Also my personal favorites "It's Not the Fat": http://authoritynutrition.com/it-aint-the-fat-people/ and "Top 10 Benefits to Low Carb": http://authoritynutrition.com/10-benefits-of-low-carb-ketogenic-diets/

3. Is this safe for woman... especially those who may want to conceive in the next year or so? **100% yes. This can really help balance hormones in women.

4. Any success stories out there and would you please share any issues you may have had that you didn't think of/prepare for/even know of before starting this diet? **I've been living a ketogenic lifestyle for 6 months and I've lost 60 pounds. I know someone else who has been doing it a bit over a year and is down 100. There are countless success stories all over MFP and the internet. You need to make sure you drink plenty of water every day. If you detox from glucose (aka carbs and sugar) very quickly (like, 200g of carbs a day down to 20g) you'll probably go through "keto flu" for a few days - low energy, headache, perhaps nausea. It does not last long and once you push through it, you'll feel your energy levels increase tenfold, you'll sleep better and you will begin to be on your way to being fat-adapted.

Seriously if you have any questions you can message me. I have a lot of resources bookmarked. The FAQs on Reddit is also really helpful: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq There is also a sub-Reddit for women on keto, too: http://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo

bradsbaby1996

September 29th will be my one year anniversary of a keto/low carb lifestyle!! It is how I will live forever and no I don't feel deprived! I have lost 110 pounds which I pretty much hit around my 10th month..
Eating this way and losing the weight has helped turn around all my health problems from diabetes to fibromyalgia and severe sleep apnea as well as major depression that I had battled all my adult life..
I don't eat tons of fat, but I don't fear it either. .
I have recently started running and strength training and don't have any problem doing a full workout without carbs!

MelRC117

1. Like PPs said, this absolutely can be long term as there have been people doing it for years. I do want to point out, that Atkins is a bit different in the sense there are levels and you can eat whole grains and fruits on life time maintenance phase. I've done low carb/keto on and off for 4 years. I lost a bunch of weight, maintained and then got pregnant with my son. Since then its been a struggle to find the motivation and trying out different ratios including just eating low cal in general.

2. High fat doesn't lead to weight gain, high CALORIES lead to weight gain. Low carb is different to grasp that you NEED fat in a low carb diet. It's your fuel source. Dietary fat is not the same as body fat.

3. I did not eat low carb when pregnant....I ate high fat, high carb, high whatever the heck I wanted. No moderation, I was eating for 2 after all, right? Seriously, don't use that as an excuse while pregnant. My husband and I would like to try for another child next summer, so yes I plan on continuing low carb. I will be researching a bit more about eating low carb while pregnant, my concern is being pregnant and being in ketosis. You can eat low carb but not be in ketosis however.

4. I really wouldn't consider myself a "success story" because I regained the weight I had lost. I tossed out everything I learned while eating low carb when pregnant, which not only taught me about cutting carbs, but learning about what foods were "worth it" to me. I realized I would prefer to eat a sandwich then a half a sandwich and french fries, that I feel more full eating protein and fats, and having more veggies in my diet. I eat low carb because I feel full and I actually have more energy. I haven't gone through the keto flu like others describe.

It is a choice and if you try it and don't like it, that's fine. I always thought I had to have bread, but I learned I would rather "spend" my calories on fat than carbs. It took time to really get in the groove and alot of reading nutrition labels. However, you may learn that you would rather have a small piece of cake and a small amount of bacon than just more bacon. If it works for your SO, it doesn't necessarily have to work for you. It's easy to make one meal, but have it be something you eat and he eats.

Good luck!

ladymiseryali

1. I consider it a lifestyle change. I don't plan on ever going back to eating high carb. I won't keep them as low as I have been, but I also don't intend on eating 200g like I used to. I like having energy and feeling light. If you do it short-term and then go back to eating high carbs, you're going to gain weight. So it's got to be a change in lifestyle.

2. I've been eating this way for a year. I'm at a very normal weight for my height. Basically the idea of keto is you meet your protein goal, you limit your carbs and you fill the rest with fat. In other words, the fat IS NOT a goal, but something you eat when you want to feel satisfied.

3. I'm a female and I'm not dead yet. lol. But seriously, this way of eating is usually recommended for women with PCOS. It helps regulate hormones. There's a couple of subreddits dedicated to women eating keto. Check out xxketo and if you're curious as to how it works for pregnant women, check out ketobabies. A lot of good info in both subreddits.

4. I wouldn't call myself a success story yet because I'm not at goal weight yet. However, this way of eating helped me move 30 lbs that wasn't budging while eating high carbs and low fat. I also lost inches that weren't budging either. So I know I lost fat. Check out xxketo for some success stories as well. What I would have done different was supplement my electrolytes. I didn't do that and the keto flu was the worst and lasted almost three weeks.