a couple q's for a beginner!

Adtirey

I've been reading everything I can, I just started keto last Sunday. I have done Paleo before, and I think was low carb enough to have been in ketosis the entire time. My macros are set on MFP at 5/25/70 and 1700 calories (though I just eat until I'm hungry and if fluxes between 1500-2000 regularly) My macros also flux because, at work, I have to work with what is available to me. Yesterday it was 3/31/66, the day before 7/32/61, the day before 11/22/67. One question I have is: other than emotional eating cravings, I have suffered no "keto-flu" other than one day of feeling generally run down. I can not buy these ketostix I read so much about, so I'm wondering what other ways I can tell if my body is in ketosis? Are there other signs/symptoms?

Also, I have been having issue with my sodium/cholesterol going over what MFP recommends, but I don't know if I should worry about that or not. Those are currently set to MFP recommended stats. Is there a recommended level of sodium or cholesterol I should be taking into store?

Another question: is these such a thing as too few carbs?

And: I was reading about bulletproof coffee/ intermittent fasting/etc, and their message boards are full of people saying staying in ketosis 24/7 is really bad for you, and one day a week you should binge up to 100-150 carbs. Is there benefit to this?

My last question is, does keto make you have irrational cravings? Today was the first day I haven't REALLY wanted a piece of cake from work, but I did realize I've been eating a lot of sriracha/hot sauce. I used to hate hot sauce or anything spicy. And no, I am NOT pregnant.

PatchEFog

One question I have is: other than emotional eating cravings, I have suffered no "keto-flu" other than one day of feeling generally run down. I can not buy these ketostix I read so much about, so I'm wondering what other ways I can tell if my body is in ketosis? Are there other signs/symptoms?

Not everyone gets keto flu. Other than testing, there's no real way to know for sure how deeply into ketosis you are, but bad breath, distinct-smelling urine or changes in body odor can all be signs. If you're drinking a lot of water, this can help minimize (or mask) those. KetoStix aren't an accurate indicator for everyone, here's why: http://ketopia.com/why-you-need-to-stop-worrying-about-the-color-of-your-ketostix/

Also, I have been having issue with my sodium/cholesterol going over what MFP recommends, but I don't know if I should worry about that or not. Those are currently set to MFP recommended stats. Is there a recommended level of sodium or cholesterol I should be taking into store?

I wouldn't concern myself about going over those numbers as their numbers are not reflective of a ketogenic way of eating.
Suggested sodium intake is 3000 mg - 5000 mg per day while on a ketogenic diet (as long as there are no other medical contraindications).

Another question: is these such a thing as too few carbs?

That is debatable. In theory, not really. In practice, it's not set in stone, but Phinney and Volek state that 'optimal ketosis' for fat burning is between 1.5-3.0 mmol/l blood ketone. At 8 gm carb a day, I was over that, so not at the "optimal ketosis" range. Some people feel that keeping 50-100 gm carb is optimal to avoid adrenal fatigue and therefore thyroid issues. I'm not entirely convinced, but have gone with the concept of getting into 'optimal ketosis for fat burning' and have added about 25 gm carb on average per day (vegetables) to my menu.

And: I was reading about bulletproof coffee/ intermittent fasting/etc, and their message boards are full of people saying staying in ketosis 24/7 is really bad for you, and one day a week you should binge up to 100-150 carbs. Is there benefit to this?

I do alternate day fasting. My menu that keeps me in the optimal range had to be pared back to only 1 Tbs of coconut oil a day, else I was too ketotic to be in the optimal range. My DH has read up on the difference between carb cycling versus keto cycling... After all he read, he determined that just staying in a keto-adapted state was best for his goals of gaining lean body mass via lifting weights and resistance exercise. Not my thing, but thought I'd put it out there as I've seen nothing that compels me to avoid staying in a state of ketosis continually.

My last question is, does keto make you have irrational cravings? Today was the first day I haven't REALLY wanted a piece of cake from work, but I did realize I've been eating a lot of sriracha/hot sauce. I used to hate hot sauce or anything spicy. And no, I am NOT pregnant.

Initially, before you're keto adapted, cravings can be intense. After achieving keto adaptation, cravings should be diminished if not eliminated. As with anything addictive, it is a daily battle for some. Eliminating those things that are triggers is optimal, but there are also supplements that Dr. Atkins suggested that seem to work for me: chromium picolinate and L-glutamine. The chromium I take daily and the L-glutamine I take on my fasting days as needed. Today is such a fasting day and I haven't needed it, so I haven't taken it.

HTH

radiii

Also, I have been having issue with my sodium/cholesterol going over what MFP recommends, but I don't know if I should worry about that or not. Those are currently set to MFP recommended stats. Is there a recommended level of sodium or cholesterol I should be taking into store?

I'd ignore cholesterol in food completely. The generic recommendation on MFP for sodium is going to be far less than you want on keto most likely. You end up holding on to less water in ketosis (which explains the initial early weight loss that almost everyone sees). This also has the effect of dumping a lot of sodium out of your body. The 3000-5000mg mentioned in the previous post is what I've always read as well.

Another question: is these such a thing as too few carbs?

No IMO.

And: I was reading about bulletproof coffee/ intermittent fasting/etc, and their message boards are full of people saying staying in ketosis 24/7 is really bad for you, and one day a week you should binge up to 100-150 carbs. Is there benefit to this?

There are massive amounts of misinformation out there about how keto works. There is a sub devoted to posting and discussing research done on keto at http://reddit.com/r/ketoscience, if that's your kind of thing. The "carb up" stuff like that as its used in terms of keto is typically done only by serious athletes interested in maximizing performance. Not relevant for almost everyone on keto.

My last question is, does keto make you have irrational cravings? Today was the first day I haven't REALLY wanted a piece of cake from work, but I did realize I've been eating a lot of sriracha/hot sauce. I used to hate hot sauce or anything spicy. And no, I am NOT pregnant.

That'll go away if you're strict about your eating over the first couple weeks almost certainly. If your job involves you being around cake frequently and you like cake, I'm not going to say that's ever going to be easy, but it will get easier.

A common recommendation for the first week or two on keto is to completely ignore calories. The first week or two can be HARD. If you're full, its less hard. If you're full, its easier to ignore cravings. Your appetite is out of whack as your body adjusts to fueling itself from fat instead of carbs. IMO, the best way to handle this is just to be extremely strict about keto, never go over your 20g/25g carb limit, don't touch anything fake that has artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, and just eat as much as you need to be able to get through the first couple weeks. Your appetite will settle down quickly and you should lose water weight anyway.

Yesterday it was 3/31/66, the day before 7/32/61, the day before 11/22/67.

Putting this at the end since I just noticed it before finishing up the post, especially combined with the fact that you aren't having any keto flu issues. So you want to have a limit in carbs in grams, the % doesn't much matter, as it will change depending on how much fat you eat. Check out http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ if you haven't.

If that 11% carb day means that you were at 50 or 60g carbs that day, that might be enough to delay you initially getting and staying in ketosis. Different people react differently, which is why the recommendation for carbs on keto is so low. Some people can eat 50g on occasion and get into/stay in ketosis, some cannot. So ideally, you want to do everything possible to stay under that 25g limit, or whatever you've set for yourself.

That said, not everyone gets keto flu, so you may be just fine. And if you're not in ketosis yet, that's ok, changing the entire way you look at food and eat is hard, so keep working at it. I slipped up twice my first two weeks, both times eating out and getting something loaded with sugar and not realizing it until I looked it up later. If you have concerns, you can open up your food diary and ask for suggestions/see if anyone spots red flags.

Booksandbeaches

I didn't get the keto flu.

I stayed strictly to 20 grams of carbs a day the first two weeks. It was hard, but it got me into ketosis maybe within 2-3 days. I tested with the Ketostix.

My first symptom was a complete lack of craving for carbs. You could put a cake or ice-cream in front of me and I wouldn't want it. This in itself is miraculous if you knew the pre-keto me. :laugh:

The second symptom was the great loss of weight. You lose a lot of water weight in the beginning.

You can buy Ketostix online on amazon.com and other places.

Your body can convert amino acids from protein to glucose if it needs glucose. You may feel constipated at 20 grams of carbs, so be sure to take some magnesium citrate every day.

FXOjafar

I can not buy these ketostix I read so much about, so I'm wondering what other ways I can tell if my body is in ketosis? Are there other signs/symptoms?

No everyone gets the keto "flu". I didn't. One sure fire way to know is your pee smells like distilled dinosaur sweat. Sickly sweet. You will also wake up one day with an immense amount of energy and be jumping out of your skin to go for a run! Your breath may also get an acetone smell but I don't get that either. My Ketonix breath ketone meter says I am exhaling Acetone anyway so that's good. I don't use Ketostix because they can be unreliable.

Also, I have been having issue with my sodium/cholesterol going over what MFP recommends, but I don't know if I should worry about that or not. Those are currently set to MFP recommended stats. Is there a recommended level of sodium or cholesterol I should be taking into store?

Are you drinking a lot of water? If not, you should. You will generally lose a lot of electrolytes especially when you are transitioning into ketosis. Low electrolyte levels are one reason people get keto "flu". Keep your Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium levels up there and feel great!

Another question: is these such a thing as too few carbs?

No. Your body can make it's own glucose from protein, and to a lesser extent fat. Our bodies are really quite clever

And: I was reading about bulletproof coffee/ intermittent fasting/etc, and their message boards are full of people saying staying in ketosis 24/7 is really bad for you, and one day a week you should binge up to 100-150 carbs. Is there benefit to this?

A carb binge or "cheat day" is not recommended. I did it once and the result was extra weight, and feeling generally crappy for 4 days until I got back into Ketosis. Nutritional Ketosis is not harmful at all. Your body runs well on Ketones and is actually a preferable source of energy for the body. Think about it. Not so long ago, people weren't eating 300g+ carbs a day like most fat, diabetic people today. Much longer ago as hunter/gatherers, we weren't even eating bread but surviving on meat/organs and the occasional fruit or yams if we came across them which is a sort of Ketogenic diet anyway. Don't worry about being in Ketosis 24/7. I've been that way for more than 18 months only rarely going above 30g carbs for the day.

My last question is, does keto make you have irrational cravings? Today was the first day I haven't REALLY wanted a piece of cake from work, but I did realize I've been eating a lot of sriracha/hot sauce. I used to hate hot sauce or anything spicy. And no, I am NOT pregnant.

The cravings will pass eventually. You have to retrain your thinking and after a few months, you will go past a cake display and just shrug at it as you head off to get a bag of Macadamias or some sliced salami from the deli for a snack instead. Actually, early on I used to snack on Sopressa (salami) and slices of Havarti cheese and perhaps some Olives. You will slowly change over time and what you used to love will be replaces with new things you love to eat but won't send you back to obeseville.

Congratulations on your choice. Time to get cracking and achieve your goals and with the help of your MFP friends, stay on track and win!

nill4me

One sure fire way to know is your pee smells like distilled dinosaur sweat.

HAHA! Well, now i know what THAT smells like. *check*

MelRC117

The others have covered your questions quite well, but I just wanted to add when I first did low carb I didn't know what ketosis was. I didn't read any books on it except for the occasional information on low carb recipes. I lost quite a bit of weight. My hunger was in check and I felt full and that's what really matters. It sounds like you're there with not craving cake.

Now that I know about ketostix, I use them, but only if I think I've eaten too many carbs and use them to see when I get back in ketosis. But really, not necessary.

Also, a suggestion...to get your fat ratio up on the days at work you cant always control exactly what you eat, I would find a fat bomb recipe you like and have on hand, or if that isn't possible, to eat when you get home from work.