ketogenic diets

paul87920

Are any of you MFPer's out there doing any kind of ketogenic diets? I'm interested in hearing it all. Negatives. Positives. Successes. Failures. Don't hold back.

I'm personally doing my best to stick to the MFP guidelines for my age, gender, and weight. Plus I'm exercising. It's working alright, but I am plateauing. So, I'm considering switching it up for a while to try to retrigger my metabolism.

Like I said, I'm open to hearing any and all thoughts on the topic.

If you need stats. I'm male, 24, 5'8", 395lbs. I started at 440, joined MFP when I got down to 425, and I've gradually lost the additional 30 while on the website.

celebrity328

I am on a keto diet

I havent been under 20 grams of carbs for a while now but am still in ketosis. I really dont have any negative feedback on the diet since im highly allergic to gluten (things that I LOVE and causes me to gain the weight!) I have been doing this for 4 months now and feel better over all.

paul87920

I heard that the first two weeks can be pretty rough. Did you have the same experience?

HurricaneElaine

I did the Atkins diet WAYYY back when it first came in vogue (late 1970s) and was constantly in ketosis. In a year and a half, I went from 220 to 130. It's hard to do, and expensive because meat can be pricey, but it works. More power to you. I couldn't keep it up.

samcorvus

I do a ketogenic version of primal. It's kind of amazing past the first few days. I first tried it a month or so ago and lost eighteen pounds in three weeks. Then I ate a donut...or two. One spiral after another threw me right out and I had to make a concious effort to start over. So I did on Monday. I had gained five pounds during my month and a half of breads and sweets and no attention to my diet. Weighed myself this morning and had lost all of those five pounds.

A pound a day is not what I would call typical but it is not too far off the mark. It's amazing how much more energy you have. As well as how great you feel. On a personal note I love how I no longer have plaque in the morning. The food can get a little monotonous but that's why the good Lord made seasoning.

If you really want to learn about it check out Mark's Daily Apple.

celebrity328

I have a husband who did keto for a month and had no issues as far as the "flu" he just didnt want to stick with a diet that restricted his food like it does. I on the other hand was sick for a little over a week and felt like general crap and was dizzy etc. However I could argue that this was because I am also highly allergic to gluten and that was what really caused being sick. Last week I had something with gluten in it and it was the same symptoms I exp during the "flu" so I now need to be tested for celiacs !

The first 2.5 months I lost about 30lbs or so however now I havent moved in over 1.5 months but I have lost 8inchs. Hopefully you dont look to the scale as the way to measure progress!

likeswhiskey

I'm finding it pretty easy. I also did Atkins wayyy back and lost a ton of weight. I gained it back over a decade of poor eating choices. I'm now doing keto, based on my knowledge of Atkins.

One of my favourite parts of keto is that once you're in ketosis your cravings disappear. At least mine do. I don't need chocolate or sweets or bread or any carbs anymore. I feel better, I sleep better, I have more energy.

I eat a lot of eggs and bacon, but also hamburgers (without the bun) and chicken and pork. I've done some experimenting with tofu and TVP. Almond butter is a great snack, if you like it. I also plan to make almond flour pancakes for breakfast tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

I eat a lot of vegetables too.

I've combined keto with an almost daily exercise regimen including strength training at the gym and the C25K running program and I try to walk the dog daily.

At the end of the day, I find I'm always under my goal calories and I set my goal calories quite a bit lower than what is recommended by these guys: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

I think you should give it a try. Just try to keep your fat/protein/carb ratio around 60/35/5.

EDIT: You take off a lot of weight in the first two weeks, but it should slow down to a more sustainable level after that.
EDIT2: You might want to take a look at some of the keto groups here, including: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1160-keto and there's also http://www.reddit.com/r/keto

Irishmoonwitch

I'm on one. Actually the one that seems to get advertised a lot on here. Medifast... I did it once before and reached my goal but didn't do the maintenance. So now I am back on it and will do the maintenance this time to keep it off. Hope you find what works for you.

paul87920

Well thank you all for giving me something to think about. Best wishes on your weight loss journey.

vytamindi

Me too! Been in ketosis since the end of May. Friend me/check out my diary if you want. My food pretty much stays the same lately as I had to eat what was left in my freezer since Isaac is on his way to my neck of the woods, so forgive that.

Negatives: Breath? The first two weeks were HELL (luckily I didn't have the keto flu) with cravings while my body was making the switch from burning glucose to burning fat. Um... there really aren't any more negatives. Well, going to events in the beginning kinda were rough, but now I can find something to eat anywhere I go, so that doesn't matter too much.

Positives: Weight loss, healthier eating habits, lack of hunger (besides my morning coffee, I seriously don't eat until dinner. I like to save all my calories for dinner anyway), no alcohol tolerance (whee!), and I'm MAYBE starting to like water. Maybe.

If you're a redditor, there is the /r/keto subreddit you can check out. Lots of science, NSVs, and questions answered there.

Best of luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask us!

slk17

I'm just shy of doing Keto for two months now, and I'm down just shy of 20 lbs.

Positives: I feel so much better! My cravings for things sweet have subsided as well as my cravings for carb centered things. (Bread which I thought would be near impossible for me to give up...hasn't been difficult). I have found that Cocoa roast almonds cure any chocolate craving I MAY have once a month. My energy is through the roof! Even though I've lost weight without working out too much, my desire to actually be active has increased. My hunger has DECREASED tremendously and I'm fuller for much longer. I find it really fun to experiment in the kitchen! My husband(not on keto) has been thrilled with some of the recipes I've created. It's all about making it work best for your lifestyle! My skin has improved incredibly and did I mention how much better I feel? My IBS symptoms=GONE. My headaches=GONE. My Acid Reflux=GONE.

Negatives: While minor compared to all the positives for me, I did go through a bout of the "Keto Flu" the first week that was pretty ugly, but I powered through! I didn't ease into keto, I just woke up one morning and said "Today is the day" and dropped all carbs that day. First three days I felt great, day 4-6 I was feeling really low. But it does pass. My breath isn't grand, but I can usually combat that. Keto was initially more expensive than I bargained for, but I have found the longer I have been on it, the CHEAPER it has been because I don't EAT as much as I did when I just didn't care what I was putting in my body, so it has balanced out.

A lot of criticism for me has been "It isn't something I can stick with for the rest of my life." Well, why not? I've discovered that carbs are what was making me feel bad and now that I have gotten rid of most of them, so why wouldn't I stick with it for the rest of my life? I may not always eat at the limit of carbs I'm eating at now (less than 20g), and I might add in some more root vegetables that I kinda of miss, but other than that I do plan on continuing to be low carb.

Also I do NOT eat bacon on top of bacon smeared in bacon grease. I LOVE bacon but I know people must think all I do is sit around and eat it. I don't. While fat and protein are an important part of Keto, I like to get my fat from other sources (avocados, almonds, cheese) and don't result to just bacon. This is an extremely healthy way to eat, especially when the main source of my carbs is my vegetables I'm eating.

And again, I feel AMAZING.

vytamindi

YAAAAAAAAAAY KETO! I nominate you for keto poster child! Although it may not work for everyone, I'm so glad it's working for you!

eduardoschoen

I am on a low-carb (no more than 12g of carbs per meal/snack) nutrition plan. Have been on it for a bit over a week. I used ketone test strips and the results were off the chart. I was in ketosis big time. Also, I have lost 13 pounds in around 3 weeks. I am not starving myself at all on the 1500 net calorie allowance per day.

Good luck with your decision and weight loss goals.

healthymom76

My Doctor told me that over a long period of time it can cause kidney damage and so she didn't want me to do it. I do try to stay ralatively low carb as my stomach can't seem to handle carbs very well but not low enough to put me in ketosis. Good luck!

vytamindi

My Doctor told me that over a long period of time it can cause kidney damage and so she didn't want me to do it. I do try to stay ralatively low carb as my stomach can't seem to handle carbs very well but not low enough to put me in ketosis. Good luck!

I wouldn't worry too much. The only time your kidneys will go berserk that I'm aware of, and I'm not a doctor, folks, is if you've already got a condition, or going WAY (and I mean WAY) over on protein or sodium (once again... WAAAAY over). Keto also concentrates on high fat, so protein has no way to go over if you're sticking to your percentages unless you're eating a bazillion calories.

Honestly, if you're on keto, you should be drinking TONS of water to help those little guys out. This is advice I need to take, as well.

I haven't seen any studies (yet) talking of kidney damage due to keto, but I do hear that people have been eating this way for decades and are still fine. I've only been in ketosis since the end of May, but I'll let you know if it becomes harmful.

Glad what you're doing is working for you! Keep fighting the good fight!

tigersword

Ketogenic diets aren't much different from other diets. The key is, if you switch, you have to maintain it forever, because the vast majority of initial weight loss is water weight, and if you go back to eating a more balanced diet the water weight will come right back. As far as fat loss, it offers no real advantage, it just seems like it does because dropping 10-12 pounds of water weight tricks most people into thinking they are losing fat, and also, a ketogenic diet has you eating a lot more fat in your diet, leading to a seemingly higher amount of fat being burned, when really, it's just the extra fat you eat.

Now, all that being said, if you want to cut out most carbs, and are comfortable doing that for the rest of your life, go for it. It's 100% personal preference. Just know the initial weight loss is only water weight due to the carb reduction, and if your plan is just to do it to start losing weight, and then switch back, the water weight will go right back on. That's why people who do a low carb diet just looking to drop 5-10 pounds always gain those 5-10 pounds back as soon as they go back to their old habits.

Also, another misconception about keto diets that I want to set straight: Your body does not "switch from burning glucose to burning fat." The human body is burning both glucose and fat at the same time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you eat low carb, the body uses gluconeogenesis to convert amino acids and fatty acids to glucose, and uses that converted glucose in exactly the same way as if the glucose had come from eating carbs. Gluconeogenesis is the process that leads to elevated ketones (ketosis.)

vytamindi

If your plan is just to do it to start losing weight, and then switch back, the water weight will go right back on. That's why people who do a low carb diet just looking to drop 5-10 pounds always gain those 5-10 pounds back as soon as they go back to their old habits.

*nods sagely*

VenomousDuck

I was diabetic, so I switched to eating this way. I am no longer diabetic but I feel 100% better eating a very low carb diet.

I have way more energy, better mood, stable blood sugar, little hunger.

And all of my blood tests are excellent.

nsmith6325

I personally have never tried it, I do however know someone who has been on it and weight loss has been good. He did state that the first two weeks he had cravings for carbs that he would liken to the type of things one would experience if they stopped smoking. We are now training for triathlons and he is finding that it is not working for that type of activity level and he is going to discontinue and move to a more traditional diet. He has been on it about two months and losing an average of 6 lbs a week. He has not had a lipid panel done yet so I don't know how his cholesterol and such has changed over this time, would be interesting to see. From reading the post here it leads me to believe two things 1) nobody is able to stick with this for one reason or another and 2) everyone who has tried it has gained their weight back over time. These are the common threads I have seen elsewhere and the reason I have not tried it myself. I have incredibly good cholesterol and blood sugar levels after years of medication (all of which were discontinued by my DR as a result of diet and exercise) on a standard diet and have lost over 50 lbs and am at my ideal weight. During times that I hit plateau's I broke them each time by temporarily increasing calories for a week and the following week resumed my deficit and subsequently lost weight again. Just my experience.

hpsnickers1

My lifestyle is ketogenic for the most part. I'm a fat burner. In fact, the healthiest version of the standard american diet would've sent me into diabetes. I caught it but can't reverse the damage. My body loves burning fat and I love eating fat. Fat is about 65%70% of my daily calories.

I had lost 10lbs doing the low-fat, low-calorie thing. But I didn't gain any health other than no more Fibromyalgia pain (turned out to be Reactive Hypoglyemia and my pancreas "pitching a fit"). But my body loooooves ketosis. So does my health.

And remember to understand the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that ketosis is unhealthy. We all have ketones in the bloodstream. Our body goes into a state of ketosis while we sleep. It's just the body using dietary fat or your own stored fat as energy/fuel. Isn't this what we want? As long as we're eating high-carb, low-fat all day every day our body will continue to use sugar as fuel (and we must fuel every few hours because it's a "fast burning" fuel). Fat burns slow and long all day. Great energy source.

eduardoschoen

I agree that a good chunk of initial weight loss is water as your body adjusts to the new diet. However, if you want to know for sure if you are burning existing fat, fat from food you eat, or just losing water then get your BF measured periodically.

I have been on it for a couple of weeks and have lost BF%.