New to LCHF, new to MFP... help please!
KetoGirl83
Posts: 546 Member
Hi everyone! :flowerforyou:
I have a BMI of 60 and after my latest tests my doctor suggested I have gastric surgery, take cholesterol lowering drugs and diabetic medication. I was shocked into looking for alternatives and have spent the last two weeks with a dozen tabs open in Google at the same time, in a daze of contradictory information. I have concluded that, as counter intuitive as it seems, LCHF is my last chance of turning my life in a better direction. I hope I'm right because if I'm wrong I'll probably die.
Started yesterday by clearing the house of all carbs. The homeless shelter now has the previous content of my pantry, fridge and freezer and those foods have been replaced by fish, meat and low carb veggies.
To have an idea of how much of a revolution this is for me, I have never cooked a steak in my life. I have been mostly a vegetarian since my teenage years; either pasta, rice or bread have been present in almost all of my meals. But my grandmother died of diabetic complications, after having lost one foot and then that leg. I do not want that to happen to me.
I came here looking for a place to talk with people who understand what I'm going through. I don't know how MFP works or what I should do to get the most from it. Any suggestions would be most welcome!
:flowerforyou:
I have a BMI of 60 and after my latest tests my doctor suggested I have gastric surgery, take cholesterol lowering drugs and diabetic medication. I was shocked into looking for alternatives and have spent the last two weeks with a dozen tabs open in Google at the same time, in a daze of contradictory information. I have concluded that, as counter intuitive as it seems, LCHF is my last chance of turning my life in a better direction. I hope I'm right because if I'm wrong I'll probably die.
Started yesterday by clearing the house of all carbs. The homeless shelter now has the previous content of my pantry, fridge and freezer and those foods have been replaced by fish, meat and low carb veggies.
To have an idea of how much of a revolution this is for me, I have never cooked a steak in my life. I have been mostly a vegetarian since my teenage years; either pasta, rice or bread have been present in almost all of my meals. But my grandmother died of diabetic complications, after having lost one foot and then that leg. I do not want that to happen to me.
I came here looking for a place to talk with people who understand what I'm going through. I don't know how MFP works or what I should do to get the most from it. Any suggestions would be most welcome!
:flowerforyou:
0
Replies
-
hello and welcome. my daughter needs breakfast, so i need to run, but i just wanted you to know that i am going to respond when i have a few moments. hang in there!
:flowerforyou:
**ETA
i applaud you for wanting to try something new. i think when things aren't working, we must keep trying new things until we find something that does. i am very new to keto, but have been watching my husband flourish on it. he has lost weight but he also has more energy and overall feels better. i am losing, too.
i don't have much advice since i'm new, too, but just wanted to say, keep at it for a while. give yourself at least 2 months. things take time, and our bodies need to adjust, so make sure you are giving it enough time to actually work. also, don't cheat. i know it will be tempting, but the diet works by your body being off carbs, and if you introduce carbs in excess, you will throw-off your body and mess up all the work you've done. (don't beat yourself up if you do, just get back to it!) drink alot of water.
HTH0 -
Thank you!
EDIT:
It is so important to know other people are going through the same difficulties as I am. For obvious reasons I don't feel at ease talking about my weight, people without serious weight problems have no idea what it is.
I'm glad I found MFP, I'd send you a FR but I have not found how to do it, if you know and don't mind will you please add me?0 -
You came to the right place! This is a great group. I started keto lifestyle about two month ago, and I have never felt better. I can't believe that I did not discover this before. It has changed my life, and it will change yours. It will be hard at first, but once you get it, you will be feeling great. I will send FR to you. Welcome!0
-
Hi and welcome! This keto group is really supportive and has a lot of good info. Have you figured out your calories and macros yet? If not I suggest visiting http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ to get that squared away first. You'll want to eat at a deficit while eating about 70% of your calories from fat, 25% from protein and 5% from carbs. It can be overwhelming at first to figure out how to do this and what to eat, but there are many resources available online, too.
Great keto info: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq
Shameless plug to my blog with a lot of info on what foods to eat and avoid: http://www.butterisnotacarb.com/what-is-a-ketogenic-lifestyle/
Other favorite recipe blogs:
www.ibreatheimhungry.com
www.alldayidreamaboutfood.com
www.peaceloveandlowcarb.com
I completely understand how you're feeling right now. I started in March and I'm down 70 pounds in 6 months. I have pretty severe PCOS that I am trying to correct through keto and a healthy lifestyle. I had/have a lot of weight to lose, and I whole-heartedly understand how overwhelming it is to start. Feel free to add me or message me any questions you may have. I promise if you give this a fair shot (4-8 weeks without cheating) you will watch the pounds melt off. Best thing I ever did for myself, no exaggeration. 0 -
Accepted gladly, thank you.You came to the right place! This is a great group. I started keto lifestyle about two month ago, and I have never felt better. I can't believe that I did not discover this before. It has changed my life, and it will change yours. It will be hard at first, but once you get it, you will be feeling great. I will send FR to you. Welcome!0
-
Hi and welcome! This keto group is really supportive and has a lot of good info. Have you figured out your calories and macros yet? If not I suggest visiting http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ to get that squared away first. You'll want to eat at a deficit while eating about 70% of your calories from fat, 25% from protein and 5% from carbs. It can be overwhelming at first to figure out how to do this and what to eat, but there are many resources available online, too.
(...)
Thank you. I'll send a FR as soon as I find out how to do it, lol.
I'll go check that site you mention and the other resources. I understand getting more protein. More fat will naturally come from such a big change in my diet but I have no idea how to find what comes from where. 70% looks like an enormous percentage for someone that would be careful with using too much olive oil in salads!0 -
Hi everyone! :flowerforyou:
I have a BMI of 60 and after my latest tests my doctor suggested I have gastric surgery, take cholesterol lowering drugs and diabetic medication. I was shocked into looking for alternatives and have spent the last two weeks with a dozen tabs open in Google at the same time, in a daze of contradictory information. I have concluded that, as counter intuitive as it seems, LCHF is my last chance of turning my life in a better direction. I hope I'm right because if I'm wrong I'll probably die.
Started yesterday by clearing the house of all carbs. The homeless shelter now has the previous content of my pantry, fridge and freezer and those foods have been replaced by fish, meat and low carb veggies.
To have an idea of how much of a revolution this is for me, I have never cooked a steak in my life. I have been mostly a vegetarian since my teenage years; either pasta, rice or bread have been present in almost all of my meals. But my grandmother died of diabetic complications, after having lost one foot and then that leg. I do not want that to happen to me.
I came here looking for a place to talk with people who understand what I'm going through. I don't know how MFP works or what I should do to get the most from it. Any suggestions would be most welcome!
:flowerforyou:
Welcome! I am so happy that you found Keto LCHF. I have read many stories of people that almost did the Gastric Bypass, but instead looked to LCHF or a Paleo diet and they were able to get their life back without surgery.
I would love to recommend a few things to read that really made sense to me and pointed me in the direction of this diet:
Why we Get Fat - by Gary Taubes
Anything by Maria Emmerich, but I think one of her most recent books is the Keto Adapted
Also, beware of the "Keto Flu" that may happen and just prepare for that, but stick with it!
I look forward to adding you as a MFP friend and giving you support through this journey!0 -
Welcome!
You will find a lot of great resources in this group and the other low carb groups on MFP. Some stay out of the regular forums because it can be very anti-LCHF diet.
I have always been overweight and have dieted multiple times (and only one time would I consider successfully which was using a low carb diet), but eating LCHF keeps me full which means less eating which is a huge draw to people!
Give yourself time to learn this new way of eating and adjusting what you buy. Using full fat dressings instead of low fat/fat free ones (you still have to watch the sugar content on some of them like 1000 Island), full fat sour cream, and adding cheese to your meals can be quite the adjustment in mindset for people after years of being told fat is bad. Dietary fat is not bad and keeps you full.
Good luck!0 -
aeb09--Love your Blog!0
-
Welcome! I am so happy that you found Keto LCHF. I have read many stories of people that almost did the Gastric Bypass, but instead looked to LCHF or a Paleo diet and they were able to get their life back without surgery.
I would love to recommend a few things to read that really made sense to me and pointed me in the direction of this diet:
Why we Get Fat - by Gary Taubes
Anything by Maria Emmerich, but I think one of her most recent books is the Keto Adapted
Also, beware of the "Keto Flu" that may happen and just prepare for that, but stick with it!
I look forward to adding you as a MFP friend and giving you support through this journey!
Accepted your FR, thank you! How do you send it?
I have ordered both those books from Amazon, eagerly waiting for delivery!
What's "Keto Flu"? Sounds bad, what can I do to prepare for it?0 -
i have no idea how to do a friend request! LOL if you figure it out, add me! 0
-
Welcome!
You will find a lot of great resources in this group and the other low carb groups on MFP. Some stay out of the regular forums because it can be very anti-LCHF diet.
I have always been overweight and have dieted multiple times (and only one time would I consider successfully which was using a low carb diet), but eating LCHF keeps me full which means less eating which is a huge draw to people!
Give yourself time to learn this new way of eating and adjusting what you buy. Using full fat dressings instead of low fat/fat free ones (you still have to watch the sugar content on some of them like 1000 Island), full fat sour cream, and adding cheese to your meals can be quite the adjustment in mindset for people after years of being told fat is bad. Dietary fat is not bad and keeps you full.
Good luck!
Thank you. I never ate a lot of fat, don't like it. This is like upside down from what I've believed all my life and from the foods I like. But that wasn't working, was it? Even though I ate what most would consider "healthy food" and was finishing meals still hungry. So I hope that somehow the opposite of what was not working will work.0 -
Have you done your research on keto to get the basics down ?
I second the suggestion of using http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com
I like to encourage new Keto folks to at least start with basic simple whole foods.
It simplifies shopping, logging and keeps it easy to keep carbs inline.
Most of all.... set your goal, set your mind to it, and lets do this !!!0 -
I left out.
Keto is an awesome way of eating however please understand.
Calories in vrs calories burned is the absolute rule in weight loss.
You MUST consume less calories then you burn. also know as being in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
keto does not defeat this basic law of nature.0 -
Great keto info: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq
This is the best introductory guide to getting your head wrapped around LCHF that I'm aware of, I would definitely read through this, a couple times. It has a good introduction to keto flu as well.
Since it sounds like you're diving in head first and still doing some research at the same time (which is great, by the way!), I'll go ahead and list out some basic "beginner" tips to highlight what I think are the most important things early on:
1. Read that FAQ on reddit.
2. Calculate your macros: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ -- Don't expect to be perfect as far as your eating right away, its ok. But this gives you the best guideline for what you're aiming for overall. Staying below your carb goal (25g or whatever) is by far the most important thing when. If you screw up though, don't sweat it. There are pitfalls everywhere when you first start learning.
3. In that Reddit FAQ, give extra attention to the keto flu part. Drinking more water than you normally would helps, and keto has a way of dumping sodium/potassium/magnesium. Keto flu is mostly just a deficiency in those electrolytes for most people. Look at the ways to supplement those things (salt everything/find some foods you like with potassium/take magnesium pills). There is some general fatigue in the first week as your body switches from carbs to fat but a lot of the problems people experience early on can be fixed by minding your electrolytes.
4. EAT. This is a personal recommendation, not everyone does this, but I find it to be extremely important. The first week or two can be very very hard. Your body is used to a lifetime of carbs. Your appetite may go absolutely crazy. Simply getting through this first week is the most important thing. If your calorie goal is 2000 calories, but on day 3 you eat 2000 calories by 3pm and you are still starving, keep eating. Just make 1000% sure to eat keto friendly foods and avoid the carbs. After a week or so your appetite will settle down and you will feel normal. Starting keto can be hard, unless you have the willpower of a god, I do NOT think you should worry at all about your calories in the first week. You will lose weight anyway, most people on keto lose a lot of water weight early on even if they're eating too much. It WILL settle down and you will find a normal routine soon, but in the first week, just eat when you are hungry, no matter how much food that requires. If you are full you will be less tempted by carbs, and you will just feel better in general.
I'm sending you a friend request as well, though I don't always log all my food every day so I may not be the perfect influence
Oh and lastly, you mentioned having mostly been a vegetarian,but with a lot of rice and pasta. If you want to ease yourself into getting more protein from meat, there is http://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo, its not impossible. I'm a bit closer to full carnivore so I can't offer any help there, but the resource does exist
good luck!0 -
Thank you all! I'm going through the resources everyone suggested and finding a lot of useful info.
Thanks so much radiii for the very detailed post. I'm very happy to accept your FR (even though I have not found out what they're for or how to send them myself, LOL).
:flowerforyou:0 -
Welcome!! I will admit that weight has not been an issue for me, so I won't say I can understand your situation. I've been lead to keto, paleo/primal, grain free as a way to improve my overall health. It has worked very well for me.
That said, I want you to know that everyone of us, dealing with weight issues or not, will support and encourage you in building a healthy lifestyle. The other posters have provided lots of resources - my favorite books were Grain Brain, Wheat Belly and Keto Adapted. The Cholesterol Myth is on my list, but I haven't gotten there yet. If mainstream doctors were made to study this stuff we'd all be a lot healthier and the pharmaceutical companies would lose a lot of money.
I applaud you for taking the first steps toward healing yourself. It will get tough (someone mentioned carb flu), but please stick it out and give yourself a good shot at success.0 -
Ya the keto flu might suck a little for a few days but I will wager it is a picnic compared to any surgery recovery.0
-
aeb09--Love your Blog!
Thank you so much! 0 -
Oh and lastly, you mentioned having mostly been a vegetarian,but with a lot of rice and pasta. If you want to ease yourself into getting more protein from meat, there is http://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo, its not impossible. I'm a bit closer to full carnivore so I can't offer any help there, but the resource does exist
good luck!
Thank you SO much! Awesome resource. 0 -
I left out.
Keto is an awesome way of eating however please understand.
Calories in vrs calories burned is the absolute rule in weight loss.
You MUST consume less calories then you burn. also know as being in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
keto does not defeat this basic law of nature.
I would focus on carbs at first and not be too worried about total calories. I have found that calories in calories out does not necessarily hold true all the time. Lately, I have been increasing my calories while not doing any exercise and I am losing more weight, than when I was exercising and maintaining a calorie deficit.0 -
I left out.
Keto is an awesome way of eating however please understand.
Calories in vrs calories burned is the absolute rule in weight loss.
You MUST consume less calories then you burn. also know as being in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
keto does not defeat this basic law of nature.
i don't necessarily agree with this. my husband doesn't count calories at all, and he is losing. i know for sure there are many days he goes over calories (by watching his consumption)0 -
I would focus on carbs at first and not be too worried about total calories. I have found that calories in calories out does not necessarily hold true all the time. Lately, I have been increasing my calories while not doing any exercise and I am losing more weight, than when I was exercising and maintaining a calorie deficit.
^^ agree0 -
Welcome! This is a really supportive group. I've only been doing lchf for 3 weeks. I feel so much better than I did before. My recommendation is to begin by trying to meet your fat macro and keep your carbs down. I didn't focus on calories at first and now most days I feel full so it's easy to eat in a calorie deficit. Good luck. 0
-
I think you have made a great choice. I have lost 42lb in 9 weeks on Keto, 322lb down to 280lb. The first week I had hot flushes and exhaustion. The first few days involved heavy duty will power but after that been fine. The cravings are gone and the constant hunger that made me over eat my whole life is gone. I love it. The weight fell off super fast first two weeks but has stayed same some weeks and even gone up several days in a row sometimes. Over all though it has been going down. I am now losing 1 or 2lb most weeks. That is with very little activity.
I have found this to be by far the easiest food plan to stick to. Being liberated from constant cravings and hunger makes this so much easier. my doctor has been suggesting surgery for years but i am really not keen. Too many things that could go wrong and no guarantee of long term success. I feel much better about doing it naturally and keeping my internal organs intact. One day at a time it can be done.
ps: regarding MFP I find I get out what I put in. Sometimes I write to friends on here in private messages and get to know them better when I feel I want closer support. I dip in the main forums and chip in on posts but I have learn't no to post keto or hflc questions on main forum because have seen people get shredded by the intolerant and uneducated on there. I would keep those questions for this group. There are lots of really nice people on MFP though.0 -
I think you have made a great choice. I have lost 42lb in 9 weeks on Keto, 322lb down to 280lb. The first week I had hot flushes and exhaustion. The first few days involved heavy duty will power but after that been fine. The cravings are gone and the constant hunger that made me over eat my whole life is gone. I love it. The weight fell off super fast first two weeks but has stayed same some weeks and even gone up several days in a row sometimes. Over all though it has been going down. I am now losing 1 or 2lb most weeks. That is with very little activity.
I have found this to be by far the easiest food plan to stick to. Being liberated from constant cravings and hunger makes this so much easier. my doctor has been suggesting surgery for years but i am really not keen. Too many things that could go wrong and no guarantee of long term success. I feel much better about doing it naturally and keeping my internal organs intact. One day at a time it can be done.
ps: regarding MFP I find I get out what I put in. Sometimes I write to friends on here in private messages and get to know them better when I feel I want closer support. I dip in the main forums and chip in on posts but I have learn't no to post keto or hflc questions on main forum because have seen people get shredded by the intolerant and uneducated on there. I would keep those questions for this group. There are lots of really nice people on MFP though.
Oh, thank you, thank you so much. :flowerforyou:
It is so inspiring to know that someone with a similar profile is doing well! I've been reading a lot and it all makes sense but there's a lifetime of indoctrination telling me this is crazy.
Plus it looks a lot like "blokes' food" :laugh: After many years eating mostly high carb vegetarian because of me, my husband couldn't be happier when I told him about LCHF. :laugh:0 -
i have no idea how to do a friend request! LOL if you figure it out, add me!
You send a FR by clicking on their profile picture or user name to go to their profile. Once you're there you should see a few green rectangles next to their now enlarged profile picture. You will see "send message", "diary", and/or "Add As Friend". Click "Add As Friend" to FR them. It will give you an option to add a little message which I would since most people won't accept you unless they know where you found them from or what you have in common. Hope that helps! :happy:0 -
Okay, now to my real reply. Welcome! :happy: I'm glad you found us here on MFP because I only found this through recommendations from fellow keto-ers that saved me off of the main forum pages. Definitely don't post keto questions there unless you can take a little heat or getting the cold shoulder. Anyways, I've been doing keto for >4 weeks now and I have lost ~10 lbs from it. This is what I recommend.
1. the first few days don't pay attention to calories - pay attention to carbs
- the HF in LCHF will keep you fuller for longer meaning you won't eat as much as you're used to once you get past those first few days of not feeling so good.
2. You don't have to work out, but working out is great for endorphins and the other "feel happy" hormones.
3. Get a good keto calculator off of the previous mentioned sites or ruled.me/ which is the one that I use.
4. log everything!
-logging in everything that you eat will keep you from "cheating" on keto
- you can easily keep track of your carbs-protein-fats ratios by the charts provided in the "reports" section of your main profile page.
- It allows others to give you support or soft, necessary critiques when you need it. (people generally won't critique your diet unless you ask them. I have no friends that critique mines. They all support my food choices and I support theirs),
5. Find a support community on here or in your area/friends and family that will support you through this and lend an ear or shoulder when you need one.
As you can see from my ticker I have a lot to lose and I have previously lost 50 lbs on keto, but went off of it for ~3 years and I'm now back on it. Check out either reddit.com or ruled.me/ for info about keto and the things that you'll encounter with it. Good luck!:drinker:0 -
Thank you so much for your answer.
I'm trying to log in a food diary but so many items are US measures that I sometimes I have no idea if the quantity entered is correct or not. Is it possible to change that to European measures?
Will keep looking around tomorrow, way past my bedtime.
:yawn:0 -
<Snip>
I came here looking for a place to talk with people who understand what I'm going through. I don't know how MFP works or what I should do to get the most from it. Any suggestions would be most welcome!
:flowerforyou:
Hello Keto Girl,
I am in the same boat as you. I started about 3 1/2 weeks ago. Instead of writing my whole history here. I have started my MFP blog. If you have a chance to read what I wrote, start from the bottom of my blog and work your way up.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/DittoDan?month=201409
Enjoy,
Dan the Man from Michigan0
