540lb man starting LCHF lifestyle. Yes or no?

I don't know enough about Keto to say yes or no. However, I will say if you are that worried about it or think it may be a problem due to your current health state then just try starting with calories in vs calories out. I have been doing that the last three years and it is what has worked for me. I do try to stay "lower Carb" due to my health issues but not low enough to be in Keto. I know there are a lot of other people on this site who follow Keto and can probably give you great information

Andy,

What's going to work for you is whatever diet you can adhere to long term. I would suggest logging your food accurately and honestly on here. Don't go crazy restricting what you can and can't have focus on the calories for right now.

I know for myself if I made drastic changes as I have tried in the past I lasted on them for 3 days to a month if I was really dedicated, after that I started struggling cause I was constantly thinking about what I told myself I couldn't have.

This time around I have put no restrictions on what I can eat, well there is one, I refuse to eat anything I don't truly enjoy. I try to make it fit into my day, some days are better than others. Remember it's about consistency, not one good or bad day (I'm over today by about 600 or so calories, but it's okay just means I ate near maintenance for the day)

Good luck to you Andy

All I can tell you is that I have been LCHF since May of this year. Dropped over 60 pounds so far. Cholesterol is 108. Triglycerides are 54. Blood pressure perfect. Have enjoyed going of all diabetes meds. Feel great. Hardly any craving issues. But I also bike ALOT.....and I mean ALOT. Hope that helps answer some questions. BTW.....those are the best lab results I have had in over 30 years. Who would have thought or could eat butter, heavy cream, steak, ribs, cream cheese, eggs....... and not have cholesterol issues???

No idea if this WOE is for you as each person and individual is different but i have been following/reading Atkins (DANDR 2002) for just over 13 months while using MFP for logging and very happy with my progress physically, emotionally and medically.

08/27/2013 i was @ 432lbs
today i am at 221lbs.

Good luck and best wishes in your WOE.

Andy,

What's going to work for you is whatever diet you can adhere to long term. I would suggest logging your food accurately and honestly on here. Don't go crazy restricting what you can and can't have focus on the calories for right now.

I know for myself if I made drastic changes as I have tried in the past I lasted on them for 3 days to a month if I was really dedicated, after that I started struggling cause I was constantly thinking about what I told myself I couldn't have.

This time around I have put no restrictions on what I can eat, well there is one, I refuse to eat anything I don't truly enjoy. I try to make it fit into my day, some days are better than others. Remember it's about consistency, not one good or bad day (I'm over today by about 600 or so calories, but it's okay just means I ate near maintenance for the day)

Good luck to you Andy

This is good advice. Once you are truly committed to getting healthy in all ways - you will make it work. Best of luck!

Any diet that will help you keep in a deficit will allow you to lose weight. I personally don't think keto is that much better or worse than any other 'diet'; I don't cut any foods from my diet. I just eat smaller portions.

Look. This diet works simply because it makes you eat less. No special magic there. It works REALLY well if you're the kind who likes fat and does not care for carbs too much. If you like your carbs you will be miserable. The key of any diet is to b e something that you can do long term, else you will quit halfway feeling defeated. If you like your split peas, normal calorie counting may be a better option for you.

Haha its not that I like them, I hate peas and quinoa and all that stuff. But that is what we are brainwashed by pop culture to eat to be healthy. I think I would be a lot happier on the Keto diet and find it way easier to maintain.

Then by all means go for it! I wish you the best of luck. If somewhere along the way you feel like you aren't making any more progress, you may want to count calories as well basically arriving at a combination of both. Health-wise, you should be fine. Low carb diets are no better or worse when it comes to heart health. The weight reduction alone will give you a better blood panel and lowered cholesterol, so don't fuss about saturated fat and the like. Just focus on your progress while keeping an eye on your health with regular check ups to see if you need anything supplemented or dealt with.

Look. This diet works simply because it makes you eat less. No special magic there. It works REALLY well if you're the kind who likes fat and does not care for carbs too much. If you like your carbs you will be miserable. The key of any diet is to b e something that you can do long term, else you will quit halfway feeling defeated. If you like your split peas, normal calorie counting may be a better option for you.

Haha its not that I like them, I hate peas and quinoa and all that stuff. But that is what we are brainwashed by pop culture to eat to be healthy. I think I would be a lot happier on the Keto diet and find it way easier to maintain.

So... why bother posting if your mind seems to already be made up? If this is a gimmick you can sustain for life, then go for it. You've been here for almost 3 years, so I kinda wonder about how this will go when compared to simple calorie counting, exercise, and hitting macros. Good luck.

I don't know anything about that diet...and I'm not a man...BUT you weigh well over twice what I weigh...and my doctor told me to lay off the animal fats entirely, exercise, and lose weight for my heart. I have mild high blood pressure and that's it -- I'm otherwise healthy. I have a feeling she (my doctor) would not like you to eat all this fat. Having said that, whatever you do, I would slowly incorporate exercise in your lifestyle. I think that would really help your health. Good luck to you!!

If you want to eat this lifestyle for ever then go ahead. If it's not something you see yourself doing forever, then don't do it. Weight loss is entirely about a caloric deficit, and you can reach one with whatever macro breakdown you'd like that works for your unique needs/body/goals.

Again I'll ask: if it's about calories in/calories out, why would he need to be Keto "forever"?

In the context of most discussions of this nature, first there a "mini forever" - the length of time it will take you to lose the weight. Sensationalized weight loss shows, which I do love (Chris Powell, anyone?) like to show participants dropping all the lbs in three months or one year. For most of us, it could take much longer. So when we say can you do this forever, we sometimes mean not as a quick two week fix or however long you've lasted on previous "diets" but rather truly for the long haul

The other kind is the real forever. So now you're done with "keto" or insert other diet here. How do you maintain your weight? How will you eat? Have you Learned what it truly takes to maintain this body size? Therefore the question is asked, if keto is not what you plan on doing long term and even in maintenance to think properly as to whether that's going to be your chosen path to weight loss

I'm good with learning how to eat forever.
The same question should be asked of every one who signs up with this site and starts calorie counting. Yet the discussion of "forever" only seems to come up with LCHF.
One could go on a keto or any other diet (including MFP), and begin learning about food, nutrition, their relationship with food.... and then transition to something else. To continue losing, or to maintain a caloric balance.
Yet whenever someone says "I'm going low carb" they get "can you do it forever".
Not when someone says: "I'm going to count calories and weigh and measure everything". No one chimes in and says "Are you prepared to do that forever".

I've been maintaining now for about 13 years. That's a kind of forever, I guess.
I began losing weight, and in the process I learned how to eat to fuel my body in a way that work(ed) for me. And as I'm aging, I'm modifying that (which is the right thing to do).
I'm not successful because of the particular approach I used. I'm successful because I learned how to eat to maintain. and I am vigilant, (and it helps that I'm active).