Anyone else using a HF/LC - Ketogenic lifestyle?

My niece introduced me to this diet. I haven't started yet because i an a little scared of it. Do any of you measure your ketone level? By urine, blood or breathe? How long does the bad breathe last? Should I worry about deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, potassium or Vitamin D? Why does every major medical group oppose this diet? I tried every diet my doctor suggested. The last being FODMAP. None of them helped me and I just kept gaining more and more weight. I am never satisfied after eating. Everyone on the Ketogenic diet tells me satiation is one of the big pluses. I look forward to reading more personal stories from everyone!

"Do you measure ketones?" I bought Ketostix and tested at first, just to see what it looked like. They are notoriously inaccurate, though. At this point I do not test anymore as I know I'm in ketosis and I'm not worried about it. I would not invest a lot of money in testing after the first month or two.

I was deficient in potassium and magnesium after a few months - I knew this because I was having nightly leg cramps that were excruciating. I know make my own keto Gatorade (20oz water, 1 packet Crystal Light To Go, 3/4-1tsp potassium chloride powder) that I drink twice a day plus I take one 500mg magnesium supplement daily and my leg cramps have stopped.

"Why do they oppose it?" Because they've been preaching a low fat diet for over 50 years. Because doctors are not usually trained in nutrition and so they give the boilerplate response. There are a LOT of studies coming out debunking the low fat diet and also debunking that eating fat leads to being fat, high cholesterol and heart disease.

You are satiated on keto because eating fat keeps you fuller longer. I eat 3 meals a day - 360 calories at breakfast lasts me from 6am until 12:30 when I have lunch, and I'm never hungry or wishing I could snack. It's great to feel fuller longer and to have endless energy all day, too.

Happy to be friends with anyone currently living keto or to answer any questions someone might have. I'm down 78 pounds since March with severe PCOS, so I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job.

1 month in on Keto myself. Love it!

aeb09 wrote: »

My niece introduced me to this diet. I haven't started yet because i an a little scared of it. Do any of you measure your ketone level? By urine, blood or breathe? How long does the bad breathe last? Should I worry about deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, potassium or Vitamin D? Why does every major medical group oppose this diet? I tried every diet my doctor suggested. The last being FODMAP. None of them helped me and I just kept gaining more and more weight. I am never satisfied after eating. Everyone on the Ketogenic diet tells me satiation is one of the big pluses. I look forward to reading more personal stories from everyone!

"Do you measure ketones?" I bought Ketostix and tested at first, just to see what it looked like. They are notoriously inaccurate, though. At this point I do not test anymore as I know I'm in ketosis and I'm not worried about it. I would not invest a lot of money in testing after the first month or two.

I was deficient in potassium and magnesium after a few months - I knew this because I was having nightly leg cramps that were excruciating. I know make my own keto Gatorade (20oz water, 1 packet Crystal Light To Go, 3/4-1tsp potassium chloride powder) that I drink twice a day plus I take one 500mg magnesium supplement daily and my leg cramps have stopped.

"Why do they oppose it?" Because they've been preaching a low fat diet for over 50 years. Because doctors are not usually trained in nutrition and so they give the boilerplate response. There are a LOT of studies coming out debunking the low fat diet and also debunking that eating fat leads to being fat, high cholesterol and heart disease.

You are satiated on keto because eating fat keeps you fuller longer. I eat 3 meals a day - 360 calories at breakfast lasts me from 6am until 12:30 when I have lunch, and I'm never hungry or wishing I could snack. It's great to feel fuller longer and to have endless energy all day, too.

Happy to be friends with anyone currently living keto or to answer any questions someone might have. I'm down 78 pounds since March with severe PCOS, so I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job.

Wow that is a great wieght loss especially as a PCOS sufferer.

May I ask what you eat and in what portion sizes.

I followed lchf for a month ..not weighing or measuring and did not lose any weight.

Now I am imputing my food choices here and it saysfor me to lose weight to stick to 1200 calories ...however it feels as though my choices are further limited by restricting calories as the high fat pushes me up on the calorie count.However my carbs are really low so thats good.

Seldom hungry though!
But would like to lose weight ...

Coconut oil, olive oil, butter, macadamia nuts, heavy cream. If you have a vegetable, put butter on it. Salad, High fat dressings, olive oil, etc. My salad today had 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp home made mayo. It was fantastic.

you will know you're in ketosis by your breath. It will just think and mint will be your best friend. I do use the ketostix and mine are consistently showing moderate ketones present. My doctor is not only on board but encouraging this diet and so is my nutritionist. I am eating between 40 to 60 carbs daily and the first time I did at atkins which was 20 carbs or less for the first 2 weeks I was so excited to lose so much that I stuck to phase 1 for 3 months and lost about 35 pounds. Important to note Atkins is not h1t carb or less diet. That face is meant to kick-start weight lost in last 2 weeks at which point you up your carbs into a level that still allows you to lose a couple pounds a week. I cannot say enough positive things about a low carb diet. I switched MyFitnessPal goals to reflect 5% carbs, 45% protein and 50% fat.

kahays wrote: »

I also have PCOS and the doc suggested I go low carb and then start on Metformin. I am doing ok getting below 50 carbs a day (is that total or net? I have been going by total) and ketostix do show ketosis. Where is struggle is the fat/protein ratio. I find myself eating less fat than I should. What should I be eating to get that fat up??

Net carbs! Subtract fiber from the count.

I struggled with fat too, but now I'm adding butter and oil to a lot more things. Eat fatty meats and nuts. Cream cheese is good, heavy cream is good, these add fat. Avoid anything fat free or low fat. Most importantly for your macros, make sure you're actually logging every fat you eat, including cooking oil and butter (not all will be retained, but if you saute something in two tablespoons of oil and after plating there's less there, then it went in your food, try to estimate).

It took me a week to get in to ketosis, still lost weight, just not the fat, that is now leaving my stomach. I do 50 Fat, 30 Protein and 20 carbs. Don't have a problem with enough variety, never was a big fruit eater, and get my carbs from vegetables. I love it that I can have bacon and eggs w/butter for breakfast, meat and cheese for lunch, and a salad with meat and cheese and full fat dressing for dinner. Never had any of the side effects from Ketosis. I also take a tblsp of cocconut oil before I go to bed if my fat content has not got high enough for the day.

dollforlife wrote: »

I realize this discussion is about a month old but just thought I would chime in. I've been doing a keto diet for about 3 weeks now and I've only lost one pound. Anyone care to check out my diary and see where I might be needing some improvement? I could really use the advice.

I had a look, the calories left over are they earned? Other than that it looks good, I presume the set calories are appropriate for your activity level. Iv been doing it for about 4 weeks and after the initial weight loss it slowed but I can see changed in my body composition that are not reflected in the scales. I have started to go by net carbs (carbs-fibre) which has helped a bit too, and stopped filling up on protein. Add me if you want to look at my diary

suemaggs wrote: »

Hi Laura,
I'm trying the keto diet, and after initially losing 16 lbs (I started at 175 lbs), and cycling 3x/week doing 30-60km rides, I haven't lost a single pound. I am so frustrated! My carbs are usually below 30gms, and my total calories in the 1200 cal range - no cheating, and keto sticks show mild-moderate ketosis, I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong?!
Sue

Up your fat, and EAT MORE. I guarantee it'll work.

denisegresham1 wrote: »

It took me a week to get in to ketosis, still lost weight, just not the fat, that is now leaving my stomach. I do 50 Fat, 30 Protein and 20 carbs. Don't have a problem with enough variety, never was a big fruit eater, and get my carbs from vegetables. I love it that I can have bacon and eggs w/butter for breakfast, meat and cheese for lunch, and a salad with meat and cheese and full fat dressing for dinner. Never had any of the side effects from Ketosis. I also take a tblsp of cocconut oil before I go to bed if my fat content has not got high enough for the day.

20% carbs? That's very high for Keto. Most people are at about 5% carbs. Fat and Protein depending, mine are set at 70% fat and 25% protein, but sometimes I have a bit more protein and less fat. I didn't lose for about 3 weeks, so I upped my fat and reduced my protein a little and now I'm losing again.

dollforlife wrote: »

I realize this discussion is about a month old but just thought I would chime in. I've been doing a keto diet for about 3 weeks now and I've only lost one pound. Anyone care to check out my diary and see where I might be needing some improvement? I could really use the advice.

Are you drinking enough water?