Starting a ketogenic diet. But I could use some help.

Mission2Me
Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
edited June 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I want to keep this diet as simple as possible. This means I will be fine with eating the same things repeatedly and I don't want recipes to make it more complicated. I need help deciding which foods allow for the best success. I am usually a person that likes to feel full if that helps, but in general what are suggestions on what to eat on this diet. Some do not count calories at all but because I want to lose weight I am not sure that is best so I have set Myfitnesspal settings to the recommendations of a ketogenic calculator.

Thanks for your help!!

Replies

  • lautour
    lautour Posts: 89 Member
    Have you been to the Reddit keto forum? I'm not currently eating keto but when I was I found that place to be extremely helpful with a lot of resources listed on the side.
  • ketorach
    ketorach Posts: 430 Member
    Get your keto on!
  • kikiboniki
    kikiboniki Posts: 398 Member
    hi there, I started a ketogenic diet on tuesday and am successful in that I'm in ketosis (i used ketostix to test).

    My breakfast of choice now is a quest bar with a tablespoon of almond butter.
    foods i've been enjoying:
    steak, bratwurst, bacon.
    cabbage, leafy greens.

    sugar free jello
    chicarrons.

    i recommend keeping up your fat, otherwise you will just feel super run down.

    good luck!
  • BennyCH
    BennyCH Posts: 73 Member
    edited June 2015
    I follow a ketogenic diet, here are some practical/ready to eat food choices: canned sardines, smoked salmon, almonds, walnuts, "ready eggs", hard cheese, dried meat, butter, mayonnaise

    Before my workout I have coffee+coconut oil and afterwards whey protein

    Also eat a lot of vegetables otherwise you will be constipated, also additional potassium and sodium is recommended

    Be careful about artificial and sugar alcohol, avoid them in the beginning (e.g. don't eat or drink low carb bars, or sugar-free sodas)

    and as somebody said, keep fat% > 65%, Protein 25-30% and carbs 5-10% - I usually try to eat same amount of fat as protein, e.g. 100g fat and 100g protein

    Track your calories and carbs, at least in the beginning, give it at least 2 weeks

    I recommend reading: The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
    http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com/
  • mich19025
    mich19025 Posts: 55 Member
    I did this for a few weeks. To be honest I did enjoy eating on it and it's very good if carbs make you feel like binging all the time. What I didn't do was make sure that my fibre was high enough...ended up horrendous trying to go to the loo! So, I suggest you try and hit that macro. Remember that you deduct the fibre from your total carb intake anyway. At the time I was just thinking that the lower, the better. I stopped doing it as I lift weights and prefer some higher carb for around my workouts and stuff. Still net around 80g which isn't too bad.
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
    Thank you sooo much everyone. I have been off reading and educating myself through all of the sources you all have given me. It has been a great help. Now I am just working on being hungry all the time. It seems to be a contradiction to what everyone says. "Protein keeps you full" so I am considering not counting calories again. But until I get all the info I need on it I will keep counting. Still working on balancing my carbs, fat, and protein properly.

    I have been trying to make sure that I add more fiber I would like to bypass the constipation issue mentioned above lol.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    DaisyR1177 wrote: »
    I have been living the keto lifestyle fo some time now... and have lost a ton of weight. I am so happy now that someone finally developed a pure therapuetic ketone supplement that pops you back into ketosis in 60 minutes... it's making my life even more amazing! You should try it!

    And what's that?

  • lulufee317537
    lulufee317537 Posts: 50 Member
    I'm vegan and I've been doing the keto thing successfully. I mention this because vegan sources of protein will take care of your fiber problems.
    Some good ones are: hemp seeds, hemp powder, hemp tofu (hemp stuff has practically NO net carbs and high protein), tofu of course, beyond meat products, pea protein powder.
    Chia seeds and flax seeds/meal are a great addition for fiber, good omegas, extra calories, and can be filling. There are lots of great nuts that do a good job: pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia.
    Soy milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, in their unsweetened varieties have very small carbs (1g per 8 oz). I like to use them in protein shakes. I use cacao powder, stevia powder, coconut oil, pea protein powder, and blend with some ice. I really like it!
    Oh yeah, stevia is a great natural no calorie sweetener that you can buy in its pure form. It's really a good deal because you can get like 300 servings for $15.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
    DaisyR1177 wrote: »
    I have been living the keto lifestyle fo some time now... and have lost a ton of weight. I am so happy now that someone finally developed a pure therapuetic ketone supplement that pops you back into ketosis in 60 minutes... it's making my life even more amazing! You should try it!

    I googled it and HOW are you (I assume you have a link to this business, of course) able to legally make these claims?

    Do your customers get their money back if they don't lose weight, improve their gut health, and experience a higher sex drive? Did you know that "mental clarity" is listed among the supposed benefits, while "brain fog" is listed as a side effect? And were colored serif fonts really necessary?
  • tashigolean34
    tashigolean34 Posts: 12 Member
    Do not rely on keto sticks. They are highly inaccurate. If you want to test for ketones, blood or breath tests are much better indicators. I would try to avoid sugar alcohols in the beginning as much as possible. You can go to a website called ruledme.com. They have tons of info on keto and recipes you can check out. I make lots of stir frys.
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
    DaisyR1177 wrote: »
    I have been living the keto lifestyle fo some time now... and have lost a ton of weight. I am so happy now that someone finally developed a pure therapuetic ketone supplement that pops you back into ketosis in 60 minutes... it's making my life even more amazing! You should try it!

    Sorry but I am not comfortable with taking those type of supplements. Thanks for replying though.
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
    lulufee317537 wrote: »
    I'm vegan and I've been doing the keto thing successfully. I mention this because vegan sources of protein will take care of your fiber problems.
    Some good ones are: hemp seeds, hemp powder, hemp tofu (hemp stuff has practically NO net carbs and high protein), tofu of course, beyond meat products, pea protein powder.
    Chia seeds and flax seeds/meal are a great addition for fiber, good omegas, extra calories, and can be filling. There are lots of great nuts that do a good job: pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia.
    Soy milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, in their unsweetened varieties have very small carbs (1g per 8 oz). I like to use them in protein shakes. I use cacao powder, stevia powder, coconut oil, pea protein powder, and blend with some ice. I really like it!
    Oh yeah, stevia is a great natural no calorie sweetener that you can buy in its pure form. It's really a good deal because you can get like 300 servings for $15.

    I have considered doing a more vegan approach to this. And will likely try to do more..I just don't like the protein powdered shakes as is. I would have to seriously doctor it up. Thank you!!
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Mission2Me wrote: »
    Thank you sooo much everyone. I have been off reading and educating myself through all of the sources you all have given me. It has been a great help. Now I am just working on being hungry all the time. It seems to be a contradiction to what everyone says. "Protein keeps you full" so I am considering not counting calories again. But until I get all the info I need on it I will keep counting. Still working on balancing my carbs, fat, and protein properly.

    I have been trying to make sure that I add more fiber I would like to bypass the constipation issue mentioned above lol.

    So what happens if you decide NOT to count calories? Low carb or keto isn't what makes one lose weight, it's the calorie deficit. If you stop counting calories....then what?

    How many calories are you eating per day? I do find a lack of hunger cues with low carb and it is one of the main reasons why I choose it as my diet of choice. Are you sure you are in ketosis?

    I have found many people say that ketosis is why they are losing weight, they don't count calories. That is where I am getting that info from.

    I am eating around 1800 calories a day. I am not sure if I am in ketosis. But my carb intake is below 50 a day.
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
    tashigolean34 wrote: »
    Do not rely on keto sticks. They are highly inaccurate. If you want to test for ketones, blood or breath tests are much better indicators. I would try to avoid sugar alcohols in the beginning as much as possible. You can go to a website called ruledme.com. They have tons of info on keto and recipes you can check out. I make lots of stir frys.

    Ok thanks. I haven't been texting for ketosis at all but I will check out the site.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Mission2Me wrote: »
    I have found many people say that ketosis is why they are losing weight, they don't count calories.

    They may not be counting "calories" but the reason they're losing weight isn't because of ketosis. It's because they're consuming fewer calories.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    Mission2Me wrote: »
    I have found many people say that ketosis is why they are losing weight, they don't count calories.

    They may not be counting "calories" but the reason they're losing weight isn't because of ketosis. It's because they're consuming fewer calories.

    This. Picking some random diet, because some random people claim success, when you yourself don't understand the basics of it, is a bad way to approach your goals. Ketosis is NOT the cause of anyone's weight loss, whether they count calories or not. Those who don't accidentally fell into a calorie deficit. It's foolish to think you will accidentally do the same. Keep things simple before trying something more complicated. Manage your calorie deficit and you will lose weight. Easy as that.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited July 2015
    Mission2Me wrote: »
    Now I am just working on being hungry all the time. It seems to be a contradiction to what everyone says. "Protein keeps you full" so I am considering not counting calories again.

    Some people get full on protein. Others on fat. Still others on carbs.

    You'll have to figure out what works best for you.

    And in case you're wondering - yes, it is extremely easy to gain weight on ketogenic diets - be aware of that if you do intent to stop counting.


  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I started the ketogenic diet a few weeks ago and find that keeping it simple has worked best for me.

    Breakfast is always bacon and eggs, and coffee with coconut cream (from a can).
    Mid morning snack is more coffee with cream or coconut cream.
    Lunch is usually a salmon or hamburger patty with cheese and mayo, plus some veggie
    If I snack in the afternoon it is usually a spinach smoothie with avocado, coconut cream, a cucumber and maybe a kiwi, or just a bunch of nuts.
    Dinner is meat with a veggie (tonight was a 4oz steak and green beans with butter). Dinner is where my meals see the most variety.

    I'm eating between 1400 and 2200 calories per day and I've been losing so far (About 7 lbs in the last 3 weeks). I eat when I'm hungry. Once I have lost more, I'm sure I'll need to cut back or get in some exercise to keep it going.

    Ketostix can be bought in the drugstore. They can be a bit helpful in finding out if you have ketones in your urine.

    Best wishes. :)

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