Hello. Welcome to the Keto Community. I and plenty of others I'm sure will be happy to provide you with any info you'd like.

How are things going for you on the protocol? I'm not overly familiar with it, but try to focus on LCHF, whole foods. It is a constant work in progress. Feel free to add me if you are still looking for friends!

@Libmatos Great food list! Exactly what I am gearing towards. I love that 95% of Keto / LC WOE foods are things I can totally get down with. I am in the middle of phasing out the existing carby food supply in my kitchen as I am working with a budget at the moment before going hardcore Keto / LC. Also integrating more GF and organic options. Going shopping today and picking up sardines (never had them before, going to try them in a spinach salad) and I am loving Aldi's unrefined organic cold-pressed coconut oil. I love the light scent and less than $5!! I bought another organic brand (refined) prior and the quality is not there in comparison.

I have been doing the BPC religiously every morning and am coming up on 3 weeks of use. A couple of interesting and marked personal developments...

I don't know if this stuff is lubricanting my brain and readjusting hormones or what, but I am surprisingly no longer struggling with some previously hateful/negative thoughts over select things and ppl (hello, ex-H!). Lol That being said, I generally tend to gear towards positivity and self-improvement, but these little craw-sticking areas I kept coming back to with MUCH frustration (we're talking a year plus). Now, there is minimal struggle to redirect my thinking to better thoughts and/or being able to have a more neutral and forgiving approach. That in itself is pretty amazing to me and has me sticking to the BPC.

As many have reported in their experience, my energy levels and focus are also up. I am WAY more productive at work these days. I don't have to force myself to complete tasks I used to purposefully avoid. In consideration of the 80/20 factor, I am probably at 40/60 now. I wish I could let my boss know that. Haha

I have noticed this perpetual spot of blemishes on one of my cheeks has improved noticeably since yesterday. I have been lazy about cleaning my makeup brushes and suspected that was a big contributing factor. But less than 3 weeks in, my skin is 'magically' clearing up. My brushes will get the attention they need today. :-)

Weight loss is finally progressing better than expected with minimal effort. I would be thrilled to reach an 8 lb loss by the 30 day mark. I am also drinking WAY less and not missing it so much. I am sure that ties into the improved well being / thinking factor and giving the assist to the gradual weight loss. In retrospect, the increased boozing developed to distract myself during the periods where I could not effectively shift those episodes of negative thinking. Previously, my alcohol consumption was at normal recreational levels.

I am excited about seeing the evidence of REAL physical improvement through diet within such a short amount of time. This has encouraged me to be more diligent about this WOE. My eyesight is not the best and I am looking to see improvement in that next (pretty nearsighted and am now moving into the bifocals stage here in my early 40's - ugh). I noticed many of the Keto / LC recommended foods are chock-full of lutein (Kale, spinach, mushrooms, nuts, etc). Yay!

I didn't intend this post to be so long, but I am just thrilled about discovering this WOE and how much easier it is compared to previous 'dieting' efforts. I am finding it way easier to integrate into my life and to get back on track when a day goes sideways here and there. I also love the experimentation factor and am keen to see how things will be when I go full steam and start experimenting more with recipes.

I am looking for more Keto / LC focused friends as well.

Edited: Typos

Their way of eating does result in weight fat loss, it does protect hormones, it gives you phytonutrients you may have been missing and it has improved both my energy and sleep. Loved the long post btw. Am not a big meat eater so Paleo is out as are any protein heavy diets. I was a vegetarisn for nany years. Had 3 very healthy babies, so jeat is not required. However, I lije fish, nutscand the occasional meat item. So this is great for me.

I ran across the bulletproof site a while back, from one of my nootropics groups, but I don't drink coffee very often, so focused more at the time on his dietary recommendations.

I started 16/8 Intermittent fasting last week, and then on Friday listening to his podcast, found the bulletproof suggestion that you could have BPC in the morning during "fasting" but since it is no carb, does not affect insulin etc. I had purchased MCT oil and use it in my protein shakes, and there was some crappy (Folgers) office coffee... I was sooo hungry at only about 12 hours in, so decided to try it. https://blog.bulletproof.com/bulletproof-intermittent-fasting-the-definitive-guide/

I did bulletproof coffee for the first time on Friday and found my blood sugar that afternoon, a few hours after lunch, was 84!! Which as a diabetic is amazing. test Saturday, 16 hours fasting, super low carb, but no bulletproof coffee, and the lowest reading in the afternoon was 118 (which is more typical for me lately). For reference, blood glucose under 100 when fasting is normal (non-diabetic) and I've been getting readings around 135 every morning after fasting. I am going to continue my Bulletproof Coffee experiments next week! I am also going to buy some better coffee because Folgers is crap.

I also just started listening to the very informative bulletproof podcasts last week, and would highly recommend them https://blog.bulletproof.com/category/podcasts/

@mtague7733 start here: https://blog.bulletproof.com/bulletproof-for-beginners/

@Libmatos don't worry so much about counting calories, focus more on just staying under your goal for carbs or net carbs (total carb - fiber). enjoy all the yummy and satisfying high-fat foods that keep you from feeling hungry, and you will find that you are still losing weight.

I've been at 2,000 - 2,400 calories per day since I started tracking at the beginning of this year, and have lost 8 pounds. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator says my estimated BMR (base metabolic rate, or how many calories you burn each day) is: 1,562 calories/day, so by low-calorie theories (3,500 calories fewer than you burn = lose a pound, or 500 calorie deficit per day x 7 = 1 pound lost in a week, also +500/day = 1 pound gained). anyway, by that formula, my calories in - BMR = 1-2 pounds weight gained each week, when in reality, I have been losing. my point is counting carbs works, even without counting calories.