Keto Diet

Yeah, the most important thing IMO is to stay under 20g carbs/day (fiber doesn't count) for at least 2 weeks to trigger ketosis. I've not seen any studies that say this is unhealthy long term, but for your sanity you may want to slowly add carbs back into your diet until you find a balance where the weight is still coming off and you get to enjoy some "forbidden" foods- in moderation, of course.

Protein is fair game to a point. If you eat too much in a single meal your body may convert it to glucose, which goes counter to the goal of ketosis. I seem to recall the threshold for this being in the 50-70g range.

The only restriction on fat is that it is calorie dense and you still don't want to go nuts on calories. But until you achieve ketosis, don't worry too much about calories as most people will naturally experience a decreased appetite once ketosis kicks in. Enjoying the satiety of a full belly in the biggining is one of the reasons keto can be easier to get into and stick with.

Good luck!

Traditional keto is 5% carbs, 20% protein, 75% fat, no more than 20 net grams of carbs daily. The percents are by calories, not weight. What people don't talk about is that you also have to stay in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

If you're starting - keto flu is the real deal. A lot of the problem is dehydration and too little sodium and electrolytes. I avoided it almost completely by drinking Powerade Zero and taking a multivitamin. Take extra care of yourself the first week. Hot showers help. So does getting a lot of sleep. That first week, if you're tired, don't caffeinate, take a nap.

I've been doing keto for 10 weeks and have lost 21 pounds. Right on target for safe weight loss. Additionally, I have a lot more energy for exercise, I'm building muscle mass (visibly!) and probably had a metabolism bump. It's like a domino effect, one thing leads to the next and the next.

EleanaM wrote: »

Oh my I definitely got more info than I thought! Thank you!

I was going crazy on the fat a couple days ago. I've been Google'ing a whole lot but all the info contradicts. I have more like 85lbs to lose so I won't be adding any carbs ....any time soon lol

I did read that it could be a life style change as long as you keep Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium & a multivitamin for anything that is not being consumed with food. Don't really $$$$ a nutritionist at the time

The Paleo diet (or Whole 30, if you'd prefer) is a great way to keep cutting carbs and maintain healthy ketosis naturally. Also, cutting dairy has helped me a lot. The ketone products are useful if you can maintain the weight loss long term, but I haven't seen many come off the products and sustain weight loss.

EleanaM wrote: »

Do you think I haven't reached Ketosis? I've been tired ALL my life and since I started eating high fat I feel so much energy.....I'm not sure if i hit Ketosis? I also need to count calories! Wasn't really doing that....

Thank you so much guys.

If you are eating fewer than 20-30g of carbs per day, you should be in ketosis. Those who are active and metabolically healthy (no insulin resistance) can often go up to and over 50g of carbs per day.

If you want to know if you are in ketosis, you could always test. There are urine strips, blood testers, and breath testers. Urine Ketostix are the cheapest. They show if you have excess ketones spilling into your urine.

Ketosis is not needed for weight loss though. Most of us stick with it due to the health benefits... Like more energy.

You will need to be in a caloric deficit in order to lose weight. Counting your calories may or may not be needed in order to do that. I counted calories for the first few months out of curiosity. I find that if I keep carbs low enough (below 20g) my appetite is suppressed and I do not eat too much. Others count and always count.

Join the Low Carber Daily mfp group for more keto support. Good luck.