Ketogenic diet

Starting the ketogenic diet again, anyone who succeeded in it , please share, the do's & don'ts

Replies

  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
    I've steered clear of any diets. I have friends who did the ketogenic but they didn't stick with it long. It doesn't seem too sustainable.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    I know a lot of folks who have tried it and I can't think of one that's sustained it long term (a year or more). Some have plugged along for several months and dropped some serious weight, though.
  • nysaxon
    nysaxon Posts: 1 Member
    How are you gauging your carb intake?
  • misscheevers
    misscheevers Posts: 1 Member
    I found it very hard to sustain..
    low carb is more doable
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    I found it very hard to sustain..
    low carb is more doable

    As a lifelong binge-eater I found the opposite. I’ve tried for decades to moderate treats without success, but on keto I’m able to eat sensibly without losing control. It’s honestly the first time in my adult life I’ve been able to eat mindfully for more than a day or two at a time!

    I’d love to reach the point of being able to eat small, sensible portions of starchy and sugary foods, but I’m not there yet and have no idea if I’ll get there. Somehow saying “No” is just easier for me than saying “A little,” and I’m down 14 pounds after two months without feeling like it was actually all that difficult at all.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited February 2018
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat.

    So much wrong in that statement, makes me cringe when I hear that. So you're basically telling the OP to ignore the truth and keep his head in the sand? The OP needs to be aware of how much calories he is consuming or else he will be back on this forum and ask people "I don't understand, I am doing keto and I am still not losing weight". Doing keto doesn't mean eat all the high fats you want without gaining weight. If only it was that easy. Heck I'd binge on peanuts just right now if it meant my body wasn't able to use the fats as an energy source.

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    fb47 wrote: »
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat.

    So much wrong in that statement, makes me cringe when I hear that. So you're basically telling the OP to ignore the truth and keep his head in the sand? The OP needs to be aware of how much calories he is consuming or else he will be back on this forum and ask people "I don't understand, I am doing keto and I am still not losing weight". Doing keto doesn't mean eat all the high fats you want without gaining weight. If only it was that easy. Heck I'd binge on peanuts just right now as we speak.

    16 ounce ribeyes (at about 1200 calories apiece) with bacon for breakfast lunch and dinner FTW! :D
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    ...and keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat...

    The "calories in, calories out" mentality should be in the front seat right next to you, because that's what determines whether or not you lose weight. Not how many carbs you eat or what color a stick turns when you pee on it. Keto is not magic and does not defy the laws of energy balance.

    Exactly. There are people who gain weight on keto, people who love the diet but want to bulk (which requires gaining weight), and there are people who don't feel keto is satisfying so they overeat and gain weight (like me). Keeping calorie balance in the backseat is not good advice.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    fb47 wrote: »
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat.

    So much wrong in that statement, makes me cringe when I hear that. So you're basically telling the OP to ignore the truth and keep his head in the sand? The OP needs to be aware of how much calories he is consuming or else he will be back on this forum and ask people "I don't understand, I am doing keto and I am still not losing weight". Doing keto doesn't mean eat all the high fats you want without gaining weight. If only it was that easy. Heck I'd binge on peanuts just right now as we speak.

    16 ounce ribeyes (at about 1200 calories apiece) with bacon for breakfast lunch and dinner FTW! :D

    I'd eat that for breakfast lunch and supper and my body will starve itself to anorexia because there's no carbs :D
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited February 2018
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    ...and keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat...

    The "calories in, calories out" mentality should be in the front seat right next to you, because that's what determines whether or not you lose weight. Not how many carbs you eat or what color a stick turns when you pee on it. Keto is not magic and does not defy the laws of energy balance.

    Exactly. There are people who gain weight on keto, people who love the diet but want to bulk (which requires gaining weight), and there are people who don't feel keto is satisfying so they overeat and gain weight (like me). Keeping calorie balance in the backseat is not good advice.

    Exactly to the bolded.

    People neglect to mention that fat is the most calorific of the three macros, with over twice the number of calories per gram (9 for fat vs. 4 for protein and carbs). For those who are satiated by fat, keto can help control calorie intake; for those who don't find it particularly satiating and can eat a lot of those foods, it can be a disaster as far as weight loss goes. I love steak, cheese, eggs, bacon, avocados/guacamole, bbq meats, etc. and can eat tons of any/every one of them, so the calories would add up very quickly.

    I challenge anybody who believes in the wondrous magicalness of keto to do an 8-week experiment: Eat 5000 calories per day of low-carb foods, properly weighed and logged, and track your weight for the entire 8 weeks. If calories truly don't matter and it's all about carbs/insulin, as some ketovangelists claim, you should lose weight in that 8 weeks - or at the very least, maintain your current weight. Let us know how that works out for you.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited February 2018
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    ...and keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat...

    The "calories in, calories out" mentality should be in the front seat right next to you, because that's what determines whether or not you lose weight. Not how many carbs you eat or what color a stick turns when you pee on it. Keto is not magic and does not defy the laws of energy balance.

    Exactly. There are people who gain weight on keto, people who love the diet but want to bulk (which requires gaining weight), and there are people who don't feel keto is satisfying so they overeat and gain weight (like me). Keeping calorie balance in the backseat is not good advice.

    Exactly to the bolded.

    People neglect to mention that fat is the most calorific of the three macros, with over twice the number of calories per gram (9 for fat vs. 4 for protein and carbs). For those who are satiated by fat, keto can help control calorie intake; for those who don't find it particularly satiating and can eat a lot of those foods, it can be a disaster as far as weight loss goes. I love steak, cheese, eggs, bacon, avocados/guacamole, bbq meats, etc. and can eat tons of any/every one of them, so the calories would add up very quickly.

    I challenge anybody who believes in the wondrous magicalness of keto to do an 8-week experiment: Eat 5000 calories per day of low-carb foods, properly weighed and logged, and track your weight for the entire 8 weeks. If calories truly don't matter and it's all about carbs/insulin, as some ketovangelists claim, you should lose weight in that 8 weeks - or at the very least, maintain your current weight. Let us know how that works out for you.

    This ^ That's my gripe with some diet fanatics, they will ignore that concept and tell others to ignore CICO. I have seen it many times and that's usually a recipe for disaster. When people want to lose weight, instead of concentrating on CICO which is the direct way of losing weight, people focus too much on diets that are only tools, nothing else.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've been keto for a few years. Restricting carbs can be sustainable when it works well for you, or your health is improved, or you just like the food. For me it has been more sustainable that just restricting calories.

    I would stress getting enough salt. If you don't replace your lost electrolytes you'll end up with the "keto flu"/ electrolyte imbalance.

    The main don't for me is to avoid too many nuts or cheeses. Those are too easy for me to overeat.

    Good luck.

    AnvilHead wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    AWoLL731 wrote: »
    ...and keep the “calories in, calories out” mentality in the back seat...

    The "calories in, calories out" mentality should be in the front seat right next to you, because that's what determines whether or not you lose weight. Not how many carbs you eat or what color a stick turns when you pee on it. Keto is not magic and does not defy the laws of energy balance.

    Exactly. There are people who gain weight on keto, people who love the diet but want to bulk (which requires gaining weight), and there are people who don't feel keto is satisfying so they overeat and gain weight (like me). Keeping calorie balance in the backseat is not good advice.

    Exactly to the bolded.

    People neglect to mention that fat is the most calorific of the three macros, with over twice the number of calories per gram (9 for fat vs. 4 for protein and carbs). For those who are satiated by fat, keto can help control calorie intake; for those who don't find it particularly satiating and can eat a lot of those foods, it can be a disaster as far as weight loss goes. I love steak, cheese, eggs, bacon, avocados/guacamole, bbq meats, etc. and can eat tons of any/every one of them, so the calories would add up very quickly.

    I challenge anybody who believes in the wondrous magicalness of keto to do an 8-week experiment: Eat 5000 calories per day of low-carb foods, properly weighed and logged, and track your weight for the entire 8 weeks. If calories truly don't matter and it's all about carbs/insulin, as some ketovangelists claim, you should lose weight in that 8 weeks - or at the very least, maintain your current weight. Let us know how that works out for you.

    It's not 8-weeks but...
    http://live.smashthefat.com/why-i-didnt-get-fat/

    5000 kcals is extreme. Some do find they can eat a bit more when carbs are low. Probably a hormonal, metabolic health thing. It is not a universal effect.

    I wouldn't make it past the first few sentences. The premise is faulty, the method is faulty, and and is clearly an "experiment" done for the views. I stopped at "body builders eat higher carb when bulking because carbs are easier to store as fat". I don't know how people come up with this. Have you seen a body builder whose goal is to build fat on a bulk?

    I agree, that page has wrong written all over the place.