Opinions on the keto diet??

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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    As for minimizing: if you were keeping an eye on a hard upper carb limit I’m not sure how you could not.

    My "hard" upper carb limit was 50 g net carbs, although I tried to keep it more like 35, as I said.

    I decided to try keto after some discussions at MFP that got me curious, and when I was eating around 100-120 g on average before, so I was pretty aware of how I needed to cut carbs to get down to the desired level. My plan was not to cut vegetables at all, but to cut out fruit (other than avocado) and down to no more than one serving of greek yogurt or other more carby dairy (I generally eat 1-2 servings of nuts/seeds and planned to keep that the same).

    I was a little surprised that I actually did have to watch my veg some or would go over. I do eat a lot of leafy greens, as they are very important to me, and of course they weren't the issue, but I like to have a good variety of other veg and was surprised at how carbs from things like broccoli and cauliflower and the aforementioned brussels sprouts, as well as things like leeks and onions, can add up. I generally think that when eating non starchy veg there shouldn't need to be a limit on them. I was still eating plenty of servings, but fewer than I prefer, and in an ideal world I'd like to be able to fit in fruit without cutting down on things I think are good for me like veg or nuts, and I also would prefer to get more of my protein from non animal sources like beans and lentils, so it wasn't a good fit, although it was an interesting experiment I'm glad I did, and I didn't dislike it.
    In my first couple weeks of keto I felt like I could barely spare the room for fruit or veggies, because they would cost me too many carbs and then I’d be stuck with none left at the end of the day and have to eat 400 calories of meat straight or something.

    See, I started with the assumption that pretty much all my carbs would be vegetables, and that to me is a non negotiable that I would not cut. That's why I got a bad impression when I decided to try a keto challenge (for fun and encouragement from other newbies) and got told that more than 20 was doing it wrong, and when I said I couldn't imagine getting that low without cutting veg was told that that was what I should do.

    I will emphasize that this did not happen in the Low Carb group, which I think is a great resource and full of people with an openness to the whole spectrum of low carb options and who don't push the idea that everyone should do under 20.
    Switching to a ratio perspective made it impossible to eat all my carbs in one meal, because I get new ones every time I eat. That way every meal has room for either a couple servings of low-carb veggies, or a smaller amount of fruit—sometimes both. And I try to eat them all, because otherwise that’s a missed opportunity. :smile:

    Yes, I had vegetables at all meals, that's one of my personal rules. But I was still either going over my intended carb goal or having to have smaller/fewer servings than I am used to.

    For me trying to hit a specific ratio per meal would have made it harder, as one thing I like is flexibility, but I tend to eat most of my non veg carbs at dinner anyway (except that I normally have a salad with nuts or seeds at lunch and would often have half an avocado with breakfast).
    BTW I don’t feel the magical, superpower keto high people describe, either. All it really is for me is a benchmark: as long as I test in keto I know I’m not deluding myself about how many carbs I’m really eating. And trying to stay in my keto ratio incentivizes me to be more accurate about things like cooking fats and nuts, because more of those things allows me to eat more carbs. So I’m less likely to “eyeball down” calorie-dense foods, because I WANT their calories. Better logging, more homemade meals, and enthusiasm about produce aren’t direct “side effects,” obviously, but they are benefits of keto for me.

    Yeah, I totally see how it could be enjoyable for someone or helpful, I'm not anti keto at all. I just think it DOES require restriction of some foods that are quite healthful (contrary to the claim that it was just about restricting things you shouldn't eat anyway), and my own personal experience was that I had to basically eliminate fruit, which I love (I mostly eat it in season so I was good with keto in Feb-May and then quit) and did have to reduce/worry about vegetables more. But I certainly agree that it's possible to get a decent amount of veg, and more than the average American eats (which is deplorable, though) on keto. Just not as many as I personally prefer.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Running_and_Coffee wrote: »
    Keto makes the CICO at a deficit easier. For some people. (Like me.) Why is this controversial? There are thousands of diets out there.

    BTW, I eat a ton of veggies!!!

    Nothing controversial, it's just that keto community is where people spread the most bs out of all diets out there. I suggest you read some comments from keto users, some comments are just laughable because they spread false information and praise the diet for more than what it is. Look at the comments above me from the keto users, quotes like these "there's not that many healthy carbs outside of vegetables " makes me roll my eyes.

    I did IF on my cut and it's not like I go jump over joy (a-la Tom Cruise) over it, it's only a freaking tool, I know IF is not for everyone, IF is not the best diet or the worst diet, it's on par with any other diet out there, so why should I make a big stink of it like some people do with the keto diet?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    anthonynaylor wrote: »
    Keto is great. Keeps you eating pretty healthy. If you think about it, there's not that many healthy carbs outside of vegetables (particularly leafy-greens), so it just makes it less to think about.

    Matter of opinion, I guess. I've seen plenty of real world evidence to suggest fruit and whole grains are pretty good for you too.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    anthonynaylor wrote: »
    Keto is great. Keeps you eating pretty healthy. If you think about it, there's not that many healthy carbs outside of vegetables (particularly leafy-greens), so it just makes it less to think about.

    Matter of opinion, I guess. I've seen plenty of real world evidence to suggest fruit and whole grains are pretty good for you too.

    Yep. Beans and lentils too.

    I'd even suggest that potatoes and sweet potatoes are pretty healthy. (Gasp!)

    You can eat a really unhealthy diet on keto too. And obviously you can eat a pretty healthy diet, just as with almost any way of eating.
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    mmapags wrote: »
    greauxe wrote: »
    greenetaylor27 wrote: »
    I am a mother of two with a very busy schedule! I’ve been logging foods and exercising somewhat regularly for about 2-3 weeks and have lost about 3lbs. I’ve read a lot on how the keto diet can shred you down rather quickly, and “grains and carbs are poison” or what have you.
    To me it just seems like a lot of work and also rather confusing. I’m fairly new to this new healthy lifestyle and didn’t know if anyone similar to my situation had bad luck— or thoughts and opinions ?? Thanks!

    I've lost 21 lbs from Feb 20, 2018 to Mar 15, 2018. I did it by initially fasting (zero food, just water) for three days which put me into ketosis very quickly (I use test strips to verify). Six pounds were gone in the first week and I dropped an average of around 5-7 lbs/week in the following weeks. The reason I fasted was to hit keto quickly as it would normally take about three weeks of a really low carb diet to get there otherwise. I've maintained a strict diet of no more than 30 carbs daily and have fasted intermittently, ie 18 hours without eating, etc from time to time. My goal is to lose 25 MORE pounds after which I'll adopt a more normal diet- still watching my carbs. My blood pressure has gone down (to a normal range) since losing the weight and I feel great. I told my Dr. what I did to lose the weight so quickly and she was thrilled. She's been wanting me to lose weight for a while and she reminded me to keep up my protein intake, eat avocados (healthy fat), fiber, and of course water. I've somehow become accustomed to eating one meal (or no meals) daily which is no small feat for a guy who used to eat WAY too much. Anyway don't rule out keto for a quick weight loss, but understand that it's not really sustainable. You'll probably grow tired of it after a while.

    How much muscle mass do you think you lost during that period of rapid weight loss? 21 lbs in 23 days is almost a lb per day. Some was water weight, some was fat, some was muscle mass.

    A lot of that weight loss is water. And some fat loss. And some muscle loss.

    Losing so much weight so fast is unsafe. And the consequences can be adverse and even life-long.
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    sunfastrose wrote: »
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    karintalley wrote: »
    I prefer the "eat all you want and lose weight diet". Like drinking wine, , eating chocolate and cheese and BREAD, and lose 1 pound a week...diet.

    I'm glad that works for you. Last time I took a diet break and ate all I wanted, I gained 32 lbs. in 20 days. Of that 32 lbs., 19 was fat.

    But she didn't say she ate all she wanted. She eats a variety of foods and is able to make her choices in such a way that she is in a caloric deficit.

    Of that 32 pounds you regained, much is water.

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