Thinking about trying keto
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TearaP94
Posts: 1 Member
Hello everyone,
I’ve been reading up on the keto diet and thinking about trying it because low carb, low sugar. I am a lover of pasta, bread, rice, potatoes; everything that’s not allowed on keto. But I know that those are contributing to my weight gain.
Anyone doing keto mind sharing how they got started, any difficulties, your struggles, successes with alternatives for high carb foods. (I love fries, well anything potato really. I know it’ll be hard for me to not eat it)
I’ve been reading up on the keto diet and thinking about trying it because low carb, low sugar. I am a lover of pasta, bread, rice, potatoes; everything that’s not allowed on keto. But I know that those are contributing to my weight gain.
Anyone doing keto mind sharing how they got started, any difficulties, your struggles, successes with alternatives for high carb foods. (I love fries, well anything potato really. I know it’ll be hard for me to not eat it)
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Replies
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If it sounds hard, maybe it's not the best diet for you?13
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Hello everyone,
I’ve been reading up on the keto diet and thinking about trying it because low carb, low sugar. I am a lover of pasta, bread, rice, potatoes; everything that’s not allowed on keto. But I know that those are contributing to my weight gain.
Anyone doing keto mind sharing how they got started, any difficulties, your struggles, successes with alternatives for high carb foods. (I love fries, well anything potato really. I know it’ll be hard for me to not eat it)
anything can contribute to weight gain if you eat too much of it. I still eat pasta and other things and I lost weight just fine. I just make them fit into my calories. just for example. I ate too many fruits and veggies and gained LOTS of weight because I was eating more than my body burned.9 -
I'm in Keto! Been doing it since April! I eat the same things all the time to keep my self consistent and to make food prep easy for me. I also take some "time off" here and there especially when I'm traveling or away from home. I never go crazy but I'm just trying to stay sane.
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Hello everyone,
I’ve been reading up on the keto diet and thinking about trying it because low carb, low sugar. I am a lover of pasta, bread, rice, potatoes; everything that’s not allowed on keto. But I know that those are contributing to my weight gain.
Anyone doing keto mind sharing how they got started, any difficulties, your struggles, successes with alternatives for high carb foods. (I love fries, well anything potato really. I know it’ll be hard for me to not eat it)
If it's hard, why do it.
To lose weight all you need to do is eat less. Carbs and sugar do not have magic fat molecules. You don't have to give them up.
It's really all about portion size. I still have pasta, potatoes, even fast food and treats, and I'm losing weight. All I do is make sure to stay within my calorie budget. I am also the person who has been known to go for a run in order to get the exercise calories because I want a slice of cake.13 -
I'm in Keto! Been doing it since April! I eat the same things all the time to keep my self consistent and to make food prep easy for me. I also take some "time off" here and there especially when I'm traveling or away from home. I never go crazy but I'm just trying to stay sane.
If someone has to take time off from their diet to stay sane I'd suggest that maybe their chosen way of eating is not sustainable long-term for them and they should rethink their decision. What are your plans once you reach your goal weight? Can you imagine eating keto for the rest of your life? If not then you really need to seriously consider not just how to plan to lose weight, but how you plan to keep that weight off for life. Losing weight is the easy part. Maintaining that loss for life is the biggest challenge and one where over 80% fail. If you want to be in that 20% then you really need to make lifetime changes rather than follow some unsustainable diet short term.14 -
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Lillymoo01 wrote: »I'm in Keto! Been doing it since April! I eat the same things all the time to keep my self consistent and to make food prep easy for me. I also take some "time off" here and there especially when I'm traveling or away from home. I never go crazy but I'm just trying to stay sane.
If someone has to take time off from their diet to stay sane I'd suggest that maybe their chosen way of eating is not sustainable long-term for them and they should rethink their decision. What are your plans once you reach your goal weight? Can you imagine eating keto for the rest of your life? If not then you really need to seriously consider not just how to plan to lose weight, but how you plan to keep that weight off for life. Losing weight is the easy part. Maintaining that loss for life is the biggest challenge and one where over 80% fail. If you want to be in that 20% then you really need to make lifetime changes rather than follow some unsustainable diet short term.
I understand where you are coming from but I only "take time off" because I'm still trying to become an expert at it and trying to find things out and about when I'm not at home has been kinda tough lately. But on getting there. I love this lifestyle and how it makes my body feel so I'm a lifer. Everyone has struggled with certain things in their lives. 3 -
Hello everyone,
I’ve been reading up on the keto diet and thinking about trying it because low carb, low sugar. I am a lover of pasta, bread, rice, potatoes; everything that’s not allowed on keto. But I know that those are contributing to my weight gain.
Anyone doing keto mind sharing how they got started, any difficulties, your struggles, successes with alternatives for high carb foods. (I love fries, well anything potato really. I know it’ll be hard for me to not eat it)
You don't have to give up carbs, but you can lower them. Most people eat very large portions of carbs, which is where the problem lies. For example, a slightly cupped handful of dry pasta or rice is a portion. A bowlful could be anywhere from two to five portions. Three or four small boiled potatoes or a medium baked potato is a portion. A small serving of french fries is a portion, but regular fries can be 1.5, two or even three.
You could do keto, but would you be able to sustain it in the long term? Maybe try reducing your portion sizes first, then, when you're eating correct portions and you still want to do it, do it. But explore other possibilities first before embarking on an eating plan that you already acknowledge will be hard for you to sustain, especially if it involves restricting or eliminating foods you enjoy.6 -
Millicent3015 wrote: »You could do keto, but would you be able to sustain it in the long term? Maybe try reducing your portion sizes first, then, when you're eating correct portions and you still want to do it, do it. But explore other possibilities first before embarking on an eating plan that you already acknowledge will be hard for you to sustain, especially if it involves restricting or eliminating foods you enjoy.
Fat is the most satiating of the 3 macros due mainly to the effects of severely reduced insulin levels that allow the hormone leptin to win the battle over hunger. When insulin is high or in higher levels than leptin, the signal to decrease appetite is lost. When insulin is low, leptin wins and the appetite is suppressed.
I do not deny that I have been a glutton most of my life and none of it was good. I craved all the crappy foods. At my worst I would eat breakfast at home (half a box of Cap'n Crunch maybe), eat a couple packs of Pop-Tarts on the way to work... stop at McDonald's or Jack N The Box on the way and eat it before I got to work.... 6 miles from home. I would then get some sort of cake or something like a Spunkmeyer muffin once I got to work and wash it down with a chocolate milk. Every 2 hours or less I would be in the break room eating more and more. I would dip Snickers Bars in chocolate pudding or frosting and eat chocolate frosting right out of the can with a spoon. I would raid the Accounting Department where there are always donuts and pastries and candy. If I brought donuts to work myself for everyone, I would get 4 for me for the ride in, then get 2 from the ones I brought and stash them for later while eating a couple more. Pizza meant a whole one at a time.
I know sweets and cravings and I can say this.... when I started low carb/high protein (85/160) I lost weight eating something small every couple hours but I didn't enjoy it. I was eating because I was supposed to eat something small (hard boiled egg, cheese, nuts, etc). Eventually I gained the weight back over a couple years. All of it.
Started over on the same path but eventually switched to doing the same thing but with 20:4 intermittent fasting and found it was much easier to stay on track. I didn't have the cravings so much. Then when I switched to keto with the IF, the cravings pretty much went away for the reasons I stated above. Never in a million years would I have believed I could eat this way and more importantly, NOT eat the way I had been doing for the better part of 40 years, certainly the 30+ of my adulthood.
Do I occasionally go crazy at an Asian buffet or Sizzler and eat carby stuff I don't normally? Yes, on occasion, but I don't crave the stuff. I just enjoy it more when I do get it.
It took me 50 years to truly give a crap about my nutrition and not just turn a blind eye to the effects the standard American diet has on the body and why obesity, diabetes and heart disease is rampant and I refuse to be a statistic on those fronts.
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UncaToddly wrote: »Millicent3015 wrote: »You could do keto, but would you be able to sustain it in the long term? Maybe try reducing your portion sizes first, then, when you're eating correct portions and you still want to do it, do it. But explore other possibilities first before embarking on an eating plan that you already acknowledge will be hard for you to sustain, especially if it involves restricting or eliminating foods you enjoy.
Fat is the most satiating of the 3 macros due mainly to the effects of severely reduced insulin levels that allow the hormone leptin to win the battle over hunger. When insulin is high or in higher levels than leptin, the signal to decrease appetite is lost. When insulin is low, leptin wins and the appetite is suppressed.
I do not deny that I have been a glutton most of my life and none of it was good. I craved all the crappy foods. At my worst I would eat breakfast at home (half a box of Cap'n Crunch maybe), eat a couple packs of Pop-Tarts on the way to work... stop at McDonald's or Jack N The Box on the way and eat it before I got to work.... 6 miles from home. I would then get some sort of cake or something like a Spunkmeyer muffin once I got to work and wash it down with a chocolate milk. Every 2 hours or less I would be in the break room eating more and more. I would dip Snickers Bars in chocolate pudding or frosting and eat chocolate frosting right out of the can with a spoon. I would raid the Accounting Department where there are always donuts and pastries and candy. If I brought donuts to work myself for everyone, I would get 4 for me for the ride in, then get 2 from the ones I brought and stash them for later while eating a couple more. Pizza meant a whole one at a time.
I know sweets and cravings and I can say this.... when I started low carb/high protein (85/160) I lost weight eating something small every couple hours but I didn't enjoy it. I was eating because I was supposed to eat something small (hard boiled egg, cheese, nuts, etc). Eventually I gained the weight back over a couple years. All of it.
Started over on the same path but eventually switched to doing the same thing but with 20:4 intermittent fasting and found it was much easier to stay on track. I didn't have the cravings so much. Then when I switched to keto with the IF, the cravings pretty much went away for the reasons I stated above. Never in a million years would I have believed I could eat this way and more importantly, NOT eat the way I had been doing for the better part of 40 years, certainly the 30+ of my adulthood.
Do I occasionally go crazy at an Asian buffet or Sizzler and eat carby stuff I don't normally? Yes, on occasion, but I don't crave the stuff. I just enjoy it more when I do get it.
It took me 50 years to truly give a crap about my nutrition and not just turn a blind eye to the effects the standard American diet has on the body and why obesity, diabetes and heart disease is rampant and I refuse to be a statistic on those fronts.
Fat is the most satiating macro FOR YOU. You will find that the majority of people find protein to be the most satiating. Think about it. Many that lower their carbs and increase their fat are also increasing their protein. Some find high fibre foods most satiating. Others high starch. Others simply need a good balance of macros. It is very individual and to claim that we are all universal in this aspect is simply wrong.12 -
UncaToddly wrote: »
Fat is the most satiating of the 3 macros
For you. And that's great, you've found what works for you. If you're losing weight, it's because you're in a calorie deficit - not because you eat a magical combination of macros. If fat satisfies you, it's likely to be a great help to keeping you in that deficit and that's wonderful. Not all people are alike in this respect, and it's fallacy to proclaim that fat is the most satiating of all macros for all humans. It's simply not so.
I find protein far more sating than fat, and typically let my fat fall where it may. I also do not restrict any particular food or food group, and I'm losing weight just fine, and feel sated pretty much all the time (unless I miss my protein goal). I would be just as wrong to declare protein the miracle macro for satiety.
If it's hard, why do it.
To lose weight all you need to do is eat less. Carbs and sugar do not have magic fat molecules. You don't have to give them up.
It's really all about portion size. I still have pasta, potatoes, even fast food and treats, and I'm losing weight. All I do is make sure to stay within my calorie budget. I am also the person who has been known to go for a run in order to get the exercise calories because I want a slice of cake.
ALL of this ^^^
Word to the wise: Unless it's medically necessary, don't give up anything now that you can't live with forever. This doesn't have to be hard. Just log accurately and stay within your calorie limit.
You probably already have the skills you need. I'm assuming that you have bills and an income. You spend in a way that sees to your needs and doesn't leave you broke and owing people money at the end of the month, I'm sure. Same thing. You're spending calories. Make a budget, stick to it. That's it.
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UncaToddly wrote: »Carbs and sugar do not have magic fat molecules.
Well, since sugar are carbs.... but you are wrong on your premise. It is a big difference in how your body handles carbohydrates, it is the reason why one of the best diets (and what was prescribed for a very long time) for diabetics and those with insulin resistance are low carb and ketogenic diets.
Carbs get converted into glucose in the body and then that glucose is distributed to the cells in the form of glycogen. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the world has more than enough glycogen stored up in the liver and muscles so when insulin pulls the excess sugar from the blood and all of it's storage places are filled, it converts it fat to use as energy in the future... which is what it was designed to do to give us a fuel source in times of famine or low food availability. For most of us those latter times don't come anymore so we don't use those stores like we were designed to do.
You can think that they don't have "magic fat molecules" but the reality is that of the 3 macronutrients, carbohydrates and protein are the two that produce an insulin response and keep the cycle going of fat storage. Fat, the key macro in a ketogenic eating plan, does not produce an insulin response and by keeping your carb low and your protein at moderate levels you can switch your body to using the fat it has stored away as it's primary fuel rather than being a sugar burner. It does part of this naturally when you sleep and are not eating but not in large amounts and will do more of it the longer you go without eating because the body is not going to let itself. When you switch yourself over to a ketogenic system, your body simply stops waiting for more sugar to come in to use and uses the fat that you eat and then begins breaking down fat in the body to supply it's energy needs.
I highly recommend you read/listen to "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes as a starter. There are many others out there as well. And although it is a bit "diet planny", Mark Hyman's "Eat Fat, Get Thin" is a another good one that covers a lot of how the body works and why calories in/calories out is not all that matters.
I am not diabetic, so I have no need to monitor my sugar intake.
That is not how a normal human body works.
Doing pure CICO, I eat a relatively high carb diet. I eat junk food, fried foods, sugar, (along with a mostly healthy diet) I just stick to my calorie budget. I've also lost a total of 190lbs so far. The reason I was obese: I was eating more than my body was using, the reason I'm no longer obese: I eat fewer calories than what my body uses.
A ketogenic diet is just like any other diet, for some with legitimate medical issues (diabetes) it's just a way of life. For others it's a choice. But just like any other diet, in order to have permanent results, you need to make it your permanent diet.
I think I will stick to all of my human anatomy & physiology classes and biology classes required for my clinical psych degree. The instructors have the first name of Doctor, about half are also MD's (other half are PhD), they seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about how the human body works, and are more helpful as I can ask them specific questions.
Note: the before picture is about 50lbs lighter than my heaviest, I just don't have a picture of me at my heaviest.
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Hello everyone,
I’ve been reading up on the keto diet and thinking about trying it because low carb, low sugar. I am a lover of pasta, bread, rice, potatoes; everything that’s not allowed on keto. But I know that those are contributing to my weight gain.
Anyone doing keto mind sharing how they got started, any difficulties, your struggles, successes with alternatives for high carb foods. (I love fries, well anything potato really. I know it’ll be hard for me to not eat it)
I started by cutting out refined and highly processed carbs like baked goods, noodles, sugars and cereals. From there I cut back on fruits, especially dried or tropical fruits, and really limited my root vegetables (potatoes, yams, onions, turnips, carrots, etc). After a few years, I started to limit my veggies and nuts because I found that I feel better doing so.
The most common keto problem seems to be not replacing list electrolytes. You'll need 3000-5000 mg sodium a day, and 2300 mg = 1 tsp of salt. Eating a half teaspoon of salt or some salty boullion, along with liberally salting your food, helps to avoid low electrolyte symptoms like headaches, fatigue, brain fog, stomach upset, muscle weakness, etc.5 -
Eat less, keep your diet balanced and exercise. Only a calorie deficit will make you lose weight. Calculate your percent fat to determine the number of calories you burn at rest (look for those formulas online from people trying to build muscle and burn fat) then use a fitness tracker linked to MyFitnessPal to get your real calorie burn when you work out. Keep a 10% to 20% deficit daily. You’ll gradually lose weight. Every few weeks, have a cheat day or 2, only 10-20% over your calorie goal. That will trick your body and your cortisol level back up. I try to eat about 1g of protein per pound of body weight but it’s not a hard rule. I just do it since I lift weight as part of my exercise regime, It helps maintain muscle mass. Don’t fret about the scale: your weight will vary depending on your cycles also. I tend to retain water during my periods. What matters is that on average you lose a few pounds a month. Keto for no specific medical reason is everything a diet shouldn’t be: hard to keep up with, not really good/tasty after a while, and difficult to manage. Just my opinion, of course. Not judging, a lot of my friends do it and have a hard time with it.3
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@UncaToddly I can easily mindlessly eat an entire canister of plain lightly salted nuts and not feel full even though it's over 1000 calories. I can eat a 200 calorie bowl of oatmeal and blueberries and be full for hours.
I overeat fat. I find fiber and protein keeps me earing the right amount of cals with ease.
Please stop hijacking the OP'S thread. I'm sure you can find one of the many threads in the Debate forum where you can argue the science. OP just wanted to hear people's experience and tips.
OP, you don't have to do low carb or keto to lose weight but some people do find it makes it easier to get into a deficit. Why not try a less extreme carb level first, like 100g and start logging. Play around with it a little, and then go lower if/when you're ready? Most people I know who succeeded with low carb didn't really use substitutes they just increased the other stuff on their plate and focused on using their carbs for veggies and berries.
I lost weight and have been pretty easily maintaining on around 50% carbs, 200 ish grams. I am more comfortable and energetic eating that way, and my goal is to eat like the Blue Zones or the Mediterranean style. You just have to find what works for you. Good luck!4 -
TeeP17, I have been on strict keto since 8/12. My boyfriend and I started the same day. He is lazy keto and I am strict. He only counts his carb intake and stays below 20g per day. He is still eating certain fast foods (no breads or grains) and snacks when he is hungry. He is already noticeably losing inches off his waist. My story is much different. The diet is more complicated for me because I have to put in more work as far as closely monitoring how much I am taking in to meet my macros or stay under. A food scale is a necessity for me. I tend to quite often stay hungry because I still haven't found the right foods to keep my hunger down and stay within macros.
If you want to try keto, be sure to keep your electrolytes up. I suffered the "keto flu" one day during the first week because I hadn't really drank any water the day before. I suggest lots of water mixed with 1/4 tsp of potassium salt each serving. This tastes better with water flavorings. I take a women's supplement every day as well with a magnesium supplement. If you feel your electrolytes are off, drinking pickle juice helped me.
I miss a lot of foods that I used to eat, but have found some great dupe recipes online. I make pizza weekly, but it obviously doesn't taste the same. It isn't bad, though. I also have found some great fat bomb recipes that taste delicious when I want something sweet and I need to get my macros fulfilled.
My boyfriend likes variety, so there is a lot of cooking involved for us. Keeping a weekly food schedule is a good idea. I tend to boil eggs, cook bacon, and make the fat bombs on the weekend to make sure they are readily available throughout the week for snacking on. I also plan on making a large salad and putting these into Mason jars to quickly grab and eat through the week.
If you would like to add me, you are more than welcome to if you are still interesting in trying keto. I will help if I can. 1 -
To try and get the thread back to the OP.....
If your boss gave you a difficult task to do at work would you try and make it as easy as possible or deliberately try and make it as hard and unpleasant as possible?
Which approach would you think would have the highest chance of success?
I also love starchy carbs and find them the most satiating and enjoyable foods (then high protein foods, then high fat foods last). It would be really daft and extremely short term view to ignore my preferences.
I just eat them (and the rest of my varied diet) in the appropriate quantities.8 -
If you enjoy carbs and want to sustain long-term I would suggest you don't do Keto. You can lose weight by CICO, it doesn't matter what you eat, you just have to remain in a deficit.
You can still eat all the food you enjoy and love, you just need to eat less of it.
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Lillymoo01 wrote: »I'm in Keto! Been doing it since April! I eat the same things all the time to keep my self consistent and to make food prep easy for me. I also take some "time off" here and there especially when I'm traveling or away from home. I never go crazy but I'm just trying to stay sane.
If someone has to take time off from their diet to stay sane I'd suggest that maybe their chosen way of eating is not sustainable long-term for them and they should rethink their decision. What are your plans once you reach your goal weight? Can you imagine eating keto for the rest of your life? If not then you really need to seriously consider not just how to plan to lose weight, but how you plan to keep that weight off for life. Losing weight is the easy part. Maintaining that loss for life is the biggest challenge and one where over 80% fail. If you want to be in that 20% then you really need to make lifetime changes rather than follow some unsustainable diet short term.
I understand where you are coming from but I only "take time off" because I'm still trying to become an expert at it and trying to find things out and about when I'm not at home has been kinda tough lately. But on getting there. I love this lifestyle and how it makes my body feel so I'm a lifer. Everyone has struggled with certain things in their lives.
I missed your response. It seems I misinterpreted what was written (the joys of when communication is via written language only and body language and tone is taken out of the mix). I am actually really glad to hear that you are enjoying your keto lifestyle. Good luck with finding that adjustment for eating away from home. The same applies for all of us when eating out really although keto does make it a bit harder with its greater restrictions.2 -
@TeeP17
Find something that works for you. For long term success, I suggest going to the "success stories" and read about how those who've had long term success (more than a year) about how they did it. There are people that have lost 100, 200, even more than 300lbs, and are keeping/have kept it off.
There's a few universals regarding how people have had long term success.
1. Slow and steady. Deciding to revamp your entire lifestyle in one day is insanely impossible to maintain long term. Small changes, one at a time, will lead to huge results and a lifestyle change over time, and are easy to do.
2. Do you. Find what works for you and do it. If something works for 3 months then you find yourself frustrated or making no progress, adapt - do something else. Do that until you find sometimes that is near effortless for you to maintain. A diet that doesn't feel like a diet, is when you've found your long-term lifestyle.
3. Don't quit!!!! Adapt, learn, adjust. Just don't ever quit. No matter how slow the progress is, slow progress is still progress. Sometimes progress isn't on the scale, but in the mirror, or in what you can do (if this month you can't do a single push-up and next month you can, that's progress) And the less you have to lose, the slower it is going to take. I am 6.3lbs above the high end of my ideal weight, that's very little excess body fat - it'll probably take me till Christmas to safely get there. I'm okay with that, I've been doing this for 3 years! The secret to my successes: I never quit, I've changed my goals every now and again (took a 1 year weight loss break and did a massive body recomp to develop strength, but that's just a goal adjustment, that's not quitting).
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