Should I Keto?

2

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    edited April 2019
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    kat2475 wrote: »
    Yeah, don’t be afraid of salt. I use pink Himalayan salt so I’m not getting any of the junk in regular table salt and it tastes so much better too.

    I'm not sure what junk is in regular table salt. Usually, they add iodine, which you need. Otherwise, the trace minerals in pink Himalayan are present in such negligible quantities as to present no additional benefit. (And if you're still using it for those trace elements, keep in mind that it also contains traces of arsenic and uranium...)

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pink-himalayan-salt#section5
    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315081.php
    https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/yw7a8y/is-pink-salt-good-for-you-himalayan-salt-vs-regular-salt
    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pass-the-salt-but-not-that-pink-himalayan-stuff/
    https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-and-nutrition-quackery-you-asked/himalayan-pink-salt

    In my experience, claims of 'junk' in things like this is usually a result of chemical names that can't be pronounced and/or aluminum.

    a-lúm-inum or alu-míni-oum :lol:

    I know the U.S. spelling is aluminum. The British spelling is aluminium. Where do they spell it aluminioum?

    ETA: Or is aluminioum a joke referencing some TV show or movie that I missed?
  • TheMiniKeto
    TheMiniKeto Posts: 31 Member
    I was totally addicted to carbs before doing keto. I needed to cut down on carbs due to PCOS and infertility. It has done wonders for my inflammation and hormonal acne. Doesnt hurt to try. Before I found keto I did several different ways of eating. Try what's best for you. No harm in trying different ways of eating for 30 days and pay attention to what your body responds to best. For easy keto, eggs, sugar free bacon, chicken thighs, pork loin and beef. Leafy greens have the lowest carbs cook with with salt pepper and butter.
  • bannock_and_biceps
    bannock_and_biceps Posts: 82 Member
    i lost 20 lbs on keto two years ago. i am no longer on it now and maintain my weight at 1500/1600 calories a day with daily cardio of sorts. i'm back to regular carbs protein and fat and feel happy that keto was my kickstart to get where i am now. i recognize it doesn't have a wide fan base but it worked for me. personal preference! i do think that CICO and regular workouts work just as well though. my experience was starting here to track when i was on keto. would i have lost the 20 lbs just tracking with regular macros? i think i would have! tracking makes you cognizant of what you're eating - which made a MAJOR difference for me! i have a scale and weigh everything. it's become second nature to me.

    best of luck with your choices and your journey!~
  • Megan_smartiepants1970
    Megan_smartiepants1970 Posts: 43,627 Member
    I just realized the OP is not on this site anymore....guess no diet was for her
  • ultra_violets
    ultra_violets Posts: 202 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    Panini911 wrote: »
    keto is just a way of eating. People maintain and even gain weight eating this way. some peoeple enjoy it as it keeps them full and they enjoy the foods that work well wtih keto.

    Remember carbs are not only in bread and rice. they are in fruit and veggies and many other foods. and Keto is VERY low carb (you can alternatively eat just "lower carb" without going as far as Keto goes).

    there is no need to do Keto to lose weight. especially if it's not a way of eating one finds filling or can see doing the rest of their life. the best way to lose weight is by practicing habits you will hopefully maintain for life to keep the weight off.

    to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body uses over a period of time. that's it. pick a way of eating that is comfortable for you and keeps you full. personally my "diet" has no name. i eat foods i like, in moderation and ensure they fit in my calorie goal.

    This. The only reasons to do keto are if you like to eat that way or if a doctor specifically told you to do it to treat a medical condition. Keto does not do anything special for weight loss. Weight loss happens in a calorie deficit, and keto is just one way that some people prefer to eat while in a deficit.

    It also helped, in my case, by breaking the addiction to junk carbs. Once I cut out the white bread and sugar and processed foods, it was like flipping a switch. I just didn't want them anymore. Being a food addict, it's the only thing that's worked for me. I spent years giving my money to Kellogg's, to Nestle, to Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine, and I stayed broke, fat and sick. There's no one at the top of the keto pyramid making money off this diet. It's just the way we ate before processed carbs were a thing.

    LOL except the myriad of “doctors” and others selling books, creating websites with paid advertisements and other profit generators trying to convince the public of the magic of keto, the evils of sugar and insulin, and that this is basically the best thing since sliced bread. And yes, that pun is intended. If you think people aren’t trying to profit off of keto then you are sorely mistaken.

    They sure haven't gotten any money from me. I'm sure there are 'experts' pushing potions and pills, but I don't take any of those. Everything I've learned and everything I've tried has been 100% free. I don't know that I'd recommend this lifestyle for someone looking to lose a few pounds, or someone who's not a diabetic. But in my case, it was the best option.
  • ultra_violets
    ultra_violets Posts: 202 Member
    Raysie1 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    Panini911 wrote: »
    keto is just a way of eating. People maintain and even gain weight eating this way. some peoeple enjoy it as it keeps them full and they enjoy the foods that work well wtih keto.

    Remember carbs are not only in bread and rice. they are in fruit and veggies and many other foods. and Keto is VERY low carb (you can alternatively eat just "lower carb" without going as far as Keto goes).

    there is no need to do Keto to lose weight. especially if it's not a way of eating one finds filling or can see doing the rest of their life. the best way to lose weight is by practicing habits you will hopefully maintain for life to keep the weight off.

    to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body uses over a period of time. that's it. pick a way of eating that is comfortable for you and keeps you full. personally my "diet" has no name. i eat foods i like, in moderation and ensure they fit in my calorie goal.

    This. The only reasons to do keto are if you like to eat that way or if a doctor specifically told you to do it to treat a medical condition. Keto does not do anything special for weight loss. Weight loss happens in a calorie deficit, and keto is just one way that some people prefer to eat while in a deficit.

    It also helped, in my case, by breaking the addiction to junk carbs. Once I cut out the white bread and sugar and processed foods, it was like flipping a switch. I just didn't want them anymore. Being a food addict, it's the only thing that's worked for me. I spent years giving my money to Kellogg's, to Nestle, to Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine, and I stayed broke, fat and sick. There's no one at the top of the keto pyramid making money off this diet. It's just the way we ate before processed carbs were a thing.

    LOL except the myriad of “doctors” and others selling books, creating websites with paid advertisements and other profit generators trying to convince the public of the magic of keto, the evils of sugar and insulin, and that this is basically the best thing since sliced bread. And yes, that pun is intended. If you think people aren’t trying to profit off of keto then you are sorely mistaken.

    And don't forget those selling pink Himalayan salt!

    Yeah, I didn't fall for that one. I just use sea salt.
  • ultra_violets
    ultra_violets Posts: 202 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've been keto for a few years. I lost and have maintained on it. It works really well for me - it helped my health issues, made weight management fairly easy, and I've grown to enjoy the food. I'll probably stick with it.

    Good luck.

    It's interesting...I've never tried a diet that's so easy to stick to. It doesn't even feel like a diet. Even in unexpected situations, like spending the day at a hospital with a relative in the ER, when I finally got a half hour to eat, I got a cheeseburger, plain with no bun. There was a time when I would have thought "to hell with the diet, I've got enough to worry about. I'm getting a chicken salad sandwich and a slice of cake!" But it never even entered my mind. I didn't want it. After a nearly 40 year food addiction, I finally feel like I have control. It's definitely been life changing for me.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    kat2475 wrote: »
    kat2475 wrote: »
    I have been following a ketogenic lifestyle since July and it has honestly changed my life. I have Lupus and it has helped my chronic pain and inflammation. As a very welcome side effect, I have lost 16 pounds and 6.5” off my hips, 4.5” off my waist. It has changed my relationship with food.

    Awww yay! I’m happy it’s working out for you! Are you also working out on Keto? Or is working out something I should take lightly on it?

    The first couple of weeks are an adjustment as you switch from burning glucose as fuel to burning fat so exercise may be tough. I do exercise now but many keto people do not. I guess I would say I don’t exercise to lose weight. I exercise to firm up and make myself healthier. My best advice I can give you for the first few weeks is to keep your electrolytes balanced. You lose a lot of water and with that goes electrolytes. As weird as it may sound I would drink pickle juice when I felt a headache or “Keto Flu” coming on. If you want to friend me on here, feel free. I can answer any questions or help with support. I know it sounds cliche to say it has changed my life but it genuinely has. My kids have their mom back and I can finally enjoy my life.

    That’s actually funny bc strangely enough I love pickles and the juice! Lol. My doctor has me on a high salt diet so I do make sure to involve salt into my diet as much as possible so that sound work?
    I’m going to try and do light workouts like yoga maybe to test it out and see what end up working out for me
    Thank you, will do! (:

    Just a note, if your doctor has you on a high salt diet, then you may need to be very careful with keto because you will need to consume even more salt and you are more likely to be affected by the sodium loss on keto.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I just realized the OP is not on this site anymore....guess no diet was for her

    Indeed. Profile page says not found.

    Seemed a bit odd the OP agreed with all the non-woo advice, then suddenly only listened to stuff that sounds like it comes from Goop.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    kat2475 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Point of interest: does keto exclude vegetable oils/fats as mentioned above, and if so, why? (was not aware of that)
    True keto doesn’t use vegetable oils as they are inflammatory and over processed.

    If it doesn't knock you out of ketosis, why would "true" keto "care" if they are either inflammatory or over processed?

    *-not a keto guy, but understand it as a way of eating that works for many people...
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Do you want / for medical reasons need to lose weight? If so - don't look for a "diet" but for a healthier life style with better meal choices. Look no further - use all the support from MFP, they even do the number crunching for you. There are so many MFP members out there which give inspirational and real useful support. Relax, get informed, prepare a simple meal plan for the next day and take it day by day, meal by meal. Just stick to the MFP calculations, give it a try - it does work!
  • kmalik5
    kmalik5 Posts: 44 Member
    This is just one person's experience, but I did keto for the first two months of my weight loss journey and I found it helped me a ton to really jump start the process. I'm someone who used to LOVE carbs and cheese, but I knew one of those had to go if I was going to better balance my life. I chose to keep the cheese, lol.

    To be honest I don't buy into the whole "ketosis works miracles" thing. I think I succeeded because it gave me the power to totally say no to all carbs, and fat helped me stay fuller on a low-cal diet than I had previously tried. Besides, when you're out with friends, it's more acceptable for you to turn down something because you're on keto than just that you're on a diet, which is still weird in my mind, haha.

    I never intended to maintain keto long term, and I think that helped a lot. I would tell myself that I was giving up pasta for a bit so I could enjoy it more later. But it really showed me that I can do well and thrive with a lot fewer carbs in my life, and honestly, I haven't re-incorporated pasta yet and I don't miss it at all. I still follow a relatively low carb diet (under 100g a day) and I've cut out most processed carbs.

    If you do decide to try it out, here's a few things that really helped me:

    1. Meal prep and try new recipes a ton. I did best on keto when I was excited about my meals for the week.
    2. Make sure you get enough fats in the day. Not because of the ketosis thing, but because it will help you stay fuller than just on protein. Avacados, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. will be your best friend.
    3. Keep a calorie deficit. You're not going to magically lose weight if you overeat, even on keto, and it can be discouraging to give up carbs for no gain, lol.
    4. Your alcohol tolerance will PLUMMET. I went from being able to handle 5-6 drinks to feeling pretty tipsy after 2-3. Also be cogniscent of how many carbs are in alcohol if you choose to indulge.
    5. Try to do "healthy keto" as opposed to "dirty keto". What I mean is don't eat burgers and cheese and greasy foods every day. It's okay to treat once in a while, but try to balance it with lighter foods as well. Things like taco salad, cauliflower rice stir fry, chicken and spinach, and stuff like that help to balance.
    6. Berries and dark chocolate! Those are life savers when you're craving sugar at first.
    7. Speaking of cravings, just know you'll for sure be cranky the first week or so. That's normal. I tried to treat myself in other ways, like extra face masks, dressing up cute, stuff like that that made me feel better.
    8. Don't weigh yourself all the time. Carbs hold more water in your body than fats or protein, so when you cut them you'll drop on the scale super fast. But, if you ever break keto and eat more carbs, you'll skyrocket back up. Just keep that in mind and don't get discouraged over the fluctuations.

    Hope that's helpful! Again just one person's perspective, but thought I'd share :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    Panini911 wrote: »
    keto is just a way of eating. People maintain and even gain weight eating this way. some peoeple enjoy it as it keeps them full and they enjoy the foods that work well wtih keto.

    Remember carbs are not only in bread and rice. they are in fruit and veggies and many other foods. and Keto is VERY low carb (you can alternatively eat just "lower carb" without going as far as Keto goes).

    there is no need to do Keto to lose weight. especially if it's not a way of eating one finds filling or can see doing the rest of their life. the best way to lose weight is by practicing habits you will hopefully maintain for life to keep the weight off.

    to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body uses over a period of time. that's it. pick a way of eating that is comfortable for you and keeps you full. personally my "diet" has no name. i eat foods i like, in moderation and ensure they fit in my calorie goal.

    This. The only reasons to do keto are if you like to eat that way or if a doctor specifically told you to do it to treat a medical condition. Keto does not do anything special for weight loss. Weight loss happens in a calorie deficit, and keto is just one way that some people prefer to eat while in a deficit.

    It also helped, in my case, by breaking the addiction to junk carbs. Once I cut out the white bread and sugar and processed foods, it was like flipping a switch. I just didn't want them anymore. Being a food addict, it's the only thing that's worked for me. I spent years giving my money to Kellogg's, to Nestle, to Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine, and I stayed broke, fat and sick. There's no one at the top of the keto pyramid making money off this diet. It's just the way we ate before processed carbs were a thing.

    LOL except the myriad of “doctors” and others selling books, creating websites with paid advertisements and other profit generators trying to convince the public of the magic of keto, the evils of sugar and insulin, and that this is basically the best thing since sliced bread. And yes, that pun is intended. If you think people aren’t trying to profit off of keto then you are sorely mistaken.

    They sure haven't gotten any money from me. I'm sure there are 'experts' pushing potions and pills, but I don't take any of those. Everything I've learned and everything I've tried has been 100% free. I don't know that I'd recommend this lifestyle for someone looking to lose a few pounds, or someone who's not a diabetic. But in my case, it was the best option.

    Have you visited any websites like dietdoctor or any other sites with information about a ketogenic diet? If so, then yes they are profiting off of you. They may not be directly taking your money but they are profiting from advertisers who paid for a spot on that site in the hopes you would visit.

    Additionally your original claim was that food manufacturers weren’t profiting from the keto trend in the way you believe they have capitalized on processed foods and carbs but at the store this weekend I noticed a number of products marketed as low carb and “keto friendly”. Not to mention the local meal prep service by me has now introduced a line of keto meal plans that people can purchase.

    Yeah, there's "Slim Fast Keto". :neutral:

    The diet industry profiting off a diet doesn't define that diet's level of usefulness, make it "good" or "bad". But the diet industry and any number of internet based "personalities" are sure as you-know-what profiting off of keto. I mean, I don't pay for MFP outright, but we all know they make money off the ads.
  • ultra_violets
    ultra_violets Posts: 202 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    Panini911 wrote: »
    keto is just a way of eating. People maintain and even gain weight eating this way. some peoeple enjoy it as it keeps them full and they enjoy the foods that work well wtih keto.

    Remember carbs are not only in bread and rice. they are in fruit and veggies and many other foods. and Keto is VERY low carb (you can alternatively eat just "lower carb" without going as far as Keto goes).

    there is no need to do Keto to lose weight. especially if it's not a way of eating one finds filling or can see doing the rest of their life. the best way to lose weight is by practicing habits you will hopefully maintain for life to keep the weight off.

    to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body uses over a period of time. that's it. pick a way of eating that is comfortable for you and keeps you full. personally my "diet" has no name. i eat foods i like, in moderation and ensure they fit in my calorie goal.

    This. The only reasons to do keto are if you like to eat that way or if a doctor specifically told you to do it to treat a medical condition. Keto does not do anything special for weight loss. Weight loss happens in a calorie deficit, and keto is just one way that some people prefer to eat while in a deficit.

    It also helped, in my case, by breaking the addiction to junk carbs. Once I cut out the white bread and sugar and processed foods, it was like flipping a switch. I just didn't want them anymore. Being a food addict, it's the only thing that's worked for me. I spent years giving my money to Kellogg's, to Nestle, to Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine, and I stayed broke, fat and sick. There's no one at the top of the keto pyramid making money off this diet. It's just the way we ate before processed carbs were a thing.

    LOL except the myriad of “doctors” and others selling books, creating websites with paid advertisements and other profit generators trying to convince the public of the magic of keto, the evils of sugar and insulin, and that this is basically the best thing since sliced bread. And yes, that pun is intended. If you think people aren’t trying to profit off of keto then you are sorely mistaken.

    They sure haven't gotten any money from me. I'm sure there are 'experts' pushing potions and pills, but I don't take any of those. Everything I've learned and everything I've tried has been 100% free. I don't know that I'd recommend this lifestyle for someone looking to lose a few pounds, or someone who's not a diabetic. But in my case, it was the best option.

    Have you visited any websites like dietdoctor or any other sites with information about a ketogenic diet? If so, then yes they are profiting off of you. They may not be directly taking your money but they are profiting from advertisers who paid for a spot on that site in the hopes you would visit.

    Additionally your original claim was that food manufacturers weren’t profiting from the keto trend in the way you believe they have capitalized on processed foods and carbs but at the store this weekend I noticed a number of products marketed as low carb and “keto friendly”. Not to mention the local meal prep service by me has now introduced a line of keto meal plans that people can purchase.

    My original claim was that there wasn't one person profiting off of keto. No Jillian Michaels, no Oprah, no Dr. Atkins. No one "invented" keto. There's always someone willing to take your money if you're gullible enough to give it.
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