Keto Diet for noobs

Any word attached to "diet" has been a disaster for me. Thanks to MFP I have changed to a "healthier lifestyle" 600 days ago and so far have lost over 44 kg and much more to go. The great advantage here is that I can chose and adjust my daily macros according to my needs. Give it whatever fancy name - everything living on this earth still only reacts to "CICO". Welcome to MFP and all those supportive members.

I’ve been keto for about 10 weeks. It works, and it’s easy once you get going and learn how to fine tune and track.

Rule of thumb is 70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs. Target to stay below 30g net carbs (total carbs - fiber- sugar alcohols = net carbs) a day. I found 20g and below works better for me but 30g was working too.

Keto calculator is an app that will give you a goal of daily calories, fats, protein and carbs, in grams and percentages. Helpful starting point. You’ll eat well and can tweek protein/fat ratios, but always watch those net carbs. Keep those below 30 every day.

Find keto substitutes for sugar, potato, bread, pasta- there is some sacrifice, lol, but you get over it and find work arounds. There’s a lot of good tips and tricks out there. Read up and research.

There’s a lot of keto products readily available at grocery stores now, like Rebel ice cream. 4-6 carbs per pint and it’s delicious to boot.

Good luck 👍

MFP forum goers hate keto.

It seems the above posters against the keto diet are ones who are going off things they've read or heard, not ones who have actually lived a keto lifestyle themselves... Hmmm... Interesting....
The keto diet deprives your body of carbs, which is what it usually uses for energy. Well, you stop fueling the tank with carbs, so your body turns to using fat to make ketones: energy and brain fuel basically. There is research backing the fact that people on keto diets tend to lose more weight. Keto diet even cures diseases such as epilepsy, diabetes, etc. My own mother went from being an obese diabetic to diabetes free and size 18 to size 2!! She was on 6 different medications but is now on NONE because she switched to a ketogenic diet. No joke!
Yes, fats are high in calories. And on a keto diet you need to have 80% of your calories come from fat, 15% from protein and only 5% from carbs. You have to be sure to keep your protein intake on the low side, because excess protein is converted into glucose in your body, which will put you out of fat burning ketosis.
But, of course, you would want to have a calorie deficit. Fats are really high in calories, so how in the world are you going to manage to stay full on a calorie restricted diet eating such high calorie foods, right? Wrong. Protein and Carbs are less calories but they dont sustain you. You can eat an entire loaf of bread but still feel hungry. Fats fill you up. So yes, they are higher calorie, but the keep you full so much longer, making it even easier to not eat/snack throughout the day. Most days I manage to reach my 1200 calorie goal... Simply because I'm not hungry.

So, to answer your question.. YES! You should totally do it. You'll feel less tired, your brain will be sharper, you'll just feel so much better. Plus you'll lose weight.

So, where to start?
Go to your calorie tracker on MFP and change your macronutrient levels to
Fat: 80%
Protein: 15%
Carbs 5%

This is where you're going to start. Your first step is going to not be to restrict calories, but to just hit your macros. The most important part being not to go over 50 grams of carbs per day. (As time goes on, lower it and try to not go over 20.) But this way you'll start to become aware of which foods contain carbs/sugar (ketchup, crackers, etc.) and be able to get an idea of what's high in fat and what isn't! Just watch your macros like a hawk!!

ccrdragon wrote: »

PatrickMaryAlice wrote: »

It seems the above posters against the keto diet are ones who are going off things they've read or heard, not ones who have actually lived a keto lifestyle themselves... Hmmm... Interesting....
The keto diet deprives your body of carbs, which is what it usually uses for energy. Well, you stop fueling the tank with carbs, so your body turns to using fat to make ketones: energy and brain fuel basically. There is research backing the fact that people on keto diets tend to lose more weight. Keto diet even cures diseases such as epilepsy, diabetes, etc. My own mother went from being an obese diabetic to diabetes free and size 18 to size 2!! She was on 6 different medications but is now on NONE because she switched to a ketogenic diet. No joke!
Yes, fats are high in calories. And on a keto diet you need to have 80% of your calories come from fat, 15% from protein and only 5% from carbs. You have to be sure to keep your protein intake on the low side, because excess protein is converted into glucose in your body, which will put you out of fat burning ketosis.
But, of course, you would want to have a calorie deficit. Fats are really high in calories, so how in the world are you going to manage to stay full on a calorie restricted diet eating such high calorie foods, right? Wrong. Protein and Carbs are less calories but they dont sustain you. You can eat an entire loaf of bread but still feel hungry. Fats fill you up. So yes, they are higher calorie, but the keep you full so much longer, making it even easier to not eat/snack throughout the day. Most days I manage to reach my 1200 calorie goal... Simply because I'm not hungry.

So, to answer your question.. YES! You should totally do it. You'll feel less tired, your brain will be sharper, you'll just feel so much better. Plus you'll lose weight.

So, where to start?
Go to your calorie tracker on MFP and change your macronutrient levels to
Fat: 80%
Protein: 15%
Carbs 5%

This is where you're going to start. Your first step is going to not be to restrict calories, but to just hit your macros. The most important part being not to go over 50 grams of carbs per day. (As time goes on, lower it and try to not go over 20.) But this way you'll start to become aware of which foods contain carbs/sugar (ketchup, crackers, etc.) and be able to get an idea of what's high in fat and what isn't! Just watch your macros like a hawk!!

And your post is the poster-child for why there is so much push-back against the keto zealots on the boards.

Let's start with some of your claims:
1. People on keto lose more weight at first, but in long term studies and analysis of studies, there is no significant difference between keto and any other calorie restricted diet in terms of weight loss
2. There is NO cure for epilepsy - for those that don't respond well to meds, keto can provide relief for seizures but IT DOES NOT CURE the disease
3. Diabetes can be eliminated thru ANY weight-loss program - the most significant contributor to T2D is being overweight so if you drop the weight (thru any method you choose), you will see the diabetes go into remission
4. Lots of people tout protein will be turned into carbs, but the vast majority of studies on the effect show that this is also BS - it is very expensive (biologically speaking) for this conversion to take place, so it only happens when the body really needs the carbs (like for organs that must have glucose to function)
5. Satiety is an individual thing - some people get satiety from carbs, some from protein and some from fats. It is not a universal truth that fats are filling for all people.
6. You will only lose weight on the keto diet if you are in a calorie deficit

All excellent info.

One quick addition to (5). Some people find satiety with volume (usually lots of low cal vegetables) or fiber. Figuring out which one(s) work best for you is an important step in eating fewer calories.