HELP! I can not get into ketosis!

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

The ketogenic diet is the standard diet implemented around the world in lifestyle clinics for reducing most non communicable diseases, especially diabetes and has been for over a decade.

It’s a standard diet
And it’s not suitable for everyone.

There are good medical reasons why some people should not do keto. Including (but not limited to) people who have pancreatic, liver, or certain thyroid conditions.

Of course. Individual medial concerns will always need to be reviewed by your PCP and associates.

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

The ketogenic diet is the standard diet implemented around the world in lifestyle clinics for reducing most non communicable diseases, especially diabetes and has been for over a decade.

It’s a standard diet
And it’s not suitable for everyone.

There are good medical reasons why some people should not do keto. Including (but not limited to) people who have pancreatic, liver, or certain thyroid conditions.

Of course. Individual medial concerns will always need to be reviewed by your PCP and associates.

Glad to hear you agree.
Keto is not for everyone.

That premise holds true for absolutely everything in life, that's a given, I thought. Ok, glad we got that out of the way.

themoralesfamily wrote: »

tomcustombuilder wrote: »

themoralesfamily wrote: »

I chose to attempt ketosis because: 1. I have had many children and ketosis based diets were the only weight loss program that ever got me back to my normal weight after childbirth. 2. I have a very busy schedule so easy to follow rules and foods, such as keto based diets, work well for me 3. For my entire life I've been basically low-fat, high-carb (rice, beans, fruit, and milk) lacto-vegetarian, not intentionally but because that's just what I enjoy. However, I felt after breast-feeding children for many years I needed pay attention to eating a more balanced diet. 4. Most of all, prior to my previous 40 day keto I was logging 1200 calories per day and walking a slow but consistent 17,000 - 20,000 steps 5 or 6 days a week for 3 months. All that time i may have lost 3 lbs total - which just defied science to me! How was that even possible? My husband blames hormones since I'm a 54 year old woman - maybe he's correct. So, I figured if calorie restriction and walking was not doing the trick, maybe ketosis would help. However, on the Keto/Atkins I have had ZERO energy and I have not walked in weeks, which is quite discouraging. I can feel my legs getting mushy!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to try to advise me, I really am at a point that I'm just so confused and frustrated.

Walking and calorie restriction is what will work. Any diet is successful due to implementing a consistent calorie deficit over time.

The fact that you regained the weight after “ketosis” illustrates the dilemma of people who lose weight then regain it due to going back to other ways of eating. Find a way to eat that you can stick with permanently that will allow Fatloss and then maintenance of that weight.

Once you lose the weight the real work starts.

THANK YOU, TOM, FOR YOUR RESPONSE. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. I HAVE NOT REGAINED ANY WEIGHT THIS PAST FEW MONTHS. THE ONLY TIME I HAVE EVER REGAINED WEIGHT WAS WITH ANOTHER PREGNANCY. AS I MENTIONED ABOVE, I DID 1200 CAL AND 17- 20,000 STEPS (MEDIUM SPEED) FOR 3 MONTHS AND I FELT THE 3 LB WEIGHT LOSS WAS TOO SLOW, WHICH IS WHY I ATTEMPTED KETOSIS. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT SPEED UP THE WEIGHYT LOSS. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT GOTTEN INTO KETOSIS AND NOW I NO LONGER AM ABLE TO WALK DUE TO LOW ENERGY. I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN KETOSIS AND WALK DAILY.

Reiterating my suggestion that 1200 calories might be too low for you.

themoralesfamily wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

themoralesfamily wrote: »

I chose to attempt ketosis because: 1. I have had many children and ketosis based diets were the only weight loss program that ever got me back to my normal weight after childbirth. 2. I have a very busy schedule so easy to follow rules and foods, such as keto based diets, work well for me 3. For my entire life I've been basically low-fat, high-carb (rice, beans, fruit, and milk) lacto-vegetarian, not intentionally but because that's just what I enjoy. However, I felt after breast-feeding children for many years I needed pay attention to eating a more balanced diet. 4. Most of all, prior to my previous 40 day keto I was logging 1200 calories per day and walking a slow but consistent 17,000 - 20,000 steps 5 or 6 days a week for 3 months. All that time i may have lost 3 lbs total - which just defied science to me! How was that even possible? My husband blames hormones since I'm a 54 year old woman - maybe he's correct. So, I figured if calorie restriction and walking was not doing the trick, maybe ketosis would help. However, on the Keto/Atkins I have had ZERO energy and I have not walked in weeks, which is quite discouraging. I can feel my legs getting mushy!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to try to advise me, I really am at a point that I'm just so confused and frustrated.

Yeah zero energy is basically because your not fully fat adapted, kind of like limbo where insulin is all over the map, been there done that. Hopefully your not consuming keto cheat treats and just sticking to old fashion whole foods, anyway that does pass and like most will then experience a full day of very high and steady energy that really doesn't fluctuate much and not to mention mental clarity. Also try increasing your fat a bit, it's a stable and efficient energy source that doesn't rely on insulin and for some reason the fat is bad mantra just keeps people from using it for it's intended purpose, energy.

I HAVE BEEN STICKING TO OLD FASHIONED SIMPLE FOOD - GRILLED CHICKEN, EGGS, AVOCADO, ETC. I DID JUST ORDER THE ATKINS SHAKES, DO YOU ADVISE THAT I RETURN THEM AND STICK TO REAL FOOD? ASLO, WHAT DOES "NOT FULLY FAT ADAPTED" MEAN? AND DO YOU THINK IT WILL PASS ANDS I WILL GET ENOUGH ENERGY TO WALK MY 20,000 STEPS PER DAY AGAIN. RIGHT NOW I CAN HARDLY GET TO 8,000. LASTLY, IF IM LOW ON ANYTHING IT WOULD BE FAT CONSUMPTION. WHAT TYPE OF FAT DO YOU RECOMMEND? COCONUT OIL OR DAIRY? THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND KNOWLEDGE!

Dr Atkins diet back in the day was simply a very low carb diet comprised of mostly the muscle meat of ruminant animals and their fat and cruciferous vegetables and to a lesser degree cheese and dairy with cream being a better choice. Now it's a completely different company that tries to please the masses and in doing so is pretty much selling processed Atkins treats and shakes loaded with sweeteners, artificial flavors, added seed oils and a bunch of different emulsifiers and the new crop of dieters I suspect is their target market. The basic problem is whole food nutrition with it's complex array of nutrients works together synergistically, where these replacement shakes have I suspect low quality (cost) added vitamins and minerals in an array that may not be suitable or optimal on a comparison basis. Also these will not be as satiating as whole foods just on the liquid vs real food digestibility and transit time of the gut. Yeah, as you can tell I'm not a fan but if your going to continue just be mindful that these are also replacement meal foods and considering your only consuming 1200 calories I believe real food and natural fats will serve you better overall.

"fully fat adapted" in the ketogenic sense is what your experiencing with the .3-.5 ketone levels which basically means your metabolism is still seeking glucose not only as an energy source but it elicits an insulin response that normally drops blood sugars below baseline, which is pretty normal unless you have diabetes then the range either way, is more extreme and when blood sugar hits that low point many people can experience very low energy which does and can show up as drowsy and tired which signals hormones to tell you to eat to replenish that energy, so not as satiating as well, also known as "keto flu". During this adaption phase and with lower glycogen stores the body begins to break down fatty acids in the form of ketones and the body can be inefficient at this process in that beginning phase resulting in lower energy levels, also the mitochondria which is basically where we generate energy in every cell goes through an adaption phase as well which can also leave us with lower energy temporarily. There's hormone adjustments which affects how energy is stored and utilized in the body, so there is that as well and finally the electrolyte balance can and does effect our energy.

Anyway making ketones is one thing, we all do it to different degrees everyday regardless of what we eat but to be fully adapted it can take 2 to 4 weeks with carbs no higher than 20g's and once the body is generating those 1.0 and up ketones we will be fully fat adapted with a constant flow of energy that isn't interfered or fluctuates from any other metabolic influence compared to insulin and glucose. Basically it's just steady energy all day long with no ups and downs and like many including myself, sleep is on a magnitude greater than anything you can imagine. Also the brain loves ketones and uses a completely different pathway from glucose and many people find their cognition is heightened as well, but I won't go into the science. Fat consumption should mostly come from the fat of the food your consuming, which is mostly animal sources, so make sure your not buying lean meat, you want and need the fat. Fat is important in this diet for energy, ketone production, hormonal balance satiety and hunger. I use butter, ghee, coconut oil for my cooking and I do use olive oil and to a lesser degree avocado oil, just try and stay away from plant seed oils, too much omega 6's. This is where a ketogenic diet departs from the simple ask, for weight loss and goes into it's health implications, so I'll stop there.

Be patient and don't be afraid of red meat like beef, lamb, goat and just eat chicken because you heard is suppose to be healthier, it isn't and it lacks fat, fat is your new friend.


BTW: FULL CAP LOCK IS CONSIDERED SCREAMING OR YELLING. Best not to do that.

.3-.5 ketones is still ketosis… but unfortunately ketosis doesn’t ALWAYS equal weight loss. The rapid initial weight loss with keto is from your muscles releasing large amounts of water because that’s how carbs are kept available to muscle tissue, with water. (Which is also why you’ll see people on keto supplementing with electrolytes) I’ve been doing dirty, lazy keto for years and find that when I plateau, I add more healthy fats, like avocado or nut butter. I also use My Fitness Pal to keep an eye on calories, because if I drop below 1,000, my body goes into some sort of survival mode and I can’t lose an ounce. I feel so much better on keto that I don’t care if the weight loss takes longer. I’m never hungry and have tons of energy. Good luck with your keto journey!