Went Full Keto Last Week. Any Others?

[edger]

I was disgusted with how heavy I've become so my wife and I decided Keto makes the most sense scientifically. I've read all of Gary Taubes books and done a it of research online. Amazing that the standard food pyramid was topsy turvy for so many decades. The noble goal of getting relatively inexpensive calories to the masses backfired long term. I would guess that politics and the big grain companies played a part in this. Obesity is rampant in the modern world. We were "designed" to eat fat and protein supplemented with nuts, berries(in season), and greens we could forage. Between the incredible availability of processed foods laden with sugar and carbs, and aggressive advertising we are all killing ourselves slowly.
We are both lucky that we love eggs, meat, cheese, olives,etc. We feel reinforced by the new scientific knowledge, because it tends to rob the bad stuff of it's attraction.
My pipe smoking is a calculated risk I'm willing to take, but eating unintelligently not so much.
Lecture over! Please share your thoughts.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

One of the few "diets" I think I could actually make work.

 

[fireground_piper]

I've never gone on any themed diet or lifestyle, but any time someone can reduce the amount of processed food (especially heavily carb based), it's a good thing. Meats, produce, nuts, grains are all things I try to eat regularly through the course of a day and try to take sugar/carbs in consciously or with purpose.

Hopefully you start to feel benefits! I know I did some tracking a few years ago to see what I was taking in during a day and found I was incredibly low on protein which explained why I couldn't put on useful weight regardless of how much workout I was doing.

 

[BarrelProof]

You’ll love it. The first few weeks the weight seems to literally melt off. You’ll eventually reach a sort of equilibrium, but when augmented with exercise (obviously), it’ll continue to go away. You’ll sleep better, have more energy, and be in a seemingly better mood.

A few nuggets of wisdom:

Pork rinds are your friend - not just as a snack - as bread crumbs, breading for fried/baked meats, “chips” for dip, etc.

Mustard/Mayo/hot sauce typically have 0 carbs - they donated all of theirs to ketchup.

Pickles, pickles, pickles.

Keto bread/buns, while pricy, will scratch the itch. There will be an itch.

The ‘keto flu’ is real, but it’ll pass in a day, or two, and then you’ll feel incredible.

If you decide to come off of it, ease your way back into carbs.

Good luck and good on you for making the decision to commit to better health!

 

[danimalia]

A bastardized version is what I've used to lose about 145 pounds (~65kg) since October, 2019. I say bastardized because a lot of the keto resources I looked at had guidelines and restrictions that I felt were superfluous to the weight loss, though they might be beneficial in some other way. For example, I saw some suggestions that only grass fed meat counted as keto, or that diet soda wasn't keto. Maybe not, but I didn't give a shit. Net carbs are net carbs whether they come from processed foods or not. It might be a decent suggestion, but irrelevant to the weight loss which was my goal for getting on the diet. I did avoid sugar alcohols and things like sugar-free candies and sweets, though.

My basic version was: <20g net carbs per day. For those few carbs, I tried to use them on greens and veggies. Broccoli, asparagus, salads, spinach, chard and collard greens, etc. Some nuts as well. I did that religiously until about September, 2020 when I started taking weekends off the diet. I also exercised like a mofo. First at the gym, and then after they got closed because of the virus, I started running/walking. Lately, I've mixed in some body weight exercises for strength training. Pushups, planks, leg lifts and an crunches, etc. It all helps, and I think it's been extremely beneficial for my mental heath as well.

Like @CoffeeAndBourbon said, this is really the only type of diet I've had success with. I think because it includes a lot of fat, it kept me from ever feeling too hungry.

Good luck!

 

[BarrelProof]

Another thing that helps is to get a food scale in your kitchen and use it to track calories.

As much as I wish keto worked in a way that meant I could just eat 12 pounds of bacon a day, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t see my intended results.

When you add in the caloric tracking and can maintain a slight deficiency each day, it’ll slowly start disappearing.

@danimalia congratulations on your journey, man. That must have taken an insane amount of work, dedication, and perseverance. Well done!

 

[canucklehead]

Another thing that helps is to get a food scale in your kitchen and use it to track calories.

As much as I wish keto worked in a way that meant I could just eat 12 pounds of bacon a day, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t see my intended results.

When you add in the caloric tracking and can maintain a slight deficiency each day, it’ll slowly start disappearing.

@danimalia congratulations on your journey, man. That must have taken an insane amount of work, dedication, and perseverance. Well done!

Absolutely true, caloric deficit is the only driver of weight loss, keto is just one of many methods. It seems to work particularly well for middle aged males because things like bacon, cheese, burgers, and steaks can be included (in moderation), making it an easier lifestyle change. It has worked fairly well for my t2 diabetic uncle.

 

[Grangerous]

I did keto many years ago and it does work. Will you be able to do that for life? I wouldn’t bet on it. Most diets work. But the yo yo effect is almost inevitable.

Here’s something that works that you may find easier to stick with... eat until your full and eat whatever you want, without guilt. But, only eat once per day. You choose what time of day, but only one meal. Make it a balanced, healthy one but have a slice of pie and ice cream for dessert if you want.

No. you won’t “overeat” You’ll feel full long before you exceed your calories. It’s very hard to eat 2500 calories in one sitting.

The rest of the day enjoy coffee, smoke your pipe... but take in no calories until it’s time to eat again.

The 23 hours that you’re in a fasting state, your body will run on fat stores.

You’re giving your body a rest. Your sugars will not be spiking, except at your mealtime. Once.

You won’t starve. Your system will regulate, you’ll sleep better, digest better, feel better and you will lose a healthy 1-2lbs per week.

Hershel Walker has been doing this his entire life. The man’s a beast. He eats a late lunch daily.

Do we need to be eating three or four or six meals per day? Waaaay too much food. No wonder people are obese.

Edgar
Keto works. Sugar is an addiction. After 3 days you won’t “crave it”. I remember having my first beer after months of keto (Adkins) and it was the most delicious beer I’d ever had. That’s because I was able to taste how truly sweet that beer was.

I just think it’s too extreme as a long term lifestyle change. Your body needs both protein and carbs.

One meal a day is easier. You can have any food you like. Good luck ?

 

[Infantry23]

I'm really interested in your journey.... I need to get up and do it too. Looking to lose 40lbs and just be healthier for myself and my family.

 

[ashdigger]

I tried it for a while and it worked pretty good, but my travel schedule is erratic to begin with and there were plenty of times I packed for two days travel, but didn’t get home for five.

So it just became a huge pain in the ass. After an 18 hour day and finally heading to the hotel I’d pull the “fuck it” pin and just grab something.

Now I just eat in moderation and it has worked the best for crazy schedule.

We are all different and differing lifestyles.

Do what works for you!!!

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I did only raw food years back.. I lost 100 pounds. Those pounds have since crept back up on me...

 

[ashdigger]

I did keto many years ago and it does work. Will you be able to do that for life? I wouldn’t bet on it. Most diets work. But the yo yo effect is almost inevitable.

Here’s something that works that you may find easier to stick with... eat until your full and eat whatever you want, without guilt. But, only eat once per day. You choose what time of day, but only one meal. Make it a balanced, healthy one but have a slice of pie and ice cream for dessert if you want.

No. you won’t “overeat” You’ll feel full long before you exceed your calories. It’s very hard to eat 2500 calories in one sitting.

The rest of the day enjoy coffee, smoke your pipe... but take in no calories until it’s time to eat again.

The 23 hours that you’re in a fasting state, your body will run on fat stores.

You’re giving your body a rest. Your sugars will not be spiking, except at your mealtime. Once.

You won’t starve. Your system will regulate, you’ll sleep better, digest better, feel better and you will lose a healthy 1-2lbs per week.

Hershel Walker has been doing this his entire life. The man’s a beast. He eats a late lunch daily.

Do we need to be eating three or four or six meals per day? Waaaay too much food. No wonder people are obese.

Edgar
Keto works. Sugar is an addiction. After 3 days you won’t “crave it”. I remember having my first beer after months of keto (Adkins) and it was the most delicious beer I’d ever had. That’s because I was able to taste how truly sweet that beer was.

I just think it’s too extreme as a long term lifestyle change.

One meal a day is easier. You can have any food you like. Good luck ?

This is essentially what I’ve been doing currently.

 

[gervais]

Not too sure about the sustainability of it, but sounds good if you wanna shed some pounds.

 

[woodsroad]

You’ll love it. The first few weeks the weight seems to literally melt off. You’ll eventually reach a sort of equilibrium, but when augmented with exercise (obviously), it’ll continue to go away. You’ll sleep better, have more energy, and be in a seemingly better mood.

A few nuggets of wisdom:

Pork rinds are your friend - not just as a snack - as bread crumbs, breading for fried/baked meats, “chips” for dip, etc.

Mustard/Mayo/hot sauce typically have 0 carbs - they donated all of theirs to ketchup.

Pickles, pickles, pickles.

Keto bread/buns, while pricy, will scratch the itch. There will be an itch.

The ‘keto flu’ is real, but it’ll pass in a day, or two, and then you’ll feel incredible.

If you decide to come off of it, ease your way back into carbs.

Good luck and good on you for making the decision to commit to better health!

I’ve been at it for a couple of months now and everything BarrelProof says rings true.

It’s a “diet” that is do-able forever. Lots of good stuff to eat, and very positive (and encouraging) outcomes.

I’ve also taken brief detours for my birthday cake etc. with no downsides or difficulty getting back on track.

 

[BarrelProof]

Also - if either you or your wife are the creative/adventurous/foodie/chef type, there are an untold amount of keto-friendly replacement meals that you can make at home with substituted ingredients.

My wife has made desserts, pizzas, pastas, etc. None of them are identical to the original, obviously, but they will work in a pinch because every now and then you’ll have a craving for something that’s full of carbs.

Toughest one for me was beer. Fortunately, bourbon has no carbs!

 

[gervais]

Also - if either you or your wife are the creative/adventurous/foodie/chef type, there are an untold amount of keto-friendly replacement meals that you can make at home with substituted ingredients.

My wife has made desserts, pizzas, pastas, etc. None of them are identical to the original, obviously, but they will work in a pinch because every now and then you’ll have a craving for something that’s full of carbs.

Toughest one for me was beer. Fortunately, bourbon has no carbs!

You counted me out forever at no beer. Couldn't do that to my well being.

 

[canucklehead]

You counted me out forever at no beer. Couldn't do that to my well being.

My uncle drank these while doing a keto-ish diet.??

 

[Chasing Embers]

It would kill me.

 

[brian64]

I haven't done full keto, but have cut way back on the carbs for a while now...definitely makes a big difference.

 

[BarrelProof]

It would kill me.

Diabetic?