Keto Way of Life

[barkley]

The hardest part of doing any high protein/low carb diet is that "snacks" (or meals) aren't readily available. I found I'm so used to just grabbing a handful of chips, making a bagel/piece of toast, or pouring a bowl of cereal when I need a snack/quick meal, and you can't make "quick" snacks if you have to cook a protein. Make sure you plan ahead and have plenty of hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, sliced meat, etc., on hand for these "need it now" occasions.

i'm a big fan of the south beach diet. even when dh and I aren't actively dieting ALLOT of their recipes are a part of our normal rotation of meals just because we enjoy them so much.

as for having quick meals available-with south beach most of the recipes are set up for 4 servings so we routinely eat 2 (or if he's not participating i'll half the recipe and just eat 1/2) then container up the second to go into the freezer. most flash defrost and reheat really well (the greek sloppy joe and the chicken crimini in particular). we will also make larger batches of some recipes and set up quick meals to freeze for the nights we know we are busy. tonight for example we are taking a small pork loin and cooking it with south beach's bolivian spiced pork chop recipe. we will have our meal and then break the remainder of the loin into sections to freeze in order to pull out other nights. when we make the greek sloppy joe I often double the recipe to make lunch size servings (I look to how many calories are indicated in an average lunch to make adjustments to the serving size).

with snacks I agree if you can have stuff on hand or somewhat pre-prepped it really helps out. I make small containers of south beach's cilantro mayo for their lettuce wraps, and always have a container of their recipe for pesto for a quick pesto tomato.

 

[Klayfish]

Not all “fad diets” are extreme though, some are just healthy eating plans with a title in order for someone to profit. Here’s a review on South Beach:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/south-beach-diet-what-it-is

Yes, I'd agree with that too. There are options out there that have a healthy eating plan, I haven't looked super close at it, but I think Weight Watchers is one. I just cringe when I hear people doing these "diets" and as a PP mentioned, wind up with off the charts cholesterol levels or some other unwanted side effect. Or they loose a little weight and then gain it back. Even the word "diet" probably should be changed. It's a lifestyle, not a short term "diet" in the sense the word is often used.

 

[tasha99]

Yes, I'd agree with that too. There are options out there that have a healthy eating plan, I haven't looked super close at it, but I think Weight Watchers is one. I just cringe when I hear people doing these "diets" and as a PP mentioned, wind up with off the charts cholesterol levels or some other unwanted side effect. Or they loose a little weight and then gain it back. Even the word "diet" probably should be changed. It's a lifestyle, not a short term "diet" in the sense the word is often used.

As far as I know, the link between dietary cholesterol and cholesterol in your blood is very old science. My labs improved a great deal when I cut out refined carbs like flour and sugar, despite a diet high in cholesterol. My doctor asked what I was doing differently, and when I told her I was eating mostly paleo, she said she'd seen a lot of improvement in general among patients who did that.

 

[justussix]

Between August and November I dropped 30'ish lbs. I've kept it off since. I didn't overthink the "diet" thing. I just focused on reducing the amount of overly processed, calorie dense foods I was eating. Eating whole fruits and veggies. Eating meat. Eating bread, but getting whole grain bread instead of white. Cutting down on the sweets, but not eliminating. And I started moving more. Changing my walks into jogs. Then joining a gym when the weather got bad, and started biking.

I never logged any food I ate. I didn't count any calories.

The two eating habits I focused on changing include rather than eating until I'm full, I ate when was hungry, stopped eating when I was no longer hungry and no eating right before bed. Sounds like semantics, but the difference between "full" and "no longer hungry" was a meaningful one for me.

 

[ZuZugal]

I started with Keto in Oct 2017. Im in my 50's, and not overweight but I was getting a belly and it literally interfered with every aspect of my life. No amount of diet and exercise made a difference. (I took a boot camp class at 5am 3x a week for 3 years...that and watching my calorie intake did nothing to stave off the belly.)
Going Keto is truly the ONLY lifestyle change I have ever made where I feel great AND I'm not always hungry. For me it was getting through those first 2 months and then over the hump of the holidays. I still exercise quite a bit, but those first few months were difficult because I had no energy.

I lost 15 pounds, hit a plateau, and then continued to lose. Losing the belly and feeling "healthy again" were my goals and I am there, but getting used to new meals/snacks wasn't easy.

I'm also not great at counting my macros daily (in the beginning I did; but not now). I just know what works and what does not. I'm sure I fall out of ketosis once in a while, but I'm also not holding my feet to the fire; gotta live life too!

Hip2Save is a website I look at daily for deals. Recently they listed some free Keto cookbooks for kindle. I'm not great at posting links, but it should be easy to find.

One of the hardest parts for me was eating enough good fats. Lots of people drop the carbs, but don't eat enough fat and also eat too much protein. So I would say figuring out your macros in the beginning is very important, as well as eating enough healthy fats.

Good luck!!

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

Thank you! I will check those out. Day 1 is in the books & I'm feeling motivated!
Are there any very active message boards for the keto diet that you know of? When I was on South Beach Diet, I joined a very active SBD message board that was a godsend to me for support.

I need to find a good keto support group, as well. I will let you know if I find one. It's a little frustrating to weed through of the opponents of keto (or any other diet). Getting off track with recommendations of "eat less, move more" or "just be sensible about what you're eating", is really not helpful. If any of that had worked, none of these other diets would even be out there. I would also go so far as to say, calling keto a "fad diet" is about as silly as calling a vegan or vegetarian diet a "fad diet". It's an eating lifestyle and can be sustained for a lifetime. Also, the idea that you ruin your metabolism with fasting has been proven to be false many times over.

 

[Kristina]

I need to find a good keto support group, as well.

Not a support group (kinda sorta..) but I really love the dietdoctor website. It has everything you need from menus/meal planning and grocery lists to videos explaining it all and the science behind it. You hit the nail on the head, it’s not a fad at all but a eating lifestyle, and a healthy one at that.

 

[Klayfish]

Getting off track with recommendations of "eat less, move more" or "just be sensible about what you're eating", is really not helpful. If any of that had worked, none of these other diets would even be out there. I would also go so far as to say, calling keto a "fad diet" is about as silly as calling a vegan or vegetarian diet a "fad diet". It's an eating lifestyle and can be sustained for a lifetime. Also, the idea that you ruin your metabolism with fasting has been proven to be false many times over.

So by your post above, are you saying that a sensible and well balanced diet along with exercise doesn't work and you'll still get obese by doing that? Sorry, don't buy that for one second. The size of this problem is pretty uniquely American. Yes, there are overweight people in other parts of the world, but it's a massive epidemic in this country, far, far above others. Why? Right...because Americans eat far too much, eat a lot of junk food and don't get proper exercise. That's just the cold, hard reality. These fad diets...and yes, I think a lot of them are fads...that have popped up over the past few decades are capitalizing on this...it's largely money driven.

I do agree with you that eating is a lifestyle. That's true.

If you think starving yourself is healthy, more power to you.

 

[Belle2667]

In 2008, I was 50lbs heavier than I am today. I've lost it all and kept it off! Prior to that, I tried all the diets, too and while there were some successes, the weight always came back.

I started cleaning up my diet gradually. First was soda. I was a BIG diet coke drinker. I switched that out first to flavored seltzers, then to green tea with sugar and then slowly cut back the sugar so now all I drink are unsweetened teas, coffee and water. That was huge for me. I found making the changes slowly gave me the chance to get used to something and make it more likely to be a permanent change.

Then I moved away from anything with high fructose corn syrup and then all prepackaged items went next. I spent a lot of hours searching the internet on healthy ideas. Then came sugar. While doing research, there are theories that sugar is the main culprit to weight and health issues. Dr. Mercola has a book "Fat for Fuel". Made sense to me, so out went any added sugar item and in came the coconut oil. I routinely get my bloodwork done and while my cholesterol did go up, I had an additional test to check the actual "density" of the cholesterol and it was all good, fluffy cholesterol, so I'm not concerned with the numbers.

While the weight was off and all is well, continued research brought up intermittent fasting. Again, the science behind it made sense to me. Our bodies shouldn't be spending all its efforts digesting food. I've been doing the 18 hour fast / 6 hour feast daily for over a year now. I thought I'd have problems with low blood sugar (as I had in the past when I was eating garbage) but never did. It took a few weeks to get used to, but now it's nothing. This also allows me to accommodate special occasion dining / parties. I just adjust my feasting window for the day.

Weight loss was my initial goal. Health was my second. It's worked for me. It took DH a little longer to get onboard (and he's diabetic and 50lbs overweight), but he's been intermittent fasting checking his blood sugar and only eating when it's down to 100. It's only been 3 weeks, but he's down 10lbs already and his blood sugar seems to be more in control. Again, the theory is that your body is made to run on fat, not sugar, and you can't lose fat until the sugar is gone.

I realize not everything works for everyone. My mom definitely cannot fast. She's doing well just switching to whole foods. I believe each journey is personal, but at the end of the day, my mantra has been basically..... Simple (as clean as you can afford) ingredients. Did you ever see a Doritos or coca-cola plant growing in a garden? Then don't eat it!

Good luck.

 

[Dumbo777]

The Philly Cheese steak Diet????
I've honestly tried everything since having my second baby and have had no success: Counting calories, Counting fat, counting carbs, Weight Watchers, using a tracker (Fitness Pal), stopping stressing all together & just making good choices, etc... I stick to it for a month or two-very vigilant, experience minimal weight loss, and then give up & fall off the wagon. It's been a constant cycle since after my last pregnancy. Regular exercise (aside from chasing my kids around & cleaning the house!) has been a struggle due to my earlier start to my work day (it's still dark when I leave the house), working lunch "breaks," and by the time I get out of work, I need to rush home to make dinner. Saturday are kids' religious classes, errands/cleaning the house, & by the time Sunday rolls around, I'm completely exhausted.

The only thing that has ever worked for me was the South Beach Diet. I lost over 80 pounds & kept it off for 4 years.....until I got pregnant. Carbs are definitely something I have a hard time controlling & I think going low carb agrees with my body. I remember on South Beach Diet, after the initial 2 weeks, I stopped craving carbs. I'm hoping to do the same now. The thing that is difficult to do South Beach now is the 5 meals per day, which was easy when I was younger, but near impossible to do in my current job. I think I just need to focus on getting rid of those carbs. I love protein & that is what I tend to gravitate toward for snacks.

If you are having a ton of trouble losing weight, have your thyroid checked.

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

So by your post above, are you saying that a sensible and well balanced diet along with exercise doesn't work and you'll still get obese by doing that? Sorry, don't buy that for one second. The size of this problem is pretty uniquely American. Yes, there are overweight people in other parts of the world, but it's a massive epidemic in this country, far, far above others. Why? Right...because Americans eat far too much, eat a lot of junk food and don't get proper exercise. That's just the cold, hard reality. These fad diets...and yes, I think a lot of them are fads...that have popped up over the past few decades are capitalizing on this...it's largely money driven.

I do agree with you that eating is a lifestyle. That's true.

If you think starving yourself is healthy, more power to you.

No one is talking about starving. Fasting is NOT starving and millions of people around the world fast. Yes, Americans have a problem with junk food and a serious problem with obesity, diabetes and diabetes related diseases. No, I am not saying you will become obese by following your "sensible, well balanced diet" approach. This whole thread is about losing weight, so therefore, we are obviously already overweight or obese. When you are starting from a place of needing to lose 50, 100 or 200 lbs, you already have insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or diabetes. That makes losing weight more complicated than just eating less and moving more.

Again, the OP asked for advice on keto. Not a debate on which diet is best.

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

Not a support group (kinda sorta..) but I really love the dietdoctor website. It has everything you need from menus/meal planning and grocery lists to videos explaining it all and the science behind it. You hit the nail on the head, it’s not a fad at all but a eating lifestyle, and a healthy one at that.

Thank you Kristina. I have run across that website before. I forgot about it, but I will go check it out again.

 

[tasha99]

.

 

[Hikergirl]

Fad or not, eating low carb has worked for me, and for my dd. They key is sticking to it, like any other "diet". Low carb isn't a diet, it is an eating lifestyle and it works for many people.
I don't do keto because I am not willing to give up certain foods for it and since I know cutting out 95% of carbs works for me that is the "fad" I will continue on.
OP I hope you find what works for you.

 

[wvjules]

I think anything that is too restrictive is designed to fail for most people. Good luck on your weight loss journey, OP. I joined WW and love the new Freestyle program. I started on 1/2 and on my 3rd weekly weight in I lost 6.6# total. Pretty good considering that my goal is to lose 50# this year which is 4.167 per month. I want to lose a total of 75#. I eat mostly whole and unprocessed foods now but I can have an occasional treat if a budget for it. I think that is key...I do not feel deprived at all.

 

[Hikergirl]

I think anything that is too restrictive is designed to fail for most people. Good luck on your weight loss journey, OP. I joined WW and love the new Freestyle program. I started on 1/2 and on my 3rd weekly weight in I lost 6.6# total. Pretty good considering that my goal is to lose 50# this year which is 4.167 per month. I want to lose a total of 75#. I eat mostly whole and unprocessed foods now but I can have an occasional treat if a budget for it. I think that is key...I do not feel deprived at all.

I keep seeing ads for that and am wondering about it. I did WW years ago and lost what I wanted to lose, but I got so sick of counting points that I stopped. Do you still count using the freestyle?

 

[wvjules]

I keep seeing ads for that and am wondering about it. I did WW years ago and lost what I wanted to lose, but I got so sick of counting points that I stopped. Do you still count using the freestyle?

You do still have to count points unless you eat from the "free" foods list which is huge now! It includes eggs, chicken, seafood, all fresh/frozen veggies (including peas and corn) except potatoes, beans, fat free greek yogurt. You can eat a whole day of only free foods. And if you combine that with simply filling you won't have to count at all and only use weeklies for treats. https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/article/zero-pointsr-foods And now 4 daily points can rollover into weeklies if you want to save up for a special occasion or something.

I did WW a few years ago and lost 30# using the old Smart Points. I like this new Freestyle program so much better! Give it a try for a month. If you don't like it you are only out 20 bucks or so.

ETA: The link above doesn't have the list of free foods so here it is:

Here it is: an expanded list of all 200+ zero Points foods.* The foods on this list form the foundation of a healthy eating pattern, so you don’t need to weigh, measure, or track any of them. Enjoy!

• Apples
• Applesauce, unsweetened
• Apricots
• Arrowroot
• Artichoke hearts
• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Asparagus
  
• Bamboo shoots
• Banana
• Beans: including adzuki, black, broad (fava), butter, cannellini, cranberry (Roman), green, garbanzo (chickpeas), great northern, kidney, lima, lupini, mung, navy, pink, pinto, small white, snap, soy, string, wax, white
• Beans, refried, fat-free, canned
• Beets
• Berries, mixed
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Broccoli rabe
• Broccoli slaw
• Broccolini
• Brussels sprouts
  
• Cabbage: all varieties including Chinese (bok choy), Japanese, green, red, napa, savory, pickled
• Calamari, grilled
• Cantaloupe
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Caviar
• Celery
• Swiss chard
• Cherries
• Chicken breast, ground, 99% fat-free
• Chicken breast or tenderloin, skinless, boneless or with bone
• Clementines
• Coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots), packaged
• Collards
• Corn, baby (ears), white, yellow, kernels, on the cob
• Cranberries
• Cucumber
  
• Daikon
• Dates, fresh
• Dragon fruit
  
• Edamame, in pods or shelled
• Egg substitutes
• Egg whites
• Eggplant
• Eggs, whole, including yolks
• Endive
• Escarole
  
• Fennel (anise, sweet anise, or finocchio)
• Figs
• Fish: anchovies, arctic char, bluefish, branzino (sea bass), butterfish, carp, catfish, cod, drum, eel, flounder, grouper, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, mahimahi (dolphinfish), monkfish, orange roughy, perch, pike, pollack, pompano, rainbow trout (steelhead), rockfish, roe, sablefish (including smoked), salmon (all varieties), salmon, smoked (lox), sardines, sea bass, smelt, snapper, sole, striped bass, striped mullet, sturgeon (including smoked); white sucker, sunfish (pumpkinseed), swordfish, tilapia, tilefish, tuna (all varieties), turbot, whitefish (including smoked), whitefish and pike (store-bought), whiting
• Fish fillet, grilled with lemon pepper
• Fruit cocktail
• Fruit cup, unsweetened
• Fruit salad
• Fruit, unsweetened
  
• Garlic
• Ginger root
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Greens: beet, collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, turnip
• Greens, mixed baby
• Guavas
• Guavas, strawberry
  
• Hearts of palm (palmetto)
• Honeydew melon
• Jackfruit
• Jerk chicken breast
• Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
• Jicama (yam bean)
  
• Kiwifruit
• Kohlrabi
• Kumquats
  
• Leeks
• Lemon
• Lemon zest
• Lentils
• Lettuce, all varieties
• Lime
• Lime zest
• Litchis (lychees)
  
• Mangoes
• Melon balls
• Mung bean sprouts
• Mung dal
• Mushroom caps
• Mushrooms: all varieties including brown, button, crimini, Italian, portabella, shiitake
  
• Nectarine
• Nori seaweed
  
• Okra
• Onions
• Oranges: all varieties including blood
  
• Papayas
• Parsley
• Passion fruit
• Pea shoots
• Peaches
• Peapods, black-eye
• Pears
• Peas and carrots
• Peas: black-eyed, chickpeas (garbanzo), cowpeas (blackeyes, crowder, southern), young pods with seeds, green, pigeon, snow (Chinese pea pods); split, sugar snap
• Peppers, all varieties
• Pepperoncini
• Persimmons
• Pickles, unsweetened
• Pico de gallo
• Pimientos, canned
• Pineapple
• Plumcots (pluots)
• Plums
• Pomegranate seeds
• Pomegranates
• Pomelo (pummelo)
• Pumpkin
• Pumpkin puree
  
• Radicchio
• Radishes
• Raspberries
• Rutabagas
  
• Salad, mixed greens
• Salad, side, without dressing, fast food
• Salad, three-bean
• Salad, tossed, without dressing
• Salsa verde
• Salsa, fat free
• Salsa, fat free; gluten-free
• Sashimi
• Satay, chicken, without peanut sauce
• Satsuma mandarin
• Sauerkraut
• Scallions
• Seaweed
• Shallots
• Shellfish: abalone, clams, crab (including Alaska king, blue, dungeness, lump crabmeat, queen) crayfish, cuttlefish, lobster (including spiny lobster), mussels, octopus, oysters, scallops, shrimp, squid
• Spinach
• Sprouts, including alfalfa, bean, lentil
• Squash, summer (all varieties including zucchini)
• Squash, winter (all varieties including spaghetti)
• Starfruit (carambola)
• Strawberries
• Succotash
  
• Tangelo
• Tangerine
• Tofu, all varieties
• Tofu, smoked
• Tomatillos
• Tomato puree
• Tomato sauce
• Tomatoes: all varieties including plum, grape, cherry
• Turkey breast, ground, 99% fat-free
• Turkey breast or tenderloin, skinless, boneless or with bone
• Turkey breast, skinless, smoked
• Turnips
  
• Vegetable sticks
• Vegetables, mixed
• Vegetables, stir fry, without sauce
  
• Water chestnuts
• Watercress
• Watermelon
  
• Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat, unsweetened
• Yogurt, plain, nonfat, unsweetened
• Yogurt, soy, plain

 

[Hikergirl]

Thanks @wvjules
I may just try it. I fell off the low carb wagon and dragging my feet getting back on LOL
This may be better.

 

[Felipe4]

Hey, I've done Keto since mid-August and have had really good results. I wanted to lose 35 lbs by next August and I'm almost at my goal weight (7 lbs to go!).

It's all about counting your net carbs and meeting your protein goal - fat intake is just to satiate yourself. Logging them into MFP helped me a lot in the beginning, but I know what I can have now so I'm doing a lazy keto where I don't track everything and I'm still on track. I go to the gym and do kettle bell classes once, sometimes twice a week (sometimes I skip it entirely). Personally, I find this diet amazing because I can eat as much charcuterie and cheese boards as I want! Every morning (unless I'm doing Intermittent Fasting because I had a big dinner and am not hungry), I eat 2 scrambled eggs with cheese and sometimes a whole avocado. My lunches are typically a spinach salad mix with a low carb balsamic dressing, an avocado, and goat cheese crumble along with a side of soppressata slices and cheddar slices for my own mini charcuterie board. Dinners are chicken or salmon with a veggie like broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or cauliflower. I had a really good cauliflower mash last night that made me question my love for mashed potatoes.

It can seem daunting, especially since it seems so restrictive (no bread? no alcohol? no sweets?! no PASTA?!), but the longer you do it, the easier it becomes. I allow myself cheat days every now and then (when I go out for drinks or dinner with friends, or when something sounds really delicious). Plus there are great recipes to help you with those cravings (fat head bread/pizza recipes and I had a fantastic one for chocolate mousse!) I had a bad keto flu starting out and got wicked muscle cramps in my legs because I wasn't getting enough Magnesium and Potassium, but it's been fine ever since (and I supplement with magnesium and potassium vitamins).

I'm finding that when I DO eat carbs now, that my body gets really angry. We're talking indigestion, cramps, and bloating - and it's not just gluten, it happens with rice too. I also find myself getting really bad sugar highs and lows when I eat a bunch of sweets - I still have a big basket of Halloween candy because I can't eat like 10 Reeses in a sitting anymore. I might keep a low-carb lifestyle for the rest of my life.

I was heavily addicted to sugar and carbs before. I never watched what I ate, priding myself on my ability to lick a plate clean wherever I went. I had a binging problem. I could eat a pint of ice cream in 15 minutes. I would binge 1/2 a container of Chips Ahoy or Keebler cookies in one sitting. I could eat 1/3 of a cake at once. I could eat half a pizza by myself. I'd eat enough Stovetop stuffing for 4 people. The only vegetables I'd eat were starches. At first, my metabolism kept up and it didn't matter, but when I hit my mid-20s, it slowed down and I gained about 25 lbs. Going to the gym didn't really help. I felt uncomfortable in my body and when I hit 30, I decided to actually make a change and eat healthier. I finally listened to what the trainers were saying - it's 90% diet and 10% work.

I use the Reddit Keto forum for support.

 

[Tinijocaro]

i am currently educating myself about the Keto lifestyle. I have had some friends that are doing it and have been very happy with the results. I need to loose about 50lbs this year. Any suggestions on getting started and staying committed. I know if I could get through the first month I would be ok. I also got an Insta Pot for xmas and am hoping to use this for quicker meal planning.

I am on a Keto Instant Pot Facebook group. It's called "Keto Instant Pot Recipes Only" recipes only meaning they really only want people to post recieps, not a lot of newbie questions. Still a nice group though. Sometimes the newbie questions get to be to much-I've been using my IP for 3 years so I really only want recipes at this point. I really no nothing about Keto except it's supposed to be healthy and helpful in losing weight.