Keto Diet Help

Rather than continue this discussion in the What’s for Dinner post I though I’d start a new post on the topic. Both the wife and I decided we are way over due to try and lose some weight and get overall healthier. She has us started on a Keto Diet. We ( Mostly her ) tied it one other time, but I was not much help. I told her I’d eat what ever she cooks this time. Some of the good foods are things I really like ( Chicken, Eggs, Avocados, Cheese ) so that’s good. My big Problems are going to be the following:
Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, Most Fruites, Sugars ( Mostly pop ) Bread will not be a issue as I don’t like or eat much of it anyway. Overall my biggest problem is going to be Carb foods. I love my Carbs. Any one who has or is doing this Diet and has any tips or tricks to share, Please do so. Also if anyone has any recipes that you enjoy that are keto friendly that would be great as well.
I know any diet without increasing my exercise is likely to have limited benefits so I’m also getting started on that. Now that the weather is looking better time to start walking and Biking. I would love to get to a point to start doing some running but i know that is a ways off for right now.

fishthumper wrote:

I know any diet without increasing my exercise is likely to have limited benefits so I’m also getting started on that.

This is the biggest falsity out there. You can lose all the weight you want to by diet alone. The reason why it doesn’t always seem that way is because dieting is hard as hell. So adding exercising will help when you cheat on your diet. My wife does Beach Body training as a side gig and I watched her dad do one of the diets and lost 60 lbs in 6 months by just following one of their nutrition plans, along with many others. And that specific one had no workouts attached to it. Basically a detox followed by a low sugar, low carb diet. It’s a lot of vegetables and greens but you didn’t go hungry. I ate some of the meals and couldn’t finish most of them.

So don’t think just because you aren’t exercising you won’t have results with a nutrition change. You actually get much better results if you keep the nutrition correct than the exercise.

Losing weight is not fun or comfortable. Ive heard the successes of keto but am not willing to try it. I focused on quantity to lose all my weight. I cut out crap food and sweets but nothing else. Just a lot less.
The irony of getting older is you enjoy food more but require much less!
The only solution is changing your whole lifestyle to get used to eating less.
Good luck. Remember it’s not really a diet. Its a change in intake to match your desired size.
And I agree with above. Diet is to weight as exercise it to fitness.

suzuki wrote:

I focused on quantity to lose all my weight.

Ya, My portion control is part of my issue. I have a problem with not eating much throughout the day and then way over eating at dinner time. Often dinner is eaten rather late as well which is also really bad. on this diet I plan on tring to snack on small portions of healthier foods throughout the day and eat a smaller dinner portion much earlier in the day.

mahtofire14 wrote:

So don’t think just because you aren’t exercising you won’t have results with a nutrition change. You actually get much better results if you keep the nutrition correct than the exercise.

Good to know. I want to add the exercise to speed up the weight loss, as well as to get myself in better overall shape. I’m starting to have a few overall health issues that are a combo of age and not being in as good of shape as I should be. Not much I can do about the age but there is about the being in better shape.

I lost 140 pounds over 9 months on the Sanford Profile diet. http://www.profileplan.com I would drink 4 protein shakes a day with a low carb diet. That was 5 years ago. I have regained 40 pounds but overall that diet worked for me. I see the nearest profile location for you is in Maple Grove.

80% of weight loss happens in the kitchen. I’m a gym rat, love to lift weights so any exercise you can get is great. I’d recommend you shoot for 1-2 lb a week loss for two reasons….you aren’t starving yourself AND your body gets used to the lower calories/diet. This helps combat the rebound which can happen so you keep the weight off. I’ll do keto occasionally but keep each cycle to two weeks long. Carb cravings will be there!!for myself it seems easiest at first then the cravings ramp up a bit as you go on.

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
I focused on quantity to lose all my weight.

Ya, My portion control is part of my issue. I have a problem with not eating much throughout the day and then way over eating at dinner time. Often dinner is eaten rather late as well which is also really bad. on this diet I plan on tring to snack on small portions of healthier foods throughout the day and eat a smaller dinner portion much earlier in the day.

I feel for you. It isn’t easy. Try to come up with some distractions when you are hungry. With time it gets easier. I kept on track by weighing myself every day and recording the progress. Just with a sticky note on my desk. It really kept me motivated.
Once you lose a significant amount you are rewarded with a huge clothing bill because NONE of your former pants/shorts will fit and maybe even a few shirts/jackets. Yea.

My gal is keto on and off, some ok keto options:

low carb tortillas – you can make wraps, pizza, burritos, you name it
Costco low carb buns – burgers, sammiches, etc
Costco (or other) cauliflower rice – if you toast/roast it, not bad
Eggs – find different ways to use them, good cheap protein source even at today’s prices

snacks – beef sticks, cheese, nuts, pork rinds, dried chilis

We do a lot of grillings, marinate some chicken, pork, steak, add salad or a veggie and carbs for me and the kids

If you keep to 25 grams or less of carbs a day, you won’t need any exercise to lose a bunch of weight. What really helped me was bacon. I ate TONS of bacon.
At one point I was down close to 50 pounds, but here’s the problem, it’s not really a sustainable way of life and then turns into a yo-yo.

Taking whatever you eat and cutting it in half would be a better option, but it takes much much longer to see results.

3Rivers wrote:

it’s not really a sustainable way of life and then turns into a yo-yo.

Neither of us are thinking of the diet as a long term fix. More of a way to get a jump start on the weight loss. Hopefully it will just be a start to a overall better diet and lifestyle.

You’re not 20 anymore fish. Maybe you should ask your regular physician if starting any diet is a good idea and whether this diet is a good based on your age and general health. Then get goo-goo over the diet.

yes, you can lose a ton of weight just by focusing on diet and what goes into your body. But exercise is key for your overall health. You can be skinny or normal weight and still be very unhealthy. Diet and exercise go hand in hand if you are trying to maximize your overall health.

Props to you for taking the charge and trying to make a change. I’d agree with checking with your doctor to make sure this diet is good for you and your specific health attributes. Diets aren’t a one size fits all type of thing, especially the later you get in life.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

I’d agree with checking with your doctor to make sure this diet is good for you and your specific health attributes. Diets aren’t a one size fits all type of thing, especially the later you get in life.

I spoke with my Dr. at my last annual checkup. I mentioned possibly about doing a keto Diet and asked him his opinion on it. He said as long you get the proper amounts of Carbs and don’t cut them out all together he’s a fan of the diet. He said most everyone would benefit from a diet with higher proteins and lower carbs and sugars.

I like how your doc mentioned “as long as you get the proper amounts of carbs”. Too many people try to eliminate them. Carbs are required for life. It’s all your red blood cells and your nervous system use for food. Having said that, fruits and vegetable carbs are vastly different than high fructose corn syrup which is in everything else.

Portion control, simple exercise, and better food choices will take you a long way in your journey. Good luck. You’ve got this.

My first bit of advice especially if you intend to do it solely for the initial weight loss is to avoid the low carb grain alternatives. My personal opinion is that you should take this opportunity to cut out processed foods almost completely.

Cut out added sugars almost completely. If you need a sweetener use stevia, monk fruit and nothing else. Other sweeteners will only make you crave sweet foods more.

A lot of good advice here already especially those who say that the 95% of weight loss happens though diet. Exercise is very important for your heart and mental health.

Keep hard boiled eggs and precooked bacon on hand for breakfast and snacks.

Don’t worry too much about carbs from fruit especially when you are eating the whole fruit. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries may take you over the carb threshold but not by much. The nutritional value of eating those far outweighs the carb intake. I always keep Wymanns frozen blueberries in the freezer and I will have them as a snack if I get sweet cravings. The slight bitterness in these berries will kill those cravings pretty well.

Stay away from “keto recipes” and keep the cooking simple. Keto can should be healthy if you do it right. Steak, vegetable and a salad are good enough. Burger (no bun) a veggie and a salad. Use vinaigrette dressings on salad as much as possible.

Like others have said, choose a diet that is maintainable and not just a quick fad.

As far as exercise, it is a overaly common thought that cardio is the key to weight loss. Weight lifting or body weight HIIT workouts will do more for you than cardio ever will. If you find yourself unsure or a little confused in the gym, look into a partime trainer. It will keep you on the right track and give you accountability to continue

I lost 100# using “Bright Line Eating”.
It’s more of a lifestyle change than a diet.

Oh, stick to animal fats for cooking and avoid highly processed vegetable oils. Look for expeller pressed olive oil and other oils if you go with vegetable based oils.

One thing you might experience is some lightheadedness, if you’re restricting carbs like you should. You NEED to replace those carbs with protein AND fat to feel well.

Ultimately, I learned how important protein, fat and fiber is in your diet. Fat and fiber will fill you up so much faster than carbs causing you to eat less in general. It’s a good recipe for weight maintenance when you get to your target weight and start reintroducing carbs. When you reintroduce carbs start with whole grains like whole grain oats and whole grain wheat. Stick with homemade if possible.

I’m curious if you have GERD or acid reflux currently. If you do and you can follow the diet, I’m curious how you feel after a month. For me it was life changing.

My lady friend goes on and off with the keto diet, seems like when she is firm and sticks with it she is very successful, sadly I am a bad influence and just always stick to what I eat. So I imagine doing it with your partner will be a huge help. I have always been a meat potatoes and vegetables type of eater. I never really fluctuate weight. I stay between 190 and 200 since high school.
Support will be a huge help. As for exercise, I think it helps keep the body and mind healthy which has a positive influence on the diet, it all works together. Even if it’s a evening stroll or what not. I have always been a very active person so that keeps me feeling healthy. I can tell when I eat crappy food I will feel less motivated and crappier all together.
Good luck in your journey and share what works and doesn’t.
What I have noticed is like 3 rivers said, it can become a bit of a yoyo. Cutting down intake and portion sizes can be huge. Being “stuffed” is not a healthy thing. Many people over eat. I see guys eat more then my dinner portion in middle of the day, that’s where a healthy snack and lighter lunch can go a long way.

I started keto January first so I could drop some pounds for turkey season. I’m down 24 pounds so far. I have a carb management app that I input my macros and just stay the course. It does work. Also get the keto test strips and monitor ketone levels regularly.

Yes, download the free App “Carb manager” Poke around in it and set your goals and type of diet. Then stick within your macros.

My wife and I started Keto on January 2 (Not the first time I’ve done it). She has lost 40+ lbs, and I’ve lost 35.

It’s a lot of work to make your foods/meals, but most quick things labeled “Keto” are not. You’re told to only count net carbs, but that subtracts sugar alcohols (fake sugars) and also fiber. Don’t fall into it, while it might work at the beginning, it won’t later on. Cook good keto meals and have good keto snacks, (not processed “Keto friendly” ones)

PM me if you want some recipes. I do all the cooking and my wife says we could do this for life. There are many good recipes.

Well were off and running. Had zucchini boats stuffed with ground sausage and cheese for dinner. It was actually really good. Went for a decent walk. This morning I atre 2 Hardboiled eggs. For lunch I had a hamburger patty with cheese. I brought a lot of celery cut up to snack on here at work. Already drank 4 8oz cups of water. So we are off to a good start. Now just need to keep it rolling

Greg Krull wrote:

download the free App “Carb manager

Done. I played around with it. Seems fairly easy to use. Thanks for the suggestion.

I’m telling you from a guy that has lost 50lbs on low carbs.

It worked for me, once you get into ketosis the lbs literally melt off.
For me it’s easy because there are so many things to satisfy your carb intake.

I currently fast on Monday’s and it works well for me.

I wise man said “eat to live, don’t live to eat”

Full transparency – I do drink quite a few carbs. I’m weak.

fishthumper wrote:

So we are off to a good start. Now just need to keep it rolling

That’s great to hear! Change is tough and the hardest part is often making better choices become a lasting habit. But remember each day is a new day to make better choices! I’ve come to classify myself as a CARBavore… breads, noodles, baked goods… I also absolutely love sugar. I simply just can’t cut out carbs and sugar so I’ve been trying a replacement approach – by adding extra protein and veggies into my pasta dishes I can eliminate some of the carbs while still eating a full meal.