Keto diet

[exboyfil]

I have been doing this since 12/7 (had my first doctor's appt on Jan. 20th). Since starting it I have gone from 353 to 310, and my lab work from 1/20 has improved dramatically in a little over a month.

Glucose - 158 to 111 in a month
Cholesterol - 233 (2/20/2021) to 123
Liver enzymes down about 20 points each in a month

I have yoyoed on weight my entire life. The difference this time is that I am not nearly as hungry. It wasn't that I was complete junk eater, it is just that I did consume fruit, whole grains and potatoes. I had an expectation of three meals and continuous snacking during the day to chase hunger which I always seemed to have.

Don't know if it will continue to work. As before I exercise (part of the reason my weight shot up from the 300# range was reduced exercising because of depression). 20,000 steps in the form of walking and stepping sometimes with hand weights. Also grab light dumb bell and use it while watching tv and use a heavier dumbell for presses, curls, and deadlifts.

[underpants]

1. Nice job.

I’ve dropped at least 15 pounds since my surgery. No exercise due to healing from the operation. Just went back to eating basically cupped hands worth of food every few hours.

Sounds like you’ve got a good plan going there. Weight training is a great boost for weight loss.

[Quakerfriend]

2. Excellent! Keep up the good work!

Any, intermittent fasting during that time?

[exboyfil]

4. Just 12 and 12

Have done 16 and 24 since my last appointment. My Dr. is a big fan of it. It is surprising how I actually have to think about what I am going to prepare and eat to get me motivated to eat. I want things that taste good instead of just snacking on what is available. One thing about Keto is that it is work (at least how I am doing it).

[Quakerfriend]

6. Yes, it is work! I have a friend, a nurse,

who does it. She is also a bit of a ‘foodie’-
So that helps. She is always sending me pictures of the wonderful meals & snacks she makes.

[Ultraviolet Cat]

3. Great work!

I am about to celebrate my one year “ketoversary”. The key is to not think about this as a weight loss “diet”, but a way of healing and optimizing your metabolic health. It can take time for that to happen, and you may feel like you are stalled occasionally, but you are reversing years of damage caused by eating the standard American diet. Good luck and keep at it!

[gab13by13]

5. My daughter does Keto,

If she gets to 130 pounds she thinks she's overweight. She told me it's about cutting the carbs, potatoes, pasta, and exercising.

[Scrivener7]

7. Congratulations! That's so inspiring!

Can you help me out. I have been doing keto. The first month I lost 10 pounds, which is a lot for me and I also didn't feel hunger. But in the second month I stopped losing and I am concerned about how the fat content is affecting me. Your cholesterol drop is amazing, and good to hear because cholesterol on this diet is worrying me. But though I am not hungry, I am also feeling sluggish, which is weird on a diet that reduces carbs.

Can you tell me what you eat in an average day? I am wondering if I might be missing some aspect of it. For example, how many carb grams do you eat in a day? Do you use the keto strips?

[Ultraviolet Cat]

12. My thoughts . . .

I don’t know about what you are eating specifically, but I have two suggestions based on common keto issues:

1) One problem people get into with keto is focusing on net carbs rather than total carbs (which can also lead you to falling for the keto “look alikes”). I would suggest working on keeping total carbs below 20, and focusing on eating real food.

2) The second issue is that often people who come from calorie restrictive diets are very wary of dietary fat and end up trying to eat too lean. Try upping your fat intake (choose fatty meat and/or add some butter/ghee/tallow/Mayo/olive oil to your food). I generally get around 70% of my daily calories from fat (some days as high as 80%). Once you become fully fat adapted you may find you have more energy.

Hope this helps!

[exboyfil]

15. Yep I can't believe how much butter and olive oil I have consumed

It makes the food taste better so it is more satisfying, and, at least in my case, it has nothing to do with my cholesterol (unless it is positive).

When I cook beef or chicken, I brush my meat with olive oil and then season it. I then brush it occasionally as I turn it. I still cut off all fat that I can reach. I still remove skin from chicken.

I use two tablespoons of butter when I sauté an 8 oz mushroom container. I then pour the excess back into the pan to sauté peppers and onions (light on the onions - it is my one big vice under keto).

I make a lot of shrimp scampi but the scampi sauce goes over asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower.

I eat a bunch of vegetables. We are fortunate to get some recent sales on cauliflower so it has become a staple in our home (one of the few vegetables my wife likes).

I eat a small to medium avocado a day. I also have a fair amount of fish (sometimes in butter and sometimes in olive oil).

Roasted eggplant is wonderful especially with greek yogurt.

[Scrivener7]

21. Thank you very much for this. Carbs below 20! Wow. I'll try it. I was

at 40 or 50.

These are good suggestions. Thanks again.

[Happy Hoosier]

26. The "net" vs "total" carbs varies from person to person.

For some people, only a hard core restriction of total carbs will get them into Ketosis. For others, net carbs work fine. I'm somewhere in the middle. I can eat about 50 total carbs and do just fine so long as I keep net carbs below 30 or so. Are you measuring ketones? That's the tell tale. So long as your ketones are above 0.5, you are in nutritional ketosis. You can experiment a bit and see where your personal carb tolerance is. I have a buddy who cannot get in ketosis unless he strictly restricts total carbs to 20 or less.

My Blood glucose response even let's me tolerate the occasional moderate to high carb meal, but I will drop out of Keto for a day or so if I do that. Since I am now in maintenance mode, I allow that occasional indulgence. I may try another "push" later, but for now, I am no longer worried about maintaining ketosis all the time. I just want to avoid getting T2D again, and (If I'm being honest) I enjoy being able to actually buy clothing off the rack!

[exboyfil]

19. I don't really count carbs

I have go and no go foods. All above ground vegetables go. Only below ground vegetables are onions and green onions. I have dramatically reduced to just food taste for the onions.

Only fruits are avocadoes, tomatoes, egg plants, blackberries, and blueberries. Blackberries and blueberries at 2-3 oz in a bowl of plain Greek yogurt (my dessert). One avocado or roma tomato a day (I prefer romas which I eat in salads).

I regularly sauté mushrooms (8 oz mushroom with two tablespoons of butter). The excess butter is then poured with some olive oil to sauté green and colored bell peppers.

I will roast chicken (thighs and legs) with vegetables on the bottom of the roasting pan (mushrooms, onions, bell peppers).

Look to limit calories as well as carbs with high caloric density foods like nuts and cacao (90% plus). I store them in a cupboard fairly high up and fill a small container if it is snack time.

I eat to satiation and in some cases beyond asparagus, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower (my wife has a bad habit of filling a plate up and bringing it to my office when I am working). I steam these vegetables. Invest in a good steamer.

I make up a wonderful roasted eggplant, but I can't get my daughter or wife to eat it. It doesn't last long.

12 and 12 fast regularly. I have also had a few 16 and a 24 so far.

Usually 8 oz or meat once or twice a day. Lean but prepared with olive oil. Strip and sirloin steak (all accessible fat removed), all parts of the chicken (skin removed), fish fillets with skin (tilapia, salmon, trout), and shrimp (lots of it). Some lamb when it is available at a reasonable price (check Aldi's).

Light on winter squash since it is a Keto violation but really good. Acorn is supposed to be the worst for you. I love it roasted with olive oil (more satiating than steamed).

All the zucchini and summer squash you care to eat (usually as a substitute for potatoes in soups and as part of an Italian dish with homemade pasta sauce).

I make my own romaine salads. Another small violation is radishes, but I limit them. I include Romas, onions, green onions, and bell peppers.

If it comes in a package, you need to examine it closely. I use prepackaged scampi sauce because I still had a bunch of that available.

[Scrivener7]

20. This is so helpful! Thank you so much. Do you eat much cheese?

I am thinking I was depending on cheese too much because it's easy.

[exboyfil]

22. Not really

Calorie dense and less satiating than meat to me. I usually limit to two slices at a time and not everyday. I used to use a lot more of it especially in a casserole with chicken and potatoes.

I have found that my Fitbit overestimates my calorie burn by about 500-750 calories/day. Look what it takes to burn a slice of cheese (100 calories). That is 30 minutes of walking.

[Scrivener7]

23. Thanks. Very happy for you in your success.

[Happy Hoosier]

28. FWIW, I eat quite a lot of cheese.

I love it. And it makes a Keto diet sustainable for me.

[Desert_Leslie]

8. Great !!

Same here! 3 years ago went from 193 to 120 (I'm a 68-year-old 5'3" woman.) Lost the weight and, much more importantly, have maintained the weight loss.

I eat VERY low carb. And miracle of miracles ... my carb cravings have disappeared. My husband the dessert lover has cookies, cake, ice cream around ... AND I JUST DON'T CARE. If you had told me this would be possible years ago, I would have called you a damn liar.

Lab test results for my Type 1 Diabetes, cholesterol, etc., are totally normal -- my doctor said, "Your test results are perfect." I almost fainted.

The best part is not being tortured by the damn carb cravings. As you know, it's like being a heroin junkie! I used to have to have the carbs for breakfast, the snack at 10:00 a.m., the big lunch at noon, the afternoon snacks, and on and on.

Typical day now:

No breakfast. Don't want it! Again, this would have SHOCKED my old me.

Lunch: Cheese, sliced meat, maybe tuna salad, spoon of peanut butter, or a lettuce/cheese/meat/veggie salad topped with vinegar and oil.

Dinner: Meat, braised or roasted veggies like asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower (low carb), and a "dessert" of sour cream mixed with some sugar-free syrup. Monin sugar-free blackberry is delicious.

Very best wishes to you!

[exboyfil]

16. Thanks me too

I was never a sweets guy, but my weakness was potatoes in all its forms. I have found zucchini and cauliflower to be great substitutes for that craving. My snack of choice is pork rinds, but a bag of those lasts me a week (as opposed to polishing off a whole bag of "healthy" baked chips at a sitting).

My wife left a small bag of BBQ chips sitting on the counter for a month. I never touched them. They eventually disappeared.

[XacerbatedDem]

9. Good work, Keep it up.

I dropped 60 lbs on my keto diet, went from 230 down to 170 over the course of about a year and a half, which is my ideal weight. Then I got off the program and gained most of it back. I am thinking of going back to it, but I get a lot of flack from my VA doctors about it. They don't believe in Keto, every one of my doctors telling me it will raise my cholesterol and cause a heart attack or stroke. Hate to say it, but the excess weight I carry around could have the same effect.

But I'll tell you, the food was great; I never ate so much meat in my life, felt like some kind of animal. And there are so many good recipes these days.

My problem is that I can't hardly exercise much due to problems with my joints; wrists, knees, ankles. I go for walks almost every day, usually a couple miles, but I have to put on the braces even to do that much.

At any rate, good for you. Don't give up.

[flor-de-jasmim]

24. I also bounced back after doing keto for about 4 months. One day... I HAD to eat carbs

I've gained all the weight back and more, and my joints are incredibly stiff and I seem to be in a constant fibromyalgia flare-up. I am going to go back on keto, to loosen the joints as much as to lose weight.

I have been wondering about going vegetarian or vegan, but have read some studies showing that specifically for those who are insulin resistant / have metabolic syndrome, etc., a low carb / keto diet is better than a higher carb vegetarian diet.

All the best.

[podex101]

10. Vacation body.....

GOOD FREAKING JOB!!!!!
PLEASE KEEP GOING.

After spending 6 months working in Wisconsin (I am from Alabama), my wife surprised me with a trip to Cancun. We are getting ready for a much needed vacation.
We want to look good for the Kinich Ahau (Sun God in the Yucatan) just in case WWIII happens.
My boss in Wisconsin recommended the Keto diet to get results quick.
The added benefit of such diet:
My cholesterol is 133.
Glucose is at 112.
A1C is back to less than 5.4.

I figured that the carbs were responsible for my added weight from the last few years after retirement from the military.
In those carbs there is a silent poison that most people don't even notice.
Sugar, I have cut my sugar intake to just a spoon full of ice cream with my grand children, plus the added sugar on products that I don't know.
In September 2021 I left Alabama weighting 180lbs. I started this diet in late January. After 1 month + days of Keto (sometimes just eliminating sugar and not bread because -12F average temperature is too freaking cold) I had dropped to 159lbs.

Please keep doing everything you have been doing.
DEPRESSION sucks. I suffer from PTSD after a few trips overseas and I know that it sucks.
Now you have a goal, a tangible goal that is in the grasp of your hands. After you get to your desired weight... then.... then you start helping others with their weight problems.

A couple more lines and then I will shut up. If you really want that slice of pizza, take a good bite, scrape all the good stuff off the remaining bread and enjoy that pepperoni, mushrooms, extra cheese. I have done that a couple times.

Thank you for letting me share a little bit of my life story.

[exboyfil]

17. Marcos does these pizza bowls (pizza without crust)

They are not quite keto, but I have had one so far during this diet. If you control the pizza sauce, I think you can get it keto compliant. I am planning to do that in the near future.

Also even in the past I use Portobello mushrooms as a "crust" for pizza. They are very tasty as well.

[localroger]

11. I have been doing low-carb since 2006

As long as I don't get sloppy and start slipping the carbs back into my diet, the weight and health benefits have stayed consistent.

[niyad]

13. Excellent! Please keep us posted on your progress.

[dem4decades]

14. Congrats. nice job. My wife bought a few Keto cookbooks and the food is awesome. Keep at it and

enjoy your food and success.

[duforsure]

18. Fantastic!

It's worked well for me too. Keep up the good work. Down 50+ .

[Happy Hoosier]

25. Congrats! It worked for me!

I started Keto as a way to counteract T2D. It worked. But I also lost a LOT of weight... over 150 pounds. I have been weight stable for about 4 months now. And my diabetes is in remission.... completely normal blood sugar without drugs. I'm no longer doing hard-core Keto, but I am still eating very low carb. For me, it has been a transformative experience. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to deal with T2D.

[exboyfil]

27. That is my goal

Actually 200 pounds, but I will take 150. I have dropped 60 now, and I enjoy my food a whole lot more without the carbs. I am also using it to reverse T2D.

Great on the weight loss and conquering T2D. Thanks for your support. I am trying to get my wife on it, but not successful so far.

Check out the Protein bowls at Subway. I am having my first one today and not bad (but expensive).

[Happy Hoosier]

29. I'm very excited for you!

I have to be careful not to bend the ears of all my friends and family too much about this subject. I am pretty enthusiastic about it. You are well on your way!

I might have liked to lose another 15-10 pounds, but this where my body seems to want to be for now. I went from wearing 4-5x clothing to an XL, so I feel pretty good about that. I DO have a lot of loose skin. That is something you will have to deal with and a surgeon (the one who operated for my ruptured appendix) said that surgery could deal with it, probably taking another 15 pounds, but honestly, not sure I want to deal with that. I'm not all that worried about having a "beach body."

I eat the Subway protein bowls every now and again! I do enjoy them.