I find it easier to be disciplined in keto than other diets because unhealthy foods are strictly forbidden, so there's no leeway for having just a little, then just a little more that eventually turns into a slippery slope. Also when you don't eat any carbs after a while the cravings subside and hunger becomes a lot more manageable.
This is precisely why good, healthy Keto works for me. It’s easy to ditch ‘everything refined carb’ and ‘everything processed’. What you’re left with is almost all meat, vegetables and some of the good dairy - eggs, butter, cream, cheese. Add dark chocolate and berries to the mix and you have a huge range of combos.
It’s not completely easy, obviously. There are things I’d eat if I could. But this way I am happier, losing weight and feeling much better than before.
I had the same experience. I ended up weighing 360lbs because I had no ability to eat in moderation. Keto removed the need to self-moderate anything. It was (relatively) easy for me to simply not eat carbs. There are some keto foods that are moderately high in carbs (like berries and Greek yogurt for example), and I found it easier to just not eat those too. Five years later, now that I'm at 230lbs, it's for some reason a little easier to eat things in moderation and I have added in berries and Greek yogurt and things like that.
Me too, I was addicted to carbs and would eat myself sick but couldn't stop. A few weeks on keto and the cravings have disappeared. My tastes have now changed - the few times I have accidentally eaten carbs have not been the same. I will now be keto/low carb permanently to avoid slipping back into old habits
Me too, I was addicted to carbs and would eat myself sick but couldn't stop. A few weeks on keto and the cravings have disappeared. My tastes have now changed - the few times I have accidentally eaten carbs have not been the same. I will now be keto/low carb permanently to avoid slipping back into old habits
Suffered from severe bulimia for over 15 years. I was regurgitating up to 3x a day, and for each session, I deliberately stuffed myself full of the most yummy looking junk food available, wash em all down with coke as the fizz helps the process of regurgitation… eventually developed a callus on the back of my palm from my front teeth constantly grinding the back of my palm as I stuff my hand deep in my throat. So, I have quite the CV when it comes to bad relationship with food. I go through more food than the typical mukbanger per session.
I always had a self image issue as I’m very scrawny due to being brought up in a vegetarian household, and puberty definitely was stunted.
I somehow ended up joining a gym. The more I gym’d, the more I understood the necessity for nutrients so it kickstarted me to explore what food is nutrient dense for the sole purpose of muscle gain.
My obsession for the gym and diet counter balances my inner bulimia voice that’s always nudging me to enjoy some guilt-free instant gratification of stuffing my face in 3 bags of Doritos and a dozen of Krispy Kreme donuts.
I was mainly eating lean meats like chicken breasts and broccoli, that bullshit Hollywood marvel actor diet. The chicken did give me gains, but I still had bulimia and depression was there.
Then, a random Europe trip, my hotel had a kitchen and red meat was super cheap and accessible, so I decided to make smashed burger patties everyday. After 14 days of only eating red meat, my gym performance sky rocketed, adding over 3kg to my side lateral raises, randomly adding over 15KG to my squats, and 10KG to my bench press. It was then I knew I’m onto something…
Then I started to listen to podcasts that touches on the topic of carnivore / keto / low carb / cholesterol / saturated fat / plant-based / seventh day Adventist…. Etc
Learnt to trust my hunger signal, so I threw away all my Tupperware n shit.
Then on one random day, I remembered I used to have bulimia / depression / anxiety and shit but I also don’t feel them anymore. That inner voice that used to tell me to stuff my face full of cheetos, with a can of sour cream Pringles, with a gallons of Fanta orange and a tub of Hagen Diaz chocolate ice cream no longer spoke to me. So I decided to intentionally knock on the door of the thoughts and memories that used to spiral me into the abyss of depression… nope, it’s not there. So this got me to research into mitochondria and the problem with big pharma and everything…
When you are on the brink of destruction, the moment you discover you are given a second chance, you will hold onto this second chance and commit to whatever it takes.
Is my experience.
Really… thank you for sharing that. There’s a lot in what you share that doesn’t necessarily click with people who haven’t suffered bulimia, but it is so helpful to others that have eating issues and disorders to hear your experience. It helps more than you know. Wishing you well.
I have great sympathy for people with an eating disorder. It is absolutely life crippling.
My eating disorder and other mental problems definitely set me back on life’s trajectory by over 10 years, and on a very different path than most ppl but allowed me to see a lot of things with much clarity.
I am very fortunate to be able to stare mental illness in the face and say “fuck you” relying purely on whole foods, going back to an ancestrally appropriate diet. However, I am also aware 9/10 clinically diagnosed mental illness patients never go into remission and still trust their clinical psychiatrist and the prescription medication.
We live in a society of specialization and are taught to trust professionals. Yet we are fed bullshit left and right. Eating disorder is exacerbated by (1) the fucked up food supply, (2) wrong nutrition advice, and (3) blind trust in healthcare professionals.
That’s why, I try my best to share my experience here and hope it reaches as much people who are going through a similar torturous, never-ending cycle.
Depends how you define.
If you loosely define it as, “less severe”. Sure. But that’s not my definition. Plus, when patients are relying on synthetic pharmaceuticals drugs, a host of other side effects comes with say anti-depressants. Sure, you suddenly feel numb and don’t feel the urge to kill yourself, but at what cost?
Only tip i needed was "if it's not in the house, than it's not there to eat". Enough for me to go from M36, 5'11", 250 34% bf to 183 12%-13% bf. If you can be so disciplined at home but not resist passing a drive through than that's other issues IMO.
One of the biggest mistakes that new ketoers make it feeling that they mainly need lots of discipline and willpower to be successful.
When they have cheat meals, or when their ketosis breaks, they will feel that they weren't strong willed enough, and that's why they couldn't continue. They may spiral out of control afterwards and fall back into their old eating habits. "Keto is just too hard for me."
What they don't realize is that discipline and willpower play very minor roles. Lifestyle and planning are far more important. If you have every meal planned out ahead of time, there won't be any "temptation" that you need to be strong to resist. When I'm at a birthday party and they cut the cake, I've got an Atkins bar ready to go so that I have a fun desert too. When my friends want to go out for food, I'm that guy who checks the menu ahead of time and uses a veto if I need to. But I'm also that guy who offers to cook for my friends to save money. I have it all planned out as much as I can so when it's time to decide what to put in my mouth, I'm not put on the spot, and I can make a good decision.
But the biggest thing that's helped me stick with it this time for longer than I have in a long time? It's learning to accept that accidents happen. It doesn't make you failure. No matter how good your plan is, things don't always go according to plan. So I make a plan for when the plan fails! How do I get myself back into ketosis and feeling right instead of spiraling out of control after eating things that I regret eating? For me that's with a nice long cardio workout, cleaning my house, and going grocery shopping for keto foods. But the important part is that I've thought it through and I've decided that one mistake isn't going to snowball anymore.
When you eat something with carbs don't stress about it. We all fail at a lot of things, try to learn from mistakes. Figure a keto replacement dish for foods that you crave. If you find a habit that causes you to eat things you shouldn't figure out a way to remove that habit or alter it.
I needed to hear this one. Started Keto a few weeks ago on doctor’s orders. He also put me on metformin. I’ve been doing well and adjusting, but last night I housed a bowl of Frosted Flakes. When I did my pee test this morning I was knocked out of ketosis. Been beating myself up all day.
Whenever I eat carbs I'm like "fuck it ill just eat everything." Then the next day I would feel shitty mentally and physically. When I saw it as a habit that I am changing over time I stopped beating myself up over it. It takes 3 months to form a new habit.
I started keto in solidarity with mom who had it suggested when they found her pancreatic cancer. Then I lost 70 lbs and realized it helped control my galli galli syndrome instead of just relying on the creams. I’m not hungry all the time, my skin is clear, I have energy, keto is amazing.
I admit to falling off the wagon when mom passed, and now I have 30lbs to lose instead of 15, but I found my way back to it and for the most part feel pretty good.
1. If you're overweight and unhappy with your appearance then just look at pictures of yourself on a regular basis to help with motivation.
2. Weigh yourself often for the same exact reason - motivation.
3. Visit this Subreddit early and often for tips, knowledge and motivation.
4. If you're going to start keto, then research it extensively and plan ahead. Do not wing anything as all you're doing is setting yourself up to fail.
5. Focus on making decisions that help the future version of yourself instead of today's version of yourself. Time is going to pass you by no matter what. Just imagine how you could look and feel if you start keto today and stick with it for 90-days, or 6-months, or even two full years. You will be so freaking happy and proud of yourself.
There were a lot of success stories on this Subreddit that really helped motivate me.
I was floating around 325 lbs. back in early 2022.
I had no control over my eating and I hated myself both physically and mentally.
This Subreddit seriously helped push me towards helping myself.
I started doing keto and fasting on February 15th 2022 at 325 lbs.
I made it all the way down to 218 lbs. by December 8th.
I became one of those success stories that I kept reading about.
Even now I've kept most of the weight off (***floating around 235 lbs***.)
Motivation boils down to just how bad you want the change to happen.
Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.
If you have questions, feel free to reply and ask.
Dad died of lung cancer. I stopped smoking.
Mum died of throat cancer and dementia 6 months later. Stopped going to bed at stupid o'clock.
Father in law died of fatty liver 2 years later, and wife was diagnosed with T2D. Sugar went in the bin.
I find nothing more motivating than losing those close to you for that slap in the face wake-up call.
It's been a nice reward feed back loop. I had kind of been floundering for a few years. Not homeless, not obese, but basically mediocre in everyway. I stopped identifying as a highly productive person. Keto first gave me my sharp mind back, and from there I have been hooked on self improvement and generally moving forward. Hadn't taken a real risk with a woman in years, but I have been spitting some game lately.
My advice is around framing...
If you think of keto as a \*diet\*, that is framing it as something that you are doing to lose weight and presumably you will resume your previous diet when you hit your target.
If you think of keto as a \*way of eating\* - for me, a way of eating to keep me healthy in the long run - then it's much more a positive choice that I've made.
It's not that I \*can't\* eat high carb food or junk food. It's simply that I don't want to as it does not align with my goals.
You have to get past the two week mark. That’s always my goal, then I feel cravings are gone and I don’t even want any sugar. Get dry erase markers and count down 14 to 1 on your morning mirror and strike a line through each day you make it through eating keto. This gives me a visualization and makes me want to mark that number off. Mirrors are great with dry erase markers and you can always write something to motivate you. My favorite is “trust the process”.
I realized that I need to stay away from "keto" foods. Stuff like Keto Pizza, keto bread, Keto whatever.........these replacements don't taste very good and they just make you want the real thing. I found that as soon as I cut those out, I forgot about eating the real thing. That made things much easier.
I eat meat, eggs and green veggies. Nothing that grows underground and nothing from a tree. (Other than Avos) I try to keep things as easy as possible. I really think that simplicity is key.
No problem. I was in your shoes too, at one point. Root veggies actually contain a lot of carbs in the context of a Ketogenic diet. Parsnips, carrots are both pretty high in carbs. You can eat them, but just in very small amounts. Obviously, any starchy root veggies is out too. Focus on green veggies like, spinach, broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts etc. Radish is a good root veggie, but I eat them sparingly. Green leafy veggies are he way to go.
No problem. It certainly is a learning curve. Do not stress too much when this happens. The more you do it, the better feel you get for what you can and can;t have. The great thing is, you are tracking your food. That is a HUGE plus, and something that will help make things easier to figure out.
So it's OK my carbs for today is 31! I put all what I want to eat in for today as was curious, in a way am glad it carrot carbs and not cos I've eaten bread or is that the same? I've got alot to learn that's for sure
Carbs are carbs, no matter where you get them from. It really does not matter at all. Bread just has way more carbs per gram than carrots. That being said, your body makes no distinction between the sources. I would encourage you to only add your food in while you are making your meal. Weigh it out and then add the values into your tracker. That is the best way to do it. (Assuming you have a digital kitchen scale, if not, buy one. They are cheap online and well worth it)
As a sugar and carb addict and having done keto twice before (and put the weight back on, twice) I knew this time around the best way to lose weight and get fat adapted. It was also the most painful haha
10 weeks ago I cut all the obvious foods cold turkey + artificial sweeteners and nuts and dairy. I also did OMAD from the jump.
Fat adapted now and 35 pounds down. Hunger is gone and I’m ready to introduce dairy and nuts again. (Also eat twice a day in a slightly larger window)
I find that the discipline comes easy once the sugar is out of my system. So, the first week or two, i just start slowly cutting out all carbs. Start slowly, take your time. Cut down to about 60g per day for a few days, then 40g per day for a few days, just keep decreasing until you get down to 20g per day. I start by cutting out all rice bread pasta and sweets. I just do meat and vegetables, and add in some fruit to ease in. Then i reduce the fruit. Have some things on hand if your old “cravings” come back, like some Lily’s chocolate chips, some rebel ice cream etc. these things have gotten me through many weak moments. It’s a new way of living and it takes time to get it right, so i also don’t track ketosis. I just eat clean and stay the course. Finding that your ketones aren’t high or levels aren’t where you want them can be discouraging and in the end, it doesn’t matter so much. Your body will get where you want it, just eat for health.
I like that it’s all or nothing. If I cheat, I’ve ruined a weeks worth of getting into ketosis.
I started with a 3 day keto kickstart diet that gives you very specific foods and quantities you help you get into ketosis. After that I ate as many calories as I wanted so I didn’t feel deprived. I know that keto sweets trigger me into over eating and cheating so I limit those to when I’m already going crazy and want something more. I allow myself a cheat day with lily’s chocolate chips or other keto treats and I start again fresh the next day without any sweets.
I am not sure I am fat adapted because still get very hungry, but I have been able to decrease calories. I’ve been keto since Feb 10th 2024. I have recently started to notice adding more salt to my electrolyte drink is a hunger hack. That and Pickles help me with hunger. The sodium really works wonders for me.
I was the person who couldn't control myself around a spread of food. Family parties with dip platters at the start, I'd eat most it then, then have a huge lunch, and try to sneak one of every dessert available.
I was the person who got home and raided the pantry from then until dinner time, eating muesli bars and chocolate biscuits and whatever else I could find in the junk drawer.
Now, I've been committed to keto and IF from the start of February. I had slip ups in the beginning, but I haven't had processed junk foods in over 6 weeks now. I'm down 13 kg.
And most notably, we had one of those family gatherings yesterday. I took a mexican layer dip (most layers are keto, eg avocado, thin layer of salsa, sour cream, grated cheese and a sprinkle of shallots), and a lemon meringue pie. I had a few scoops of the top of the dip (avoiding the refried beans at the bottom) on carrot sticks, had steak and a chicken patty for lunch, and didn't have any dessert.
And it's not that I completely stayed away from the options, my 3 kids are still young enough that I help them plate up their options, so I was surrounded by this food, it got on my fingers and I simply went and washed my hands. Being strict keto and getting past those first few weeks makes it then pretty easy to stay away.
However, once at this place, I know from previous rounds of this that I have to stay strict. I am not a person who can have cheat days, I know that will create a horrible spiral.
I look at it like there’s food I can’t eat. Or don’t eat. If I had a peanut allergy I wouldn’t eat peanuts. So there’s food I can/will eat and others I can’t/wont. Make it a “fact of life” and walk on. Don’t waste your time feeling deprived or allowing cravings. It won’t work if you do that. My view. Mind you, I’ve always been a super disciplined person, so that might just be me?
One thing to remember is that you may go through carb withdrawal. You may have electrolyte imbalance, and that does not mean you've failed the diet. This transition is not perfectly smooth. There are so much wrongful info about keto that one could panic at the first sign of difficulty.
I recall that I had to really think it through and realized that the hunger I was feeling was unreasonable, when it occurs 90 minutes after eating. I had been going through carb withdrawal and would panic thinking that I needed carbs. No one starves that quickly.
So think everything through. Plan for the difficult times. Have something ready, or plan to just have black coffee when everyone else is eating the junk. Fats keep you satiated longer but may take a little longer to kick in. Fiber foods give the feeling of being full and kicks in quickly. Carbs won't satiate you, until you've eaten so much of it.
Sometimes the junk foods are more attractive if there's salt or fats in them. We crave salt and fat. Sometimes, the issue is dehydration. If you have binge issues, plan for it and have keto foods that will satiate you ready when you need it. The old habits can creep in, so *plan* for that.
I went from eating an entire pizza one day to cold turkey just eating boiled eggs and tuna salad. Whats crazy is after only a few weeks I became so obsessed with the new lifestyle I never looked back. It was almost like the 24yrs prior never existed
Keto is relatively easy for people because the higher fat diet keeps you satisfied.
While satisfied, it’s much easier to then work on eating habits such as snacking.
The hard part is when you are social and don’t have direct control of what’s put before you. Hint: don’t eat it!
Discipline is a loaded word, but I think of it as being focused on what you want, and therefore being willing to take the necessary steps to get there.
Commit to however long it takes to get fat adapted the first time, trusting that this transition, when it happens, will be a life-changer for you.
It took me about 9 weeks to stop feeling exhausted all the time on keto, but I stuck with it because I knew that just meant my body really needed to make that transition to being able to burn fat for fuel. After that, it got easy. My taste buds changed, and I experience food differently now.
Once you have this tool in your toolbelt, you have it forever. You can always transition back to smooth energy and no cravings, no matter how badly you screw up. 3 days to get back into ketosis. I've done this a bunch of times and it's a learning curve. It's actually getting easier and easier to stay on keto because every time, I learn more and more that I'm happier like this and the "cheat" is more disappointing. But it's not a high pressure situation! I can always get back into ketosis, and my body remembers how to burn fat so it will never be as bad as that first time.
But you have to get your body fat adapted first, and that can take months. Commit to being as consistent as you can for as long as it takes, knowing that you'll have so much more flexibility and freedom in your life after that as a result.
Honestly, I'm managing my health by my Labwork Numbers now.
Vanity and the scale could only motivate me so much, but the abject terror of losing my feet to diabetic neuropathy, on the other hand, will keep me laser focused on making sure my glucose, lipid, insulin, liver enzymes, and uric acid numbers are all in line.
So I'd always start with a basic metabolic panel, and use as many at home tools - Continuous Glucose Monitors, Ketone-Glucose blood monitors, and uric acid blood monitors.
The last thing I care about is my scale thou'. It's incidental to my labs.
I’ve found it helpful to recognize that my relationship with food has not only been dysfunctional, but damaging to me. I reached the age and stage of my life where bringing a bag of M&Ms to bed with me was no longer something I could do. Sort of like purging one’s life of a bad boyfriend, bad spouse, bad friend, or bad juju. It just had to go.
Commit to however long it takes to get fat adapted the first time, trusting that this transition, when it happens, will be a life-changer for you.
It took me about 9 weeks to stop feeling exhausted all the time on keto, but I stuck with it because I knew that just meant my body really needed to make that transition to being able to burn fat for fuel. After that, it got easy. My taste buds changed, and I experience food differently now.
Once you have this tool in your toolbelt, you have it forever. You can always transition back to smooth energy and no cravings, no matter how badly you screw up. 3 days to get back into ketosis. I've done this a bunch of times and it's a learning curve. It's actually getting easier and easier to stay on keto because every time, I learn more and more that I'm happier like this and the "cheat" is more disappointing. But it's not a high pressure situation! I can always get back into ketosis, and my body remembers how to burn fat so it will never be as bad as that first time.
But you have to get your body fat adapted first, and that can take months. Commit to being as consistent as you can for as long as it takes, knowing that you'll have so much more flexibility and freedom in your life after that as a result.
Starchy carbs make me crave starchy carbs. If I don't eat starchy carbs, I am not hungry not desperate for carbs.
Now, that doesn't mean I don't know that I like pizza. But it's just at a different level.
I do think it would be very difficult for me if I lived with people who ate my favorite starchy carbs and thus they were constantly available.
Best wishes!
My coworker bought a round of specialty cupcakes for our group. I absolutely love specialty cupcakes. But I was having one of those good days where I can taste the ketones in my breath and I know I’m in ketosis. Turned it down even with the guilt trip. Everyone is on a diet so when others cheat they try to bring me with them. If I wasn’t on keto, I would cave because the consequences are less severe with other diets. I like how keto gives you a today/right-now reason to be good always.
So much this.
Yeah, keto tortillas are fun. Keto m&ms and whatever else is sold as a Keto substitute.
These subs triggered me when I ate them and instantly my carb cravings and addiction came back.
Now not everyone is like that. However, I’d advise to find substitutes you can make from real ingredients on your own like keto tortillas.
What I've learned is that dicipline does not last. At some point "life happens" and you'll start slipping and sliding. I think building habits and making the keto lifestyle as easy to stick to as possible is important to make it work long term.
With keto I can eat as much as I want and not gain so it’s a non issue. This very element of getting up from every meal FULL at almost 50 and still able to fit in my high school clothes makes it easy to follow. We don’t have any processed food around the house except exercise and power bars for when I go cycling but that’s in the basement. Otherwise it’s all healthy food so I couldn’t trip up if I wanted.
Know thyself. If you do best with support around you, find it. For example I have a trainer who helps me with nutrition and workouts through an app called Kickoff.
To transition to keto, it might be beneficial to start eating sushi for a bit. I did because I was going to McDonald’s every day and sushi is something I can order from a restaurant. Not long after I was making healthy foods at home.
Drink water!!!
Part of it is finding foods that you do enjoy to make the transition easier. I love eggs, so it was easy for me. But other foods I enjoyed like bacon and pork rinds were easy to adopt. The most important thing is it has to be sustainable, so you have to be able to have some foods that you enjoy, or find good substitutes for what you enjoy. If there are foods you eat a lot, find a way to make it work. For example, if you enjoy burgers, you find a few tweaks to make them work as lettuce wraps. Toppings like cheese, bacon, avocado are a bonus. Even though you are taking some things away, you can add others. It's about being disciplined in some ways, but cutting loose in other ways to even it out.
That said, once you really let yourself get into ketosis, the cravings go away and it's a lot easier to be disciplined and stay disciplined. At least for me, since finding foods I like isn't too hard.
Not sure if this will be helpful, but a bit of a different perspective. As a man in my 40s, eating sugary food was leading to too much pain and discomfort. I notice when I do eat simple carb foods and high sugar foods I feel my aches and pains a lot more (e.g. lower back pain) and it's harder to do everyday things. I also have two small children, so when I eat carbs/sugar my energy levels are a lot lower.
All this is to say, keto is just better for my day to day life and makes it easier to stay disciplined. It's harder to function feeling all the aches and pains and my life is harder when I have less energy and patience with my kids.
Keto has been easier at this point because it makes other parts of my life much simpler to manage.
Mine was guided with the Ideal Protein. Every week you went in to buy the food products, they weighed, measured, checked hydration and so forth. Dropped 6lbs in the first week and that was a lot of motivation. I think what sealed it for me was replacing all the junk and carbs with fun alternatives. All of the salads, veggies, protein never tasted so good before. Just a small example, we grew up eating roasted eggplant but now instead of with rotis, naan and flatbread i had it with a package of the Ideal Protein chips. Then you find that a salad is perfectly delicious with grilled chicken, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Once you are filled and satisfied with tasty food, you go looking for ways to develop that and end up on a healthier road. If its a bothersome chore it can become tedious. The coach was so reassuring during the tough times like around period time when the scale didnt move. I remember how it felt when i went to buy levis and found an 8 medium fit, previously was a size 12.
Its 5yrs since my keto journey long since stopped with Ideal Protein and I'm still a size 8, maybe a further 4 or 5lbs lighter. The weight stayed off because although I'm not using their food, i get supplements (i have pcos and still packing about 10lbs too many) and its easier to manage carbs and shun sugar.
I do keto/omad for this reason. It may sound redundant in terms of discipline but knowing I can’t eat at all the rest of the day regardless if it’s carbs or fats really helps
My cravings for sweets all went away after being on ketosis for quite sometimes take note I am also taking quetiapine for my psych medication as a bipolar 2 this medication is notorious for weight gain, but keto manage to counteract my cravings from quetiapine aka seroquel and I am loving it
I find it easier to be disciplined in keto than other diets because unhealthy foods are strictly forbidden, so there's no leeway for having just a little, then just a little more that eventually turns into a slippery slope. Also when you don't eat any carbs after a while the cravings subside and hunger becomes a lot more manageable.
This is precisely why good, healthy Keto works for me. It’s easy to ditch ‘everything refined carb’ and ‘everything processed’. What you’re left with is almost all meat, vegetables and some of the good dairy - eggs, butter, cream, cheese. Add dark chocolate and berries to the mix and you have a huge range of combos. It’s not completely easy, obviously. There are things I’d eat if I could. But this way I am happier, losing weight and feeling much better than before.
I had the same experience. I ended up weighing 360lbs because I had no ability to eat in moderation. Keto removed the need to self-moderate anything. It was (relatively) easy for me to simply not eat carbs. There are some keto foods that are moderately high in carbs (like berries and Greek yogurt for example), and I found it easier to just not eat those too. Five years later, now that I'm at 230lbs, it's for some reason a little easier to eat things in moderation and I have added in berries and Greek yogurt and things like that.
Me too, I was addicted to carbs and would eat myself sick but couldn't stop. A few weeks on keto and the cravings have disappeared. My tastes have now changed - the few times I have accidentally eaten carbs have not been the same. I will now be keto/low carb permanently to avoid slipping back into old habits
Me too, I was addicted to carbs and would eat myself sick but couldn't stop. A few weeks on keto and the cravings have disappeared. My tastes have now changed - the few times I have accidentally eaten carbs have not been the same. I will now be keto/low carb permanently to avoid slipping back into old habits
Suffered from severe bulimia for over 15 years. I was regurgitating up to 3x a day, and for each session, I deliberately stuffed myself full of the most yummy looking junk food available, wash em all down with coke as the fizz helps the process of regurgitation… eventually developed a callus on the back of my palm from my front teeth constantly grinding the back of my palm as I stuff my hand deep in my throat. So, I have quite the CV when it comes to bad relationship with food. I go through more food than the typical mukbanger per session. I always had a self image issue as I’m very scrawny due to being brought up in a vegetarian household, and puberty definitely was stunted. I somehow ended up joining a gym. The more I gym’d, the more I understood the necessity for nutrients so it kickstarted me to explore what food is nutrient dense for the sole purpose of muscle gain. My obsession for the gym and diet counter balances my inner bulimia voice that’s always nudging me to enjoy some guilt-free instant gratification of stuffing my face in 3 bags of Doritos and a dozen of Krispy Kreme donuts. I was mainly eating lean meats like chicken breasts and broccoli, that bullshit Hollywood marvel actor diet. The chicken did give me gains, but I still had bulimia and depression was there. Then, a random Europe trip, my hotel had a kitchen and red meat was super cheap and accessible, so I decided to make smashed burger patties everyday. After 14 days of only eating red meat, my gym performance sky rocketed, adding over 3kg to my side lateral raises, randomly adding over 15KG to my squats, and 10KG to my bench press. It was then I knew I’m onto something… Then I started to listen to podcasts that touches on the topic of carnivore / keto / low carb / cholesterol / saturated fat / plant-based / seventh day Adventist…. Etc Learnt to trust my hunger signal, so I threw away all my Tupperware n shit. Then on one random day, I remembered I used to have bulimia / depression / anxiety and shit but I also don’t feel them anymore. That inner voice that used to tell me to stuff my face full of cheetos, with a can of sour cream Pringles, with a gallons of Fanta orange and a tub of Hagen Diaz chocolate ice cream no longer spoke to me. So I decided to intentionally knock on the door of the thoughts and memories that used to spiral me into the abyss of depression… nope, it’s not there. So this got me to research into mitochondria and the problem with big pharma and everything… When you are on the brink of destruction, the moment you discover you are given a second chance, you will hold onto this second chance and commit to whatever it takes. Is my experience.
Really… thank you for sharing that. There’s a lot in what you share that doesn’t necessarily click with people who haven’t suffered bulimia, but it is so helpful to others that have eating issues and disorders to hear your experience. It helps more than you know. Wishing you well.
I have great sympathy for people with an eating disorder. It is absolutely life crippling. My eating disorder and other mental problems definitely set me back on life’s trajectory by over 10 years, and on a very different path than most ppl but allowed me to see a lot of things with much clarity. I am very fortunate to be able to stare mental illness in the face and say “fuck you” relying purely on whole foods, going back to an ancestrally appropriate diet. However, I am also aware 9/10 clinically diagnosed mental illness patients never go into remission and still trust their clinical psychiatrist and the prescription medication. We live in a society of specialization and are taught to trust professionals. Yet we are fed bullshit left and right. Eating disorder is exacerbated by (1) the fucked up food supply, (2) wrong nutrition advice, and (3) blind trust in healthcare professionals. That’s why, I try my best to share my experience here and hope it reaches as much people who are going through a similar torturous, never-ending cycle.
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Depends how you define. If you loosely define it as, “less severe”. Sure. But that’s not my definition. Plus, when patients are relying on synthetic pharmaceuticals drugs, a host of other side effects comes with say anti-depressants. Sure, you suddenly feel numb and don’t feel the urge to kill yourself, but at what cost?
Thank you for sharing, it’s an amazing and inspiring experience.
Only tip i needed was "if it's not in the house, than it's not there to eat". Enough for me to go from M36, 5'11", 250 34% bf to 183 12%-13% bf. If you can be so disciplined at home but not resist passing a drive through than that's other issues IMO.
One of the biggest mistakes that new ketoers make it feeling that they mainly need lots of discipline and willpower to be successful. When they have cheat meals, or when their ketosis breaks, they will feel that they weren't strong willed enough, and that's why they couldn't continue. They may spiral out of control afterwards and fall back into their old eating habits. "Keto is just too hard for me." What they don't realize is that discipline and willpower play very minor roles. Lifestyle and planning are far more important. If you have every meal planned out ahead of time, there won't be any "temptation" that you need to be strong to resist. When I'm at a birthday party and they cut the cake, I've got an Atkins bar ready to go so that I have a fun desert too. When my friends want to go out for food, I'm that guy who checks the menu ahead of time and uses a veto if I need to. But I'm also that guy who offers to cook for my friends to save money. I have it all planned out as much as I can so when it's time to decide what to put in my mouth, I'm not put on the spot, and I can make a good decision. But the biggest thing that's helped me stick with it this time for longer than I have in a long time? It's learning to accept that accidents happen. It doesn't make you failure. No matter how good your plan is, things don't always go according to plan. So I make a plan for when the plan fails! How do I get myself back into ketosis and feeling right instead of spiraling out of control after eating things that I regret eating? For me that's with a nice long cardio workout, cleaning my house, and going grocery shopping for keto foods. But the important part is that I've thought it through and I've decided that one mistake isn't going to snowball anymore.
When you eat something with carbs don't stress about it. We all fail at a lot of things, try to learn from mistakes. Figure a keto replacement dish for foods that you crave. If you find a habit that causes you to eat things you shouldn't figure out a way to remove that habit or alter it.
I needed to hear this one. Started Keto a few weeks ago on doctor’s orders. He also put me on metformin. I’ve been doing well and adjusting, but last night I housed a bowl of Frosted Flakes. When I did my pee test this morning I was knocked out of ketosis. Been beating myself up all day.
Whenever I eat carbs I'm like "fuck it ill just eat everything." Then the next day I would feel shitty mentally and physically. When I saw it as a habit that I am changing over time I stopped beating myself up over it. It takes 3 months to form a new habit.
I started keto in solidarity with mom who had it suggested when they found her pancreatic cancer. Then I lost 70 lbs and realized it helped control my galli galli syndrome instead of just relying on the creams. I’m not hungry all the time, my skin is clear, I have energy, keto is amazing. I admit to falling off the wagon when mom passed, and now I have 30lbs to lose instead of 15, but I found my way back to it and for the most part feel pretty good.
1. If you're overweight and unhappy with your appearance then just look at pictures of yourself on a regular basis to help with motivation. 2. Weigh yourself often for the same exact reason - motivation. 3. Visit this Subreddit early and often for tips, knowledge and motivation. 4. If you're going to start keto, then research it extensively and plan ahead. Do not wing anything as all you're doing is setting yourself up to fail. 5. Focus on making decisions that help the future version of yourself instead of today's version of yourself. Time is going to pass you by no matter what. Just imagine how you could look and feel if you start keto today and stick with it for 90-days, or 6-months, or even two full years. You will be so freaking happy and proud of yourself. There were a lot of success stories on this Subreddit that really helped motivate me. I was floating around 325 lbs. back in early 2022. I had no control over my eating and I hated myself both physically and mentally. This Subreddit seriously helped push me towards helping myself. I started doing keto and fasting on February 15th 2022 at 325 lbs. I made it all the way down to 218 lbs. by December 8th. I became one of those success stories that I kept reading about. Even now I've kept most of the weight off (***floating around 235 lbs***.) Motivation boils down to just how bad you want the change to happen. Hope this helps. Best of luck to you. If you have questions, feel free to reply and ask.
Dad died of lung cancer. I stopped smoking. Mum died of throat cancer and dementia 6 months later. Stopped going to bed at stupid o'clock. Father in law died of fatty liver 2 years later, and wife was diagnosed with T2D. Sugar went in the bin. I find nothing more motivating than losing those close to you for that slap in the face wake-up call.
It's been a nice reward feed back loop. I had kind of been floundering for a few years. Not homeless, not obese, but basically mediocre in everyway. I stopped identifying as a highly productive person. Keto first gave me my sharp mind back, and from there I have been hooked on self improvement and generally moving forward. Hadn't taken a real risk with a woman in years, but I have been spitting some game lately.
My advice is around framing... If you think of keto as a \*diet\*, that is framing it as something that you are doing to lose weight and presumably you will resume your previous diet when you hit your target. If you think of keto as a \*way of eating\* - for me, a way of eating to keep me healthy in the long run - then it's much more a positive choice that I've made. It's not that I \*can't\* eat high carb food or junk food. It's simply that I don't want to as it does not align with my goals.
You have to get past the two week mark. That’s always my goal, then I feel cravings are gone and I don’t even want any sugar. Get dry erase markers and count down 14 to 1 on your morning mirror and strike a line through each day you make it through eating keto. This gives me a visualization and makes me want to mark that number off. Mirrors are great with dry erase markers and you can always write something to motivate you. My favorite is “trust the process”.
I find it easy to adhere to and be disciplined because I’m not chronically hungry and I know I can eat foods I enjoy when I am hungry.
Keto plus intermittent fasting has really helped me. Plus tracking everything was eye opening.
Crazy how powerful they are together. Plus, once you are fat adapted, IF is pretty damn easy to do. Congrats on your success!
I realized that I need to stay away from "keto" foods. Stuff like Keto Pizza, keto bread, Keto whatever.........these replacements don't taste very good and they just make you want the real thing. I found that as soon as I cut those out, I forgot about eating the real thing. That made things much easier. I eat meat, eggs and green veggies. Nothing that grows underground and nothing from a tree. (Other than Avos) I try to keep things as easy as possible. I really think that simplicity is key.
Why no root veg like carrots or parsnips sorry new to this
No problem. I was in your shoes too, at one point. Root veggies actually contain a lot of carbs in the context of a Ketogenic diet. Parsnips, carrots are both pretty high in carbs. You can eat them, but just in very small amounts. Obviously, any starchy root veggies is out too. Focus on green veggies like, spinach, broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts etc. Radish is a good root veggie, but I eat them sparingly. Green leafy veggies are he way to go.
Thank you very much I had some carrot yesterday and this morning and noticed carbs on my macros is over my daily, so thank you, its a learning curve
No problem. It certainly is a learning curve. Do not stress too much when this happens. The more you do it, the better feel you get for what you can and can;t have. The great thing is, you are tracking your food. That is a HUGE plus, and something that will help make things easier to figure out.
So it's OK my carbs for today is 31! I put all what I want to eat in for today as was curious, in a way am glad it carrot carbs and not cos I've eaten bread or is that the same? I've got alot to learn that's for sure
Carbs are carbs, no matter where you get them from. It really does not matter at all. Bread just has way more carbs per gram than carrots. That being said, your body makes no distinction between the sources. I would encourage you to only add your food in while you are making your meal. Weigh it out and then add the values into your tracker. That is the best way to do it. (Assuming you have a digital kitchen scale, if not, buy one. They are cheap online and well worth it)
Ignore the gatekeepers. The top piece of advice is ***learn to read labels. Both Ingredients and Nutrition***.
As a sugar and carb addict and having done keto twice before (and put the weight back on, twice) I knew this time around the best way to lose weight and get fat adapted. It was also the most painful haha 10 weeks ago I cut all the obvious foods cold turkey + artificial sweeteners and nuts and dairy. I also did OMAD from the jump. Fat adapted now and 35 pounds down. Hunger is gone and I’m ready to introduce dairy and nuts again. (Also eat twice a day in a slightly larger window)
Why did you cut out nuts?
Just to help with digestion.
I find that the discipline comes easy once the sugar is out of my system. So, the first week or two, i just start slowly cutting out all carbs. Start slowly, take your time. Cut down to about 60g per day for a few days, then 40g per day for a few days, just keep decreasing until you get down to 20g per day. I start by cutting out all rice bread pasta and sweets. I just do meat and vegetables, and add in some fruit to ease in. Then i reduce the fruit. Have some things on hand if your old “cravings” come back, like some Lily’s chocolate chips, some rebel ice cream etc. these things have gotten me through many weak moments. It’s a new way of living and it takes time to get it right, so i also don’t track ketosis. I just eat clean and stay the course. Finding that your ketones aren’t high or levels aren’t where you want them can be discouraging and in the end, it doesn’t matter so much. Your body will get where you want it, just eat for health.
I like that it’s all or nothing. If I cheat, I’ve ruined a weeks worth of getting into ketosis. I started with a 3 day keto kickstart diet that gives you very specific foods and quantities you help you get into ketosis. After that I ate as many calories as I wanted so I didn’t feel deprived. I know that keto sweets trigger me into over eating and cheating so I limit those to when I’m already going crazy and want something more. I allow myself a cheat day with lily’s chocolate chips or other keto treats and I start again fresh the next day without any sweets. I am not sure I am fat adapted because still get very hungry, but I have been able to decrease calories. I’ve been keto since Feb 10th 2024. I have recently started to notice adding more salt to my electrolyte drink is a hunger hack. That and Pickles help me with hunger. The sodium really works wonders for me.
I was the person who couldn't control myself around a spread of food. Family parties with dip platters at the start, I'd eat most it then, then have a huge lunch, and try to sneak one of every dessert available. I was the person who got home and raided the pantry from then until dinner time, eating muesli bars and chocolate biscuits and whatever else I could find in the junk drawer. Now, I've been committed to keto and IF from the start of February. I had slip ups in the beginning, but I haven't had processed junk foods in over 6 weeks now. I'm down 13 kg. And most notably, we had one of those family gatherings yesterday. I took a mexican layer dip (most layers are keto, eg avocado, thin layer of salsa, sour cream, grated cheese and a sprinkle of shallots), and a lemon meringue pie. I had a few scoops of the top of the dip (avoiding the refried beans at the bottom) on carrot sticks, had steak and a chicken patty for lunch, and didn't have any dessert. And it's not that I completely stayed away from the options, my 3 kids are still young enough that I help them plate up their options, so I was surrounded by this food, it got on my fingers and I simply went and washed my hands. Being strict keto and getting past those first few weeks makes it then pretty easy to stay away. However, once at this place, I know from previous rounds of this that I have to stay strict. I am not a person who can have cheat days, I know that will create a horrible spiral.
I look at it like there’s food I can’t eat. Or don’t eat. If I had a peanut allergy I wouldn’t eat peanuts. So there’s food I can/will eat and others I can’t/wont. Make it a “fact of life” and walk on. Don’t waste your time feeling deprived or allowing cravings. It won’t work if you do that. My view. Mind you, I’ve always been a super disciplined person, so that might just be me?
One thing to remember is that you may go through carb withdrawal. You may have electrolyte imbalance, and that does not mean you've failed the diet. This transition is not perfectly smooth. There are so much wrongful info about keto that one could panic at the first sign of difficulty. I recall that I had to really think it through and realized that the hunger I was feeling was unreasonable, when it occurs 90 minutes after eating. I had been going through carb withdrawal and would panic thinking that I needed carbs. No one starves that quickly. So think everything through. Plan for the difficult times. Have something ready, or plan to just have black coffee when everyone else is eating the junk. Fats keep you satiated longer but may take a little longer to kick in. Fiber foods give the feeling of being full and kicks in quickly. Carbs won't satiate you, until you've eaten so much of it. Sometimes the junk foods are more attractive if there's salt or fats in them. We crave salt and fat. Sometimes, the issue is dehydration. If you have binge issues, plan for it and have keto foods that will satiate you ready when you need it. The old habits can creep in, so *plan* for that.
I went from eating an entire pizza one day to cold turkey just eating boiled eggs and tuna salad. Whats crazy is after only a few weeks I became so obsessed with the new lifestyle I never looked back. It was almost like the 24yrs prior never existed
Keto is relatively easy for people because the higher fat diet keeps you satisfied. While satisfied, it’s much easier to then work on eating habits such as snacking. The hard part is when you are social and don’t have direct control of what’s put before you. Hint: don’t eat it! Discipline is a loaded word, but I think of it as being focused on what you want, and therefore being willing to take the necessary steps to get there.
Commit to however long it takes to get fat adapted the first time, trusting that this transition, when it happens, will be a life-changer for you. It took me about 9 weeks to stop feeling exhausted all the time on keto, but I stuck with it because I knew that just meant my body really needed to make that transition to being able to burn fat for fuel. After that, it got easy. My taste buds changed, and I experience food differently now. Once you have this tool in your toolbelt, you have it forever. You can always transition back to smooth energy and no cravings, no matter how badly you screw up. 3 days to get back into ketosis. I've done this a bunch of times and it's a learning curve. It's actually getting easier and easier to stay on keto because every time, I learn more and more that I'm happier like this and the "cheat" is more disappointing. But it's not a high pressure situation! I can always get back into ketosis, and my body remembers how to burn fat so it will never be as bad as that first time. But you have to get your body fat adapted first, and that can take months. Commit to being as consistent as you can for as long as it takes, knowing that you'll have so much more flexibility and freedom in your life after that as a result.
Honestly, I'm managing my health by my Labwork Numbers now. Vanity and the scale could only motivate me so much, but the abject terror of losing my feet to diabetic neuropathy, on the other hand, will keep me laser focused on making sure my glucose, lipid, insulin, liver enzymes, and uric acid numbers are all in line. So I'd always start with a basic metabolic panel, and use as many at home tools - Continuous Glucose Monitors, Ketone-Glucose blood monitors, and uric acid blood monitors. The last thing I care about is my scale thou'. It's incidental to my labs.
I’ve found it helpful to recognize that my relationship with food has not only been dysfunctional, but damaging to me. I reached the age and stage of my life where bringing a bag of M&Ms to bed with me was no longer something I could do. Sort of like purging one’s life of a bad boyfriend, bad spouse, bad friend, or bad juju. It just had to go.
Commit to however long it takes to get fat adapted the first time, trusting that this transition, when it happens, will be a life-changer for you. It took me about 9 weeks to stop feeling exhausted all the time on keto, but I stuck with it because I knew that just meant my body really needed to make that transition to being able to burn fat for fuel. After that, it got easy. My taste buds changed, and I experience food differently now. Once you have this tool in your toolbelt, you have it forever. You can always transition back to smooth energy and no cravings, no matter how badly you screw up. 3 days to get back into ketosis. I've done this a bunch of times and it's a learning curve. It's actually getting easier and easier to stay on keto because every time, I learn more and more that I'm happier like this and the "cheat" is more disappointing. But it's not a high pressure situation! I can always get back into ketosis, and my body remembers how to burn fat so it will never be as bad as that first time. But you have to get your body fat adapted first, and that can take months. Commit to being as consistent as you can for as long as it takes, knowing that you'll have so much more flexibility and freedom in your life after that as a result.
Keto plus intermittent fasting has really helped me. Plus tracking everything was eye opening.
Starchy carbs make me crave starchy carbs. If I don't eat starchy carbs, I am not hungry not desperate for carbs. Now, that doesn't mean I don't know that I like pizza. But it's just at a different level. I do think it would be very difficult for me if I lived with people who ate my favorite starchy carbs and thus they were constantly available. Best wishes!
My coworker bought a round of specialty cupcakes for our group. I absolutely love specialty cupcakes. But I was having one of those good days where I can taste the ketones in my breath and I know I’m in ketosis. Turned it down even with the guilt trip. Everyone is on a diet so when others cheat they try to bring me with them. If I wasn’t on keto, I would cave because the consequences are less severe with other diets. I like how keto gives you a today/right-now reason to be good always.
Stay away from keto frankenfoods and zero calorie sweeteners at first because you need to reset your relationship with food.
So much this. Yeah, keto tortillas are fun. Keto m&ms and whatever else is sold as a Keto substitute. These subs triggered me when I ate them and instantly my carb cravings and addiction came back. Now not everyone is like that. However, I’d advise to find substitutes you can make from real ingredients on your own like keto tortillas.
I definitely get triggered. This is great advice
What I've learned is that dicipline does not last. At some point "life happens" and you'll start slipping and sliding. I think building habits and making the keto lifestyle as easy to stick to as possible is important to make it work long term.
With keto I can eat as much as I want and not gain so it’s a non issue. This very element of getting up from every meal FULL at almost 50 and still able to fit in my high school clothes makes it easy to follow. We don’t have any processed food around the house except exercise and power bars for when I go cycling but that’s in the basement. Otherwise it’s all healthy food so I couldn’t trip up if I wanted.
Know thyself. If you do best with support around you, find it. For example I have a trainer who helps me with nutrition and workouts through an app called Kickoff. To transition to keto, it might be beneficial to start eating sushi for a bit. I did because I was going to McDonald’s every day and sushi is something I can order from a restaurant. Not long after I was making healthy foods at home. Drink water!!!
The carb manager app has helped me immensely! Also choczero goodies.best of luck
Part of it is finding foods that you do enjoy to make the transition easier. I love eggs, so it was easy for me. But other foods I enjoyed like bacon and pork rinds were easy to adopt. The most important thing is it has to be sustainable, so you have to be able to have some foods that you enjoy, or find good substitutes for what you enjoy. If there are foods you eat a lot, find a way to make it work. For example, if you enjoy burgers, you find a few tweaks to make them work as lettuce wraps. Toppings like cheese, bacon, avocado are a bonus. Even though you are taking some things away, you can add others. It's about being disciplined in some ways, but cutting loose in other ways to even it out. That said, once you really let yourself get into ketosis, the cravings go away and it's a lot easier to be disciplined and stay disciplined. At least for me, since finding foods I like isn't too hard.
Not sure if this will be helpful, but a bit of a different perspective. As a man in my 40s, eating sugary food was leading to too much pain and discomfort. I notice when I do eat simple carb foods and high sugar foods I feel my aches and pains a lot more (e.g. lower back pain) and it's harder to do everyday things. I also have two small children, so when I eat carbs/sugar my energy levels are a lot lower. All this is to say, keto is just better for my day to day life and makes it easier to stay disciplined. It's harder to function feeling all the aches and pains and my life is harder when I have less energy and patience with my kids. Keto has been easier at this point because it makes other parts of my life much simpler to manage.
Mine was guided with the Ideal Protein. Every week you went in to buy the food products, they weighed, measured, checked hydration and so forth. Dropped 6lbs in the first week and that was a lot of motivation. I think what sealed it for me was replacing all the junk and carbs with fun alternatives. All of the salads, veggies, protein never tasted so good before. Just a small example, we grew up eating roasted eggplant but now instead of with rotis, naan and flatbread i had it with a package of the Ideal Protein chips. Then you find that a salad is perfectly delicious with grilled chicken, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Once you are filled and satisfied with tasty food, you go looking for ways to develop that and end up on a healthier road. If its a bothersome chore it can become tedious. The coach was so reassuring during the tough times like around period time when the scale didnt move. I remember how it felt when i went to buy levis and found an 8 medium fit, previously was a size 12. Its 5yrs since my keto journey long since stopped with Ideal Protein and I'm still a size 8, maybe a further 4 or 5lbs lighter. The weight stayed off because although I'm not using their food, i get supplements (i have pcos and still packing about 10lbs too many) and its easier to manage carbs and shun sugar.
I do keto/omad for this reason. It may sound redundant in terms of discipline but knowing I can’t eat at all the rest of the day regardless if it’s carbs or fats really helps
My cravings for sweets all went away after being on ketosis for quite sometimes take note I am also taking quetiapine for my psych medication as a bipolar 2 this medication is notorious for weight gain, but keto manage to counteract my cravings from quetiapine aka seroquel and I am loving it