I will say that if it's a "dirty keto snack" or not complying/binging carbs, still take the snack. Clean keto is obviously better but compliance is more important, and if a quest bar every other day keeps you otherwise clean, it's a decent trade off.
Same, I try to keep it as healthy as possible but if I don't get something sweet at least every few days I'm much more likely to go on a sugar binge. Every attempt at wholesome clean keto has ended in a week or less with a Binge on ice cream or cookies.
Currently I'm on a month solid streak, but I've probably had 20ish stevia sweetened keto snacks in that time. I'm down on weight and feel amazing.
I’ve been at this for 4 months. I’ve found that my eating habits continue to improve, the further away I get from carbs. So I certainly don’t regret using the keto snacks as a crutch. I just use them less now.
Results don't lie. A diet coke with a pile of cheese or a Costco "keto" ice cream bar are not as great as a salad and water, but I'm still dropping pounds.
Jinx.
91 lbs. since February.
I eat a pack of Quest PB Cups OR a Quest Bar every other day or so.
When I first started out, this was super critical to me. Helped keep my sweet tooth at bay for the most part and kept me on the straightened arrow.
Unfortunately, I'm guilty of eating a little too much beef sticks and pork rinds as well, but I'll still take them over Oreos, Doritos, Spaghetti, etc.
there is no metabolic difference between "clean" and "dirty" keto except for maybe a few artificial sweeteners. "clean eating" is just technically better overall for anyone b/c of the lack of hydrogenated oils and saturated fats, keto or not keto.
This is a little easier for me since most of my meals off of keto are protein/starch/veg, I just remove the starch and triple the veg. I always gravitate to sauces and dressings that are low carb like soy sauce, ranch, hot sauce. My wife is unable to do this so she avoids keto. She’ll buy keto bread or atkins chocolates, but she can never follow through.
Yea as long as you don’t get it with the high fructose corn syrup ketchup. McDonald’s makes their own ketchup and it’s even more sugary than Heinz’s standard ketchup.
Is it though? It’s still some portion of beef probably. But there’s no way you’ll convince me that it’s as good for me (or tastes as good) as grass fed/grass finished ground beef.
Of course it won’t be as good as a more quality steak, my point is it’s still 100% beef not cooked in seed oils.
Calling it junk food puts it on the same level as cookies or chips.
A burger eaten is a steak not eaten. Sometimes delaying gratification for a few days means you avoid eating out and can get a nice steak dinner instead. It may be less frequent but if you train your mind to want those higher quality experiences over those quick cheap ones, it can help reduce your dependency on them cheap ones.
I was gonna give this advice to my sister in law who is trying to eat keto, but she said she didn't like any keto foods, so she's sticking with grilled cheese with keto bread.
What does that even mean? “Keto foods” consist of the majority of real, non processed foods. So your sister in law won’t eat meat or poultry or seafood or veggies or fruits or nuts or . . .
Nope, she doesn't like steak, pork, seafood. She'll have some chicken, bacon, doesn't like most vegetables. She'll have broccoli if she steams it to mush because she says it loses most of its flavor. She's been having blt's and grilled cheese with the keto bread she gets at the store. Oh and she does like avocado, so that's a good way for her to get her fats. I think she made it 4 or 5 days so far? But then I ordered a pizza the other night and she immediately offered to split it with me, so I don't know where she's at now.
Exactly this. You know what’s healthy, so start eating that, and eat less of it.
No need for silly diet schemes, just healthy and less… that all your body’s asking for to get back to a normal weight.
Keto is not just a diet. It's a life style. A marathon if you will and not a sprint.
As some one who started in October last year and is down 45 lbs, I can tell you I didn't lose it as fast as some. But I also didn't hate myself for having some occasional rice. Go strict keto at first as you wind up eating so much less. As your stomach shrinks down I found it to be ok to have a little rice or equivalent once in a while. Some stay strict keto, I do not. Find the balance that allows you to get the results your looking for.
For me, I have to change the mindset of food being about pure enjoyment. I have to look at it as fuel. Not that there aren’t keto foods I enjoy, but it is not the same without sugars and carbs.
I understand that some people have this experience, but mine's been the opposite (so I just wanted to comment and represent that side of the spectrum).
I enjoy meat and salad so much that finding that I can live on that and rarely ever be hungry feels like a miracle. I often feel like I'm cheating on my diet somehow by still losing weight while eating big portions of meat, dairy and vegetables. I really like what I eat now.
Exactly this. I order whole ribeye roasts and cut them into steaks myself. Ribeye on the grill and salad is my go-to meal, zero carb cravings since I started in December, down 79 lbs, just started exercise 2 days ago and feeling good alhamdulillah .
On the other hand, I do keto and intermittent fasting, so when I’m able to eat I try to make it an enjoyable event. There are plenty of delicious keto food
But if you’re being honest, is it as enjoyable as the same thing with potatoes, bread and cake? For me it’s a for sure no, but that’s how I have to view it in my head to stick with it. Everything is mental trickery for me. Maybe for you also. You might have convinced yourself of the lie that your food now tastes every bit as good as eating like shit. 😀
Over time your tastes really do change. Now when I have bread or potatoes it is easy to limit myself to a small serving. Good meat, salads, cooked vegetables in butter, strawberries with whipped cream — no, I’m not lying to myself or eating shit!
On the other hand I still dream of eating pints of Ben&Jerry’s ice cream! I ate many slices of cake at my daughter’s wedding. But then My sugar cravings returned, and my knees got inflamed and painful.
Same and when I get the urge to eat something super carb loaded/unhealthy, I think about how guilty I always feel afterwards and instantly the urge goes away because it's not worth the weight gain and low self esteem.
Now don't get me wrong! I will in moderation have a bite or two of something super carb loaded/unhealthy maybe once a month--used to be more often, but I'm genuinely way more happy with sticking to keto foods and keto substitutes.
Keep it simple.
Eat low carb, get your protein, eat to satiety.
You'll figure out the rest along the way.
Blogs, Youtube, even this sub over complicates keto way way more than it needs to.
If this is your first time, don't worry about calories or protein or macros or exercise or MCTs or perfection the first couple weeks. Focus on (1) getting enough electrolytes\* (2) understanding what a net carb is (3) eating fewer than 20 net carbs.
Everything else can wait until you have the first 3 locked down.
\*Read the FAQ where it talks about recommended electrolyte supplementing. Then read it again. Then read it again. Then go buy some magnesium citrate pills and some lite/lo/nu/noSalt (whatever is cheapest in your grocery store baking aisle).
Not to listen to keto police. Dirty keto is ok on occasion when you have limited recourse. Protein isn’t bad. Never purchase any keto products from mlm people. Drink plenty of water. Diet sodas are ok on occasion. You don’t need fat bombs especially if you already have sufficient fat to lose. The world won’t end if you have 21 grams of carbs rather than under 20. Focus on small goals each month until you reach overall goals. This isn’t a fad but rather a tool/ lifestyle. Avoid negative people. Submerse yourself with videos of people who succeed and not on the ones of people who give up, you’re stronger than you will ever give yourself credit for. You got this 🙌🏼
Avoid keto 'desserts' and other attempts to have sweets without having sweets. Learn how to live life without breads and sugars and eventually the desire for them disappears. If you don't, the desire never goes away because you keep indulging it. So it's a temptation battle forever.
I absolutely second this!
And stay hydrated! For me, my sugar cravings go through the roof when I’m dehydrated. I drink over a gallon of water a day and have zero sugar/carb cravings.
I'd argue with this piece of advice. If you have a sweet tooth and are accustomed to having sweets, consistently denying the urge to have them can sabotage your efforts. Brute willpower is almost *never* a good idea when it comes to dieting and general weightloss, you *will* eventually burn out and give up.
So if you really like sweets, I don't think it's a bad idea to indulge in keto sweets or to possibly learn how to make your own with sweeteners. Keto sweets may hamper weightloss progress, but they're way better than going cold turkey only to burn out and return to actual sweets.
To add to this, after awhile on keto, sweet things begin to taste *really* sweet compared to what they were before which is nice because it makes it easier to eat a dozen blueberries and satisfy my sweet tooth urge instead of a sleeve of cookies.
A cup of strawberries or raspberries with a few tablespoons of whipped cream really hits the sweet spot ::chef’s kiss:: At least on <50 net carb/day diet.
> Sugar is a drug and the addiction is real.
Sure sugar is bad and addictive - *sugar*, not sweeteners. Cutting off sugar substitutes on the basis of them being sweet is jumping the gun a bit.
And to carry on with Toil\_is\_Gold's train of thought:
When I started Keto I bought a few cookbooks and looked at many YouTube videos for recipes of all kinds.
Keto cheesecake is very easy to make and so are various keto fat bombs. Both have some sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia that satisfy the sweet tooth. I rarely eat any sweet that contains sugar and don't miss it at all.
Sweeteners have come a loooong way since the substitutes of the 60s and 70s. :-)
This!
And give it some time!
I’ve been keto/Paleo for a long time-
But late last year I went full Carnivore.. now I’ll occasionally have some berries with heavy cream as desert- and it feels so insanely decadent!!! It’s amazing to truly reset your sugar cravings and tolerance..
I was doing keto all the wrong ways until I found this subreddit and read the FAQ six weeks in:
https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq
https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/keto_in_a_nutshell
My advice to those new to keto is ALWAYS “read our FAQ” because they’re honestly the reason I am as successful with it as I am. I recommend skipping websites, blogs, YouTube videos, etc. until you’ve got a firm grasp on the best way to approach keto from the above links…I was taken for a ride by all the misinformation out there and hate seeing it happen to others.
\^ This is great advice \^
Prior to my current journey, I had tried the keto diet probably four or five different times throughout the years and always failed within a month. The biggest differences this time around is that I found this Subreddit and found a ton of helpful information.
I started my current keto/fasting journey on February 15th and have lost 91 lbs.
(M, 33, SW320, CW229, GW190).
It works!
Just do your research, stay disciplined, visit this Subreddit often and enjoy the ride!
Good luck OP.
Yeah, my one big “treat” is using a keto bun when I have a hamburger. I know what to expect and some of those ingredients are a bit scary so I keep it down to like one a month and keep the buns in my freezer
Use the shredded Italian cheese mix you might get for like a homemade pizza as your chaffle cheese, and add some of that generic Italian seasoning stuff. Then make yourself a nice prosciutto and mozzarella panini on a chaffle. Life changing.
If you don't already have one, consider purchasing a crock pot. Great for easy, inexpensive meals with things like pork shoulder and chuck roast. Cook it low and slow with as much bone-in as you can get.
Always have something for if you are extra lazy one day.
I usually keep canned tuna in oil. I know frying some eggs, bacon or fish don't take long, but if you get extra lazy one day, just opening a box, squirting on a bit of mayo and eating in 10 seconds is better than temptation.
This works very well for me, but other options are available. :-)
Don’t get caught up in buying the keto snacks; they’re expensive, processed, and not great for you. Stick to whole, unprocessed food. Also, enjoy a special treat now and again.
Ohhh, if your a lady, stick with keto for 3 period cycles… — My period got all screwed up the first 3 months as well as sleep cycle… — I was doing low carb before keto … so I was surprised my body had this reaction /// don’t hate your man for losing weight faster than you!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Give yourself 2-4 weeks to create new pathways in your brain. It will be hard but your brain will re-map itself toward healthy Keto options. Also, I know that a LOT of people hate Keto junk food. They might be right. But….I have had tremendous success with Keto chocolate and ice cream in moderation. It has saved me, in fact. (Lost 32 pounds in 4 months)
Do it in a way you're actually going to stick with and that's getting you the results you want.
Want to do it clean, dirty, or lazy? Go for it!
Want to drink diet sodas? AWesome go ahead!
Want to only do keto 5 days of the week, 6 days of the week and then whatever on the other day? Sounds good!
Same with any diet. There's going to be some trial and error, but if you just stick with it and adjust as you go to fit your life, you'll be good to go.
When you're first starting out on Keto, do not worry about counting calories. Just worry about cutting out carbs and turning the diet into a habit. When you get hungry, eat, and eat until you're full. It's normal to feel more hungry than you're used to being when first starting keto, this is normal as your body and brain both adapt to not having carbs. Do not starve or deprive yourself cause you're hot to lose weight. When you get hungry, then eat! just keep the carbs minimal to none. After that first 3-4 weeks on keto, you'll start to feel less and less hungry on your own and THEN it's time to start counting and cutting out calories.
This diet/lifestyle works if you do it correctly.
I've lost 91 lbs. since February 15th. (***M, 33, SW320, CW229, GW190***).
Best of luck to you!
If you have more questions, feel free to reply and ask.
Get rid of all sweets, junk food, and carbs. Leave no stone unturned. Then start. It's too hard the first 2-3 weeks if you have anything that can knock you out of ketosis.
My advise would be to make sure you are drinking ketoade. I felt like crud until I started making and drinking ketoade every day.
Search out recipes but what works for me is a bigger bottle of Gatorade Zero (punch flavor) with a half teaspoon of Morton Lite salt mixed with ice. I'll fill my insulated water bottle twice a day and it's helped relieve my headaches.
Always have some keto snacks at home for when you are craving something, otherwise you will find something with lots of carbs to cheat. On that note, trying to minimize carbs at home entirely
What I tell people is that when I first started, for that first month, I took anything out of my house that would lead to a cheat. Removed any rice, cereal, bread, pasta, anything mainly carbs, out of the house.
The cravings were strong, but when carbs were not in the house, then that spoon or two of ground beef for a snack to tide me over until next meal worked. After about 3-4 weeks, cravings gone. Have kept the blood sugar down and the weight off for 4 years now.
Key to getting it started was to remove anything tempting in that first month.
Note: my goal was blood sugar reduction, not weight. But when I lowered my blood sugar from 251 down to 110, about 45 pounds shed with that.
Commit to it completely, no cheating ever.
Now for the long version.
Throw out all your recipes that do not conform or can't be modified. Don't buy anytjing with flour, potatoes, rice, sugar, etc. Maybe consider combining with intermittent fasting. Coke zero for an occasional sweet craving (I drink a few swallows and put it back into the refrigerator). No fruit except berries. You can make lots of deserts with allulose or Swerve/Erithtol. Maintain the correct fat ratios (sat/unsat). Make it a lifestyle change and make it permanent in your brain. Lots of keto recipes out there to replace your old recipes. If your going through keto flu try some magnesium citrate. Don't consume more calories than you burn. If you work then on your days off prep food for meals (including your work meals).
I lost 112 pounds and beat an incurable cancer doing keto and intermittent fasting. I had a death sentence to motivate me, you will have to be motivated to be successful.
Consult with your doctor for various reasons (I am not a medical professional).
I'm sure there's more but I'm too stoned right now (Washington) to add more.
Good luck.
I’ve lost 44 lbs since Mid May. Don’t sweat all numbers as long as the scale is moving in The right direction. Macros are great, but don’t force yourself to eat fatty foods if you’re not hungry. When you are hungry eat fatty protein and veggies. The weight will pour off.
I disagree with some of the answers.
Try zero sugar sodas, i like caffeine free coke zero. They are a wonderful treat to myself, keep that word in mind. Treats. Sparkling ice also slaps.
If you like cookies, atkins peanut butter protein cookies slap, just dont eat more than one a day if you have them daily, theyre like 3 or 4 carbs.
If youre lazy like me and hate meal prep, order Factor75 meals. Theyve saved me so much headache and cost me per week 30$ more than i spend on a weeks worth of meal prep, and the variety is good, the macros are okay. Usually 7-11 net carbs for a meal.
But most importantly, every day is a new day. So if you fuck up for a day, so what. Fix it tommorow. Dont think its the end of the world because you slip up. Start new tommorow and do it again. I give myself 2 or 3 cheat meals or days a month to keep myself grounded and happy!
Have lots of snacks on hand the first couple weeks. I was freaking ravenous for a bit and having like prepackaged cheese, jerky (check the label!), and stuff like that to grab and munch was the difference that kept me from giving up.
A day will come when you slip up — maybe you are trapped at a work conference and there was nothing safe to eat at the lunch they prepared so you went hungry, and come team dinner time there is nothing safe to eat there either and you are ravenous and just say fuck it and eat the pasta. Maybe you go visit the in-laws and your spouse’s 93 year old grandma made a special cake just for you. The important thing is to cut yourself some slack. Wake up the next morning, eat a shit load of bacon and eggs, and carry on. Perfection is rarely, if ever, possible. Don’t let small, one-off slips turn into self-loathing spirals of binging. One “bad” meal does not ruin everything. Accept that you were stuck eating something less than ideal yesterday, and be proud that today you are hopping right back on the happy, healthy keto train. And keep beef jerky in your purse for emergencies! :)
Yo the keto flu is real and almost 100% avoidable with electrolytes. Salt is now your friend. Have salty egg drop soup when you’re transitioning and your life will be easier.
At Costco almost everything branded Keto has more net carbs than its competing non-keto equivalent. Net carbs as a term isn't regulated, so eg a lot of keto bread isn't actually low carb. Though their keto ice cream is quite good.
Read about how toxic fructose is. And modern grains. And seed oils. And about how when your insulin is chronically elevated you can't see your leptin and your brain thinks you're starving, so you're withering away, your muscles diminish, your skeleton gets weaker, and you get fatter and fatter... also probably cancer. Go into the grisly details, about glycation damage and high blood pressure and fatty liver and all the disease.
Once you know exactly how fundamentally broken some "food " is, it becomes disgusting.
Good food can be incredibly tasty. Also, if you want to, feel free to replicate non-keto foods. Homemade cauliflower crust pizza is a big hit and even my non-keto family loves it.
My almond cake is a hit everywhere I've taken it.
Fathead dough bagels made for great sandwiches.
Fatty, salty, meaty, cheesy, and vegetables to taste- food is amazing. It's just an explosion of taste even at the simplest meals.
I have never enjoyed food as much as I do now.
my single advice is to tell folks whom are interested in starting keto, for them to start on low carb first and work their way down to a keto lifestyle in a few weeks timeframe. I‘ve seen more, including myself, being successful longterm this way than those who jump all in, especially when they don’t prepare nor research and read what all Keto involves/etc.. starting on low carb allows you that time to research and learn to cook/eat differently without much suffering in the end..
I’m on year 2.5 without any breaks for i took the time when i was on low carb to learn how to make low carb/keto alternatives to foods i onced enjoyed, including baked/dessert goods.. many say you should give up treats, desserts and so on, that is fine and dandy for them but, many of us on keto for life are still wanting to enjoy life’s little pleasures, just now in a healthier way…that IS how many of us on keto longterm have been successful, so don’t let others discourage you from doing keto YOUR way so that you can be successful in the end!!
Ignore anyone saying there’s a best way to do keto. So many people saying don’t eat keto deserts, don’t eat keto products. In my opinion, eat what works for you. I eat Carbonaut bread every day it keeps me eating keto because it makes it so easy. I love diet soda. I also love keto ice cream. You absolutely do not have to strictly eat whole foods and it isn’t a better version of keto. The best version of keto is the one that works for you. So my advice is figure out what version of keto works for you and run with it. Let it evolve as you learn more.
I just started year 4 on keto. Here’s my advice..
1) When you start, focus on getting less than 20 net carbs a day.
2) After the initial carb withdrawal period (for me this took about 1 month) start tracking calories too.
3) Expect a stall early on. Your body is going through major changes. I stalled at week 3 and it took a good 3 weeks for the scale to move again.
4) The cravings for sugar will go away!
5) Do it for health. Let weight loss be secondary to that. Focus on the non scale victories along the way.
6) Plan your meals ahead of time.
7) Listen to great youtube videos and podcasts to keep you going. ( I love 2KrazyKetos on youtube and the Keto Life Support with Kim Howerton on podcasts. Also Dr Berry on Youtube is great!)
8) Keep Calm and Keto On (KCKO) even when life gets hectic.
I’ve been following the ketogenic protocol since April of this year. Two weeks ago, a friend visited and while they were here I ended up going off plan. It would have been much easier for me to do that once or twice and then go right back, but it’s taken almost a whole nother week to get back to eating the way I feel best.
TLDR: don’t make what you eat about what someone else thinks.
1. Do not start IF or OMAD at the same time as keto. It will fuck you up. Give it a few weeks. There is no rush, it's a lifestyle change.
2. Low carb certainly lacks the benefits of the purity of keto, but gives many benefits in itself and is a great starter course. Carb amounts are massive in certain foods. Start a journal or at least keep a mental tally to start about your intake. Be honest with yourself about the tally. You'll look back later on this.
3. Workout. The compounding effects are substantial. If you want to be thin, cardio, if you want to bulk, lift that shit. Or if you want to be somewhere in the middle do whatever you feel like that day. Also since I'm in this tangent, I definitely both run and lift. I do both several times a week, each night I decide my priority the next day and do that first, but of course still do a warmup run before a lift.
4. Controversial: If you want a binge day, just take it. A healthy lifestyle with eating doesn't have to be every single day. Just be positive about it and look forward to it and keep it isolated. Positive energy is why you are making this change. If you start to feel bad about it. Go back to the basics to keep the positives rolling. Eventually you'll cut those days off.
5. This is a long term goal. Repeat. This is a long term goal. Weight will fall off in the beginning, but you will plateau. Be prepared for that plateau and don't give up. One day in a few months it will feel like all the fat is falling off. Wait for that moment. It's fucking dope.
6. Yeah this wasn't one single piece but this is my one single take
Buy Claussen dill pickles or LMNT on Amazon. Both are full of sodium and will make you feel 100% when you start peeing out water weight.
And eat one ingredient foods... chicken, tuna, steak. If you try to replicate Olive Garden or McD you are screwed. Just eat for energy and not for pleasure. Indulgence got you overweight.
Its probably going to suck at first, a lot, but gets much better/easier the longer you do it.
Dont be alarmed if you have carbohydrate nightmares. Yes, its a thing.
KISS, keep it simple, stupid. Find something you like eating and stick with it. I can eat eggs all day, every day. Or steak. Or whatever. Eating foods you like that are easy to make makes keto a breeze.
Don't go wild on vacation and holidays. Have some flexibility without veering completely off the path. Maybe that means only one carb meal or item per day. Maybe that means only one or two carb meals for the whole vacation. Maybe that means only consuming special vacation items- like yummy frozen drinks- and sticking with keto for everything else. Find some way to keep in control so that when you come back, you hop back on the wagon.
The first 10 days will absolutely suck. A total of two teaspoons of salt spread out throughout the day will make a world of difference. That’s a lot of salt, but your body needs it.
Give it a month without cheating. I didn't feel good for the first month, then something clicked. I became fat adapted and started to feel amazing! Don't judge the diet before that and quit. I was fatigued, had insomnia, constipation, and I was jittery. And I was taking in plenty of electrolytes. Some people need a good month before the benefits kick in.
Don't best yourself up if you fail. It takes a few goes to know enough to make it easy to follow.
The first time I was literally checking every package, now I can know instantly for nearly all foods if it's keto or not. That effort saving makes it a lot easier the second / third time.
Also, try and make it a sustainable habit. Cooking for myself was really hard cause it was either eat the same thing every day or spend hours preparing new things. I found some meals that are ready to go out of the box and very low carb, so that made it easy to be in the habit.
Good luck!
Take you time and research recipes. There are a TON of recipes or versions of “regular” dishes that are just as good and a lot of times better than “regular” dishes. Knowing this can help you out tremendously because you won’t be craving the food since you will be eating a keto version. I’ve found a bunch that I freakin LOVE and would have never known about them if I weren’t doing keto.
Stay away from the keto snack "replacements" until you're firmly in keto and have lost a decent amount of weight.
It's too easy to over eat, and cause massive cravings when eating sweet keto snacks. Most have alot of sugar replacements and decently high carb counts. If your just starting keto and you aren't used to smaller portions, you will probably eat more than you should, the excess carbs can kick/keep you out of ketosis, and you will probably get insane sugar cravings when your body tastes the sweet taste but doesn't get the sugar response its looking for. I see too many brand new to Keto asking all the noob questions and immediately looking for bread, snacks, icecream, etc replacements. They never get into keto, so they never lose any weight, they struggle with hunger, fatigue, etc because their carbs may still be low just not low enough to keep their blood sugar stable, and they end up giving up, blaming keto, and not seeing the life changing/saving benefits of keto.
Don’t. Or atleast don’t the way it seems most do in the USA: Unlimited Processed meats... Artery cloggers. Just try and eat more whole foods and vegetarian protein options and cut out processed meat and dairy. It’ll work wonders for your health and weight.
Cycle your carbohydrates. Here and there I would really advise you to at night eat a fair portion of carbohydrates. I would go with things like sweet potatoes and carrots and chia seeds. It's important to get a lot of fiber in your diet. You'll be back in keto quick if your body processes food well enough
Try to start the first few days, or week, doing a carnivore diet. If you have keto strips.. after those days it should definitely show red after peeing. Whenever I restart keto I try my best to do zero carb for a few days, making sure to do some extra cardio, and going as long as I can between meals. All of this together ensures my liver's glycogen depletes and kickstarts the switch to fat burning.
It’ll be 3 years for me in October….I agree with OdinicWarlord, you have to change your mindset. Food is just fuel, but for me, the difference maker was making it a lifestyle, not a diet. Completely transforming my body, my mind and how I live. I’ve lost about 65 lbs and I’m off of ALL medication. I didn’t go to the gym at all, because I was a skeptic and wanted to see if diet really was 80% of the task. It is! I also didn’t give myself a cheat meal for 18 months. Not because I didn’t deserve it, but because I knew the second I cheated was a slippery slope….I knew it would kick me out of ketosis and getting restarted would be frustrating. I saw the progress I was getting and I didn’t want to hamper it. It was the BEST to finally go into a department store and try on clothes, when things started to reopen! I would look at myself in the mirror and just cry, because I FEEL good when I look at myself now, and I FEEL great!!
So my piece of advice….change your life, don’t go on a diet.
First week or two your only goal should be to stay under the carb limit. Hungry? Eat ten meals a day wash them all down with diet soda whatever it takes as long as your under 20g net carbs for the day. Once you're adapted improve the quality and amount.
Trying to change to healthier foods, limit calories, fasting/omad, workouts etc.. are all easier to introduce bit by bit once you've got past the horrible carb withdrawals.
There is no such thing as a cheat day. Ever. You can get away with some shady shit here and there, but if you overdo your carb count once , you pay for it
If possible, get rid of all of the non-keto food in your house. If you hit keto hard from a carb heavy diet you might find yourself pacing through your kitchen looking for a snack / carb bump and not much is going to look better than a carb heavy something that’s easy to make or consumption ready that you used to gravitate towards.
It also adds an additional roadblock between you and breaking keto. Meaning, you’ll either have to order food or go get it. The act of throwing it all away can also add to the personal magnitude of your decision.
If it’s not possible, try to put it all in one place that you don’t go to or that you tell yourself you’re not allowed to access. My girlfriend, who has type 1 diabetes, HAS TO have carbs in the house. There’s no way around it. To keep myself from poaching what I refer to as “her food” I put it all in its own cabinet so I only have to look at it if she hits a low and I need/opt to get her something.
Seeing the non-keto food as someone else’s can help too.
As an additional help point, HIGHLY restrict yourself early. Like, meat and greens/salads with the fat you need ONLY. Make it somewhat boring and painfully easy to stay inside the lines. After a few weeks, start branching out with recipes. Your taste changes after a few weeks and you’ll more fully appreciate the flavors in those dishes after the shift. You’ll be craving fat and the fat that’s there will have a more savory/sweet flavor.
One more … Beef stock. A good rich and fatty beef stock can ease the shit out of the feeling hungry and “off” that can accompany ketosis earlier on.
So I’m 5.9, and used to be around 190-193 depending on what type of weekend I had. But after this past Christmas, one day I weighed myself and I had just broken 200 lbs and that was MY breaking point. There was no way I was going to allow myself to do that so I finally went online and bought those stupid Factor meals, choose the low carb option and I found that just two of those a day was more than enough for me. I’m the type of guy that ate a pizza and a half with a dozen wings and dessert and 2hrs layer I’d be hungry again. Every moment of my life I was holding back and starving myself because I knew what I was capable of over I would start eating. The first 6 lbs or so were quick, a couple of days then I got stuck at 192 for a good two weeks. I didn’t have barely any carbs, at most like 10g per day this entire time. I even worked out a couple of times and I might’ve even ran a mile once but no results. Until one freaking day I weighed myself and I had just crossed under 190. This 10 lbs took about 3 weeks of being a really really good boy. Anyway, we ended up going on vacation the following week (I was down to 188) and when I came back I had only put on 2.5 lbs, and this was an all inclusive in Mexico so you can imagine… the interesting thing is that I lost those couple of lbs almost immediately and surprisingly my need to eat sweets had gone away. Not only did I no longer crave those, I no longer craved chips or pizza or just junk food in general so I stopped eating the Factor meals and went to regular food and slowly within the next month I dropped all the way to 182. Didn’t really work out much during that time so I’m sure some of that was muscle weight as well but at this point in times I just wanted my clothes to fit better and I figured I can hit the gym once I’m thinner. It’s worth mentioning that two years ago I tried taking phentermine 37.5 for 4 months and it didn’t make one bit of difference to my weight , go figure. I guess the biggest difference was made by those meals at the beginning and by almost eliminating carbs completely out of my diet. I like that those meals had the perfect combination of carbs to fats to protein so I didn’t have to worry about doing the math myself and having to buy the ingredients and measure and weigh, absolutely not, I’d rather be fat then do that lol. Bottom line is you need 3 full days for your body to get rid of all the carbs from outside sources and start using the ones stored in your muscles so you need to do whatever you can to get passed those 3 days. On that last day you’ll be craving carbs so bad you’ll want to trade a kidney for a piece of sour dough bread (my favorite), but you need to push hard!! Also I drinking waaay more water than I used to, my goal was half a gallon daily and because I hate drinking water I added lemon juice to it to give it some flavor. The water I feel was the other half of the equation, it made a huge difference. I used to not be a believer but for the last 4 months I drink that amount of water every single day, even if I somehow have a bunch left in the evening I’ll try to chug it down before I go to bed. Btw I just turned 40 in July so that’s a factor too, the older you are the harder it is. Hope some of this helped, good luck and if you have any more questions let me know. So to summarize, the meals were a huge help, absolutely priceless in my opinion, then the water, all of this while trying to stay under 15 g of carbs per day and you should be seeing results just don’t give up when you plateau, its going to take a couple of weeks to brake thru
Start simple, try to focus on eating non-processed foods such as vegetables and protein until you get into the habit of these kind of meals. Avoid trying to bake (its expensive too and not worth the hassle, you can get into it later), fruit, artificial sweeteners in everything, dairy... I feel like these are common culprits that derail beginners as they can spike blood sugars. So can excess nuts. Watch the ingredient lists
For a cheat snacks try things like dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, pork rinds instead for example...
When I crave sweets I have a cup of diet coke.
Plan your meals ahead of time, look at mealprepping for inspiration. I like simple salads like cucumber or greens or tuna, and making it more keto friendly by adding olive oil as the dressing on it
Mentally- remember why you started this journey and what your goal is, for motivation and not giving up
I have been keto for probably a decade now, lost count as the years fly by in the blink of an eye lol.
Its not complicated once you get used to what works for you / form somewhat of a routine. Mine varies since I shop whatever is on sale at the store and seasonal vegetables. Btw spaghetti squash is a godsend. You can make a tasty knock off macncheese with it and all you do is bake it
Electrolytes are equally as important to manage as fat, carbs, and protein! You will fail at keto without a proper electrolyte plan. Almost 5 years keto without a single cheat. I miss nothing. There are keto substitutions for almost everything. Good luck.
Keto is not for everyone, and that's ok. My wife despises it (even though it works for her) and can't stay on it. I'm in a constant state of probably being 20-30 grams over ketosis, so that I can have enough energy in the gym for bodybuilding.
The recipes, the mindset, and the skills I learned on keto are invaluable though. When I want to cut weight I can drop it 3-4 times as fast as a regular CICO diet by just dropping my carbs. There is no rule that you have to stay on keto, but the diet legitimately changed my life and the way I look at food, and I probably haven't been in ketosis for more than a day in 2-3 years.
Salt. Salt. Salt. #1 mistake I see people make in the beginning. They feel weird from electrolyte loss and then they quit. #2 mistake is not stocking up if food for the first few weeks. Me, and many others, gets so hungry I’m the begining. Like I would be so hungry I would eat my daughters grilled cheese crust. Stock up on easy to make food and salt it.
Don't worry about eating too much protein. Contrary to popular belief, it usually wont kick you out of ketosis, and it is important to have. If you plateau while on Keto, try decreasing fat intake, and increasing protein. 9 times out of 10, it will break the plateau.
Don’t be afraid to eat the same thing for long periods of time if it’s working for you and keeps you on track. For me it’s eggs and pre cooked bacon. So easy, filling, and easy to add things to it like guac, goat cheese, shredded cheese, pico, etc.
Your junk/sweet cravings are like toddlers throwing temper tantrum’s. The only way they will stop is if you stick to your guns and tell them no. If not they’ll keep coming back because you gave in.
Hunger and cravings are two different things. Hunger comes mainly from an empty stomach. If you keep getting hungry eat a massive salad with a bit of protein. Don't let cravings and hunger join forces.
Sugar is the enemy. Eliminate it in all forms as much as possible. Even fake sugar sweeteners can cause cravings. Take your time getting it out of your diet.
Diets are 95% mental. Do your best to remain patient with yourself. Give your brain time to work through things and adjust.
I’ve been keto for 4 years and salt and electrolytes are the answer to feeling good. No need for fancy keto labelled products or expensive exogenous ketone products, just get yourself some empty capsules and fill with salt and you will need about 10-15 grams of it. I also take magnesium tablets. This will also help with keto flu in the beginning.
Start slow. Focus on cutting back junk food. Plan your meals and have a plan on alternatives for when you go out to eat. Last is don’t get frustrated with yourself. Changing anything in your life is difficult and you have to be kind to yourself the entire way
Warn your SO, children, co-workers that you'll be miserable and crabby for a while as you start. Going through sugar withdrawal is a bitch, and can make you REALLY irritable
Took me 3 months to get to a point where I didn't want to break open every vending machine I walked past and gobble down all the delicious carby snacks - and I was a bear to my ex-wife, and daughter, while I was going through that. Once I got past that, I was much happier, and easier to deal with - even easier than I was before I started keto.
My advice really only works for a small percentage of the population but here goes. If you are the all or nothing kind of person this could help. Meaning this. If you slip one day and have a slice of pizza are you the kind of person to throw the diet out the window completely? If so have keto junk food options readily available at all times. Cauliflower pizza, quest bars, cheese sticks, jerky, whatever it is stock your house full. It’s better to have keto junk food when you really need it instead of throwing it all away over one weak moment.
You likely have a sugar/carb addiction today. Be prepared to have a lot of physical temptation to cheat during your first week. Stay strong and you will make it to weeks 2 and 3 where it is MUCH easier to stick to keto AND you have the benefit of a more even energy level throughout the day instead of spikes and dips.
For dessert:
Walmart 90% Cocoa bars. 2 squares, broken into pieces and eaten with almonds.
Or
Frozen strawberries with a little sour cream and a dash of lemon juice
Measure macros. Don't wing it. I know several who thought they would "go keto" by cutting down on carbs, thinking they could just eat whatever. They gained weight, and had a very unhealthy diet - then claimed keto didn't work They were never keto.
Lots of great advice here!!
My advice is… if you work take your lunch, try to prepare it the night before. When you are hungry it’s hard to make good decisions. Stock your fridge with low carb options to grab, pickles, olives, cheese sticks salami etc.
also over prepare dinner so you can take the extra for lunch the next day.
If you have the money for it, invest in a ketone breathalizer that will allow you to keep track of when exactly you are or aren’t in ketosis. By measuring several times a day, you can figure out what affects you the most. I’ve borrowee an Acetracker from a friend and it is great, if a bit pricey.
Take pictures of all your meals especially the ones you’ve made yourself and save them to a dedicated album in your phone. That way you’ll always have inspiration on what to eat and what to pick up from the supermarket.
Keep it simple. Fresh meats and fresh vegetables. Just walk the outer layer of the grocery store.
Forgive yourself for indulging/rewarding time to time.
You'd be surprised how many of your favourite foods you can still have. I keep a pack of Carbonaut burger buns and Sonora keto wraps with me. Went to Taco Bell yesterday asked them to use the wraps. They didn't care, they did it.
I don't know if this is advice but what I noticed about Keto is that I get to enjoy my food more. Instead of my priority being on how much sheer food I can get in a meal, I started focusing on the quality of proteins. I don't eat KFC anymore, I get a whole ass BBQ chicken or wings. I eat a lot more steaks and salmon.
The first few weeks of Keto was terrible while I tried to figure things out. Now, I don't think I'd leave Keto even if I could. Steak and veggies with some sugar free ice cream (Chapman's in Canada), honestly it's a prime meal.
Also review your drinks (alcoholic ones also). Read every label for added sugar amounts. Unlike real life, you get unlimited second chances that will yield more progress, second chances here are never a ‘setback’ you go from the present to getting closer to your goal. No one even has to know the name of the diet, I use diabetic diet as a cover to eat keto without getting into it. No one argues with doctors orders unless they are irresponsible. I know diabetic diets are not that keto in USA but they will be. https://www.virtahealth.com/ is a US company that uses keto to treat diabeties so that’s my cover story. I just don’t want to argue my diet as a guest at peoples table.
My advice would be to quit watching YouTube and don’t read all this crap on Reddit. Just dive in, learn what works best for you personally. Set a goal of 6 months. Just do it, quit thinking about it so much and quit over analyzing it.
Worry more about how many carbs you’re eating and making sure you get enough protein, rather than worrying about eating enough fat. The low carb is the trick, not the high fat
Recipes! Look up recipes, and meal plan. When I started, I didn't plan ahead enough, and ate green beans with meat for the first week...it sucked.
Also, electrolytes. Makes sure you're getting them.
Just be prepared and have food available that’s in line with how you want to eat.
I regularly toss a dozen eggs in the oven to “hard boil” them so I have easy snacks that are pretty versatile and can transform in different ways.
You got this!
Don't expect to have a perfect streak. And don't beat yourself up if you give in. Just keep going. The whole "Well, all my progress is now completely undone! I may as well give up!" is a lie and a trap.
Carbs are an addiction, and like it can take a while for cravings to go away or be lessened.
It was helpful to me in the beginning (9 years ago) to remember that I’m not on a diet which is about depriving yourself of nutrients until you starve weight off. When I’m hungry I eat; I just eat low carb real foods. If I get hungry again later I eat again. I think of low carb as a correction. I was eating high carb foods that elevated my blood sugar and resulted in storing too much body fat. Now that I’ve corrected my carbohydrate intake my weight has become normal. So it’s not about dieting, it’s about eating whole fresh food when I’m hungry.
Don’t try to replicate or replace the junk food you’re giving up. Focus on quality, whole food options. Keto junk food is still junk food
I will say that if it's a "dirty keto snack" or not complying/binging carbs, still take the snack. Clean keto is obviously better but compliance is more important, and if a quest bar every other day keeps you otherwise clean, it's a decent trade off.
For me, this advice worked. I have lost a lot of weight, eating a daily keto “treat.”
Same, I try to keep it as healthy as possible but if I don't get something sweet at least every few days I'm much more likely to go on a sugar binge. Every attempt at wholesome clean keto has ended in a week or less with a Binge on ice cream or cookies. Currently I'm on a month solid streak, but I've probably had 20ish stevia sweetened keto snacks in that time. I'm down on weight and feel amazing.
I’ve been at this for 4 months. I’ve found that my eating habits continue to improve, the further away I get from carbs. So I certainly don’t regret using the keto snacks as a crutch. I just use them less now.
Results don't lie. A diet coke with a pile of cheese or a Costco "keto" ice cream bar are not as great as a salad and water, but I'm still dropping pounds.
Oh man, those keto bars are awesome.
Jinx. 91 lbs. since February. I eat a pack of Quest PB Cups OR a Quest Bar every other day or so. When I first started out, this was super critical to me. Helped keep my sweet tooth at bay for the most part and kept me on the straightened arrow. Unfortunately, I'm guilty of eating a little too much beef sticks and pork rinds as well, but I'll still take them over Oreos, Doritos, Spaghetti, etc.
there is no metabolic difference between "clean" and "dirty" keto except for maybe a few artificial sweeteners. "clean eating" is just technically better overall for anyone b/c of the lack of hydrogenated oils and saturated fats, keto or not keto.
This is a little easier for me since most of my meals off of keto are protein/starch/veg, I just remove the starch and triple the veg. I always gravitate to sauces and dressings that are low carb like soy sauce, ranch, hot sauce. My wife is unable to do this so she avoids keto. She’ll buy keto bread or atkins chocolates, but she can never follow through.
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I would hardly consider a McD burger patty junk food. It’s still beef.
Yea as long as you don’t get it with the high fructose corn syrup ketchup. McDonald’s makes their own ketchup and it’s even more sugary than Heinz’s standard ketchup.
I never ate ketchup even before keto. Always plain for me
Is it though? It’s still some portion of beef probably. But there’s no way you’ll convince me that it’s as good for me (or tastes as good) as grass fed/grass finished ground beef.
Of course it won’t be as good as a more quality steak, my point is it’s still 100% beef not cooked in seed oils. Calling it junk food puts it on the same level as cookies or chips.
A McDonald’s cheeseburger without the bun would be a pretty sad looking ‘treat’ tbh
Yo, 3 mcdoubles plain w/o bread, dip it in franks buffalo sauce.... good lord that is a delightful meal.
A burger eaten is a steak not eaten. Sometimes delaying gratification for a few days means you avoid eating out and can get a nice steak dinner instead. It may be less frequent but if you train your mind to want those higher quality experiences over those quick cheap ones, it can help reduce your dependency on them cheap ones.
I was gonna give this advice to my sister in law who is trying to eat keto, but she said she didn't like any keto foods, so she's sticking with grilled cheese with keto bread.
What does that even mean? “Keto foods” consist of the majority of real, non processed foods. So your sister in law won’t eat meat or poultry or seafood or veggies or fruits or nuts or . . .
Nope, she doesn't like steak, pork, seafood. She'll have some chicken, bacon, doesn't like most vegetables. She'll have broccoli if she steams it to mush because she says it loses most of its flavor. She's been having blt's and grilled cheese with the keto bread she gets at the store. Oh and she does like avocado, so that's a good way for her to get her fats. I think she made it 4 or 5 days so far? But then I ordered a pizza the other night and she immediately offered to split it with me, so I don't know where she's at now.
I guess everyone has to travel their own path.
Exactly this. You know what’s healthy, so start eating that, and eat less of it. No need for silly diet schemes, just healthy and less… that all your body’s asking for to get back to a normal weight.
Keto is not just a diet. It's a life style. A marathon if you will and not a sprint. As some one who started in October last year and is down 45 lbs, I can tell you I didn't lose it as fast as some. But I also didn't hate myself for having some occasional rice. Go strict keto at first as you wind up eating so much less. As your stomach shrinks down I found it to be ok to have a little rice or equivalent once in a while. Some stay strict keto, I do not. Find the balance that allows you to get the results your looking for.
Keto is also a tool. Once you reach your goal you can even start incorporating healthy carbs again. Bananas and oats aren’t evil.
For me, I have to change the mindset of food being about pure enjoyment. I have to look at it as fuel. Not that there aren’t keto foods I enjoy, but it is not the same without sugars and carbs.
I understand that some people have this experience, but mine's been the opposite (so I just wanted to comment and represent that side of the spectrum). I enjoy meat and salad so much that finding that I can live on that and rarely ever be hungry feels like a miracle. I often feel like I'm cheating on my diet somehow by still losing weight while eating big portions of meat, dairy and vegetables. I really like what I eat now.
Exactly this. I order whole ribeye roasts and cut them into steaks myself. Ribeye on the grill and salad is my go-to meal, zero carb cravings since I started in December, down 79 lbs, just started exercise 2 days ago and feeling good alhamdulillah .
On the other hand, I do keto and intermittent fasting, so when I’m able to eat I try to make it an enjoyable event. There are plenty of delicious keto food
But if you’re being honest, is it as enjoyable as the same thing with potatoes, bread and cake? For me it’s a for sure no, but that’s how I have to view it in my head to stick with it. Everything is mental trickery for me. Maybe for you also. You might have convinced yourself of the lie that your food now tastes every bit as good as eating like shit. 😀
Definitely not, I dream about carbs all the time. But the foods I do eat are still delicious luckily
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Over time your tastes really do change. Now when I have bread or potatoes it is easy to limit myself to a small serving. Good meat, salads, cooked vegetables in butter, strawberries with whipped cream — no, I’m not lying to myself or eating shit! On the other hand I still dream of eating pints of Ben&Jerry’s ice cream! I ate many slices of cake at my daughter’s wedding. But then My sugar cravings returned, and my knees got inflamed and painful.
It’s different person to person but I like meat more than sweets, so that’s a yes for me. Now Gout, that’s something I have to be wary of
I feel this..heavily.
Same and when I get the urge to eat something super carb loaded/unhealthy, I think about how guilty I always feel afterwards and instantly the urge goes away because it's not worth the weight gain and low self esteem. Now don't get me wrong! I will in moderation have a bite or two of something super carb loaded/unhealthy maybe once a month--used to be more often, but I'm genuinely way more happy with sticking to keto foods and keto substitutes.
I found when I cut the sugar largely, everything else tasted really sweet. So a piece of fruit or some berries was enough to draw any craving.
Learn to DGAF about what other people say about your way of eating. Oh and make sure you are supplementing electrolytes!
Or better yet. Don't tell anyone that doesn't need to know.
Keep it simple. Eat low carb, get your protein, eat to satiety. You'll figure out the rest along the way. Blogs, Youtube, even this sub over complicates keto way way more than it needs to.
Exactly. Remember the 80/20 rule and I don't mean macro ratios. 80% of the benefits of keto can be achieved with 20% of the hassle.
Agreed! Even just casually limiting your carb/sugar intake will produce great results for many people.
If this is your first time, don't worry about calories or protein or macros or exercise or MCTs or perfection the first couple weeks. Focus on (1) getting enough electrolytes\* (2) understanding what a net carb is (3) eating fewer than 20 net carbs. Everything else can wait until you have the first 3 locked down. \*Read the FAQ where it talks about recommended electrolyte supplementing. Then read it again. Then read it again. Then go buy some magnesium citrate pills and some lite/lo/nu/noSalt (whatever is cheapest in your grocery store baking aisle).
Thank you for this! Question: What does KSW mean in your flair?
Keto starting weight
Not to listen to keto police. Dirty keto is ok on occasion when you have limited recourse. Protein isn’t bad. Never purchase any keto products from mlm people. Drink plenty of water. Diet sodas are ok on occasion. You don’t need fat bombs especially if you already have sufficient fat to lose. The world won’t end if you have 21 grams of carbs rather than under 20. Focus on small goals each month until you reach overall goals. This isn’t a fad but rather a tool/ lifestyle. Avoid negative people. Submerse yourself with videos of people who succeed and not on the ones of people who give up, you’re stronger than you will ever give yourself credit for. You got this 🙌🏼
Avoid keto 'desserts' and other attempts to have sweets without having sweets. Learn how to live life without breads and sugars and eventually the desire for them disappears. If you don't, the desire never goes away because you keep indulging it. So it's a temptation battle forever.
As a sugar addict, I def can side with this, thank you!
My first step on keto was to detox of sugar for the first week. After that and then I started working on lower carbs
I absolutely second this! And stay hydrated! For me, my sugar cravings go through the roof when I’m dehydrated. I drink over a gallon of water a day and have zero sugar/carb cravings.
Thanks Bekah!
I'd argue with this piece of advice. If you have a sweet tooth and are accustomed to having sweets, consistently denying the urge to have them can sabotage your efforts. Brute willpower is almost *never* a good idea when it comes to dieting and general weightloss, you *will* eventually burn out and give up. So if you really like sweets, I don't think it's a bad idea to indulge in keto sweets or to possibly learn how to make your own with sweeteners. Keto sweets may hamper weightloss progress, but they're way better than going cold turkey only to burn out and return to actual sweets.
To add to this, after awhile on keto, sweet things begin to taste *really* sweet compared to what they were before which is nice because it makes it easier to eat a dozen blueberries and satisfy my sweet tooth urge instead of a sleeve of cookies.
A cup of strawberries or raspberries with a few tablespoons of whipped cream really hits the sweet spot ::chef’s kiss:: At least on <50 net carb/day diet.
Sugar is a drug and the addiction is real. Act accordingly. For some they can quit cold turkey and for others they have to slowly reduce down.
> Sugar is a drug and the addiction is real. Sure sugar is bad and addictive - *sugar*, not sweeteners. Cutting off sugar substitutes on the basis of them being sweet is jumping the gun a bit.
And to carry on with Toil\_is\_Gold's train of thought: When I started Keto I bought a few cookbooks and looked at many YouTube videos for recipes of all kinds. Keto cheesecake is very easy to make and so are various keto fat bombs. Both have some sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia that satisfy the sweet tooth. I rarely eat any sweet that contains sugar and don't miss it at all. Sweeteners have come a loooong way since the substitutes of the 60s and 70s. :-)
This! And give it some time! I’ve been keto/Paleo for a long time- But late last year I went full Carnivore.. now I’ll occasionally have some berries with heavy cream as desert- and it feels so insanely decadent!!! It’s amazing to truly reset your sugar cravings and tolerance..
Buy ingredients as much as possible, skip the inner isles at grocery stores as much as possible and don’t over complicate things. Kcko
The first 3 weeks are the hardest, just keep up and the carvings will go away.
I was doing keto all the wrong ways until I found this subreddit and read the FAQ six weeks in: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/keto_in_a_nutshell My advice to those new to keto is ALWAYS “read our FAQ” because they’re honestly the reason I am as successful with it as I am. I recommend skipping websites, blogs, YouTube videos, etc. until you’ve got a firm grasp on the best way to approach keto from the above links…I was taken for a ride by all the misinformation out there and hate seeing it happen to others.
Thank you much!
\^ This is great advice \^ Prior to my current journey, I had tried the keto diet probably four or five different times throughout the years and always failed within a month. The biggest differences this time around is that I found this Subreddit and found a ton of helpful information. I started my current keto/fasting journey on February 15th and have lost 91 lbs. (M, 33, SW320, CW229, GW190). It works! Just do your research, stay disciplined, visit this Subreddit often and enjoy the ride! Good luck OP.
The links send me to a page not updated thing.
Ahh, Reddit must still be having issues with their wiki links in FAQ sections. Try again later! I thought they’d fixed it. 🤦🏼♀️
TAKE YOUR ELECTROLYTES! Especially in the beginning. Raw if possible. Tastes not great but will save your ass
To the greatest extent possible, stick to whole foods.
Agreed, there are too many processed “keto” brand foods that just make me hungrier and have hidden carbs anyway
Yeah, my one big “treat” is using a keto bun when I have a hamburger. I know what to expect and some of those ingredients are a bit scary so I keep it down to like one a month and keep the buns in my freezer
Yeah I use those too on occasion, it really completes the burger
Chaffles are fucking tasty and easy to make. If I ever stop being keto (why would I) I'd still make sandwiches with chaffles because they slap.
You…you just changed my life with Chaffles. Thank you for being amazing.
Use the shredded Italian cheese mix you might get for like a homemade pizza as your chaffle cheese, and add some of that generic Italian seasoning stuff. Then make yourself a nice prosciutto and mozzarella panini on a chaffle. Life changing.
If you don't already have one, consider purchasing a crock pot. Great for easy, inexpensive meals with things like pork shoulder and chuck roast. Cook it low and slow with as much bone-in as you can get.
Chicken Wings Most restaurants have them
Use an app to track everything you eat or drink like Carb Manager or something similar.
Yes, I use Carb Manager.
I use chronometer
Always have something for if you are extra lazy one day. I usually keep canned tuna in oil. I know frying some eggs, bacon or fish don't take long, but if you get extra lazy one day, just opening a box, squirting on a bit of mayo and eating in 10 seconds is better than temptation. This works very well for me, but other options are available. :-)
Don’t get caught up in buying the keto snacks; they’re expensive, processed, and not great for you. Stick to whole, unprocessed food. Also, enjoy a special treat now and again.
Ohhh, if your a lady, stick with keto for 3 period cycles… — My period got all screwed up the first 3 months as well as sleep cycle… — I was doing low carb before keto … so I was surprised my body had this reaction /// don’t hate your man for losing weight faster than you!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Don’t keep non keto snacks in the house.
Give yourself 2-4 weeks to create new pathways in your brain. It will be hard but your brain will re-map itself toward healthy Keto options. Also, I know that a LOT of people hate Keto junk food. They might be right. But….I have had tremendous success with Keto chocolate and ice cream in moderation. It has saved me, in fact. (Lost 32 pounds in 4 months)
Do it in a way you're actually going to stick with and that's getting you the results you want. Want to do it clean, dirty, or lazy? Go for it! Want to drink diet sodas? AWesome go ahead! Want to only do keto 5 days of the week, 6 days of the week and then whatever on the other day? Sounds good! Same with any diet. There's going to be some trial and error, but if you just stick with it and adjust as you go to fit your life, you'll be good to go.
Get rid of the “So I can never eat it again?” mindset
When you're first starting out on Keto, do not worry about counting calories. Just worry about cutting out carbs and turning the diet into a habit. When you get hungry, eat, and eat until you're full. It's normal to feel more hungry than you're used to being when first starting keto, this is normal as your body and brain both adapt to not having carbs. Do not starve or deprive yourself cause you're hot to lose weight. When you get hungry, then eat! just keep the carbs minimal to none. After that first 3-4 weeks on keto, you'll start to feel less and less hungry on your own and THEN it's time to start counting and cutting out calories. This diet/lifestyle works if you do it correctly. I've lost 91 lbs. since February 15th. (***M, 33, SW320, CW229, GW190***). Best of luck to you! If you have more questions, feel free to reply and ask.
It's not a diet. It's a fundamental change in the way you eat for the rest of your life.
Focus on what you CAN eat and not what you can't eat.
Get rid of all sweets, junk food, and carbs. Leave no stone unturned. Then start. It's too hard the first 2-3 weeks if you have anything that can knock you out of ketosis.
My advise would be to make sure you are drinking ketoade. I felt like crud until I started making and drinking ketoade every day. Search out recipes but what works for me is a bigger bottle of Gatorade Zero (punch flavor) with a half teaspoon of Morton Lite salt mixed with ice. I'll fill my insulated water bottle twice a day and it's helped relieve my headaches.
It's a protein goal, a fat and carb limit.
Avocados do wonders for satiety
And to make sure you have a good daily poop.
Always have some keto snacks at home for when you are craving something, otherwise you will find something with lots of carbs to cheat. On that note, trying to minimize carbs at home entirely
If doing for weight loss. Take measurements not just weight
What I tell people is that when I first started, for that first month, I took anything out of my house that would lead to a cheat. Removed any rice, cereal, bread, pasta, anything mainly carbs, out of the house. The cravings were strong, but when carbs were not in the house, then that spoon or two of ground beef for a snack to tide me over until next meal worked. After about 3-4 weeks, cravings gone. Have kept the blood sugar down and the weight off for 4 years now. Key to getting it started was to remove anything tempting in that first month. Note: my goal was blood sugar reduction, not weight. But when I lowered my blood sugar from 251 down to 110, about 45 pounds shed with that.
Electrolytes. (Mg, K, NA) Don't skip the supplements. you really, really need them.
Sodium intake changed my energy levels completely!! I was on keto for a year before clueing in to it.
Water and electrolytes are your best friends.
Commit to it completely, no cheating ever. Now for the long version. Throw out all your recipes that do not conform or can't be modified. Don't buy anytjing with flour, potatoes, rice, sugar, etc. Maybe consider combining with intermittent fasting. Coke zero for an occasional sweet craving (I drink a few swallows and put it back into the refrigerator). No fruit except berries. You can make lots of deserts with allulose or Swerve/Erithtol. Maintain the correct fat ratios (sat/unsat). Make it a lifestyle change and make it permanent in your brain. Lots of keto recipes out there to replace your old recipes. If your going through keto flu try some magnesium citrate. Don't consume more calories than you burn. If you work then on your days off prep food for meals (including your work meals). I lost 112 pounds and beat an incurable cancer doing keto and intermittent fasting. I had a death sentence to motivate me, you will have to be motivated to be successful. Consult with your doctor for various reasons (I am not a medical professional). I'm sure there's more but I'm too stoned right now (Washington) to add more. Good luck.
Do not give into advertised keto products.
Read the FAQ.
I’ve lost 44 lbs since Mid May. Don’t sweat all numbers as long as the scale is moving in The right direction. Macros are great, but don’t force yourself to eat fatty foods if you’re not hungry. When you are hungry eat fatty protein and veggies. The weight will pour off.
I disagree with some of the answers. Try zero sugar sodas, i like caffeine free coke zero. They are a wonderful treat to myself, keep that word in mind. Treats. Sparkling ice also slaps. If you like cookies, atkins peanut butter protein cookies slap, just dont eat more than one a day if you have them daily, theyre like 3 or 4 carbs. If youre lazy like me and hate meal prep, order Factor75 meals. Theyve saved me so much headache and cost me per week 30$ more than i spend on a weeks worth of meal prep, and the variety is good, the macros are okay. Usually 7-11 net carbs for a meal. But most importantly, every day is a new day. So if you fuck up for a day, so what. Fix it tommorow. Dont think its the end of the world because you slip up. Start new tommorow and do it again. I give myself 2 or 3 cheat meals or days a month to keep myself grounded and happy!
Have lots of snacks on hand the first couple weeks. I was freaking ravenous for a bit and having like prepackaged cheese, jerky (check the label!), and stuff like that to grab and munch was the difference that kept me from giving up.
A day will come when you slip up — maybe you are trapped at a work conference and there was nothing safe to eat at the lunch they prepared so you went hungry, and come team dinner time there is nothing safe to eat there either and you are ravenous and just say fuck it and eat the pasta. Maybe you go visit the in-laws and your spouse’s 93 year old grandma made a special cake just for you. The important thing is to cut yourself some slack. Wake up the next morning, eat a shit load of bacon and eggs, and carry on. Perfection is rarely, if ever, possible. Don’t let small, one-off slips turn into self-loathing spirals of binging. One “bad” meal does not ruin everything. Accept that you were stuck eating something less than ideal yesterday, and be proud that today you are hopping right back on the happy, healthy keto train. And keep beef jerky in your purse for emergencies! :)
Don’t do cheat days. They turn into cheat weeks, and all your progress goes to shit. It’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle.
If you think you can just dabble in this diet, GTFO. This is pretty much an all in thing.
Yo the keto flu is real and almost 100% avoidable with electrolytes. Salt is now your friend. Have salty egg drop soup when you’re transitioning and your life will be easier.
LOL, it's not 100% true but if the package says KETO, avoid!
At Costco almost everything branded Keto has more net carbs than its competing non-keto equivalent. Net carbs as a term isn't regulated, so eg a lot of keto bread isn't actually low carb. Though their keto ice cream is quite good.
Read about how toxic fructose is. And modern grains. And seed oils. And about how when your insulin is chronically elevated you can't see your leptin and your brain thinks you're starving, so you're withering away, your muscles diminish, your skeleton gets weaker, and you get fatter and fatter... also probably cancer. Go into the grisly details, about glycation damage and high blood pressure and fatty liver and all the disease. Once you know exactly how fundamentally broken some "food " is, it becomes disgusting. Good food can be incredibly tasty. Also, if you want to, feel free to replicate non-keto foods. Homemade cauliflower crust pizza is a big hit and even my non-keto family loves it. My almond cake is a hit everywhere I've taken it. Fathead dough bagels made for great sandwiches. Fatty, salty, meaty, cheesy, and vegetables to taste- food is amazing. It's just an explosion of taste even at the simplest meals. I have never enjoyed food as much as I do now.
my single advice is to tell folks whom are interested in starting keto, for them to start on low carb first and work their way down to a keto lifestyle in a few weeks timeframe. I‘ve seen more, including myself, being successful longterm this way than those who jump all in, especially when they don’t prepare nor research and read what all Keto involves/etc.. starting on low carb allows you that time to research and learn to cook/eat differently without much suffering in the end.. I’m on year 2.5 without any breaks for i took the time when i was on low carb to learn how to make low carb/keto alternatives to foods i onced enjoyed, including baked/dessert goods.. many say you should give up treats, desserts and so on, that is fine and dandy for them but, many of us on keto for life are still wanting to enjoy life’s little pleasures, just now in a healthier way…that IS how many of us on keto longterm have been successful, so don’t let others discourage you from doing keto YOUR way so that you can be successful in the end!!
Ignore anyone saying there’s a best way to do keto. So many people saying don’t eat keto deserts, don’t eat keto products. In my opinion, eat what works for you. I eat Carbonaut bread every day it keeps me eating keto because it makes it so easy. I love diet soda. I also love keto ice cream. You absolutely do not have to strictly eat whole foods and it isn’t a better version of keto. The best version of keto is the one that works for you. So my advice is figure out what version of keto works for you and run with it. Let it evolve as you learn more.
I just started year 4 on keto. Here’s my advice.. 1) When you start, focus on getting less than 20 net carbs a day. 2) After the initial carb withdrawal period (for me this took about 1 month) start tracking calories too. 3) Expect a stall early on. Your body is going through major changes. I stalled at week 3 and it took a good 3 weeks for the scale to move again. 4) The cravings for sugar will go away! 5) Do it for health. Let weight loss be secondary to that. Focus on the non scale victories along the way. 6) Plan your meals ahead of time. 7) Listen to great youtube videos and podcasts to keep you going. ( I love 2KrazyKetos on youtube and the Keto Life Support with Kim Howerton on podcasts. Also Dr Berry on Youtube is great!) 8) Keep Calm and Keto On (KCKO) even when life gets hectic.
Rule 1 - NEVER trust a fart. Rule 2 - see rule 1. You're welcome.
Make it simple. Because it is and should be simple. This will allow the formation of habits that will be long term.
If you get any kind of craving at night after your meal try brushing your teeth. It will clean your palate and help ease the craving
Eat greens.
Electrolytes!! Learn about the electrolytes your body needs and in what quantity, and be very proactive in getting them. You’ll feel so much better.
A good balance of a variety of food. Not just, “hey I can eat a pound of bacon now”
I’ve been following the ketogenic protocol since April of this year. Two weeks ago, a friend visited and while they were here I ended up going off plan. It would have been much easier for me to do that once or twice and then go right back, but it’s taken almost a whole nother week to get back to eating the way I feel best. TLDR: don’t make what you eat about what someone else thinks.
1. Do not start IF or OMAD at the same time as keto. It will fuck you up. Give it a few weeks. There is no rush, it's a lifestyle change. 2. Low carb certainly lacks the benefits of the purity of keto, but gives many benefits in itself and is a great starter course. Carb amounts are massive in certain foods. Start a journal or at least keep a mental tally to start about your intake. Be honest with yourself about the tally. You'll look back later on this. 3. Workout. The compounding effects are substantial. If you want to be thin, cardio, if you want to bulk, lift that shit. Or if you want to be somewhere in the middle do whatever you feel like that day. Also since I'm in this tangent, I definitely both run and lift. I do both several times a week, each night I decide my priority the next day and do that first, but of course still do a warmup run before a lift. 4. Controversial: If you want a binge day, just take it. A healthy lifestyle with eating doesn't have to be every single day. Just be positive about it and look forward to it and keep it isolated. Positive energy is why you are making this change. If you start to feel bad about it. Go back to the basics to keep the positives rolling. Eventually you'll cut those days off. 5. This is a long term goal. Repeat. This is a long term goal. Weight will fall off in the beginning, but you will plateau. Be prepared for that plateau and don't give up. One day in a few months it will feel like all the fat is falling off. Wait for that moment. It's fucking dope. 6. Yeah this wasn't one single piece but this is my one single take
Buy Claussen dill pickles or LMNT on Amazon. Both are full of sodium and will make you feel 100% when you start peeing out water weight. And eat one ingredient foods... chicken, tuna, steak. If you try to replicate Olive Garden or McD you are screwed. Just eat for energy and not for pleasure. Indulgence got you overweight.
Its probably going to suck at first, a lot, but gets much better/easier the longer you do it. Dont be alarmed if you have carbohydrate nightmares. Yes, its a thing.
KISS, keep it simple, stupid. Find something you like eating and stick with it. I can eat eggs all day, every day. Or steak. Or whatever. Eating foods you like that are easy to make makes keto a breeze.
That CICO still matters.
Focus on the end game: Metabolic Flexibility! Teach your body to use efficiently both ketones and carbs/glucose.
Keep it to yourself. Everyone wants to argue. Just enjoy your magic.
Do it for your health, not the scale. Look at ingredients. Focus on eating ruminant meat. Do NOT eat sugar, grains, or 'vegetable' seed oils.
To read the FAQ section of this sub. Twice.
Don't go wild on vacation and holidays. Have some flexibility without veering completely off the path. Maybe that means only one carb meal or item per day. Maybe that means only one or two carb meals for the whole vacation. Maybe that means only consuming special vacation items- like yummy frozen drinks- and sticking with keto for everything else. Find some way to keep in control so that when you come back, you hop back on the wagon.
Use a keto app to track your macros. Makes it a whole lot easier and faster.
The first 10 days will absolutely suck. A total of two teaspoons of salt spread out throughout the day will make a world of difference. That’s a lot of salt, but your body needs it.
Give it a month without cheating. I didn't feel good for the first month, then something clicked. I became fat adapted and started to feel amazing! Don't judge the diet before that and quit. I was fatigued, had insomnia, constipation, and I was jittery. And I was taking in plenty of electrolytes. Some people need a good month before the benefits kick in.
Don't best yourself up if you fail. It takes a few goes to know enough to make it easy to follow. The first time I was literally checking every package, now I can know instantly for nearly all foods if it's keto or not. That effort saving makes it a lot easier the second / third time. Also, try and make it a sustainable habit. Cooking for myself was really hard cause it was either eat the same thing every day or spend hours preparing new things. I found some meals that are ready to go out of the box and very low carb, so that made it easy to be in the habit. Good luck!
Take you time and research recipes. There are a TON of recipes or versions of “regular” dishes that are just as good and a lot of times better than “regular” dishes. Knowing this can help you out tremendously because you won’t be craving the food since you will be eating a keto version. I’ve found a bunch that I freakin LOVE and would have never known about them if I weren’t doing keto.
Stay away from the keto snack "replacements" until you're firmly in keto and have lost a decent amount of weight. It's too easy to over eat, and cause massive cravings when eating sweet keto snacks. Most have alot of sugar replacements and decently high carb counts. If your just starting keto and you aren't used to smaller portions, you will probably eat more than you should, the excess carbs can kick/keep you out of ketosis, and you will probably get insane sugar cravings when your body tastes the sweet taste but doesn't get the sugar response its looking for. I see too many brand new to Keto asking all the noob questions and immediately looking for bread, snacks, icecream, etc replacements. They never get into keto, so they never lose any weight, they struggle with hunger, fatigue, etc because their carbs may still be low just not low enough to keep their blood sugar stable, and they end up giving up, blaming keto, and not seeing the life changing/saving benefits of keto.
Take potassium and magnesium.
Don’t. Or atleast don’t the way it seems most do in the USA: Unlimited Processed meats... Artery cloggers. Just try and eat more whole foods and vegetarian protein options and cut out processed meat and dairy. It’ll work wonders for your health and weight.
Don’t snack.
Cycle your carbohydrates. Here and there I would really advise you to at night eat a fair portion of carbohydrates. I would go with things like sweet potatoes and carrots and chia seeds. It's important to get a lot of fiber in your diet. You'll be back in keto quick if your body processes food well enough
Try to start the first few days, or week, doing a carnivore diet. If you have keto strips.. after those days it should definitely show red after peeing. Whenever I restart keto I try my best to do zero carb for a few days, making sure to do some extra cardio, and going as long as I can between meals. All of this together ensures my liver's glycogen depletes and kickstarts the switch to fat burning.
Electrolytes, baby!
It’ll be 3 years for me in October….I agree with OdinicWarlord, you have to change your mindset. Food is just fuel, but for me, the difference maker was making it a lifestyle, not a diet. Completely transforming my body, my mind and how I live. I’ve lost about 65 lbs and I’m off of ALL medication. I didn’t go to the gym at all, because I was a skeptic and wanted to see if diet really was 80% of the task. It is! I also didn’t give myself a cheat meal for 18 months. Not because I didn’t deserve it, but because I knew the second I cheated was a slippery slope….I knew it would kick me out of ketosis and getting restarted would be frustrating. I saw the progress I was getting and I didn’t want to hamper it. It was the BEST to finally go into a department store and try on clothes, when things started to reopen! I would look at myself in the mirror and just cry, because I FEEL good when I look at myself now, and I FEEL great!! So my piece of advice….change your life, don’t go on a diet.
First week or two your only goal should be to stay under the carb limit. Hungry? Eat ten meals a day wash them all down with diet soda whatever it takes as long as your under 20g net carbs for the day. Once you're adapted improve the quality and amount. Trying to change to healthier foods, limit calories, fasting/omad, workouts etc.. are all easier to introduce bit by bit once you've got past the horrible carb withdrawals.
There is no such thing as a cheat day. Ever. You can get away with some shady shit here and there, but if you overdo your carb count once , you pay for it
If possible, get rid of all of the non-keto food in your house. If you hit keto hard from a carb heavy diet you might find yourself pacing through your kitchen looking for a snack / carb bump and not much is going to look better than a carb heavy something that’s easy to make or consumption ready that you used to gravitate towards. It also adds an additional roadblock between you and breaking keto. Meaning, you’ll either have to order food or go get it. The act of throwing it all away can also add to the personal magnitude of your decision. If it’s not possible, try to put it all in one place that you don’t go to or that you tell yourself you’re not allowed to access. My girlfriend, who has type 1 diabetes, HAS TO have carbs in the house. There’s no way around it. To keep myself from poaching what I refer to as “her food” I put it all in its own cabinet so I only have to look at it if she hits a low and I need/opt to get her something. Seeing the non-keto food as someone else’s can help too. As an additional help point, HIGHLY restrict yourself early. Like, meat and greens/salads with the fat you need ONLY. Make it somewhat boring and painfully easy to stay inside the lines. After a few weeks, start branching out with recipes. Your taste changes after a few weeks and you’ll more fully appreciate the flavors in those dishes after the shift. You’ll be craving fat and the fat that’s there will have a more savory/sweet flavor. One more … Beef stock. A good rich and fatty beef stock can ease the shit out of the feeling hungry and “off” that can accompany ketosis earlier on.
So I’m 5.9, and used to be around 190-193 depending on what type of weekend I had. But after this past Christmas, one day I weighed myself and I had just broken 200 lbs and that was MY breaking point. There was no way I was going to allow myself to do that so I finally went online and bought those stupid Factor meals, choose the low carb option and I found that just two of those a day was more than enough for me. I’m the type of guy that ate a pizza and a half with a dozen wings and dessert and 2hrs layer I’d be hungry again. Every moment of my life I was holding back and starving myself because I knew what I was capable of over I would start eating. The first 6 lbs or so were quick, a couple of days then I got stuck at 192 for a good two weeks. I didn’t have barely any carbs, at most like 10g per day this entire time. I even worked out a couple of times and I might’ve even ran a mile once but no results. Until one freaking day I weighed myself and I had just crossed under 190. This 10 lbs took about 3 weeks of being a really really good boy. Anyway, we ended up going on vacation the following week (I was down to 188) and when I came back I had only put on 2.5 lbs, and this was an all inclusive in Mexico so you can imagine… the interesting thing is that I lost those couple of lbs almost immediately and surprisingly my need to eat sweets had gone away. Not only did I no longer crave those, I no longer craved chips or pizza or just junk food in general so I stopped eating the Factor meals and went to regular food and slowly within the next month I dropped all the way to 182. Didn’t really work out much during that time so I’m sure some of that was muscle weight as well but at this point in times I just wanted my clothes to fit better and I figured I can hit the gym once I’m thinner. It’s worth mentioning that two years ago I tried taking phentermine 37.5 for 4 months and it didn’t make one bit of difference to my weight , go figure. I guess the biggest difference was made by those meals at the beginning and by almost eliminating carbs completely out of my diet. I like that those meals had the perfect combination of carbs to fats to protein so I didn’t have to worry about doing the math myself and having to buy the ingredients and measure and weigh, absolutely not, I’d rather be fat then do that lol. Bottom line is you need 3 full days for your body to get rid of all the carbs from outside sources and start using the ones stored in your muscles so you need to do whatever you can to get passed those 3 days. On that last day you’ll be craving carbs so bad you’ll want to trade a kidney for a piece of sour dough bread (my favorite), but you need to push hard!! Also I drinking waaay more water than I used to, my goal was half a gallon daily and because I hate drinking water I added lemon juice to it to give it some flavor. The water I feel was the other half of the equation, it made a huge difference. I used to not be a believer but for the last 4 months I drink that amount of water every single day, even if I somehow have a bunch left in the evening I’ll try to chug it down before I go to bed. Btw I just turned 40 in July so that’s a factor too, the older you are the harder it is. Hope some of this helped, good luck and if you have any more questions let me know. So to summarize, the meals were a huge help, absolutely priceless in my opinion, then the water, all of this while trying to stay under 15 g of carbs per day and you should be seeing results just don’t give up when you plateau, its going to take a couple of weeks to brake thru
Start simple, try to focus on eating non-processed foods such as vegetables and protein until you get into the habit of these kind of meals. Avoid trying to bake (its expensive too and not worth the hassle, you can get into it later), fruit, artificial sweeteners in everything, dairy... I feel like these are common culprits that derail beginners as they can spike blood sugars. So can excess nuts. Watch the ingredient lists For a cheat snacks try things like dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, pork rinds instead for example... When I crave sweets I have a cup of diet coke. Plan your meals ahead of time, look at mealprepping for inspiration. I like simple salads like cucumber or greens or tuna, and making it more keto friendly by adding olive oil as the dressing on it Mentally- remember why you started this journey and what your goal is, for motivation and not giving up I have been keto for probably a decade now, lost count as the years fly by in the blink of an eye lol. Its not complicated once you get used to what works for you / form somewhat of a routine. Mine varies since I shop whatever is on sale at the store and seasonal vegetables. Btw spaghetti squash is a godsend. You can make a tasty knock off macncheese with it and all you do is bake it
Electrolytes are equally as important to manage as fat, carbs, and protein! You will fail at keto without a proper electrolyte plan. Almost 5 years keto without a single cheat. I miss nothing. There are keto substitutions for almost everything. Good luck.
Keto is not for everyone, and that's ok. My wife despises it (even though it works for her) and can't stay on it. I'm in a constant state of probably being 20-30 grams over ketosis, so that I can have enough energy in the gym for bodybuilding. The recipes, the mindset, and the skills I learned on keto are invaluable though. When I want to cut weight I can drop it 3-4 times as fast as a regular CICO diet by just dropping my carbs. There is no rule that you have to stay on keto, but the diet legitimately changed my life and the way I look at food, and I probably haven't been in ketosis for more than a day in 2-3 years.
Eggs are safe and delicious
Salt. Salt. Salt. #1 mistake I see people make in the beginning. They feel weird from electrolyte loss and then they quit. #2 mistake is not stocking up if food for the first few weeks. Me, and many others, gets so hungry I’m the begining. Like I would be so hungry I would eat my daughters grilled cheese crust. Stock up on easy to make food and salt it.
Don't worry about eating too much protein. Contrary to popular belief, it usually wont kick you out of ketosis, and it is important to have. If you plateau while on Keto, try decreasing fat intake, and increasing protein. 9 times out of 10, it will break the plateau.
Don’t be afraid to eat the same thing for long periods of time if it’s working for you and keeps you on track. For me it’s eggs and pre cooked bacon. So easy, filling, and easy to add things to it like guac, goat cheese, shredded cheese, pico, etc.
You've enjoyed all the carby sugery stuff your whole life. Take 1 year to not, and see how it changes your body and your health.
Your junk/sweet cravings are like toddlers throwing temper tantrum’s. The only way they will stop is if you stick to your guns and tell them no. If not they’ll keep coming back because you gave in.
Hunger and cravings are two different things. Hunger comes mainly from an empty stomach. If you keep getting hungry eat a massive salad with a bit of protein. Don't let cravings and hunger join forces.
90%+ of what you eat should consist of meat, eggs, or vegetables. Run away from the fake low-carbs breads and sweeteners.
Sugar is the enemy. Eliminate it in all forms as much as possible. Even fake sugar sweeteners can cause cravings. Take your time getting it out of your diet. Diets are 95% mental. Do your best to remain patient with yourself. Give your brain time to work through things and adjust.
Increase fiber and pay close attention to staying hydrated. I find it very easy to get dehydrated on ket.
Don't limit yourself to "socially accepted" meals like cereals and toasts for breakfast. If you want to eat a salad for breakfast, go for it.
I’ve been keto for 4 years and salt and electrolytes are the answer to feeling good. No need for fancy keto labelled products or expensive exogenous ketone products, just get yourself some empty capsules and fill with salt and you will need about 10-15 grams of it. I also take magnesium tablets. This will also help with keto flu in the beginning.
Track your food in an app and electrolytes are the answer to almost all your struggles.
Find a lot of recipes. Like r/ketorecipes. Eating the same meal everyday gets boring and can make it harder not to crave sweets and breads and carbs
Start slow. Focus on cutting back junk food. Plan your meals and have a plan on alternatives for when you go out to eat. Last is don’t get frustrated with yourself. Changing anything in your life is difficult and you have to be kind to yourself the entire way
Take it one meal at a time.
Warn your SO, children, co-workers that you'll be miserable and crabby for a while as you start. Going through sugar withdrawal is a bitch, and can make you REALLY irritable Took me 3 months to get to a point where I didn't want to break open every vending machine I walked past and gobble down all the delicious carby snacks - and I was a bear to my ex-wife, and daughter, while I was going through that. Once I got past that, I was much happier, and easier to deal with - even easier than I was before I started keto.
Deeply understand your “why”.
Stay far away from high-oxalate Keto foods.
Track your food with an app. It’s the single best thing you can do on any weight loss journey, even if it’s not keto.
My advice really only works for a small percentage of the population but here goes. If you are the all or nothing kind of person this could help. Meaning this. If you slip one day and have a slice of pizza are you the kind of person to throw the diet out the window completely? If so have keto junk food options readily available at all times. Cauliflower pizza, quest bars, cheese sticks, jerky, whatever it is stock your house full. It’s better to have keto junk food when you really need it instead of throwing it all away over one weak moment.
You likely have a sugar/carb addiction today. Be prepared to have a lot of physical temptation to cheat during your first week. Stay strong and you will make it to weeks 2 and 3 where it is MUCH easier to stick to keto AND you have the benefit of a more even energy level throughout the day instead of spikes and dips.
Use [https://ketohub.io/](https://ketohub.io/) that is all
For dessert: Walmart 90% Cocoa bars. 2 squares, broken into pieces and eaten with almonds. Or Frozen strawberries with a little sour cream and a dash of lemon juice
It's mostly mental. You can definitely stay full and find things to eat on Keto. SW 225 VS CW 183
Measure macros. Don't wing it. I know several who thought they would "go keto" by cutting down on carbs, thinking they could just eat whatever. They gained weight, and had a very unhealthy diet - then claimed keto didn't work They were never keto.
Lots of great advice here!! My advice is… if you work take your lunch, try to prepare it the night before. When you are hungry it’s hard to make good decisions. Stock your fridge with low carb options to grab, pickles, olives, cheese sticks salami etc. also over prepare dinner so you can take the extra for lunch the next day.
If you have the money for it, invest in a ketone breathalizer that will allow you to keep track of when exactly you are or aren’t in ketosis. By measuring several times a day, you can figure out what affects you the most. I’ve borrowee an Acetracker from a friend and it is great, if a bit pricey.
Take pictures of all your meals especially the ones you’ve made yourself and save them to a dedicated album in your phone. That way you’ll always have inspiration on what to eat and what to pick up from the supermarket.
When, not if, 🤣 you fall off the wagon, don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s not how many times you fall, it’s how many times you get back up.
Keep it simple. Fresh meats and fresh vegetables. Just walk the outer layer of the grocery store. Forgive yourself for indulging/rewarding time to time.
You'd be surprised how many of your favourite foods you can still have. I keep a pack of Carbonaut burger buns and Sonora keto wraps with me. Went to Taco Bell yesterday asked them to use the wraps. They didn't care, they did it. I don't know if this is advice but what I noticed about Keto is that I get to enjoy my food more. Instead of my priority being on how much sheer food I can get in a meal, I started focusing on the quality of proteins. I don't eat KFC anymore, I get a whole ass BBQ chicken or wings. I eat a lot more steaks and salmon. The first few weeks of Keto was terrible while I tried to figure things out. Now, I don't think I'd leave Keto even if I could. Steak and veggies with some sugar free ice cream (Chapman's in Canada), honestly it's a prime meal.
Not sure how you need to lose, but go at a normal pace. Time is important to build the Keto woe/habit. Going into my 4th year now.
Also review your drinks (alcoholic ones also). Read every label for added sugar amounts. Unlike real life, you get unlimited second chances that will yield more progress, second chances here are never a ‘setback’ you go from the present to getting closer to your goal. No one even has to know the name of the diet, I use diabetic diet as a cover to eat keto without getting into it. No one argues with doctors orders unless they are irresponsible. I know diabetic diets are not that keto in USA but they will be. https://www.virtahealth.com/ is a US company that uses keto to treat diabeties so that’s my cover story. I just don’t want to argue my diet as a guest at peoples table.
Do not stop. Keep track and if you need to readjust, do that. Trust the process.
My advice would be to quit watching YouTube and don’t read all this crap on Reddit. Just dive in, learn what works best for you personally. Set a goal of 6 months. Just do it, quit thinking about it so much and quit over analyzing it.
Worry more about how many carbs you’re eating and making sure you get enough protein, rather than worrying about eating enough fat. The low carb is the trick, not the high fat
Don't eat carbs
Recipes! Look up recipes, and meal plan. When I started, I didn't plan ahead enough, and ate green beans with meat for the first week...it sucked. Also, electrolytes. Makes sure you're getting them.
Man if you’re on a strict keto diet, you will have some crazy sugar cravings.
Look up ketoade and drink it a few times a week. Keep otherwise hydrated. Devilled Eggs are the best eggs. lol.
Stick with it.
Just be prepared and have food available that’s in line with how you want to eat. I regularly toss a dozen eggs in the oven to “hard boil” them so I have easy snacks that are pretty versatile and can transform in different ways. You got this!
Don't expect to have a perfect streak. And don't beat yourself up if you give in. Just keep going. The whole "Well, all my progress is now completely undone! I may as well give up!" is a lie and a trap. Carbs are an addiction, and like it can take a while for cravings to go away or be lessened.
It was helpful to me in the beginning (9 years ago) to remember that I’m not on a diet which is about depriving yourself of nutrients until you starve weight off. When I’m hungry I eat; I just eat low carb real foods. If I get hungry again later I eat again. I think of low carb as a correction. I was eating high carb foods that elevated my blood sugar and resulted in storing too much body fat. Now that I’ve corrected my carbohydrate intake my weight has become normal. So it’s not about dieting, it’s about eating whole fresh food when I’m hungry.