Keto
07-17-14, 12:26 PM
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Keto
Hi everyone!
I'm interested in hearing from everyone about their experiences with a ketogenic diet. How do you feel while in ketosis, did you feel like your body adapted even better after a while and if so, how long. What foods do you eat, what snacks? Did you notice differences in bike riding?
I ask because even though there are a couple threads that came up from a search on the term "keto" most turned out to be arguments for or against the diet, rather than actually discussing the diet itself. I'm more interested in things like what I asked above, recipes, advice, and such. I'm not interested in a simply low-carb-high-fat diet. Everyone's opinion of what low-carb is differs. The paleo/weirdo thread was interesting, but ultimately the definition of paleo is so open to interpretation that the topic got lost.
You either are in ketosis or you aren't (although I do understand that some people might be able to maintain a ketogenic state with a higher amount of carbs in their diet than others).
Here's my story.
My husband and I have tried keto off and on. He can drop weight like he's tossing stones out of a pocket. 310 at his worst easily down to 280. He's 6'2". I'm 5'2" and I'm lucky if I go from 125 to 120. After several months of keto eating and biking my commute, I was happiest at 117 right before a vacation.
Every time I stop keto, the weight comes RIGHT back, even when we didn't splurge on desserts during a vacation. Every time.
Still, keto seems like it is the best option for us. I have zero willpower when not on a ketogenic diet. I can sometimes look at a piece of bread and realize that it doesn't add anything spectacular to a meal and is just extra unneeded calories, but most of the time I don't. Keto is an ultimatum, and that works better for me. No- I can't have that cookie because if I do, I won't be in keto anymore. Done, bye-bye cookie.
What I get out of keto isn't the weight loss, although 117 was very nice. I get the disappearance of ALL food cravings. No more listless wanting, not sure if you're after salty or sweet, and then trying both and finding that the urge hasn't gotten any better. I get a better sense of when I'm thirsty, and drinking water actually fixes it. I get more satisfaction from meals eaten, a full belly that doesn't become uncomfortable in a few more minutes. I don't wake up in the morning starving, and my sense of hunger is improved. Hungry is actually hungry, not stomach acid churning or a weird feeling.
And, I get a husband with a WAY more even emotional state. It's flat-out ridiculous how different it is. He is the type that gets affected a lot by what we think are bloodsugar levels. It's extremely obvious when he hasn't eaten recently, because he complains about every little thing, is annoyed, has a short temper and no patience. When he's eaten, he'll be generally happier... for a while. On keto, the spikes of bloodsugar aren't there, and so he seems to keep an even keel at a generally happier level than the average of sugar ups and downs. He is pretty insecure about his appearance as well, so the lack of a bloated water-weight feeling helps, I'm sure.
Oh, and I get much tastier meals.
Jamie gets to stretch his creative muscles when cooking.
At first when we transitioned, we had most of the bad symptoms people and research will warn you about. Brain fog, dizziness, the nailpolish-remover bad breath odor. I had all of those the first time we tried keto. The dizziness especially worried me, but it turned out to be odd. I had zero dizziness riding a bike. Standing up, turning my head to look at something, or even standing still I'd be mildly dizzy- a sense that the room slowly spun around me at best, or like I'd had an alcoholic drink (stuff messes up my head, it's why I will never ever be drunk enough to experience a hangover). Biking was completely normal. I noticed a lack of energy. I felt like I could pedal forever, but if I wanted to move a little bit faster, that seemed impossible. Eventually, you adjust to that.
Now, I can transition with only a mild headache that lasts a few hours- generally that is what I consider the telltale that the transition is happening. No more brain fog or dizziness or anything. I'm the type that used to get headaches related simply to the tension of a test day, so the mild almost-pain of a keto transition is nothing, and a single aspirin or excedrin fixes it.
SO!
Please share your experiences with keto specifically, and especially share recipes and snack ideas. I have some to share, but I'd like to see what others have first
If you found something that didn't work, share that too.
I'd like people to ask questions, but not to argue please.
I'm interested in hearing from everyone about their experiences with a ketogenic diet. How do you feel while in ketosis, did you feel like your body adapted even better after a while and if so, how long. What foods do you eat, what snacks? Did you notice differences in bike riding?
I ask because even though there are a couple threads that came up from a search on the term "keto" most turned out to be arguments for or against the diet, rather than actually discussing the diet itself. I'm more interested in things like what I asked above, recipes, advice, and such. I'm not interested in a simply low-carb-high-fat diet. Everyone's opinion of what low-carb is differs. The paleo/weirdo thread was interesting, but ultimately the definition of paleo is so open to interpretation that the topic got lost.
You either are in ketosis or you aren't (although I do understand that some people might be able to maintain a ketogenic state with a higher amount of carbs in their diet than others).
Here's my story.
My husband and I have tried keto off and on. He can drop weight like he's tossing stones out of a pocket. 310 at his worst easily down to 280. He's 6'2". I'm 5'2" and I'm lucky if I go from 125 to 120. After several months of keto eating and biking my commute, I was happiest at 117 right before a vacation.
Every time I stop keto, the weight comes RIGHT back, even when we didn't splurge on desserts during a vacation. Every time.
Still, keto seems like it is the best option for us. I have zero willpower when not on a ketogenic diet. I can sometimes look at a piece of bread and realize that it doesn't add anything spectacular to a meal and is just extra unneeded calories, but most of the time I don't. Keto is an ultimatum, and that works better for me. No- I can't have that cookie because if I do, I won't be in keto anymore. Done, bye-bye cookie.
What I get out of keto isn't the weight loss, although 117 was very nice. I get the disappearance of ALL food cravings. No more listless wanting, not sure if you're after salty or sweet, and then trying both and finding that the urge hasn't gotten any better. I get a better sense of when I'm thirsty, and drinking water actually fixes it. I get more satisfaction from meals eaten, a full belly that doesn't become uncomfortable in a few more minutes. I don't wake up in the morning starving, and my sense of hunger is improved. Hungry is actually hungry, not stomach acid churning or a weird feeling.
And, I get a husband with a WAY more even emotional state. It's flat-out ridiculous how different it is. He is the type that gets affected a lot by what we think are bloodsugar levels. It's extremely obvious when he hasn't eaten recently, because he complains about every little thing, is annoyed, has a short temper and no patience. When he's eaten, he'll be generally happier... for a while. On keto, the spikes of bloodsugar aren't there, and so he seems to keep an even keel at a generally happier level than the average of sugar ups and downs. He is pretty insecure about his appearance as well, so the lack of a bloated water-weight feeling helps, I'm sure.
Oh, and I get much tastier meals.
Jamie gets to stretch his creative muscles when cooking.
At first when we transitioned, we had most of the bad symptoms people and research will warn you about. Brain fog, dizziness, the nailpolish-remover bad breath odor. I had all of those the first time we tried keto. The dizziness especially worried me, but it turned out to be odd. I had zero dizziness riding a bike. Standing up, turning my head to look at something, or even standing still I'd be mildly dizzy- a sense that the room slowly spun around me at best, or like I'd had an alcoholic drink (stuff messes up my head, it's why I will never ever be drunk enough to experience a hangover). Biking was completely normal. I noticed a lack of energy. I felt like I could pedal forever, but if I wanted to move a little bit faster, that seemed impossible. Eventually, you adjust to that.
Now, I can transition with only a mild headache that lasts a few hours- generally that is what I consider the telltale that the transition is happening. No more brain fog or dizziness or anything. I'm the type that used to get headaches related simply to the tension of a test day, so the mild almost-pain of a keto transition is nothing, and a single aspirin or excedrin fixes it.
SO!
Please share your experiences with keto specifically, and especially share recipes and snack ideas. I have some to share, but I'd like to see what others have first
If you found something that didn't work, share that too.
I'd like people to ask questions, but not to argue please.
07-17-14, 10:44 PM
#3
Senior Member
When I go low carb... Weight drops, but comes back with carbs...
Carbs also bring fluid with them. Get your carbs back up and water comes with it.
A lot of the initial loss is just water.
Body Builders say it's 6 grams water for each gram of carbs.
Riding I need far more carbs, now that I eat carbs as part of diet. I eat far less while riding.
Oddly, riding more, some carbs, blood pressure is up... Oh well...
Carbs also bring fluid with them. Get your carbs back up and water comes with it.
A lot of the initial loss is just water.
Body Builders say it's 6 grams water for each gram of carbs.
Riding I need far more carbs, now that I eat carbs as part of diet. I eat far less while riding.
Oddly, riding more, some carbs, blood pressure is up... Oh well...
07-18-14, 01:12 AM
#4
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I tried low-carb for a month or two in college (where you try things) and had a pretty positive experience. Dropped a lot of weight (didn't need to, but it more or less fell off) and I really appreciated the absence of sugar rushes and crashes. I felt like I could focus more in classes, and in some ways, still miss that aspect. I was rarely hungry, too. Of course, much of what you initially lose on a low-carb diet is water, since your muscles store it with glycogen. Good thing I like meat and cheese and green veggies, since that's pretty much all I ate.
In the end, it was hard to sustain around friends and family when I was already skinny and didn't have any real reason to be doing it. And it horrified my vegetarian friends.
Boy those sugar rushes and crashes were magnified when I started eating normally again.
I think there's a place for this type of diet, but I disagree with the Atkins school that says calories don't matter and that the body can't store fat without insulin
. With healthy fats, good proteins, and green vegetables, you can get pretty much everything you need without taking in a lot of carbohydrates -- activity level will determine how much more carbohydrate you need to add to function well.
In the end, it was hard to sustain around friends and family when I was already skinny and didn't have any real reason to be doing it. And it horrified my vegetarian friends.
Boy those sugar rushes and crashes were magnified when I started eating normally again.
I think there's a place for this type of diet, but I disagree with the Atkins school that says calories don't matter and that the body can't store fat without insulin
. With healthy fats, good proteins, and green vegetables, you can get pretty much everything you need without taking in a lot of carbohydrates -- activity level will determine how much more carbohydrate you need to add to function well.
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02-12-15, 11:13 PM
#5
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All right, I need to chime in here. Been on a strict keto diet for 15 weeks. I will probably stay on it forever, although a cyclical ketogenic diet, where I'll eat more good carbs strategically on my heavy lifting days.
Here's my opinion on the Keto diet. It's the best diet you could ever be on, and I feel that everyone would benefit. You can alter the diet to meet your needs, but I plan on staying in a ketogenic state for 99% of the rest of my life.
The keto diet will NOT work if you are not committed. For those who go on, then off, then on again, or try to have so-called cheat days every week, this diet is not for you. I do cheat, but I'll do it every 4 weeks at a minimum and I only schedule them around big events. Since November, I have only cheated on Christmas, Superbowl Sunday, and next will be at my family reunion at the end of March. I actually didn't cheat on Thanksgiving. It wasn't hard. I can always find things to eat and stay in my ketogenic state.
If you commit, one of the benefits you'll enjoy is simply not craving food. You just don't. Your body retrains itself. It no longer expects as much food from your mouth. It has a perfect supply of stored fat. That's also why the diet is high healthy fats. Because your body gets fuel from fat. Not carbs, because you simply don't have any. Your liver produces ketone bodies, that feed your brain and you feel unbelievably alert and mentally sharp all day. Getting up in the AM is a piece of cake. I no longer set an alarm. I wake up naturally and jump out of bed like some sort of freak. Then at work, I am a machine. It's really, REALLY odd.
My weight has dropped from 207 to 179 and I'm still losing weight. I'll eat more calories once I hit my target weight. I'm getting close. But I WON'T eat more carbs. Except for my heavy squat days and maybe race days (I'm a track racer, sprints).
The best part, again if you COMMIT, is that it's incredibly sustainable. I can go out to eat with friends and have a big basket of chips sitting right in front of me and salsa and everyone will be drinking margs, and I am happy as ever sipping on a whiskey, and eating a salad with lots of avocado, bacon, oil and vinegar, mmmmmm. But if you don't commit and just dabble, dining out will be agonizing.
The first go at it, takes about 3 weeks of suffering low energy and fighting food cravings. But then, at least for me, I literally woke up one day, heard the trash truck pull up very early, 6AM, I sprang up and sprinted down two levels of stairs to get the trash out. Then I SPRINTED back up the stairs and stopped myself. WHOA! What just happened? I suddenly felt a nostalgic sense of youthfulness. I felt like a high schooler, no joke. That day was entirely different. I was sharp and focused, I talked a lot more with people, worked out with incredible intensity. It was really a weird day. And every day is like that and I never, ever want to lose what I have going on right now.
I was also pre-diabetic when I started. I am no longer prediabetic. Dr. said I had an 80% chance of developing full blown diabetes.
Every day, I enjoy meats with good fats, an avocado a day, castelvetrano olives, coffee with heavy whipping cream, walnuts and macadamia nuts, Olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, bacon and eggs...... I enjoy the hell out of it.
I don't look too bad anymore, either. I'm still strong, have a great squat, and my power to weight ration is better than when I started, pretty sure.
Here's my opinion on the Keto diet. It's the best diet you could ever be on, and I feel that everyone would benefit. You can alter the diet to meet your needs, but I plan on staying in a ketogenic state for 99% of the rest of my life.
The keto diet will NOT work if you are not committed. For those who go on, then off, then on again, or try to have so-called cheat days every week, this diet is not for you. I do cheat, but I'll do it every 4 weeks at a minimum and I only schedule them around big events. Since November, I have only cheated on Christmas, Superbowl Sunday, and next will be at my family reunion at the end of March. I actually didn't cheat on Thanksgiving. It wasn't hard. I can always find things to eat and stay in my ketogenic state.
If you commit, one of the benefits you'll enjoy is simply not craving food. You just don't. Your body retrains itself. It no longer expects as much food from your mouth. It has a perfect supply of stored fat. That's also why the diet is high healthy fats. Because your body gets fuel from fat. Not carbs, because you simply don't have any. Your liver produces ketone bodies, that feed your brain and you feel unbelievably alert and mentally sharp all day. Getting up in the AM is a piece of cake. I no longer set an alarm. I wake up naturally and jump out of bed like some sort of freak. Then at work, I am a machine. It's really, REALLY odd.
My weight has dropped from 207 to 179 and I'm still losing weight. I'll eat more calories once I hit my target weight. I'm getting close. But I WON'T eat more carbs. Except for my heavy squat days and maybe race days (I'm a track racer, sprints).
The best part, again if you COMMIT, is that it's incredibly sustainable. I can go out to eat with friends and have a big basket of chips sitting right in front of me and salsa and everyone will be drinking margs, and I am happy as ever sipping on a whiskey, and eating a salad with lots of avocado, bacon, oil and vinegar, mmmmmm. But if you don't commit and just dabble, dining out will be agonizing.
The first go at it, takes about 3 weeks of suffering low energy and fighting food cravings. But then, at least for me, I literally woke up one day, heard the trash truck pull up very early, 6AM, I sprang up and sprinted down two levels of stairs to get the trash out. Then I SPRINTED back up the stairs and stopped myself. WHOA! What just happened? I suddenly felt a nostalgic sense of youthfulness. I felt like a high schooler, no joke. That day was entirely different. I was sharp and focused, I talked a lot more with people, worked out with incredible intensity. It was really a weird day. And every day is like that and I never, ever want to lose what I have going on right now.
I was also pre-diabetic when I started. I am no longer prediabetic. Dr. said I had an 80% chance of developing full blown diabetes.
Every day, I enjoy meats with good fats, an avocado a day, castelvetrano olives, coffee with heavy whipping cream, walnuts and macadamia nuts, Olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, bacon and eggs...... I enjoy the hell out of it.
I don't look too bad anymore, either. I'm still strong, have a great squat, and my power to weight ration is better than when I started, pretty sure.
02-13-15, 12:49 AM
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02-13-15, 06:13 PM
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02-15-15, 07:05 AM
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I'm just trying to get back to my weight from 2 years ago. Between a medical condition and poor diet for a little bit, the weight went on very quickly. It has been almost impossible to take off even with daily exercise and 10+ hours a week on the bike.
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