A few questions before starting

(Di Ma) #1

Hello,
I am starting my keto journey on Sunday and had a few questions to ask

  1. Can I use Ikan Bilis as a snack? ( teeny tiny fish, crispy and yummy)
  2. Is there anyway I can make my caramel macchiato from Starbucks keto friendly?
  3. If I had a chocolate cake from Paul that had 27.2g of carbs per 100g can I have 10g of the cake everyday so I get 2.7g of carbs?
  4. 7up if I drink 75ml but still keep my carbs under 20g is that ok?
    i would appreciate any help starting this journey
    Thank you
(Marianne) #2

Welcome.

Before I actually started keto, I read as much as I could here, posted questions, and also read the dietdoctor.com website. Lots of good information for people just starting out, and for those who have been doing it for a long time.

This is what I tell new people wondering how to start:

  • Keep the carbs under 20 g/day, and lower than that, if you can.
  • Go to ketokarma.com and use their free macro calculator (one of the tab choices on the top). Find out what your fat and protein macros are.
  • Start a database (or use your phone if you are tech saavy), and record the fat and protein macros in a serving of the foods you will be eating regularly (eggs, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, cheese, butter, heavy cream, meat, pork, chicken, mayonaisse, lettuce, broccoli, etc.)
  • Plan your meals to meet or exceed your fat and protein macros. Eat three meals a day, no snacking (if you eat enough food and get enough fat at your meals, you shouldn’t experience hunger or carb cravings. Concentrate on eating good, clean food - no processed foods and limit the keto treats (cake)
  • Try not to snack
  • Your body will leach salt, so you need to supplement enough salt - drink salted water.
  • For beverages, stick to coffee, tea and plain water - no or very minimal artificial sweeteners
  • Don’t count calories
  • Try not to weigh yourself too often

Good luck. Please keep us posted.

(Polly) #3

You will find that every person reacts differently. My personal way has been to only eat real food and to avoid anything which has been industrially processed. I am about 45lb down so this method has worked for me. You may be able to get away with the items you listed but the only way to find out is to test it.

(Di Ma) #4

Thank you,
I am researching still ,that’s why I haven’t started yet.
I will look at the website you suggested

(Di Ma) #5

My weight loss goal is 15kg about 30lb or so
I will try and see if I can include some and get away with it
Thank you

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

My answers.

  1. yes, just dried anchovies: lots of protein, some fat and zero carbs - BUT read the label because some versions may add stuff

  2. no, lose sweet - it serves no useful purpose and poses lots of risk, you can live well without it

  3. no, see #2

  4. no, see #2 and #3

Best wishes.

PS: It’s best to avoid snacking between meals. If you’re really hungry between meals, eat more at meals. One objective is to avoid stimulating an insulin response any more than absolutely necessary. Apparently, every time you put something into your mouth it stimulates insulin, even if no carbs are involved.

(Di Ma) #7

Thank you!
Painful :persevere: answers but true…
Thank you so much…

Hopefully my journey will be successful

(Jane) #8

From my perspective if you aren’t ready to give up sugary Starbucks coffees, chocolate cake and 7Up then you aren’t ready for keto.

Trying to limit yourself to daily tiny portions to keep your carb grams under 20 just keeps feeding the sugar addiction. Not saying it won’t work - it might - just had some pitfalls most of us here avoid.

Good luck in your journey!

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #9

Here is a handy guide. There is a lot of room for flexibilty in the keto diet. So the basic answer to your question is keep your carbs low and nothing else matters. In practice, many people find it difficult to walk the razor’s edge you are talking about. Sugar triggers cravings for more sugar. So you may find that eating even a little bit of sweet things will make it harder on yourself than it needs to be. Also, SALT! We need a good amount of salt and if you do that from the start you will make your road much easier.

(Di Ma) #10

The cake part is what I actually do now, in my country we drink coffee that is different than normal coffee no milk or cream or anything can be added to it, so I take this 10g of chocolate cake I never eat all of it.
The rest of it is just random thoughts I had
Starbucks is the only painful give up I have…

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #11

An Americano with cream is your friend.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #12

Also, where are you from?

(Marianne) #13

Honestly, if you love Starbucks, I bet you will really enjoy a “bulletproof coffee.” There are many variations of the recipe. It is basically as follows:

  • 8 oz. coffee
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon MCT oil or coconut oil
  • splash of heavy cream
  • small amount of artificial sweetener
  • if you love caramel macchiatos, I’d try adding a drop of caramel, almond or rum flavoring. You could add cinnamon, too.

Put it in an airtight container and shake vigorously. It will be very creamy and have a nice froth on the top. When I first saw the recipe, I thought putting butter and oil in coffee was kind of gross, but it is actually rich and delicious. Many mornings, I’d have one of those with a couple of eggs and that would carry me easily to lunch or dinner.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #14

And if you don’t like eggs you can just put those in the coffee too. You won’t even know they are there.

(Di Ma) #15

I am from Saudi Arabia

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #16

Ah! I have no experience eating keto in a middle eastern culture, but I have lived in China for 10 years, so I understand the challenges of doing this in a non-western culture.

The good news is I bet you don’t have a lot of manufactured “keto” products like energy bars in your area. Which means you have to just eat real food. Which is better anyway. And while middle eastern bread is to. die. for., so is middle eatern meat. When I go to an Arabic restraunt here in China I am sure to find something lovely to eat. The key is to focus on what you can have, not what you cannot. So enjoy the meats and cheeses and veggies with abandon. And your coffee is so, so so so, so, so good.

(Di Ma) #17

We do have energy bars but I don’t like them , never did.
Yes our coffee is the best part of my day!
My brother lives in China …

(Susan) #18

Welcome the forum, Dima.

I would suggest totally eliminating all sugar (and sugar substitutes as well if you can as they trigger sugar cravings), keeping carbs at 20 net grams or less, no snacking, start out with 3 meals a day. Eat enough proteins and healthy fats so that you feel satisfied and not hungry, drink lots of water, and keep your electrolytes up (salt).

I would not eat any of 2, 3 and 4 on your list. It will take your body a few weeks to adjust to the changes, but then you will be fine =).

Read around on the forum, and feel free to ask us lots of questions, we are here to help and want you to succeed =)).