A week into (wannabe?) Keto and mostly winging it

(Oscar) #1

Rice has always been a staple of my diet. Throw in Hamburgers, Pizza, potatoes, pasta, subs, fried meats, beer, etc and I am a heavy Carb eater/drinker. Now my doctor threatens to order me to a nutritionist to shed pounds (50 pounds is the goal !)

I decided to try the Keto diet, read a few “what to eat or NOT” blogs, and dived right in. I have replaced “real” rice with Shiritaki rice/noodles/whatever. Swore off bread, buns, tortillas, pizza, fried foods, sugars and fruits (other than tomatoes/avocadoes) and just about everything I love to eat, tried to limit legumes (love me some peanuts but attempting to switch to almonds), Replaced bread etc with lettuce, Replaced Vegetable/canola/etc with coconut/olive/etc oils. Dumping diet/low fat sauces/dressings etc but also finding out that many a store bought/restaurant ranch dress has carbs. Added sardines and greater percentage of fish to diet.

It is getting to be real pain because now I am reading up on nutritional facts on just about anything I am tempted to try out which means figuring out what I want to eat before I go to a restaurant or grocer.

I have not yet gotten around to “counting carbs” but I try to limit intake of carbs based on the nutritional facts listings (if available). If I cannot find it, I don’t bother trying any particular dish/sauce/dressing

It is a bit disconcerting that “healthy” veggies can still have those annoying carbs so now I am paranoid about eating carrots, green beans, corn, etc.

Not sure I want to invest in those “ketosis monitor tools” just yet but maybe I will change my mind if weight loss slows down.

10 days in and I have shed about 5 pounds of probable water weight. Hope this continues.

(Ethan) #2

You are committing common acts when starting keto and over complicating it. Suggestion: It’s not your old diet. Don’t try to substitute everything or you will feel something is missing. Start out simple. Eat meat and fish. Eat green, leafy vegetables. Use butter and olive oil for fats on things. Eat cheese. Make it simple

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #3

Hi Oscar. Welcome. I’m new here myself, but have been keto since June.

Sounds like you’re on the right track. Congrats on the early success. Yeah, it’s likely a lot of water, but it does suggest your body is responding favorably to the change.

You might think about tracking food for awhile. I did and have been amazed more than a few times by the number of hidden carbs I was consuming. It’s been a steep learning curve. I love veg and was shocked a few times by a stirfry I’d made that hit 16-20 grams carbs per serving. I’ve learned which veg to skip, use sparingly, or load up on.

I’m part Japanese, so rice was a staple. Once fat adapted, skipping carbs like rice has been easy peasy.

(Running from stupidity) #4

Absolutely this.

Logging is part of the learning process, IMHO. So many things that look safe are in fact not. It’s also a very good planning tool.

I use Cronometer because it has an official database that is controlled by the company, rather than one that anyone can add anything - no matter how incorrect - to. If I’m doing tracking to ensure I’m doing it right, I want to be sure I’m doing it right.

(MelissaH) #5

Hi @oscar
I agree with keeping it simple. Eat meat, eggs, fish, green veggies and fat. Trying to replace foods from your old diet will just cause you to miss the real thing. At least at first
Tracking your macros on cronometer is also a good place to start so you know exactly what your eating

(Natasha) #6

A free logging app like MyFitnessPal will help you to see where carbs might be hidden, I know I was surprised by a few things once I started logging (about 4 weeks in).

Generally root vegetables will be much higher in carbs than green leafies so you might want to steer clear of the carrots for a while.