Abbie's Keto Journey

newbies
(abbie wright) #1

Hi Everyone.

I am Abbie, a 30 something wife and mum of 2 from Staffordshire, UK.

I am totally new to KETO. However have been doing lots of research about changing my lifestyle and feel that Ketogenic may be the way forward.

I have always had a very difficult relationship with food, together with body image and confidence, self worth etc. I have just completed an intense CBTE programme as an outpatient for Bulimia and am in recovery.

I have been b/p free now for over 6 months. However my body has taken a toll and I have lots of health conditions (not as serious as they could be or have been :slight_smile: ) I want to learn about nutrition, look after my body, be healthy and reboot my whole self.

I am going to be excercising moderately, doing yoga and exploring meditation and reading literature. Any recommendations would be great :slight_smile:

Recovery has caused A LOT of weight gain and I am classed as obese. While I am not focused on loosing weight this is something that I am hoping will come with my change in lifestyle to become healthier.

Looking forward to joining you all

Abbie

#2

Welcome aboard Abbie,

Most, if not all of us have been in some form of your shoes at one time or another so you are not alone. My best, brief, advice to you is to focus on just a few things and try not to get overwhelmed with the barrage of information/advice you’ll get in the coming months:

  1. Keep net carbs (Gross carbs - fibre) at <20-25. That’s a limit, not a target. It’s ok to go under. This should be your main focus.
  2. Eat as much real food as possible. Real meat, dairy (if you tolerate it and like it), natural fats, real vegetables etc. Avoid packaged “keto” food as much as possible.
  3. Good fats are animal fats and olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oils. Avoid the rest.
  4. Eat only when you are hungry. Eat slowly. Enjoy your food :smiley: Stop when you are full or have had enough. As someone who ate high carb my entire life I had no idea what satiety really was until I went keto. It’s the feeling of not wanting to eat when your stomach is before the bursting point! It feels bizarre at first but you get used to it.
  5. Forget your scale for a while. You’ll likely pee a lot early on and lose some water weight. It’s not fat loss it’s just water and it’ll come right back if you start eating carbs again. Focus instead on how your clothes fit and how you feel. The weight will come off naturally.
  6. During that initial period of a week or two when you pee a lot, you are peeing out electrolytes. Make sure you add lots of salt to your food to keep up the electrolytes or it can feel a bit like the flu. Don’t worry, it passes once your electrolytes balance.

Good luck!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #3

My single correction. Say no to KETO bars, shakes, pills, anything with KETO on the label is processed food and almost certainly not as “KETO” as the label shouts in giant block letters. Real KETO foods are just the ones around the edges of the market, all the stuff in the middle isles are compromised or total junk. Focus on buying single ingredient foods. And learn how to read food labels and ingredients if you do choose stuff in a package. Carbs aren’t the only thing to watch out for, types of oil and fat are very important. Johnny gave a good list of KETO compatible fats, so no cheap mayo or salad dressings with canola or soybean oil either.

Here’s a good basic startup guide, great info:

:cowboy_hat_face:

(abbie wright) #4

Thank you both @JohnnyPenso and @David_Stilley , brilliant advice.

I have seen that there are lots of KETO products so was wondering if they were to be avoided. :slight_smile:

#5

I respect your opinion but I’m a believer in doing what works. If eating bit of keto chocolate helps someone get through a tough day then go for it. I also believe that most people will naturally move away from those things over time so it’s pointless to create a bunch of arbitrary rules that can be perceived as harsh and that may not work for everyone. I know people that have lost 50+ lbs on “drive by” keto and kept if off, I just wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.

#6

I believe you have to do what works for you. The main reasons I think they should be avoided are twofold:

  1. Based on some anecdotal evidence of seen of blood glucose measurements, I don’t trust the ingredients lists in some foods. Reducing glucose spikes help control hunger and it’s one of the main beneficial effects of eating low carb. I’d experiment if I was inclined this way or make my own stuff at home. Plenty of keto “sweets” recipes available if you want to give them a spin. Just pay attention to your hunger and cravings after and adjust accordingly. I was a sweet addict for decades but can now eat a keto treat here and there and get by on just a small portion. At Christmas time I had a piece of pie and some gingerbread cookies and my world didn’t end :laughing: Find what works for you.

  2. Some people are mentally triggered into binging by the taste of sweets, even when using stevia, erythrytol etc. If you’re not then great. If you are it’s something to consider going forward. My taste buds changed over the past year and I no longer crave or enjoy sweets more than any other food but you have to find your own balance.

#7

Welcome Abbie! :sparkles:

Sounds like you’re doing the right things, and have made some powerful choices - and it’s great to know you’re here.

This forum can be a great source of support & resources (use the search bar and search on various topics, it’s fun! There’s a ton of past posts here!)

Because you’re a female, mother, and keen on learning nutrition I highly recommend reading a few of the foundational LCHF/keto books such as Protein Power, The Atkins Diet Revolution, or The New Atkins For A New You (by Phinney/Volek/Westman). Cheap used copies are usually available via Ebay, Amazon, or at large used bookstores.

And, the Keto Green approach in the recent book The Hormone Fix by triple board-certified OBGYN Anna Cabeca MD may be even more relateable as she addresses various specific things related to female hormonal frameworks, helpful herbal foods-as-medicine, alkalinizing foods, social stressors, and detox on both a physical & emotional level.

I like to keep these books handy and have drawn much-needed support from them away from my computer when I give myself self-care reading time!

:herb::purple_heart::herb:

(Polly) #8

Welcome to the forum @abbiewright. There is some great advice above. One more suggestion is that you keep posting to this thread with you progress and even your daily menus so that you can identify what works for you and other members can help when needed.

(abbie wright) #9

Thank you, I will :blush:

(abbie wright) #10

Thank you :blush:

Thank you for the reading suggestions. That was going to be one of my questions. Which one would you recommend to read first?

I weighed in this morning… first time in nearly 12 months and I was horrified. I have gained over 24lbs since being in ‘recovery’ which I know was to be expected. This was in a very short space of time and I know I have maintained this for at least 6-8 months as I can tell by my clothes.

I will be weighing monthly I think, I don’t want to get into my bad habits. I have some fab all singing and dancing scales so will be able to make some comparisons later on.

But for now :drum: SW 244lb. Ps I’m 5ft 11

(Janis Sevick) #11

You sound very knowledgeable about the keto diet, so I’m asking you for your advice. Having been on the keto diet for 2 weeks, only 20 carbs a day, I am feeling generally very good. The biggest problem I have is this feeling of a light current of electricity running through my body which I can handle during the day but is creating some sleep problems right now. I understand cortisol and epinephrine levels go up during ketosis. Did you experience this and what did you do during this time?

#12

@abbiewright
Welcome Abbie. I decided that I hate fitness studios so I have to exert myself elsewhere - and that turns out to : I have to cook. So I bought myself some wonderful keto cookbooks ( I like “Simply Keto” ) and I even enjoy creating good meals which are keto. So if you are not going to buy anything prefab off the shelf - and you are now going to buy “pure” ingrediants- then I suggest a keto cookbook to help you make a diet for yourself that is varied, interesting and tasty. This way you won’t get bored, and can maintain this lifestyle change forever! What I also find most satisfying is that there are ways and means to satiify any cravings by “modifications” turning foods into a keto variety. Crave bread? Make a bread chaffle. Crave chocolate? Make a chocolate milk shake using almond milk, sugar free cocoa and vanilla extract and some sweetener. Yearn for some risotto? I make one using cauliflower rice. ( Trick is to fry the cauliflower rice and not boil it otherwise you get mash!) I actually like a thai curry with it too. And I made myself mac and cheese with cauliflower the other day that was in a casserole all bubbly with cheesey goodness and it was simply soooo satisfying. I lack for nothing Abbie. I go keto all the way! And the main thing is keeping the carbs low. You lose the weight while enjoying the food… and none of my friends believe me. I just started and have only lost 4 lbs, but I hope with time and more weight loss they might.

#13

Thank you, but I’m far from an expert. I never had any issues like that nor have I ever heard of anyone else having it either. I wish I could help you.

(Katie) #14

Just wanted to clarify because due to the wording I understood it in two different ways. I think that @JohnnyPenso meant make sure that all/most of the food that you do eat is real food, not processed.

(Katie) #15

Good. I was going to suggest to you that you do not weigh yourself. A lot of people track their progress by feeling how their clothes fit over time. Some also like to take weekly pictures, especially considering that body composition is probably a better indicator of health than general weight is. Pictures help track reduction of inflammation/puffiness, muscle gain/definition, fat loss, etc.

#16

Yes, weigh no more than monthly (I waited over a year myself lolol) - and better yet, just use a measuring tape to track your changes for max positive feedback. Remember: this is about fat loss way more than weight per se. For those who are not obese and who eat sufficient protein to grow their muscles (multiplied if you do HIT strength training), the restoration of lean mass means healthy weight gained while unhealthy fat is transformed.

I’m 5’10, large framed, and strong - my weight at one year in was around 195, and is staying steady now at about ten pounds less. That may not seem dramatic - however, my measurements have shrunk and my body is more compact!!!

I’ve gone from an almost-size-18 (US) to a comfortable size 12 in the Jag jeans - as in, I’ve lost 4 inches from my bust, 6 inches from my upper waist, 2 inches from my hips, 1.5 inch from each upper arm, and 2 inches from each thigh. I’ve shrunk, but I’ve not become a featherweight lolol.

I’d recommend starting your reading with what most inspires you. As far as cookbooks go, food network chef George Stella’s are all great, esp his Quick & Easy one.

I started reading with Protein Power, then went on a cookbooks binge, then eventually found The Hormone Fix: Keto Green (which has been the most personally inspiring to date - Anna Cabeca’s own story along with so much female hormonal framework focus).

keep%20calm%20and%20trust%20the%20process%20resized