Another Keto Newbie Here!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #21

There are lectures by a number of researchers available on YouTube. I tend to rely on Stephen Phinney’s earlier talks on the Low Carb Down Under channel, especially the ones on practical issues involved with maintaining a keto diet, because he talks a lot about the underlying biology. He says he got into this line of research in order to prove Dr. Atkins wrong, and ended up proving something entirely different. Dr. Phinney and Jeff Volek did a lot of the early research into ketogenic diets and athletic performance, so Prof. Volek’s lectures can also be helpful.

Another researcher who is giving a lot of interviews lately is Prof. Benjamin Bikman, who studies the effects of the hormones insulin and glucagon, which the pancreas secretes to regulate blood sugar levels and our metabolic state. Though both hormones have other, equally important, jobs throughout the body, especially insulin.

Robert Lustig is another researcher worth paying attention to. He is a paediatric endocrinologist, a researcher, and a food advocate. His specialty is the effects of fructose on the body, plus the importance of eating real, whole foods.

Lastly, there is David Diamond, a neurologist who got interested in cholesterol because of his own health situation. He has a lot of lectures avaiable on the effects of statins and how the research into them has been deceptively presented. He is also part of a group of well-known international researchers who are trying to debunk the myth that cholesterol is the cause of cardiovascular disease. (They have an uphill battle, because statins are enormously profitable for the pharmaceutical industry.) Prof. Diamond’s more recent talks and intervews deal more directly with the real causes of cardiovascular disease and how diet has a large impact on our cardiovascular health.

That’s just the short list of people I resepct. There are other researchers, plus a number of medical professionals who don’t do their own research, but who are skilled at analysing and reporting the research of others. The lay people who do this are usually iffier, but the citizen scientists Amber O’Hearn and Dave Feldman are well worth paying attention to. The science journalists Nina Teicholz and Gary Taubes have gotten sucked into the world of nutrition science, and they have done yeomen’s work in digging up the scientific research, analysing it, and reporting on it. Their books are well worth reading.

(B Creighton) #22

Hey welcome Jimmy. You have gotten great advice, but I just want to note one thing. The change in food will lose a lot more fat than any exercise. Keto is not about exercise at all in fact. However, it is of course good to add that in. I did keto and gained muscle at the same time, and the extra muscle of course helps to burn more calories as well. I am older and needed the muscle as now I weigh only about 171 at my lowest. When I started keto I had stalled at 195 down from my high of 218. I got rid of my first 18 pounds by just stopping potato chips - and maybe by adding creatine to my morning yogurt.

Keto is awesome in that I didn’t have to starve myself at all, and actually I know I gained some muscle while doing it. I have been doing it in the winter going on my third year. I consider myself low carb the rest of the year, and eat more vegetables and fruit. I ate delicious meals, and I believe healthy meals, which filled me. In fact I found it difficult to reach my protein goals - you have to eat a lot. Protein and fat are very satiating so you don’t even need to feel hungry. I adopted some new meals, which I now love. For example started buying grass fed lamb at Costco, and sometimes their wild sockeye salmon. I now love my lamb dinners. With grass fed beef, I no longer stress over the fat content at all. It is just going to fuel me in a healthier way than other beef. I have also started eating some wild game.

(Jimmy Lock) #23

Well, so far so good… although I’ve only lost about 7 pounds so far, I am noticing that I’m not feeling hungry all the time like I used to before going low carb.

I’m only eating twice a day and I’m taking a supplement for electrolytes and I’m taking daily vitamins (Garden of Life).

And, I’m training myself to be very mindful of what I’m eating. I have been able to get some snack that are keto friendly so I do have a a couple of keto snacks during the day between meals. That, and I drink UN-sweet ice tea.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #24

If you are snacking because you are actually hungry, try eating a bit more at your meals. On the other hand, if you’re snacking simply because you want something in your mouth, that will probably go away at some point. But pork rinds, cheese, pepperoni, pre-cooked bacon–none of those are going to get you into trouble, regardless of your reason for wanting them.

(Edith) #25

As mentioned by @PaulL, if you do need some snacks keep them as natural as possible. The “keto friendly” foods appearing on grocery store shelves can contain a fair bit of carbs. Some are quite close to the daily 20g allotment.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #26

Hard-boiled eggs are also good snacks, especially buttered.

(Alec) #27

If I need a snack as a carnivore (rare) I eat home-made pork rind (cooked from pork belly), or smoked salmon and cream cheese…. Yummo!!

(Jimmy Lock) #28

So far I’ve lost 15 pounds and I do feel less hungry.

I’m only eating 2 meals a day and then have a couple of small snacks.

So, what’s the scoop on using cream as a substitute for milk?
Any tips on that (I like milk but I know that’s out while on keto.)

(Robin) #29

Heavy whipping Cream, baby!
Add it to coffee, add it to eggs, etc etc

(Jimmy Lock) #30

I was thinking of ordering this . . .

LevelUp with C8 MCT, Collagen Protein, Ketogenic Diet Coffee Creamer, Ketosis Supplement Ketone Support

(Jimmy Lock) #31

I read in another post where someone was recommending mixing cream and almond milk, so I might try that

This is what they were doing . . .

3/4 cup of almond milk (unsweetened) and 1/4 cup heavy cream.

(KM) #32

I just bought the True Nutrition Grass Fed Beef Collagen @lfod14 recommended. I mix it with organic heavy cream and put in my coffee. Very pleased with this, no weird ingredients and I don’t notice any flavor or texture changes.

Of course it does not have exogenous ketones or MCT, so maybe not what you’re looking for, but it also tastes great, a gigantic bonus, imo!

#33

It’s not out at all, I personally drink it without restriction… But I don’t need much after my passionate milk phase but even when I drank a lot, it still didn’t endanger my keto (not everyone has such a big carb allowance, of course and not everyone is fine with spending the majority of it on milk). If one can use an item in the right amount, ANYTHING fits keto. Some may be not advisable but if it’s just about the carb content, nothing is out.

But cream is less carby and richer and anyway, it’s different so it has its own role. Both are fine in coffee though sometimes I prefer one over the other :wink:
Cream is more useful in many dishes so if I had to choose, that would be cream. But I can have both, it’s very convenient.

Even milk has a good taste and some fat, almond milk is little more than water (but basically zerocarb unlike cream or milk, at least the ones I saw) but of course, some people like that too.
It’s up to you what you use. I choose whatever I like most or whatever I have open. I enjoy keto is not paleo so it doesn’t restrict my choices so horribly…

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #34

Milk contains sugar: galactose and lactose. The lower the fat content, in fact, the higher the sugar content per volume. Heavy cream, on the other hand, is almost exclusively fat and water, so it has no effect on our insulin level at all.

Just be careful of the sugar content of the almond milk, and don’t consume too much.

Myself, I drink heavy cream, sometimes. And often with a bit of Seltzer water in it. So it’s basically an unflavoured New York egg cream. I never used to see the point of egg creams, but this is a drink I enjoy from time to time.

(Eve) #35

The authoress Beatrix Potter apparently never drank alcohol so when she was celebrating, she would drink a glass of cream! Sounds wonderful!

#36

And I still didn’t try it… I planned when I heard about such a thing but I am not in a hurry and it interferes with my fat minimalization plans (and I have that attitude since I went low-carb about 13 years ago and it’s quite strong. not like I always care but drinking much cream at once, I never had the urge). Even if I eat lean meat so I can afford extra fat, it’s nicer just to eat my meat as fatty as I like… Or have butter :heart_eyes: Not cream with UHT flavor (the only kind I can get here. even the raw dairy truck doesn’t have cream).
I do love cream, even with the little UHT flavor (UHT milk is much worse but I don’t buy that). But it’s best when it’s not all alone.
A glass has a significant amount of sugar but it could easily fit keto. And all the sugar makes it quite sweet! Yum. (Lactose free milk on the other hand is way too sweet for me to drink. I don’t want my drinking milk too sweet. But lactose free sour cream is the worst, totally unusable for most purposes…)