I am a 52 year old woman in perimenopause having success managing my keto diet in a way I’ve not seen mentioned here.
I just want to share my experience in case it can help someone else.
I joined this forum about five years ago when I started keto and IF and learned a lot here. But I still struggled with my last ten pounds, low energy, thin hair and nails, cravings, high cholesterol, sleep issues and moods/depression.
Those persisted even while being treated for thyroid issues and ruling out other problems with an integrative medicine specialist.
I also found over time that I put a lot of pressure on myself to fast more and was developing disordered eating (my eat windows looked more and more like binges).
I have been able to stay keto and improve my weight loss, my energy levels, sleep, thin hair/nails and other issues by implementing a program called Bright Line Eating. The bright lines are no sugar/sweeteners, no flour, no snacking, and measured quantities. Not very different from what I was already doing.
The key differences for me were dropping artificial sweeteners and nut flours, limiting my portions somewhat and adding more vegetables, even (gasp!) fruit.
I eat two meals a day at noon and 7pm. During my weight loss, each meal was 6-8 ounces protein, 10 ounces veggies, 1 fat and 6 ounces fruit.
When I hit maintenance I added a fat at each meal. That is enough for me to maintain (I’m short). You can add more until you find your own maintenance - YMMV.
The BLE program allows grains but I don’t eat grains bc of autoimmune problems and insulin resistance. I focus on protein, fat, veggies and limited fruit. If I want to lower my gki I drop the fruit at lunch.
Every morning my fasting blood glucose averages 75 to 85 and my gki average is 6.
I dropped the last of my weight and the best part is it feels effortless.
Other things have also improved: energy, moods, cravings (dropping sweeteners really helped) high cholesterol, and more.
The creator of Bright Line Eating is a PhD in brain science with a background in addiction recovery, so the BLE program offers a lot of science and social support that I found very helpful. They’re switching to a membership model that’s less expensive than what the program cost in the past. Or you can read the book. I don’t benefit in any way if you do.
Regardless, it’s really helped me to refine the parameters I learned here, to stay keto, slim and healthy with much less struggle.
I found I cannot eat unlimited quantities and still lose weight, I need the nutrition in more vegetables, and keto treats with fake sweeteners make me struggle with cravings. But YMMV.
I just wanted to offer my experience in case someone else can benefit from it. I really appreciate all of you and what I’ve learned in this community.
Another way to keto, esp for older women
You are a good example of how each of us has to find our way to what works for us. Happy for you. You got this!
@KCKeto Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m 61. I’m curious about the vegetables and especially fruits you are eating. I’ve been experimenting with straying from only those that are “keto-friendly”. My net carbs have lately been between 50-100 (with an occasional day under 20), and I’m still producing ketones according to urine testing, especially after exercise. What are your net carbs (if you count)?
Many can get away with that, keto likes to pretend that all non-berries might as well be twinkies because of the sugar content, but fructose is metabolized by our liver and has less of a blood sugar impact.
Same deal, when you’re actually active most don’t have to adhere to the 20g thing to still spend most of their time in ketosis. But people become obsessed with being “kicked out” so simply never test what they can get away with.
@KCKeto An awesome experience. Many thanks for sharing. And congratulations to you on your diligent perseverance to pursue a solution that really works for you. 
When I started keto it averaged 105.
When I started BLE it averaged 89.
If I eat one fruit per day my AM bg is usually 75. If I eat a second fruit at dinner it is usually 85. It’s almost as dependable as clockwork. Eating late (after 7:30 for me) sometimes will push my AM bg into the 85-89 range. It’s not been higher than 89 since I implemented BLE in July.
Between 60 and 100 g of carb a day. It depends on which veggies and fruit I choose. I try to eat a wide variety for the phytonutrients and trust it to balance out.
The varied approach seems to keep me the healthiest. Before I did this my keto approach was limited to the most common keto veggie & fruit choices and after a year or two I was just burned out.
I’ve read Dr Georgia Ede’s take on consuming veggies vs a strictly or mostly carnivore diet. I tried that carnivore approach but I didn’t feel well on that diet. My experience aligns most with that of Dr Terry Wahls, maybe because I’m prone to autoimmune disorders. I need about 30 ounces of produce a day to stay healthy and it’s possible to eat that and be in ketosis a significant amount of time, enough to get and stay slim. I had to limit fat portions to lose the fat on my body. I can’t eat unlimited fat and lose weight.
I do eat meat and dairy. But eating more vegetables helped me lose weight.
That’s why I wanted to post: your mileage may vary, pay attention to how you feel and your health markers. It’s worthwhile to be open-minded about trying things to see what works. I really appreciate that this forum encourages that.