Back to Keto after a break. I have a couple of ?’s


(Robert Smith) #1

I got on Keto in 2018 and had amazing results. I even felt better than I had in years. In 2019 my Doctor read my panel and told me my cholesterol was extremely high and I was at risk for heart disease so I gave it up. Personally I was doing dirty keto and that was probably a contributing factor.

I recently learned that Cholesterol does not tell the whole story. So I found a new doctor and he’s good with me going on Keto but he wants to run bloods every 90 days. Unfortunately, I forgot many of the things that made me successful and I’ve been overthinking. So I’m here on Day 4 feeling like a total newbie again.

So for my height and weight. To hit the 70/25/5 marks, I actually have up to 32g net carbs daily to take in per CarbManager. However, I remember the rule of thumb being 20g or less. Which is true and which should I stick to while starting this journey again?

I exercise a lot and my Apple Watch calculates my calories burned in the day. Should I disregard these calories burned? I feel like I need a little extra cals to fuel my workouts. On day, one of keto I felt lethargic so I could not go into the gym. However, the last two days I’ve gone in, but I can definitely tell that the glycogen running low in my muscles.

I also wish to do this journey as cleanly as possible, any specific foods, snacks, oils I should incorporate into my diet?


#2

Welcome and good luck!

That works for most people. It doesn’t mean one can’t do keto very successfully with significantly more (and in rare but apparently not super rare cases, one must go way lower for success. and it’s not just about the mere carb intake, of course).

I am all for listening your body. It’s great if it gives you good feedback. I seriously doubt our energy need can be calculated, it’s just too complex.

If keto is new to you, again and you lost your fat adaptation, it’s normal if your workout performance isn’t so great for a while. It’s not my own experience, I just wasn’t active enough to notice anything.

Not really, keto allows very different styles and we are different too, one item vital for one may be very bad for another… But eating a significant amount of meat probably helps :slight_smile:


(KM) #3

Hey, welcome!

The usual starting point on carbs is 20 for nearly anyone to be guaranteed ketosis. You may be able to get away with more, it’s a pretty personal limit.

A lot of strategy comes down to your personality. Some people feel they will fail if they go to extremes, others feel that cold turkey on carbs, like cold turkey on alcohol, is easier than eternally fiddling around with small doses and limits.

From what I have read from others, and my own experience, it is much easier to ban sweet tastes altogether rather than try to duplicate them with artificial sweeteners, the cravings seem to go away quite quickly, but again, there are those who feel very deprived without some sort of substitute dessert.

Good luck with your personal adventure!


(Robin) #4

Keep it simple and stay the course. ANY significant decrease in carbs will reap benefits. 20g is a good rule of thumb, but many reach their goals either way more. Your body will help you find your way.
Congrats on making the commitment again! You’re worth it…


(Alec) #5

My opinions, comments and questions:

  1. What are your goals here? Weight loss?
  2. High cholesterol numbers are not in any way a concern for health. “High” cholesterol does not cause CVD. It is actually low cholesterol that causes health issues. The medical establishment have got this whole paradigm completely wrong, and they can’t now change because they are being held hostage by Big Pharma, and there are too many medical reputations on the line to accept change.
  3. If you are trying to lose weight, minimise the carbs as much as possible. Under total 20g is good, zero carbs is better. My personal experience is that lazy keto eventually stopped working for me, but carnivore has consistently worked to help me effortlessly drop 80lbs and more importantly keep it off: IMHO, eating carnivore is MUCH easier than keto over the long term. Just a few carbs keeps the body hankering for them. Reduce them to zero and the body stops wanting them.
  4. Don’t count calories… it is not accurate enough to be helpful. You should eat good keto/carni food until you are comfortably stuffed. Do not undereat. If you are hungry, eat. If you are still hungry, eat some more.
  5. If you are starting again after eating a high carb diet for a while, you need to become fat adapted again… this can take a while, and in the meantime you may feel low on energy, especially during/after exercise. This will lessen as you become more fat adapted over time.
  6. I recommend you eat lots of fatty meat and eggs. If you eat nothing but fatty meat and eggs, I reckon you will maximise your weight loss.

Best of luck!
Cheers
Alec


#6

All good advise above IMO.

I know how you feel about cholesterol. All that propaganda got me for a while,too. But it´s sugar that causes heart disease,not cholesterol. And dietary cholesterol does not even affect your blood cholesterol.

I have heart disease and a stent. I had a mild attack eight years ago. I made myself sick by drinking crazy amounts of beer and smoking a million Camel-cigarettes for four decades. No wonder.

Docs have tried to scare me to death with their egg and fat talk. It can affect you EVEN when you know better,like I did. I have done low carb since 2004, on and off. It may have saved me from a serious attack, docs say the opposite of course. But I was following their low fat guidance for a while and gained 30 kilos, while they were adding more and stronger meds… that were making me fat in the first place.

I just could not take it any more,figuring diabetes would be next. So back to keto it was. I´m feeling absolutely great again, I could list a dozen things that are better already, no more shoulder pain (I messed my rotator a bit by training bows too much,too heavy), no more bleeding gums (that was caused by high BP), no need for spray nitro for month and a half (usually many times a week in winter)… much better sleep, steady energy all day… gout is gone… I will write a small book later on…

I´m cutting down on my statins right now while eating very fatty keto. I can not tell my doc about this,no way. I might tell about having cut down on BP meds… but probably not.

Now that you have found a keto friendly doc,just relax and keto on!