Brand new but need to do something!

(Stella) #1

I almost paid $37 for one of those ads that help you lose weight in one month on the keto diet, so many pop up on a simple keto diet search. I progressed to maybe buying a book of recipes and then to various forums and I liked what I heard on this one. I just read the post about the “one sentence” keto explanation and was encouraged to start “something” tomorrow. So after about three hours of “ looking”, I decided I’m having eggs and bacon tomorrow for breakfast…just for starters. So, here’s a bit about me. I’m 52, 5’6”, weigh about 178, but would like to lose maybe 25 lbs. I want to feel energetic, not lethargic, maybe sleep better, feel encouraged, because I think I get moody sometimes…;)so I want to stop that for my family’s sake. Am going to local library soon to look for a keto book/cookbook. Any suggestions? Will be praying about it too!

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #2

Welcome,

While a cookbook might be helpful you could also browser the “what did you Keto today” thread. You’ll get lots of ideas there, and can always ask for recipes :slightly_smiling_face:

I have a few cookbooks, but haven’t used them a whole lot.

Good luck in your journey.

Also:

(Polly) #3

Welcome @StellaH

I have used a few recipes from this book:
Tim Noakes et al Real Meal Revolution

They always seem to turn out well.

Good luck with your keto journey.

#4

Hi and welcome! I bought “Simply Keto” and found the introduction with explanation very informative. But I have since noticed that youtube is full of keto recipes. Check out “Headbangers keto”- he is an indian guy with some really good food. I make his Mac and Cheese and it is yummy. You will need a macro counter. I use cronometer.com. Keep your carbs under 20 and you begin. Of course it wont work if you eat eggs and bacon for breakfast and then consume more carbs than around 20g later.
Cheerio and welcome to the wonderful world of keto- which I love. Its like a miracle- finally I can eat and lose weight. Also- be patient. Seeing that you only need to lose a bit, the weight loss might be slower. Its wonderful when somebody loses 30 lbs in the first 4 weeks- but they are usually starting out at a much higher weight. I have lost 9 pounds in 2 and a half months-and tell myself “It might be slow but I am eating so well and at least the needle on the scale is going down instead of up”.

(Ellen ) #5

Welcome @StellaH. I agree with @Chantarella. I started keto last May at 176lbs, this morning I weighed 158lb. That’s 9 months to lose 18lbs so be patient. I also bought a couple of recipe books but have mostly used YouTube for inspiration. Lately my meals are basic omelets and meats with asparagus. Good luck with your journey. Some advice that you’ll hear is to measure different parts of your body. I definitely recommend this as my waistline this morning was 34inches…I was having a difficult time getting my belly down at 65y/o.

#6

I never used cookbooks, sometimes recipes from the Internet but usually I needed to come up with my own ones as I have my own restrictions and tastes. But when I am below 20g net carbs (I am in ketosis with much more, it seems), it’s usually just frying some animal protein or making some stew that lasts for days :smiley: It’s so simple and nice (as long as I have enough meat). I add other things too but those are just little extras :slight_smile:

Be careful with carbs and it will get easier, you learn things as time passes. Don’t overcomplicate things and don’t worry too much, you decided on a great step. Even if you won’t go very low with your carbs right away, it easily may help. I am 5’4", I was about 180lbs and I easily went down to 152 on my low-carb diet eating around 80g net carbs, I ate until satiation, my diet was better than before, I felt better, I don’t really needed any willpower, my health-consciousness and some basic determination was enough. I still need to lose “much” and way lower carb is better for me but that first step was huge and I enjoyed various benefits. I never felt really energetic but maybe longer term extreme low-carb and more exercise (I need that now) will help, I don’t know.
I can’t know what your sweet spot is but lowering carbs is a good idea for most people on high-carb I think. Do what you are planning and be open, change something if the current style doesn’t seem to work, don’t force things if possible… We are all different, of course we need different diets, even if we do keto.

(Marianne) #7

Hello and welcome.

There are some very good recipes on dietdoctor.com, one of the premier sites for keto. The content to “nonmembers” is almost equal to that of paying subscribers. You don’t have to put in any of your personal information or “sign-up” for anything. The short videos are so understandable and interesting.

I did do the “30-day free trial” when starting, but that was only to access the content that I didn’t think I could get otherwise. Put a reminder on my calendar to cancel before 30 days, and I did. Shortly after that, I became a paid subscriber because I fully support their mission - that site - and this forum - was the primary impetus for me starting keto. I read and reread the “success stories” a million times. I knew that these people had lived the hell of obesity and poor health that I was living and had come out the other side. They said it was relatively easy, and I believed them. They were right. I never struggled with keto.

After almost a year, I am just starting to use “recipes” and try different things. I generally don’t like to cook elaborate (to me) casseroles and dishes. For most of my time here, I (and my husband) ate clean, simple foods - eggs, bacon, sausage, chicken, all kinds of pork and meat, butter, pepperoni, cole slaw, broccoli, brussel sprouts, romaine, home made blue cheese dressing, heavy cream, cheese, etc. That was basically it. There are so many things you can do with those items. Breakfast and lunch were simple - things I could basically throw together like you did for your breakfast. Dinner was/is a good sized piece of meat, steamed veggie in butter and bacon grease, and maybe a salad or some cole slaw. Every meal was a treat to me and so delicious. Still. I love eating keto.

Good luck to you! Hope to see more of you.

#8

Some idea of foods and recipes:

There are so many low carb options…

There are lots of low carb veggies – mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, peppers, sugar snap peas, asparagus, radishes, celery, artichokes, onions, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, …

There are lots of proteins – eggs, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish, seafood, …

There are lots of fats – olive oil, butter, avocado oil, heavy cream, coconut oil, mayo, cheese, …

There are lots of nuts and seeds – walnuts, pecans, macadamia, almonds, chia, pumpkin, sunflower, …

There are lots of spices – Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger, curry powder, …

There are all kinds of sauces and condiments – tomato sauce/paste, mustard, SF ketchup, SF BBQ sauce, salsa, guacamole, horseradish, SF jams/jellies, tartar sauce, …

There are lots of baking supplies – coconut flour, almond flour, flax meal, psyllium husk, Xanthan gum, extracts and SF syrups, unsweetened coconut or almond milks, artificial sweeteners, …

And so many I left out. Almost an infinite number of combinations.

Some illustrated food guides from the Diet Doctor web site:

Ruled.me also has some handy guides:

I do cheap and easy keto meal preps based on the proteins that are on sale in a given week.

My meal preps are a variation on sheet pan meals, with a nod to slow cooking via crockpots.

Otherwise, my pantry list is mostly geared around lazy microwave recipes.

Favorite meals :

  • Smoked salmon + capers + Jalapeno cream cheese + chopped hard-boiled eggs + diced onions
  • “Everything” omelets
  • Pizza
  • Meat and veggie “dump” soups (includes chili and curries)
  • Joseph’s Lavash Bread or Chaffles can be the start of a lot of tasty items.

Favorite side dishes :

  • Steamed green beans, or asparagus, or sugar snap peas, drowning in butter and black pepper
  • Stuffed mushrooms or peppers
  • Cabbage Alfredo, topped with soft-boiled eggs
  • Spanish Rice(d) Cauliflower
  • Faux-tato salad

Favorite snacks :

I subscribe to these YouTube channels for all kinds of recipe ideas :

(Stella) #9

Thanks for your response. I suppose I’m a “by the book” person and I start planning right away on how to do it the “right way”, but from what I’ve read here in this forum I’m learning that I just need to “jump in” and do this. As long as I know what foods are acceptable and then I just cook them, pretty much, yes? I suppose I, like many others, have been conditioned to think I shouldn’t cook with butter and eat bacon, etc. because it’s fattening. That’s what’s throwing me off!

(Stella) #10

Yes, awesome. That’s what I’m going to try to do. I still throws me off that this diet allows a lot of meat, - red meats- and butter, bacon, etc.
Question: I’ve read and heard on various youtube videos mention of eating meats that come from grain-fed animals. I imagine that is based on various gurus opinions or is that a norm for the Keto plan?

(Windmill Tilter) #11

My two cents is to eat what you can afford. The worst beef is better than the best bagel. Lots of people don’t spend the extra $$$ on grass-fed beef, and it hasn’t inhibited their fat loss in the least. Much of the argument rests on the superior Omega3:Omega6 ratio of grass fed beef, but I’m perfectly happy to increase the omega 3 fats in my diet with inexpensive fatty fish like sardines, smoked herring, and canned pink salmon. Losing weight on keto can be pretty inexpensive and doesn’t require a trip to Whole Foods.

(Rebecca ) #12

Animals being allowed to graze and feed on grass has more to do with them eating they way they were/are intended to be fed. Their assimilation of the grass they eat passes on nutrients to us, ie: B12 for one. In my opinion it has to do more with nutrition than weight loss.

(Marianne) #13

Some people here feel strongly about this; I do not. We buy all of our meat in bulk from a big box discount store - BJs (like Sam’s, Costco, etc.).

(Stella) #14

Thank you for the reassurance on the topic of quality of meats because that usually means variations on $$$$$ spent on these items.

(Windmill Tilter) #15

It’s actually even better than you might think, because it extends well beyond “grass fed” vs grain fed.

We’re seeking the exact opposite of what the average consumer is seeking, so everything is sold much cheaper. The fattier, collagen rich cuts of meat that are the best for keto sell at a big discount. Chicken breasts (too low fat for keto by themselves) usually cost twice as much the naturally fatty chicken thigh. Collagen rich and fatty 73% hamburger will typically cost half the price of 95% lean hamburger. Low fat pork loin will cost double the price of fatty and collagen rich pork shoulder. In the seafood section, the low fat cod and haddock will cost double or triple the price of keto friendly herring and sardines. It goes on and on.

Keto can actually be pretty damn cheap! It’s not unlikely that your grocery bill will go down. Mine did.

Check out the “budget keto” thread here for some great ideas.

(Susan) #16

Welcome to the forum, Stella =). Everyone has already given you awesome advice, so I am just saying hello and wishing you all the best of success. Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have, there are a lot of great people here that are very kind and helpful =).

(Paulene ) #17

Yep. As I have said elsewhere on this forum, I’m saving money on keto. No processed prepared foods, way less takeaway, no ‘eating between meals’, and intermittent fasting overly makes up for the bit extra I pay for higher quality meat.

(Stella) #18

Yes, oh my gosh, they have been so welcoming and helpful., nice to have such a great response. I really appreciate it.

(Stella) #19

I do want to lose weight but also improve my health. I want to feel energetic and just feel better all around. I’ve never been this heavy. I weighed less both times I was pregnant but of course they’re not lying when they say that as you get older the weight sticks and becomes harder to work off. I’m experiencing that now. I want to feel comfortable in my clothes again. Thanks for your response. It does help and I’m going to keep learning more.

(Stella) #20

Thanks for your response. Third day today and I’m pretty hungry. Need to take a trip to grocery store and look for snack alternatives. I’ve found that I do have self control once I set my mind to it. There were other options in my kitchen for snacks but I didn’t take them. Already had tuna with mayo and egg with romaine lettuce for dinner two hours ago but am now hungry again. That’s my struggle right now. Help!