I have a question for any veteran keto dieter. The carbs that you should be eating should only be vegetables right? And if so that’s the best way to see results? I’ve been doing this for a little over a week and my first week I lost 16 lbs and I’m assuming that’s water weight but I’m kinda at a standstill atm and haven’t lost anything since. Is that normal?
Concerned newbie
Shinita
#2
Of course not.
My carbs mostly come from eggs and dairy nowadays, liver too. An insignificant amount comes from vegetables sometimes (on my old keto style, the majority of my carbs came from them but it was much. I can’t eat vegetables and stay below 20g), a small amount from fruits sometimes… When I still ate nuts, I got much from them too…
There are a little in my mustard and spices… Carbs are almost in everything. If I strictly eat no plants, I still consume 3-20g net (and total) carbs. Meat has an insignificant amount except organs, fats are fine, there are many lactose free cheese but other cheeses, cream and sour cream have a significant amount. Not much but it adds up.
Some sweeteners have even net carbs like xylitol.
If someone counts total carbs, fibers and sweeteners with zero net carbs matter too…
The other question: you can’t even see a standstill yet, you barely started. A few weeks without any fat-loss is normal too but if you eat much (or the wrong things, it’s pretty complicated. in my case it’s only eating too much), it’s normal not losing ever as well. I always lose slowly (when I actually lose) and once I waited for 13 days to see a change in the scale. Others have longer term stories while they got slimmer but the scales showed the same number.
At first just do keto 
Maybe it will be enough but you should get comfortable with it, you can change and finetune things later if needed.
You have started a great health journey!
Where your carbs come from depends on what you like to eat. Personally, I stay away from any of the higher carb foods, so that means I generally stick to dark green veggies like asparagus, broccoli, kale (and other greens), bok choy, etc.
These are early days. You are still very early into this way of eating. The best advice I’ve heard is to just eat mostly unprocessed fatty meat and a few of the low carb veggies you like. Eat until you are full. Don’t eat again until you feel hungry.
Everyone is different. Some lose a massive amount of body fat right away, but others take more time as their bodies have a lot of healing to do. I think it takes a person several weeks and in some cases even several months for the body to become fat adapted and efficient at burning body fat. You will lose water first and will slowly begin to feel better as your body heals. Sometimes, often, people need more salt, magnesium and potassium at the beginning as our bodies tend to lose those as it dumps all the water.
Many of us continue to supplement electrolytes (like myself) because we get cramps if we don’t. Everyone is different.
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#4
Reframe that question. There are no carbs you ‘should be eating’. Carbs are carbs, long chains of glucose molecules. Some end up in your bloodstream faster than others. That’s the only difference. You don’t need to eat carbs. Think of carbs as a penalty or tax you have to pay in order to get some other good proteins and/or fats.
Fangs
#5
you lost the big picture here
carbs in any form are not required for the body to survive and an ‘all carb’ no protein/fat menu would kill ya real fast.
thing is we can not ‘count carbs in liver’ as’ bad carbs’ cause they are wrapped in ‘great menu food items and nutrition for the body’ so they are moot cause they are carbs from the animal kingdom.
Where the carbs we choose in our diets come from will be imperative.
What overall carbs to what level we allow and how we eat those and get them is key.
@meatball
yes ‘real natural never processed in a package food’ is your best choice always on keto and veg should be ‘your carb count’ for the day.
be sure to eat good protein of couse and if you lost like 16 real fast and it is water weight and inflammation leaving your body, with toxins dumping out YOU ARE on the right path
Think real food all the time. Don’t think buy ‘a keto bar’ for convenience etc…think ‘cook for me real food’ and lower carb options cause life is ALL about the carbs and ‘fake chem or fake sweeteners’ we put in the body.
Go real food and hang on and enjoy your life eating clean. Happy you are doing so well and you eat fresh and natural and you got it made in the shade!
PaulL
(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing)
#6
Firstly, welcome to the forums! Now, on to your questions:
The carbohydrates to avoid are sugars, starches, and grains. The reason is that they contain so much glucose (which is what all carbohydrates are made of) that it is difficult to avoid eating too much. We want to keep our carbohydrate intake under 20 grams a day, to be sure to allow our bodies to get into and remain in ketosis. Glucose stimulates the production of a hormone called insulin, which promotes the storage of fat, among its many other jobs in the human body. Too much glucose provokes the secretion of too much insulin, which prevents fat loss, as well as doing quite a bit of damage throughout the body. We need a certain amount of insulin in our blood in order to live, but too much insulin and too much glucose in the bloodstream cause harm.
While we don’t actually need to eat any carbohydrate whatsoever, most people enjoy eating some and don’t want to give it up completely. So we have found that leafy greens and above-ground vegetables (my favourites are broccoli and cauliflower) are both tasty and high enough in fibre that we can eat a satisfying amount and still not exceed our carb limit.
As for your second question: Fat loss is never linear. And notice that I am writing “fat loss,” not “weight loss” here. The reason is that we don’t want to lose muscle tissue or make our bones more fragile; we simply want to shed excess stored fat. A well-formulated ketogenic eaten to satiety preserves muscle and bone while allowing excess fat to be metabolised. In fact, some people find that they actually gain muscle and their bones get denser on a ketogenic diet, even while they are losing fat. Of course, this confuses their scales, so they learn to use the fit of their clothing as an additional measure of progress. Since muscle and bone are far denser than fat is, it is possible to gain a few pounds of muscle, say, and still get thinner.
But notice the words “to satiety” in the paragraph above. We find that when we deliberately try to cut calories we risk convincing our body that there is a famine going on. The body responds by conserving energy and holding on to its reserves, particularly its fat store. To convince it to shed that fat, we need to eat enough for it to start using energy and letting go of some of its reserves. We do this by eating to satisfy our hunger, trusting that our body will set our appetite to a level that will allow it to burn both the fat we eat and the extra fat we can afford to get rid of.
islandlight
(Laurie)
#7
As stated above, you don’t need carbs. Rather than what carbs you “should” eat, think of limiting the carbs you do eat. For example, I eat no vegetables at all (except dried onion flakes, which contain carbs). I also get some carbs from processed meats, sour cream, coffee, etc. I aim to keep the total at less than 20; I’m probably at about 10. If you use salad dressing, condiments, or nuts (or nut flours), you’d count those as well.
As for your other question, yes, it is normal to lose a lot at first and then slow down. Don’t panic! As you explore the forum and learn more, you’ll see that this is a common pattern. And we all have ups and downs, weight wise, for a number of complicated reasons. As long as the trend is downward, you’re fine. Good luck, and welcome!
gingersmommy
(Marianne)
#8
Carbs are in a lot of things. For the first 4-6 weeks, I’d track what you are eating in a day and look up the carb values of the things you’re not sure of. This will give you a better sense going forward of how many carbs are in what. We stick to lower carb vegetables like brussels sprouts, cabbage, escarole, green beans, and only eat one of those at dinner. Luckily, my husband and I can live without many vegetables. We mainly use them as a conduit for fat!
Don’t discourage. Keep going. Keep the carbs as low as you can and make sure you are eating enough at each meal and things that you love to keep you satisfied until you eat again. If you do this, I’m sure you will continue to lose. I have never found another “diet” or way of eating that didn’t require I starve myself or eat things I really didn’t like before keto. My have always loved rich foods, but those were always a no-no. It is incredible the delicious food choices we have and how well we can eat.
Best to you!
Pbash
#9
16 pounds is a lot of weight for 7 days. If it makes you feel better, I gained weight on my first week of keto. I was told to eat until satisfied. That was definitely wrong for my body. If I lost more than 2 pounds in a week, my body would make up for it by not losing the next week. A 16 pound weight loss would mean 2 months of no weight loss for me. If it really bothers you, start taking measurements. Additionally, if you are a female, you have to consider your cycle and what that does to weight gain or loss.
HeleneS
#10
That is normal. Just keep it going… count those carbs and keep them low. I like my carbs coming from vegs but it is a preference and not a rule. There are carb foods that makes me eat more carb foods and I try to avoid those more. When I lost weight I kept cheese very low and I did not eat nuts and anything with starches. Congrats on being off to such a great start
ctviggen
(Bob M)
#11
What I think happens to a lot of us, including me (though not all of us), is that vegetables become less eaten over time. When I first started out, I thought I HAD to eat vegetables with every meal.
Over time, I realized that a lot of vegetables don’t agree with me. I also need well-cooked vegetables, as this makes them easier for me to digest.
An example: zucchini. A lot of people spirulize this, to get “noodles”, for soup or fake spaghetti. While I like the taste of these, man they cause me digestive issues. I gave them up.
On the other hand, spaghetti squash does not cause me issues. So, I’ve been using this as a lower carb meal after workouts (again…something you don’t HAVE to do – in fact, I did not do this for many years – but it’s something I’m testing).
I think once you get used to low carb/keto, you can eat even things like some fruit (generally berries). How much, though, is up to whether they cause cravings and whether you want to eat them. I think last year, I had berries maybe a few times?
Anyway, initially keep carbs low and go from there.
Momof5
(Susan)
#12
Welcome to the forum @meatball =).
Firstly, I would suggest that you think of Keto as a WOE (Way of Eating) and not a diet, for more success =).
Secondly, all of the advice you have been given above is excellent =).
Thirdly, my own experience is that most of my foods come from proteins but I am not a Carnivore, as I love adding coconut products and/or HWC to my coffee and I use EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and a bit of vegetables (some days none).
Fourthly, remember that all of our bodies are different and unique, and it will take you a while to tweak what works for you. The most important thing to do is to keep your carbs as low as possible, keep your electrolytes up, and eat enough food, and enjoy all the awesome benefits you will get from Keto!
Please post any questions that you might have; and this forum is full of helpful, friendly people that will be happy to answer you and to help guide you on your new journey into the world of Keto =).
lfod14
#13
You can get them from anywhere, but ideally they should be from veggies, at least at first when you’re just starting out. Get more lax with stuff when you’re closer to your goals. Helps to not start something you can’t stop! Yes, that amount of weight can be normal at first, It’s mostly water and a little but of fat loss. But that’ll show you how much excess water your old diet had you walking around with!
quiltergirl
(Tammy)
#14
I ate a lot of veggies at the beginning, but now after 18 months or so, I’m never hungry and veggies are less important. I eat the protein portion of the meal first, then I’m usually full and don’t need much else. The most important part is to stay under 20 grams of carbs per day, from whatever foods you choose to eat. Read labels and the ingredient list.
gingersmommy
(Marianne)
#15
That was true in my case. In the beginning, I thought I “should” eat them, at least some.