Been doing the Keto Diet for 10 days. I have a lot of questions.
About me, I got back from a Combat tour 3 1/2 years ago and was trying to die by the bottle, so I quit drinking vodka cold 2 weeks ago. But I gained 45 lbs in the 3.5 years by my destructive behavior and not working out. I also had my gall bladder removed 20 years ago.
So since starting the diet 10 days ago, I have yet to have a positive on urine strips for ketosis. My diet has been mainly eggs, bacon, spinach, olives, avacado, cheeses, fatty dressings, pork rinds, mixed nuts, chicken thighs, heavy cream, almond milk, meat snacks, and protein powder mug cakes; I use mustard, hot sauce, sugar free chocolate and stevia sparingly. Unsweetened tea is my drink of choice and Bai as a treat.
Sticking to the diet, and without being a scientist about my carb intake which is probaby a gross total of 20-30 grams a day. (I am still learning this diet, so I count a carb as a carb) I know my protein intake is higher than desired and my fat intake is lower than desired (I am overweight but eating fats has of any kind has always been difficult)
Can I be negative for ketosis and still expect to lose excess body fat. The only other way I can see to enter ketosis is to fast, which while possible, would be disappointing!
Day 10 on Keto Diet
Yes, you can definitely lose weight and body fat eating low-carb/keto without necessarily being in ketosis right now. In the beginning, it can be helpful to eat as much as you want as long as you don’t go over your carbs until you are fat-adapted and your appetite naturally balances itself (decreases). Too much protein can probably slow things down, but if you get caught in a choice between having more bacon tonight and giving up because you feel hungry…bacon for the win.
Your diet sounds delicious. I can relate to the combat tour and drinking out of control. A lot of almond milk has added sugar and i would do yourself a favor and ditch the whey protein. All that lactose and casein won’t do you any favors. I’ve added 30 pounds to my bench press and lost most of mt body acne without it. Just increase your beef intake for protein. My two cents
Thanks for the encouragement! I made a few mistakes at first, i.e. thinking crystal light was ok, but hearing your words makes me believe more in the process. Now I just use stevia sparingly. I will continue to feed my appetite, keep my foods simple, and continue to trust the diet. There is a YouTube couple on keto connect that has given me some ideas for later. Like anything new, this is an education.
My pleasure. You’re doing a great job so far. I really like the saying: don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. And I love the Keto Connect folks. I also love Grandma DC’s KetoInsanity (on Youtube), she is so funny.
Thanks Mike for the advice. Did not know the negatives to mug cakes with whey protein. Guess I will experiment with fat bombs to feed the sweet craving. I hope that will subside but on top of having a natural sweet tooth, the cold turkey on alcohol has increased it. I am staying strict but learning. I just need to trust the system. And I got the right type of almond milk, unsweetened, but heavy cream and a little sugar free Hershey or a packet of stevia is like a milkshake after a week of no cane sugar
Hey, Warren. The only thing I’d add is to delve a bit into some additional greens and fiber. Here’s a good list of lower-carb vegetables from a trusted source in the LCHF community. With non-starchy vegetables, you can generally subtract the fiber count from the carb count to make bring down the carb value to “net.” I agree with another person who suggested that for now, watching the carbs is probably the main thing to focus on until you get comfortable. May I also suggest that you take a daily does of magnesium malate or glycinate or citrate and add a little “No Salt” for potassium? Bumping up your daily salt intake is important too, as keto is natriuretic and diuretic. The supplement containers themselves should guide you on the general dosage. Here’s that list I mentioned: https://optimisingnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/nutrient-dense-low-carb-foods.pdf
Thanks April. When I made my first Keto shopping haul, I bought celery, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, all raw, but to b honest, other than spinach salads with cheese, turkey, olives, banana peppers, fat dressings and apple cider vinegar, I have not touched them. I thought the carbs where to high for right now. Now I understand the net carb equation much better.
Welcome to the forums! The stuff you posted that you are eating all sounds good, but you might want to keep an eye on the mixed nuts and the dairy, because they can contain carbs, and it’s easy to go overboard on them. That’s not necessarily to say don’t eat them, just watch your quantities. Also, the celery, broccoli, etc. don’t need to be raw; there are lots of good ketogenic recipes for cooking them.
Not all nuts are created equal. Head first for the macadamia nuts or pecans. Much higher ratio of fat to fiber and carbs. Also, they have a somewhat better Lipid profile.