After 5.5 years of low carb/keto, I guess I have fewer rules than others. I don’t get upset if I eat too many vegetables/olives/pickles for instance or even eat red onions or salsa. I don’t get upset if I have to add a paleo BBQ sauce to my meat as I’m sick of eating meat. I don’t freak if I eat something I normally wouldn’t at dinner out (such as – gasp!! – a loaded potato) or if I eat ice cream cake for a special event. I just fast to overcome that. Otherwise, I just fast when I can, eat relatively low fat, higher protein (which I’ve found I like better), low fiber, and try to eat few vegetables per day. If I can’t make it fasting, I eat a low carb meal and plan the next time. I also never count anything unless I’m testing something - no calories, no carbs, no nothing.
Do you have basic 'Keto Rules/Guidelines' you follow?
Yep, and this is why I often limit my meal sizes too… 
That’s just Blasphemy, Bob!!! 
… Kidding, but yes, I can see one getting sick of meats, when they are done for a long period of time, and very often. (But honestly don’t think I ever will though!) 
But I do eat a lot of Seafood, Chicken, etc. trying to not overdo them, but do eat meat quite often still. 
I saw The Magic Pill this weekend! It got my husband’s attention in favor of my WOE! Loved the effects on the little girl with autism!
First off, welcome Mary, glad to have ya with us. And hope your husband decides to join you on this WOE/WOL which usually makes things a whole lot easier overall.
Yes Ma’am, it’s a nice documentary and I do usually recommend folks watching it. Very cool to see how just changing your way of eating can cause so many good things to happen, such as with the little Girl and Boy, but also the adults as well. … Don’t think you can go wrong being much healthier.
After 2+mos on “carnivore-ish” (quotes to deflect terminology zealots) ME TOO 
I’m sticking with it until goal weight (six pounds away) then debating going to just cheese and veg and no meat. I haaate to cook (did it almost every freaking night from 1981-2018 when my nest became empty 
) and when last child went to uni knowing I never had to cook again unless I wanted to was the one consoling factor in having that sadly suddenly too big house with no offspring to nurture.
Since starting this “carnivore” gig I am again cooking nightly. And just this week am not relishing the steaks and bacon anymore.
-sorry just a vent, kinda-
I’ve been on keto about 2 weeks now. At first I lost 4lbs but now nothing. No loss, no gain. I’m frustrated. Any advice?
Depends on what your eating and how many times a day. Do your clothes feel different?
Thank you Traci for responding. I figured out with much reading on this site that I have to be patient. I’ve kept the 4lbs off and occasionally fluctuate down 6lbs and back to the 4lb loss again over the past 3 weeks. I’m in this for the long haul so I’m happy with the results. I just thought I might be doing something wrong. Seems like I’m on track.
As Traci indicated, it can depend on a lot of things. And then again, it also works differently for all of us. The scale also doesn’t always tell the true story either. You can have other things going on, and still not see the numbers changing dramatically. The more you read up on these forums, the more you will see what I mean … You could also start an Accountability thread where you can post your information where folks can chime in to provide assistance? Or simply use the information for tracking purposes?
You can post your stuff, such as meals that you’re eating, how many a day, etc. (You can also check out and post on the 'What did you Keto today? The Trilogy! - I will add a link below) Very good inspiration in that thread, and everyone enjoys sharing their meal ideas. And as you say, you are still relatively new indeed, so don’t rush it. ‘Stress’ is also never good for weight loss or anything else for that matter. Simply try to enjoy this WOE/WOL but if you stick with it, I’m sure you will be happy with the results.
Thank you Dave. I’m discovering another side of me that I didn’t think I had…patience. lol
Thanks for the advice.
When I first started, I lost in the first couple of weeks but actually had a gain in week 3 and the first part of week 4. It wasn’t until the end of week 4 that things started moving downwards again, and by the week 5 weigh-in I had lost the gain from weeks 3 and 4. And here I am, 9 months later, down over 90 pounds.
Your body is dealing with some rather significant changes in those first weeks. You are forcing it to change primary energy source from glycogen to fatty acids and ketones. It is NOT used to burning those fuels. It can do it, but it’s not really good at it. It does become good at it over time, and continues to get better at it over even longer time.
When I started, I had committed to stick with it for 6 weeks before evaluating success or failure. From my past experiences with making major changes to the body’s systems (dietary changes, exercise changes) there is an inertia that must be overcome before you really start seeing noticeable results. And 6 weeks seems to be the magic number for me.
Mark Sisson’s web site also says to commit to 6 weeks when starting. I have seen others say 30 days.
After 6 weeks of strictly following the keto guidelines (I used the Dr. Eric Westman “page 4” protocol), if I had seen no results, I would have tried something else on the same spectrum that also emphasizes healthy whole foods - maybe Mediterranean.
But the ketogenic diet did work for me - by the end of 6 weeks I was down about 6% of my starting weight, and now here after 9 months I am down 30% from my starting weight.
But if I had given up because I saw a couple of pounds gain in the 3rd week, I would never have had that success.
You’re so right. I’ve read many stories stating the same. I promise I am in this for the long haul. Tried a few things that didn’t work (vodka didn’t) and things that did (lemon water to reduce fluid). I can’t tell you how happy I am. The journey alone is fun!