Floundering, f*cking Up, want to quit

(Sheri Knauer) #18

You can try easing into it. First 2 weeks, eat only 3 meals a day and add some fat to your plate. 2nd 2 weeks cut out anything sugary, next cut out grains. Each time you cut out something, add in a little more fat, Then maybe try skipping breakfast and eating enough at lunch and dinner so you are satiated and not wanting to snack.
Maybe it’s too much of a shock to your body to suddenly go to a keto diet.

#19

Why would you want to quit? Your health is at stake here. Sticking to keto has been incredibly easy for me. I don’t have any non-keto foods in my house.

(Miss E) #20

Whilst it’s great that you’ve had that experience, this journey is different for everyone.

#21

Indeed, that’s a pretty obvious conclusion anyone could make. I said nothing to suggest that this journey isn’t different for everyone. I was just sharing my experience.

(Samantha J Ross) #22

Keto is hard for me! I have an eating disorder and I was super depressed the other day so I relapsed and ate something really bad. Probably close to 80g carbs in just one meal. I’m embarrassed to even mention it but luckily it didn’t throw me out of ketosis. I’m also afraid to admit it because I feel like people here don’t mess up. A lot of them do it for medical purposes and don’t seem to have an unhealthy relationship with food like I do. Not that any one has been judgmental, actually everyone’s been super nice here. It’s still hard to admit! I think you’re super brave for even saying that you’re struggling with Keto for whatever the reason is. Is it mainly the keto flu or are there other factors as well? And what is your motivation for doing keto?

Starting keto is so hard for me too. When I first started it I did it because I wanted to lose weight. I’m a crash dieter, and even though keto worked fast, I fell off the wagon so many times. This time around I changed my mindset. I decided I wanted to be kinder to my body and mind. So I decided to do keto because it helps me eat healthier(more veggies), gives me more energy and mental clarity, etc. weight loss is part of it but not the main reason. It’s easier for me to stay on track this way. But I had to change my mindset first. I’ve only had 1 “cheat” in a few weeks since restarting, whereas, I used to have one or two “cheats” weekly and go in and out of ketosis.

I think you need to up the fat and up the protein. It’s actually good to eat a lot of protein the first couple weeks of starting keto. If you cut carbs slowly then ketosis happens faster once you cut them out completely. Worked for me. I was in ketosis in like a day. Also try to do some HIIT workouts if you can. Your body will eat up carbs super fast.

#23

Go easy on yourself! You have friends here and a ton of support. I just started fasting myself and I made sure I was in ketosis with some test strips prior to the fast. I think fasting would be too difficult for me if I wasn’t a fat burning machine. I had headaches during my first fast and I made sure to drink two bottles of KetoAide homemade
each day of my next fast. It was great and I had tons of energy when I broke it at 72 hours. I also had some trouble getting into ketosis because I was having some hidden carbs I wasn’t accounting for. Just be careful, bacon and eggs are my go to if I can’t find anything else in the house. Good luck!

#24

Nature isn’t fair. Some of us have to work hard and make a conscious effort to manage our “head space”. It took me a long time to figure out what made me tick so that I could achieve the results I wanted in life.

Every morning I spend time focusing on my whys. Not my goals, but the reasons why I want to achieve them. Reasons are always emotionally charged. And emotions are what drive actual behavior.

I break down all goals that will take longer than 90 days to accomplish into smaller objectives and ultimately actionable steps. I track these items and holding myself accountable to them becomes positive reinforcement. As these small successes accumulate, my resiliency increases, allowing me to withstand the occasional setback.

I focus on results, not perfection. I evaluate myself based things I can control, not those outside my control (like weight). I keep track of this (results, behaviours, thoughts/analysis, feelings) in a journal.

I accept myself unconditionally. I sometimes catch me beating myself up over some screwup I committed in the past, and need to consciously remind myself of what an awesome person I am. I work on forgiving myself and moving forward.

That’s the concept, here’s an application:
Long term goal: decrease body fat from 50% to 18%
Why: because I want a body like an MMA fighter
Short term goal: 25% body fat by June
Objective: GKI < 3 at least 20 days per month
Actionable items: lift 3x per week, HIIT cardio 3x per week, walk 10k steps daily, go to bed by 11 pm, etc.

#25

For me, the keto foods are the foods that I enjoy. I think for a lot of people, once they become adjusted they find they no longer have sugar cravings, and that they enjoy the keto-friendly foods much more than the old carbage. So maybe instead of a mindset of deprivation, i.e., what you cannot eat, switch to a mindset of abundance, what you can eat. Keto is a joyful way of eating IMO.

(Karl) #26

I have to say, these kinds of posts break my heart.

I am SO biased in favor of keto, so any posts by me should be taken with that in mind. It was a life-changing thing for me. I struggled with my weight, self-esteem, etc all my life. I yo-yo dieted. I went through periods of being thin & attractive to the ladies to others where…well, not so much. It took me until the ripe old age of 46 to find a way where I can eat, be thin and healthy and not feel like I’m fighting my damn self or my own hunger. Keto does this for me, and I have been pretty successful with it to the point where I DON’T CARE about all the “keto will kill you” articles i’ve seen on my google feed lately. This is how i’m going to eat, and i’ll stop when you pry those ribeyes from my cold, dead hands.

So when I see these kind of posts, I feel heartbroken - because I get in this mindset of “Well, if you can’t be satisfied with a diet that calls for things like Bacon & Butter, then just what kind of diet WILL make one happy?”

It’s a little short-sighted, I know… but that’s how it looks to biased ole me. Given your YEARS of struggling with this way to eat, I have to wonder: Is this way to eat truly right for you? Because in my eyes, a way to eat should fulfill certain requirements (for me, anyway). The first one for me is that I simply must not be made to feel like i’m hungry all the time. Keto is the first “diet” that did this for me.

Early on, I had a lot of the same fears you have. What reassured me was a simple fact: All I was doing was eliminating carbohydrates. That’s it. Has limiting carbs ever killed anyone?

I think it’s kind of incredulous that we’ve gotten so accustomed to carbs that some of us GET SICK when we withdraw them (though I don’t - i’m one of those unicorns that never got any kind of “keto flu”). That “flu” is telling though - that maybe carbs aren’t so great to begin with. Conversely, we’re dying of T2D when we consume too much of them. If that’s not a nail in the carb coffin, then what is?

I think you should take a step back and evaluate whether this way to eat will work for you at all. I’m a huge keto fan and all that, but if i’d gone through 3 years of frustration while being completely honest with myself regarding compliance to basic keto principles, then I’d seriously consider it a poor fit for me. I think a lot of Keto cheerleaders tend to believe that Keto is good for everyone when in fact it might not be.

(Marie Dantoni) #27

I am writing out your post and putting it where I see it every morning. Thanks !!

(Marie Dantoni) #28

What is GKI ?

#29

https://www.perfectketo.com/track-your-glucose-ketone-index/

(Marie Dantoni) #30

Thanks !

#31

I did a slow ramp down of carbs, and never had the “keto flu” not sure if that was just unique to me, or if the slow ramp of carbs from 50 down to 20 over the course of a week helped.

(Saladnut) #32

Keto can cause detox. You may have a lot to detox. You can perhaps follow a bit moderately to minimize your symptoms. Liver cleanses may help, but they can bring on herximer reactions as well. Good luck!

(Felix) #33

I feel your frustration!

It reminds me of one of the 2 dudes podcasts with Jason Fung. He was talking about getting patients started, and one of the guys asked about what the patient’s ketone levels were. Fung’s answer was his blunt best: “Who the f*** cares?” and that what mattered was what works. It seemed kind of like heresy, Fung saying it doesn’t matter if a patient is in ketosis or not. Not a millimole in sight. But the doctor’s point was that the patient doesn’t need to know blood measurements —or even be in ketosis — they need to do what works.

So, what works for you? I mean specifics, not the keto wagon as a whole. Today, right now, what would help? Not eating x carb? Then don’t eat that one thing. Eating brussels sprouts because they’re awesome and you can put butter and salt on them? Sprouts ahoy!

If the keto flu doesn’t work for you, then find a way around. Slowly reduce carbs. If it takes a few weeks, that’s just fine. If you feel like crap, have some bone broth and brocolli and a put a few wontons filled with meat in it. (This got me through, personally. I stopped eating wontons when I got through.)

Find your favourite foods that are keto-ish, and go from there… and be kind to yourself… That has worked really well for me for 60+ pounds.

(Meeping up the Science!) #34

I struggled with keto for a long time. The biggest thing is to be kind to yourself and examine why it’s occurring when you have safe space to contemplate it without beating yourself up.

As for the keto flu, might need to add a small amount of calcium, too. Calcium is an electrolyte as well, and we often neglect it. Might also be psychological/anxiety based. It could be a lot of things. Approach it like a scientist and proceed methodically without being angry at yourself. And, don’t hesitate to reach out for support too :slight_smile:

(Joanna) #35

Thank u thank u thank u for your kind words!

I will keep reaching out for help! :rose:

(Chasity Hedges) #36

I love this train of thought im going to start using this!

I decided to do an experiment last night. I have no idea why I wanted to do this but I just did I have been keto for 2 months and decided I wanted to do a cheat and have a Carl Taco Bell night . I ate the Taco Bell around midnight last night and it is now 8:30 a.m. I don’t feel super terrible have a little bit of pain in my joints and I had a slight lower headache this morning immediately made some water with apple cider vinegar and I’m starting to already feel better I don’t know if this is because my metabolism is higher or bc im deep in ketosis so im able to handle a larger carb meal every once in awhile. I do know that im ready to get right back on track today and looking forward to eating burgers all week out of the giant 10lb roll i bought at sams club!!

#37

I love your post!

I have always found going cold turkey on ANYTHING to be the best way to shoot myself in the foot. Leaving keto for long makes me feel grottier than carb flu ever did. But that is me. Other people find it hard to get into Keto eating. Some like to go the whole hog. Others like an easy slope.

If it is easier to go in gradual stages, then that is OK. Whatever works.
Besides, some people are in ketosis on lots more than 20g carbs a day.

Whatever works for each of us.
When I have strayed into carbs for a few days I NEVER stop eating them suddenly. I just have a couple of days with much smaller portions or only eat some carbs once a day. It means I sidestep the carb cravings.