Hello! New here!

(Gemma) #1

Hi I have been reading this forum for a few days so decided to sign up so thought I would introduce myself

I am a new kid on the block with regards to keto, for a long time myself and my fiance have been piling on the pounds. Leading a very unhealthy lifestyle and if we didn’t do something about it we would be in early graves for sure. I have only just turned 30 so that is one scary prospect

I have more than half my current body weight to lose which is daunting however…

I’ve been a yo yo dieter for as long as I can remember and my main attempts at weight loss involved calorie counting. Needless to say I always caved into cravings and was never full. I thought that this was normal or diets should feel like your insides are being ripped out through hunger each night

Enough was enough and last Thursday I heard about the scam going around with the keto pills using celebs to falsely advertise their product

It wasn’t the pills that interested me it was the word keto. I decided to do some googling. My partner and I have watched endless YouTube videos and sifted out the fact from the fiction

So on Tuesday we took the plunge got on the scales, removed everything from our fridge freezer and pantry completely. We went from a home full of ready meals and convenience foods to a home full of fresh keto ingredients

I would like to give a run down of my experiences in case any other new folk are curious as to what you might expect

Tuesday was glorious… lovely home cooked meals, masses of excitement for the journey ahead and got myself prepared to be hungry in the evening like I always am no matter what. Evening snacking is my downfall. Low and behold to my surprise I wasn’t hungry at night but more surprising neither my my partner who caves quicker than me during any weight loss attempt

Day 2 came and went much like day one, all great. Recorded our macros kept under 20g of carbs watched our protein was moderate and fat levels high and yet again no night time hunger (this is an on going trend , we are not hungry until meals are due, it’s a weird feeling but a very well received one!)
high

All went well until Friday came and I woke with a taste like I had swallowed a pigeon during the night…I figured it was ketones. I hoped it was anyway. This continued until Sunday when the fatigue and the manky mouth lifted after a glorious nightmarish headache Saturday night

I have trouble with my skin and it being overly dry. Always have no matter what I try. But now after a week on me to my skin it not only fresher and not in any way dry but also clear

I have suffered from gallstones issues for a good year now and other abdominal pain which there wasn’t any medical reason for…these are gone totally. I used to use the bathroom 15 or more times a day, I had terrible bowel issues for 3 yea rs. Again, within a week these are solved

We weighed ourselves today and I lost 6 pounds and the other half lost 9 pounds. We are over the moon with this and even though we realise the first week weight loss can be higher than the weeks coming, we are still very very pleased

We purchased a cheap breathalyser in the hope of measuring ketones or at least helping to keep an eye on them. I heard that they can’t distinguish between alcohol and ketones so are a handy guide. I know blood measures are more accurate but for just a cheap thing to keep us in check we felt it pretty handy. Am currently reading between 0.04 and 0.05 after a week. What sort of numbers should we be aiming for? any advice would be much appreciated, this diet had changed our lives already. It’s no longer a diet or a chore…it is a life long lifestyle overhaul and I couldn’t be happier

Well wishes to you all

#2

:open_mouth: Hardcore Bro! :open_mouth:

(Gemma) #3

How embarrassing … Thank you, I’ve edited it !

#4

Gave me a much needed giggle :grin: Welcome to the forum!

(Gemma) #5

What a way to make an entrance :joy::grimacing: thank you

(Susan) #6

I was laughing too, and thought “what exactly does he mean??” hehe.

Welcome to the forum, duckduckgoose!

You and your partner are off to a great start already, that is awesome! You are totally on track and working as a team, so Keto on =).

(Gemma) #7

Thank you, i would also like to add no testicles were harmed in the making of this lifestyle change. Needless to say I am female so do not own a pair myself :joy:

(Carl Keller) #8

Welcome DDG.

Welcome to the best lesson you can ever learn about your relationship with food and hunger. It took me 49 years to realise that being hungry all the time is not normal and that while calories do matter, we don’t need to count them if we are eating the right foods. By restricting carbohydrates and focusing on fat and protein, your hormones will start to behave how they are supposed to and you will lean what satiety really is. For me, someone who used to eat 3 meals and several snacks a day, it means eating one or two satisfying meals a day without the urge or desire to push it any further.

The best keto products don’t have keto labels. They are bacon, steaks, chicken, butter, eggs etc. Don’t get roped in by gimmicky labels. Focus on single item whole foods because that’s all you need.

:rofl:

I’m willing to bet you need to increase your sodium intake. When we restrict carbs, it drives our insulin lower and this causes us to lose electrolytes faster than we are used to. We need to compensate for this by getting at least 2+ teaspoons of salt over the course of our day or we are likely to suffer from what is improperly called “the keto flu”. It’s totally avoidable if you maintain proper sodium levels.

(Gemma) #9

Thanks so much for your reply. I’ve heard of folk drinking salt water to help this…is it neccessary?? I’m unsure I could keep that down. Alternatives? Or will generously salting food do?

(Carl Keller) #10

I can’t stand salted water. But I do toss a dash in my coffee or in a mug of warm bone broth. I also toss a pinch under my tongue from time to time and I generously salt my food. Hot sauces are also very high sodium if you like those. Just opt for a brand that is not high in carbs.

Just don’t make your food so salty that it makes you cringe when you eat it. I find that what I once thought was too salty isn’t that salty now. My body needs the salt so it seems more accepting when I have a heavier hand with the shaker.

(Gemma) #11

I have the advantage of being a salt lover and popping a bit of rock salt in my mouth sounds way more appetizing than drinking it with water

Thanks if I feel rough again I will keep it in mind, will focus on getting the recommended each day for sure to prevent these ailments

#12

For adding salt to your diet this product is very palatable as a drink :

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255956181

I really don’t like salty water but the bouillon powder does the trick for me.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #13

Welcome to the forums, and I hope you continue to have a great experience with your new way of eating.

Two comments: First, don’t worry about your ketone numbers. After the first few days, if you are eating less than 20 g/day of carbohydrate and still breathing in and out, your liver is producing ketone bodies. Phinney and Volek define nutritional ketosis as a serum level of β-hydroxybutyrate at 0.5 mmol/dL or above, but that number is somewhat arbitrary. They picked it, Dr. Phinney says, because that was the level at which they generally started to see the benefits of ketosis. You are doing fine.

Second, the signs of low sodium can include headache, light-headedness, and constipation, so if you experience any of these, the first thing to do is simply to increase your salt intake. A few recent studies have shown that people are at their healthiest when getting 4-6 grams of sodium a day, which translates to 10-15 grams of table salt (sodium chloride), including salt already present in our food. (A U.S. teaspoon of salt weighs 5 grams, btw.)

For most people, the health risk from getting a bit too much salt is less than the risk from not getting enough (a J-shaped curve). The excepttion is people with salt-sensitive hypertension, for whom the risk rises equally steeply on both sides of the sweet spot (a U-shaped curve). The U.S. recommended daily allowance of salt is woefully inadequate for everyone, but especially for people eating a ketogenic diet.

My signs that I haven’t been eating enough salt are generally either constipation or the beginning of a migraine aura (which will stop in its tracks if I eat a pinch or two of salt). My sign that I’m eating too much salt is not diarrhea, exactly, but definitely the opposite of constipation, if you know what I mean.

(Scott) #14

^^^^yeah this is me. I have found that I can resist the macadamia nuts if I crank a few turns of the salt grinder in my palm and pop it in my mouth.

(Bob M) #15

Do you like pickles? Pickle juice is good for salt intake.

#16

I keep pickles around cuz I love them, so if I get behind on supplementing and feel lightheaded I’ll drink pickle juice. Does the trick every time :slight_smile:

#17

Dang it, didn’t even see your post! :rofl:

(Gemma) #18

Thank you all for your warm welcome and helpful tips, all going well still

As you all know, it’s a constant learning curve but so far so good

Have made sure to add that extra bit of salt here and there and been feeling a lot better…certainly over the worst

Have taken note of your advice and not become obsessed Ketone checking but check each day just to ensure still over that 0 mark and haven’t made any boo boo’s in my carb calculations

It’s still blowing my mind how full and satisfied I feel. It’s a new experience I never even felt on non diet says in the past. Remarkable

(Jane Srygley) #19

I’m so sorry you edited that out :joy::joy::joy:

Good job and glad you found keto so young!

(Gemma) #20

Little update… I am now nearing the end of my 12th day, been feeling great until this afternoon when weakness hit and a real achey feeling descended on me.

I couldn’t remember (or I don’t fully understand) which thing this means I’m lacking but I had a few pinches of sea salt and felt quite a lot better shortly after

Still not quite right, any ideas on whether I need to have anything other than salt? I hear a lot about electrolyte drinks but quite frankly I have no idea what these are !