Help out the new guy?

(Tyler) #1

Okay, so I do intermittent fasting with Keto (only been doing keto for a week) and I really only eat once a day because it’s the only time I am hungry. My question is if my meal is a good Keto meal.

My typical meal is as follows

1.) One boneless skinless chicken breast

2.)12 Asparagus spears

3.) Both cooked only with organic coconut oil and sugar-free seasonings.

Is this enough to cover my bases in the food department for keto? I love it, it’s filling and delicious, and not expensive.

Also, I haven’t started working out really yet but I plan to start very soon on my next day off.

I guess my real question is, do you think I’ve entered Ketosis or do I need to do some tweaking??

Thank you in advance.

-Tyler

#2

That doesn’t sound like much fat - perhaps swap out the chicken breast for thigh (they’re usually cheaper too) & have a read of this handy primer written by one of our members :slightly_smiling_face: Welcome to the forum.

Keto is this easy (Keto for beloved noobs)

This is for Phase One - the starter phase. It’s still not complicated later, but this is the really easy to explain version which will help you no end.

  • Eat under 20g of carbs a day
  • Don’t worry about the scale
  • Eat plenty of good food - fat and protein - while adhering to 20g/carbs/day. Don’t worry too much about macros and calories EXCEPT carbs. Keep them below 20g/day. (Prioritize the protein - always start with protein in every meal, but don’t panic about it.) Your job is to get fat-adapted, so give your body the fuel you want it to use. Also, your appetite will vary - it’ll disappear, then it’ll come roaring back. Happens to most people, don’t sweat it.
  • ELECTROLYTES/SALT - KEEP THEM UP
  • Buy the meat you can afford - don’t stress about grass-fed, organic (con), etc… The worst meat is better than the best bread.
  • This site has a search function (magnifying glass at the top of the page) and a newbies section - use them both, you’ll get a better variety of answers to your questions far more quickly that way. SERIOUSLY, THIS IS VERY USEFUL.[1]

That’s as difficult as it needs to be for a couple of months.

My good friend Terence (being friends with a Kiwi feels kinda dirty, but there you have it, keto makes for strange bedfellows) tells me this thing I have described above is called “dirty keto.” So yeah, do dirty keto, kids! :slight_smile:

Lots of Love, THE JUICE

Expanded version is HERE

[1]If you can’t find a useful answer after searching and reading for a while, we can help you a lot more if you tell us relevant data about yourself such as your reasons for doing keto, your weight/height/age/gender, a sample menu plan & any relevant health conditions.

(Sheri Knauer) #3

I would say you are under eating by a lot. I put those foods into Cronometer and your calories are too low, protein is also too low as is fat. As safi stated, switch to chicken thighs. Add more fats like butter, avocado, olives, nuts. I would also suggest not eating one meal a day yet, especially since you are just starting keto. Your body needs plenty of fuel during the fat adaption stage. Eat some nice, fatty rib eye steaks. Keeping your calories that low will not do you good.

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(Carl Keller) #4

Hello and welcome Tyler.

I agree with the previous posters. This is hardly any fat at all and generally speaking, it’s not that much food to live off of. I’m not sure how big of a person you are or what your goal is with keto, but if you are not fat adapted and eat this little bit of food every day, I fear you will slow your metabolism.

Continually eating like this willl lead to weight loss but it also will lead to you feeling like utter crap and once you start eating again, it will be EASIER than it was before, for your body to put back on fat.

You can literally eat twice or thrice this amount of food and lose weight without wrecking your metabolism, vastly improve your health and keep it off as long as you simply choose the right foods. @juice’s suggestions are a good place for you to start.

(Tyler) #5

Wow. Thanks for the responses. When I started losing weight it was all intermittent fasting.

I’m 5’11, and when I started I was 270 pounds. Currently I am only 219. The reason I only eat one meal a day is because it’s literally the only time I feel any hunger. I learned about Keto from Joe Rogans podcast and I loved everything about it.

As far as reasons for doing it my lifelong dream is to be a police officer and I don’t want to just pass the PAT I want to DECIMATE it. Plus I told my wife when we got married that I wasn’t gonna let myself go, and that instead I was gonna do the opposite and get in the best shape of my life and so far I’ve followed through.I also wanted something sustainable and affordable. This checks both boxes for me. Plus I love the food and it forces me to learn how to cook better lol

As of now I’m just doing the one meal but as I ramp up my physical activity I’m going to add to it as needed. It looks like for now I just need to increase the amount of fat I’m using and add some additional protein. Thank you guys so much for helping and I look forward to getting to know you all

#6

Ditch the chicken breast for skin-on thighs and legs; better yet eat more real steaks and hamburger steaks and pork chops and any kind of fish and seafood. And double the asparagus if you can afford it.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #7

I would say that if you’re eating this on a daily basis it’s a very bad thing. Not enough of anything veg-protein-fats. You also need to eat a variety of foods to be healthy. There’s no such thing as the one perfect food or meal. Variety is the healthy basis of any style of eating not just keto. You’re running on starvation mode if you’ve been at this for any length of time. You need varied fats (animal fats, evo, eggs, butter, avocados) and adequate vitamins and minerals which are not part of what you’re eating now.

(Cindy) #8

Tyler, you could lose weight on that because it was calorie restrictive. As a young, overweight man, that can be pretty easy to do, but in the LONG TERM, it becomes harder because you probably can’t live on just 1 chicken breast and asparagus per day. As some point, you’re going to want to eat more and if your BMR has dropped due to the restriction, any deviation from your 600cal/day diet will cause you to gain. Not to mention that there are so many more nice things to eat than to eat the same thing day in and day out.

To really “do keto” and do this as a lifestyle, you have to NOT consider calories and you need to eat more fat. You’ve maybe done a bit of damage to your metabolism so you need to AMP it up again. Start eating, eat fat, turn on your hunger again at least long enough to be fat adapted (vs just calorie restricted).

It seems a bit contrary, but you need to eat for health and eating in a keto way will still let you lose weight.

(Tyler) #9

I do usually eat scrambled eggs with butter and oil and heavy cream and sometimes cheese (I’ve heard going too far with cheese can take out f of ketosis)

(Tyler) #10

And that’s in addition to the chicken and asparagus on days I’m feeling hungrier