I am starting my keto lifestyle in 2 weeks and i need a lot of help

(Gary Hall) #1

so my name is Gary I’m 41 type 2 diabetic and i am a carb/candy addict

my breakfast for the last 25 years or so has been 2 slices of toast or (rarely) a bowl of porridge and dinner is either chips (fries) or pasta while snacking on candy through the day. im not looking for a diet to lose a little weight i am actively trying to change the way i eat forever

i signed up to this forum so i would have a place to track my journey and have somewhere to ask question and talk about everything keto and more importantly recipes!

i know keto is not about counting calories but i use a electric wheelchair and have not much strength in my arms so exercise is not really possible and because i don’t burn as many calories during the day as an average person i need to intake less than what you would typically have so i may need a little help at first tweaking recipes

i have done some basic research and plan to do a lot more over the next 2 weeks before i plan daily meal plans and do a grocery shop.

can anyone recommend any apps or sites to track my progress?

if you have any questions I’m happy to answer them all

#2

Ketosis is about carb restriction. But being in ketosis is no guarantee of weight loss – how much you eat still matters.

First thing you should so is determine your macros, keeping in mind that the proteins macro is a lower limit, while the carbs and fats macros are upper limits.

To me, keto is a simple concept – “Minimal carbs. Adequate proteins. Fats as needed (for satiety).”

I also use a wheelchair, and spend most of my day either in my recliner or in bed, keeping my legs elevated. In terms of weight loss, how much you eat is much more important than how much you exercise. For me, keto makes the difference, because I’m no longer ravenously hungry all the time. Also, I’m a type 2 diabetic, so keto helps me control my blood sugar.

My boilerplate on foods and recipes:

There are so many low carb options…

There are lots of low carb veggies – mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, peppers, sugar snap peas, asparagus, radishes, celery, artichokes, onions, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, …

There are lots of proteins – eggs, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish, seafood, …

There are lots of fats – olive oil, butter, avocado oil, heavy cream, coconut oil, mayo, cheese, …

There are lots of nuts and seeds – walnuts, pecans, macadamia, almonds, chia, pumpkin, sunflower, …

There are lots of spices – Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger, curry powder, …

There are all kinds of sauces and condiments – tomato sauce/paste, mustard, SF ketchup, SF BBQ sauce, salsa, guacamole, horseradish, SF jams/jellies, tartar sauce, …

There are lots of baking supplies – coconut flour, almond flour, flax meal, psyllium husk, Xanthan gum, extracts and SF syrups, unsweetened coconut or almond milks, artificial sweeteners, …

And so many I left out. Almost an infinite number of combinations.

I do cheap and easy keto meal preps based on the proteins that are on sale in a given week.

My meal preps are a variation on sheet pan meals, with a nod to slow cooking via crockpots.

Otherwise, my pantry list is mostly geared around lazy microwave recipes.

Favorite meals:

  • Smoked salmon + capers + Jalapeno cream cheese + chopped hard-boiled eggs + diced onions
  • “Everything” omelets
  • Pizza
  • Meat and veggie “dump” soups (includes chili and curries)
  • Joseph’s Lavash Bread or Chaffles can be the start of a lot of tasty items.

Favorite side dishes:

Favorite snacks:

I subscribe to these YouTube channels for all kinds of recipe ideas:

You can even eat low carb junk food and fast food. You just need to make different choices. A few restaurant references I’ve saved:

(Gary Hall) #3

that is way more than i was hoping for thank you so much

i love meals cooked in my slow cooker i think that is going to be used a lot more :slight_smile:

#4

Hi Gary, If you haven’t already visit 2ketodudes.com and listen to (at least) the first four or so podcasts. They contain a wealth of information, that will set you up for success.
Good luck. Keto is a great way to reverse diabetes. I did, so anyone can. :grinning:

(Marianne) #5

I have gotten a lot of valuable and interesting information from dietdoctor.com. Good luck on your journey. I have found keto eating to be very enjoyable. I was a carb addict before and keto has resolved that.

#6

Smart. and HI…and I love what ya said here. You are looking for long term healthy eating change. Keto will give you that.

number one thing, cut the crap out of your life. Meat and good veg. Good veg is not fried taters or useless dead food like pasta nutritional wise…LOL

You I am sure understand healthy eating. We know the chips, candy, sugar intake from ice cream and crap must go.

Stop ALL processed foods. That right there drags you into making fresh meals for yourself. Out of a box…nope. Made for you…nope.

Just go in with the thoughts of I will cook, handle, decide my meal for me and not accept crap in this meal. I will love my protein and good fat and enjoy ‘real fresh cooked’ foods again.

there are a ton of keto recipes out there. lc/keto and more is way big on the internet…but thing is…a lot of recipes can make one want to ‘keep the old life’ in that at some point we have to let go of the sugar and crap and say…I want improved health no matter how long that takes me in my journey…and make those meals for yourself :slight_smile: fab info on the posts for you and hope your changes happen as you desire!!

and can ya get out of that electric wheelchair a bit to walk? push yourself a tad more? use the small weights to give your arms more muscle and power?

go for it all, go all in to help you :slight_smile:

(Gary Hall) #7

yeah i know it all has to go its going to be tough to stay away from it all specially processed foods. thats pretty much all i have eaten all my life though i do really enjoy cooking :slight_smile: i dont like onions or peppers and cooked tomatoes gives me acid reflux so that excludes a lot of the recipes i have found lol

#8

no, nope, not at all, it means you get the flavor your food how you want from what you put in it. recipes are made to be changed to our eating style to suit us as individuals. You be creative :slight_smile:

skies the limit. You make ‘your personal food choice’ taste and more and never ever think you can’t have…cause ya can with your changes to make it work for you and never against you……….and you love and enjoy cooking, oh yea go all in to make very meal you make the best for health and what ya love. I know you got this :wink: New personal chef to yourself…cool deal on that!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

Welcome to the forums!

A ketogenic diet is essentially very simple. The goal is to lower chronically elevated insulin levels by strictly limiting the amount of carbohydrate we eat. There are no real rules to eating ketogenically, except to keep your carbohydrate level low enough so that you can enter nutritional ketosis. A good starting level is to keep your carbohydrate intake under 20 grams a day, which is easy enough if you eat only leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower. Avoid sugar in all its forms, and avoid grains and starches, especially if highly refined. This will allow your insulin to drop to ketogenic levels and will allow your body to switch from metabolising glucose to metabolising fatty acids (a good thing, if you have excess stored fat to get rid of). Keep your protein intake moderate and replace the carbohydrate calories with fat calories instead. Pound for pound, fat contains over twice the calories as carbohydrate, so it will take less to satisfy your hunger, and fat does not elevate insulin levels the way carbohydrates and sugars do.

Our way of eating may sound paradoxical to you, but the sad fact is that most of the nutrition advice pushed by the U.S. government for the past 50-60 years is not based on scientific evidence, and most of it is responsible for the sad state of our health. Carbohydrates are not our friends, and fat is not our enemy.

The rest of what you will read on this site is more in the nature of advice. Grass-fed beef is lovely, if you can afford it, but people have successfully lost weight and healed their metabolisms by eating fast food (e.g., burgers without the fries or buns). For various reasons, we advise staying away from vegetable oils, and cooking with butter, lard, tallow, and bacon grease instead. But basically all our advice boils down to eating real food and avoiding processed food. In general, if you do your shopping from the perimeter of the supermarket and avoid the products on the shelves in the centre, you should be good.

(Gary Hall) #10

quick question. is there many keto recipes i can make in an air fryer? i have always wanted to get one

#11

Dont forget to buy supplements ( like you might need magnesium) and buy PURE foods. Processed foods contain so many hidden carbs. And buy lots of cauliflower rice as a substitute for potatoes and rice. I love it. Trick is to FRY it and not boil it in water otherwise you get mush. Rule of thumb- only vegetables which grow above ground. Asparagus might be an exception, but carrots are out because they contains too many carbs.
You will find many many recipes on youtube. One of my favourites is headbangers keto kitchen.
You dont really need an air fryer anymore seeing that you can fry in oils. But whatever!
I buy pork rinds and put them in a blender and then I use this the way I used to use bread crumbs to bread meats. Mix an egg with mayonaise and add maybe some spices- then roll the meat in that and then bread with the crushed pork rinds. I just bake them- gets them crispy this way.
I also drink mineral water with a bit of apple cider vinegar because I dont buy soft drinks anymore.

(Tracy) #12

One piece of advice I give anyone who asks about Keto is to avoid prepackaged treats and anything containing Maltitol or maltodextrin. They are considered sugar alcohols but raise blood sugar just like regular sugar.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #13

Do a forum search on “air fryer.” I don’t have one myself, but I have seen a number of posts from people who do have one.

(Kirk Wolak) #14

Gary,
Okay, I would sincerely recommend finding a VISUAL “WHY”. Put a few pictures up for a reminder!
Next, you MUST change your relationship with food/eating. You must figure out WHY you are eating, and WHEN you are eating, and WHY you are choosing certain foods.

I like the Tuna Test… “You aint hungry until you want to open a can of tunafish, and eat it out of the can!”… Everything less than that is “I could eat”… Which, face it, we could almost always eat!

Find a replacement way of “feeling good”.

Since you mentioned issues with exercise. LOOK Into kaatsu bands (blood flow restricted training).
Their machine will do the work, you can just sit there and let it do it’s thing. It will slowly start to heal the muscles! Pretty amazing stuff…

You “should” be testing your blood levels of Ketones and glucose. Don’t cheap out!

And make these changes for life!

Kirk Out!

#15

It’s not true for everyone but maybe if we swap tuna with some personal thing that works… I actually use my Boiled Egg Test sometimes.

(Kirk Wolak) #16

Great point… But I LOVE boiled eggs.
heck, I love Anchovies now… Even Sardines don’t work for me as a test.

But everyone should have their “true hunger” food. It’s great understanding…

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #17

Sardines would work for me! :face_vomiting: