Learning as I go


(Trish Anna Ta) #1

Hi, just joined. I’ve been on keto for 2-1/2 weeks. Lost almost 10 pounds, but a surprising number of inches. (I wasn’t going to check but got curious)

When I first started, I only knew to eat eggs, butter, bacon, cheese, cream cheese, and coffee with coconut oil. After a couple days I HAD to eat something else - at least less bacon. Not used to the stuff in it.

I do weigh foods, read labels, pee on a stick, keep a food log. I shoot to keep my calories with a range (my usual struggle is not wanting to eat enough), and keep carbs under 20 grams. Usually closer to 8-15 grams. Protein has been harder but I don’t worry much about it - typically 16-22% because I am trying to limit it. (I’m recently post menopausal and recovering from cancer treatment, not very active again yet.)

I did discover that coconut oil in coffee is key for me. I made a few changes about a week and a half in and no longer “needed” it for fat, so I dropped it. And after losing 8 pounds, my weight loss stalled, going up and down over a 2 pound range. I experimented with changing back one thing at a time, no results, till I added back the coffee and - Bam - immediate loss within a day, two pounds in two days. Guess I’ll stay on the coffee and coconut oil! And I only add about a teaspoon and a half.

Oh! And managed lunch out with my sister in law! Chili’s - had a burger, bacon, and cheese, no bun, dressing, or sides, with just sliced tomatoes and mustard. Ketosis maintained.

Not many cravings really. Mostly I miss having something besides water to drink. (I don’t actually like coffee unless it has all kinds of stuff not good for me - I used to make mine halfway between sweet light coffee and dark chocolate cocoa). But I’m so thirsty, I’m pretty happy to drink tons of water. I obviously need it.

Now if I could only fix the breath. I never knew to expect that. It’s VILE … especially if I eat a snack of just sharp cheese. I can barely stand myself and I’m afraid to breathe toward anyone. :wink:

Happy to be learning more recipes. I’m actually starting to enjoy cooking new things. Fathead pizza dough was a pleasant discovery!


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #2

First, maybe don’t weigh so much. It’s a struggle. I’m a recovering scale addict, and I almost gifted myself a weigh in today, but decided against it. Your weight is going to fluctuate on a daily basis. That is what it is. Your actions of today may not show results on the scale until the day after next. Daily weighing leads to a lot of unnecessary tweaking of your process.

Second: for ketone breath, mints can cover it. Sugar free ones or gum. Atkins or Eades used to recommend chewing parsley.


(Trish Anna Ta) #3

Thanks. :slight_smile:

I actually never used to weigh myself. And I’ve noticed I can weigh a pound less three hours later for no reason.

I might be wrong in all of this. Very open to that possibility as well. But I do think there was a problem with removing the coffee, and I might not have found it without that? I did make a change then monitor for a couple days to see what happened, instead of thinking the result would be immediate. That’s why within a week, I hadn’t figured out yet it was the coffee. (I thought it might be less fiber, since I stopped eating raw spinach for a few days, and I thought it might have been introducing small amounts of sugar alcohols - that’s as far as I had gotten in “testing” in a week, but the coffee was the only other change).

Too bad it’s winter - I will have to plant some parsley and try that. I wasn’t sure if gum/mints were worth the carbs, but I have seen xylitol gum at the health food store. :slight_smile:

Thanks again!


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #4

I work in an office and don’t talk to many people face to face, but there are lots of sugar free gums and mints at the supermarket that work for me without kicking me out of ketosis.

So, here’s the thing about experiments with eating. It’s very hard to isolate one variable to test. You’ve done the coffee thing and stopped the spinach at the same time. Who knows which did what.

I do a Starbucks in the morning, five days a week. It’s a grande in a venti cup, and the rest is HWC. I throw three equals in. It’s not a problem for me. N=1. Mileage will vary. But starting simple is a good idea.


(Trish Anna Ta) #5

Thanks. :slight_smile: Yes, simple is a good idea - not that it was intentional, but it just happened that way. I’m slowly adding recipes, but basically I’m finding that a lot of it is basically the same kinds of ingredients, just arranged different ways.

I admit I’m looking forward to approximating more things I’m used to eating. Not so much the sweets or even the carbs (though I miss potatoes!), but a little tweaking should make good chili and such. :slight_smile:


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #6

Have pressure cooker, will travel.

In six servings, it’s 9.5 g of carb per. Lot of protein, lot of lipids, works for me. But I like that Texas/New Mexico style without beans and without tomatoes.


(Trish Anna Ta) #7

Oh thanks! I saw another pressure cooker recipe earlier today - roast to make shredded beef - was thinking I might drag it out.

(There’s apparently a countertop appliance now that is a pressure cooker of sorts that I never heard of before!)

I’d miss the tomatoes, but this sounds interesting. Thanks again!


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #8

Yeah. Instant pot. They’re great. Take a bit longer than traditional PCs but a lot more convenient. And can cook rice (worthless now), stocks, soups and more.


(Rob) #9

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

Good to see that you’re getting good results on Keto. It looks like you’re off to a great start :slight_smile:

Just a suggestion, as I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but I add the juice of a lemon to salted water. I add 1tsb of sea salt to 1.5 litres of water. It helps with electrolyte balance, keeps me hydrated and the Lemon (or Lime if you like) helps kidney function.

I can relate to that! Cheese makes my breath smell rank! It’s just one of those things that you’ll learn to find solutions to, like mints/parsley.

Absolutely love FatHead Pizza and I now have a couple of “customers” in the office for it!

Keep us up to date on your progress in general and if you have any questions of course check out the FAQs or post a question if it’s something more unusual, we’re a very helpful bunch. :smiley:


(Rob) #10

See - it’s Big Keto trying to make a buck off all these fad dieters!! :money_mouth_face:


(Rob) #11

:rofl:

I wish! I actually just gave away my left overs as I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat if before it went off in the fridge and I was out of space in my freezer (the “problem” with fasting!!)

They were very grateful and commented on how filling it was :wink: Go figure! Little do they know that I’m using it as a gateway to Keto. :wink: MMmmwwwwoooohahahaha!!!


(Jo) #12

I don’t like coffee either but i LOVE tea - try some different ones - add some cream and coconut oil, and a pinch of vanilla extract… I’m experimenting with a whole line of lattes that pretty much replace breakfast most days and are a pleasure to enjoy…

(Full disclosure, may lead to piles of tea bags in your house- I"ve lost count on my experiments) my favorites are my

  1. London Fog Latte Bulletproof London Fog Latte

  2. Chai latte - same concept

  3. Berry triffle latte - no vanilla - just cream and coconut oil.

Happy experimenting - i find that to be one of the awesome things about this WOE is the need to experiment to change your habits and all of the great discoveries I make along the way!


#13

Was going to say the same thing about tea. I actually never liked coconut oil in my coffee…And I LOVE coffee…but I didn’t mind it in tea so in the beginning I would have a sort of tea latte with coconut oil and HWC for a treat after dinner.

Grew out of needing it evenutally…


(Trish Anna Ta) #14

Just stumbled across the forum again. Still going strong. :slight_smile: I’m glad to see the suggestions for tea - I’ll have to try that. I miss tea. I’ve actually grown to like the coffee but one a day is usually enough. I ran across Zevia soda and tried it, but don’t like it. I probably have a small collection of tea already so I’ll be giving them a try. A bit of coconut oil before bed might be a good thing. :slight_smile:


(Trish Anna Ta) #15

And I guess some folks lose faster than this, but I’m almost 20 pounds down (19.8) and I think I’ve been doing this for about 7 weeks now. I’m happy enough with that. I never starve, I don’t feel deprived, and that’s essentially without exercise (recovering from cancer treatment so I’m having to ease carefully into exercise but I hope I’ll be up to it soon). :slight_smile:

My only question right now is that I had stopped using the urine test strips for a week or two maybe. I was very consistently at the darkest shades, and had learned what kinds of things would lessen it a little, so avoid those things, and when I did get a little lower (the second time I think Chili’s put something in the meat or ? - knocked me down a bit) - but I could always get it right back within a day and a half. Two days ago I tried an Atkins product (didn’t read the label - tons of malitol) and I happened to test next day - between nothing and trace. Have been perfectly strict since then, 2-1/2 days, still nothing-trace. I’m wondering if I could just be fat-adapted and should give up testing, or if the malitol messed me up that bad. But whichever the case may be, I’ll just stay on keto diet and avoid the malitol. I don’t feel any different, still losing apparently. Just had me wondering. :slight_smile:


(Momo) #16

There’s a total trick for that!! Hershey sugar free syrup is made with erithrytol; 1 carb, 1 tbsp.
My morning coffee:

2 packets truvia
2 tbsp SF Hershey syrup
2oz heavy cream
Stir----------
Add 24oz cold coffee
Ice


(Trish Anna Ta) #17

Seriously!?

I LOVE chocolate coffee. That’s how I used to drink it. And I actually bought some sugar-free Hershey’s syrup during a weak moment but I never opened it.

I need to have a look. I’ve learned that some no-calorie sweeteners are ok for me, and some aren’t. And some I like, some I don’t. I found what I think is a good article comparing how they act in the body too. But I have yet to sit down and look at what I’ve actually got and figure out what I might actually use. Normally I just avoid it so far. But I think I know enough now I can make a try. But if I’ve lost the use of the keto stix I’ll have to be careful, as I don’t want to risk sabotaging myself.

LOL if I’m going to avoid all those foods I am missing, I want it to COUNT. :slight_smile:

But seriously, thanks! That sounds like something to try. I’ve added a drop of liquid stevia a couple of times, and it’s slightly better. But I really don’t mind the taste of unsweet coffee anymore. I use an immersion blender to make a foam (usually) and that seems to trick me into thinking it tastes better. :wink:


(Karen) #18

Mint tea or I scare the children!:dash:

K


(Momo) #19

I’m down 65lb since July. If there’s one thing I can’t abide it’s bad coffee. I’m not super strict and it works for me.


(Trish Anna Ta) #20

I really have been super strict because Keto felt like a “last chance” for me. Somethbig seems to have gone haywire with my metabolism. I used to have a farm - hard work, fresh food. I was in decent shape. Sold the farm and didn’t have a place yet so lived in a hotel for 3 months with no real kitchen so too much convenience food and too little exercise. I got badly out of shape - then cancer treatments and things got worse. I couldn’t lose weight. So frustrated with doctors who just kept saying “eat less”. I got down to 350 calories a day and still didn’t lose. Honestly I have felt like giving up. But several things about Keto got my attention when I read up on it, and I had a hope it might jolt my metabolism where nothing else has. So I can’t tell you how glad I am to have lost 20 pounds and pretty quickly. I’m just glad something can work. So yeah - I’ve been strict since I wasn’t willingly to mess up my last chance. I probably won’t be so strict forever, but I’ve not had even a bite or sip of “cheating”. I must say, I really miss fruit though. There’s some awesome oranges in the house. But yeah, so far I’ve been very strict.