Lotsa Questions (3 Weeks In)

(Boris Lewis) #1

Hello!

I’m brand new to this site (what a wonderful resource it is!) I’ve been eating keto for three weeks and am trying to research, read (Gary Taubes ‘Why we get fat’), listen to podcasts (2 Keto Dudes), peruse this site, etc, to get all the info I can. I have a bunch of questions that I’d be thrilled if you could answer or direct me to the right place, or even share personal stories.

Thank you so much in advance!
Beth and Boris

o I’m a little worried about cholesterol with this diet. My last physical showed high-ish overall cholesterol (just over 200 total I believe), mainly due to high HDL (the supposedly good cholesterol) but it didn’t warrant statins at that point. But, given what I’m eating, I’m concerned about my next physical and really high cholesterol. Doesn’t cholesterol mean corroded arteries which means heart attacks/strokes/etc? I’ve seen it in my father who had a heart attack and he needed stents and bypasses etc. due to the corroded arteries….This is probably my most concerning thought wrt Keto. Any personal experiences?
o How does this diet affect women versus men? I’ve heard it can take longer to lose weight as women. Does it affect mensuration? Any special supplements needed for women other than the usual ones (electrolytes and vitamin D)? Also, I’ve heard stories of women’s hair falling out. Is that true?
o Are there occasions that we could eat starches such as potatoes. I love a baked potato! Or am I best off avoiding them permanently?
o I’ve also heard a bit about cyclical ketosis and having a carb meal or carb day. Is it dangerous if one was to go from ketosis, out of it for a day, then back into it the next day or whenever they could (e.g., Sunday have a carby meal, then back into ketosis the following day….Wednesday a carby meal for dinner with dessert etc, then back in Ketosis by Friday…)
o Lots of talk about fasting in keto…I know it’s too soon for me to be thinking about it, but I could see being fine with the intermittent fasting (IF) 18/6(?) based on the past two days with bulletproof coffee breakfast then lunch, done with food by 8pm. But what about when you hear about people fasting for many days on end? I’m assuming they’re having water. Do they have electrolytes? What about fats? Fasting to me means nothing except water, so I just wanna make sure I’m clear…. I’ve heard of people fasting for a week. How would this work? Aren’t you supposed to eat when hungry? Wouldn’t you get hungry by the end of a week? So confused (obviously) :slight_smile:
o It kinda scares me hearing about people only able to eat 1 meal a day after being on keto for years in order to keep losing weight or not gain weight. Are they hungry? It makes me think we’re messing with our metabolisms in the long term, but that can’t be the case…Also, maybe this is the pre-keto me talking, but it makes me sad to think I’m going to eventually be in a place where I can’t afford to eat more than one meal a day :frowning: I love food.
o Is it possible to eat too much fat? For instance, what if instead of 2 T fat in bulletproof coffee, I had 4T? Or…how about skin-on chicken deep-fried in olive oil and served with a cream sauce? I’m thinking the sky is the limit w fat (?)
o How did people handle the lack of electrolytes in the old days? Or did they just deal with cramping (not enough magnesium) and not enough sodium, etc.? Which do we have to supplement them now if the diet was complete back in the day?

(Ethan) #2

Wow. Welcome to the forums, Beth and Boris. That’s a lot of questions. Let me try at a few…

o I’m a little worried about cholesterol with this diet. My last physical showed high-ish overall cholesterol (just over 200 total I believe), mainly due to high HDL (the supposedly good cholesterol) but it didn’t warrant statins at that point. But, given what I’m eating, I’m concerned about my next physical and really high cholesterol. Doesn’t cholesterol mean corroded arteries which means heart attacks/strokes/etc? I’ve seen it in my father who had a heart attack and he needed stents and bypasses etc. due to the corroded arteries….This is probably my most concerning thought wrt Keto. Any personal experiences?

sarcasm OH NO! Your cholesterol is slightly above the median level! Tragedy! Whatever will the doctor do? If only there were a test to see if the LDL makeup was the bad or ok kind! /sarcasm

I wouldn’t be worried based on what you said, but you also didn’t give a breakdown of the cholesterol makeup or your age or other factors.

o How does this diet affect women versus men? I’ve heard it can take longer to lose weight as women. Does it affect mensuration? Any special supplements needed for women other than the usual ones (electrolytes and vitamin D)? Also, I’ve heard stories of women’s hair falling out. Is that true?

Some women have reported that they lose weight slower or that it takes longer to begin losing weight. It’s been posited that these women do lose fat though–as evidenced by decrease waist size–but their bone mass and other lean mass increases, which means no weight loss. It can cause mensuration to stop (at least temporarily). I don’t know more to help

o Are there occasions that we could eat starches such as potatoes. I love a baked potato! Or am I best off avoiding them permanently?

The occasion you eat starches such as potatoes are the occasions you will break ketosis and not be on the diet. You may or may not take a long time to get back onto the diet, depending on your metabolism.

o I’ve also heard a bit about cyclical ketosis and having a carb meal or carb day. Is it dangerous if one was to go from ketosis, out of it for a day, then back into it the next day or whenever they could (e.g., Sunday have a carby meal, then back into ketosis the following day….Wednesday a carby meal for dinner with dessert etc, then back in Ketosis by Friday…)
o Lots of talk about fasting in keto…I know it’s too soon for me to be thinking about it, but I could see being fine with the intermittent fasting (IF) 18/6(?) based on the past two days with bulletproof coffee breakfast then lunch, done with food by 8pm. But what about when you hear about people fasting for many days on end? I’m assuming they’re having water. Do they have electrolytes? What about fats? Fasting to me means nothing except water, so I just wanna make sure I’m clear…. I’ve heard of people fasting for a week. How would this work? Aren’t you supposed to eat when hungry? Wouldn’t you get hungry by the end of a week? So confused (obviously) :slight_smile:

It’s not dangerous to cycle, but it will hinder your progress and likely break ketosis. When we do an extended fast, we are consuming water, yes. Some require some bone broth or electrolytes, such as salt.

o It kinda scares me hearing about people only able to eat 1 meal a day after being on keto for years in order to keep losing weight or not gain weight. Are they hungry? It makes me think we’re messing with our metabolisms in the long term, but that can’t be the case…Also, maybe this is the pre-keto me talking, but it makes me sad to think I’m going to eventually be in a place where I can’t afford to eat more than one meal a day :frowning: I love food.

It’s not a big deal. We are improving our metabolisms by eating less frequently. Why is this going to mean you can’t afford to eat more than one meal a day? You eat when you are hungry. You don’t eat when you are not hungry.

o Is it possible to eat too much fat? For instance, what if instead of 2 T fat in bulletproof coffee, I had 4T? Or…how about skin-on chicken deep-fried in olive oil and served with a cream sauce? I’m thinking the sky is the limit w fat (?)

I eat a ton of fat. If you ate all fat and no protein, there would be an issue. Eat enough protein. Eat fat until full.

o How did people handle the lack of electrolytes in the old days? Or did they just deal with cramping (not enough magnesium) and not enough sodium, etc.? Which do we have to supplement them now if the diet was complete back in the day?

I don’t know how they used to deal with it, but I suspect that we store a lot of things in our fat as we build it. Then in a tougher time, we use it as we burn it.

(Athena) #3

Don’t worry about Cholesterol. In the following youtube lecture, Dr. Fung goes over many, many studies showing that low cholesterol is linked with death and heart disease. Also, there is very little, if any, association between diet and serum cholesterol.

(Charlie Kathopoulis) #4

Hi @Boris_Lewis welcome to the forums. Glad you are in and asking questions :slight_smile: Gary’s text and the Dudes podcast is a great start. I’ll try and answer some of your questions if I can.

I do not place much emphasis on Cholesterol overall. If your HDL is going up that is awesome. I like to look at my triglyceride over HDL ratio and try to get this number as low as possible (preferably under one). The Dudes explain it well in this episode of their podcast http://2ketodudes.com/show.aspx?episode=9

Men can go into ketosis a little easier. We find that a ketogenic diet, due to the effect it has on hormone levels, tends to stabilise women’s hormones easier. There’s a few Keto podcast specifically aimed at women that are worth a listen.
http://2ketodudes.com/show.aspx?episode=82
Anecdotally I have had ladies with irregular menses stabilise and girls with polycystic ovarian syndromes improve and get pregnant whilst on the diet.

Hair loss on any restrictive diet can be an issue but if you are eating well (and assuming no other health issues). I have never seen anyone have this problem.

If new to keto please stick to the carb totals of 20 grams or less. If you start eating starchy carbs you’ll quickly undo all the hard work you have put in. Once fat adapted you 'll bounce back from any carbs much easier, but as you have just started your keto journey starches will derail your hard work. As for cycling in a ketogenic diet, I again would caution to first become fat adapted and get the basic principles of this way of eating. Once you have adapted then, by all means, experiment with your self and see how your body responds.

I have been keto for the past 6 years, I work out on an empty stomach as I fast 18 hours a day, and I have no problems. If i do get peckish I have bacon sitting in the fridge to nibble on, or a jar of macadamia nuts under my desk at work. I have two meals (sometimes three if i include my snacks) each day. On work out days, I have an extra meal straight after (but I am still not eating 18 odd hours each day and my meals are all in a 6-hour window). You do not have to do this as this way of eating suits my lifestyle. As you become more fat adapted your body starts to run off its own body fat stores and you simply just aren’t hungry. The only caveat is to maintain your electrolytes, hence why we recommend more salt or a mineral supplement.
Also @Athena’s link is a great video by Dr Fung.

Depending on why you are on a ketogenic diet - I would recommend you first determine how much protein you need (1 to 1.5 grams per kg lean body weight). This value (protein) and the carbohydrate total (20 grams if strict) are the macro’s you want to watch. Then fill the rest of the calories you need with fat. If doing it for health reasons then no real need to worry about how much fat just have lots :slight_smile: if trying ot lose weight then cut back (say 5 to 10%) of your daily caloric requirements as the body will chew it’s own fat :stuck_out_tongue: to make up the difference.

In the good old days :smiley: I believe most peoples were not as squeamish when choosing their foods. Bone broths (literally boiling the electrolytes out of bones) and the consumption of organs meats more than adequately covered most of their mineral requirements.

I hope that helps and excuse the long protracted answer :slight_smile:

(Dan Dan) #5

I chose IF/OMAD (One Meal A Day) for the Health Benefits (Check out Dr. Fung), Easy meal planning and less expensive, and I’m just not hungry anymore since I’ve become fat adapted. Its a misconception that Keto is calorie restricted it not, You are switching your body’s fuel source from carbs to fat not cutting calories.

Keto is keeping your Net Carbs under 20g , Moderate protein, and Fat to satiety. I started with 2000 Kcals and Macros 5%C/ 25%P/ 70%F (standard for men) this is 20gC/ 125gP/ 155gF. My Meal consists of 1 Pound (5 to 6 cups) of low carb mixed veggies (under 20g carbs) and 1 pound of fatty meat (120g protein and 90g Fat) with 6 tablespoons Butter/Fat (72g Fat) added.

A pound of this and A Pound of that and what cool fatty stuff can I find to add.This has made meal planning so easy and the variety is endless :heart_eyes:

Once I became fat adapted Indulgence days were no big deal, Holidays and special events became an excuse to fast for 48 hours. From Thanksgiving to New Years Day I Indulged every weekend and holiday followed by a 48 hour fast and lost weight :star_struck:

Calories and Macros are guidelines don’t be strict they are to help you not hinder you :thinking:

The Ultimate Goal is to become Fat Adapted, attain Optimal Health and Well Being :wink:

“May the Force (fat adaption) be with you”

IF/EF Keto WOE is Self-Discovery :wink:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:

(Boris Lewis) #6

Big thanks to everyone who provided their answers and suggestions. I’m feeling much better about this and it’s great to have you all, and all the information you’ve provided, as resources as I continue on my new keto journey. Thank you!!!