I am actually starting or trying to start this keto diet today. I think my friend was tired of all my questions, so he told me to join this forum. I have read a lot of different articles and I am still confused, some say yes its great and others say, no, dont do it. So here is a quick bit of my history and why I want to give this diet a try. I am 44 and 195-200 lbs 5’11.5", the heaviest I have ever been, even when I was much bulkier with muscle in the army. About 6 mts ago, I had a bad bike crash and blew out the only good knee I had left, which in turn had me not exercising, and drinking all the time. Then on July 3rd of this year I had. what I can only explain as a heart attack. After multiple EKG’s and stress test, it is not my heart. I still feel dizzy and my chest still hurts, and all the Drs can come up with is, gastro problems and stop smoking and drinking. I have cut back on all of those, cigs down to 10 a day and beer at per week, but I still feel like im dying all the time, and I can not take the pills that my Dr gave me for stress and panic attacks, which I dont think I have, those pills make me feel worse than I ever did.
So what do I do if the Dr’s have no answers and Im going broke with crap insurance trying to find out? I decided, lets start with my diet. So here I am. Now after reading threw the forum Im nervous about this Keto flu and the side effects, but on a good note I see I can have Blue Cheese Dressing BCD ha thats cool. Anyway, any help or pointers to get me started trying to fix my body from the years of abuse is greatly welcomed. As I understand it, I am starting out slow, cutting out the carbs and sugars.
New and Nervous
jonage, I can’t speak for everyone else but the worst thing that happened to me when I started Keto was a bit of light headedness. I do know that’s it’s important to drink lots of water (64 oz per day) and make sure you are getting enough daily salt. I think 2-4 grams per day (.04 oz is 1 gram) is the recommended amount. Little things like this should make sure your body doesn’t revolt too much during keto conversion. But after a few days, unless you have some pre-existing insulin issues, you will feel like a new person. More energy, more endurance and a clearer mind are just a few perks you should notice fairly quickly.
Sounds like you may have had a panic attack. Welcome to the club no one wants to be a member of. What medication did they put you on? Have you considered seeing a therapist? It helped me greatly.
Good luck buddy. I’m always getting excited for every new person who starts Keto. Wonderful journey of self discovery and getting to be your own best friend (at least in my case). I hope that it will be all fine, you fix your issues and then just enjoy smooth sailing
Reducing carbohydrate intake is over 90% of a ketogenic diet, since the point is to get insulin levels down to the point where we can use fats and ketones for fuel, in place of carbohydrate. And of all the forms of carbohydrate, table sugar (sucrose) is the deadliest, for a number of reasons. So you are definitely on the right track. You are probably already getting enough protein, so don’t worry about changing the amount you eat. But those calories you are no longer getting from carbs and sugar? Replace them with calories from fat, which affects your insulin far less than either carbohydrate or protein, so it is a safe source of calories.
Lightheadedness, headache, constipation, etc., are sometimes known as keto “flu,” but they are actually symptoms of sodium deficiency. Keto “flu” is completely avoidable, by increasing your salt intake a bit. The reason is that eating carbohydrate slows down the rate at which the kidneys excrete sodium, and reducing carbohydrate lets them go back to excreting sodium at the normal, faster level. The American dietary recommendation for sodium is woefully inadequate, even for people eating a standard American diet (SAD). Several recent studies have shown that getting 5 g of sodium a day (2-1/2 teaspoons of table salt) is healthiest, so get more salt in your diet, and drink to thirst.
There’s lots more science to confuse you with, but I’ll stop here. To recapitulate, keep your carbohydrate low, your protein moderate, eat fat until you are no longer hungry, and get in a bit more salt. You’ll be fine!
You’re going to get plenty of great advice on what to eat and when. What I’m going to say is more related to the anxiety that you seem to be experiencing and what I do to keep mine in check. Here it is. I look around my environment every day and ask myself does that make me feel at ease or uncomfortable? If I see a load of unwashed clothes how does that make me feel. If my garage is unorganized how does that make me feel. I attempt to correct at least one thing every day that makes me feel uncomfortable. Wash/fold my clothes, organize a room, put dishes away, etc, etc. A cluttered home is a cluttered mind. This doesn’t just have to be geared towards cleanliness or organization. It could be something like, have I called this friend in a while? Maintain your space, relationships, job, etc and you will feel less anxious. This is how I roll. I really need to call my mother today. 