New to Keto and to this forum, actually forums in general!


(Linda Hornsby) #1

Hi All I’m just about to start Keto, I purchased a book, I’ve looked on the web, and pretty much been blinded by science! I understand a little of what is required, fat is good carbs are not, is there a simplified way of eating day to day, for example I love eggs, is there a daily limit to what you can eat? Same for cheese and meats, I work in an office, I want to be able to grab food that I don’t have to worry about whilst I’m working, sorry to ask so many questions, but i’m in the UK and most of the Keto info is US based.
Thanks for reading.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

As long as you are keeping your carbohydrate low—we recommend an intake less than 20 g/day—your insulin level will be low enough to permit your fat tissue to yield up fat to be metabolized. The limit to how much you should be eating is to listen to your hunger. Eat when hungry, stop eating when you stop being hungry, don’t eat again until you are hungry again. Don’t cut calories. Let your body tell you how much is enough.

When your hunger/satiety signaling starts working right you may find yourself eating less, but don’t eat less on purpose. If you miscalculate and short your body on the calories it needs, it will slow down your metabolism and refuse to burn fat. Give it enough, and it will use more energy automatically, and release excess fat from storage to be burned.

The easiest way to do this is to stick to leafy greens and cruciferous veg, such as broccoli and cauliflower as your carbohydrate. Then eat whole foods, meat, poultry, dairy, etc. Aldi is an inexpensive source of good, keto-friendly food. Avoid seed oils; they do nasty things to your body. Cook with tallow, lard, suet, bacon grease, butter, and the like; use fruit oils (avocado, coconut, and olive) in your salad dressing and mayonnaise. If you stick to plain, whole foods (plenty of recipes on these forums), you’ll do well.

We have several U.K. members, so you’re in good company here. Some public names to look for are Dr. David Unwin, Dr. Aseem Malhotra, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick. Sam Feltham is a U.K.-based nutrition activitst, Tom Watson is an MP who just lost a lot of weight on a ketogenic diet and has been pushing it in Parliament. Even Her Majesty apparently eats low-carb, so you are in excellent company all round, I’d say.


(Jay Patten) #3

I eat at least 30 eggs a week, not kidding. Eggs do have carbs (less than 1 per egg), but you would have to eat waaaay more than you would want to in a single day for it to matter.

As for cheese, I eat a lot of that, too. But some cheeses are a bit higher in carbs, so check the label.

Keep some avocado mayo in you fridge at work. Lick it so everyone knows its yours. When you need a quick office lunch/ snack just grab some prepackaged hard boiled eggs (even gas stations sell them) and make yourself some egg salad. You can grab a handful of salt and pepper packets to keep at your desk, too.

Anyway, welcome to the Keto community. Get ready to enjoy better health, a trimmer waist line, lower cholesterol (after the initial “bump” everyone gets), lower blood pressure, a normal A1C and tighter skin.


(Running from stupidity) #4

(Linda Hornsby) #5

Thankyou, I like the sound of eating till I’m not hungry! My concern was over eating the right things, such as the fattier things like cheese, cream etc, I do have a book, but it’s so indepth science wise, it’s unlike any ‘other’ weight loss system, I’m hopeful there’s a simpler way to understand it all, without measuring etc.


(Linda Hornsby) #6

Thankyou, it’s good to know you can eat plenty of eggs, for more understanding if you eat a lot of eggs in one day (obviously not 30) does that limit you on another food? sorry to be so ignorant in all this.


(Cathy) #7

You might consider doing a traditional Atkins induction. It is easily found on line and the purpose is to get a person into ketosis and that is your basic aim to start.

Don’t forget to supplement with broth to avoid feeling ill due to electrolyte losses. I think 2 cups a day of regular sodium broth is good.


(Linda Hornsby) #8

Thankyou


(Jay Patten) #9

Not for me. I usually only eat once a day, so I will make 7 or 8 scrambled eggs with some cheese, bacon and an avocado for dinner a lot. Its a low carb, high fat meal, no doubt! Lol


(Linda Hornsby) #10

Goodness! one meal a day? that’s impressive but I can’t imagine that currently, what I am eating is eggs, meat and salad, I have cooked kale in the evening with butter/oil, but I can see me getting bored or desperate if I can’t grab something in between, I have been dipping sliced meat such as salami/ chorizo in cream cheese which is delicious but I’m not measuring it, Should I?


#11

If you get bored, I’d recommend herbal tea. Whatever you like, but no added sugar. If you get desperate, just eat. You could even try salami or cheese with butter.

One meal a day is not something you should aim for starting out. It happens naturally to some, because they just don’t get hungry more often. But a beginner should try to just eat when they’re hungry. After a few weeks, I found that I can easily skip lunch without losing energy later in the day. And I usually don’t eat breakfast.

Be a little bit careful with the fat starting out. Not because of calories, but some people see their toilet paper budget skyrocket due to not having a well adapted digestion. If your gut accepts lots of fat, just go for it. If it doesn’t, get more protein and ease up on the fat.

And make it a goal to not snack between meals. Have tea, coffee, water. And snack only if desperate.


(Linda Hornsby) #12

Thankyou


(Jay Patten) #13

I don’t measure, but that’s just me.

Keep in mind that I have been doing this a while. If you are hungry, eat. I eat OMAD (one meal a day) because I have been fat adapted for a while and I really don’t get hungry until late afternoon.


(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #14

If you haven’t had an HbA1C done recently, and can get it ordered, I’d recommend it, along with a lipid panel. It’s always good to have a baseline, so you can compare it later down the road (3-6+) months


(Scott) #15

Keto doesn’t have to be complicated.

Limit carbs to 20g (I do fine with 50g)
Eat when hungry stop when not.
Healthy fats help make you feel full.

I like the fact that I don’t need to log or count anything, freedom!


(Sheranda Key) #16

I am a Keto newbie as well as a forum newbie! My hubby and I are in our first week. I purchased a book with recipes and meal plans which has been extremely helpful.

I chose Keto because I am recovering from tonsil cancer. I had 3 rounds of chemo and 35 radiation treatments to my head and neck. Subsequently, a year later I have developed hypothyroidism due to the damage from the radiation. I just learned that flaxseed can cauae even more damage to my thyroid. Can any help me find a Keto friendly substitute for flaxseed?


(Little Miss Scare-All) #17

Hi and welcome!!! It’s generally a very nice forum from the short amount of time that Ive been here. A lot of fun and helpful chaps for sure.


(Scott) #18

I can’t say what is a good replacement for flaxseed and I am not sure if I ever had any. Generally I eat only tree nuts and very little seed. So I guess this is where I ask can you just eliminate the flaxseed without a substitute?


(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #19

Good luck on your continued recovery from cancer.
I have breast cancer, and am taking 2tbsp of flaxseed oil a day. I’ve read that in large doses (over 2tbsp of flaxseeds - not the oil) can cause problems. You can always, if you haven’t yet, check with your oncologist about it.

That said, flaxseed oil isn’t necessary for Keto. What is it you wanted to do with the flaxseed oil?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #20

Depends on what you are using it for.

I am not a fan of most keto replacement foods, except for Fathead pizza crust and a certain keto cheesecake recipe (which I crave and would be better off without, tbh). I will use almond flour for “breading” liver, chicken, etc., but that’s about it.

As far as constipation is concerned, that’s more related to how much salt I’m getting. I do get some fiber from lettuce, cauliflower, and broccoli, but I find salt is more relevant than fiber, since I went keto.

If you really need the flaxseed for some other purpose, would chia seeds be an acceptable substitute?