New to keto, any advice?

[Echo]

Hi, my name is Robin and I’ve been struggling with keto for the past 3 days. I know it isn’t long at all, and I’m not giving up. I really struggle with sugar, and honestly I think I’m addicted to the stuff.

A little about me: I’m 27, 5’3" and I don’t know how much I weigh, I need to buy a scale. I used to follow high carb low fat, or 80/10/10. I’ve also struggled with disordered eating for years, and counting calories, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I just want to eat when I’m hungry and not worry about counting. I’m also a former vegetarian (9 years oof).

Currently I’m just tired all the time. I have arthritis, and I know a lot of foods cause inflammation.

I kind of find keto overwhelming, but I’m going to commit to it. I want to feel better. If you have any suggestions/advice I would greatly appreciate it.

[dewy333]

I started with dietdoctor.com. Personally, I found it easier to wean myself off of carbs. The photo below is from DietDoctor.com (with examples of some low carb ranges). Before I started eating low carb; I was eating 300+grams of carbs a day. I followed the liberal carbs for a few weeks; then moved down the line to moderate. I find that the moderate range works great for me. I feel great and I’m losing weight (kinda slow, but still in the correct direction). So, until that stops working for me I’ll keep the the moderate side of things. The best diet for you is one that you actually follow. So good luck!

[Mollyann_Hesser]

I was a vegetarian for 12 years, 8 of which were vegan. It darn near killed me. I also have arthritis in nearly every joint.
My advice is to pick one keto protocol (I used the Charlie Foundation) …and follow that. Don’t look at anything else. It seems the are many conflicting ideas out there and you just have to figure out what works.
I know that many people find the protocol for Charlie Foundation to be “very strick” but my arthritis disappeared after 2 weeks and I’m steadily losing weight. Im sleeping well, I have tons of energy and I’m no longer prediabetic.
I’ll take it as a win.

[Susan_Kwasney]

I was also totally addicted to sugar and it wa incredibly hard.
Yes, the first week or so is HARD! Folks call it the keto flu. Lethargic, headaches craving etc etc. It’s your body objecting to the new fuel and also you’re slowly detoxing sugar and carbs.
Actually I did what you’re not suppose to do: I fasted first. Bad choice and failed horribly.

There is nothing really you can do, except to just push through it. The real reward is what awaits you on “the other side” because it is fabulous! I am about 1 month in and I am doing an extended water fast and on my 3rd day and it is easy! When I am non-fasting I eat only when I am hungry. Even better; I don’t feel like having sugar! I realize it’s not worth eating junk and sugar because finally being this much in control, the clarity of mind and my mood swings are gone; I cannot give that up for an instantaneous enjoyment.

I started listening to the 2ketodudes pod cast. I think it will motivate you to continue! Also it helped me pick up different literature to read or look up you tube videos such as dr. Fung. I can also recommend “the sugar film”.
It feels highly motivating to know I am doing this for my health and eating sugar/carbs are not worth it.

You can do it!

[anon54735292]

This is a really good place to start

Keto Is This Easy

Keto is this easy (aka Keto for beginners) Quick Version This is for Phase One - the starter phase. It’s still not complicated later, but this is the really easy to explain version which will help you no end. Eat under 20g of carbs a day (usually 20g net when starting, but for some people 20g total carbs works better). Don’t worry about the scale. All it tells you is weight, it tells you nothing about body composition, even the “smart” scales. Eat plenty of good food - fat and protein…

[Luckymisslucy]

My tip: Don’t over think it. Get an app to track your carbs like cronometer and just stay under 20g of carbs. Don’t think about anything else until you get comfortable and feel ready to up your game. You need to ween your body off the carbs first and foremost. Keep things SIMPLE. Keeping it simple will help keep the pressure off and your stress low which is REALLY important. Stress will hinder your progress.

[anon54735292]

I need to buy a scale. I used to follow high carb low fat, or 80/10/10. I’ve also struggled with disordered eating for years, and counting calories, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I just want to eat when I’m hungry and not worry about counting

I’ll just add that maybe you don’t want to buy a scale just yet. If you’ve been restricting for a long time you’ll probably have some metabolic healing to do & for women in particular scale weight can be all over the place. In the first instance your best bet is to keep an eye on your carbs only & track how you feel/how your clothes are fitting. Keto can do some amazing things for body recomposition & that won’t always be reflected in scale weight