New to this, help!

(Karim Wassef) #21

I tossed mine out and got a blood glucose and ketone test. The urine will stop registering properly once you’re keto adapted.

#22

I want to point out that for someone with CHF losing water weight is really important, too, and will mostly likely help you drop your blood pressure some, fairly quickly. Some people get really tied up in the idea that if it isn’t fat loss, it doesn’t really matter and that’s what you want from weight loss. But if you don’t have to haul it around and it helps you get your blood pressure closer to normal, then it’s all worth celebrating.

(Marianne) #23

The keto way is counterintuitive to everything we’ve known and been following with previous “diets.” You need to eat - whenever you are hungry and until you feel satisfied. In the beginning, I did three meals a day and I felt excellent and very satisfied. After a couple of weeks of doing that, I found I just didn’t feel hungry enough to eat three meals a day. That’s what getting sufficient fat will do to you. You have to eat, though. And it’s okay to absolutely relish your meals. I have to keep pinching myself over how delicious our meals are and that I can lose weight eating like this. I’d pack something to eat while you’re on the road - egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, Italian sausage links you can just pick up, bacon, salad with blue cheese dressing, hard boiled eggs, pork rinds and quacamole, etc. Tons of options.

For your keto flu and beyond, make sure you are salting your food. I first heard of people here drinking salt water which again, is counterintuitive from what we’ve been taught about salt - and the idea gagged me - but now I don’t mind it. You get used to it. You need to keep your electrolytes up.

Good luck; keep us posted! Being a man, I would hazard to say you will likely lose quickly.

(Khara) #24

Great replies already here. Since you are entering keto flu, just keep your electrolytes up, as others have already said. Also, be sure and be prepared with plenty of easy keto foods to get you through this. Beef/chicken/bone broth, cheese, beef stick, quality hot dogs, hard boiled eggs, almonds. These are lazy keto foods but they help in times of irritability and low energy if unable to cook a decent meal. Also keep meals super easy like a meat and veggie with butter or eggs and bacon. Just keep it simple in this early time of not feeling well but the electrolytes should greatly help with that.

As for congestive heart failure, I know nothing about this aside from a quick online search just now. I’ve recently been quite intrigued by the connection between dental health and heart health. I wonder if you might be interested in this too. Here is a link to another thread. In it are links to other threads and some external links to podcasts and articles.

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/cac-scores-not-0-add-your-knowledge-here/85515

#25

An update:

Two weeks in and nine pounds down, my scale does body fat % and it says I’ve lost around 6.5% body fat. I don’t trust that statistic, weigh in if you feel obliged. I have been working out a ton and eating straight keto, so probalbly have lost a few percentage points but probably not that many.

I still feel great, motivated and clear headed. I am truly enjoying this diet. Fat bombs are the bees knees as well, that is all.

(Scott) #26

I have a scale that measures BF % too. 6.5 % is probably some body fat but also a change is sodium or electrolytes. It is measuring current going from one part of the body to another. I am beer bellied at 25% and completely thin at 15%. With about eight pounds to lose I am at 19%. So while it may have value as a trend I wouldn’t take it as gospel. 6.5% seems too much pure fat % in just two weeks.

#27

Same here. I started out at around 22% and I’m down to around 14%. I feel a lot thinner in my midsection, my face is a little thinner but I still have a slight double chin which bothers me.

(Alec) #28

Don’t go hungry. When hungry, eat, and eat fatty protein. You seem like an exact kinda guy (calorie counting and BMR to the calorie): my recommendation is to seriously loosen up, stop counting calories, forget your BMR, and simply measure one thing: how many grams of carbs am I eating. That’s the only measure you need. Keep it lower than 20g, eat to satiety, and you will lose weight. Slowly, appropriately, safely. Don’t try to shortcut the process.

#29

Since making this thread I have stopped counting calories and only paid attention to carbs. Thanks for the advice. If I am on the fence about eating again or not I will count calories, but those are rare occasions lately.

#30

How long until you stop registering on the urine strips? Today marks three weeks and my levels are dropping.

(Allie) #31

Different for different people and too many variables to judge.

#32

An update, I am down about 22 lbs and my body fat is around 13%. I feel great and I am starting to see some abs come through. That was my major goal was to see my abs so I am feeling great.

However, I don’t think I have been able to regain ketosis for about three weeks.

I keep checking myself and I typically show trace levels of ketones in my urine so I know I am doing something right. Either way, the weight loss and new attitude towards food has tremendously improved my life.

Thanks for all of your help and support, onward!

(Marianne) #33

Glad you are seeing results and feeling good.

I don’t track anything and don’t want to. To me, tracking reminds me too much of weighing, which I don’t do either. It can be discouraging if your numbers are off or if you didn’t lose as much or as quickly as you thought or wanted. If you are keeping the carbs under 20g/day (I think total is better than net), then you should be just fine. Eat, follow the basic principles, and I don’t think you have anything to worry about.