New to this - not sure of what I should do

[Olivia_Bilocca]

I started Keto on Monday so today is Day 6. I exercised twice (30 minutes each, Yoga). Never ate more than 20g net carb, hit my fat macro but nearly ate over my limit on protein. Finding it hard to load on more fat without there being protein in it.

[Bluhourbird]

I guess that does take some time! In the beginning I really went over on the protein too, mostly because I was still hungry - I really noticed the switch in thinking in myself this morning when grocery shopping - basically looking at vegetables (which I happen to love) as “fat delivery systems”.Kale and cauliflower became a way to get a lot of butter in (Mashed cauliflower, maybe a sprinkle of parmesan but still not high protein), brussels sprouts turn into complete delicacies roasted in bacon grease even without actual bacon pieces, radishes are amazing with homemade avocado mayo, and the lambs lettuce has become a “oh, lovely with lots of olive oil” item. I haven’t been going over most days for the last 2 weeks.

Doesn’t work quite so well on the road where often the only low-carb option is the meat. I try to add more oil to salad and more butter to plain veggies when I can get them. If it’s a real concern, buttered coffee or tea (like the tibetan tea, really strong with a pinch of salt - nice). Macadamias were also really helpful.

[Olivia_Bilocca]

Thank you for the reply. This morning I was seriously thinking this is not for me. After reading your post I pooped over at the supermarket and got some broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, spinach and avocado.

You explained it very well. I was trying to add fat (when my whole life I’ve been avoiding it like the plague) in the form of salami, deli meats etc to meals and meat like rib eye. So obviously I was going well over the top with proteins.

Do I need to count macros and calories or not? The information out there is very confusing. I’m completely new to this (I’m coming from the clean eating background).

Now I will try my usual portion of protein and go for the above mentioned veg with butter/mayo/oils etc

[Brenda]

Hi @Olivia_Bilocca

You’re doing fine. In the beginning, relax. Don’t worry about macros except carbohydrate. Always watch carbohydrate
Here’s a little something I wrote that may help you. Also, listen to the 2KetoDudes podcasts. I’ll be right back with the links. <3

There is no keto rulebook

Here’s a tip: Don’t get too anal or dogmatic about anything. That’s a recipe for disaster. If you want to adopt this as a permanent lifestyle, it’s important to relax and keep it simple. There is no “one true way” to be on a ketogenic diet. There are also no rules. Or rulebook. The only criteria is to remain in a state of ketosis If you get bullied or chastised for eating a very low carb Joseph’s pita because it has grain, if pearl clutchers come out of the woodwork because you ate an artifi…

[Bluhourbird]

Yes, confusing info - but also I think lots of things work for lots of different people. There are people with way more keto experience here than me so I’d let them help on this point (I see @Brenda has posted while I was writing this - will read her post now, always super helpful!) , but for me personally, I’d say it depends on mindset/personality.
If it stresses you out to track, just track carbs, that’s the main thing to watch anyway - ballpark the protein and eat fat to satiety.
If, like my own geeky self, you get a kick out of getting a macro pie chart to a certain percentage distribution (or over in case of the fat) - why not go for it? It’s a game for me right now, so it’s fun - if I ever got obsessed and started worrying and took myself super seriously here, I know I’d have to ditch the macros, just like I had to ditch the scales at some point. I am back now to allowing myself a weekly weigh-in - but no tracking, charting, obsessing over ups and downs. And while MyFitnessPal tracks the calories as well as the macros, I am not allowing myself to even look at the numbers unless something feels off. I know an ADF fast day is 500 calories, technically, but trying to hit that causes me anxiety, especially if I can’t prep my own food, so I just have one meal under 20g carbs, and see if I can make choices that make a pretty pie chart . If I am hungry on a feast day, I have a look to see if that is realistic (mostly it kinda is, I can easily undereat - too many years of dieting = slow metabolism and lots of skewed habits).
So in conclusion: to me spiking my stress hormones is worse than my macros being off by a few percent from a perceived ideal, or not fulfilling some other “rule” or expectation of myself. You’ll figure out what works for you.

[Olivia_Bilocca]

Feeling much better after reading your replies. In terms of weight loss, when does it kick in? I forgot to mention that whilst I’m used to drinking 2 litres of water daily, in these 6 days I barely managed 1 ltr as I feel so full. A bit of context: I only have minimal 2-4lbs to lose. I’ve been on a clean eating/low carb lifestyle for years and years. The problem though is that I can under eat, then get home after work and start bingeing like there is no tomorrow. So whilst I’ve always maintained my weight in the past year I’ve been struggling because I’m not satiated and hungry most of the time.

With regards to keto flu: I’m suffering from daily headaches, upset stomach (even at the thought of eating more fat, I’ve spent all my life running away from it until now), bloated lower belly with sort of menstrual pains (I’m not soon getting my period, I’m on the pill).

[RedThain]

For the flu you need to up the salt I’m up to 5-6g a day. Listen to “the salt fix” interviews. The flu comes while trying to use up your glycogen stores. Use the high fiber veggies (power greens mostly) for your carbs will keep you feeling fuller. You can load them up with oil, hemp oil and fatty dressings. Try keto/bulletproof coffee, I highly recommend! Hit your net carb and protein grams and use fat to satiety. Don’t just stuff your self with fat to hit macros. Your body will get the rest of the fat from your body stores.
Good luck and pass the butter.

[Bluhourbird]

I also had an upset stomach in the beginning - bitter flavours helped, bitter herbal teas (or just leaving the green tea to steep too long), some milk thistle supplements to stimulate bile production - and some experimentation … I really don’t do well with coconut milk or coconut oil except for frying pancakes or MCT oil … butter and ghee all the way for me.

Lower belly pains … a bit of constipation maybe? I had bad lower back pains in the beginning …

Have you discovered the post on “ketoaid” yet? Miraculous stuff!!! Keeps me regular, headache free and happy as can be especially on fast days. That being said, haven’t had any yet today, let me correct that right now!

KetoAide homemade

It is very important that you check with your doctor before consuming Lite Salt, as it contains potassium. Do not over consume Lite Salt! I normally only drink two bottles of KetoAide a day and only add 1/4 teaspoon Lite Salt to each bottle. Do not supplement this with additional teaspoons of Lite Salt! That’s too much potassium! Again check with your physician before consuming Lite Salt. [image] [image] 290 mg sodium 350 mg potassium 75 mg magnesium

[Olivia_Bilocca]

Do my symptoms mean I’m in ketosis or getting close?

I’m so glad I found this forum! Thank you for taki g the time to reply. Speaking of ketoaid: thank you I will have a look. Furthermore, do I need other suppliments? I bought Zinc and Magnesium. Do I also need Potassium? Anything else?

I’m going to a hen night for a very close friend tonight, will do my best to stick to keto. 1 to 2 dry red wine glasses and stay away from the carbs.

[KCKeto]

YOU GO, GIRL!!! I am new too, nine weeks in. I had similar ‘symptoms’ and they took a week to ten days to resolve. Here are a few things that have helped:
Tummy trouble: Digestive enzymes with lipase helped, boosted the ability to digest fats after so many years avoiding them.
Weigt loss: I didn’t lose anything for the first two weeks, then dropped four pounds overnight. I was told our bodies first spend time healing cells, so try to be patient. My clothes fit better right away and I lost bloat in the first week. I now lose a steady 1 pound a week. I am usually thin but gained 12 pounds in the last year during an extended crisis situation: little sleep, stress & poor food. After the crisis ended my usual strategies didn’t work. Maybe because I’m now 48, but I work in a business where there’s lots of pressure to be/stay thin.
It helped that after the first week my energy became steady, constant, no need for sugar/caffeine pick-me-ups and my concentration & brain fog have steadily improved. So keeping track of what is improving helped motivate me until my weight started dropping.
Supplements: good idea, just pay attention to how you feel. I needed the magnesium, potassium, zinc, salt a lot at first but not often now. I go to a functional/Integrative Medicine doctor so I already took many supplements, but as time goes on I find I need them less and less. I feel so much better, my hair is growing in thicker, when I fast for even just 36 hours my vision improves. I use Celtic gray and Himalayan pink salt daily. I already took magnesium & GABA to help me sleep at night and I now only need them a couple times a week. For me that is a HUGE improvement. My trainer taught me to use L-glutamine powder for sweet cravings & brain fog. Capsules or a little powder straight under my tongue, chased with water. Helped a lot at first; I need it less now.
Parties: I blew it once since I started, on a single cookie and a few bites of cheesecake at a party. I gained five pounds the next day. It was mostly water but my body was pissed, took nearly a week to lose that. Discouraging but it taught me a lesson. Now I always take something with me that I can eat and I take enough to share. I say, “oh this is my new favorite thing so I brought you some to try,” and it’s received well. My favorites are cold cuts & cheese (genoa & provolone or prosciutto & mozzarella packs) and a can of macadamia nuts. I get mine at Costco. Another good one from the grocery store is pepperoni slices with a dip of whipped cream cheese or pesto. When you microwave the pepperoni slices for about a minute they get crispy like chips. Also works with sliced genoa. This worked great for me last night at a party. I nuked the slices, melted a little cheese on them, topped them with basil pesto. They looked and tasted like mini pizzas and kept me out of the regular pizza. Mac nuts kept me out of the cookies. Dry wine & vodka soda with lime work for me, but I tend to eat more when I drink so all the more reason to take snacks.
Sweets: I like sweets and my husband loves them. Maria Emmerich’s recipes have saved my ass. mariamindbodyhealth.com. I have lost my sweet cravings through keto, but knowing I can eat them on occasion keeps me from feeling deprived. I make one of her recipes on the weekend and it keeps my husband happy and after a month or so he decided to join me in eating keto. We like her recipes for ice cream & zucchini brownies the most.
Just stay the course! Read this forum - the people are great & I learn so much here which motivates me. The weight loss is great but I feel so much better and sleep so much better that it’s worth it for those benefits too. You’ve got this!

[Bluhourbird]

Re supplements, I don’t know - depends on what your body needs really? Seems form what I’ve been reading that like most people who eat animal products get all the nutrients they need out of keto food. If you start out with a deficiency in something that might be worth looking at - but that means bloodwork . For me, paying the 30Euros extra to have my D3 levels measured 2 years ago made a real difference - boy was I abysmally low in that!

Personally, just ketoaide and the D3 I have been taking for the last 2 years already works fine so far. If I have a cold, I always have some zink, but not as a staple.
I am also eating up the fish oil capsules I still have, although with the increase in fatty fish consumption that seems hardly neccessary. I am pretty sure though it won’t cause any harm either.

[Olivia_Bilocca]

Thanks for keeping information coming my way. I feel so motivated now. I’m taking Magnesium, Zinc and Probiotics (been taking these for months before keto). Thanks for suggesting the Digestive Enzymes, took 2 this morning with my eggs and bacon breakfast and the symptoms are less than in the past days.

I will also stock on macdamia nuts and the rest you suggested. At the hen night yesterday I had 2 glasses of dry red wine and 2 large glasses of still water. Then nibbled on 2/3 meatballs in mushroom sauce and 2 bbq chicken wings. I cheated with a jalapeño and cream cheese bite which was covered in bread crumbs. I am proud of myself as I didn’t give in to the cake or cocktails.

Today off to a picnic (BTW I’m in Malta, Europe) and packed these for lunch (cauliflower and sprouts, kale and mozzarella) and bresaola with mayo, cheese and spinach for an afternoon snack. What do you think?

[Olivia_Bilocca]

[KCKeto]

Those look yummy .Way to plan! You did great at the party too. The bit of breading won’t set you back nearly as much as cake would. When I take a little time to plan & take something it always sets me up for success. There are recipe sites & apps where you can input all the ingredients and get the nutritional info break down.
You’re doing great!