Hi guys,
Not sure what to say so I’ll start with a hello!
I’ve literally been reading all you threads and also checking out YouTube about Keto.
My friend does Keto when she’s been eating crappy/drinking in excess and I was always curious how this works.
So a few days ago I decided to give it a shot, I fasted for 16hrs (tbh this is easy for me as I don’t really eat a great deal) yesterday I had, 3 rashers of bacon cooked in coconut oil with asparagus and spinach and 3 boiled eggs mixed with full fat cream cheese (don’t ask I made this up in my head so I won’t quote some top chef for this!) and went for a 3mile walk. I suppose what I would like to know is this “Keto” I’m struggling to get my head around eating fat - when a lot of diets and food suggest lower fat. I’ve read about fat being the main source then protein & tiny carbs. I’ve never been a carb eater like bread pasta and stuff, but it’s funny now I’m checking labels how much carb is in random stuff, like some veg & fruit! I’ve always eaten quite healthy but my wine intake was terrible, I’ve completely stopped alcohol now for 4mth and just want to try and eat more (hopefully in keto)and shed some (wine) pounds before the summer. Anyway thanks for reading my blabbering on 
Newbie just saying Hi!
I have just very recently started and l have to admit did find the high fat requirement quite a challenge, plus having to cut back on all the veg l love to eat! I am getting there though, but it has required a real shift in my thinking / attitude, towards food.
Yeah it has, like I bought a ton of cream and steaks and eggs and I’m like what meal can I make from this?? It’s totally got me bamboozled! My brain is like, hello this is bad for you, but then I’m thinking Keto at the same time. When I was shopping I automatically picked up veg and fruit got halfway round and had to put some stuff back, shopping is a minefield for beginners 🫣😂
My body wants carnivore foods so it’s easy for me. A carnivore day for me typically looks like this:
Breakfast: coffee with cream.
Lunch: eggs and bacon or just bacon. On some days I also have mackarel, if not enough bacon.
Another coffee with cream.
Dinner: 4 pork chops or 4 chicken legs.
Another coffee with cream.
A bowl of whipped cream or (on my lazier days) extra thick clotted cream.
Fast the rest of the day.
When I started keto though I was keeping to my 20 grams carb limit, and it was rather fun. I would decide every day what my allowance would be, and switch it up, I’d also be writing down the amount of carbs in each food, and sum it up to make sure I didn’t exceed that 20 grams a day limit. Though some people can manage eating more carbs and still remain in ketosis, judging on whether they’re insulin resistant or insulin sensitive. I just went with 20 to make it easier. And then my body stopped being interested in variety and began preferring some foods to others, until I had pretty much dropped all the vegetables. But that was me. I wouldn’t see it as the end of the world though eating some berries and nuts on some days.
As to everything you’ve learned about fat being bad, it might be helpful doing your own bit of research, looking whether there actually are studies showing any correlation between saturated fat and CVD. What you’ll find is that there is an inverse correlation, that saturated fat can actually be protective, and then also look at some studies, whether they show a correlation between high cholesterol and CVD, and you’ll find this claim is also not proven to be a fact that high cholesterol causes heart disease. In order to feel I am doing the best I can for my body, I am doing my own bit of research trying to learn as much as possible, about a ketogenic WOE, and how it affects our bodies. Ketosis both a wonderful and mysterious thing to me, as there’s not been much research, or long term studies regarding remaining in this state. Personally, since embarking on a ketogenic WOE, I have only experienced benefits.
What you’ll find is keto is highly individual the way it works, and you’ll find a way that works for you. Follow the simple rules, don’t make it too complicated, at least not at the start, later you can adjust your WOE - but listen to your body throughout it all.
Wow! Thank you so much especially your take on what you eat during the day. I’ve found myself standing this morning with an avocado & eggs then thinking should I add bacon? I’m not really a breakfast person so it seems overwhelming to eat so much, you’ve broken it down so that it’s much less complicated, so thank you for that 
Yeah I think I need to read a bit more into it and maybe just eat smaller fat containing things rather than thinking full on recipes 
it’s a start somewhere I suppose 
I will also just share with you what my day typically looked like when I was on keto, just starting out.
Breakfast: Half an avocado, bacon rashers, 3-4 cherry tomatoes. Or bacon omelette.
Coffee with cream.
Lunch: The other half of the avocado or a few steamed broccoli or cauliflower florets, with 2 chicken legs or 2 pork chops.
Coffee with cream.
Dinner: 2 more pork chops or chicken legs or mackarel fillets or ground beef. And some sliced mushrooms or courgettes.
Dessert: A small handful of almonds (say, 10) or a small handful of raspberries (say, 5). 1 square of dark chocolate. On some days I would mix pumpkin seeds with raspberries and drizzle on some shredded coconut, and drop in some almonds too.
However I balanced it all, I just counted the carbs in each food, decided how much and which food on any given day, as I was very much into variety back then. The first food to go was my daily 1 square of dark chocolate. After a while I just lost interest in it.
Now I’m writing this from memory and my memory might be a bit hazy, even though I only started keto 12. Oct. 2022, so it’s not that long ago. But so much happens on a ketogenic WOE and you just won’t believe how many ways your body will change, it’s a journey. Best of luck to you🙂
Do you know your macros? If you overdo fat, it’s not only bad for your figure but you may consume too little protein.
WHY people fry bacon in other fat? Is your bacon too lean? Bacon is supposed to be fat so it fried in its own fat, it produces a lot! Maybe it’s because of the vegetables, they can soak up a ton, I remember that from my big veggie eating times, I overate fat so easily… (Not like it’s ever hard… Or possible to avoid… Sorry I just tracked again and fat is way over 200g again and it will be the same for today as well and I am a tiny bit… Disappointed? Oh no I am way over that. And 200g fat isn’t even much, so easy to go over 
But I shouldn’t.)
Good luck, find your sweet spot, you don’t necessarily need to add FAT to everything especially already super fatty items but if you like that and it doesn’t mess with your macros, maybe the opposite, do it 
I eat pork ribs today. And some cream so the fat will be high but how I will get my protein from, I am not sure yet except that it will be obviously eggs, what else? 
I need high protein so very fatty meat doesn’t bring me good macros (especially on a creamy day).
Many of us play with fat/protein ratios to figure out the best. It’s very individual. I better stay below 65% fat with my plans, energy need and high protein need.
The ideal carb intake is individual too, same for the food choices in general. Just ketosis isn’t enough for all of us.
Why do you eat then? I never eat breakfast because I always hated breakfast, it’s a wonder I didn’t get a trauma regarding it as a child. And I would overeat all the time if I had breakfast anyway.
And why do you try to eat much when you don’t desire eat? Can’t you just eat as much as you feel like, when you feel like? And tweak something if it causes problems?
Whip (or just drink) the cream, fry the rest 
I would do that. Eggs are useful boiled too. Though I can’t eat too many eggs very simple and I like variety and different textures so I have a tad more complicated recipes for them as well
I started with vegetarian keto and that wasn’t overly complicated but carnivore doesn’t even really need recipes, it’s great. There are recipes, one can complicate things very much if they fancy but it’s not needed to eat something great.
There are so many options. If something doesn’t work so well for you, you can change things up.
In what ways did you feel that the carnivore diet helped your body? What was the keto diet unable to achieve for you?
Hi Eve, that is a really good question. I’m not entirely sure how well I could answer it. It was a natural process, a preferance for carnivore foods, I have always been a meateater, but I was quite surprised how fast my body lost interest in carbs, in vegetables. I suppose I liked the simplicity, and still do. Though I have noticed that when I omit the carbs my body is warmer, my Reynauds traits become less noticeable. And my brain fog goes, allowing for better mental clarity. Also I sleep better. When I include carbs, I begin to feel cold, I notice joint aches, body aches become prevalent once more. I couldn’t tell you why, but my guess is, having been on long term antibiotics it’s impacted my biome.
It can be difficult to shed the old ideas about what healthy means. There are many people on this website who are carnivore, meaning they only eat animal products. While my mind can accept the idea that fat isn’t bad for me, the idea that vegetables might be unnecessary hasn’t really penetrated.
It can also be hard to rethink what a meal means, especially if you’re cooking for anyone else but even if you are alone. I have spent so much time with a meat, a vegetable, and a starch equals a meal, it’s still seems less rebellious to eat two low carb veggies and meat than to make a meal out of a hunk of cheese, a leftover meatball and a pork chop (Even though a little smorgasbord of my favorite foods is actually the way I love to eat, somehow getting that much pleasure out of my food seems self-indulgent.)
Nonetheless, letting go of the old ideas and experimenting with the new ones can be quite exciting once you realize that you’re on a journey. Good luck!
I never had such ideas*, a tub of mustard was a snacky meal to me as a kid 
But I get it I think. It definitely was a change, trying out carnivore… (Now I just am in its general vicinity most of the time. It’s the best, never can abandon it without serious reasons like a carby Armageddon.)
But it went quickly and easily. Maybe because I always was prone to eat things all alone. Even carbs sometimes though it was very rare for me, I always ate fatty stuff.
Meat and eggs is way more “normal” to me, I did that when I wasn’t ready for some fatty meat all alone. Mustard helped too. Not exactly vegs but close…?
Some carnivores have plates where I would rather stop staying hungry as I am just such a different person… But my carni plates are perfectly fine. I rarely think about how weird it may be for others. My SO barely answers if I ask him about his food (I am the main chef, I like feedback), he definitely doesn’t talk about mine.
But if I ask the cats, meat, cheese and eggs are perfectly fine meals
*Though in my younger years I still had the Hungarian attitude, a lunch ALWAYS had to include soup. And every meal had to end with a dessert (or two or more), I still almost completely has it…
Thanks for your reply. It is very interesting to hear your experiences. Do you think then that the keto diet has helped your biome become more healthy? I did do some research into whether keto helps with sibo, but theee appear to be alot of different opinions.
Listening to what our bodies like and need really does seem to be important, and very useful. I am still finding it hard to eat less veg, hope that like you, this will pass. It has been such an interesting "intellectual exercise ", and definitely needs an open mind!
Welcome!!! The following are my “suggestions.” Please don’t feel like you are getting beat up.
Try to think of keto as a lifestyle change that you can sustain long term instead of a quick fix for overindulging, whether it’s on alcohol and/or food.
IMO, it’s too soon to start fasting. I would do a 24-hour water fast in the beginning. It wasn’t hard, but I didn’t like it. Too much like “dieting” and the same insane mindset I used to have when conventionally dieting. Your body hasn’t had time to adjust to anything - be kind to it. I’d say first, establish a consistent food plan to reacclimate your metabolism and heal yourself internally. (We abuse our bodies terribly by the crap we eat and drink for years - girlll, believe me, I am no stranger to that!) I wouldn’t introduce fasting until you have about six weeks under your belt.
In the beginning (maybe 3-4 weeks), I’d encourage you to eat three meals a day. Don’t be afraid of eating - keto is not about calories in/calories out, or purging through deprivation and/or exercise. Obtain your macros (available for free on ketokarma.com). Stick loosely to the fat and protein grams and keep the total carbs under 20g/day. It’s important at this time to fuel your body and provide it sufficient fat and nutrition to stabilize your insulin response. Consuming adequate fat and eating low carb is what will achieve this most effectively. Keto is not a conventional “diet.”
Stay off the scale. It is the devil. The number is meaningless and will mess with your head whether it’s good or bad. You will be able to tell how you are doing by your appearance and clothes. On keto, your body can recomp beautifully without the number on the scale changing.
I’m a drinker; most people here know that - and it’s something I struggle with. If you are going to drink when you do go out, stick to straight spirits with water or diet pop mixer. I prefer spiced rum and drink rum and water cocktails.
Eat sufficiently, enjoy your food, live your life and let the days pass. Good luck to you!
Hi Eve, yes I do think keto has helped my biome, definitely. I was so full of inflammation, joint aches and body aches when I started keto, and the clear reduction in all those things which was a bit of a shock, though a pleasant surprise, was the first thing I noticed. I find my body is doing pretty well, but whenever it isn’t, I tweak my WOE. Today, I ate a keto snack of almonds and berries. My body does just fine on these foods. The vegetables are tricky. But I believe I won’t always be eating in a carnivore like way, I have no incentive to do that, so long as my body remains free of inflammation, my brain fog stays gone, my aches remain barely noticeable, and I believe so long as you allow yourself to tweak your WOE and listen to your body, the ketogenic WOE is absolutely sustainable. Your body will tell you when you go down the wrong path. I am a bit surprised at how religious and sometimes downright fanatic people can become about their WOE whether vegan, vegetarian, carnivore or keto. In the end of the day it’s a WOE, that we embark on to feel better in ourselves, to improve our health, and a major part of that is listening to our bodies.
Welcome to the forum. You’re a good fit. Looking forward to hearing from you more.
Thank you all for you replies!! Really thank you, you’ve all been so helpful. I checked my macros as suggested : Protein 76g Fat 97g Carbs 16g.
Yeah I not sure why I’m forcing myself to eat so much, maybe because I feel I need 3 meals a day in order to get into Keto? Well after deliberating your kind advice today I’ve had 2 boiled eggs & 30g of hard cheese. I’m going for a rib eye steak later with maybe some mushrooms in cream. How do you all manage to calculate what food you’ve eaten? Like an app or something? Also do you all measure/weight food or just go pot luck? Again thanks for all you messages
Welcome to the forums!
The key to a keto diet is keeping carb intake low. This lowers insulin and switches the body from metabolising primarily glucose to primarily metabolising fatty acids. It thus promotes metabolic healing and fat loss in those who have excess fat to shed.
The point of eating fat on a keto diet is not to stuff our gullet with it, but rather to supply the body with an alternative fuel source, one that doesn’t raise insulin the way carbs do. Because fat contains over twice the calories of carbohydrate, it takes far less fat to supply the amount of energy needed. (For example, 133 g of fat provides the same number of calories as 300 g of carbohydrate.) So don’t go crazy with the fat, but don’t fear it, either.
Number of meals doesn’t matter, do whatever works for you.
Many people likes bigger meals even with a small energy need, 3 meals would be a very bad idea for us! But sometimes I have 5 meals and I am at a deficit… Macros matter more than number of meals… If you eat one meal but it’s perfect, fine. If you eat 3 or even 5-6 meals but you are starving, it’s not enough. It’s not about the number of meals, really.
You seem to eat very little, @PiratePixi (what a cute nick :D).
I use a site where I enter what I eat, I had to make some corrections as the database wasn’t so great with everything (especially net carbs but it doesn’t matter on carnivore)… But a modern app/site should have an okay database. Of course you can’t track accurately but some items are better and others worse. I eat much fatty meat and I can’t possibly guess the fattiness of it so I easily am off by hundreds of kilocalories of that’s still not a big deal and it doesn’t change my eating anyway and one loses fat or avoid gaining due to the food, not the calculations themselves… Still, I like to have information even if somewhat inaccurate.
I usually go for day to day tracking and it involves zillion measurements, it’s pretty tiresome sometimes. But eating simple helps more. I typically have many items a day and I may eat several times of some. I started to weigh once a day if possible so I don’t need to add 5-6 numbers (but I need to ensure that no one else eats from that food)… How others eat simply or according to plan I have no idea…
I wonder about doing it even more simply, I just make one measurement per slab of meat, like 1.8kg pork chuck and that’s it, way easier But if I put some into the freezer or if my SO wants some too, it doesn’t work… So I need to measure it 12 times or something and divide and multiple, add and substract. Sometimes even bones are involved and soups eaten by 2 persons are just crazy…
But maybe you do it way simpler and these won’t be your problems.
The best is if you can just figure out things in the beginning and never track again (or just rarely)… I did that on low-carb, before keto.
I laughed so much at the adding, multiplying and dividing I’m useless at weighing out stuff, so I think for now I’ll just eat what I can within the low carb ratio and see what happens. Haha yeah I do only eat small amounts, my friends always comment on that “oh is that all your having” I think cause I’m always on the go, as in working and general house stuff sometimes it’s hard just to take a moment to think about “proper food” then when I do I can’t decide so I either go without or binge on something random like cheese and celery. I certainly don’t feel like I’m in starvation mode as someone said. Maybe your right it’s all about feeling my way around this to see what suits, whether it be 1 meal or 5-6 Thanks @Shinita
I use an app called chronometer. It is free to just use superficially which is all l need. It makes it very easy to work out the g of all the 3 food groups.