Newbie with a Ton of Questions

(Lucas Caleb Rooney) #1

Hey There Guys. Long time weightlifting workout but with CrossFit/Oly Bent lately. First time to Keto but long time tracking macros and ratios with paleo and lean muscle diet.
Put on a solid 20-25 COVID Belly and may need shoulder surgery so decide it was time for some radical dietary changes.
Have been eating Keto, I think for coming up on 3 weeks. Hard to get that Net Carb number under 25g and getting fat above 70% but I am getting there.
Not sure I am in Ketosis yet. Definitely feeling a bit of the Keto Flu and low energy and thirst. No fruity breath and weight is pretty unchanged, if anything I feel more bloated (might be MCT oil 1.5 in the AM).
Just got a Keto Blood meter and am committed to getting into Ketosis and staying there for 90 days but am getting discouraged. I’ve definitely see better results more quickly and felt better in a low fat, high protein, calorie restricted diet but the results I’ve seen in others are undeniable.
Open to help and suggestions
Here are my questions:
1/ I am doing 25 net carbs and hovering around 70% fat, 20% protein, 10% carbs. Trying to eat as cleanly as possible (ie no bacon, refined sugars, avacado instead of cheese, nuts in moderation). Pretty much eating one big meal in the evening and coffee with nyc and coconut creamer in the amHow’s that sound?
2/ when’s the best time to test Ketos in blood? I was thinking am, pre coffee and evening pre meal.
3/ is it worth tracking blood glucose, I have one of those meters too?
4/ what’s the story with MCT oil? I am at 1.5 in the am and it tears my gut up. Cramps most of the day. Hoping I get used to it.
5/Keto Cups and other Keto treats okay within the 25 net carb limit? They seem too good to be true.
6/for some reason I am craving Coke Zero, trying to limit to one a day. Hate to ask but wondering is that could be keeping me out of the zone.
7/ speaking of which, what is the best ketone level zone: 1.5-3.0?
8/seems really hard to keep that net card under 25 and am struggling with how low GI veggies need to be limited and tracked.

I know this is a lot but I figured I get it all out there. I definitely geek out and obsess on this kind of stuff and figured this forum is a place to do that. If not I am sorry to come bombing in here with a bunch of crazy question. I am committed and want to give this the old college try and not bail without fully exploring it.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

What’s wrong with bacon and cheese? Good to avoid sugar in all forms, avocados have good-quality fat. Try to keep carbs under 20 g/day (total carbs if possible, net carbs otherwise), not as a percentage of calories. Protein should be in the range of 1.0-1.5 or even 2.0 grams per kilogram of lean body mass a day. Eat fat to satisfy your hunger. If you are okay on one meal a day, great, but don’t feel obliged. How many carbs in the coconut creamer? What about heavy cream instead?

Ketones vary throughout the day, so pick a time and be consistent.

It’s not necessary to track either β-hydroxybutyrate or glucose, but it can be very useful information. Since you have both meters, test both, as long as you can afford the strips. If not, don’t worry about it. Some of us love to test, some of us would freak out if we were forced to test. You do you.

If you feel you must take MCT’s then use them very sparingly until your bowel adjusts. They are not required, however.

Anything labeling itself “low-carb” or “keto” is probably not. It’s probably a highly-processed food-like substance you’re better off without.

The aspartame in Coke Zero (or whatever the sweetener is) might or might not spike your insulin. If it does, it will hamper your progress. Best to do without sweetness if you can, use artificial sweeteners if you must. They are not ideal but make a useful crutch.

Any serum β-hydroxybutyrate level above 0.5 is fine. Dr. Phinney says that 1.0 might be better than 0.5, but nothing above that is any better than 1.0.

Eat only leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and the like. Avoid all starches and grains, especially refined grains. Think of sugar as poison. Avoid legumesm and anything that grows below ground, really. Be very careful with nuts and fruits. There are keto-acceptable nuts and fruits, but they are very easy to go overboard with, so be careful. If you are getting enough protein and fat, you won’t feel the need for much in the way of carbohydrate. You do not need to count calories, just eat a reasonable amount of protein (see above) and then fill in with fat till your hunger is satisfied. (If you must snack between meals, make sure the snack is high-fat and low-carb, then eat more fat at the next meal. But if you are already eating only one meal a day, you may not need this advice.)

BTW, the healthy fats are the ones your doctor will tell you to avoid: the saturated and monounsaturated fats. The former will raise your HDL, the latter will lower your triglycerides, so they are good things. Polyunsaturated fats can cause inflammation when ingested in quantity, so avoid the industrial seed oils and cook with bacon grease, butter, lard, and tallow. The fruit oils, avocado, coconut, and olive, are also pretty low in polyunsaturates.

(Lucas Caleb Rooney) #3

This is great thanks.
No carbs in the coconut creamer so we’re good there.
I thought the sugar in bacon is bad and the cheese just makes me feel shitty.
I am just confused on how to keep the carbs under 25 or 20 and still eat veggies. Like today I had an avacado and 2 cups of peas with my turkey burger. They have 50 grams of carbs combined and net is around 28 grams after fiber. Am I calculating this wrong?

(Bob M) #4

For me, ketones are highest in the evening and lowest in the morning. Blood sugar is the opposite: highest in the morning and lowest in the evening.

But, if you can afford it, take a few days and test 3-4 times a day. That will give you a general pattern. After that, you could test once a day.

And don’t get too concerned about actual values; just use these as gross guides.

(Khara) #5

Peas are one of the carbiest green veggies unfortunately. Try broccoli instead. Take a look at carb count of the veggies you like and choose the lowest. Unfortunately peas had to go for me.

#6

The others hopefully will help with this. I only theoretically could answer as it never happened in my life. I ate way more carbs on vegetarian keto (lucky I could do it) and now I normally don’t eat vegetables except as spice (onion, garlic) or a tiny bit of raw vegetables or half a pickle with my animal products but it’s not an everyday thing. On a good day I get most carbs from animal products, 5-10 or sometimes more carbs. Not much room for vegetables but I don’t need them anymore.
But if someone eat only extreme low-carb or zerocarb animal products, they can spend most of their carb limits on some very low-carb vegetables. Almost 1 kg cucchini… It’s considered much for surprisingly many people :smiley: I was a vegetable lover, 20-25g net carbs on vegetables was painfully low to me… But half of it from raw vegetables, bell pepper, cucumber, pickled things? That was A LOT even for me! Vegetable soups can be very low-carb too, I have a nice originally onion soup but I put carrots, onions and peas there… It’s super low-carb (for a veggie soup) due to the amounts. The mentioned vegetables are higher-carb but higher-flavor too. Low-carb vegetables tend to have a very subtle taste. I loved them but I needed a ton so they weren’t often useful. But I know people tend to be very different from me regarding this… So, I put super little amounts of vegetables into my soup and fill it with poached eggs… Great stuff, even my SO likes it and all his veggie soups barely has water, just tons of vegetables, even the cabbage soup is very carby… But the eggs saves the day, wonderful things :wink: The normal vegetable dishes had to go but if you can eat a small enough portion with your fatty protein, they may be okay too. If you want volume, obviously use the lowest-carb vegetables. I want taste so I use the tasty, carbier ones in moderation or I want juiciness and crunch so I use cucumber and bell pepper, raw.

I guess I got carried away again… I soo loved vegetables for decades. But we can change in very surprising ways, it seems…

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

So there are options. (1) Eat only such vegetables as leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), which are all high in fibre; (2) hope that your carb tolerance is higher than 20 g/day and eat a bit more; or (3) eliminate plant foods from your diet completely (you will still get very small amounts of carbohydrate from the meat you eat).

The last option is actually feasible, because there is no known carbohydrate-deficiency disease; in other words, the minimum necessary amount of carbohydrate in the human diet is 0 (zero) grams. Some people find, in fact, that they are actually heathier when they avoid plant-based foods entirely. (Some others find that they can safely make an exception for coffee, thanks be to God.) The human body does need a certain small amount of glucose, in order to feed certain cells that cannot metabolise fatty acids or ketone bodies, and the liver is capable of making it all, as needed.

If you still want veggies in your diet, go to www.dietdoctor.com, and look for their nutrition advice. The recipes and meal plans require a subscription, I believe, but I think the general listings of what is safe, what is to be avoided, and what should be eaten with care are free to all. You can also Google “Banting diet” and find the listings published by the Noakes Foundation (they colour the categories green, red, and yellow, respectively). There may be slight differences, but in general they are the same lists. There are also plenty of lists posted on the Net, taken from books published before 1980, which are similar. (They were published to aid in the treatment of obesity or diabetes.)

The earliest published low-carb diet was the one prescribed by Dr. William Harvey to his grossly obese patient, William Banting, who had great success on it, when nothing else worked. Mr. Banting, undertaker to the well-to-do of London, was so thrilled by the results of his new diet, that he published a slim book, called A Letter on Corpulence, which became a best-seller. In later editions, Banting gave full credit to Dr. Harvey, who actually learned the diet from some French physicians at a medical conference in Paris. The banting diet movement in South Africa pays tribute to Mr. Banting by using his name.

(Edith) #8

You are in the right place.