Several newbie questions


(Suzanne) #1

I started keto Monday, August 20. I feel like I have a good start but I want to make sure I’m on the right track and have several questions. I’m finding conflicting answers on some websites so I’m looking to y’all for the word from those with experience.

I’ve been working up to keto gradually. I gave up alcohol first (that was a little harder for me than I like to admit!) then started eating less and less carbs until my start.

I’m starting out only counting my carbs; I’ve increased my fat consumption; and I’m trying to be mindful of my protein portions. Should I be counting and tracking for the most success?

I bought monkfruit sweetener for iced tea only. Anyone have opinions on this? I’m making a gallon of tea and using approximately 1 cup for the gallon. I drink a few glasses of tea (made from celestial seasonings wild berry zinger) in the afternoon and evening and it’s helped me wean off of wine. I am trying to lower the amount of sweetener I use and I use lots of lemon.

I read exogenous ketones were good so I bought them (brand Code Age from Amazon) and took the recommended dosage of six capsules. I took them Monday afternoon and within 2 to 3 hours, I was incredibly bloated and have had raging diarrhea ever since. Is that the ketone capsules or is it me just getting used to the diet? Is anyone using these capsules? Should I wait to start taking these until I’m definitely in ketosis? Any opinions against?

How do I address electrolytes from the getgo? Should I be drinking bouillon? The brands at my store (mostly Knorr) contain sugar.

I’ve also read conflicting opinions on ketone test strips. I love the idea of seeing a result! If most folks use them, when should I first do one of the strips? When can I expect to be in ketosis?

MCT oil: I bought it but I haven’t tried it yet. I don’t have a blender yet so I haven’t tried bulletproof coffee. Will this help? Is it just to help increase fats?

I’m very committed to living a keto life and am eager to lose weight. Intermittent fasting: I’m thinking of doing 18:6 but am wondering if I can do that just a few days a week to accelerate weight loss. Good idea or bad idea?

I’d love any additional advice. Thanks!


#2

Welcome @Suebeecron :smile:

Some people find it helpful to track closely at the beginning but much depends on your personality type - if you find it helpful & motivating then go for it but if you find it a real chore then it may be counterproductive. I just keep my carbs low, see how my body responds & tweak things if I encounter problems.

RE: monkfruit - I’ve not tried it but I use the odd sweetener - if it gets you off sugar it’s good but if it fires up your sweet tooth & causes cravings then it’ s not so good I guess.

RE: exogenous ketones - I prefer to let my body make it’s own & I certainly don’t think adding them is necessary at all if you’re just looking for weight loss. MCT oil is fine if you like it & need fat calories but it’s also not necessary. Some find it helps them keto adapt quicker so there’s that.

RE: fasting - once you’re fat adapted you may find you naturally fall into a pattern of eating within a small window.

Hope I’ve answered some of your questions - best of luck to you.


(Ellie) #3

Hi Suzanne,

Welcome to the board and to keto. To answer a few of your questions:

Tracking is worth doing at the beginning just to be sure that you are eating what you think you are in terms of macros. Once you are more experienced with keto and the composition of foods you may choose not to track all the time.
The guidance we give is:
20g carbs
1g per kg lean body mass of protein
Fat to satiety

There are a few people on here that take exogenous ketones, but for the most part I think they are totally unneccesary. The key is to change your diet to limit insulin production. Ketones are a way of measuring when that process is happening, but taking them in a pill form does nothing for the hormonal processes. If you are measuring ketones in urine or blood, the number will probably go up - what goes in must come out, right! But then you won’t know what ketones your body is actually producing.

Try this, along with liberal salt on your foods.

They give you an indication of being in ketosis or not, but the actual number really isn’t reliable as they are only measuring the ‘overflow’ ketones as such, not what you are actually using in your body. If you are sticking to 20g carbs, then I would think you would be in ketosis in 3-4 days. But it can take 6-8 weeks to become fat adapted, ie using fat for fuel efficiently.

Fasting is a great idea. The main aim for keto is to minimise the amount of insulin in your system. All food releases insulin. Carbs - a lot, Protein - less, Fat - very little. So when you eat some insulin will be released. IF and EF maximise the time between insulin releases and eating keto minimises the amount released. But at the beginning don’t force it. If you are hungry, eat. The appetite control and ability to fast will come with time.

Also, if you aren’t already, listen to the 2ketodudes podcasts for lots of the science and discussion about the keto lifestyle.


(Suzanne) #4

Thank you so much for your reply. It’s very helpful to me! I didn’t feel very well on the first two days but I feel fantastic today. And I know I shouldn’t live and die by the scale but naturally am dying to see those numbers go down – especially since I’m so close to getting under 200 pounds.

How often do y’all weigh on this diet? Also, I have not taken my measurements (nor taken a before photo) and am guessing I should do that sooner rather than later.


(Ellie) #5

Measurements definitely - often they will go down when the scale is being grumpy.
It is probably good to take a before photo too. It can be hard to see changes in yourself so a photo can be good to refer to if you get to a point later if you can’t see the progress.

I eat twice a day during the week. Basically I skip breakfast and just have lunch and dinner.
At weekends I eat 2 or 3 times depending on how I feel. I also throw in an occasional 1 meal a day day just to keep my body guessing and I have also done several 36 hour and longer fasts. My longest was 85 hours.
I don’t plan how many meals to eat as such, I just go by appetite.


(Kay Lynn) #6

Hi Sue, I’ll be on the Keto way of eating for 2 plus months now. I weigh daily but record once a week and track measurements every two weeks. It’s a positive reinforcement having proof of the positive changes. I now measure my blood ketone level using a Keto mojo but only been doing that for a three weeks. It’s been helpful in seeing what foods impact my keto state and I’m insulin resistant so have to check blood glucose and can do both with this device.


#7

I would get used to the diet and become fat adapted before fasting. I haven’t given up alcohol and still lost quite a bit (gotta live a little). I noticed that caffeine and alcohol hit me harder without carbs. Bone broth I’ve heard is good but you can also just heavily salt your food. Make sure to eat plenty of salad: spinach and avocado have lots of potassium and magnesium. I can’t stomach eggs in the morning but I love them for dinner now. A few berries are good when you have a sweet tooth. Whipped cream and unsweetened cocoa powder and toasted coconut flakes make a good dessert. Also be sure to drink plenty of water. If tap gets old, flavored soda water is a nice substitute. And you can add a little Bacardi White Rum for a zero carb low cal drink. Wine is decent, avoid beer. Coffee is crucial to suppress my appetite and give me energy until dinner. I started drinking it black so I don’t break the fast.