So much harder than I thought it would be!

(Susan) #21

Thank you for your advice! I wish I could “snack”, but I found out just last night that I can’t. I have zero willpower when it comes to having just a few of anything! Maybe one day it’ll come to me, but for right now I’ll have to forget the snacks.

#22

Maybe you can figure out a couple of go to foods that you enjoy enough to have for a snack BUT not enough to mindlessly munch…for me it’s pork rinds with dip (usually a whole mashed avocado with dill dip seasoning mix sprinkled in or a tablespoon of Philadelphia Cream Cheese Jalapeño Cheddar dip). It is definitely very filling, fits into my macros and satisfies my hunger and mental need for something both crunchy and delicious! Definitely hang in there, the psychological cravings can be worse than the physical ones, but every day you don’t give into them, the infinitely easier it will get (and this is coming from a former emotional eater that loved sweets).

(PSackmann) #23

Many of us have seen significant improvement in both joint pain and fatigue. These NSV (non-scale-victories) are great things to focus on when things get hard. For me, that improvement is my main goal with weight loss just a pleasant side effect.
I’m another one who prefers simple, meat and veg with fat to satiety. No time for fancy recipes in my life except occasionally.

(Alec) #25

Keto is so simple. Just don’t eat obvious carb foods. Simple as that.

If in doubt, eat bacon and eggs.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #26

Hi there, Susan. First of all if you have to have keto friendly snacks while you make your transition, that’s okay. I liked chicken broth, pork rinds, tea with a bit of cream when I was craving something but wasn’t really hungry. I knew I wanted a snack and comfort and this helped a lot those first few weeks.

Take a minute and write down your goals. Visit the NSV (use the search bar) posts and read about how much better people feel in a short amount of time. Give thanks anytime you notice a non-scale victory, they are many.

Giving up a lifestyle where food is tied into emotions is going to be tough, but you absolutely can do it. Your body is having a tantrum and craving carbs. You’ve been using one mechanism for energy for a very long time. Asking it to switch over to fat burning is bound to elicit some resistance but you are in the drivers seat here and above all remember, this is temporary. It really is. If you can just push through you’ll get used to it and good at it.

And finally, make sure you’re meeting your body’s basic needs: enough sleep, staying hydrated, getting enough electrolytes, minimizing stress. This will help a lot!

(Sheranda Key) #27

I am right there with you! My husband and I are on day 7. I bought a book with recipes and meal plans. It is hard to learn a whole new way to cook, eat and think. I just found this forum yesterday and have already gotten a lot of help. Hang in there!

(Allan Misner) #28

The fact you’re going through this emotional event should tell you how addictive that carb-y food is. You’re in the right place.

This period will pass and if you hold on, you’ll be so much better off for it.

(John) #29

You can do that. That’s what I did for years.

Then one day, I decided that was NOT how I was going to live, and I made a decision to change. And here I am, 7 months later and 70 pounds lighter. I feel better, healthier, and even younger than I have in a decade.

I made a commitment when I started, that I would do it for 6 weeks before re-evaluating. During that time, I read, researched, studied, learned whatever I could about it - what works, what doesn’t, what people who are successful long term do.

It’s a good thing I made that choice, because the first 4 weeks or so were pretty bumpy. But I knew it was the price I had to pay. Once you are past the rough spot, it does become easier, and then just normal behavior. But you do have to work at changing how you relate to food.

But you can certainly decide to give up. I did that from 2012 through 2018. Gotta die of something, right?

OR you can choose to get healthy and be alive for those in your life that depend on you, and to have a better quality of life while you are doing it.

I’ve had my share of donuts, ice cream, and M&Ms - I just didn’t spread it out evenly across my lifetime, but had them all in the first 60 years. Second 60, I am going to even it out with proper proportions of steak and broccoli. :slight_smile:

#30

This is what happened to me. I don’t think it was a conscious decision really, one day (about 3 or 4 weeks ago) I just said, ‘I going keto’ and did. Just a couple says later I was at a meeting where really nice chocolate biscuits were handed round. The previous week I would have been first one in, white chocolate being first on hit list but I would have had at least 1 of each type given the chance. That day was the day I knew I could do this. I said “no thanks” and didn’t have a single one. I’d gone from using ‘won’t power’ (I won’t have one) which wasn’t very forceful or strong, to using ‘will power’ (I will stick to this, I will feel better etc). Like I said, don’t know how this change occurred but that Friday was the last day I went massively over 20g carbs, highest since was 25g.
Also, try 'don’t ’ as in ‘I don’t eat that’. That’s stronger then won’t/ can’t/ mustn’t as well.

Comfort eating was my big thing. Sweet yogurt (vanilla usually) and biscuits. Yummy! Chocolate. Biscuits. Crisps. I struggle to cook so things I could just shove in oven and forget- chips, nuggets, sausage, fish fingers, pizza and baked beans with most of it. That list kept kids happy too.
Yesterday I went to a supermarket. This doesn’t happen often. I shop online mostly because supermarkets are triggers for panic attacks (all those people) but I went and I didn’t even look at the stuff I’d once have made a beeline for!

You can do this.

(Trudy) #31

I’m no expert…I’ve never counted macro’s(too much work). When I look back in my journal I had a total melt down at 10 days into Keto. That was 12 months and 48kg ago. Be kind to yourself, which is not a reason to be undisciplined. Have you tried journaling your feelings? I find it interesting to look back on my journey that I thought was quite easy…my journal shows me otherwise. Best of luck with your journey!

(Trudy) #32

Mine is pork crackles with homemade French onion dip…yum!

(Randy) #33

You’ve figured some of this out by now. But to simplify, you must become fat adapted first. This means if you’re hungry, eat something. Just keep your carbs very low. It gets easier when the hunger goes away, and you’re burning fat effortlessly. Then, and only then is it time to start tweaking for optimum results.

(Susan) #34

Yes, I am journalling! It really does help too. Yesterday was just “one of those days” I think. I’m also dealing with giving up the use of an antidepressant after more than a decade of use. That may have a little something to do with my emotions too.

(Susan) #35

I’m right there with you! Personally, I hate to cook. Maybe it’s because I had to cook for so many people for so long, I don’t know. Anyway, I am getting back into having to cook again and it’s tough, but I’m doing it.
As for the shopping, I know that I can order online from Walmart and they will bring the groceries out to your car and that’s what I think I’ll do. Not out of laziness as much as trying to avoid the temptation of picking up things I shouldn’t have. I also don’t do well with crowds either.

(Anne Marie) #36

Every time you don’t give in to the old carb ways, is a success.

I hate cooking! Our lives used to be about eating out and ordering pizza.

But I’ve had to trade my old conveniences for what I believe is something better. I spend way more time in the kitchen now than I want to, but still I’m drawn to finding new ways to enjoy old favorites. Not everything has worked, but even my failures have been edible and satiating.

Before we started KETO, we did a lengthy fast with our church. I did a water fast. But I still had to shop for and be around all of the things my 4 kids eat. It eventually became less tempting and some of it now repulses me. Things I used to love make me ill just thinking about giving into them. Even fruit that I loved, when I thought about it recently, the taste factor was heavily outgunned by the “but fruit never satisfied me and often made me hungrier” factor. I’d rather be satiated than momentarily gratified.

Finding KETO alternatives has been almost fun. Some of it is actually way easier than the carb versions.

So, keep pushing through the temptations. You’ll get past it before you know it.

(Steak and iron) #37

My mantra:

No roots, fruits, sugars, or grains, everything else is fair game.

Eat regular person food just don’t eat those things and you’re probably in ketosis. And remember a fruit is any edible plant part with seeds.

Are there exceptions? Sure. But this is the simplified version.

#38

Hi, Susan, and welcome! You’ve gotten great advice on keeping it really simple but in terms of cravings and habits, I think you’re just in the toughest stretch. Anything you can do to distract yourself will help. Also, try to do whatever you can to create a sense of indulgence that has nothing to do with carbs.

You’ve chosen where your struggle will be (the struggle of being overweight and all the things that go with it vs. the struggle to change your eating) and I think you’ve made the right choice! The former gets harder with time, and the latter really does get easier.

(Anne Marie) #39

I haven’t checked these for KETO-friendliess, but in the past I have used 5-htp & Valerian root in place of anti-anxiety & depression meds.

#40

One of the many life lessons I’ve learned since going Keto, is patience. I am not exactly a patient person when it comes to weight loss. But I should be. I’ve realized - finally at the ripe old age of 52 -that it didn’t take a few weeks or months to put on an extra 80 pounds, and its not going to take a mere few weeks or months to take it off. This is for the long haul—not a diet but a way of eating for life.

I’ve also learned how poorly sugar and carbs pair with peri-menopause, cramping, pain, etc. And discovered how much all of that improves by extended fasting, intermittent fasting, and Keto. I did a 40+ hour fast just to rid my head and body of the whole sugar-carb thing, and jump in with both feet. So glad I did!

A few other tricks I learned when I did Atkins- to help curb the sugar cravings…
When you want sugar, eat something with a blast of salt and fat…Green olives are a lifesaver here. But a little pepper jack cheese is nice too.
Adding coconut oil or MCT oil to coffee - with HWC helps fill ya up first thing in the morning. I used to go mad for something to eat. Now, I just sip my coffee - sometimes with oil, sometimes butter, sometimes black. I’m fine- no cravings- nothing.

Just be patient with yourself, and make a conscious effort to work through the difficulties. It will be worth it!!!

(Kent) #41

Susan,

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

It isn’t always easy, but it is worth it!

This is what I did. KEEP IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. I love cheese so I bought about 5 different kinds of cheese. I bought 3 different kinds of the lowest carb salad dressing I could get that I liked (1-2 grams carbs per serving). I stocked up on Jimmy Dean sausage. I bought five dozen eggs. I bought a huge bag of pre cut pepperoni slices that are normally used for pizza. I bought a bag of pecans and a bag of blue diamond smokehouse almonds. My weakness is sweet drinks, so I found some low carb wyler’s strawberry lemonade singles to go drink tubes (1g carbs, sucralose is the sweetener if your stomach doesn’t mind that. They are little tubes of powder you dump in a half liter bottle of water).

For breakfast, I had 5 sausages with a spoonful of salad dressing (blue cheese, three cheese, blue cheese with bacon) on each sausage (I like spicy, so I also put some chipotle hot sauce on as well. chipotle hot sauce = 0 carbs)

All of breakfast = 5g net carbs (from the low carb high fat salad dressing) very filling and all the fat was great about satiating me.

Lunch was a decent sized stack of cheese that I sliced off the block of whatever flavor of cheese I thought sounded good that day. And a stack of pepperoni slices. Enough that it was a meal from the feeling full side of things.
All of Lunch = 0g carbs

Dinner varied from eggs and bacon to two hamburger patties with cheese and bacon or some other kind of meat seasoned appropriately. A salad or spinach or broccoli.

I snacked on the pecans and almonds (I had to limit them a bit because the carbs they contain can add up quickly).

For the first three to four weeks I didn’t count calories just carbs using an app on my smartphone called Lose It. My Fitness Pal is another one.

Now I know it sounds pretty boring to eat pretty much the same thing for three weeks, but the point of my detailed, but limited menu plan above for the first three weeks was to emphasize the idea of keeping it as simple as possible. At the end of the three weeks I was definitely in ketosis and working my way toward being fat adapted. And the best part was 90% of the cravings ( I have a massive sweet tooth, ice cream and home made rice krispie treats are my weakness) were gone and I was going longer between meals than normal because I just wasn’t hungry yet.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and the longer I am living the ketogenic lifestyle the less my arthritis bothers me. I have lost 40 lbs. in 4 months. I sleep better and I have a lot more energy and mental clarity. I will be 58 in May, so I need all of the mental clarity that I can get. :smiley:

I didn’t find the 2 Keto dudes podcasts and the ketogenic forums until I had been doing the Keto lifestyle for a couple of months. I went back to the beginning of the 2 Keto Dude podcasts and I am listening to all of them from episode one on (there is so much amazing information and knowledge). I am currently on episode 51. I try to listen to, at least part of a podcast every day and that helps me keep my resolve to not fall off the wagon. I have had two instances where I fell off but I immediately got back on because of how crappy I felt the day after eating a bunch of carbs. I have only had a mild interest in cooking, but in one of the recent podcasts Carl and Richard did (approximately podcast #45-50) , they talked about how much of a blessing it is to be actively involved in preparing and cooking your own meals and that you tend to eat better/more healthy if you are part of that cooking and preparing process.

I am the only one in my large family (my wife and I have 8 kids, 3 still at home, 7 grand kids) that is doing the Keto lifestyle. While they don’t give me grief about it, they don’t do anything to avoid their carb addiction when I am around, so the house is still full of carbage and my wife, who does most of the cooking, has not been interested in helping me other than occasionally remembering to save out some of the cooked meat from the meal that she is preparing for everyone else to eat.

I had the support of a buddy at work. His story inspired me. A number of years ago he was 398 pounds and started having all kinds of health problems (type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, bad case of acid reflex, etc.) He found the Ketogenic lifestyle and now he weighs 180 lbs. All of his disease oriented biomarkers have disappeared (no more T2D, no more high blood pressure, no more acid reflex, and no medications) and regularly (3 times a year) runs ultra marathons (race of longer than 80 miles usually). He is 50 years old. I could go to him to get my questions answered until I found these forums and the 2 Keto Dudes podcasts. Having him and The 2 Keto dudes and the Ketogenic forums as resources are lifesavers.

Susan, you’ve got us!! We will be your support and encouragement. We will help in anyway that is possible.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!

It isn’t always easy, but it is worth it!