Somewhat new...some questions

(Bud Douglas) #1

I’ve been keto for 3 weeks and lost 10 lbs. I’ve since “hit a wall”. I’m thinking some off the shelve Adkins bars I’m eating for breakfast are pushing me too high. Curious if anyone can recommend a breakfast bar low in carbs. (These were around 19 carbs but 3 net).

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

I know nothing about the Atkins bars. They may be a problem, or not. Whatever, bacon and eggs is better than any bar. There all sorts of lo/no carb foods that require little or no prep if that’s your primary concern.

You’re in 3 weeks and that’s not much. You spent years on SAD and whatever metabolic issues and weight are the result of it won’t be reversed/cured overnight. Starting keto a lot of stuff happens all at once usually including weight loss if one is overweight. Initial loss is water and once that’s gone the loss tends to slow a bit. Also, it’s not a linear process. From time to time other processes take precedence and weight stabilizes for a while to let that happen. Stay the course and good things will happen. Maybe not as fast as you hoped, but they will.

I’ll let others more knowledgeable about specific weight loss issues respond more specifically. If you changed the title of this topic to include something like ‘need help with weight loss’ you are more likely to attract the attention of those folks who can best advise you.

(Windmill Tilter) #3

Pretty much all of the “bars” I’ve seen were full of questionable ingredients. People’s insulin response to zero carb sweetener’s vary, but that’s not the whole story. The other consideration is whether or not eating fake sweets messes with your satiety signals. When I eat zero carb sweeteners, visions of sugar plums and pizza start dancing in my head shortly thereafter. Keto got a lot easier when I stopped eating those sorts of things. That said, some people do just fine with sweeteners, it seems to vary quite a bit from person to person.

You could try experimenting with 1/4 cup of heavy cream in your morning coffee as breakfast. That’s 200kcal, and essentially 0 carbs. My experience was that the sooner your body gets used to burning fat for fuel, and the more “real” food you eat, the easier keto gets. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper too, which is a nice bonus. It’s worth a shot. YMMV.

#4

I am with the others, eat some nice fatty protein. Egg, fatty meat, a piece of cheese - but if it works for you, even a fatty coffee might work. You can even bring them with you if you need that, cheese doesn’t require any preparation (but maybe not satiating enough for everyone).

(Susan) #5

THIS =). Welcome to the forum, Bud, and best wishes in your Keto journey =).

#6

The Atkins Bars contain maltitol which is a big no no when it comes to artificial sweeteners. Notorious for spiking insulin.

I used to eat them too early on, but forums like this soon educate you for the better.

A little plain greek yoghurt or full cream mixed with a variety of keto friendly muesli ingredients e.g. desiccated coconut, almonds, chia seeds, pepitas, walnuts, sunflower seeds etc has been a staple breakfast for me for many months. Be conservative with the amount you add though, as the carb count on nuts, seeds etc can build up pretty quickly.

(Troy Mitchell) #7

I check my blood sugar fairly regularly and the all natural Atkins bars never pushed my blood sugar up. Your body might be doing something else like repairing an organ. Be patient.

(Rebecca ) #8

Welcome! I can’t comment on the bars…but that being said, 10 lbs in 3 weeks is great!!! Be patient with the healing processes that are happening!

(Bud Douglas) #9

Thank you all for your insights. I’m now down 20 pounds so it’s working. Just hit another plateau so hovering between 217 and 222. I took the plain yogurt advice and it has helped. I think a lot is understanding the correct foods. I noticed there was a couple days over a weekend when I ate very little. It appears the key is to make sure the fat consumption is adequate.
I was wondering if cardio exercise expedites losing weight on keto or not. Thoughts?
Also, recently purchase the Keto-Mojo. First readings: fasting glucose 91 and keto 1.0. The last three years I had blood work done for my annual physical I have been at he prediabetes level. Scary as it runs in the family. Happy to see it drop!

(Bob M) #10

I’d say: probably not.

(Rebecca ) #11

I agree

#12

It depends. Diet matters way more, though, usually. I wouldn’t do it just for weight-loss.

(Natasha) #13

For me, probably not and the reason I say that is because cardio makes me extra hungry! But… I do it because it makes me feel SO good!

(Edith) #14

I would look into resistance training. More muscle burns more calories.

(Jane Srygley) #15

Yeah like @ChrisW said, maltitol spikes insulin just like sugar. DO NOT TRUST Atkins bars or shakes!

I personally like BHU bars and am still allowing my sweet freak to come out a couple of times per day, so I have one or two of those. They are controversial because while they don’t contain maltitol, they do have pre-biotic fiber in the total carb count, which I don’t think you can reliably discount despite claims to the contrary. Bars or other sweet foods with erythritol are a better option, but any sweet food promotes an insulin response, so if you are cool with plain yogurt right now, you could stick with that. Chaffles are another fun breakfast option and you can make them ahead (see the recipe threads on this site).

Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, so I believe it definitely does. I have lost a significant amount of weight in the past eating a high carb diet and walking every day. The walking seemed to naturally bring my appetite down.

That being said, diet is the #1 most important factor in reducing the insulin in your system and thereby lessening the amount of fat you store. Fasting is amazing at doing that as well. I highly recommend the work of Jason Fung and his book The Obesity Code.

Good luck and glad you’re seeing progress!

(Bob M) #16

Allow me to be the curmudgeon. I gained 90+ pounds while always exercising. I would ride my bike 90+ miles/week in the summer. For those times, I would lose a bit, which I think WAS due to a change in insulin sensitivity and NOT due to “calories” per se. I would, however, gain all the weight back when it got cold/dark and I couldn’t bike anymore.

But, for me, the vast majority of time, exercise causes me to eat more. Now, whether I eat more than I burnt is the question, to which I do not have a good answer. I don’t think anyone does, but the many studies they have done with exercise are all over the map. Most show zero weight loss. Some show some weight loss, some show weight gain.

I personally exercise ONLY because I feel good doing so. I do not believe it helps weight loss, and in fact likely hurts it if what you’re looking for is scale weight, which does not take into account muscle.

I also exercise fasting, as there is some evidence that exercise itself causes autophagy.

(Bob M) #17

See this study, for instance, and note how they put a positive spin on things in the Conclusion (ET = energy training):

image
image.png834×371 48.8 KB

<2Kg is nothing. I lose more than that if I fast a day. I lost way, way more than that in a year of low carb. And I lowered the amount of exercise I did during that time.

(Vic) #18

Before I started I was concerned about 2 things 1)The morning can be tough to prepare food

I keep hard boiled eggs and Cooked bacon in fridge

So its east to grab hard boiled eggs A slice of Swiss and some bacon for breakfast with a coffee

If I still feel hungry Ill have some butter or Coconut oil in coffee

This will keep me till dinner Which fixes my other concern that it would be tough to prepare food during the work day

(Jane Srygley) #19

I weighed over 300 lbs and was doing a good 30 minutes or more of cardio twice a day when I was much younger and saw zero weight loss, so I can relate :heart:

I do NOT believe in the whole calories in/calories out BS. I believe that exercise can enhance weight loss but only if the diet changes, too. When my appetite went down the past 2 times I lost significant weight (80 lbs and 60 lbs, mostly the same lbs…), I stopped eating sugar altogether… well… the second time I stopped altogether; the first time I ate one bite of something sweet daily. I was still eating a lot of carbs by my current standards because I was on a food plan that included 2 cups of starchy foods like potatoes or rice per day, but I was not eating any refined flour and little if any sugar. So exercise combined with diet modification was what enabled the weight loss.

Regardless of personal experience, exercise does affect insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels, so I think that it can enhance the effects of a ketogenic diet and help enable weight loss.

#20

I continued gaining fat when I started walking a lot with elevation (2-3 hours on weekdays, 10+ hours on many weekends, I am not slow) but it’s normal when one overeats both before and after… For most of us, diet matters most. Carbs always made me hungry, I had little chance, exercise or not. But on a good diet, exercise is my ally, I believe. But I don’t do it primarily for fat-loss. And it doesn’t help everyone, it seems.