Starting Keto - Cheating Keto

(Ian Davey) #1

Good morning all.

I’m a complete newbie and haven’t started yet.

Me and the wife are both going to be doing this and will start after our holiday in 2.5 weeks, so will embark on the veto journey in about 5 weeks time.

I’ve managed to get a bunch of recipes, starting to read about macros etc and all looks a bit confusing but i’m sure we’ll get our heads around it before we start.

Now, i’m sure i’m going to get some interesting answers as this isn’t the question to be asking for a first post BUT, what do you do if you want to go out for a meal or get invited to friends for food etc?

Crazy question, but do you just say no? If there’s a prepped meal that’s got all sorts in it that you could not possibly calculate the fat/protein etc, what do you do?

I do appreciate and understand that Keto is a lifestyle change, but surely you all go out for dinner, go to barbecues and parties?

How do you factor for all of this?

Many thanks in advance and apologies for a crazy question straight out of the blocks.

Ian

(bulkbiker) #2

Hampshire UK?
In terms of working things out its pretty easy… keep carbs to a minimum or at most fewer than 20g of carbs per day. After that you can go a bit freestyle
So when going out I eat meat and green veg (if it looks good) or just meat. Barbecues are good but watch out for sneaky carbs in sauces and rubs.
Never found a restaurant where here was something I couldn’t have with a bit of imagination and you can always ask to sub carbs for salad or veg.
One place I asked for a non carb sub the chef came out and chatted as he’d just lost 3 stone on low carb so we got especially nice things there when we went back.

(Ian Davey) #3

That’s good to know thanks Mark, and yes, it was the rubs and sauces I was worried about. How do you deal with such things - do you only go with something with a label that you can check out? I guess if someone makes their own sauce then you really don’t know what’s in it.

Can’t imagine it’s easy to eat lots of meat without some sort of ‘liquid’ on it

(bulkbiker) #4

If you want to be sociable eat before you go and don’t turn up hungry but have a bit of something to join in that won’t do too much damage… chicken is good as you can peel off the skin (which your fellow bbq’ers will think is you being healthy) and just eat the meat which should be ok.

(mags) #5

I went to a friend’s BBQ last week. I asked beforehand if some if the meat cld be as God intended :grinning:. Everyone took a salad so mine was very keto and swimming in oil and olives. Took my own mayo too but had to ignore my favourite potato salad. Food wise it was fine. Alcohol on the other hand…

(mags) #6

And as Mark said, eating out isn’t usually a problem. I swap out chips for salad. Always have a container of oil or mayo with me. For carvery’s i will take homemade gravy with me and tip it on. I loves me gravy! Honest it’s fine. Before you actually start check out menus and think how you could keto them. Enjoy your hols.

(Jenn Monaghan) #7

I have never had a problem at restaurants or bbqs. Like at Red Lobster, my favorite, they have tons of grilled fishes, scampi, scallops, steaks. Get the broccoli instead of potato and a salad with ranch dressing and just don’t eat the bread. Every place will have burgers with no buns or a cobb salad. At bbqs I will go for the hamburger patties or hotdogs and eat whatever mayo they have as long as it isn’t miracle whip. If all they have is covered in bbq sauce, scrap off most of it.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #8

When I go out, I look things up. I ask questions of my server, and sometimes they have to ask questions in the back. I tip nicely if they go the extra mile. I get steak, I ask for sauces on the side, unless I understand the construction of the sauce. If I get a selection of sides, I pick things that are naturally in line with keto… mushrooms are generally acceptable to me and keto friendly. Leafy greens, cruciferous veg, things that grow above ground. If I don’t get to pick my side, and it’s something like potatoes, I see if they will substitute, or omit, and express my willingness to pay an up-charge. We go out for brunch on the weekends regularly, and I get fried eggs, a meat, no potatoes, no bread necessary. If they feel compelled to fill the plate, I will accept fruit salad (which I probably won’t eat unless the fruit is fresh and minimally processed). Hollandaise is solidly keto and frequent at brunch.

Other people’s houses, I explain my limitations, I pre-eat, I make apologies, and I have a good time. It’s all about the planning. If you had a peanut allergy, you would explain that to your host, maybe in advance, so they wouldn’t give you an episode where you might die.

Really, gathering with friends is not about the food. As someone who really enjoys cooking, even for me, I get my enjoyment from the cooking, and then from the company. So, if a vegan comes to my BBQ, I don’t get offended. I cook something they can eat, make sure they are in the conversation, and everyone is good. As a guest, it is on you to make it both clear and not a hassle for the host. As a host, it is on you to accommodate your guests, without putting yourself out of house, home, or screwing with your other guests. If I had nothing but vegans at the BBQ, I’d probably cancel the BBQ.

(Tina Emmons) #9

I was invited to an acquaintance’s yesterday who wouldn’t have any idea what I eat or don’t. She served Brie n crackers, olives to start. I ate Brie and olives. Dinner was BBQ’d polish dogs and ribs, potato salad, kraut and baked beans. No discussion had to go on. I ate polish with kraut and mustard, one rib since it didn’t look saucey. We had rosé with it and it was great. Did I get a few carbs cuz I didn’t get to see packaging? Maybe but it was pretty darn close to plan and no drama. When you’re out just pick what you CAN have and leave the rest. It’s much easier to think of your short list than focusing on all the things you won’t have. Remember rule #1 of keto(and fasting in my opinion) which is don’t tell. It can lead to others sabotaging you cuz you’re killing yourself. Like others here said, treat it like an allergy. I have confirmed insulin resistance so if someone challenges me on what I’m eating, I throw that out there or “metabolic disorder” or “a metabolic syndrome” and that shuts 'em up real quick! Lastly, the term “low carb” is pretty well known and accepted so if someone was to ask if you and your family do or don’t eat certain things in preparation for cooking for you, you could casually mention that and meat n green veggies. You’ll figure it all out.:+1:

#10

If invited out, I keep real solid control of my days eating and maybe even fast right up to the end of the day. I then also will do some pre- eating to make sure I am not calorie restricting. I then, because total carbs for the day was low, I will eat decently freely. Always restricting the most troublesome foods, but not worrying to much if a few carbs slip in.
Avoid the pasta and potatoes, and try to pick the less sauced meat.
The pre-eating lets you have a small plate and no one even notices, and if it something great then give it a full go.

(Dom DePlume) #11

All the above is/are really good techniques. Cookouts and BBQ’s with friends are the easiest to navigate IMO: just make up your own stuff, and bring enough to share. I’ve never been greeted angrily by bringing along a big mess of keto pulled-pork. Somehow, it’s always received with welcoming joy :slight_smile: If you want to be at the grill yourself, check with the hosting pit-master, and check to see if there’ll be room on the grill. These are your friends and relations, after all: if they refuse you a) go with the bring-and-share above, and/or b) question how much they actually care about you in the first place! Restaurants at times can be daunting, yes, but very few won’t be willing to make you a cobb salad and toss a burger patty or grilled chicken breast on something. Just remember: going out is about the company you’re sharing, and those who’ll judge you for what you are eating or not eating are fewer and far between than you might think.

#12

I also have told my friends I don’t eat anything white. Eating in restaurants never seems to be a problem. Even had pizza just leave the crust.

#13

We were invited to my parents for dinner, told them (I’d just started keto so didn’t want to mess it up!) that I’d bring my own stuff- they were mightily offended, & cancelled the invite!!
Went to a BBQ, my friend has dabbled in keto & assured me there’d be loads of salad I could eat- turned out to be feta & nectarine, so ate the feta, then a couscous salad, left that. Luckily there were olives so I ate lots of them!! I did make the dessert though & did a mini keto version for me, so that worked.
I’d say offer to bring something & then you’re all right with one dish!
There are quite a few discussions about cheat meals, so once you’ve done keto for a bit it’s not the end of the world if you have a bit higher carb meal.

#14

sounds like your friend mixed up keto and vegan, :slight_smile:

#15

No, she’s read up on it, does keto daytime & normal eating in the evenings, she just can’t stick to it for long!!

(mags) #16

Does she have any success at all with that?

#17

She did the first week, she lost the big water weight, but I don’t think much more after that! I guess just cutting carbs will help with weight loss anyway, but obviously not getting the benefits of keto & fat adaption… She choose the full sugar version of dessert I made rather than my keto version!! :frowning_face:

(mags) #18

Each to his is own eh! :sweat:

(Brian) #19

The best you can. Some places, you’ll be able to stick pretty close to your diet. Others, you’ll have to either not eat at all or pick at little bits of the best things you can find. You may occasionally even eat things just to be polite. Don’t sweat the occasional deviation. Just make sure the occasional doesn’t happen every other day. :slight_smile:

(Robert C) #20

Take extra money when going to restaurants. Some are fine with a small mixed green salad instead of potatoes but there may be better keto options for a little more - like spinach sautéed in butter for an upcharge or charged as an extra side. Much more “keto” than the mixed green salad where you have to worry about the exact contents of the dressing. Of course, this makes dining out more expensive but, that is a good excuse to do it right and do it less often. Subbing to get better keto quality it great but subbing to keep costs down is going to lead to enough compromise to degrade your keto journey significantly (if it is happening a few times a week).