Sustainable?

(Stephanie Sablich) #21

I’m SO happy for you, that you’ve had great results in terms of cravings :slight_smile: It’s kind of freeing, isn’t it?

(Nicole) #22

Hahahah YES. Seriously So. Much. Tupperware. :rofl:

(Meeping up the Science!) #23

Don’t overthink things at this juncture. Simply do. Eat a meat/fat based protein for every meal and pair it with a side dish that is 5g net carbs or less. Don’t overly complicate matters.

As for optimizing the diet, only you can determine how your body specifically reacts to those things. I do better eating primarily zero carb - so, I rarely, if ever, have any plants at all. You’d think it was boring, but it’s not. Having said that, what works for me won’t work for someone else.

I am a rebel though and don’t actually worry about my macros too much other than keeping my carbohydrate very low. It averages out to about 55-65% protein, the rest fat, and maybe 1-5% carbs. Our body doesn’t really know what “macros” are. That’s for our convenience to mathify something intangible otherwise. Fat contributes to satiety the most, so typically it’s easier to add fat when you are hungry rather than calculate a precise ratio, if only because the human body is dynamic and needs change day by day.

As for organizing my life around food prep, I set aside 3-4 hours once a week to do it. I work anywhere from 40-80 hours on average not including a commute, and I still generally find time. I find it best to do after grocery shopping, usually.

A lack of calcium is actually one of the top causes of cramps; calcium is also a potent electrolyte. Chances are adding even a minimal amount (calcium citrate is absorbed the best) may help - be sure to take it with foods that have vitamin D, or with vitamin D supplements.

(Mel Soule) #24

Nicole, welcome to our happy village of health autocrats. That reduction in sugar cravings is a preview of coming attractions as you figure this lifestyle out for your life. It’s been a fabulous ride. No regrets. As I enter midlife at 69, I’m ready for the next half. KCKO

(Mel Soule) #25

Well said. I used to live to eat. Now I eat to live. Very different stress free mindset.

#26

I’m sure someone has already said this and I missed it but really, don’t over-complicate things.
My tastes actually changed as I adapted to this and real food just tastes so good now that I’m not even tempted by crap anymore.

Good luck in your journey and yes, listen to what your body needs. Experiment, we’re all different.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #27

It’s also helpful to note that traditionally fruit was highly seasonal (particularly for Caucasians) and only really available at the end of summer/autumn when fattening up a bit to get though winter was a desirable thing. Higher fructose loads stimulate weight gain.

(Karl) #28

Yeah, I often wonder why they even try when they’re lying to themselves right out of the gate as to whether they can limit carbs to that degree. What you’re posting is really common.

But once you figure out how to do it (and many do!) the effects are staggering - at least for me. I think a lot of people are good at self-delusion, and that self-delusion is the bigger barrier. It was certainly true for me.

  1. Total carbs to be safe.

  2. Sugar is sugar. Tacking on words like “wholesome” won’t change that :slight_smile: In any form, sugar is in the way for this diet.

  3. Then this diet is not for you :slight_smile:

  6. Wait, did you start this diet before figuring out what you were going to eat?

  7. Stop fearing salt. Eating this way changes your relationship with salt. When I upped my salt, my cramps went away.

  8. No, you don’t need fiber. I haven’t deliberately eaten fiber in 2 years. And yeah, don’t go overboard on protein. Bear in mind that the protein issue doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Whether the steak-to-cake thing happens seems to really depend on how insulin resistant you are.

#29

Have really enjoyed this post. Only been Keto 24 hrs with no carbs yesterday and slept like a baby and woke without feeling starving! Actually, I’m realising that it’s not “no carbs” as there’s carbs in everything! But no obvious carb foods - bread, pasta/rice. And no fruit either. SO feel full in my stomach but not full in my body - if that doesn’t sound weird. Really think sugar buzz had been my problem for years. Am so excited to see what else happens in me!! Tx for all the helpful comments (and honest gripes!)

(Renee Slaughter) #30

For a little more flexibility for breakfast, here’s a link for keto hot cereal. https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=12s&v=eYgy1A0LtJU. Switch out the nut milk for HWC

(Tessy M.) #31

Haha! I don’t eat eggs. I can’t stand them. When I’m forced into a business lunch (which is always at the shifty family restaurant across the street from where I work) I opt for an omelette and have to choke it down.
Yesterday for breakfast I made myself some country gravy. I used Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, butter and heavy cream. That was it. It was so filling and delicious. Check out the What Did You Keto Today thread for inspiration :slight_smile: Once you’re really in the swing of things, you’ll realize you can eat so good on this WOE and not have to consume eggs. Keep calm and keto on.

(Candy Lind) #32

If you think that’s interesting, watch “That Sugar Film,” a documentary where an Aussie guy decided to see what it would do to his body if he started eating the average 40 teaspoons of added sugar in the Australian diet (when he had basically been eating Paleo). I just watched it yesterday. Sobering, scary, and terror-inducing if you have trouble with dentistry. It has reinforced my commitment to a low-carb lifestyle.

Oh, I gotta add a couple of other things.

“What if by the third week, I’m already nauseated at the thought of eating another egg for breakfast?”

I had porterhouse steak and fried cabbage with Buffalo sauce on it yesterday.

Another thing about fructose you can see on YouTube:

Dr Sarah Hallberg’s very compelling TedX talk - note “GPS.” Keeps things very simple. It’s all you really have to do at first, even if you’re not full-blown diabetic.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #33

@nik433 Hey, I hear you about the eggs, and I never really liked avocados all that much, anyway. But it’s perfectly possible to eat keto without either of them. My problem with eggs is not that I don’t like them, but there’s just not enough time in the day to eat, because I’m mostly not hungry. I never want breakfast anymore, and by the time I’m hungry, it’s usually time to start thinking about what to cook for the family for supper. And someone has to keep up with the leftovers, lol! :bacon:

(Miss E) #34

Small contribution. I have many of the same fears (and then some) but so far the good is outweighing the difficult and I’m willing to try it for the mid future.

All that said, I haven’t eaten one salad since starting. I throw veggies in the oven or frying pan with my protein. Today I got stuffed mushrooms from the shop, I’ve made zucchini chips, creamy spinach with some rando veggie I’d never heard of, fried tomato, veggie and lamb soup etc.

(Renee Slaughter) #35

There is also a " cold cereal made with nuts and berries. I skip the apple.

#36

I eat fruit once per week, every Sunday. I don’t go crazy with it, but I choose some fruits based on their micronutrient profile. I’m not really training my body to never have carbs again, but rather just training my body to be able to adjust quickly and smoothly. Each week that goes by, I notice less and less effect from my fruit day, meaning less water weight addition and less “symptoms” the following 1-2 days. This past Sunday I went for a large banana, bowl of blueberries and a few kiwis. As of today (Wed) water weight fluctuation is gone, and I don’t feel at all “off” in any way. I find that this routine is both satisfying and also leaves my body feeling pretty good all around, and the weight is still coming off throughout the week with keto. Lately I’ve also been have some asparagus with my steak, salmon, or egg/chicken salad (I just add mayo and some salt). Fat bomb in coffee for breakfast.

Honestly in my own experience, hardcore/strict keto the first few weeks was great to help me get into a completely different groove as far as appetite, more stable energy and a better psychology relationship with food. I personally don’t feel the need to do hardcore/strict keto all the time, though, now that my body is gradually starting to adapt. There is a massive difference between recovering from “fruit day” and trying to recover from a “totally fell off the wagon” day. I find so far that keto is absolutely wonderful for helping to make major long term changes to diet and relationship with food, but I don’t think all people need to do it 100% strict all the time, once their body gets used to such major changes like no more processed junk, starchy nutrition-poor foods, etc. It is good for some yet not for others. All about tailoring things to suit your own needs.

I definitely did not touch fruit the first few weeks, though, because the “keto flu” was rough for me, and I wanted to get past that as quickly as possible lol.

(David) #37

A lot to tackle there. First, be a kind coach to yourself.

I’m a track everything person so the way I’ve handled the overwhelmingness of adapting a Keto lifestyle in January is… don’t track my food intake. Instead, I go by feel. I was feeling like crap one morning so I ordered the pee strips on Amazon Prime. By the time they got here, I knew without a doubt I was in ketosis. I traveled to a family funeral last weekend. I was good about food but didn’t have control over my options and I felt like crap on the plane and after. I knew I was out of ketosis and the pee strips had me at a big zero.

To your questions… everything I’ve read has said 30-50g of net carbs depending on you. To what I wrote above, you should be able to feel if you’re in ketosis. Does your brain feel clean? Can you focus better? Do you have more energy?

I’m still researching anaerobic exercise. I’m a believer in Maffetone as a runner and found after a few weeks of bonking that I can now run with only water and not be hungry after 5 or 6 miles… running aerobicly. From what I’ve read, without carbs, you cannot achieve peak anaerobic (gym or speed work in running). Again, be a kind coach to yourself. It takes time to become fat-adapted.

Last Sunday night around 4am I woke up my daughter with some F-bombs regarding my right calf cramping. She missed the 2am batch which was my left calf cramping. I haven’t run all week. I’ve been taking magnesium. Phinney & Volek recommend Slo-Mag 3 tomes a day for a month (one bottle’s worth). They say the best way to increase your potassium is to increase your sodium. In other words, lot a of salt! Broth is good for this.

Bone broth is about as awesome as you can get. Note hat anything other than Kettle & Fire or what you make or get from good butchers is not bone broth. If it’s a liquid coming out of the fridge, it isn’t bone broth.

Veggies are fantastic… as a transport for fat. Whether it’s butter or fruit/nut oil (avocado/coconut/almond), veggies bring fat into your body… oh, with some micronutrients.

Get used to the lifestyle. Feel good under Keto. Don’t obsess about weight. It flows off after a while.

(Darlene Horsley) #38

Thanks for the link to this hot cereal! Game changer for me! I love it!

(Renee Slaughter) #39

I’m glad you like it. This is what this forum is about. Sharing.

(Darlene Horsley) #40

Absolutely!