Top Newbie Suggestions?


(Judy Martinez) #1

For someone who is just starting out, what kind of simple advice would you give? I have read ALOT of info, asked alot of questions and listened to a lot of vlogs. And sometimes suffer from information overload so for my brain, I need short and simple…and GO!


(Michael Haisten) #2

Use a fixed meal plan and stick to it.


(jilliangordona) #3

Increase your salt intake. I feel like it’s the #1 piece of advice I type up in this forum.


(Cheryl Hall) #4

@Judy_Martinez

I think it’s important when you’re starting off to track everything. Be easy on yourself and if you mess up don’t beat yourself up. It will get easier the longer you’re at it.

I use an app called Carb Manager but I know many here use My Fitness Pal, which is free. Tracking has kept me in line and I always know where I’m at.

Of course, the podcasts and this forum have proven an invaluable tool for me as well.

Good luck and congratulations on your new Keto journey!


(Teresa Driver) #5

Don’t count calories! If you worry about the caloric intake you are gonna have a bad time.


(Judy Martinez) #6

Ya, I need to work on this. I keep hearing that it’s ok to up my salt but I also have high BP that I’m on meds for so I’m always leary. But so far, so good! #KeepCalmAndSaltOn Lol


(Judy Martinez) #7

Really?? Gosh, I see so many others say that counting calories is important for weight loss. Right now I am tracking because I’ve only been Keto for about 2 months (down 25lbs!!!). I guess it gets confusing when one site/person/“expert” says one thing and another says something contrary.


(Judy Martinez) #8

Thanks all! I have been on Keto exactly 2 months (25lbs down) and I do keep track of everything just cause I’m a nerd like that. A few people have inquired and I’m trying to get my husband on board a he is interested. I just know how info overwhelmed I was at first! And there’s so much info out there, I want to be able to keep a “dumbed” down version in my head LOL


(Teresa Driver) #9

In my case not worrying about calories allowed me the space to transition to burning fat for fuel and also sped up my badly damaged metabolism (yo-yo dieter from the age of 7 to 44). Then it was easy, easy, easy to reduce calories by a huge deficit because my body seemed to understand that it could eat my thighs and it was okay :wink:


(Teresa Driver) #10

Oh, yeah, for a man DEFINITELY just cut out the carbs and watch the magic happen :smiley:


(Cheryl Hall) #11

@Judy_Martinez I guess I didn’t make my post clear – I mean I track my macros not calories! I track my grams of carbs and protein – keeping my carbs under 20 grams and my protein under 60 grams. I don’t worry about the calories!
It’s easy to go over as many things have hidden carbs – it helps me stay on track.


(Cheryl Hall) #13

@Judy_Martinez - I missed this - well you’re already keeping track and from what you’re saying doing a great job! 25lbs in 2 months is a great start!

Good job!


(Siobhan) #14

Ive been keto nearly a year, down 60 lbs, and tracked calories exactly 3 days in the beginning and never again (except for two other times but not for the purpose of restricting).
On keto your satiety signals are way clearer, and your body tracks for you.

Especially if you follow a very simple rule: replace carbs with fat
I would also add track for a little while until you get which things have which macros and then eat instinctively.
Definitely increase salt.
When youre doing everything perfectly and not making progress, remember it is likely that the only thing youre missing is time.

edit: I will also add as a side note that I had grade 1 hypertension before keto and after increasing salt and a while on keto my bp is still a little high at the doc (whitecoat syndrome, but its high normal not actual high) and at home its normal.

I have heard the salt fix (book) addresses the misconception about salt and bp, but there are studies demonstrating hypertension is caused by high insulin causing salt retension, not the fault of the salt itself.


(Ye boi) #15

@siobhan When you say to replace fat with carbs, do you mean to replace all the carbs you eat with fat, as in, say if you were eating 250g of carbs, would you replace that with 250g fat? Sorry, I’m new to keto and want to learn.


(Nick) #16

Especially in your early days, treat being hungry as a criminal offence. Just make sure you satiate yourself with fat and protein. The moment you feel peckish, stuff yourself with as much keto food as you can keep down. Do not allow yourself any room for carby cravings. Do not be guilty about ramming pounds of bacon or gallons of cream down the hatch. Treat your new diet as a riotous celebration of foods you previously might have been told to be guilty about.

Eventually, your satiation hormones, leptin and insulin signalling will all begin playing well together, and you will automatically moderate your intake. Until then, get your body used to understanding that there’s a new metabolic sheriff in town, and it had better get used to it :slight_smile:

The biggest mistake I’ve seen people do in their early days on keto is to treat it like a kind of weird high-protein weight-watchers regime, where they’re still being miserly with the added fat, still worrying about the calories, still thinking that a skinless chicken breast on a pile of leaves is virtuous. No, it’s not. It’s one meal away from giving up.

Oh, and as others have said here - fear not the salt-shaker!


(Siobhan) #17

I mean that is the basic principal. You dont have to be exact.

So say before you ate steak with rice and vegetables. Take out the rice out and swap with a fatty sauce or triple creme brie or something like that, swap steamed carrots with broccoli cooked in butter.

So the basic idea is take the carbs you had and swap out for something fatty instead.

As opposed to swapping out for lean meat or something - protein amount stays about the same for a lot of people.

I dont recommend exact amounts (250g etc) or ratios (80/15/5) because fat should be to satiety not to reach a goal, and the ratios scale weirdly with caloric amount which will vary day by day and personal need.


(Ye boi) #18

I get it now, thanks a lot :slight_smile:


(Amber) #19

With regard to tracking calories in the beginning. I think calories are a bit important but not at first. First thing is to get your carbs under control. Learn how to eat full fat foods and eliminate the sugar and non veg carbs. That takes a lot of doing at first especially coming from a carb eating diet. Looking at your calories will come later. Focus on the foods first and the macros later. Tracking is still helpful to see where you’re at but don’t stress on it.


(Judy Martinez) #20

Lol I love this! Thanks!


#21

From 1 newbie to another, Its all abt the fat and carbs (low carb high fat)…calories are not very important bcz more fat content usually means more calories…ur body is now gonna use the fat as fuel, once i understood tht i lost 10 lbs in 10 days…To date I hv lost 30 lbs in 7 weeks…it may take ur mind a while to get used to eating so much fat, but the truth is always in the results…

Welcome to the forum…these guys n gals are awesome and are always willing to help with any questions or concerns u hv…dont be afraid to ask or answer…we are all on a journey and will need help or advice at some time…Always remember KCKO

Good luck to u!!