VCLD switch to Ketogenic Diet advice

(P) #1

Hi
I’ve been interested in Ketogenic lifestyle for some time and done lots on online research including these forum.

Don’t shout at me as I know you most likely to approve.

But I’m currently following a VLCD (the 4 shakes/bars a day type) it’s working for me and I believe I’m in Ketosis and didn’t suffer any Keto Flu and my energy and clarity improvements are amazing!

However I would much rather switch to the healthier way of following keto with real food!

Any advice for a total newbie on how to switch from a VLCD to Ketogenic with real food.

How would I work out how much to consume etc? Is it ok to switch over or do I need to transition but moving back to a ‘tegular’ Diet first?

The keto foods have my mouth watering so I know I’ll enjoy this lifestyle and the foods are all things I love, and if I’m honest I constantly worry that despite my weight loss and how well I feel that internally I’m doing damage on this shake based diet.
I know there’s also intermittent fasting to consider but for now I’d like to leave that out and just focus on finding my way with the basics.

Any help, words of wisdoms or idiots guide greatly appreciated

(Diana ) #2

Does VLCD stand for very low calorie diet? Or? This is just a stab in the dark, but I think a sudden switch from shakes and bars to a high fat diet would play havoc with your innerds.
If it were me, I would try switching slowly, maybe change one meal a day at first. Be prepared ahead of time in case you get constipated. Miralax is great. Be sure you get enough minerals. Lots of people supplement potassium, magnesium and sodium. Drink enough water.
There, you have all my wisdom in a nutshell. :grin:

(Running from stupidity) #3

Or disaster pants caused by relatively large amounts of fat.

#4

Without knowing any background, I’d say that you should consider yourself a complete keto newbie and just start like everyone else with reading some good sources. Listening to The 2 Keto Dudes podcast on how to start ketosis is good. Reading the reddit/keto FAQ or looking at the Diet Doctor website is good, but as always, reading some real scientific source material may be better.

If you are following a medically supervised program, they should have suggestions. If you are following a Do It Yourself approach, then I’d suggest reintroducing real food a bit more gradually, while still eating only ketogenic foods. I wouldn’t add in too many vegetables at first and instead add in some eggs and butter/coconut oil to increase your calories and get your system re-accustomed to different foods and higher calories. The biggest issue may be rebound weight gain and losing control over the volume of food you are eating if you are not careful. Shakes and protein bars are “easy” in that they take some of the thinking out of dieting. Now, you need to figure out what macros really mean. Good luck.