Want to Start but lost on How to Start


(Louise M) #1

So I have failed at many of the fad diets and am just ready to make a new change for something new and not like others that I have tried. I hate tracking everything but LOVE food. Is it possible to do Keto without having to track every single thing I put into my mouth? I have a list of Keto foods that I’d like to make into a meal plan but not sure how to go about doing so. I would rather make foods in bulk as if I do not meal prep I will eat anything I want…I need to have a plan. Easy, fast, quick, budget friendly, can make in bulk meal plan is what I need. Any insight y’all can give I greatly appreciate!

Also how did you get started? Detox? Any supplements that y’all use? Specific keto test strips suggestions? Any info for a newbie beginner are welcomed.

Thanks!
Louise

My Stats:
Age: 32
Weight: 214.4
Height: 5ft 0in
06/01/2019


#2

Hi Louise!

I started keto about four months ago, size wise I was very close to your measurements. I have now lost 22 lbs without basically any effort.

As for a meal plan I cannot help you but when started my keto journey I downloaded an app called Cronometer where I tracked everything I ate for about the first two weeks or so. I have been on a calorie restricting diet before and even though I found that it was working for me, I found the need to track everything really frustrating. So I wanted to find a way to lose weight without the tracking. But once I started keto, I realised I had no clue what 20 grams of carbs actually meant in reality, so I used the app for those two weeks just to get an understanding of how much carbs was in the food I ate, not to track calories. After those two weeks, I felt fairly comfortable with understanding the carb amounts and stopped tracking.

I have not added any new supplements to my diet after starting keto, but I was taking iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and occasionally magnesium before and have continued to do so on keto. I have had my potassium, natrium and magnesium levels tested and all were within the reference ranges. The “supplement” I have added in greater quantities since going to keto is salt, I do use it quite a lot these days but I feel like this is something that will come naturally once you get started.

I have not tested for ketones in any way.

Hope this helps!


#3

It’s good to track at first just to make sure you’re keeping your carbs low. If you eat the same things you’ll know where you are.
I started out with a fast to help burn off some of the carbs and to help to not get headaches. It worked for me but others might disagree. Drink plenty of water and take salt, potassium and magnesium helps to I didn’t know that when I started.


#4

Welcome @BlueEyes2022 Keto Is This Easy this link is a good place to start :slightly_smiling_face:


(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

Welcome, I agree with @anon54735292, use that link. I started out tracking in my head, I fumbled around a bit, doing well sometimes better than others. I started tracking with Cronometer 6 months in and I like having a picture of my nutritional intake as well as being able to keep track of my weight loss trend. And I really have an easier time being more honest with myself, and knowledge about food choices and carb content using it.

There are misleading aspects to nutritional labels that tracking apps can help to expose. Carb levels are rounded down on labels and serving sizes are sometimes unrealistically small. So 2oz of something that says it has 2 carbs and you decide you want 6oz so it’s 6 carbs, right? Well maybe it could be as high as 8.7 carbs by the rounding down food labeling laws (less than one is insignificant so they can say zero). Tracking apps pick this up usually because they have access to nutritional database information.

You have tried many diets and calorie restriction I take it. Your best results will happen and last if you don’t think of keto as a “diet”. In reality it’s meant to be a lifestyle choice. If you have progress on keto and aren’t thinking of this as your new way of eating and go back to previous food choices you’re going to end up where you started. And that’s not healthy, yo-yo dieting does damage to your metabolism and you’re actually better off just being at stable weight even if it’s overweight. I have been eating this way for 9 months now, lost 40 lbs and fixed my diabetic issues. I feel more heathy than I have in almost 40 years considering my age. There have been numerous improvements in my life and health besides the weight loss. Sure, come for the weight loss but pay attention to other positive changes and you won’t feel discouraged when you plateau for a while. I have no desire to get finished with keto, I love this lifestyle and what it’s doing for me. I hope you have an experience as good as mine, stick with it. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. :cowboy_hat_face:


(Alec) #6

My advice is to keep it really simple to start with. If you don’t like tracking, you don’t have to. But you DO need to understand what foods have carbs and what foods don’t. Just keep your carbs as low as you can. Eat meat, eggs, cream, butter, olive oil, above ground veg, cheese. Don’t go hungry. Eat to satiety.

I often make bacon and egg pie. Really easy to make.

I also flavour my water with electrolytes…


#7

Easily, its even hard for me to eat maintain ammount calories in whole fresh food. Its a joke how easy keto is to maintain compared to anything else.

Ur also not suppose to eat and snack multiple times all day long, u eat only 1-2 huge meals a day to keep insulin as low as possible and as long as possible. Ur constant cravings for food will diminishe during the first weeks in ketosis.


#8

Totally agree with the other posts about how easy Keto is for a lifestyle. I always aim for under 20 g carbs or less but I don’t track. I’ve learned to identify true hunger and follow my cravings (the Keto friendly ones of course) as a way to give my body what it needs.

Some days are more meat, eggs, cheese and others are salads with veggies, a protein and creamy dressing. It’s important for me to switch things up and not eat the same things every day.

I love this forum for inspiration and this WOE has restored my energy level and made me a happier and healthier human. I :heart: Keto.

Best of luck on your journey!


(Marianne) #9

I tracked for about a month, but after that just made sure my carbs were under 20g/day. Not difficult because veggies don’t call my name. I ate three meals a day for about two weeks, whether I wanted to or not (don’t get me wrong - it was not a hardship!). I made sure to keep the carbs very low and the fat high - delicious. Make sure you get enough salt (I drink salt water now, which is the only downside, but you do get used to it.) I drank a lot of water and still do. Because I did these things, I experienced no keto flu, and it removed my body inflammation and carb cravings almost immediately. I felt somewhat euphoric. After that, I found I just didn’t want to eat that often - I had a physical aversion to it. When I did want to eat, I was hungry and craved meat and fatty foods. My meals were delicious and satisfied me for long periods of time. For a long time now, I have been eating OMAD, which if not difficult.

Good luck; just remember to do it and tweak accordingly as you go. There is no “perfect” way to keto, so try to let go of wanting to find a prescribed course. Stick around the forum for motivation and inspiration and post your questions and experiences frequently; this was/is a huge tool for me. Love to read the success stories on dietdoctor and learn as much as I can about the layman’s science of keto.

Hope will you share your journey.