Ketogenic diet
- Thread starter elwood_blue
- Start date
The first 2 weeks suck because of how it makes your body feel. Flu like.
The next 4-6 weeks suck because of how limited your food selection is (I'm sure someone will post a link to ruled.me or some ish, but unless you have a ton of time to meal plan and prep, you will be eating lots of beef jerkey and lettuce wrapped sandwiches)
After that it kind of evens out, I guess. Or you've just become used to the monotony. Just make sure you supplement your diet with plenty of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and fiber or you will be a constipated dialysis patient.
You're pretty much guaranteed to lose a lot of weight relatively quickly, though. It also does make you "feel better" after you get past the first week or two.
The next 4-6 weeks suck because of how limited your food selection is (I'm sure someone will post a link to ruled.me or some ish, but unless you have a ton of time to meal plan and prep, you will be eating lots of beef jerkey and lettuce wrapped sandwiches)
After that it kind of evens out, I guess. Or you've just become used to the monotony. Just make sure you supplement your diet with plenty of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and fiber or you will be a constipated dialysis patient.
You're pretty much guaranteed to lose a lot of weight relatively quickly, though. It also does make you "feel better" after you get past the first week or two.
I've been doing it for about 2 months, and have lost about 30 pounds; 15 more to go for my goal weight. Thus far, it has been the least punitive diet I've ever tried, I guess because of the high amount of fat that is needed. The Atkins diet only worked temporarily for me because it is low carb, HIGH protein, whereas the keto diet is low-carb, HIGH fat, MODERATE protein. I've found that too much protein causes the same kind of insulin spike as carbs; this diet recommends 70/25/5 in fat/protein/carbs.
I also have incorporated intermittent fasting with no ill effects; I eat between noon and 6 pm and fast the other 18 hours. My bad cholesterol has gone down, good cholesterol has gone up, blood lipids have gone way down, and my fasting blood sugar (and blood pressure) is way down at a very healthy level. I have no more brain fog and my energy is off the charts. This is what I mostly eat:
bacon
sausage
ground beef (with the highest fat content)
dark meat (chicken thighs and legs with the skin left on)
salmon
pepperoni
spam
cheese (full fat)
heavy whipping cream
cream cheese
eggs
spinach, kale
green beans
butter (real butter, not margarine)
coconut oil
MCT oil (for coffee or to add fat to salads)
lard (for everything that needs to be fried)
Ranch and Caesar dressing for salads
Transy is spot on about making sure to take the electrolytes. When you get off the carbs and the glycogen stores are flushed from your body, the muscle cramps are a beast! I also minimized the "Keto flu" by increasing fat intake and electrolytes. I now use a lot of No Salt (for potassium) as well as salt on just about everything I eat. I take the common vitamins and also a magnesium supplement.
I highly recommend this to anyone who has trouble losing weight and doesn't want to try an expensive gimmick like Zija. My grocery bills are actually down quite a bit.
I also have incorporated intermittent fasting with no ill effects; I eat between noon and 6 pm and fast the other 18 hours. My bad cholesterol has gone down, good cholesterol has gone up, blood lipids have gone way down, and my fasting blood sugar (and blood pressure) is way down at a very healthy level. I have no more brain fog and my energy is off the charts. This is what I mostly eat:
bacon
sausage
ground beef (with the highest fat content)
dark meat (chicken thighs and legs with the skin left on)
salmon
pepperoni
spam
cheese (full fat)
heavy whipping cream
cream cheese
eggs
spinach, kale
green beans
butter (real butter, not margarine)
coconut oil
MCT oil (for coffee or to add fat to salads)
lard (for everything that needs to be fried)
Ranch and Caesar dressing for salads
Transy is spot on about making sure to take the electrolytes. When you get off the carbs and the glycogen stores are flushed from your body, the muscle cramps are a beast! I also minimized the "Keto flu" by increasing fat intake and electrolytes. I now use a lot of No Salt (for potassium) as well as salt on just about everything I eat. I take the common vitamins and also a magnesium supplement.
I highly recommend this to anyone who has trouble losing weight and doesn't want to try an expensive gimmick like Zija. My grocery bills are actually down quite a bit.
The weight loss is impressive but your diet is loaded with nitrates from process meats. That will almost double your cancer risk. The good news is that being overweight is even more deadly. So you probably picked the right poison.
Similar, but the macros are different.
Atkins is low carb, low fat, high protein.
Ketogenic is low carb, high fat, moderate protein.
True. Lowering the processed meats and replacing them with more whole foods is a good idea. Of course, fasting has helped me cut down on them somewhat.
Atkins, at least in the later stages, also allows significantly more carbs per day. I believe in the 150-200 range. Keto is usually sub 50, and when I did it I was sub 20.
Diets like these just don't seem sustainable for most. Great you did it for a few months, or you did it during a time of year that was convenient.. now what?
I'm sure the weightloss and health benefits are absurdly good.. but why not just be more active and eat healthier on a general level? You'll get close to the same health benefits, loss weight, and you won't want to kill yourself after a few weeks,
Just eat what our ancestors ate, be active like them. Portion control. Limit sugars.. tone down the carbs a bit, eat clean and fresh.
I'm sure the weightloss and health benefits are absurdly good.. but why not just be more active and eat healthier on a general level? You'll get close to the same health benefits, loss weight, and you won't want to kill yourself after a few weeks,
Just eat what our ancestors ate, be active like them. Portion control. Limit sugars.. tone down the carbs a bit, eat clean and fresh.
[laughing]
The cavemen were pretty jacked. As far as diet and lifestyle go, yeah that's how it's done. Obviously they didn't live long because a lack of medical science and millions of other reasons. But how they lived is a blueprint on how to live healthy.
The cavemen were pretty jacked. As far as diet and lifestyle go, yeah that's how it's done. Obviously they didn't live long because a lack of medical science and millions of other reasons. But how they lived is a blueprint on how to live healthy.
And before anyone says "Well the caveman didn't have spaghetti herp derp!".. they did have nuts, starchy vegetables like potatoes, and pizza bagels.
I'm the same way; I stay sub 20 every day and actually don't miss carbs at all. I get them through broccoli, spinach, and other vegetables. I think I'm kind of insulin resistant, so the carbs allowed in the later stages of Atkins wouldn't work for me.
I don't know, you could be right, but I hope it will be sustainable for me. Doing this during Christmas was not convenient though, haha.
The reason I stumbled upon this diet is because nothing else worked, and I think it is insulin resistance. I would do an hour of cardio in the mornings, eat a balanced diet, and lift at night 5 or 6 times a week, and couldn't lose weight or any inches. The "healthy carbs" I was eating like oatmeal and sweet potatoes were keeping the fat packed on. I found out that all calories are not the same, so the old "calories in, calories out" isn't accurate, at least not for me.
Keeping insulin down is what has worked best for me. Eating 20 or fewer grams of carbs a day has yielded amazing results when slaving at the gym and eating healthy carbs didn't work.
The biggest improvement for me is my mood though. I'm much more cheerful than I used to be, and also more patient with the idiots I deal with on a daily basis for work (IT support). I'm not miserable at all, and haven't pondered suicide because I couldn't eat pizza or candy. I've read in numerous studies that our brains function much better when ketones are the energy source rather than carbs. There are actually no essential carbs. Also, this diet isn't just for losing weight, but is good for anybody. Several athletes (MMA fighters, Tim Tebow) are doing it with positive results.
OP hope you're reading Calories Proper. Best resource by far on this subject that is evidence based.
I've done it before in spurts, but with my work and lifestyle wasn't sustainable for long. BOL.
I've done it before in spurts, but with my work and lifestyle wasn't sustainable for long. BOL.
Lolll that's the fattest diet I've ever seen. Been on it basically my entire life. 180 and almost svelte.
Couple things; the calories in/calories out is indeed incorrect for many people but it's not a bad general plan. Keeping SUGAR low is REALLY important, in fact it may be THE most important. A lot of people think they're doing great diet-wise but don't realize drinking Orange/Apple/Grape etc juices are just as bad as a Coke. Hell, even eating a ton of actual fruit isn't the best plan. Also, I hope the struggle many people deal with weight-wise (which was likely originated by their parents feeding them sugar filled crap instead of cooking supper for them) encourages them to set their kids up for a better chance at not becoming overweight and forcing them to fight twice as hard when they get older.
I have been a very low carb and high fat diet for a while. The absolute very best food on these ketogenic diets imo are roasted salted nuts (insert nut pun here). Almost every kind of nut has different amounts of all the minerals like sodium, patasium, magnesium, selenium, etc. that you need. I eat 2-3 servings of nuts every single day.
These "new diet of the day" programs kinda make me laugh. By far the best thing you can do for your body is to eat a well balanced healthy diet but do so in moderation and in proportion to your level of physical exercise. If you have the discipline to follow these wacky diets then why don't you have the discipline to follow a well balanced heathy moderation/proportional diet?
These highly specific, specialized diets really are only needed by just a few people that need to lose weight quickly. For the general public, the negative impact that it likely has on the body over time just isn't worth the risks.
These highly specific, specialized diets really are only needed by just a few people that need to lose weight quickly. For the general public, the negative impact that it likely has on the body over time just isn't worth the risks.
I agree Jason, but how many kids are stupidly fat by the time they become a teenager and have no idea what a healthy diet is because their parents eat absolute ****? Once you're late teens or early 20s they're 20-40lbs overweight already and have a big hill to climb to turn it around, if they even care to. Just saying, it sucks people do that to their children whether they realize it or not.
People that keep on trucking through toward morbid obesity though....man those are people for which I don't have much empathy.
I think obesity is more of a hormone problem (insulin) than anything else, at least for a lot of people. I've read articles put out the last few years by maverick doctors and scientists that show the correlation between obesity and insulin. They makes sense.
Some people simply cannot eat "healthy" foods like oat-bran muffins, whole grain or whole wheat bread, or whole grain pasta because of insulin issues. It isn't until they eliminate almost all carbs and increase fat intake that they are able to overcome the insulin problem.
I guess age is a big factor as well. Back in the day I could stay in good shape playing ball a few hours a week, despite eating pizza, soda, and other ****. That changed after I hit 40.
I'm curious to see if the ketogenic diet can give the pancreas enough of a break from insulin production to let it heal, and allow the body to overcome the insulin resistance.
Some people simply cannot eat "healthy" foods like oat-bran muffins, whole grain or whole wheat bread, or whole grain pasta because of insulin issues. It isn't until they eliminate almost all carbs and increase fat intake that they are able to overcome the insulin problem.
I guess age is a big factor as well. Back in the day I could stay in good shape playing ball a few hours a week, despite eating pizza, soda, and other ****. That changed after I hit 40.
I'm curious to see if the ketogenic diet can give the pancreas enough of a break from insulin production to let it heal, and allow the body to overcome the insulin resistance.
You're right, that's what gets people (other than Type 1 diabetics) to that point in the first place. I guess what I'm saying is that some people who are obese cannot eat a balanced diet by today's standards and lose weight because that includes "healthy" carbs like whole grains. The gyms are full of people who stay fat while working out but eating low-fat yogurt, Baked Lays, whole wheat bagels, and sweet potato fries.
After eliminating the carbs and losing the weight, perhaps they can then eat the balanced diet and exercise to stay in shape. I guess I'll know in a few months.
You very well may be able to do it, and I hope so. It depends on what's going on in your life. I regularly eat dinner at my Dad's and then at my mom's. I work late nights in IT, and have a work schedule that's constantly a moving target. I also have some sort of after hours engagement weekly, either to another dinner, or out for drinks with friends, or this that and the other thing.
There's no way I can stick to a strict diet where I have to cross off foods, or worse, an entire macro. The only thing I can do is put myself in places that have at least healthy options and portion control. Keto, or Atkins.. those diets just won't work with my schedule.
Rouge and I will advocate for an active lifestyle along with dieting. Lifting weights for an hour is proven to burn anywhere from 500-700 calories. I don't love the whole "Diet is everything" moniker. Yeah, it is when you eat like crap and take in 4,000 calories a day, sure! The gym won't fix that.. But if you eat somewhat healthy to start, AND put in 3-5 days a week of lifting/cardio.. that's going to make a world of difference.
Unless you are doing this for health condition reasons.. I would never recommend someone to do the Keto diet, or some fairly extreme diet, unless they are also staying active. I don't believe in such an imbalance and swinging REAL hard on one, while neglecting the other.
Unless you are doing this for health condition reasons.. I would never recommend someone to do the Keto diet, or some fairly extreme diet, unless they are also staying active. I don't believe in such an imbalance and swinging REAL hard on one, while neglecting the other.
That's good advice. I've actually switched up my workouts to mostly lifting weights and only doing cardio a few times a week. I used to do mostly cardio, but I found that aerobic exercise make me hungry as hell, and with the fasting I do I couldn't hack it. Anaerobic exercise doesn't cause the hunger.
Yep, I don't know why it doesn't. You would thinking lifting weights like Hulk would make you want to eat a 50oz Porterhouse after, but it doesn't. Yet when I swim I feel the need to eat everything in sight after.
But even cardio is fine. Just SOMETHING. I don't think someone should swing the activity/diet scale too far in one direction. It's going to be miserable for most and very unsustainable. Leverage both if you can.
But even cardio is fine. Just SOMETHING. I don't think someone should swing the activity/diet scale too far in one direction. It's going to be miserable for most and very unsustainable. Leverage both if you can.
Agreed, doing some very stringent diet and not working out is crazy to me. You need the balance and given, I workout a bit too much for most people's taste but that's because I enjoy it and it's mental as much as physical for me.
I do not understand the crazy diet fad. whats wrong with simply eating less , trying to eat clean , and simply getting active like walking or working out a little .
Most diets will work IF you stick with them and hence the problem. Most only stick to them briefly and then end up eating more than they did before.
Actually, it's kind of depressing this number has only moved 3-4 years over the last three decades. All that medical science and we only added 4 years? Imagine if society took care of themselves.. I'd bet that number would be up 10 years or more.
It would increase the average life expectancy some and it would definitely make those later years more enjoyable, but there's a lot more involved in mortality rates than obesity or "taking care of yourself."
Absolutely. But obesity does have a laundry list of diseases attached to it. And over 30 years? with everyone eating healthy? I can't imagine that number don't goes up.
Now, maybe as humans we've kind of leveled off for now.. but I find it fishy that when this nation started becoming a bunch of fatties, our life expectancy started to go a bit stagnant.
Now, maybe as humans we've kind of leveled off for now.. but I find it fishy that when this nation started becoming a bunch of fatties, our life expectancy started to go a bit stagnant.
But then consider the moral dilemma that occurs. As a medical professional, I struggle with this. Medicine continues to advance at a crazy rate and is keeping people alive a lot more and longer than it ever has before.......but at what quality of life? Is it ethical to keep a vegatable alive when their quality of life is zero?
This is a dilemma that is raging right now and is going to get more and more complicated going forward.
Well I have to imagine that as the life expectancy rises, so does the quality of life "age" as well? Or maybe not.
A bigger problem may be the age of retirement compared to life expectancy. These old people need to remain in the work force longer, even if it's public service work of some kind.
A bigger problem may be the age of retirement compared to life expectancy. These old people need to remain in the work force longer, even if it's public service work of some kind.
Oh great another thread where someone asks about a diet and the usual suspects (young in shape folks) go on idiotic rants about calories and hitting the pavement.
There's a helluva lot more to it you touching asshats.
There's a helluva lot more to it you touching asshats.
[laughing]lol holy **** you've lost weight on this diet?! You being sarcastic? wtf how could you possibly lose weight eating that garbage. I can only imagine myself eating a bacon sausage spam dish then drinking some heavy cream and then falling into a coma.
I am an actuary. Life expectancy is a bad statistic. Heroin, smoking, and obesity are keeping that from rising. If you're active and a healthy weight your lifespan is more like mid 80's. If you survive to 50 your life expectancy is over 81. If you make it to 65 your life expectancy is over 86.
Also I eat a low carb diet, but do boot camp 3 times a week, elliptical 2 times a week for 45 minutes, and lift heavier weights once a week. So diet and exercise are definitely key.
+1
Breakfast: Grains (big-*** bowl of Quaker oatmeal with honey 5x weekly). Splurge on Sat-Sun with grits and sharp cheddar.
Lunch: Fruit. Grapes, strawberries, apple slices, Mexican blackberries, Texas mushrooms.
Dinner: Lean meat and starches. Some sweets.
Get effed up Fri-Sat nights on good craft brew.
Live long and prosper.
You're welcome.