I agree with all that and was also down 17 pounds for 11 months since starting.
our favorite simple meal is cream cheese and chilis on chicken breasts...5 minute prep and tastes great
Started on Keto
I agree with all that and was also down 17 pounds for 11 months since starting.
our favorite simple meal is cream cheese and chilis on chicken breasts...5 minute prep and tastes great
Keto is a huge success for me!
I'm started out at 346 lbs and got down to 216 lbs in just over 18 months. I went from a size 48" golf shorts to 34". I was pre diabetic and was starting to have blood sugar issues and my doctor told me I had to start exercising and eating right and oddly enough she did not want me to do keto.. but after my first visit with her after 3 months and all my levels were down and weight lose was crazy she became a believer.
There is healthy keto and non healthy keto, sure you could eat processed meat and cheese all day and meet the keto requirements but that is not the way to do it.
Also besides what I do at work(lots of walking), I'm a civil construction superintendent so I don't do much physical labor unless things get crazy I did not exercise at all besides golf which I walk 9 or 18 holes 2 times a week and cart golf 1-2 times a week.
What I did for the first year was limit myself to 20 or less carbs a day. Then I transitioned to keeping under 40 carbs and was able to stay in ketosis. I did use those pee strips at first to check my levels but after awhile you can just tell your in ketosis(energy, clear headed, not hungry, bowel movements) If you monitor your weight and energy I bet you could ween yourself off to higher carb count a lot sooner than I did.
The biggest thing for me was after awhile I just wasn't hungry during the day and was able to do 12 hour intermittent fasting between breakfast and dinner(breakfast around 5 and dinner after 5). I work construction so for years lunch was huge to keep my energy up but since doing keto I am fine.
One thing to point out is that I am a single guy so I have no one else in my household that needs to eat so that makes things a lot easier, there is no cheat food around and no one to tempt me.
I'm kinda weird and I am able to eat the same thing for breakfast almost everyday, I do 2 eggs, 1 tb of feta/cheddar, a big handful of spinach and one of those pre packaged avocado or guacamole cups. I sauté the spinach in avocado oil then add the eggs and top it with the cheese, hot sauce and avocado/guac. I pair that up with coffee with MCT powder creamer(I use a frother to mix the powder and coffee and it works great).
For lunch when I didn't intermittent fast I would make 4-6 servings of a recipe and portion it out and bring that to work. If I was on the go I would do cold cut and cheese roll ups or make keto chicken/tuna salad and put that over spinach or zoodles. Bacon crumbles in moderation is also your friend on keto...
For dinner I have one of my pre portioned meals always over a bed of spinach, kale, zoodles or another leafy green but most of the time I just do I protein and vegetable. Hamburger, steak, pork chop, salmon, chicken and broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, asparagus(wrapped in prosciutto is my favorite), or zoodles. I use kerry gold butter for my veggies to keep my fat % up. There are a ton of no sugar BBQ sauces and condiments that fit into keto out there.
For snacks I eat stuffed olives, cheese(Belgioiso is my goto they make individual portions of a bunch of different cheese), meat sticks/pepperoni, parm crisps are my favorite snack. You just need to be aware of portions, I find that if I eat a piece of cheese or a few olives and wait a few minutes the snack cravings are gone. Also look for Halo Top ice cream, you could eat the entire pint if you plan your macros correctly!
Fat bombs are also key to keto, there are some simple fat bombs you can make if your craving sweets, just be careful as they tend to hit your stomach pretty hard until you get fat adapted, fat bombs are integral if you go with non fat proteins like turkey/chicken for a meal because your body needs fat to burn.
For drinks, I drink a ton of water at least 64 oz a day, what I do is chug 16 oz. as soon as I wake up to get me started (I add psyllium husk to this water chug). I keep my fridge stocked with flavored sparkling water. Other drinks are iced tea and lemon, I have a mr coffee iced tea maker so I either use regular lipton tea bags and some lemon slices in it or get other tea bags like mango, mint, etc and make it with those. I personally don't add sweetener most of the time but when I do I use Swerve. I also like coffee so coffee and heavy cream/light cream(or half and half in a pinch) are my gotos. You can also do zero sugar or "diet" soda in moderation.
Alcohol, I love beer so this was a big issue for me, limiting alcohol intake is important for the fat burning process. Monitoring my weight and ketones when I drink it seems that ketosis kind of stops while alcohol is in your system. If you like to wind down with a few beers or cocktails there are options. For beer you can go the route of Michelob Ultra or Miller Light types beers or if you like craft beers there are options Dog Fish Head Slightly Mighty, Lagunitas Daytime IPA, Blue Moon Light Sky and with only 2-3 you can keep under your carb limit if your careful but hard liquor is a different story, whiskey and vodka have no carbs so drink up be be prepared for the worst hangover of you life! I think it may have something to do with lack of carbs but overindulging while in ketosis hurts real bad the next day.
On the go Keto - if you find yourself on the go and need a snack from a gas station or fast food place there are options, for a gas station your limited but in PA we have Wawa and they have tons of options, hard boiled eggs, pickles, meat and cheese sticks. From fast food places look at their grilled options, most have a grilled chicken sandwich or a burger which without the bun will work just might need a fork to eat.
*****This is very important pooping on keto is a topic most people don't talk about, on keto you poop a lot less and your poop can become hard and pebbly. Trust me when I say this; you need to add additional fiber to your diet. Start you day with a glass of water and psyllium husk/sugar free Metamucil and try to get another glass throughout the day). I use a large glass and a small whisk to mix the powder. I cannot stress enough how important this is from personal experience, you do not want to get to the point of sticking suppositories up your butt, I was on the verge of calling 911 one night during my first few months of keto due to constipation.*****
Recipes - some people say you will get bored of what you can make but that is totally not true. There are keto versions of everything, granted some are terrible but others I find are better than the original. Keto chicken tenders for example with a breading of grated parm and almond flour in the air fryer with avocado oil spray are amazing with some hot sauce or sugar free BBQ sauce, you can do meatballs and zoodles with tomato sauce(I use Rao's sauce), Instant Pot Keto crack chicken is freakin addictive, taco bowls, tons of soups. There are keto pizza recipes that are pretty good I use the Fathead crust recipe and love it.
Sorry for the long post but Keto changed my life and my doctor currently approves of it, she wants to see me under 200 lbs and all tests still passing which I think is possible if I continue with healthy keto.
I'm started out at 346 lbs and got down to 216 lbs in just over 18 months. I went from a size 48" golf shorts to 34". I was pre diabetic and was starting to have blood sugar issues and my doctor told me I had to start exercising and eating right and oddly enough she did not want me to do keto.. but after my first visit with her after 3 months and all my levels were down and weight lose was crazy she became a believer.
There is healthy keto and non healthy keto, sure you could eat processed meat and cheese all day and meet the keto requirements but that is not the way to do it.
Also besides what I do at work(lots of walking), I'm a civil construction superintendent so I don't do much physical labor unless things get crazy I did not exercise at all besides golf which I walk 9 or 18 holes 2 times a week and cart golf 1-2 times a week.
What I did for the first year was limit myself to 20 or less carbs a day. Then I transitioned to keeping under 40 carbs and was able to stay in ketosis. I did use those pee strips at first to check my levels but after awhile you can just tell your in ketosis(energy, clear headed, not hungry, bowel movements) If you monitor your weight and energy I bet you could ween yourself off to higher carb count a lot sooner than I did.
The biggest thing for me was after awhile I just wasn't hungry during the day and was able to do 12 hour intermittent fasting between breakfast and dinner(breakfast around 5 and dinner after 5). I work construction so for years lunch was huge to keep my energy up but since doing keto I am fine.
One thing to point out is that I am a single guy so I have no one else in my household that needs to eat so that makes things a lot easier, there is no cheat food around and no one to tempt me.
I'm kinda weird and I am able to eat the same thing for breakfast almost everyday, I do 2 eggs, 1 tb of feta/cheddar, a big handful of spinach and one of those pre packaged avocado or guacamole cups. I sauté the spinach in avocado oil then add the eggs and top it with the cheese, hot sauce and avocado/guac. I pair that up with coffee with MCT powder creamer(I use a frother to mix the powder and coffee and it works great).
For lunch when I didn't intermittent fast I would make 4-6 servings of a recipe and portion it out and bring that to work. If I was on the go I would do cold cut and cheese roll ups or make keto chicken/tuna salad and put that over spinach or zoodles. Bacon crumbles in moderation is also your friend on keto...
For dinner I have one of my pre portioned meals always over a bed of spinach, kale, zoodles or another leafy green but most of the time I just do I protein and vegetable. Hamburger, steak, pork chop, salmon, chicken and broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, asparagus(wrapped in prosciutto is my favorite), or zoodles. I use kerry gold butter for my veggies to keep my fat % up. There are a ton of no sugar BBQ sauces and condiments that fit into keto out there.
For snacks I eat stuffed olives, cheese(Belgioiso is my goto they make individual portions of a bunch of different cheese), meat sticks/pepperoni, parm crisps are my favorite snack. You just need to be aware of portions, I find that if I eat a piece of cheese or a few olives and wait a few minutes the snack cravings are gone. Also look for Halo Top ice cream, you could eat the entire pint if you plan your macros correctly!
Fat bombs are also key to keto, there are some simple fat bombs you can make if your craving sweets, just be careful as they tend to hit your stomach pretty hard until you get fat adapted, fat bombs are integral if you go with non fat proteins like turkey/chicken for a meal because your body needs fat to burn.
For drinks, I drink a ton of water at least 64 oz a day, what I do is chug 16 oz. as soon as I wake up to get me started (I add psyllium husk to this water chug). I keep my fridge stocked with flavored sparkling water. Other drinks are iced tea and lemon, I have a mr coffee iced tea maker so I either use regular lipton tea bags and some lemon slices in it or get other tea bags like mango, mint, etc and make it with those. I personally don't add sweetener most of the time but when I do I use Swerve. I also like coffee so coffee and heavy cream/light cream(or half and half in a pinch) are my gotos. You can also do zero sugar or "diet" soda in moderation.
Alcohol, I love beer so this was a big issue for me, limiting alcohol intake is important for the fat burning process. Monitoring my weight and ketones when I drink it seems that ketosis kind of stops while alcohol is in your system. If you like to wind down with a few beers or cocktails there are options. For beer you can go the route of Michelob Ultra or Miller Light types beers or if you like craft beers there are options Dog Fish Head Slightly Mighty, Lagunitas Daytime IPA, Blue Moon Light Sky and with only 2-3 you can keep under your carb limit if your careful but hard liquor is a different story, whiskey and vodka have no carbs so drink up be be prepared for the worst hangover of you life! I think it may have something to do with lack of carbs but overindulging while in ketosis hurts real bad the next day.
On the go Keto - if you find yourself on the go and need a snack from a gas station or fast food place there are options, for a gas station your limited but in PA we have Wawa and they have tons of options, hard boiled eggs, pickles, meat and cheese sticks. From fast food places look at their grilled options, most have a grilled chicken sandwich or a burger which without the bun will work just might need a fork to eat.
*****This is very important pooping on keto is a topic most people don't talk about, on keto you poop a lot less and your poop can become hard and pebbly. Trust me when I say this; you need to add additional fiber to your diet. Start you day with a glass of water and psyllium husk/sugar free Metamucil and try to get another glass throughout the day). I use a large glass and a small whisk to mix the powder. I cannot stress enough how important this is from personal experience, you do not want to get to the point of sticking suppositories up your butt, I was on the verge of calling 911 one night during my first few months of keto due to constipation.*****
Recipes - some people say you will get bored of what you can make but that is totally not true. There are keto versions of everything, granted some are terrible but others I find are better than the original. Keto chicken tenders for example with a breading of grated parm and almond flour in the air fryer with avocado oil spray are amazing with some hot sauce or sugar free BBQ sauce, you can do meatballs and zoodles with tomato sauce(I use Rao's sauce), Instant Pot Keto crack chicken is freakin addictive, taco bowls, tons of soups. There are keto pizza recipes that are pretty good I use the Fathead crust recipe and love it.
Sorry for the long post but Keto changed my life and my doctor currently approves of it, she wants to see me under 200 lbs and all tests still passing which I think is possible if I continue with healthy keto.
Low carb Low Cal IPAs
They are not as good as the real thing but they work for me!
Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty IPA
Lagunitas Daytime IPA
blueonblack
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My only "carbs" tonight were from my organic yellow taco shells and my tomato. Slow burn complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fats, and good leafy greens and fibre. I'm going in the opposite way, trying to maintain or even gain some weight, and things are going well.
I weighed in at 200 very lean pounds yesterday, which is pretty much my ideal at 6'2". I thought I was going to die at 157lbs two summers ago, so this huge for me. The tacos are super fuel for me. If I want to feel strong and satisfied they do it! Chicken thighs tonight for protein and cheddar and sour cream. Oh stuffed! Vodka is free food. Ha!
I weighed in at 200 very lean pounds yesterday, which is pretty much my ideal at 6'2". I thought I was going to die at 157lbs two summers ago, so this huge for me. The tacos are super fuel for me. If I want to feel strong and satisfied they do it! Chicken thighs tonight for protein and cheddar and sour cream. Oh stuffed! Vodka is free food. Ha!
blueonblack
...tears on a river
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You Keto peeps woulda died thinking about all my carbs at dinner last night. 
My chicken chow mein over Jasmine rice with gluten free chow mein noodles, Hagen Daaz with strawberries.
I need the carbs! I'd wither without! I'm hungry again now!!
My chicken chow mein over Jasmine rice with gluten free chow mein noodles, Hagen Daaz with strawberries.
I need the carbs! I'd wither without!
I'm hungry again now!!
I found an app called Carb Manager I am loving for tracking my Keto and it synchs with my Apple watch which is awesome. They also have a ton of recipes on it, I made the bacon wrapped chicken thighs with cheddar sauce and it was incredible.
Wife has lost 30+ pounds on Keto, I have lost 30+ pounds intermittent fasting since December. Find it much easier to just not eat, doing the 16/8 .Also watching sugar and carbs. Best part is that the sugar numbers care in the normal range with no meds. VA doctor said that he would take me off the diabetic list. Goal weight reached!
Edit 11/22 - We're both around 40 pounds now and both seem to be feeling very good considering age. This eating plan is what we plan to stay with.
Edit 11/22 - We're both around 40 pounds now and both seem to be feeling very good considering age. This eating plan is what we plan to stay with.
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Well done and keep it up.
I've been on a low carb regime for nearly 4 months now and I'm in the best shape I have been for a while. I couldn't do Keto as it seems a bit extreme.
One thing I noticed initially was how hungry I felt after a low carb meal but that soon disappeared after a couple of weeks BUT when I've had carbs because there aren't any good options available (this happens on weekend breaks and holidays) I've noticed that I go through the same two period when I go back to low carb.
I've been on a low carb regime for nearly 4 months now and I'm in the best shape I have been for a while. I couldn't do Keto as it seems a bit extreme.
One thing I noticed initially was how hungry I felt after a low carb meal but that soon disappeared after a couple of weeks BUT when I've had carbs because there aren't any good options available (this happens on weekend breaks and holidays) I've noticed that I go through the same two period when I go back to low carb.
A little update on my low carb adventure. I started on it last January after my routine checkup found my A1C shot up to over 7.5. I was at nearly 275 pounds on my 6’3” frame. I cut back drastically on the carbs and in April I started walking every day. By the end of September, I’d lost 50 pounds and my sugars went to 6.1. I think my body started resisting the weight loss as I haven’t lost any weight since even though I’m still eating fewer carbs. I noticed it on the golf course when my blood sugar levels would drop and I’d loose all my energy. I’m hoping this is just a normal weight loss plateau that people go through. My goal is to loose another 25 pounds and possibly get off the diabetes meds. I’m going to stick with my low carb diet and hope that I break through the weight loss wall I’m stuck behind right now. Insulin resistance is a big problem for a lot of us. Having the motivation and determination to do something about it was the hardest part of it for me. The quick weight loss I had in the early part of the year showed me it was possible to get healthy without being too difficult. I hope this thread motivates people here in some way. I resisted for too many years. Glad I did something about it before it was too late.