Keto diet - anyone else?

[AAz01]

After thinking about it for a while and reading a couple of books (I don't know why there isn't a simple "beginners guide" - if this works for me I'm going to write one)... I've begun on the keto diet.

The purpose is to lose weight. I've got about 50kg to lose, so a fairly hefty amount!

My problem is a pretty shocking addiction to sugar. I have on a few occasions managed to cut out all sweets/cakes/sugary crap for as long as a year at a time... But every time, I inevitably reach the point where I just have a tiny little taste (eg. birthday party... "just one slice of cake") and it all comes crashing down after that - the binge that follows over the next few months always leaves me heavier than ever.
I don't especially crave other carby food like pasta/potatoes/bread, it's really just sugar.

Many things I've read about the keto diet say that it will replace my carb cravings with fat cravings, which is something I would greatly welcome. I love pretty much all food and don't think I'll struggle to find what to eat with keto.

My observations so far after only 3 days... The first couple of days my sugar cravings were ridiculous. I could literally think of nothing else for 48 hours and was in a constant bad mood.
Woke up today feeling a lot better. I'd still love a big home-made fruit salad and a McDonalds milkshake.... But the craving isn't strong enough to put me in a bad mood. Hopefully it'll only get better from here...

[AAz01]

Thanks all.

The limited choice of food will be an issue, especially when we're having dinner at friends/family houses. But I'm determined to be strict until I'm a lot closer to my weight goal.

One of the things I'm already finding difficult (and I believe is quite different from the original low-carb diets) is that protein needs to be moderated. A lot of low-carb foods are high in protein, so it's becoming a bit of a balancing act.

On the plus side, over the last 3 days I've found that I'm eating a lot less as I'm less hungry... I know this is supposed to be one of the effects of a keto diet, but I didn't expect it so soon. I've been tracking my eating on the MyFitnessPal app and the last couple of days I've only eaten around 1,200cal per day... Less than half my normal consumption... And I honestly haven't felt hungry.

[AAz01]

KamSandhu44 said:

1200 cals!!!!

Are you male?

Even for a female 1200cals is the bare minimum.

You're going to waste away and probably slow your metabolism right down. That won't be sustainable!

Yes male, and my target is around double that as I'm pretty big/heavy and moderately active... I honestly haven't been very hungry since starting this. I used to get probably half of my daily calories from sugary foods, so maybe it's just taking me a while to adjust. 1200 certainly isn't what I'm aiming for!

[AAz01]

mcelliott said:

Did it a few years ago........it got me super shredded, left me feeling weak, and just wasn't sustainable for my needs.

I've seen some people say similar to you, and others say they felt a lot healthier and fitter. Maybe it doesn't suit everyone.

TBH I feel pretty weak as things are, carrying an extra 50kg+ around everywhere. If it helps to lighten the load, then I can address any weakness later.

[AAz01]

Thanks for all the advice

At the moment I'm not using any tests to measure whether I'm in ketosis. I've looked into it and there are too many inconsistencies reported with the urine strips. Blood tests work well but cost a small fortune to do long-term. Breath tests may or may not be good, I'm struggling to find enough info on them.

I'm eating under 25g of carbs a day, just to be certain. Maybe once I'm half way to my goal I'll do blood tests for a few weeks and try to work out what my actual threshold is.

I am pretty sure I'm in ketosis and have been since day 3. I can taste the "keto breath" and all the other signs are there.

I read Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore before starting, as well as browsing through /r/keto. Good resources, but honestly it still feels like quite a new thing and I completely understand why many people see it as a fad. It's not good enough to publish a list of "keto friendly doctors", if the majority of doctors still don't really understand it and will try to put people off it.
My take on it is that from what I've seen so far, it's almost certainly safe to do and very likely to be a more natural diet for humans. But even if it's not the healthiest diet, I am in no doubt whatsoever that it's healthier than staying at my current weight for another few years.

The thing that got me onto keto in the first place is looking at peoples progress pics on reddit. Almost every time someone posted up pics where they start bigger than me and end up staying thin for more than a year, they did it on keto and they said that they tried and failed traditional "healthy eating" diets, as I have.

[AAz01]

Calza said:

I have to wonder though, if you are trying to lose that much - do you really need a specified diet? Cutting back portion sizes a little and making smarter ingredient choices would probably see 30kg easily (I've been there).

It's controversial to say this, but traditional "eat healthy" diets don't work for me. I know it's a psychological thing (obviously if I eat less I'll weigh less, I'm not disputing that) but I can't do moderation. I've managed in the past, found it hellish and was in a constant bad mood for a few months while the weight dropped off... Then as soon as I relaxed just a tiny bit I would go crazy with my eating and quickly put the weight back on (and more) over the next few months. It happened a few times, and each time it was harder to find motivation due to the previous failure.
The "no more sugar cravings" aspect of a keto diet is what made me curious. So far so good, but it's only been a week.

[AAz01]

PBDirector said:

I can eat two tubs of Ben & jerrys back to back without even thinking about it. Apparently other people don't do that sort of thing.

You need both flavours though, or it's not a balanced meal.

I always found it funny when I went to the local sweet shop for a 500ml tub of ice cream, and they would give me two spoons.
1) Thanks for thinking so highly of me
2) But look at me, we both know what's happening here, let's not kid ourselves

[AAz01]

LordGrover said:

The best diet is the one you can stick with, despite it being demonstrably bad for you?

Lesser of two evils.

Being extremely overweight is so bad for your health in so many proven ways, that the question "is a high protein diet bad for you" is barely worth asking if it helps you lose the weight.

Besides, the keto diet isn't a high protein one.

[AAz01]

Update after 2 weeks...

My weight passed the "1 stone down" mark today. Only 8 more to go!
Although I'm aware from previous diets that when you weigh as much as this, it's very easy to lose massive amounts of weight at the beginning - it slows down considerably after a while, so I won't hold my breath for losing the next 8 by Christmas!

My cravings for sweets went after only a few days, but my cravings for fruit were pretty strong until just a couple of days ago. I still look at sugary food and think "that would be nice..." but there's zero need/desperation for them as there has been for the last 30 years. Which is nice!

Unfortunately I've still been struggling because my cravings for keto-friendly foods are also non-existent. I'm getting pretty sick of high fat foods, and combined with my dramatically reduced appetite I still sometimes realise at the end of the day that MyFitnessPal only has 500 calories logged for the day, which is worrying. I've been making a conscious effort to eat more, even though I don't feel hungry and don't find the food appealing.
I really hope that changes, because other than that I'm pretty happy.

At the beginning I sometimes felt very weak. Like 20 minutes into walking the dogs my legs would be burning as though I'd walked miles uphill. I saw a few suggestions for taking electrolytes to combat weakness on a keto diet, so I've been taking these (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L7WXKWU) every day and have noticed a definite improvement.

[AAz01]

4 week update... 1.5 stone (9.5kg) down.

Weight loss stalled (actually, went up slightly) after week 2. I think the reason for that is that I tried drinking some sugar-free drinks. From what I've read, some people drink gallons without any issues and other people are very sensitive to the sweeteners. Unfortunately it turns out I'm in the latter group, and a couple of glasses of Pepsi Max a day was enough to cause issues .

Real shame, because after weeks of eating nothing sweet it tasted heavenly!

I'm not sure of the science behind it... I still had all the signs of ketosis (keto breath, low appetite, no carb cravings) and was eating well below my maintenance calories, but the weight loss was non existent. Don't know how that works
Within 2 days of not drinking sweetened drinks the weight started dropping again.

I'm still struggling to find keto-friendly foods I enjoy, although I'm starting to build a list of meals that I actually do like. Morrisons 'Ribs of Fire' along with fresh veg pots (sugar snap peas, pepper and cherry tomatoes) make a very tasty and convenient lunch

[AAz01]

hman said:

Dont eat rubbish

I haven't eaten rubbish (carbs) for 4 weeks . Average of 15g carbs per day in that time. Previously I averaged 300g per day.

I do use the MyFitnessPal app. It's handy although the subscription to unlock full features is a bit costly. I haven't found anything better, though.

Keto has a very specific purpose for me, which you would see if you'd read the thread (obvious you haven't). I have always been addicted to sugary foods. I've managed to stay off them for months at a time before, but with constant cravings during those months that explode into further months of binge eating after a single moment of weakness.
I accept that it's a mental thing and if I eat less I'll weigh less, but after 30+ years of not managing to keep a healthy weight I have also accepted that "trying harder" wasn't working.

The keto diet has removed my cravings for sweets 99%, and my cravings for other sugary foods like fruit 80%.
When I have a bad/stressful day now, I lose my appetite - which is not like me at all and is quite refreshing! Before I was on the keto diet, a bad day would result in a sugar binge.

And I've lost 1.5 stone in 4 weeks... The results speak for themselves. My appetite is greatly reduced thanks to eating higher fat foods so it's easy to stay below maintenance calories. In fact I find it hard to reach them now, even if I try.

The question of whether saturated fats or carbs are less bad for you is pointless in my case. Being 8 stone overweight is without a doubt my biggest health risk. The weight needs to go... Afterwards, I'll probably consider a more moderate low-carb diet because keto is very restrictive and I often have to eat separate meals from my wife which is difficult.

[AAz01]

Calza said:

What's fat adapted?

The main theory behind a keto diet is that your body can either burn carbohydrate or fat for energy. If you eat below a certain threshold of carbs per day then it'll burn fat for energy instead. This is ketosis, or being "fat adapted".

That doesn't mean you can eat 4,000 calories per day and still lose weight, though. You'll only burn your stored fat if you eat a deficit of calories.

The main benefit (for me, at least) is that you no longer get cravings for carbs, as your body doesn't look for them.
I can confirm that in my case this is 100% true and after being addicted to sugar for 30+ years I can now watch other people eating sweets and not feel the slightest inclination to join in.

Edited by AAz01 on Monday 18th September 14:43

[AAz01]

7 week update...

Weight still going the right way - 14.4kg (2.27st) down so far.

Did my first cheat day last week for baby's first birthday party, and it was an interesting experience...
There was a big fresh fruit salad, and literally enough sweets and cake to feed a medium-sized city for a year (or me pre-keto for two meals).
I had some of the sweets and a bit of cake, my first in nearly 2 months, and honestly - I'm not just saying this - they were bland and flavourless. Sweet yes, but not especially tasty or enjoyable.

But the fruit salad.... dear god that was good! Giving up fruit has definitely been the hardest thing for me.

I was really worried that doing a cheat day would bring back the carb cravings and make me go through the adjustment into keto again from the start... But nope. I maybe had a slightly increased appetite for a few hours the next morning but no cravings and no noticeable changes. Very happy with how it went, and it gives me the confidence that I can do the occasional cheat days for special occasions without lasting effects.

[AAz01]

3 month update - 3 stone down!

I had what felt like a massive plateau a few weeks ago, although with hindsight it wasn't a big deal. Approx 3 weeks where weight didn't go down at all, even went up a tiny bit despite eating the same as previously and doing a couple of fast days to try and jump-start it.
I decided the real problem was that I was checking the scales too often, so have stopped doing that - at some point it started moving again as I've lost lots more since then.

Question for anyone that knows - Are there any types of beef steak I can look for that are cheap and full of fat, while being available in fairly thick cuts? I find myself eating lots of ribeye, and always look for the fattiest one in the shop, but it's too expensive. Rump is cheaper but too lean. Other cheaper cuts are always too thin to be enjoyable.

LotusMartin said:

Just embarking on this journey myself, I'm T2D and 17st so figured it was worth a try. Thought I'd kick it off with a 5 day water-only fast, which I'm just at the end of and has been an experience! BS down to a steady 4 and lost nearly a stone so all is good so far (although mainly water I'm guessing). Wife has also bought in to the Low Carb diet and seems to be enjoying it this week. Plenty of recipes on dietdoctor, but I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with no bread, potatoes or pasta

Good luck!
You honestly do lose your carb cravings - that's been the best thing about keto for me, as it was my biggest issue previously.

Leithen said:

Home made Mayonnaise - Jamie Oliver's is one of the easiest.

I'm not saying you shouldn't make it yourself... But why would you when Hellman's is full of fat and practically carb-free? I add it everywhere I can