I did it starting January '18 for about 4 months. Lost 40 lbs pretty fast. Loved how I felt but long term found it just was not sustainable due to not having time to prepare the foods (too busy at work, sleeping little and working a lot). I also found that the leg cramps could get almost unbearable. I'm still wondering what the leg cramps were actually from. I had my blood tested and my magnesium levels were perfect but for whatever reason the leg cramps would just not stop. I know it was not from dehydration because I was drinking water like crazy. I think it could be a good transition diet. Start with keto to drop the weight and then transition into a low carb or paleo diet, something like that. I'm going to try that starting mid-summer.

 

I solved the leg cramp issue with Potassium supplements.

Another drawback to the Keto diet is the cost of buying organic, grass-fed, free-range, truly healthy foods. However, I'm saving a lot because I no longer eat out or buy pizza. I also agree that preparing meals is a bit time consuming but I only eat one meal a day so, for me, that's a small price to pay for the great way I'm feeling.

As for low carb diets ... you can't get lower than the Keto diet. It was hard for me to give up pasta, sugar, and bread. I didn't realize how addicted to those foods I was but dropping them from my diet has been a literal life-changer.

 

Glad to hear the Keto diet has done you good with weight loss and feeling more energetic.

If I developed cancer I'd likely try the keto diet. From what I've read it isn't a cure for cancer but can often be beneficial, extending life, for those with the disease.

 

If you get the time ... please watch some of the YouTube clips from Dr. Berry and Dr. Berg. The Keto diet will remove the environment in which cancer cells thrive. It's a great deterrent where diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other ills are concerned. But it's true that most people aren't going to try something like this unless and until their back is up against the wall. That's where I found myself and I'm glad I stumbled upon this diet. I love beef, butter, and cheese which are all "Keto friendly" foods. I miss bread sometimes but that craving has all but disappeared.

 

Not sure why you feel the need to only eat organic, grass-fed, free-range, truly healthy foods. That’s not Keto, I never buy any of that over priced crap and I’m doing great on a low carb diet. Hell in a pinch I’ll stop at Mickey D and grab 6-8 Mac Doubles throw away the bread, it’s enough for several meals. Dress them up with mustard or mayo and lettuce and they’re not bad. I make the low carb mug bread & toast it and have a full fledged hamburger without the carbs.
When we eat out if I’m having Mexican I’ll stick with fajitas and bring my low carb wraps. When we go to a burger joint I bring my low carb bread and I’m good to go. Most places have chicken wings without breading so that’s an easy meal also.
First year or two I lost 80 pounds and have maintained my weight over the last 5 years. Times I’ll drop off of it and eat processed food, I immediately feel like crap, no energy, headaches, you name it.
Keto or low carb is the only way to go...

 

Not sure why you feel the need to only eat organic, grass-fed, free-range, truly healthy foods. That’s not Keto, I never buy any of that over priced crap and I’m doing great on a low carb diet. Hell in a pinch I’ll stop at Mickey D and grab 6-8 Mac Doubles throw away the bread, it’s enough for several meals. Dress them up with mustard or mayo and lettuce and they’re not bad. I make the low carb mug bread & toast it and have a full fledged hamburger without the carbs.
When we eat out if I’m having Mexican I’ll stick with fajitas and bring my low carb wraps. When we go to a burger joint I bring my low carb bread and I’m good to go. Most places have chicken wings without breading so that’s an easy meal also.
First year or two I lost 80 pounds and have maintained my weight over the last 5 years. Times I’ll drop off of it and eat processed food, I immediately feel like crap, no energy, headaches, you name it.
Keto or low carb is the only way to go...

As they say ... we are what we eat. The same is true of cattle and chickens. Feeding cattle natural grass is a thousand times better than feeding them grain, antibiotic, and hormones. Grain is little more than glorified sugar. Grass fed beef is much more nutritious than grain/corn fed beef. However, I never knock what anyone else chooses to eat. I would rather see folks eat a low-level Keto diet than the S.A.D. diet of America and the West in general (SAD = Standard American Diet). Whatever works for you. I prefer the quality and taste of grass-fed, top level food but not everyone can afford it. I fully understand and I don't look down on anyone for doing what they gotta do.

I'll never leave the Keto diet. Once I began to research it, it made perfect sense and my body fully agreed with what the experts were saying about it. I'm grateful for the YouTubers out there who bring great content to the Tube on a routine basis. I watch lots of channels and continue to learn and grow (mentally ... not physically).

 

One of my Facebook friends has been talking about the keto diet. One of her other friends said "it sounds like your menu is dripping in grease".

She "countered" that by posting her menus for the day and describing her diet in great detail = dripping in grease. That just doesn't sound appealing. I also don't like the "keto bread, keto pancakes" etc. And sliced cabbage is not a substitute for noodles.

LOTS of cooking, lots of work, dishes, etc. I am looking for another way - and yes I did try it. I had a lot of digestive issues from all the grease in my diet.

I have gone to a more moderate in everything diet. I eat a minimum on the wheat products. That's just smart. But if I am at a buffet and see a piece of cornbread I am going to eat it.

 

I have yet to eat a Keto meal that's "dripping in grease." The misunderstanding is that a Keto meal should be about 70% in fat calories --- not 70% in fat. There's a big difference. There are more calories in fat than there are in meats. So a little bit of fat provides more calories than a lot of meat.

The meals I eat usually have about a tablespoon of ghee or butter or a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil or avocado oil. The rest of the fat comes in the beef. I NEVER eat soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, or any of the other toxic, chemically derived oils in that category. Only the good stuff!!

It's interesting how much misinformation has already been fomented about the Keto diet in less than 15 posts. Everyone's an expert without ever having done the research. Welcome to modern America!! But hey ... America is one of the fattest nations on earth and they love it so. It's why pizza and sugar rule America's kitchens. Read the ingredients on your Mayo, Ketchup, Mustard, Bread, and Spice packaging. There's sugar (major carb) in almost everything. Sugar, pasta, bread, grains, etc. will spike your blood sugar and create lots of insulin problems. It will cause fatty liver which leads to a number of major issues. But like I said earlier, I ate that crap for 58 years so I have no room to knock anyone else who chooses to remain overweight and generally unhealthy. That's a choice they get to make. The AMA loves the "SAD" diet because it keeps them in their mansions and Mercedes.

 

Thanks, I never heard of "mug bread".
Have to give it a try.

 

I dated a gal for a very short time and ended it due to the keto crotch effect.
For some gals...... it is quite real.

 

The "Crotch Effect" turned out to be a hoax. There are a lot of "health gurus" who hate the Keto diet because it's cutting into their sales. Jillian Michaels tried to debunk Keto because she sells a ton of high carb supplements. Keto hurts her brand.

Also, one of the main opponents to Keto and a site that pushes the "crotch effect" myth is Vice.com. They chose an appropriate name for themselves. CNN, the Washington Post, and other liberal, leftist groups pushed the fake story as well. Anyway, here's an article debunking that false claim:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/03/18/keto-crotch.aspx

 

I never heard of keto crotch women. I don't think I'll give them a try!

 

Three of the most horrible odors I've ever endured came from high carb women.

 

OH, this is straight out of a keto dieter's Facebook. "I fried the eggs and bacon in coconut oil, then I added coconut oil to my coffee". How is that NOT dripping in grease?

I lost 80 pounds, twice, on low carb. I know all about the evil carbs. However, for me it is unsustainable due to high levels of cooking, meal prep, dishes, etc. After taking care of myself, my business, and my husband I got nothing left. I also sell junk food for a living and am tempted on occasion.

For now I am just trying to focus on getting at least 60 grams of protein a day, as I am working out and need it. I drink a lot of milk, eat a lot of yogurt, have carbs on occasion but not often. My last blood tests were fantastic, so I am happy.

 

You clearly have not done enough research. You are stating your bias with the comments about 'dripping in grease'. What have you actually researched about grease/fat and it's effects on the body? What have you researched on cholesterol and how many forms there are? I think you are depending far too much on information given to you by the same people that came up with the food pyramid.

 

35 lbs in two months here using keto. That's even eating out often( due to work) the choices are there if you look.

Even "guys" night at Buffalo Wild wings is a go as traditional wings and several sauces meet low to no carb and macros.

I've found substitutes for almost all my old favorites pizza, breads ,rice etc. Honestly it's one of the easier diets, you can be super strict and figure macros and such or like me and simply stay under 20 carbs and lose ( I do supplement with a drink called keto meltdown to increase ketone level).

Only thing I did learn recently is watch protein, I was heavy on that and wasn't losing as quickly, come to find out excess protein is converted to glucose apparently, that hampered me in beginning.

 

35 lbs in two months here using keto. That's even eating out often( due to work) the choices are there if you look.

Even "guys" night at Buffalo Wild wings is a go as traditional wings and several sauces meet low to no carb and macros.

I've found substitutes for almost all my old favorites pizza, breads ,rice etc. Honestly it's one of the easier diets, you can be super strict and figure macros and such or like me and simply stay under 20 carbs and lose ( I do supplement with a drink called keto meltdown to increase ketone level).

Only thing I did learn recently is watch protein, I was heavy on that and wasn't losing as quickly, come to find out excess protein is converted to glucose apparently, that hampered me in beginning.

Awesome!!! :thumb:

Yeah ... overeating protein can spike the sugar. Even zero carb sweeteners (Monk Fruit, Stevia, etc.) can trick the mind into thinking you're eating cane sugar and can cause a spike. It doesn't bother me but it does bother some folks. I like Monk Fruit the best and will occasionally have a smoothy made with frozen raspberries, unsweetened, high-fat Kefir and some Monk Fruit. It's a rare treat.

 

Glad it's working for you AJ.

Been doing it with some Intermittent Fasting, see Dr. Jason Fung for more info, for close to 2 years. Lost a little over 70 lbs and corrected my diabetes. So much better than having to take a minimum of 3 meds for the rest of my life. I'm maintaining weight at this point, but plan on losing another 15. Not gonna lie, the first couple of months were a little difficult, but the weight came off pretty quick and regular, so the results were worth it.

 

Super good news. It reassures me that I'm on the right path when I hear that someone has been doing it for 2 years without ill effects.

Yeah. I had the "Keto flu" for the first couple of weeks and got a bit discouraged. That went away and has never returned.

Dr. Fung is another really good source for info.

I'm currently at a "plateau" of about 182lbs. There have been a couple of days this week that I was down to 180 and I'm certain I will go beyond in due time. I still have a little flab around the waist and "love handle" area but I'm taking more walks and using workout bands for toning purposes.

 

One, I don't OWE you anything.

Two, you know NOTHING about my life.

You can think/feel whatever you want. That is your option. As I said, I lost 80 pounds, TWICE, on low carb. I doubt many can make that claim or have photos to prove it.

And if you don't think eggs and bacon fried in oil, with more oil in the cup of coffee (just one meal she listed) is "dripping in grease" then you need to rethink YOUR diet. I'm not talking a pat of butter on some green beans and roast chicken (see, I know how to do low carb), but literally rivers of grease through her whole meal plan. It was nauseating

And I am not interested in doing math, "tracking macros" with every bite I eat. I work out several hours a week (see fitness blog), my blood test numbers are perfect.

Can you say the same?

 

I'm open to learning about it. And it's great for the OP. I have heard many success stories of Keto diet. I've been very tempted to try it, even for a month or two, and see the results.

I think it's obvious people should cut out simple carbs and sugars. I mostly do that, getting very little. My biggest issue as a bachelor is frozen meals and pastas which are very easy to make.

With the removal of grains and increases in fats, it goes against decades of my learning and the food pyramid of a balanced diet including whole grains and removing fats.

 

That is the old one.

This is the new one.

https://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/food-pyramid.php

 

Cartman's food pyramid.

Aunt Jemima gave him the answer in a dream.

Then there is this one.

 

If that's the legit keto diet then it's not for me. Must be a better way.

It cuts out things I must have, including fruits, milk, beans. And things I really enjoy like rice, potatoes, and pasta. I even use a little sugar now and then, or eat some junk like chocolate or cookies...

 

Keto Diet is amazing. Its amazing the constant ignorance of how
bad the standard american diet (SAD) is.

I am not going to elaborate much, but I strongly suggest all the
nay sayers just on this thread alone, Please update your research
on healthy diets. DO NOT go by what your DR, AHA ADA etc tell
you.

Finally, get rid of the whole "Moderation" mentality, even with
"healthy" sugar like fruits. You dont tell an alcoholic to drink in
moderation.

 

Good point. We don't shoot heroin in moderation or jump off of a cliff in moderation. Some things are best avoided altogether.

 

I have read several books (and reread), still have Dr Atkins on my Kindle. I have also read countless web pages and posted on a low carb message board for years.

I'm not telling anyone how to eat. I'm saying extreme diets (and I include both keto and low carb into that) are not for me. I am saying I think "rivers of grease" when presented with a so-called "healthy" keto diet plan. Fat is fat. "Good" or bad. And putting fat in your morning beverage in addition to fried proteins in grease (she made a big production of talking how she poured the cooking grease over the food before serving) is just not appealing to me.

If we put up our blood test results mine would be in the top 5. What I am doing works for me. I am not telling anyone how to eat.

I loathe cauliflower. I am allergic to almond, a staple in most of the fake breads used in the keto diet. I have very energy left for meal prep after running my business and taking care of my train wreck husband.

And I am happy for whoever said he could do it all and it is just part of being a survivalist. Not really - an unsustainable diet that cannot be maintained once SHTF. Shortages occur meat and specialty diet items will be the first to go. You will have to go to carbs or starve. I have my own set of problems and will not list every one.

I am, however, well set to survive on what I have stored. I am very healthy and have maintained my weight for quite a period of time. I don't point fingers, judge, or tell anyone what to do or eat.

I expect the same consideration.

 

I'm not going to argue with you. If you're happy then I'm happy. I'm just going to say this:

The body needs fuel to function. There are two primary fuels the body will burn. Carbs or Ketones (primarily from fats). When given a choice, the body will run to the carbs and leave the fat alone. So whatever fat you may consume on a high carb diet will get stored somewhere in your body. When carbs are removed from the body then it has to seek a new fuel source. That source is the fat stored in the body.

So the purpose of adding fat to our diet (in conjunction with intermittent fasting) will train the body to burn fat instead of carbs. When we're fasting and not introducing more fat into our system the body will start burning the body's stored fat.

And ... fat is NOT fat. There are definitely good, healthy fats and horrible fats. That's a fact!!!

Also, a good, healthy diet will help curb allergies.

 

I almost died the last time I ate almonds. I don't plan to ever consume them again, thank you.

I understand about ketones, I will say it for the 3rd time, I have lost 80 pounds, twice, on low carb. However things are different now and it is not a viable option for me.

I have many things going on, one being the care of a very sick family member who requires a lot of attention. I am also self employed. I am disabled myself and do not drive. Short story I have a lot of battles at present, I have to prioritize.

Sure, if I lived by myself and could afford to work part time (getting food is a huge hassle for me as I am disabled myself and cannot drive), I could do all the meal prep, cleanup, etc. For a while I had a huge vegetable garden and all I ate were meats and vegetables. But those were other days.

But I have to take care of myself, my husband, my business, my cats. I even have a special needs cat.

Maybe if I went lesbian and got myself a wife I could do it. She could do all the meal planning, prep, cleanup, housework while I managed the rest of my life.

It has been my observation that everyone doing "keto" well has either a stay at home wife doing all the work, or they are a stay at home wife. Just what I have seen.

Remember I never said it didn't work, I just said it didn't work for me.

 

I don't eat almonds either. Too high in carbs for me. Walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, and macadamia nuts are my standard "go to" nuts/seeds.

Sorry you're having to struggle so much. I feel badly for you and will say a prayer on your behalf (for what it's worth). I've never gotten above middle, middle class. Most of my life has been in the upper poverty or lower middle class segments of society so I do understand what struggling is all about and it gets old really fast.

So ... for me ... the sacrifice of paying a little more for quality food is worth the significant benefits I have and am experiencing. I won't fault or knock anyone who chooses a different path.

 

I did fine either way, LC, but the meal prep was a big killer for me.

If I won the lotto and had my own chef I would be low carb for sure. But I have some link sausage sitting in the fridge, a chub of ground beef, they've been there for a while but I can't work up the juice to go cook them.

 

Yeah, I would eat differently if I were a rich movie star with a personal chef. All lean meats, fresh fruits and salads produced and picked daily. But that would quadruple my grocery bill and time spent shopping and preparing foods...

As it is, for me that's impractical. Much like when I sacrificed my body to get the mission done on deployments drinking liquid energy, I suppose it's the reality of the average class eating less than ideal...

Could eat better for 4x the cost and time. Not practical for most of us.

 

I would agree if the cost of healthier food was "4x" that of processed, SAD food. However, the cost isn't that much more. Couple that with the fact that I no longer eat delivered pizza, fast food, or restaurant food and the cost of eating is about the same as it was before I quit the SAD diet. But even if I did have to pay a little more ... the health benefits are totally worth it.

 

I looked up the term "chub of ground beef" because I have never tried it or had any desire to try it. (thinking, what are they hiding?)

http://www.cargillgroundbeef.com/learn-packaging.aspx

I was shocked to read that it lasts 21 days in the fridge!

Regular ground meat goes bad after 3 days or so.

 

Yeah, good for those of us with energy/motivation issues. I still have another week on it. I get my groceries delivered with Walmart and they do a pretty good job picking my stuff.

 

Some days I do well to bathe. :rofl: And get him bathed. Virtually everything he does is with help. THEN we go out and run a business.

I have a stack of precooked foods in the freezer. Or we get delivery.

I am not standard issue, I, myself, am disabled. I also have to take some very hard core medication for very serious mental illness - it does the job but leaves me exhausted and foggy.

Feel free to throw rocks, I have said the whole time. Having "enough" energy to sit and work on my computer is very different from having "enough" energy to shop, meal prep, cook, and do dishes.

I venture every man posting in this thread has a wife doing all the cooking for him. Be grateful for her. As I've said I do not have a wife. I also said I ventured it was nearly impossible to do one of these meal plans without a full time stay at home wife to do all the cooking, cleaning, etc.

As for me, I had a McDonald's #2 sausage biscuit for brunch. I don't regret that, it was good and did the job of holding my pills when I took them.

It also comes down to a fundamental truth: I don't like fatty meat. I will eat some sausage on occasion but that is it.

 

I sure wish you could find a way to get back on Keto. There are several Youtube videos showing how to do Keto on a budget. I truly believe that if you took full advantage of the Keto diet that many of your ills would either disappear altogether or at least be alleviated.

 

FAT IS HEALTHY
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/27/saturated-fat-cholesterol.aspx

The latest science suggests healthy fats (saturated and unsaturated fats from whole food, animal, and plant sources) should comprise anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of your overall energy intake.
"There has never been solid evidence for the idea that these [saturated] fats cause disease. We only believe this to be the case because nutrition policy has been derailed over the past half-century by a mixture of personal ambition, bad science, politics, and bias."
​

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-09-12/fat-might-not-be-bad-for-you-after-all

[R]esearchers wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine, that the sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to downplay links between sugar and heart disease, and instead play up the emerging science about saturated fat as a more likely contributor to heart disease problems than sugar.
​

. . . [expletive deleted!] . . .
There are essential proteins.
There are essential fatty acids (fat).
There are no “essential” carbohydrates.
. . .
Carb-Loaded, a film
. . . You can be trim and fit, but slowly dying from carbs . . .
https://youtu.be/lBb5TFxj1S0
>> Americans are victims of a public policy and propaganda campaign that resulted in a change in diet, a rise in sickness and disease, and an increased burden. <<
FAT is not the bad guy. Never was.
CARBS (refined) are the problem.

 

Keto is very hard to do if your goal is to emulate your favorite high carb diet.

Cauliflower pizza can be a very close substitute if the get it just right -- but it would take less time to butcher a sheep and cook it over an open campfire.

The difference is that the caul. pizza is one meal. The barbie sheep could feed you for two weeks.

Cook bacon. Add eggs from the shell. Eat. You are done and washing dishes in 15 min.

If that is too complicated. Cook bacon. Add bacon. Smile.

 

Keto is very hard to do if your goal is to emulate your favorite high carb diet.

This seems to be the biggest problem for most. Trying to make something new to taste like the crap I'm accustomed to. I want these broccoli florets to taste like a bag of doritos. It is much easier to change your mind.

 

My wife and I have done keto for about 4 years now, and have done very well on it. Got on it after her cancer diagnosis (she’s fine, no worries), and she wanted to lose some weight and get healthier to better fight the cancer. In that respect, no doubt it worked. We’d done low carbing in the past, had good success, and keto was just a more dedicated, natural progression from that. I’d also read about how cancer cells need sugar for fuel to grow. Cut the sugar (glucose), starve the cancer. I’m sure that’s oversimplified, but we wanted to do everything we could.

To me, our diet isn’t all that fatty or greasy. We certainly don’t shy away from fat, but it’s not like we’re adding it to everything. No rivers of grease, no bacon with every meal, no fried lard with a side of butter drizzled in coconut oil. I know that’s a popular take on it, and there are people out there who do it that way, or at least show it that way on social media.

Probably the fattiest seeming thing we eat is peanut butter (Smucker’s natural, no sugar, the occasional spoonful). We did try coconut oil in coffee. It was fine, would do it again, but cream is easier. By the way, a cup of coffee with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil doesn’t seem all that fatty. A cup of ice cream or a biscuit feels greasier in the mouth (the bread itself, not even counting anything else sandwiched in it). That’s because ice cream and biscuits do have more fat, considerably more calories, and lots of carbs.

So how’s our health after 4 years of eating keto? Well, after my wife’s last checkup, the nurse wanted to keep a copy of the blood test results to use as an example of what perfect looked like. All low bad stuff, high good stuff, great heart rate, perfect blood pressure. I haven’t even bothered with blood work the last couple of years, but everything was very good or normal last time. Doctors say, “Whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it.”

We’re not perfect and fanatic about keto, and certainly don’t try to talk anyone into it. You do you, and carry forth and so forth. We’ve just found it to be a very effective weight loss and weight maintenance diet for us, and feel good on it. I’d say it’s perfectly possible to eat different ways and be in good health, even whole grains and potatoes. Well, in moderation. I’m not great at moderation, but some people are. And since I’m not great at moderation, I try to avoid it — it’s just easier for me to entirely cross things off my possible foods list than to try to eat sensible amounts and not too often. Make sense?

Now, what we would we eat if the world ended? Well, if the situation was dire enough for us to dip into our stores, we’ve got canned meats and vegetables for quite some time, but we have no delusions about living on just that. No, we’d also eat rice, beans, pasta, oats, breads, fruit — whatever else we have stored. Food isn’t our religion, it’s just our fuel. And if we’re dipping into our stored food, getting too much fuel probably wouldn’t be an issue.

 

Bacon wrapped Bats