Noted. I’ll try it! Thanks for the tip, Adam.
Is there any decent app around that shows net carbs, where you don’t have to manually subtract fiber to get a usable result? Preferably one that doesn’t require a yearly subscription… (MyNetDiary I’m looking at you).
espressojim made me post this
Today was day 7 of keto. Down 14lbs thus far, but I am aware that most of that is water weight. As the glucose stores burn off, so does the water the glucose was bonded to.
I’m eating really tasty stuff and still losing weight. It’s kind of awesome. I feel more excited to continue after a week than I have on any other diet before. Already feel lighter on my feet, have more energy and am having a good time exploring new things to make with the myriad of delicious ingredients I can use. :D
Dude, if you are feeling that good a week into low-carb for the first time, you are GOLDEN. Keep up the good work. I’d offer advice, but doesn’t sound like you need it. But if you have questions, fire away.
I will offer one thing. This is probably near the top of things I wish I’d known from the start:
https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Sweetz-2oz-Liquid-Sweetener-Servings/dp/B002MO765O
0 carbs, unlike packets which say they are, but aren’t.
Yeah all the weird artificial sweeteners and sugar replacements are one area I’ve been a little afraid to tread into quite yet. I haven’t done any desserts which is the one thing I’m sorta missing most right now. I’ve got meat/cheese/bacon/etc for days so I’m all good on those cravings haha
I’ve been feeling weak the past few days, muscles in my arms and legs lethargic and limbs feeling very heavy, etc. This morning at work I actually got to a point where I felt like I was going to pass out. I’d been reading about keto for months before starting it and understand that a lack of electrolytes is a common thing for newbies (sodium being removed from your system at a higher rate + you’re still using salt the way you used to before keto + lots of water going out flushes the electrolytes with it). So I ate some salted peanuts, and actually had a salt packet (it wasn’t that bad actually lol) and some water and about 30 mins later I felt great and have the rest of the day. Muscle weakness went completely away. So I think I was just a little low on salt. Been eating a lot of broccoli so I’m good for potassium, I think.
I’ve been on high blood pressure medication for about a year. Probably should’ve been on it long before that. I took it two days ago, and then about an hour later noticed that when I’d stand up I was getting really dizzy and light headed, almost feeling like I was going to faint. And other classical signs of low blood pressure. Thought maybe it was just low electrolytes or something, so I took my meds again the next day and again the same thing an hour later. So, it would appear the lower sodium levels + eating better has done more for my BP in 7 days than lisinopril has for me in a year. Crazy shit, huh?
Gonna schedule a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to get checked out just to be sure. But I think I’m being fairly accurate with my observations.
Heaps of carbs in those!
9 grams carbs, 4 grams fiber, so 5 net carbs in the packet I got out of the vending machine. I can have 25-30 a day. I came in around my numbers today :)
Also 30 grams of fat in it, and some sodium, both of which are things I haven’t been getting enough of yet. It’s actually kinda hard to get enough fat. But that’s how you’re primarily getting energy now, so you have to.
Keto calculator for my height/weight is telling me:
134g protein
31g carbs
201g fat
per day
The protein isn’t too hard but man you really have to cheese/butter/salt everything to get in everything you need. It feels really freaking weird. It SOUNDS weird. But the evidence is there that this works. So far so good.
I sorta fear I’ve turned into one of those people who’s bought hook line and sinker into some fad diet and is now raving on a forum to anyone who will listen about it. But I really don’t think that’s what this is. Am I nuts or what?
I don’t know a lot about keto diet, but as a type 1 diabetic my body can’t process carbs. I have to inject insulin to manually manage that function. So my goal is maximum 12 grams of carbohydrate per meal, which is pretty much in line with keto from what I understand. 6 is the recommended max for breakfast, so maximum of 30 per day.
Too much protein converts to carbs eventually as well so fat is necessarily at the base of my pyramid, hence my ‘macro’ balance is similar to what you wrote there. Which is inverse to the recommendation of most dietary associations around the world - places where epidemics of obesity are a real problem. :) Of course I guess in those cases a lot has to do with snack and fast foods and no exercise.
I don’t go as far as aiming to hit specific amounts of each though, I figure if I need more I’ll be hungry and if I don’t get enough energy I’ll lose weight until it balances itself.
I came off the ‘glucose rollercoaster’ a while back (as I’ve seen it called). The peaks and dips in BGL cause very obvious cravings for more sugar, and it’s amazing how quick those cravings disappear after minimizing carb intake. I eat less, get full quicker and for longer, and hardly snack at all.
It can’t be a bad thing right? At least I can say it’s not a fad diet for me, but a necessary way of life. ;)
*edit: I changed the daily carb numbers a bit
They have no idea what they are talking about. Excess carbs are the reason people are fat.
@Eric_Majkut I love that you are enjoying what you are eating. That’s such a big deal in terms of sustaining it. I’ve been doing low carb for years now. I think that at times the hardest part can be variety…wanting something different.
One nice thing is that there are more options out there now than when I started. For instance La Tortilla Factory makes some awesome low-carb tortillas for those times you want something sandwich-like.
I don’t know if you guys have tried this but it’s an awesome and easy snack … microwaved cheese!
Start with some of those packets of thin single slices you can buy, lay one on grease-proof paper and crank to high for a minute and a half (at least until it stops sizzling which means all the water is gone).
The cheese dehydrates and crisps up nicely for some crunchy textural interest with practically no carbs. Kind of like pork crackle, but with cheese. You can experiment with all different types and slices.
The ‘singles’ are good because they’re thin and even, and puff up to something approximating a slice of toast. Stick on some cream cheese and chives, maybe salmon, or fried eggs, and you’re on the the way to a breakfast.
I had Chipotle on Friday as a sort of reward for myself. 9g net carbs, and it tasted AMAZING after a week of eating baked chicken breast and frozen vegetables. I’m actually glad that that’s how I started out, because that first week of boring spurred me to find all sorts of things I can eat and now I’m tossing those all around in my head coming up with recipes for them.
For example, I had some chicken breasts left over from the chicken salad I made over the weekend. Wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then I decided to stuff them with cream cheese / bacon / spinach / garlic. And they turned out amazing. Can’t complain about eating like that right?
I recently found that my grocery store stocks the Mission low carb tortillas and I definitely plan on picking some of those up. It opens up a whole bunch of sandwich possibilities I was having a hard time figuring out how to do without bread. Also things like quesadillas / mini pizzas / etc.
It’s weird that you say the diet gets boring. And it’s weird that these are all ingredients I’ve always had access to, but I guess having new restrictions makes you rethink and recombine them in new and interesting ways!
Don’t do it, they look awful! It’s all starch, wheat, and margarine. All the kinds of things you shouldn’t be eating.
Vegetable Shortening (Interesterified Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and/or Palm Oil)
Basically all trans-fats. You got all this great fat you can eat now instead, like bacon, butter, avocados…
If you’re choosing your 5-10 carbs to form the basis of a meal, at least make them good slow-acting carbs.
Well, they appear to be the only brand I can find locally. Unless I wanna go to 10 different grocery stores looking :/
And I feel like it’s a bit ridiculous to pay shipping for tortillas :P
This is an insane story, by the way?
Well you’re only on day 7 and already fantasizing about wheat-based products. I wouldn’t be eating tortillas at all, not yet at least. It’s a slippery slope. ;)
For quesadillas / mini pizzas, keto recipes generally use fried cheeses for bases. This kind of thing:
Fried, for a crispy pizza kind of base:
http://www.wickedstuffed.com/keto-recipes/mexican-pizza-on-a-cheddar-cheese-crust-grain-free-lchf-keto-low-carb/
Baked, for a softer rollable kind of base:
http://www.wickedstuffed.com/keto-recipes/cheddar-wrapped-taco-rolls-keto-grain-free/
You can also find stuff made predominantly with almond flour I guess which may be a better option.
I went through the same. Note that mine did come back up though. HBP runs in my family though, so my only advice would be to monitor it at home, monitors are cheap. As you are greatly changing your diet, expect your BP to fluctuate a bit before it settles in. What I’m saying is, don’t ditch meds until your doctor tells you so.
Also you mentioned desert, berries. In particular, frozen berry mixes are kind of awesome. Don’t make them a habit, but a small handful in a small amount of cream, then add in a little bit of that sweetener linked above.
You should also look up low carb danishes, note they are not actual danishes, they are eggs, cream cheese and a few minor ingredients. They are quite good though, and a little sweet and hit that need when it pops up occasionally.
Also, @Profanicus, this isn’t correct, not at all. They are completely different in both what they are, and how the body uses them. As a diabetic I sure you know that, so I’m wondering if you meant this another way?
Well, it can if you fall into a rut and start eating the same things again and again. Like I said, I’ve been doing this a long time…about 15 years.
I don’t understand where the problem is here. What am I missing? They are 3 net carbs each. I can have 25-30 of those a day. Whether it’s coming from a piece of lettuce or a low carb tortilla doesn’t matter. 3 net carbs is 3 net carbs. I can eat 10 tortillas, or I can eat a pile of lettuce. Either way it breaks down to the same chemicals in my body, that are then treated the same way metabolically. But apparently not?
I think you are doing fine. For me, low carb isn’t a “diet”, it is a lifestyle choice. The problem with diets is that they are things we don’t intend to sustain. Once you stop and return to old habits, the weight comes back. If you want a low-carb wrap, have one. Iirc I tried the mission ones and they were pretty good. I like La Tortilla Factory even better, but love the one you’re with, so to speak. Ultimate, it’s doing what works for you in a way you can be satisfied and continue doing it.