To ask your experience of a keto diet?

[Atticusblame]

Just started this today. It's basically a very low carb diet. I have low carbed before, but not quite to the keto extreme.

Has anyone found it works well for them? And how long is it until results show? And what alcohol can I drink on it?

I wondered about that too with Michael Mosely as he raves about the blood sugar diet etc but he had diabetes and was 'skinny fat' (TOFI)

I mean the comment about people with metabolic syndrome / prediabetes feeling the most difference.

Here's my lunch - lettuce, cucumber, avocado, tomato, red cabbage, carrot, boiled egg, some olive oil and a dod of Mayonnaise (which is essentially more egg and olive oil). Dinner tonight is salmon with Kale and asparagus. I could eat those meals every day and be healthy (I won't because I'm already looking forward to watercress soup and vegetable curry tomorrow). Where is the evidence that it's not good for you long term?

As with all food choices some people do it in an unhealthy or unsustainable way, that does not mean it is inherently bad.

It worked but I found quite tough to stick to. I really missed fruit.

I think what did for me ultimately was goong back to work as it requires prep. I tend to eat a lot of tinned soup and fruit for lunch as I can just throw them in my bag. I'm not so good at remembering to meal prep and sometimes would find what I had made a bit unsatisfying.

I followed the bootcamp on here which was really helpful but quite strict. I think if I had stuck it out and been able to add in a few more options after bootcamp I could have coped a bit better. I also might try ketostrips as I do enjoy a bit of POAS.

I do think bootcamp is hard going, but I guess it isn't meant to be long term. But even short term I found it very tough.

It's not at all hard for vegetarians. I even have vegan Keto books. I love it, it really makes me think about what I am eating. I have a lot of stir fries, curries and eat very healthy.

I do miss apples and bananas, but that's it.

It made me really really really unwell. I did it twice and did all the stuff like keeping up electorylites, sticking to it religiously for a month each time. I was so so weak by the time I finished, lost lots of weight but was beyond weak

It made me feel unwell also and also when I went back to eating more slow release carbs i noticed my blood sugars were still fine - not much difference there (get monitored regularly for something else)

I used to look at a site called Diet doctor lots of info there.

Keto flu never passed for me. 10 weeks of fog and exhaustion, lost a few pounds in the second week then stayed the same (and I have a lot of weight to lose)

I have Pcos and insulin resistance and it’s the only way I can lose weight. Basic calories in vs calories out doesn’t work for me. I can lower my calories and not lose weight. Where’s when low carbing I can eat more calories and still lose weight

I’ve been keto / dirty keto for a couple of years.

Would never go back to a ‘normal diet’

The CICO model is total rubbish, our bodies are not a straightforward combustion machine that accurately uses predictable energy and where all fuel is the same - our hormones manage the energy we give it, and importantly the type of fuel we give it (fast burning carbs same as protein?!? Nahhhh)

I’ll never go back to having to rely on willpower

What on earth is dirty keto? It sounds...niche .

I have pcos and low carb was the only way I was able to lose weight. I used to be get shakey and feel sick if I didn't eat breakfast within an hour of waking up but after a few weeks of low carb, I wouldn't feel hungry until lunch and had loads of energy. It also stopped my migraines. It's not for everyone but it worked for me. I lost a stone and a half and the only reason i stopped was because I got pregnant and have hyperemesis which means the only thing I can really eat without being sick is bread! I can't wait to get back to it once the baby is born. With eating out, I used to just ask for the carbs to be substituted for either veg or salad.

@fookmefookyou

Omg yes please share that sounds amazing

Keto is amazing! Genuinely great but very restrictive. I lost loads of weight, stopped snacking altogether, food cravings just disappeared and I felt great. I got the most horrendous headaches tho on day 3ish which made me want to die (drastic) but I think it was worth it in the long run. Off the wagon now since a holiday but defo will get back to it

I used keto for migraine management and as a side effect lost about a stone that needed to come off. It’s very effective. What I would say is that you need to vary what you eat, make sure you are getting enough fat and keep up your electrolytes. I took a magnesium supplement and made sure I ate foods heavy in potassium (avocado, nuts). I also added salt to my diet. All of these things can help with the keto flu.

After a week or so you won’t feel that hungry a lot and can eat 2 meals a day but still make sure you’re getting enough calories. To get into and maintain keto you will need to eat less than 20 grams of carbs a day but you would most likely still have the desired effect on under 50 plus be less likely to feel side effects.

I lost 5lbs easily in the first week (mainly water weight from the glycogen stored in liver) then lost 2-3lbs a week after that. My stomach was much flatter. I don’t believe it’s an unhealthy diet if you eat a variety of foods but it is difficult to maintain especially when eating out.

I have endo and keto/low carb really helped me because cutting carbs meant less bloating and seemed to somewhat ease the usual period agony. I did it properly before the summer and lost 1 stone quite quickly and now do it on and off (still around 10lbs to go so need to knuckle down!) I never experienced what some pp are saying about flu, breath stink, punching colleagues etc. I am totally addicted to sugar so it helped me curb my cravings and I find now a little bit of dark chocolate satisfies me as opposed to my usual mountains of sweets and choc.

Hey I've been keto for a year I lost 4 stone so I'm just maintaining now
I got results within a few weeks which is slower than some I blame my thyroid but I stuck at it and it came off yay
Wine is fine as long as it's dry thinkPinot Grigio Sauvignon blanc chenin blanc it's not affected me and I like my wine
Easy to stick to as well as long as you plan your meals lunches and snacks
I'm a type one diabetic as well and my long term bloods are now that of a non diabetic if I had been a type two diabetic I could have stopped my meds
Good luck keto on

It works for me and it seems healthy if done correctly. I suppose that you could live entirely on lard and consider yourself to be 'low-carb' or' keto' ... but this isn't the idea behind the low-carb way of eating.)

I agree that there are plenty of good meal ideas out there now. Diet Doctor has some good ones.

The meals available are full of unprocessed food + include plenty of veg. I do drink wine sometimes - and the occasional gin :) but have much more water than I used to.

My family tend to choose my low-carb menus over ones we all used to eat. Eating out is fine - many good options are out there when fish or steak in garlic butter with salad and mayo - followed by is fine :)

I feel healthier than before and am much fitter. Over the last 18 months I've lost about 50lb - slowly but without it being much of a strain. I'd like to lose 10 more lb but am happy to continue eating like this anyway.

I've been on Keto for five weeks. I actually really like it because it's clear what you can and can't have.

I stick to 20-30g of carbs a day (which is hard!) and Keto Flu was absolutely awful but only lasted a week. I've lost over 1stone so far, with another 4 to go.

I'm not stopping until I get there. What is great is I'm eating LOADS of vegetables (I used to hardly eat any) so I'm really happy about that:

followed by CHEESE (and coffee with cream)
Sorry - don't know where that disappeared.

Didn’t work for me beyond the initial weight loss. Can only assume that I ate too much cream and cheese!
But it really did regulate appetite for me.

You need to be careful with alcohol on keto. Your blood sugar can drop and you have no glycogen stores in your liver to raise it again. Can be dangerous.

Yeah be careful with dairy on keto. I gave up cream.

Thanks everyone! Not finding it particularly hard so far, but then I'm only two days in. I am very, very thirsty though.

I personally think that if you have found a diet / WOE, which is fairly restrictive, but which you find easy, then definitely stick with it! It's maybe just right for you and you'll be one of the people who notices great benefits! Lucky you .