To try keto

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Does this help prevent hunger?
im completely carb addicted and it’s making me feel awful

I've been doing keto for about 6 weeks and the one main benefit aside from weight loss, is the lack of sugar and carb cravings.

My appetite is stable and quite low, therefore I'm definitely eating less calories.

I don't think I'll sustain it so strictly once I have reached my target weight, but will be very careful about re-introducing refined carbs and sugar to my diet again.

I'm no dietician, but have a science background. I thought our body used glucose stores as the first energy source. So when our glucose is depleted in keto, we have to use fat as fuel instead.

Anyway, it works for me and I feel much healthier and leaner.

I just don’t eat bread/pasta/rice etc, potatoes and sweet potatoes, fruit (except a few berries), beans/pulses (for the most part), anything with sugar

Oh my word. That is absolutely insane!!!

That is so bloody restrictive.

That is not a long term way of life.

That is why calorie counting is a better option. You can have all of the above, in moderation or a smaller portion than you would usually have.

Typical day for me - lindhals high protein yogurt (made with quark) and some fruit. They are really thick and filling.

Lunch - chicken breast, microwave rice and some veg (already prepped)

Tea - Tuna steak and prawns with some veg and air fried wedges or a bit of vegetable pasta.

Snacks would be maybe some fridge raiders, banana, protein shake/protein chocolate bar, I also like the nescafe frothy coffee sachets with a spoonful of options hot chocolate.

You ARE allowed a chocolate bar and also alcohol. Just look at your budget as a weekly overall amount, so you can cut a snack here and there to save up if you want a bottle of wine over the weekend.

All of the above keeps me well within my calories.

It has been the easiest 'diet' I have ever done. And the only one that makes sense.

It encourages moderation and does not restrict food groups.

I understand what ketosis is. What I'm saying specifically is that most people following a keto diet will lose weight simply because they are in a calorie deficit. That is key. If you are not in a calorie deficit on a keto diet you WILL NOT lose fat. You will use dietary fat before you use stored fat = no weight loss

I'm not talking about ghrelin, which food is most satiating, though people aiming for a calorie deficit specifically will eat high protein - same as on a keto diet.

To address the banana versus the Mars Bar controversy according to Dr David Unwin’s sugar Infographics (which are definitely worth a look at) a banana has the same effect on your blood sugars as eating 5.7 teaspoons of sugar. A bar of milk chocolate has the equivalent of 14 teaspoons of sugar. Obviously a banana has fibre and vitamins etc so is definitely a healthier choice. But there are fruits that have less of an effect on your blood sugar. And if you were to have some plain yoghurt or a Babybel or other protein with the banana you will help your blood sugar not spike as much and then drop so fast.

The reason we can all eat so much in the way of carbs and then crave more is the rapid blood sugar rise and then fall. If that’s not happening you are less like to feel constantly hungry. Which is why low carb can work so well.

if you are not constantly hungry you will find it much easier to stick to a healthy eating plan.

The other benefit of calorie counting over keto - it's not a life of restriction, calculations and dip tests. Most people will find after a period of strict calorie counting - weighing all your food, counting the calories, you have a far better appreciation of the calorie / satiation / nutrient value of foods and you never lose it. You can stop weighing food, Chuck out scales, and you still have that inherent understanding of what a portion looks like. It's completely sustainable

For me, calorie counting drove me insane. Low fat drove me insane. Just couldn't live that way.

Low carb was a dream.

Ugh calorie counting. All that weighing and measuring and ending up out of food by 3.00 pm.

I understand that calorie counting and less restriction is sustainable and works long term and is the healthy choice etc

However for me I'm stuck in a diet rut and having so many food choices just allows me to constantly overeat and make wrong choices.

The benefit of keto/low carb (FOR ME) is that I only need to exercise willpower for around 3 days - after that my appetite disappears and I can make good choices and adhere to the calorie deficit.

I can carry on calorie counting ineffectively and still be the same weight in 6 months or I can do keto, lose the weight and hopefully reintroduce a more sustainable level of carbs to maintain.

I love Keto! I fell off the wagon over Easter but I've stuck to it for the last 18 months! Back on it again. I use carb manager & follow 'KetoKev' on Facebook. I paid for him to work out my macros which was really helpful. I'm rarely hungry & usually eat lunch & dinner. Good luck!

So how do you explain this diet here being better at losing weight than low cal/low fat then?

B: fried eggs, bacon, avocado.
L: full fat cheese, chorizo, olives.
D: fat on pork or steak, cheese sauce, broccoli, cauliflower.
as much as you want to feel full.

That's really not how it works. I thought that before I actually started doing it. But 4 months later, 40lbs lighter and not once have I found it a faff, or ever ran out of food by 3pm 🤔.

I think some people think calorie deficit = 800 calories a day.

It really isn't. It depends on your individual weight, how quickly you would like to lose it etc., that determines your deficit.

You could cut 300 calories a day from your maintenance calories which could be a couple of swaps, maybe a wrap with light mayo and chicken salad, instead of a shop bought BLT, packet of popcorn instead of a bag of crisps, and a light babybel instead of a biscuit.

Every other diet I have done I have been obsessed with food, hungry, restricting myself, but not with calorie deficit.

It's just stopped me being a greedy twat and appreciate the quality of food more.

You would probably still be in a calorie deficit. Unless you were eating 2 whole chorizo sausages a day and a block of cheese. Because then you would not lose weight.

*So how do you explain this diet here being better at losing weight than low cal/low fat then?

B: fried eggs, bacon, avocado.
L: full fat cheese, chorizo, olives.
D: fat on pork or steak, cheese sauce, broccoli, cauliflower.
as much as you want to feel full.*

I don't know what you mean by "better at losing weight". Better than what? Low fat / low cal doesn't mean anything. If you mean Vs a calorie deficit then it's not any better. You cannot eat that food above all day everyday and lose weight. You could only eat food like that til you're full, and remain in a calorie deficit. And you'd lose weight because you're on a deficit.

I thought the exact same thing before I did it. I had 3 days of effort (far less than the endless ballache of keto) and then it became second Nature. I not don't weigh any food day to day because I know by eye what portions of foods look like. I've also learned willpower I never had before around wasted calories / foods that just aren't worth the calories.

If I want to calorie count (I did an event a while ago and had bulked up a bit so now I'm losing it) I have a pair of scales on the side as I cook and it takes seconds. It's second nature. If I fancy some choc or crisps or toast etc I just Chuck a block/handful on the scales and make a note of it.

I also find it a very mindful way of preparing food / eating.

😂

😂

How on earth is that less ballache than just having a list you can eat from, with no weighing, measuring, counting, logging and whatever other bollocks?

Please have a read of this. I think it is better for your health to be moderate rather than extreme, less strain on the body
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322881

@ImSweetEnoughDarlin *
*
I found keto a total unsustainable ballache. Fine while it was a novelty for a few weeks but anything where I'm restricting food groups is tough. I spent a lot of time searching for dupes / alternatives to the things I couldn't eat and was craving. I was cooking entirely different meals for me and for my kids / husband.

I bet if you researched that study, it would be funded by American corn companies etc.

Thats's another thing, HFCS is completely avoided on low carb/keto too. Or should be.

@ImSweetEnoughDarlin

And I don't know about you but cooking whether I'm calorie counting or not often involves an element of measuring / counting / weighing so it's really not the huge leap you imagine

I used to absolutely love keto and did it intermittently for years. Being a size 8-10 it was the only way I found to effectively lose 10 lbs. However all of a sudden it started giving me the most horrific keto rash. I can’t even explain how painful it was. I have a pretty high pain threshold but I sobbed in the pharmacy because I was in so much pain. I’ve tried again since then but after a couple of days it comes back.

I understand it’s extremely rare and probably won’t happen to you but if I’d known about it it would have saved me a week of pain after the doctor diagnosed it as shingles!

I bet if you researched that study, it would be funded by American corn companies etc.

Spoiler: it wasn't

I loved keto. I did it for around a year, lost a lot of weight and felt so much better for it. My skin and hair looked healthy and I had so much more energy. The first week was tough but after that it was easy, I ate lots of meat (mainly chicken & steak), salad, green veg, some dairy (I cut back on that after the first month or so as I was having a lot of cream/yoghurt to start with). After a while I upped my carb intake from 20g a day to around 50g, mainly by adding in extra veg. I really didn't miss the carbs.

After going through a stressful separation I started emotional eating again and before I knew it I was back eating a shit load of carbs and had put on 3 stone. I am now back on a keto diet (this is only day 4), I plan to stick with keto until I am happy with my weight loss and the gradually switch to a less strict low carb approach.

Thanks KeepYaHeadUp. My point is that too much carb is not great for your health but neither is going to the extreme. The NHS advice is to cut carbs a bit, not to go keto.