LCHF or Ketogenic Diet

[Mrs. B]

an oldie but a goodie


new, for geeks interested in cancer prevention with carb restriction

 

[ScubaSteve85]

I am a big fan of the Keto diet. I used it initially to drop weight for my wedding and managed to drop 25 lbs in a couple months. I also felt great while on it. Tons of energy, great endurance, and good performance in the gym. Carb cravings stopped after a couple weeks and I found the food options pretty good, if not a little repetitive. Even going out to eat and grabbing food on the go was pretty easy once I got the hang of what to order.

Although I understand the science of it, I did check with my doctor to make sure my blood work was still looking good after a couple months in ketosis. Not only was my blood work great, but my doctor told me that he's been on the keto diet for 20 years. That was all the endorsement I needed.

After maintaining keto for about a year, I've since transitioned off. My wife doesn't eat red meat and lives carbs so it was getting challenging trying to grocery shop and cook dinner for the two of us. I have definitely noticed my energy levels drop significantly. I've also put on a bunch of weight and lost the abs I was so excited to see for the first time in my life!! I plan to go back on the keto diet in the new year and hopefully just maintain it indefinitely.

 

[lowviz]

...//... And just the absence of belly pain and discomfort alone is almost enough to keep me off carbs.

Almost?

Try this for killing a carb craving:



Yep, Fritos. They just came out with 'scoops'. Perfect for fresh salsa. All from the supermarket. Zero prep time...

 

[Mrs. B]

I am a big fan of the Keto diet. I used it initially to drop weight for my wedding and managed to drop 25 lbs in a couple months. I also felt great while on it. Tons of energy, great endurance, and good performance in the gym. Carb cravings stopped after a couple weeks and I found the food options pretty good, if not a little repetitive. Even going out to eat and grabbing food on the go was pretty easy once I got the hang of what to order.

Although I understand the science of it, I did check with my doctor to make sure my blood work was still looking good after a couple months in ketosis. Not only was my blood work great, but my doctor told me that he's been on the keto diet for 20 years. That was all the endorsement I needed.

After maintaining keto for about a year, I've since transitioned off. My wife doesn't eat red meat and lives carbs so it was getting challenging trying to grocery shop and cook dinner for the two of us. I have definitely noticed my energy levels drop significantly. I've also put on a bunch of weight and lost the abs I was so excited to see for the first time in my life!! I plan to go back on the keto diet in the new year and hopefully just maintain it indefinitely.

I don’t do Keto but restrict carbs to about 50-75 gms a day

My husband and I were just discussing how good we feel exercising fasted and eating for the first time in a few minutes (it’s noon so we have been fasted since 530 yesterday) good for cancer prevention to eat in a narrow window of 8-10 hrs

Good luck ( you might try restricting carbs and not going full keto and exploit intermittent fasting)

 

[1000RR]

Interesting reads in all these posts... and timely. I've been doing a Keto-diet for about the past 2.5 months. I've gone this route before with good results. I came into some back issues about 10 months ago, not been to the gym since. Added some weight around the middle section, and it slowly kept adding up. I wanted to achieve two things - shedding back off some belly fat (having cloths fit good again) and helping my back out (less weight to carry around, maybe just achieve one thing?). I've lost 15lbs over the 2.5 months, so in theory about 1.5-2 lbs/wk. That is also important. Shed weight too fast, put weight back on too fast. So loosing it slower (as was mentioned above) is usually good too. At any rate, I'm back to about where I like to be, my body seems to enjoy the new place too. More energy, less gas (my kids and wife at least noticed - haha), so something seems to be going well with it. I don't do the high fat side though. I just kick out the breads and processed stuff for the most part. The other thing it does is seem to lessen my appetite in general... there's only so much chicken and turkey I can eat... The Keto style diet for me is usually a kickstart to just a healthier eating approach. I use it to get the reward of loosing weight relatively quickly - and then I see results. I like those results, so I'm more motivated to continue on a healthier lifestyle. I don't think I could do a true Keto diet (or my version of it) for super long periods of time. But it has worked very well for me to get back on track to a diet that is healthier... but most of all sustainable (clean proteins, less processed food, knock out most carbs by/after 2 or 3pm, etc.).

 

[mcohen1021]

Since starting this adventure I have lost about 8 pounds but much more importantly I have lost inches around the waist, pure belly fat. And my “stomach issues” that I have had since childhood are gone. Not just less but gone. Much of the “brain fog” is gone and I rarely crave food. Its anecdotal but that works for me!

+1 to the lost inches, the stomach issues and the brain fog - you nailed describing the exact results I have experienced. I weighed in Sunday 30# lighter than I was 66 days ago - 198 to 168.

Unfortunately, I was unable to scuba in CZ last week due to a Norte, but I wonder how much lead I can eliminate now... I dive with 8# pre-diet.

 

[mcohen1021]

I have considered hypnosis, if only I could believe that burgers and fries taste horrible!

In reality, most French fries suck, but there are a few outliers that make a great fry. I eat ½ bun burgers, and eat onion rings instead.

not all inclusive but my trips to Cozumel will be be a real challenge.

With an all-inclusive menu, you should have an easier time than at home. Stay off those overly sweet drinks for starters.

Tonight its shrimp and chicken fajitas in boston lettuce wraps.

One tortilla will not kill you, I have lost weight overnight and had 5-6 chips with salsa and a single tortilla with my fajitas.

 

[uncfnp]

With an all-inclusive menu, you should have an easier time than at home. Stay off those overly sweet drinks for starters.

That was a bit tongue in cheek. In truth I plan to eat what I want but with the way I feel off carbs its unlikely I will break my routine too much. I usually stay at a B&B where one of the owners makes a fantastic authentic mexican breakfast. This trip they were booked so its Casa Mexicana where I understand one of the biggest benefits is the bacon on the breakfast buffet.

One tortilla will not kill you, I have lost weight overnight and had 5-6 chips with salsa and a single tortilla with my fajitas.

Thanks. Not a worry.

 

[mcohen1021]

That was a bit tongue in cheek. In truth I plan to eat what I want but with the way I feel off carbs its unlikely I will break my routine too much. I usually stay at a B&B where one of the owners makes a fantastic authentic mexican breakfast. This trip they were booked so its Casa Mexicana where I understand one of the biggest benefits is the bacon on the breakfast buffet.

Thanks. Not a worry.

Not gonna lie, the bacon in Mexico is amazing... a pita to cook bc its so thin, but awesome. When I was in Cozumel last week, i took powdered creamer for my coffee, and I ate omelettes for breakfast every day. No juice, no breads, no potatoes or pancakes. Breakfast is one of the easier meals to stay on track.

This is day 70, 198 to 169... down 29#. I think I will stop [trying to lose] when I am bouncing between 165-170.

I'd like to see how much scuba lead I can pitch. I dove with 8# at 198.

 

[Storker]

I'd like to believe that low calorie you lose weight, but skipping breakfast instead having a coffee, eating lunch, and then skipping dinner did not do it - i was getting nowhere.

This is more MHO than based on proper cites, but I sincerely believe that skipping breakfast is one of the less smart things to do if you want to lose weight. At night, your metabolism turns itself down. If you don't eat breakfast, your body won't get any signal to switch from night mode to day mode, and your metabolism will be low. A moderate breakfast, with a balanced ratio of carb/protein/fat, will tell your body that the fasting period is over, and that it's time to hit the accelerator. As a bonus, you'll feel more energetic in the morning. If you plan on reducing your calorie intake, start at the other end (supper) and work your way backwards.

Carbs are rather vital for maximum physical performance; there's a pretty good reason that sport drinks and "gels" are basically sugar. I've experienced some pretty amazing reactions to those "gels" (which really are just concentrated glucose syrups with a little added flavor) on the tail end of 100+ k bike rides. It was like a turbocharging of my thighs.

For more than 30 years, I've been doing mountain hikes of 6-10 hours, and for me, a good bowl of oatmeal is the perfect basis for any breakfast on such a day, because oats contain some extremely slow carbs which do a darned good job of preventing your glycogen stores from running empty. Have you ever "crashed" from running out of glycogen? It's a damned uncomfortable experience, and IME the best cure is some fast carbs like chocolate, granola bars or a powerbar, followed by some slower carbs to keep you going when the insulin hit wears off.

My most successful weight loss projects have two things in common: oats - either rolled oats as a breakfast cereal or cooked oatmeal - for breakfast, and a sharp reduction in the amount of calories consumed after noon. The oats keep my blood sugar at a low, but sufficient level, and the calories are cut from the meals that are closest to my rest period when I don't really need those calories. And, of course, getting tired and sweaty more often.