Beginners Guide to Keto
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132 comments · 96% upvoted · other discussions
comments
xneter
robertgenito
Suggestion: remove the phrase "XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXX" (I will also remove this comment afterwards), as people just simple have no idea what that means. Just simple say, "coffee with a couple tablespoons of butter". Yes, it's longer, but upon a google search and you will run into someone selling their product. For some people, it is good for them to know that they don't have to buy anything extra other than food, and that their bodies are fully capable of losing weight on their own....product free :)
Naonin
Imo the coconut oil for the mct is more important than the butter.
Ugbrog
IMO the blender is more important so that people don't just spoon butter and oil into their coffee.
heavyj1970
I use a mason jar, I put the butter and oil in, brew straight from the keurig, put the lid on and shake the crap out of it, then remove the lid and add a little cream, it's like a latte, seriously, quick and easy.
[deleted]
OP removed the word bullet and added the butter part, now it just says 'drink proof coffee with butter'
nothingtoseehere28 [OP]
I AM SO GOOD AT WORDING
TeahMc
I know this is not the place for it, but why don't people put heavy cream in their coffee instead of butter?
IckyOutlaw
Heavy cream contains more carbs compared to butter. I still use cream instead of butter since I drink cold brewed iced coffeem but I should not go overboard with it.
TeahMc
hmm the heavy whipping cream I have says 0 carbs. am I missing something there? maybe its like a milk hormone thing?
IckyOutlaw
What is the serving size? The cream I use has 3.2g per 100ml.
[deleted]
What brand are you using? Sounds like it has added sugar as regular heavy whipping cream has as near as makes no difference 0 carbs. Check out this nutrition sheet, I used the drop down to select 1 tbsp fluid as that's how I use it in my coffee.
IckyOutlaw
It is European so you won't know it ;). And your label says 3g per 100g so it is in the same range.
[deleted]
Ah, right you are. So it's like half a gram per serving which is well worth it in my opinion. The biggest mistake a lot of ketoers make is too much protein and not enough fat. Maintaining 20g of carbs a day is the easy part to a lot of folks. I look at coffee and cream as a way to drive up my fat percentage while not touching proteins and I can almost always afford a gram or two of carbs.
[deleted]
Is coffee with butter tasty?
Baby-blue-elephant
Very EDIT: unsalted butter. And it's better when it's blended.
Also butter in chicken broth is freaking delicious. Salted butter for this is ok
Blackmaille
I'm going to try butter in chicken broth tonight. I've been drinking it every night to help keep my sodium up!
heavyj1970
Yes and I find it doesn't matter if it's salted or unsalted.
loligogiganticus
Excellent post! Definitely one any beginner should read along with the FAQ before posting here!!
Suggestion: Add beans to the Eat/Do Not Eat list. I see a lot of posts asking about beans/hummus, etc.
nothingtoseehere28 [OP]
Oh! good one!
dominoconsultant
Black beans arn't too bad in moderation.
nothingtoseehere28 [OP]
ehhhh Technically everything is (4g of pure sugar! BUT IT FITS MY MACROSpleasedon'tdothis )
PippinFox
Goddamnit I want to start keto so fucking badly but for some reason every time I start to read up on it I become overwhelmed. I have no idea why I cannot simply understand what is going on. Everyone seems so easily acquainted to what everything means, and I just sit here with a huge headache, looking at a huge jumble of words and shit.
I'm not stupid or anything, I just can't fucking get my foot in the door, for whatever reason.
EnglishRose2013
Just do this. Every morning have bacon and eggs for breakfast. I add peppers to mine.
For lunch have a piece of fish or meat - cold or hot and preferably fried in good fats. Add as much veg as you like to it.
For dinner repeat lunch.
PippinFox
Thank you so much for a simple easy to do list. Every time I try to look for meal plans, I get all this in depth shit that is too much for a beginner.
hivoltage815
And for snacks between have nuts, olives and vegetables.
Tammo7
torankusu
Just a heads up -- there's a typo in the link to /r/ketorecipes. It currently says /r/ketorecepies.
trajectory25
Pies aren't (usually) keto!
dashoshee
To preface - I read the faq and a friend who is successfully living the keto lifestyle sent me to this sub. I am an alcoholic and have gout which prohibits eating much of the foods recommended. I have to follow a low purine diet, and would rather not end up in the hospital having morphine pumped into me again. So...is there anyone who has a similar situation to me and how did it work out?
djasonwright
You should probably post a new thread for this one. Seems lost in the comments here.
[deleted]
Can you sticky this post? Especially the ratio issue!
Edit: awesome
arctic_ninja
I agree, this is a great post it should be stickied or added to the sidebar.
edit: seems like it's already been stickied, my bad.
SgtJoo
Yeah when in doubt ask a doctor. Number four is important.
I thought I might have potassium issues, turns out it was only paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.
gogge
Some comments:
- Your body will burn what it can and raise insulin to push the rest of the glucose into fat cells.
You see an increase in insulin which helps all tissues take up the glucose, not just fat cells. You also store carbs as glycogen in muscle/liver before you see carbs stored as fat:
Acheson KJ, et al. "Glycogen storage capacity and de novo lipogenesis during massive carbohydrate overfeeding in man" Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Aug;48(2):240-7.
Storing carbs as fat doesn't typically contribute to fat gain, see additional studies below.
- At the same time, since your body is trying to use the glucose for energy, you're also not using the fat from your meal and that gets stored as well.
The same happens with high fat meals, you body burns the dietary fat and excess dietary fat gets stored.
It makes no difference if the excess macronutrients is carbs or fat, too much energy means that the body will store the excess energy. If anything storing carbs as fat is more energy inefficient than storing fat as fat as you have to convert it via de novo lipogenesis so you lose ~25% of the energy.
De novo lipogenesis from carbohydrate is energetically expensive (5) and evidence to date suggests it does not contribute significantly to increased fat balance in persons consuming a typical high-fat Western diet (6).
McDevitt R, et al. "De novo lipogenesis during controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and obese women" Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):737-46.
Only when CHO energy intake exceeds TEE does DNL in liver or adipose tissue contribute significantly to the whole-body energy economy.
Hellerstein MK. "De novo lipogenesis in humans: metabolic and regulatory aspects" Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Apr;53 Suppl 1:S53-65.
The transformation of glycogen into fatty acids, the subsequent esterification before export from the liver, and them triglyceride storage in adipose tissue consume additional ATP, estimated at 18%. Thus ~25% of the energy of the glucose channelled into de novo lipogemesis can be expected to be needed for this process. Of the energy consumed in excess of maintenance energy, 75% was retained and 25% dissipated.
Acheson KJ, et al. "Glycogen storage capacity and de novo lipogenesis during massive carbohydrate overfeeding in man" Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Aug;48(2):240-7.
Carbohydrate overfeeding produced progressive increases in carbohydrate oxidation and total energy expenditure resulting in 75-85% of excess energy being stored.
...
Alternatively, fat overfeeding had minimal effects on fat oxidation and total energy expenditure, leading to storage of 90-95% of excess energy.
Horton TJ, et al. "Fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage" Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Jul;62(1):19-29.
- This video gives an overview of the process.
That video is completely wrong, you don't starve at a cellular level due to insulin locking away fat (longer post), storing carbs as fat isn't causing the obesity epidemic.
On a normal diet your body releases more fat from fat cells than it can use, you recycle around 60% of all fat released from fat cells:
FFA = Free fatty acids.
WAT = White adipose tissue (fat).
FFA released by WAT is re-esterified back to triglyceride (TG) in that tissue or in the liver as part of a general cycle that accounts for about 60% of the FFA released by lipolysis of triglyceride in WAT.
Reshef L, et al. "Glyceroneogenesis and the triglyceride/fatty acid cycle." J Biol Chem. 2003 Aug 15;278(33):30413-6. Epub 2003 Jun 4.
And obese people even have the opposite problem, fat cells are leaking fatty acids:
In most obese subjects, plasma FFA levels are increased.
Boden G. "Free fatty acids-the link between obesity and insulin resistance". Endocr Pract. 2001 Jan-Feb;7(1):44-51.
And as the studies in the above bullet-points show carbs don't get converted to fat unless you eat massive amounts of carbs.
- When your body is getting it's energy from mostly fat, it's called being in ketosis.
Ketosis is when you have ketones in the blood stream, doesn't matter if the rest of your body is getting it's energy from fat or not.
ketosis
accumulation of excessive amounts of ketone bodies in body tissues and fluids, occurring when fatty acids are incompletely metabolized.
Thefreedictionary.com, "Ketosis".
gRod805
Can you briefly summarize what you are trying to say? Too many quotes and sources.
gogge
I tried to put the tl;dr of the studies just above the citations, but I can try and explain the details of what the studies said:
Your body will burn what it can and raise insulin to push the rest of the glucose into fat cells.
The body raises insulin to make all tissues take up the glucose: burning more of it, storing it as glycogen, and as a last resort store it as fat. In studies you see upwards of 400-500 grams of carbohydrates being burned per day before any significant amounts (in a practical sense) gets stored as fat . What this means is that you typically need to eat more than your total energy expenditure in carbs before it's stored as fat in any amounts with practical impact on weight gain.
At the same time, since your body is trying to use the glucose for energy, you're also not using the fat from your meal and that gets stored as well.
The same thing happens when you eat fat, the body will just burn dietary fat and not use any stored fat, if you eat more fat than your body can burn the excess fat gets stored. Studies comparing overeating equal calories of carbs or fat show that overeating fat makes you more fat. This is because storing carbs as fat requires a conversion where you lose 25% of the energy, meaning you get less calories/fat stored.
This video gives an overview of the process.
What the video argues is that insulin locks away fat and your body starve on a cellular level. Studies show that even on normal diets your fat cells release more fat than your body burns (~60% more), and elevating insulin doesn't suppress fat release enough to starve your body.
But this argument doesn't even make sense. Your body doesn't randomly just raise insulin, it's raising insulin because there's too much energy around and it can't burn all the glucose. Saying that the body is starving makes no sense on so many levels.
When your body is getting it's energy from mostly fat, it's called being in ketosis.
Ketosis just means that there's an elevated amount of ketones in your blood stream.
Edit:
Spelling.
hivoltage815
What this means is that you typically need to eat more than your total energy expenditure in carbs before it's stored as fat in any amounts with practical impact on weight gain.
This is obvious in evidence that many cultures around the world eat almost exclusively carbohydrates and are not obese. They just don't overeat like Americans tend to and have things like rice instead of hydrogenated oil soaked potato chips.
Studies comparing overeating equal calories of carbs or fat show that overeating fat makes you more fat.
I think one of the major reasons the principles of keto is an attractive lifestyle is because fat is more satiating and it's harder to overeat on high fat vs. high carb diets. That is the more important factor the keto community should be focusing on and not try to claim carbs are the devil and it's literally impossible to get fat if you cut them out of your diet. The true point is that it's easier to lose weight and harder to gain when you minimize carbs, especially simple carbs like flour and sugar.
Anyways, quality posts! Much appreciated.
[deleted]
im really happy to see this posted as i have been contemplating trying keto. I havent as of yet because it totally confuses me. I clicked this link here for the keto calculator and i just get totally lost to the end of it on what im supposed to be entering. I have about 12 lbs i want to lose but i have no idea how much proteins or fats to be eating. I feel so stupid that i cant figure this out :(
[deleted]
[deleted]
[deleted]
i just cant grasp the whole numbers thing, figuring out what mine should be? i get blown away with confusion and then i cant figure out how to even plot a meal plan. its just so confusing to me
dragonbuttons
Alright so I'm gonna go through my thought process with the keto calculator and hopefully that'll help you!
So I enter in my basic info (female, 20 yo, ~140 lb and 5'2") and I usually say I'm "lightly active." This puts my basal metabolic rate at 1352 and my daily expenditure at 1859.
As far as body fat percentage goes, I usually say I'm about 25% based off of pictures. If you want something more exact, you can find other ways to calculate it or you could buy calipers to measure it directly.
So the website itself automatically recommends that you stay under 25g net carbs. Personally, I have mine a bit higher because my goal isn't to lose a lot of weight right now, I'm trying out a low-carb diet to encourage my boyfriend to stick to it. So mine is 38g.
When you scroll down, you see the "moderate protein" header and you're given a range. The least amount of protein I should consume is 63g and this is if I were minimally active. The most amount of protein I should consume would be 104 g and this is if I'm very active. I like to put myself closer middle, I go running 3x a week and I walk a lot because I'm a student. So I set my protein macro to about 75g.
Alright so "Fat to your liking." When you enter a "% deficit" the site gives you feedback about the deficit, if it's too high or too low for example. I set mine at a 19% deficit which meant I would need to eat ~1500 calories a day (not including exercise) and about 117g of fat per day. The site says this is an "average deficit. This should be easily sustainable, good choice for a start." As long as you pick a deficit in between the range the site gives you, you should be okay.
So my macros here would be 70% fat, 20% protein, 10% carbs. Again this is just what I worked out for myself.
I hope that helps you, I was definitely a bit shocked at how much customization was available in that calculator at first, I wanted something to just spit out numbers at me originally but I do appreciate the calculator now.
So, how to plot a meal plan! I use MyFitnessPal religiously and I used it to experiment with sample meal plans. There are also some examples on different websites, in books, or blogs. I'm a vegetarian so I started from scratch with mine.
There was about two weeks before I started eating these exact macros. This was for two reasons: I wanted to finish up the carby food I had at home, and because I wanted to see what types of low-carb meals I could make. I started paying very close attention to things like "oh wow eggs are a great source of fat and protein, I can use them for breakfast and snacks." I just sort of got to know a lot of the keto "staples" before I fully committed to the macros I just showed you. This helps me a lot when I plan my meals.
If you want me to show you a screenshot of what I eat on an average day plus the nutrition information, I can send that to you in a PM. I like the blog, I Breathe I'm Hungry a lot for inspiration, so perhaps you'll like her beginner meal plan!
I hope this helps you get started! Like I said, I'm not an expert, I'm not a doctor, and my goal isn't huge weight loss. But I did make a pretty big lifestyle change and I totally get that it's a bit daunting at first! There's a lot of keto information out there and it gets a bit overwhelming.
My boyfriend also tries to remind me that it isn't about the exact numbers; you should minimize your carbs, eat the right amount of protein, and "enough fat to feel full," while making sure your calories are ROUGHLY on point (if you go a bit over or a bit under your goal every now and then it should be okay).
Sorry for the wall of text. PM me if you'd like to!
[deleted]
WOW! I think you are WONDERFUL to take that kind of time and care to write to me like this! ty so much and i got these results 1644 kcal Daily Calorie Intake 20 g Carbohydrates (5%, 80 kcal) 67 g Protein (16%, 268 kcal) 144 g Fat (79%, 1296 kcal) ty <3
dragonbuttons
Of course! Good luck with everything!
[deleted]
thank you, have you had a lot of success?
dragonbuttons
I eat food that I like and I'm happy to eat it, so that's a success!
I think I lost about 2 lbs last week but it might've just been regular weight fluctuation. I also JUST started taking low carb seriously last week and my carbs are still pretty high for keto. I'm kinda just along for the ride, seeing if I can lose weight with these macros, but if not it's no big.
My boyfriend has though, he's lost a bit over 20 lbs last I asked! It's been about a month for him I think. A lot of that was probably that initial loss of water weight that you get with keto but still it's impressive!
FrasierSpeaksKlingon
You deserve all the upvotes.
EnglishRose2013
If you want ignore the complexity and just eat good fats like butter and olive oil, make meat or fish the mainstay of all your meals - have no processed or junk foods or diet drinks at all. Eat lots of veg. Eat nothing else.
oberyn_marell
In all beginner guides I would always include something about how Keto actually lowers cholesterol and transforms the shape of LDL to transform it into a healthier cholesterol. I think it's important to acknowledge these things as much as possible since it's people's main aversion to going onto keto.
justinTEARS
Amazing Post! Thank you so much!!!
curien
Harveykeitelish
Just what I've been looking for.
Brooke_notBrook
Great post! I'm very thankful for it. I have been a little confused with veggies. Are squash, zucchini, and eggplant okay? I've just decided to start it back up and I have to put together a shopping list.
nothingtoseehere28 [OP]
Best thing to do is look it up and see how it fits with your numbers
IckyOutlaw
Just google: 'nutritional value product' and see for yourself!
hunnibud
Thank you so much for posting this.
stupidrobots
We love you, tiny nought
goodtwitch
I really recommend not weighing yourself frequently. Go by pant's size. It'll save you so much grief.
aldcwatson
Great post! One small nit-pick if you'll permit me: whey protein is actually a dairy product rather than meat. If one chooses a pure (i.e. expensive) product, it won't contain any carbs, but RTFL before tucking in. Cheers!
[deleted]
[deleted]
aldcwatson
No, I'm talking about whey protein products in general. Yes, they're usually what you put in your protein shake though. When buying a tub of Whey protein, you need to be very careful. Some manufacturers add in sugars whereas others just give you pure whey protein. The latter is usually way more expensive than the former, but is pure protein.
The other thing to think about is how the whey protein has been processed. Is it an isolate? Is it a concentrate? Looking at these tells you if the protein is just pure protein, or if you get other residual milk products in there too (casein, for example.) It's very complicated. There are some great articles out there that'll talk to this subject way better, and more in depth, than I can. Do a Google search for 'compare whey protein products' and you'll see what I mean ;-)
IllegalBeaver
I would add in a part about how essential water intake is while in ketosis. I've been on this forum for two years now and it's way too common that I see people thinking only a couple cups of water is needed per day.
Epi117
perfect
Baby-blue-elephant
Add a scrambled egg (or egg flower) it's soo good
ahansel
I READ THE FACTS
nayrlladnar
Excellent write up. It could be helpful to include something about total carbohydrates versus net carbohydrates. I was a few months into keto before I learned about that bit of information.
BulletproofBovril
You could mention onion, garlic & sweet peppers in your Eat list. Also could mention moderation/not binging on nuts, a problem I have had.
LemonCoughDrop
Is Keto just low carb or is possible for me to eat like a 1 oz back of fritos if i'm at 15 carbs for the day. I'm very new to this and on day 4 so far. Thank you!
Does anyone have a good list of the a solid shopping trip to fully fill up on good food that includes enough for chunck of good meals?
Or what do you buy for your average shopping trips? Weekly? Monthly?
[deleted] 44 points · Jun 2014
Here's my sample list. If anyone sees something I'm eating that I shouldn't be, let me know!
Costco
Dairy: Butter, cheese sticks, block cheese
Olives
Meats: Frozen chicken thighs, ground beef, bacon
Chicken broth
Regular eggs, hard boiled eggs
Almonds
Pickles (wonderful for electrolytes)
Oils (coconut, avocado, olive)
Produce: Spinach, red leaf lettuce, mushrooms, cauliflower, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli
Coffee beans
Grocery Store
Heavy cream, sour cream
Fresh salsa (check the label)
Diet Root Beer (add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream and thank me later)
Feta cheese
Olive oil based mayo (no soy, veggie oil for me)
Dressing mix (I really like to control my oils)
At home I eat a lot of omelets, lots of greek salads with chicken, homemade dressing, feta, olives, bell peppers, asparagus with butter, cauliflower/broccoli with butter. For snacks I eat salted almonds, cheese sticks, pickles.
Hope this points you in the right direction!
*edit Also at Costco, the one near me sells this artichoke and jalapeno dip that is amazing. 8 grams of fat, 2g of protein and 1g of carbs. I use this to get more fat with things like chicken. I also use it with celery as a quick snack. Here's a link to it.
Shashu 16 points · Jun 2014
Dark Chocolate. 85%. It's an acquired taste but a lifesaver when you want/need a treat. After a while, any other chocolate becomes almost cloyingly sweet.
Bill_Lagakos 5 points · Jun 2014
Or go with unsweetened chocolate. Melt it down and mix in a little coconut oil and sweetener of choice. Serve with mascarpone cheese and voila!
fonzi786 2 points · Sep 2014
You should try 90%. Tastes great!
belindamshort 4 points · Jun 2014 · F, 34, 5'7 | SW: 200 | CW: 135| GW: 145
This is very similar to my list, only I also buy:
Ribeyes. They are about 10.00 a pound and each one is generally a pound. They are massive. Come 3 or 4 to a pack and they freeze beautifully, keep for months. I find that 1 steak feeds both my boyfriend and I with a side.
Tzaziki sauce (which I eat on a ton of things, including salad)
AVOCADOS
I love the Artisan lettuce that is romaine hearts for making tacos.
what2put 1 points · Jun 2014 · 6'1 F sw:283 cw:263 G: 210
What is Tzaziki sauce taste like? I've never heard of it.
belindamshort 2 points · Jun 2014 · F, 34, 5'7 | SW: 200 | CW: 135| GW: 145
Its the cucumber sauce you get with a gyro at greek restaurants. Its made from Greek yogurt and cucumber with some lemon juice, garlic, some dill, sometimes tahini. Its like 2 carbs per serving, but its really awesome.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tzatziki-sauce/
heavyj1970 1 points · Jun 2014 · M/46/5'8" SW: 305 (8/15/2016) CW: 237 GW: 200
It's hard to describe, it's a little tangy, a little creamy, but pretty mild usually, if you have a place near the house that sells gyros you could ask them for a sample.
frogz0r 1 points · Jun 2014 · 47/F/5'3" (5/24/17) --SW 219 -- CW 180.1--GW 130ish Keto/IF
It's sooo yummy. Goes great with lamb and chicken! I use it to stuff my chicken sometimes.
heavyj1970 3 points · Jun 2014 · M/46/5'8" SW: 305 (8/15/2016) CW: 237 GW: 200
I find that cream, feta and Jacks salsa are cheaper at Costco than the grocery, a lot cheaper tbh. I found that artichoke dip by the way, it's delicious, I got my own and just dip celery directly in there lol, so good.
[deleted] 1 points · Jun 2014
It is definitely cheaper at Costco, the only reason I buy anything at the grocery store is either selection or I can't consume the bulk item fast enough before it spoils.
[deleted] 3 points · Jun 2014
[deleted]
RegRoo 1 points · Jun 2014
Would you tell me how to make this? I've only made jello with pre-flavored mixes. It sounds great -- thanks.
Blackmaille 2 points · Jun 2014
Thanks for this. I've been struggling a little bit with trying to figure out how to adjust my groceries!
NoGuide 3 points · Jun 2014 · 23 | 5' 2"| SW: 150 | CW: 131 | CGW: 125
I'd really like to know this as well. I'm just starting out (been low-carb for a while now but looking to lose the last little bit/control my sugar levels) and I don't really have any idea what I should be getting outside of meat and veggies.
[deleted] 3 points · Jun 2014
I've been barking up that tree for a while. It's like everyone here is scared of sharing their meal plans for some reason, but have all the keto advice and support they could give you otherwise. I don't get it.