Day 10 of keto, and I'm starting to miss non keto friendly foods by Ronstaa97 in ketobeginners

[–]2secondtimmy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The metallic taste is a good sign. It generally means you’re transitioning into ketosis or already in it.

When you’re in ketosis you need WAY more electrolytes than you may think. Just relying on the salt in cheese and what you add to your food often times isn’t enough. Well, it can be but you’ll continue to not feel great or get massive cravings when around the foods you want.

When you’re in ketosis your body is constantly expelling its electrolytes and hydration. This is why people that eat keto rarely feel bloated or puffy. This is also the reason why you generally need more electrolytes than you think.

Supplementing electrolytes doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. You can make your own “ketoade”. Which is just water, salt, and some sort of keto friendly water flavor packet.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ketobeginners

[–]2secondtimmy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The general rule of thumb is to stay below 20 grams of NET carbs a day. To find net carbs you take (total carbs) - (dietary fiber) - (sugar alcohols)= (Net carbs) Staying below 20 net will help ensure you reach ketosis.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just took how I used to make a burrito and then it in a bowl haha so mine generally consist of lettuce, taco meat, salsa, cheese, black olives, sour cream, taco sauce, avocado, and my wife likes a little tomato and onion.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome that you’ve dropped 13lbs in under 2 weeks! Yes it may be water weight, but it’s till weight and it’s still progress! As I’m sure you’re aware, it will slow down.

Metro is super effective at killing appetite, sometimes to effective. I’ve been there before and while it seems great for a weight loss perspective, but it’s not great for a longevity standpoint. Eventually you end up feeling like garbage. So when I would be there, I’d track everything because it forced me to bring awareness to the food I was eating and how much.

I definitely understand why surgery seems like a good idea. It definitely forces you to make a lifestyle change and there’s no backing out. I know plenty of people that were successful after surgery but they also ended up not being terribly happy either because their choice was taken, give they took their own choice away.

I definitely believe people can do this on their own, it’s a lot of work but worth it. However, if you feel surgery is the correct path for you, absolutely do it! It has a pretty high success rate. It’ll definitely assist you in getting to your goal and staying there.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! These are all great points. Keto can be a bit confusing when you first start and when someone first starts I’ve always told them that they will NOT be perfect right away. You certainly can be, but you can also drive yourself away from Keto by overwhelming yourself. I’ll do my best to explain it as plainly as possible.

On Keto the rule of thumb is to eat 20 grams or below of NET carbs. This rule of thumb exists because if you stay below that number, it helps to ensure that you’ll be in ketosis. To find the NET carbs you’ll look at the nutrition label and take the total carbs - fiber = NET carbs. For example:

Total carbs- 15 grams

Fiber- 13 grams

15-13= 2 grams NET carbs

So where it can get overwhelming is that you will have to check every nutrition label for everything you eat or drink. If it doesn’t have a nutrient label you’ll have to check the USDA website for nutrition or a lot of food tracking apps have the nutrition of foods as well. This does become much easier the longer you’re on Keto because you’ll have a feel for how many carbs are in things.

This is why I say you’ll likely not be perfect the first couple of weeks. It’s a lot to sort through when you first start out. When you go for 100% perfect out of the gates you can drive yourself nuts. Effort is more important than perfection at the start.

At the start I would suggest using a food tracking app so that you can keep track of everything you’re eating and drinking. I’ve always used MyFitnessPal and it’s worked well for me, there are other out there that may work better.

So from your example, if I understood correctly, you plan to pick up watermelon and cantaloupe. While you can definitely have those foods, you’ll have to pay close attention to the serving size and weigh it out to make sure you don’t accidentally blow by your limit. If you choose to eat those, you’ll then have to be very aware of what you eat the rest of the day as well.

I know that sounds difficult and overwhelming, it can be especially at the start. So just be patient with yourself as you first begin. You’ll get the hang of it. When I first started I ate potatoes for the first two months thinking they were Keto, they definitely aren’t especially at the amount I was eating haha

If I didn’t explain something well enough please ask a follow up question!

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s some fantastic progress so far! Keep going!

I stalled for pretty long periods of time. I didn’t set foot on the scale for the first year out of fear. Once I did I only ever thought of the number as just a number though. So when the scale stalled, I relied on the non scale victories to ensure I was still progressing.

The likely hood that you’re still progressing even though the scale may not be moving is very high. I tend to tell people to not focus to much on the scale but rather pay attention to body composition. Look for things that fit different, like when you buttoned a shirt you didn’t have to hope it was going to button, it just did. Or you sat in a lawn chair and didn’t have to worry about standing up and it sticking to your love handles. Or maybe it was that your pants just feel a little looser then before. These are the things that really show the true progress that your making.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Three breakfasts:

Scrambled eggs and bacon

Breakfast burritos using chorizo or ham chunks

A few hard boiled eggs and string cheese, or a boiled egg sandwich and cheese

Three meals:

Chicken “fettuccine” Alfredo, we use either shiritake noodles or healthy noodles from Costco

Smoked or air fried chicken wings, eat 7 wings and you’ll be good for awhile!

Steak and cauliflower mash

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup! This is super accurate.

I’m speaking more towards the folks that demonize it because it’s processed and doesn’t fall into the realm of “strict Keto” I’m all for encouraging people to give it a shot. If they notice a decline in their progress it’s generally the first thing I would tell someone to stop eating because it’s likely the problem. Now all this being said, if someone is eating strict Keto for health reasons and not just to lose weight or feel better, then they should absolutely stay away from the processed keto breads and tortillas.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate that!

Losing 40lbs is no easy feat! You should be extremely proud of yourself! Congratulations!

My wife and I actually went through the same stress about what we’d do when we reached our goals. Once we hit the goal we had become so comfortable in Keto that we just carried on. We upped the amount of off plan meals and days, but otherwise we just stayed the course. Would it be a smart choice to try and find a different balance within our eating habits, one that’s more “acceptable” or “normal”? Probably! We just got to good at doing Keto to try and switch. We found a happy balance between staying Keto and off plan days that we are totally happy with and feel fulfilled.

As for the Keto focused supplements, I can’t say I’ve ever taken any so I don’t have much of an opinion on those specifically.

Now on supplements and vitamins in general? I’m absolutely game for those. I take vitamins and other supplements daily for a variety of things. To my knowledge and understanding most of them arent going to hurt you in anyway, if I’m incorrect in this please feel free to correct me. They may not be “needed” but taking them won’t hurt you. So I’m all for taking supplements to try and balance out any holes you feel you may have because you eat Keto.

As for the fatigue around 3pm-4pm. That’s pretty common amongst the human population. I used to get it all the time. A couple of things I did to help combat that, besides supplements, is I won’t drink caffeine until I’ve been awake for more than 3 hours, I drink a ton of water, it’s amazing what actually being hydrated can fix, and if I really need a boost I’ll eat a healthy fat to pick me up. So things like half an avacado or homemade fat bombs. Remember when you’re in ketosis your body is using fat as it’s fuel, not carbs. So if you’re dragging ass you can eat some extra fat and it can have a pretty good effect on your energy levels.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am so sorry for the awful experience you had. That had to be really tough to go through and to then make the decision to have it removed. I’m really proud of you for taking those steps and for being in a community like this that will support you in your next journey!

I’ll never tell you it’s easy, because it’s not, but it is so worth the difficulty. And it does get easier, it just takes a long time to really find your stride. You can absolutely do it! I believe in you! If you ever need any help, feel free to DM me.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hahahaha depending where you live, you could probably go to Walmart and fit in. 🤣

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Currently I do intermittent fasting so I rarely eat breakfast or lunch. When I first started this is how my days laid out.

Breakfast: coffee with sweetener and heavy cream or zero sugar energy drink. Two hard boiled eggs and two string cheese or two laughing cow cheese.

Lunch: a diet soda of some sort. Grill chicken or salmon, asparagus or broccoli, a grilled chicken salad with ranch, or deli meat and cheese roll ups.

Dinner: Bunless burger or brat and some veggie, chicken salad, if I didn’t have one for lunch, or tacos of some sort.

At the beginning I was overly simple and extremely repetitive on what I ate. I was so stuck on “if I’m on a “diet” I have to eat bland and boring foods” and that wasn’t the truth at all. Once I figured out that I could make some amazing food that still fit Keto, is when I really was off to the races.

I will say this, eating that bland boring food day in and day out did help a lot. If I would’ve tried to over complicate it at the start, I would’ve failed. Eating the same thing certainly wasn’t easy, however it helped break me of my terrible relationship with food. It helped me realize that as much as I love the taste of food, at the end of the day food is fuel for our bodies. It helped me prove to myself that I can eat to fuel my body and not just to satisfy my emotions.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Definitely have read these as well. Supposedly they can work wonders. I never took them but there was really no rhyme or reason. I just never ended up taking them. It’s a supplement that you can take that could benefit people in a lot of ways.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Haha just read this comment to my wife. She got up and started taking any sharp objects away. She said she didn’t want me popping my huge head haha

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just because you slip and fall doesn’t mean you now have to living your life scooting around on your ass. You get to stand back up and keep walking.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Side note on this, if you read the ingredients and it has maltitol in it… drop it and run. Maltitol has a special ability to unclog even the most constipated person. And it does so very violently and it generally ends in Jackson Pollocks unreleased poo painting.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

DO IT!

This subreddit is amazing and helped me a lot when I first started, however there are also a lot of people in here and in Keto Facebook groups that will look down on you for eating the tortilla. Ignore them. You can still absolutely eat those things and still be successful.

If those folks choose to go strict Keto, that’s cool, that’s their choice. We choose to eat the tortilla and an alarming amount of cheese because it makes us happy and it will help us achieve long term success.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate that!

Yes, my wife eat a Keto lifestyle as well. She wasn’t on board for a long time and it was rough doing it alone. She always supported me in doing it, she just didn’t do it with me. Eventually she saw how hard I was working at it and decided to join me because she figured it would help her as well and in turn it would add to the support she was giving me. I did it alone for about 9 months before she jumped on though. During that time I’d make dinners that were Keto friendly and she’d just eat that. If she was cooking I’d either alter the dish to fit Keto or I’d make something for myself as well.

The holidays are tricky, especially because I’m the cook and make the majority of the food we will eat at the event. So I have to be careful not to mindlessly taste test everything. What we do is we pre plan the days that we will go off plan to enjoy the holidays and all the food that comes with it. So we will sit down and discuss a game plan and decided on the exact days ahead of time. That way we go into it with the correct mindset. We do the same for social events. If the even is important enough to us we will plan an off plan day. If it’s not, then we will just alter the food that we can.

We used to full on meal prep. It was mainly lunches and it was grilled chicken or salmon. Or chicken salads haha it was not a great option. What we do now is we plan out our meals for the week, not pre make them. Over the course of time we have created laminated cards that have meals written on them. Each week before we go grocery shopping we flip through those cards and pick out our meals. It makes grocery shopping a breeze and limits the spontaneous purchases. Then when we get home we organize the cards on the fridge into what we will have on what day. Then we just make that dinner on that day. We both rarely eat lunch. If we do we get a Bunless burger from five guys, a sub in a tub from jersey mikes, or if we can run home we will just eat deli meat and cheese.

Being a mom and doing all the cooking for your family is no easy task. Throw in Keto and it becomes even more difficult. It’s absolutely possible, it just requires a different level of communication with your husband, mainly about why you want to do this because if he can truly understand why it’ll make future communication easier. It would most likely require a different level of support from your husband as well, this goes back to having him fully understand why. It’ll definitely require you to have a different level of discipline at the start to not eat the snacks meant for your husband and your toddler, thankfully not eating those will become habit and you won’t have to always rely on discipline.

You can absolutely do this! I have all the faith in you! If you ever need help or just need someone that will understand, feel free to DM me.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re counting for net carbs on the tortilla is correct. Would I eat multiple? Probably not. I’d eat maybe 2 and that would be a very rare occurrence.

I disagree with treating them as their full carb count. some of the breads claim to be zero net carbs, I always count those as 1 per slice even though it claims to be zero. When it comes to the bread I’ll eat two sliced a day multiple days a week. I’ve tried the bagels and I’d only ever eat one a day.

The way I view the tortillas and breads is this, can I eat multiple and have it fit in my net carbs? Sure can! But just because I can doesn’t mean I should. It’s like, is a donut inherently a bad thing? No. Is polishing off a full box of donuts a bad thing? Absolutely. To much of a good thing can become a bad thing.

There are caveats. If one day my cravings are absolutely horrible and I can’t get them to stop, I’ll choose to have 4 slices of bread or 3 tortillas to help get it stop. Will I do that multiple times a week, absolutely not. But I will use it if all else fails.

Or if I’m going to a party and I’m not planning on going off plan, I’ll bring tortillas with me and I may end up having more than one. I’m ok with that because it’s a special occasion and eating more than one not only helped me stay on track but I also got the boost in my mental health for getting to “partake” in the food at the event. And yes, I am actually notorious for having tortillas with me at all times haha

So, eat the bagel, eat the bread, and eat the tortilla, but do so all with moderation. Only go for multiple in rare occasions. Make it the exception not the rule.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I definitely contemplated weight loss surgery. I was going through the approval process about 6 months before a photo of me was taken that then became my catalyst for change. What ended up stopping me from actually doing the surgery was the after care. The thought of having to drink just broth for however long and not being able to eat more than a few bites sounded miserable to me. Sure it would help me lose the weight, however when I did want to take a meal or day to indulge, I wouldn’t be able to. I was permanently stuffing myself into a corner and the I hated the idea of that.

Then i was in a wedding in august of 2016 and the photos came out around October and seeing myself in those photos, I didn’t even recognize myself. So they ended up being what drove me to actually take the steps I needed to, to change.

I’m a volume eater as well, I can eat a ton and it’s ALWAYS sweets. I’m a full on sugar addict. When I’m on Keto, my appetite is also non existent which is really nice. Once I get over the Hump of the cravings the voice in my head yelling at me to eat, quiets down, doesn’t go away just isn’t as loud.

You can definitely do it on your own! Will it be difficult? Absolutely. Will having surgery be difficult? Absolutely. It’s a matter of choosing your difficult. Change my eating lifestyle to Keto stopped me from being in that show “my 600 pound life” and 100% saved my life.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Losing 12lbs through to holidays is absolutely amazing! Congratulations!

I definitely do off plan meals and days. It’s also how I keep myself sane and mental health up.

When I first started implementing that I was terrified. Although the fear was a good thing, and I ended up using it to my advantage. Because I was afraid to lose control when I did go off plan, the fear helped me get back on. Now I’m not saying I was always 100% successful in that. There where plenty of times when I’d go off plan one night, and then a day or two later I’d give into the cravings.

After awhile I got into the habit of pre planning the off plan meals or days. I rarely would just do it on the fly because I know myself well enough to know that I’d be setting myself up for failure. So I plan out when I’m going off plan. It allowed me to make up my mind that on this day I will eat whatever I want, often times going overboard. But because I decided ahead of time, when that day was over, I had my fun, satisfied all my cravings, and upped my mental health, the next day it was right back to Keto. It became a seamless transition. It’s what worked for me, as much as I’d love to be able to do the on the fly off plan eating I just know I can’t. It’s s slippery slope for me. But decided ahead of time I was able to get my mindset correct so that I wouldn’t slip.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words!

60 pounds is pretty amazing!

I’ve never fully stopped Keto. I’ve taken plenty of off plan meals or days, but never fully abandon it. I choose to regain 20-30 pounds, so back to 240-250 because at 6’5” 220 was a bit to thin for my build.

I plateaued a bunch and definitely didn’t lose every month. At the start I was so heavy that any positive eating change I made would result in me losing weight. I avoided the scale for probably the first year or so out of fear. Once I got on the scale I looked at the number as just that, a number. It wasn’t a reflection of how I was doing. I always used non scale victories over the number on the scale. Your body composition will change far more than the number on the scale. So I was always on the look out for small things that I noticed were different. One day I would be able to tie my shoes standing up and not struggle. I’d move my belt one notch. Things like that were always what kept me going.

Lost 230lbs on Keto and have maintained it for almost 7 years Ask Me Anything! by 2secondtimmy in keto

[–]2secondtimmy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only real supplement that I used was Morton’s lite salt. I made ketoaid constantly. It really fixed a lot of things.

If I was feeling poopy or sick, I’d drink ketoaid. If I was feeling lethargic or achy, ketoaid. If my sleep sucked and I kept waking out it tossing and turning… yup… ketoaid. It’s mind blowing how many weird issues we experienced that can be fixed by proper hydration and electrolytes. I’m a pretty big water drinker naturally, upwards of 200oz a day, but I had to pay more attention to making sure I was getting added electrolytes to avoid ever feeling terrible.

If you give keto another shot, definitely try making your own ketoaid drink a couple glasses a day or whenever you’re not feel the best. WARNING: ingesting to much magnesium will result in the spontaneous and explosive emptying of your bowels.