4 weeks of Keto

[TheMoaningViolet]

I have now been on Keto with TRE (16 hours) for 4 weeks exactly. I am going to switch to low carb from today, and my current plan is to go full Keto again in 2 months' time.

I checked the ketones with a stick this morning and they are in a small amount range. I think that can be explained by the fact that I am on steroids which send random spikes of glucose into my bloodstream, so no surprises there.

I lost 2.2 kg (or 4.84 pounds) in 4 weeks. Most of it in the first week (1.3kg), some in the second (300g) and the rest in the last 5 days when I started paying attention to my portion sizes. Nothing very strict, just making sure I don't eat too much and not having seconds. So not impressive, but given that I was unable to shift any weight before, I am satisfied.

A more significant improvement is in how I feel. I have not had any food cravings after the first 2 weeks, and while I ate large portions, especially at lunchtime, in the beginning, I am now happy to eat a moderate amount. This is very significant and important for long-term success both for weight loss and a potential improvement of my overall health.

Thank you for your support.

On a different subject, I keep seeing references to The China Study (which advocates a vegan diet, I believe). I would be very curious to hear about this from any experts on this forum (I have not read the book myself).

[MikePollard]

It's a BS book written by a vegan fanatic. Denise Minger did a forensic takedown, which T. Colin Campbell got a little aerated over it and attacked her ad hominem without addressing the core arguments:

deniseminger.com/the-china-...

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to MikePollard]

Thank you for that, I will read it with interest.

[Subtle_badger]

Forget about pee sticks. They only show the ketones you literally pissing away. As you adapted to a ketogenic diet, your body starts using the ketones, so the it can go pale even if you are in ketosis. Blood and breath are more reliable, though more expensive techniques.

It's sounds like you are doing pretty well, so why are you switching to low carb?

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to Subtle_badger]

I am not a fan of meat so I want to start eating beans, an odd sweet potato, carrots and some raw grated beetroot. These are literally my main reasons. I suspect I will still be eating more or less Keto diet, but I needed to give myself permission to add these foods and see how I feel.

[Subtle_badger in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

Yes, I forgot about the meat thing.

Well, well done for doing it for 28 days!

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to Subtle_badger]

Thank you, I feel somewhat liberated.

[amykp in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

We found a great low carb bean: black soybeans. You can get them canned on Amazon: amazon.com/Eden-Organic-Bla...

Honestly they taste almost like black beans. They have 5 net carbs for a half cup, so you can't go crazy, but we add them sparingly to chili. It's really nice to have stuff like that back!

Instead of sweet potato, we enjoy oven roasted pumpkin cubes, with lots of butter. If you really want the sweet, you can sprinkle a bit of allulose or other caramelizing sweetener over the cubes before you bake.

I eat carrots and real beets now and again too :o)

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to amykp]

Thank you for that information, I will definitely look for those beans. I didn't realise a pumpkin was better than a sweet potato. You learn something new every day. x

[Subtle_badger in reply to amykp]

Both black and standard soybeans are low carb. Aldi (UK) sells low carb pasta made from them.

Pasta

[amykp in reply to Subtle_badger]

Oh, I like the regular soybeans too, but they don't fool you as much floating around in the chili. They're green :o)

That pasta looks great!

I've taken to making my own, using King Arthur keto flour and a fancy machine. Anyone else tried that?

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to amykp]

What is King Arthur Keto flour and what machine are you using?

[amykp in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

King Arthur is simply the best flour supply company out there. They also have incredibly good recipes--a huge number. (Do I sound biased?)

kingarthurbaking.com/

They are located in Vermont. In my pre-keto baking days, I pretty much worshipped them. Anyway, recently they came out with a keto flour blend, and also a keto sugar blend, and a bunch of recipes for that. Their recipe for buns is great, their desserts not so much.

The flour is very hard, like semolina I thought, which made me think of pasta. After struggling with hand-cutting for a while, I invested in a phillips pasta machine. Basically you toss water, flour and an egg in the top and spaghetti comes out the bottom.

Disclaimer #1: the flour is not carb FREE. But it is low, and loaded with fiber, and very filling.

Disclaimer #2: It has gluten in it!

Disclaimer #3: It is pricy. Sometimes Amazon has it on sale.

[Subtle_badger in reply to amykp]

Thanks.

Most of us are in the UK. I just priced it locally at $USD12/lb.

I haven't seen any local equivalent.

[amykp in reply to Subtle_badger]

It's pretty bad here, too, I think like 10.69 or something at the grocery. The KAF website is the same as yours, I think, PLUS shipping for all of us.

Our grocery occasionally has sales for like 6.99 and I buy them out which is kind of embarrassing at checkout.

Except for pasta, I've taken to splitting it with ground nuts, or almond flour.

[Juppy in reply to amykp]

Great to know- I’d never thought of soy beans and didn’t even know black ones existed! By the way last night I made a chili with just minced beef, fresh tomatoes, garlic, salt and chili powder. It was delicious (I think the fresh tomatoes were key) and I didn’t miss the beans at all!

[amykp in reply to Juppy]

Oh yes, I do that too. Saute in some chopped poblano or anaheim pepper! (Or plain green if you can't find either) That adds a nice flavor. Also, serve with chopped fresh avocado on top.