Help with Keto

[SoulmanPaul]

Hi everyone. I'm Paul from Birmingham. I'm new to this group. Following recent bloods (I have RA) my Rheumatology nurse called me and advised that I was pre diabetic. She told me about a low carb diet and sent me some information to get me started. I was quite alarmed by the diagnosis and decided to start a low carb/keto diet straight away. This was March 17th.Initially things were a bit tough but I've gotten over the carb cravings and keto flu. Since week two I've been on two meals a day, have given up sweeteners and don't snack. As I'd heard a lot about time restricted eating I decided to give that a go too. I basically do 18/6 and find this quite easy, though can't claim to be strictly fasting as I have 2-3 cups of tea with milk outside my eating window.

In all it's going well, however although I lost 4.5kg in the first three weeks, I've only lost a further 0.5kg in the past ten days so I'm a little disappointed and at a loss as to what to do next.

I'd appreciate any comments or advice from anyone with experience of low carb/keto dieting.

Thanks for reading my post

Paul

[Grigid Moderator 4 stone]

Hi SoulmanPaul, welcome to Weight Loss Support, and congratulations on your achievements so far. Many people find it difficult to go over to low carb because of their old diet habits and the 'keto flu' effect.

We definitely have members on here that can provide you with support in your plans. I've added a link at the end of this reply that lists all the groups we have on this forum and would recommend having a look at the Daily Diary in particular, where people post their menu plans (and exercise if they wish). The weekly weigh in is a good way to stay on track and receive peer support too.

All the very best in your journey, and if you have any further questions please just ask.

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

[SoulmanPaul in reply to Grigid]

Hi Grigid, thanks for your warm welcome. I'll check out the link and look forward to hearing from other members.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hi SoulmanPaul and welcome to the forum

I am low carb eater, not as low as keto though I've done that for a week or two in the past. Sounds like you had good advice from your nurse as diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, so that's what you need to deal with. You are doing yourself a big favour, even if the weight doesn't keep dropping at the rate it did the first week.

Are you enjoying your meals? That's important, to make it sustainable. You'll find plenty of recipes at Diet Doctor dietdoctor.com/home and carbdodging.com/recipes/ but you can also just google whatever you fancy e.g. 'low carb chicken curry recipe' and you'll find plenty of options.

Dr David Unwin is a GP whose patients have had great success following the advice you've been given: here's his diet sheet dietdoctor.com/wp-content/u...

Nearly forgot, you mentioned time restricted eating. It sounds like you're falling into a natural pattern. For me, when I reduced my carb intake, I realised I wasn't hungry in the morning so I stopped eating then. Give yourself time to get a real sense of when you're hungry and when you're not and let that lead you - that would be my suggestion, rather than setting a specific time window, but others will have other views.

Good luck

[SoulmanPaul in reply to BridgeGirl]

Hi BridgeGirl and thanks for your reply, I'll be checking out the links you've suggested as I'm keen to learn. I'm using the Freshwell app and I believe Dr Unwin has had some input. In terms of the time restricted eating, I made the decision yesterday to try OMAD. I managed ok hunger wise, though did feel a bit shaky just before bedtime and did wonder if this could have been a low blood sugar issue. I should add that I'd previously watched Ken Berry who'd mentioned that some people whose weightloss had stalled, might need to go as near to no carbs as possible. So for the past couple of days, the only carbs I've consumed is the milk in my tea that amykp refers to below. This works out at just over 7g carbs so well under the 20g that I believe defines keto. I appreciate that heavy (double in the uk)cream is no carbs and I did try it however, being on a limited budget it wasn't a good option as I was throwing half of it out as it was going lumpy and sour after a couple of days. On the subject of cream, Ken Berry says it won't break your fast, which is why I tried it. However Thomas De Laur says it will break your fast as despite its lack of carbs it's high in calories! Things like that just confuse beginners like me!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to SoulmanPaul]

I'd forgotten the Freshwell site. I did a post about it when I first heard of it. I'm sure it will be an excellent source and I'll go back to it, now you've reminded me.

Yes, you can get very bogged down in details and slightly different views. It's early days for you on this approach and I'm sure you'll find the right balance

[amykp Visitor]

Slow but steady! Everyone loses a bunch in the beginning, then slows down--that's normal. Half a kilo a week(ish) and eventually you will get where you want, right?

But I have a question: if you are eating keto, why are you having milk? Consider cream--the heavier the better (unless you REALLY prefer milk--but then you need to count in those sugar carbs. Milk is not a free food...unless you are using like a teaspoon, then never mind :o)

Heavy cream is free though!

[Hidden]

Welcome. It's worth weighing in once a week to help you keep track of your progress. Also the Daily Diary as mentioned by Grigid. You will get lots of ideas there and it's the place where the magic really starts to happen.

Weight loss slows down after the first week or so. A loss of 1lb to 2lb a week is considered a safe amount. There may be times when you don't see a loss or even have a tiny gain, this is normal.

Thank you for mentioning the Freshwell site. I hadn't heard of it but looked it up and found it useful.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.

[SoulmanPaul in reply to Hidden]

Hi RofD. Thanks for your reply and encouragement. As it happens I weighed myself this morning and in the 5 weeks since starting I've lost 13lbs 10 Oz (6.2 kg) so feeling much more positive than I was the other day 🙂

[Hidden in reply to SoulmanPaul]

Hi SoulmanPaul

I am delighted that you have been able to post such a positive weight loss .

I don't know if you have heard of Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi. Giancarlo is a chef and lost a lot of weight with the help of Dr David Unwin, reversing his type 2 diabetes. Giancarlo's wife, Katie, is a food writer and they have published several cookbooks for low carb recipes. They also have a very useful website, link for it below.

thegoodkitchentable.com/

Wishing you continued success.

[SoulmanPaul]

Thanks once again I appreciate the support. Also for the link-I'll check it out 🙂

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to SoulmanPaul]

I think this is for Hidden