New to Keto? - Look Here First *Frequently Asked Questions*

[rustybones]

Hey Eileen, thanks for the tip, sounds tasty.

I wanted to ask you if doing the carb up is necessary, i seem to be in ketosis by sunday night anyways, mon morning at latest, so it seems that the carbs are not helping me on my lifts anyways, what is your thoughts?

What i thought i might do is do keto all day on my carb up and then have a cheat meal of about 100 carbs or so, what do you think of that?

[Eileen]

Hey Eileen, thanks for the tip, sounds tasty.

I wanted to ask you if doing the carb up is necessary, i seem to be in ketosis by sunday night anyways, mon morning at latest, so it seems that the carbs are not helping me on my lifts anyways, what is your thoughts?

What i thought i might do is do keto all day on my carb up and then have a cheat meal of about 100 carbs or so, what do you think of that?

Depends on your goals, your metabolism, your intensity. As a general rule, your carb-up should be proportional to your lifting intensity. If you are crawling out of the gym on hands and knees, and have to go down the stairs backwards on leg day, then you probably do need a proper carb-up.

If you are doing less intense workouts, you may not need a carb-up at all. For many people, a good whey shake after lifting is all they need.

You pick your spot on the scale and adjust accordingly.

[rustybones]

Depends on your goals, your metabolism, your intensity. As a general rule, your carb-up should be proportional to your lifting intensity. If you are crawling out of the gym on hands and knees, and have to go down the stairs backwards on leg day, then you probably do need a proper carb-up.

If you are doing less intense workouts, you may not need a carb-up at all. For many people, a good whey shake after lifting is all they need.

You pick your spot on the scale and adjust accordingly.

Hey thank you Eileen. Yea I need to figure out this carb up, i finally have my keto part of the diet figured out, well at least something i can live with, without having to spend my life in the kitchen. The keto part is:

cal/protein/fat

m1. 5 boiled eggs 300/25 rest is fat
m2. whey no carb 100/25
olive oil 2 240/0/28 fat
m3. steak 5oz 312/28/22 fat
green beans or brocoli about 8 carbs before fiber
m4. whey no carb 100/25
olive oil 240/0/28
m5. steak 5oz 312/28/22
greens 8 carbs before fiber
m6. steak 5oz 312/28/22
cottage cheese 220/26/10 and 6 carbs

totals 2216/185 protein/ and around 20 carbs with the cottage cheese and greens before fiber

How does this sound weight 220/bf 18

[Eileen]

Hey thank you Eileen. Yea I need to figure out this carb up, i finally have my keto part of the diet figured out, well at least something i can live with, without having to spend my life in the kitchen. The keto part is:

cal/protein/fat

m1. 5 boiled eggs 300/25 rest is fat
m2. whey no carb 100/25
olive oil 2 240/0/28 fat
m3. steak 5oz 312/28/22 fat
green beans or brocoli about 8 carbs before fiber
m4. whey no carb 100/25
olive oil 240/0/28
m5. steak 5oz 312/28/22
greens 8 carbs before fiber
m6. steak 5oz 312/28/22
cottage cheese 220/26/10 and 6 carbs

totals 2216/185 protein/ and around 20 carbs with the cottage cheese and greens before fiber

How does this sound weight 220/bf 18

Without doing the sums, it looks about right. I'd keep the whey for after workouts thought.

[rustybones]

Without doing the sums, it looks about right. I'd keep the whey for after workouts thought.

Yea you are right as usual, may just drop one of the wheys and just eat a couple more boild eggs, very tasty and easy to carry around, they even come in a bag allready boiled and peeled, imagine that, i thought it was christmas when i found them.

[miztrp]

Some people have told me that it's dangerous to not eat any carbs/as low as <30g, is this true?

[Atavis]

Some people have told me that it's dangerous to not eat any carbs/as low as <30g, is this true?

Uh... nope. Is it optimal, no. Is it dangerous..again, no.

[Eileen]

Some people have told me that it's dangerous to not eat any carbs/as low as <30g, is this true?

Because carbs are what keeps your dick glued on. Drop your carbs to less than 30g and it will fall off. In front of your girlfriend. And her parents.

[rustybones]

Because carbs are what keeps your dick glued on. Drop your carbs to less than 30g and it will fall off. In front of your girlfriend. And her parents.

Oh no is that a side effect, lol

[Eileen]

Oh no is that a side effect, lol

Oh yeah. I used to be a guy, then I ate keto and my dick fell off.

[R2K10]

Amazing thread! New to keto and took the time to cover all 49 pages. Im going CKD. I feel I understand the 65/30/5 ratio and my calorie needs for my goal. It was talked about more than once, but I still have a few questions.

1. Pre workout drinks. For CKD it seems the preferred drink of choice is coffee with coconut oil (fat for fuel on keto got it).
carbs are for refeed and optional dextrose post WO. What about the over marketed pre workout drink? Looking at the ingredients they list sucralose, sweetner right? Should this be avoided on CKD? On the note of sweetners....I like to add 1 scoop of Extend to my gallon of water jug. Im assuming that amount spread over the day is OK.

2. Post workout. I got in the habit of adding stuff to my shake. You said no added fat post workout(slows whey uptake). Whey and 5-10g dextrose optional. With that said. I enjoy 3 egg whites with 1 scoop whey and 1 cup spinach in blender with water. This should be ok right? I guess Im looking for the green light here. What are your thoughts on protein blends like myofusion or combat?

3. Creatine. Does it really matter how you cycle in to your week? Im guessing not. I read in a different thread to start the cycle on your carb up for uptake reasons. Your thoughts?

I dont want to reinvent the wheel here. Just trying to do what has worked for me and enjoy while following your guidelines. But at the same time I want learn from where others have failed. Thank you in advance!

[rustybones]

oh yeah. I used to be a guy, then i ate keto and my dick fell off.

lol!!!

[Eileen]

1. Pre workout drinks. For CKD it seems the preferred drink of choice is coffee with coconut oil (fat for fuel on keto got it).
carbs are for refeed and optional dextrose post WO. What about the over marketed pre workout drink? Looking at the ingredients they list sucralose, sweetner right? Should this be avoided on CKD? On the note of sweetners....I like to add 1 scoop of Extend to my gallon of water jug. Im assuming that amount spread over the day is OK.

2. Post workout. I got in the habit of adding stuff to my shake. You said no added fat post workout(slows whey uptake). Whey and 5-10g dextrose optional. With that said. I enjoy 3 egg whites with 1 scoop whey and 1 cup spinach in blender with water. This should be ok right? I guess Im looking for the green light here. What are your thoughts on protein blends like myofusion or combat?

3. Creatine. Does it really matter how you cycle in to your week? Im guessing not. I read in a different thread to start the cycle on your carb up for uptake reasons. Your thoughts?

I dont want to reinvent the wheel here. Just trying to do what has worked for me and enjoy while following your guidelines. But at the same time I want learn from where others have failed. Thank you in advance!

Go for a simple PWO shake, which is easy to digest. Spinach is great nutrition, but not exactly quick to digest. Egg whites are fine.

I'm not fussy about types of protein. Whatever works for you.

Creatine is absorbed more easily when there is sugar, so loading may be less effective on keto. PWO is when your muscles are hungry and will use it. Also on carb-up.

[rollei]

I'm on a keto for a week and a half now, i always take brown sugar with my post work out shake, so i have a few questions:

- I was told that it's ok to have fast absorving carbs after workout. Is this true?
- Since i'm taking carbs pow, should i do a carb up day once a week? Or is it the carb from the pow enough? I take about 30g (1 scoop) of carbs

[evolved1983]

I just had my first carb up this past weekend and I was wondering how long it typically takes to get back into ketosis? The ketostix that I have read a small amount of ketones last night, but as of this morning its negative... haven't changed a thing since I started.

[Yuzz]

Can one take Nitric oxide supplement while he is on Ketosis mode?

[Eileen]

Can one take Nitric oxide supplement while he is on Ketosis mode?

Yes.

Did you know that very dark chocolate acts as an NO booster?

[gethuge367]

Hey guys, about 60 hours into keto, few questions.

what does "brain fog" feel like? i feel lethargic and seem to be thinking a lot slower, id compare it to how i feel after a few drinks, does this seem like brain fog?

tried to workout yesterday, terrible workout! last workout i squatted 195lbs for 5 reps, tried to go for 7 this time. failed miserably after 2 reps and then barely got out 3 more at 185. also, i lacked any focus in the gym, usually i want to lift until my muscles refuse to move, last night i was just like ok, get me out of here, blah. is this just depleted glycogen stores causing my sluggish performance? If it matters, I had an amazing workout two days ago (first day i started keto and probably before my stores were depleted) Would 30g dextrose with my 30g whey post workout help replenish some stores to keep my workouts going? or is that dextrose purely for the insulin spike?

[Eileen]

Sounds like you are going into ketosis.

The keto frog can feel a lot like getting the flu, with wooly head, fatigue, etc. But once you are in ketosis, it goes away, and you should feel fine, with steady energy all day.

The first time is always the worst. Once your body knows that you are not starving to death, it will handle the entry to ketosis much more easily.

[BigDakota]

quick questions. i was strick skd all month to get adapted. i want to lift and gain muscle (even just a little bit) but my main goal is to lose fat. i was trying to decide between ckd or tkd. which would be most effective for fat loss but still being able to keep some strength in the gym? ive read 30-60g glucose before the gym will knock out that tired muscle feeling but not kick you out for too long. that sounded like what i was looking for

[Eileen]

quick questions. i was strick skd all month to get adapted. i want to lift and gain muscle (even just a little bit) but my main goal is to lose fat. i was trying to decide between ckd or tkd. which would be most effective for fat loss but still being able to keep some strength in the gym? ive read 30-60g glucose before the gym will knock out that tired muscle feeling but not kick you out for too long. that sounded like what i was looking for

No, 60g of glucose before lifting is likely to give you an appalling insulin crash. If you are doing TKD, then eat a small carb meal before lifting, but make it real food. Oatmeal and cottage cheese works well. You only need enough carbs to bridge the gap between what you can get from fat and what you need for lifting, so I'd start with about 30g of low-medium gi carbs. Whey shake with about 20g of glucose after lifting.

If you are fat adapted, you may not need anything except a cup of black coffee (or a cup of coffee with some coconut oil melted into it) before the gym.

There is good research to show that your body will not burn fat as long as insulin is present. So if you take glucose before the gym, you are effectively turning off fat burning during your workout.

[BigDakota]

No, 60g of glucose before lifting is likely to give you an appalling insulin crash. If you are doing TKD, then eat a small carb meal before lifting, but make it real food. Oatmeal and cottage cheese works well. You only need enough carbs to bridge the gap between what you can get from fat and what you need for lifting, so I'd start with about 30g of low-medium gi carbs. Whey shake with about 20g of glucose after lifting.

If you are fat adapted, you may not need anything except a cup of black coffee (or a cup of coffee with some coconut oil melted into it) before the gym.

There is good research to show that your body will not burn fat as long as insulin is present. So if you take glucose before the gym, you are effectively turning off fat burning during your workout.

good point. i was going for lifting on mwf and eatting a little high gi carbs maybe 30g to help with lifts, then whey afterwards. on the non lifting days ill be strict no carbs and doing cardio.

[gethuge367]

Another follow-up question.

Is it possible to not feel the effects of keto? like i posted earlier, I had some brain fog yesterday, but after that I felt fine. I don't have three times as much energy as before like some would say, but I no longer have the brain fog or other symptoms. The only carbs i eat are from romaine lettuce, so I know im under 30g a day of those.

What am I doing wrong? I'm going to try and lower my protein intake and replace it with more fat, perhaps that would help?

also, today is day 4 of keto for me

[Eileen]

Lots of people feel better on keto than they do on carbs. It certainly doesn't mean anything is wrong, except perhaps that it means your basic diet should be keto, regardless of whether you are cutting or not.

I personally wouldn't have said Three times as much energy, more like steady energy. I never get up in the morning saying "Oh, I want to run a marathon today", but whenever I start something, I just keep going till it's finished. I don't have to stop because I'm tired or hungry.

I don't get energy fluctations during the day. No urge to nap after meals or anything like that.

[gethuge367]

Lots of people feel better on keto than they do on carbs. It certainly doesn't mean anything is wrong, except perhaps that it means your basic diet should be keto, regardless of whether you are cutting or not.

I personally wouldn't have said Three times as much energy, more like steady energy. I never get up in the morning saying "Oh, I want to run a marathon today", but whenever I start something, I just keep going till it's finished. I don't have to stop because I'm tired or hungry.

I don't get energy fluctations during the day. No urge to nap after meals or anything like that.

Ah, thank you. Yes, id say it is a much more steady energy, with carbs I would have that dreaded two o clock feeling of just wanting to sleep, with keto i dont have any crashes. Same things with meals, I can eat whatever (keto friendly) and not feel lethargic afterwards.

Looks like I might do keto for my next bulk, liking this a lot!

Thanks!

[Yuzz]

Help help! I have been in Ketosis for almost 2 weeks I have loses 6kgs. but now I have a problem seem like I have lose skin on my tummy area like excess skin... What should I do to get rid of them >.<~

[Eileen]

Give it time. You are losing weight faster than your skin will react. Think of a pregnant woman who gives birth. It takes a while while for her body to snap back. But it will, especially if you get lots of good quality fat to help keep your skin elastic.

[Yuzz]

Give it time. You are losing weight faster than your skin will react. Think of a pregnant woman who gives birth. It takes a while while for her body to snap back. But it will, especially if you get lots of good quality fat to help keep your skin elastic.

Ok I"ll take time to monitor then... Good qualitys fats? Fish oil?

[Eileen]

Fish oil, extra virgin olive oil, saturated fats in meat and eggs and food. Avoid processed vegetable oils, and of course, all transfats.

[neelyboy]

Hi I'm a 21 y/o male, 5'9, 152 lbs, on the CKD diet wanting to lose fat and at least keep my muscle. Lyle Mcdonald recommends working out three days a week, ex
M day legs/abs
Tues upper body
F Depletion

Does it matter if I work out 4 days per week as I currently do, and what do you think of my splits? I was thinking it might be better to have a break day before my depletion workout but I'm not sure.
M Back/Bis
Tues Legs/Abs
Wednesday Cardio
Thurs Tris/Chest
Fri Depletion Workout
Should I change these around anyhow or do as Lyle recommends? Any help is appreciated! Thanks