Keto questions

[MyliuVarpas]

1. Should I do it now or wait? I have quite a few midterms coming up, been doing carb cycling but results don't seem to come as fast as I hoped. And I just want to experiment with keto to see how I do on it. Would keto's low carb make me perform worse?

2. On carb up days, I will eat at my maintenance or slightly above. Does the carb up have to last 24 hours or can it go up to 36-48 hours? After waiting for two weeks in low-carb high-fat then doing the carb up, how often should I carb up?

3. What should be the macronutrient ratios for carb up days be? 50%carb, 30% protein, 20% fat?

[Torrtrefireto]

I juust switched from carb cycling to keto and I have had no brain fog or lack of energy at all. Really, the second I switched (as noted by breath changing, not perfect science) I started to feel a lot more energized

[Eileen]

I wouldn't start keto the week you have an exam, but as long as you give yourself a couple of weeks, you should be fine. I personally make a point of being in ketosis when I'm doing study days or exams, I find I can concentrate much better on keto than on carbs.

Two straight weeks of keto, then you can carb-up every week to ten days after that. Unless you are bulking, stick to 24 hours or less. You'll find that "slightly above maintenance" calories on a carb-up can leave you hungry if you spread them out too much.

Reverse the macros, so 30% protein (this will be higher, since cals are higher), 5% fat and 65% clean boring carbs.

[MyliuVarpas]

I wouldn't start keto the week you have an exam, but as long as you give yourself a couple of weeks, you should be fine. I personally make a point of being in ketosis when I'm doing study days or exams, I find I can concentrate much better on keto than on carbs.

Two straight weeks of keto, then you can carb-up every week to ten days after that. Unless you are bulking, stick to 24 hours or less. You'll find that "slightly above maintenance" calories on a carb-up can leave you hungry if you spread them out too much.

Reverse the macros, so 30% protein (this will be higher, since cals are higher), 5% fat and 65% clean boring carbs.

Thanks. But what exactly do you mean by "clean" carbs, and why aren't "dirty" carbs allowed as long as I keep the fat down?

And is it necessary that I time my carb ups like described in post #3 here, or is keeping a certain ratio good enough?
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=120288141

And one question about the depletion workout. Is it necessary if I lift hard with a 4 day split? If I need to do it, must I do HIIT or would LISS work as well?

[MyliuVarpas]

I've made a Keto diet, please critique:

Food Fat Carb Protein Calories
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
protein shake 2 2 27 130
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120

8.5 almonds 5.17 0.955 2.17 60
4 oz Tilapia 2 0 20 100
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
5 oz Tilapia 2.5 0 25 125

protein shake 2 2 27 130
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120


17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
1 tbsp olive oil 14 0 0 126
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120

Total 137.07 24.055 144.57 1931

It's in 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbs. What do you think? Are the carbs in each meal too high, or is this fine?

[Eileen]

Thanks. But what exactly do you mean by "clean" carbs, and why aren't "dirty" carbs allowed as long as I keep the fat down?

And is it necessary that I time my carb ups like described in post #3 here, or is keeping a certain ratio good enough?
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=120288141

And one question about the depletion workout. Is it necessary if I lift hard with a 4 day split? If I need to do it, must I do HIIT or would LISS work as well?

Clean carbs mean root veg, low fat dairy, wholegrains etc. Sugar and white bread will produce bloating and cravings, and fries and pizza will ruin your diet.

You have some degree of wiggle room on your carb-up, but it helps to be reasonable disciplined about it. It's not an all-you-can-eat binge.

Lifting hard is more important than cardio. If you can't lift, then don't carb-up.

[Eileen]

I've made a Keto diet, please critique:

Food Fat Carb Protein Calories
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
protein shake 2 2 27 130
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120

8.5 almonds 5.17 0.955 2.17 60
4 oz Tilapia 2 0 20 100
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
5 oz Tilapia 2.5 0 25 125

protein shake 2 2 27 130
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120


17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120
1 tbsp olive oil 14 0 0 126
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
Fish oil pills 1.5 0 0 15
17 almonds 10.34 1.91 4.34 120

Total 137.07 24.055 144.57 1931

It's in 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbs. What do you think? Are the carbs in each meal too high, or is this fine?

Am I seeing things or is your diet almost all fish oil and almonds? Eat some steak.

[DustyChicago]

^ for real. i give a diet like this 0 chance of success

[MyliuVarpas]

I'm getting a bit more than one gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass... Could you tell me what I'm doing wrong?

If it's because you think there isn't a variety of food to keep me psychologically motivated, don't worry about it because I am planning to include other foods as well, above is just a sketch of how I plan to distribute the calories and nutrients. Not to mention that almonds are easier to carry around than many other kinds of foods.

[Eileen]

As an example of a workable keto diet, I'd suggest something like:
Breakfast: Mushroom omlette, cooked in butter.
Lunch: fish and big green salad, olive oil dressing.
Dinner: Steak or roast chicken and broccoli/green beans/asparagus/cabbage/cauliflower/fennel etc.
PWO: 30g whey, 10-15g dextrose.
Snacks (as needed if you are hungry), raw almonds, cheddar, coffee with cream.

Play around with some meals on Fitday, put together half a dozen meals that fit your macros and you can knock up quickly and without hassle. Make sure one of them is something you can eat in a restaurant so you have a life.

[MyliuVarpas]

So is there a problem with my diet other than it's not very palatable and has a boring range of foods? I can live with that for a while for a while because I love almonds a lot. I'm currently planning on doing keto for 3 weeks to a month, so lack of variety in food isn't too much of a problem for me unless I decide to go longer.

But thanks for the suggestion of foods, I'll try to fit those in my sheet too.

[shortys408]

So is there a problem with my diet other than it's not very palatable and has a boring range of foods? I can live with that for a while for a while because I love almonds a lot. I'm currently planning on doing keto for 3 weeks to a month, so lack of variety in food isn't too much of a problem for me unless I decide to go longer.

But thanks for the suggestion of foods, I'll try to fit those in my sheet too.

There are so many good things to eat on keto. My favorite keto meal is wings covered in ranch dressing.

[MyliuVarpas]

There are so many good things to eat on keto. My favorite keto meal is wings covered in ranch dressing.

Ranch dressing is another great suggestion, thank you for that one, almost forgot.

So other than that, any problems in the plan that I made? Are the carbs spread out well enough to prevent ketosis?

[JLay87]

Why are you only eating almonds and fish?

[MyliuVarpas]

Why are you only eating almonds and fish?

Again, that's just a sample sketch that I posted to ask whether there were any problems in the meal plan. I have made other plans with same macros and calories. And I love almonds and other nuts (which, AFAIK, have similar macros when matched isocalorically).

So other than the lack of varieties in food, any problems in the plan that I made? Are the carbs spread out well enough to allow for ketosis?

[Eileen]

As far as the macros go, it's fine. But such a limited diet is only useful for a very short period, and keto works best on a longer term.

[MyliuVarpas]

As far as the macros go, it's fine. But such a limited diet is only useful for a very short period, and keto works best on a longer term.

Thank you. That's why I am making other meal plans with the same macros.

Just wondering, how long do poeple take to achieve going from about 12-13 BF% to single digit, like 8%? From some anecdotal stories, I've seen people lose a lot of body fat with keto in a relatively short period of time.

[MyliuVarpas]

My first day today. I decided to have a cheat day yesterday (finished a whole box of pizza) to take a break from carb cycling and prepare myself psychologically. Today was my first day, had almonds, pistachios, bacon, and hamburger patty without the buns. Feels good so far, no brain fog or anything yet. When does the brain fog kick in for a first time keto-er like me, if it ever does?

[Eileen]

Typically about the third or fourth day, but could be less if you've got previous experience of keto diets. Some people never get it.

Rate of fat loss is proportional to how strict you are with the diet, how much fat you have to lose, and your own metabolism.