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

[Eileen]

Traditionally on keto, you do the heavy days first (legs or back) when you have lots of glycogen, or any bodyparts that are lagging and need special torture. Take longer rests between sets if you are dragging, but keep lifting.

[mikecart1]

Hey Eileen, are cheat days required on Keto? I believe I can keep going on this without carbs. I think this is day 7 or day 8. I'm getting mad cut right now but getting pretty sick of having snacks that consist of bacon and olive oil.

[Eileen]

Try an avocado or two instead.

You've only been on keto for a week, you'll probably be ready for a carb-up (NOT a cheat day) by the end of next week.

If you are lifting hard, you will eventually feel the need to carb-up. Weekly carb-ups are not essential.

[mikecart1]

Try an avocado or two instead.

You've only been on keto for a week, you'll probably be ready for a carb-up (NOT a cheat day) by the end of next week.

If you are lifting hard, you will eventually feel the need to carb-up. Weekly carb-ups are not essential.

I don't plan to then. This body will get no carbs until end of August! I'm going on vacation and want to be in the best shape of my life. Never was fat in the first place but 10% doesn't turn heads haha. 6-7% does though! In Puerto Rico I want to attract the locals!

[Eileen]

I don't plan to then. This body will get no carbs until end of August! I'm going on vacation and want to be in the best shape of my life. Never was fat in the first place but 10% doesn't turn heads haha. 6-7% does though! In Puerto Rico I want to attract the locals!

Don't rule out carb-ups altogether. You can always do a small one of around 1000 cals, just to replenish muscle glycogen.

[CatFunt]

I enjoy this diet and its been working but my carb up days are terrible, I put on like up to 12lbs sometimes cos I kinda lose the plot a bit, carbs and me dont get on, as soon as I eat a carb ten minutes later I want more food, 10 minutes after more again, rinse and repeat until I smash the crap out of my good efforts in the last fortnight.

Also I am getting, errr, kinda backed up until carb up and then I kinda unblock in a big way, finding it hard to get good sources of fibre, im eating like 200g of spinach most days and still having issues? I hear flax seeds are good for this?

Having no probs with meals etc, enjoying the food and always satisfied.

Workouts are weird, if I go first thing in the morning I seem a lot better and full of energy than if I go on the evening where i tend to get hugely out of breath and in a bit of a state?

[Eileen]

You can afford a lot more veg than 200g of spinach. Throw in some broccoli, rhubarb, celery etc as well.

Try some psyllium husk to keep things moving easily.

Try carbing up on a weekday, so you have more control over your food. Or keep your carb-up shorter.

I find it works best if I plan my carb-up carefully, and prepare my carb-up foods in advance. The wandering around wondering what to eat next is a disaster. Try making a big pot of soup (lentil or minestrone) or stew (Irish stew with potatoes, carrots, onion and beef) and just eating that.

[tenacious707]

You can afford a lot more veg than 200g of spinach. Throw in some broccoli, rhubarb, celery etc as well.

Try some psyllium husk to keep things moving easily.

Try carbing up on a weekday, so you have more control over your food. Or keep your carb-up shorter.

I find it works best if I plan my carb-up carefully, and prepare my carb-up foods in advance. The wandering around wondering what to eat next is a disaster. Try making a big pot of soup (lentil or minestrone) or stew (Irish stew with potatoes, carrots, onion and beef) and just eating that.

Hey Eileen are green beans are good veggie for keto? I usually get green beans cause there so easy to eat right out of the can.

Also im having trouble getting more fat than protein.. What are some good snacks that are high in fat for keto? Ive been adding heavy whipping cream to my eggs, taking tsp's of extra virgin olive oil, and eating 1 serving of almonds a day.

[CatFunt]

Hey Eileen are green beans are good veggie for keto? I usually get green beans cause there so easy to eat right out of the can.

Also im having trouble getting more fat than protein.. What are some good snacks that are high in fat for keto? Ive been adding heavy whipping cream to my eggs, taking tsp's of extra virgin olive oil, and eating 1 serving of almonds a day.

I tend to go for the fattier cuts of meat, Chicken thighs, salami, 18% fat ground beef etc all add up well, cheese is also a beauty for a high fat hit, although I think too much can be bad for keto?

[Eileen]

If you base your meals on whole eggs, oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), chicken thighs, rib steak, cheap ground beef, lamb chops, etc, you won't need to add that much fat. Make some salad dressing with 4T oil and 1T vinegar and use as necessary. Coconut (fresh or dried), nuts and avocado make good high fat snacks.

[CatFunt]

I cannot find any reliable info on Runner Beans, they are green veg and apparently have lots of fiber but I dont know how many carbs they have, I imagine the little beans inside the flesh are high like all other beans?

[pro-tein]

First of all, respect to eileen, read all the pages today, and she keeps helping all the newbies out, with the same questions over and over...
I am starting keto tomorrow... (again, see my log)

I lift 3-4 times a week, but i also like to cycle outside during summer, my trips are around the 60km (2hrs) normaly i eat a banana or some other (liquid) carbs during cycling...

Should I eat something special before or during cycling, or will my energy stay the same, because my blood sugar will not drop, as it is already low?
anyone experienced with long lasting outdoor activity/cardio?

[Eileen]

I cannot find any reliable info on Runner Beans, they are green veg and apparently have lots of fiber but I dont know how many carbs they have, I imagine the little beans inside the flesh are high like all other beans?

Runner beans are okay, just slightly higher carb than green beans. If you eat only the beans, you are going much higher carb.,

[Eileen]

First of all, respect to eileen, read all the pages today, and she keeps helping all the newbies out, with the same questions over and over...
I am starting keto tomorrow... (again, see my log)

I lift 3-4 times a week, but i also like to cycle outside during summer, my trips are around the 60km (2hrs) normaly i eat a banana or some other (liquid) carbs during cycling...

Should I eat something special before or during cycling, or will my energy stay the same, because my blood sugar will not drop, as it is already low?
anyone experienced with long lasting outdoor activity/cardio?

A bit of TKDing will do the job here. Eat a small low-gi carb meal (oatmeal or something similar) before a long cycle and you should be fine. Once you are fat adapted, your body will be able to get most of the energy you need from your fat supplies, and won't need much for cycling.

I'm a cyclist myself, and I wouldn't normally eat anything special before a cycle unless I knew I would be going flat out or I was expecting to put up huge milage.

[wehman]

I'm interested in trying keto out once I get back to my university in a few weeks. Unfortunately, living at home during the summer makes you subject to your parents eating habits a bit more than when you are in control of your diet living alone, away at college.

Therefore, I'm looking to go on a cut, lose fat, and retain/build muscle. I did a 40/40/20 last Spring, lost about 18 pounds and thought I looked kind of skinny. Bulked up, did mild lifting, and now I'm 6'2 and 190ish. I don't mind my figure, and I know I'm not fat, but as you refer to it as squishy fat, I'd like to get rid of it and become firmer (not to mention attain the proverbial six pack).

Keto sounds like the plan.

Since I'm roughly where I was when I dieted at 40/40/20, my estimated bf% was 22 (and that's probably being a bit harsh on myself) so my LBM is around 148. Multiply that by 14 since I"m on a big college campus and do a bit of walking throughout the day + full court basketball a couple times a week and a 4 day split. That brings me out to 2072.

Now, if I remember correctly, you said for fat loss it is best to stay around maintenance, correct? Or should I cut off 500 calories like you do for most diets.

Let's say I cut out 250, because I think 1500 calories would just not be healthy for someone as active as myself and a clean rounded 1800 calories. Proper Keto would be:

130 g of fat @ 1170 calories @ 65% of 1800
22 g of carbs @ 90 calories @ 5% of 1800
135 g of protein @ 540 calories @ 30% of 1800

I have ON whey and have followed that you said I should only take one scoop, post work out. Check. Got it.

That's 24 grams of my 135g of protein roughly leaving me at about 110 grams of protein from other sources (meats). Is it okay to have a scoop of whey protein in the morning when I wake up?

Also, as for the 130 grams of fat, is it okay to eat fried foods that are usually high in fat i.e. (keep in mind i'm in college) chicken tenders, popcorn shrimp, etc.

Avoid most sauces right since they are high in carbs (i.e. bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, ginger sauce)?

The shirataki noodles commonly discuessed on here that have 0 carbs; are they acceptable by keto standards? Being able to apply those to my keto diet with some chicken or steak or whatever would be great.

Also, I have read about 10 pages but not every single page and I'm just looking for a clear cut answer on cheese. I love, love, love cheese. What's the word? I know it's a great way to get fat but I cannot remember if it's got high carbs or not. I'm guessing now but I'm unsure.

It seems that you've given the OKAY to bacon too; that's a huge plus in my book, I love bacon.

Regarding the carb up, after two full weeks (if I start on a Friday then not the next Friday but the following Friday) I would do my first carb up which would be after Friday's depletion work out. Which therefore reverses my macros and I am allowed to eat things like bananas apples pineapple and other fruits and also potentially a bowl of pasta? However, I must maintain my caloric goal right? Just making sure I have an understanding.

Lastly, my major question: I am indeed a partyer, like many college kids. It was mentioned previously about doing things outside of drinking but that's just not going to happen. I saw one of the recommended beverages is one that I love: whiskey. Is it okay to stick with the bourbon when I start my weekend endeavors?

Thanks a bunch. Priceless information.

[Eileen]

Normally, that 14 cals per pound of lean mass is the cutting level, you should not need to go below that unless you are very inactive.

No, avoid deep fried food, the fat is crap and the food is always battered or breadcrumbed with adds lots of carbs. Use olive oil dressing on salads, or mayo, or snack on nuts, and cook in butter. Bacon and cheese are fine, but use them as trimmings, not the main part of your meal.

Basic keto foods are whole eggs, oily fish, fresh meat, chicken, lots of green veg, olive oil, butter, cheese, nuts, seeds. By the way, if you are eating lots of salmon and broccoli, your parents will get down on their knees and give thanks, they won't be moaning that you are not eating pasta and cookie.

Keep pasta for the carbup and stick to veg during the keto days. On carb-up, increase your calories. For fat loss, aim for about 10% above maintenance, and eat fruit, root veg, low fat dairy, wholegrains. Keep fat low, so no pizza or fries.

If you must drink, then whiskey has no carbs, but on keto, you'll get drunk faster and feel worse afterwards. Drink a pint of water between each measure. On carb-up, you might be better with beer, as long as you keep reasonably sane about amounts.

[wehman]

Eileen, I want to marry you. I'm 20 years old and headed to law school. Give me a chance.


In all seriousness though, thanks for the valuable information. That completely answers my question.

If I am allowed to have 2050 calories a day and roughly 25 grams of carbs, will all 25 more than likely just come from my post work out shake/veggies? Or am I allowed to have ONE sandwich on whole wheat bread a day? If not it's okay, I was just curious since I do have 25 grams of breathing room.

When you said to use butter and cheese but not to make cheese my focus you mean like putting cheese on chicken or ground beef, not just straight up eating slices of cheese (not that I would do that), right?

Thanks for the advice on incoporating drinking and for the heads up about getting drunker faster. I appreciate it and will definitely drink more water.

Lastly, I'm from the south therefore my next question could be guessed... can I drink iced tea?

[Eileen]

I wouldn't actually object to a 20 year old toy boy, but my husband might....

That 25g of carbs is to cover green veg and nuts and stuff like that. You are allowed a small amount of a high gi carb like dextrose in your PWO shake (typically 10-15g) which count towards calories but not your daily carb count.

No bread. Use those carbs for broccoli, spinach, green beans, avocado, cauliflower (mash it for a good substitute for rice), celery, lettuce, kale, chard, mushrooms, fennel etc etc. Apart from anything else, a lot of people are intolerant of wheat, and never discover this until they do keto and go off wheat. Adding wheat to a keto diet is daft.

One decent slice of bread will use up 20g of bread, but it would allow you buckets of veg.

Yes, add a bit of cheese on top of chicken or to make cauliflower cheese, don't just eat blocks at one go. Some people do.

Iced tea is fine as long as it doesn't contain sugar! If you make your own, great. Make it even better by making green iced tea.

[wehman]

Ah yes, no desire here to upset Mr. Eileen.

Iced Green tea sounds delicious. Perfect. Mashed cauliflower sounds good too, especially with some cheese.

No bread. Got it.

This may be a stupid question but the 10-15g of dextrose with my ON whey.... what's a good example? (I know I can use the search feature but just thought I'd ask)

I always thought fructose was basically glucose which is like what you find in a gatorade post workout. However, I don't really want to mix in gatorade with my cookies' n cream whey protein. Solutions?

[Eileen]

Dextrose is also known as glucose. You can buy it cheaply in supermarkets (baking or baby section), pharmacies, health food shops, home brew places as well as supplement shops. One teaspoon is around 5g, so about two mixed with your ON whey should be enough. It will sweeten it a bit. If it's too sweet, use ice water.

Fructose is not the same, and I'd be wary of fructose. Despite its reputation as a healthy sugar, it isn't really. It has a low gi, because it has to go to the liver to be broken down. If you are in ketosis, it will tend to knock you out, and if you have an adequate glycogen supply, it can be stored as fat. A new study in the University of California found that cancer cells thrive on glucose (as expected) but they go nuts and profilerate wildly when given fructose.

[wehman]

Woops! Didn't mean to mix up fructose and dextrose. Thanks for the input on the dextrose; I'll make sure to pick some up. What's the primary purpose of the dextrose again? To help speed up the protein synthesis?

[Connolly2]

A lot of good information here. Thanks for answering all the questions eileen It's my first day on a keto diet and i'm wondering would i be better off on a TKD or a CKD?? Also could somebody clarify the differences for me. I know TKD involves a small amount of pre and post workout carbs.

I normally train 4 weekdays so what would be the ideal time to plan my carb up?? I train heavy, 4 days a week. Also i would like to bulk slowly on keto is this possible and how many calories should i take in? I was thinking about 4,000 given my height and very fast metabolism (recently lost 10-12 pounds on a 3,200-3,500 cal a day diet)

[Eileen]

Woops! Didn't mean to mix up fructose and dextrose. Thanks for the input on the dextrose; I'll make sure to pick some up. What's the primary purpose of the dextrose again? To help speed up the protein synthesis?

The dextrose is to provoke a very short insulin spike, to ensure that the protein in your whey shake gets to the muscles. It's not absolutely essential, but it seems to work for a lot of people. It's not to replenish muscle glycogen, that's what the carb-up is for.

[Eileen]

A lot of good information here. Thanks for answering all the questions eileen It's my first day on a keto diet and i'm wondering would i be better off on a TKD or a CKD?? Also could somebody clarify the differences for me. I know TKD involves a small amount of pre and post workout carbs.

I normally train 4 weekdays so what would be the ideal time to plan my carb up?? I train heavy, 4 days a week. Also i would like to bulk slowly on keto is this possible and how many calories should i take in? I was thinking about 4,000 given my height and very fast metabolism (recently lost 10-12 pounds on a 3,200-3,500 cal a day diet)

TKD is better for staying competitive while dropping bodyfat. it's popular with people who do martial arts, since you can do an explosive workout even on a keto diet. It's also good if your routine is chaotic, so that you can't plan workouts easily. On TKD, you just adjust carbs to the intensity of the workout you are planning.

CKD is probably better for keto bulking. If you do four days of heavy lifting, followed immediately by a big clean carb-up, you should be able to put on some significant muscle.

You are the best judge of your own calorie requirements. Just base them on what you know of yourself, rather than a calculator.

[wehman]

I have been trying to gather the best recommended workout. You said heavier loads monday and tuesday so what about wednesday and thursday?

I was thinking about running a M/W - Chest, Shoulders, Tris
Bench Press
Chest Flys
Military Press
Lateral Raises
Pull downs
Dips

Monday 80 percent of 1RM for 8 reps for 3 sets on the compound exercises and 3 sets of 10 for the supplementary exercises. Wednesday... 60 percent of 1RM for 8 reps?

Tuesday/Thursday - Legs, Backs, Biceps
Squat
Deadlift
Pendlay Row
Lat Pull Down
EZ Curl Bar
Pull Ups

Same format for the other; 80 percent Tues and 60 percent (?) On Thursday for the compound lifts squat, dead, and pendlay row. 3x10 both days for the three supplementary exercises.

A couple times a week, time permitting and definitely on Fridays, ill be playing full court basketball.

how should I structure my depletion exercise on Friday?

[heytred]

I started Keto back up again today and since I'm deployed sometimes I rely on supplementing protein to get what I need. I ran out of casein a while back and even though I ordered more over a month ago, haven't gotten it yet. I still have plenty of whey though... I know that you should only have whey post-WO, but if I added a fat source, say some peanut butter, to the whey would that slow the absorption and therefore prevent an insulin spike?

[Eileen]

I started Keto back up again today and since I'm deployed sometimes I rely on supplementing protein to get what I need. I ran out of casein a while back and even though I ordered more over a month ago, haven't gotten it yet. I still have plenty of whey though... I know that you should only have whey post-WO, but if I added a fat source, say some peanut butter, to the whey would that slow the absorption and therefore prevent an insulin spike?

Yes, that would work. It may not fill you as much as a real food meal, but in the circumstances, it's likely to be the best you can manage.

[mikecart1]

Keto is the best diet I've ever been on. I'm going through steaks, chicken, shrimp, like a machine. Eating tons of salad too and of course eggs. I'm down to 180lbs and my entire six pack is clearly shown. I got muscles popping out of everywhere. Haven't carbed up yet and don't plan to. I feel great. Still maintaining my lifts and actually improving in some. If I ever do carb up, I'm going to be pumped I think.

Thanks to Eileen for all the help.

I got used to drinking olive oil haha. Only drinking 1-2 protein shakes a day now. Never was a fan of them. I don't really follow a set schedule right now but just maintain a high protein/fat diet with 0 carbs. I plan to take some pics in a couple of weeks.

[tenacious707]

Keto is the best diet I've ever been on. I'm going through steaks, chicken, shrimp, like a machine. Eating tons of salad too and of course eggs. I'm down to 180lbs and my entire six pack is clearly shown. I got muscles popping out of everywhere. Haven't carbed up yet and don't plan to. I feel great. Still maintaining my lifts and actually improving in some. If I ever do carb up, I'm going to be pumped I think.

Thanks to Eileen for all the help.

I got used to drinking olive oil haha. Only drinking 1-2 protein shakes a day now. Never was a fan of them. I don't really follow a set schedule right now but just maintain a high protein/fat diet with 0 carbs. I plan to take some pics in a couple of weeks.

Whats a normal day of eating look like for you bro? Ive been getting 15 - 20 carbs but im trying to get closer to 0. Much appreciated.

[art4m]

Hi there,

I have a few questions regarding foods..

When having a whey protein shake after workouts, is it alright for me to use milk? If so, what kind is best?

What are bbq and tomato (ketchup) sauce like?

Will water based cordial keep me from getting into ketosis?

I'm not a big fish eater, should I be supplementing by having fish oil tablets?

Thanks for any help!