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

[TTtt42ttTT]

Hey so I've been keto-ing for a week. I've read literally almost everything I could find, including Lyle's book but I can't figure out what my actual amount of protein should be. I'm in a weird place: I was recovering from 2 years of being sedentary (school + 2 jobs) after being really healthy and working out 3x a week for 2-3 years. I was a month in and feeling great and an old arm injury popped up and I basically can't work out at all. I discovered Keto and CKD (excited to try the latter once I can work out again) but am using keto and MFP to reexamine and reign in my eating habits and learn how to track my nutrition. So I'm 5"7 145 lb and somewhere between 20-22 BF maybe lower? I've gotten different responses from different methods but I estimate I have between 110-120lb lean mass from what i've learnt. I am semi-active 2x a week so I seem to be at 1900-2100 cal maintenance so I set myself at 1500. It seems to me that I don't need much protein. The keto calculator said my minimum was 78g and I feel pretty solid around 90g but according to most of the posts on this site I need at least .8g a pound of LBM and Lyle says 150 which seems insanely high to me. I'm trying to approach 120 every day with as close to 65/30/5 as I can manage but it feels forced for the last 30g of protein or so. I figure if I am supposed to be eating this high I'm going to have to get better at planning first the proteins, then the fats. The 1g a pound thing seems to be more aimed at bodybuilders with lots of muscle, but Lyle says anyone no matter what needs 150g of protein for the first 3 weeks. Am I going to be doing damage if I don't eat that much, but am not doing anything super intense workout-wise? Does anyone have experience with starting keto from an out of shape but not morbidly obese (I'm visibly pudgy if naked that's about all the damage that's showing somehow). Any input would be lovely/very appreciated. I can't post links to MFP but it's in diaries under BadWolf0

Also, I'm really unsure what to do nights like tonight. I did manage to get my protein up to 120 but my ratios are off. I could easily eat some leaves in fat to get the rest of the fat calories but is that really better than just going to sleep with less calories consumed since my main goal is weight loss?

[GNARKILL!]

I have some questions. My buddy is/was doing keto with me but he cant hang anymore lol. he wanted me to ask how to introduce carbs again? can anything bad happen if he just starts eating them again? hes only been on it for 4 days.

[Deanm444]

what color should the ketostix be to be burning a fair amount of fat ?

[Wumonger]

what color should the ketostix be to be burning a fair amount of fat ?

Any change in the color of the stick means you're in ketosis. Ketostix only measure the amount of ketones in your body. Ketones are burned by your body for energy so a lighter shade vs. a deeper shade does not necessarily mean that you are any more or less in ketosis. I've come back from the gym and seen the stick turn deep purple and other times just pink. As long as there's a color change, you're good.

[Chad_Petree]

How did you guys measured your caloric needs? in the sticky there's a pdf to calculate but i don't want to take shakes, just food :/

[sasky]

First post!
I've been researching keto for probably close to a month, and i started on a keto diet just short of two weeks ago. I have a few questions that i've found some murky answers to so i thought i would post them on here and see what some experienced people have to say about them.
Stats:5'10", 205lbs (212 when started keto, water weight?) around 20%bf or a bit below, Ive been doing a 65/30/5 macros split, keeping net carbs under 25-30g as best i can and mainly getting my fiber from broccoli and spinach. I workout on a 5 day split (was on a 3 day split for years, switched to this a few months ago), and my days off vary as well as my cardio (depending on where i am in my shift work schedule).
1-Chest
2-Arms
3-Back
4-Legs
5-shoulders/traps
Abs usually every 2-3 days.
Ive been maintaing a diet of about 2000 calories/day, just recently dropped down to about 1850/day. I'm an endo/mesomorph bodytype so i carry a fair bit of muscle on me but also find it difficult to lose fat. I know my calorie deficit does mean there will be some muscle loss, but its something im willing to accept. Also if i'm still really hungry at the end of the day (leg days?) I will eat something clean to tide me over.

My questions are in regards to carb-ups and PWO nutrition:
1. How often do you actually need to carb up? I don't know that i want to do the full friday evening thru saturday midnight carb up since my main goal is fat loss, would i be alright just having a carb up day or even a meal whenever i really start feeling the affects of keto wearing me down? Should i try and keep it completely low GI (yams/oats) or can i encorporate pasta in as well.
2. PWO fats-I've started adding coconut oil to my PWO whey shakes (ONC gold), but i just came across a few discussions regarding PWO fat saying that it should be avoided for at least 2 hours.
3. PWO carbs- The last few days i've noticed my muscle recovery seems to be weening a bit, should i be taking in PWO carbs such as dextrose? And if so are they to be counted towards my daily macros or not.
4. Glutamine- Honestly I've never been a fan of supplements at all, generally i stick to my whey PWO and a cup of coffee preworkout, it seems that there's a lot of debate about the actual benefits on glutamine. Does anybody have any experience with it specifically while on keto?

[Hppope]

Props to all of you on your hardwork and diligence (especially to Eileen) I'm beyond impressed.

Ok so I've read all 54 pages and been at this for a few weeks. Think I've lost a couple lbs but I believe my water weight was gone months ago.

March 7th was 198lbs. I am currently 168lbs probably 19%bf and looking to lose roughly 2 lbs a week.

My goal is cut to around 9% then bulk to 170 lbs within the next year and a half.

Typically I lift lite (still working on form) 3x a week using strong lifts 5x5 and 5-6x a week I spend about an hour on a treadmill I but inclined. According to my polarf7 hrm I burn around 800 calories in that time if I keep my hr in the 145 range.

Looking for advice on how many calories to consume a day and where to keep my macros by the gram at. My math had the following which surprised me because I feel I don't lose weight at this small of a deficit. However I have been curious as to weather this was just a plateau that would run its course then I'd drop a few at once.
1806 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
20 g Carbohydrates (4%)
106 g Protein (23%)
145 g Fat (73%)

On a side note I have been eating my greens but as far as far and protein go have been eating several brats a day. They taste great. Are quick and easy to take to work. But I know their are all you sodium skeptics out there. Am I ok to continue like this or will this stall my weight and cause health issues?

Am open to any and all advice! Have loved reading all of your inputs and good luck to every one of you in achieving your goals!

No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training…what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. – Socrates

[stevenning1025]

How did you guys measured your caloric needs? in the sticky there's a pdf to calculate but i don't want to take shakes, just food :/

myfitnesspal just mix and match, they have all the options there, poly fat, mono fat, sat fat, everything
my shopping list

eggs
salmon
chicken
tilapia
shredded cheese (regular or mozzarella)
mayo (light or reduced fat, just so i can eat more of it ^^)
creamy ranch
bacon
broccoli
spinach
asparagus
tobasco
bunch of seasonings and herbs
olive oil
walnuts
oh i also get 93% lean ground beef, throw in 2 eggs in the batch and make 4 oz patties, they make a good meal with some spinach and red onions w/ mayo as dressing

you dont need shakes, i prefer to eat everything on keto since fats take up most of the calories which leaves you with solid food only coming from the 30-35% protein

[RedeemerZG]

i just can't figure it out....

if it's all about calories... why bother yourself if you are in ketosis or not ?

main point here is to have energy and be satisfied (not hungry)...

am i missing something?

[RedeemerZG]

can someone explain difference between "clean" keto foods and "dirty"

i live in "bull****" country where "keto-approved" foods are just messed up...

so basically i end up eating eggs, bacon, peperoni, salami, bratwurst, homemade pate, hard cheese etc... all along with nuts (wallnuts, almonds, pistachios) and some seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax)... when i have money i usualy buy some white fish (hake, salmon...) ...rarely tuna or sardines (blue fish) because that kind of fish is very heavy on my stomach (like calamari...)

i eat green veggies ... green salad, swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, cucumber, green pepper, hot pepper....
===

my typical day is like this

breakfast:
few slices of peperoni (30kcal)
1 omega3 egg (90kcal) - here

lunch:
2 bratwurst (<300kcal)
little mustard

dinner: 1-2 eggs with bacon or peperoni 250kcal

===

thats 700kcal... and if i snack on some nuts ... it can go 800-900....
and if i eat "clean" ... then my caloric intake is even lower....

===

i'm complete sedentary... i have no appetite, which is resulting in drastic decrease in energy ... and i'm not motivated for any exercise...


so, should i up my calories to experience energy.... how to do this? i just cant trust that drinking olive oil would give me energy needed for exercise
(maybe just diarrhea)

...i can up my calories by eating "****" ... processed stuff or so...


help please

[FatMansMuff]

Would this put me in keto
I'm 200 lbs workout 6 days a week cardio 2-4 days a week on no carb days
Sun - carb up
Mon- carbs 120g
Tues-100g
Wed - 80g
Thurs- sat - no carbs

Protein 200-220g a day
Fat 100g+ a day
Also trying to keep up my muscle mass .....trying to get back to 180lbs

[Katie4004]

Are you supposed to eat at maintenance while adapting? Also, should I be lifting less weights while adapting or stick with the same program?

[GazzyB]

Want to start taking a multivitamin, any UK keto-ers able to recommend a brand?

Would this suffice?
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pag...id=6236&cid=39

[John4527]

thanks for all the info guys it helped me although it was a lot of infoLOL

[GazzyB]

Want to start taking a multivitamin, any UK keto-ers able to recommend a brand?

Would this suffice?
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pag...id=6236&cid=39

Anyone...?

[Jaysey]

Hi everyone I have read 30 pages so far and the info is fascinating I started a basic keto 12 weeks ago and did it for 4 weeks without a cheat losing 16lb, from 170 to 158 , I wasn't very knowledgable and started to cheat every week or so, however luckily I never gained! Phew!! However since researching and reading this fab sight I found by chance I have a better understanding thanks to all you fab people , ESP Elaine who seems the font of all keto knowledge ! I started again 2 weeks ago and am now 148lb only a pound or 2 off my goal, I don't train and haven't for over a year however I feel the need as I feel flabby and desperate to tone up and get some definition in arms and shoulders , I find I'm eating 1200 calories @ 65, 25 , 5 give or take the odd shift, don't think I could eat more cals . If and when I feel brave enough to hit the gym what should I eat/drink pre and post ? Should I have extra carbs as I don't feel as if I have much strength at the moment ? Would only be 30 mins cardio ie 10000 m row and light weights to start off . Looking forward to getting in shape !! On my things to do before I'm 50list ! Ouch

[DamianBlane]

Not sure if this was posted: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

Awesome keto calculator, complete with fancy graphs that are pretty to look at.

[robotstep]

i've noticed it takes a bit longer for me to get an erection and sometimes it's not very strong.
could it have to do with cutting and/or keto diet?

thanks


edit** sorry if this is inappropriate for this thread, but I am posing a serious question. feel free to point me in the correct direction if there is another source for this question. thanks again

[FastingCaveman]

One of the most frequently asked questions is regarding ketostix. Many people ask if they are still in ketosis if the stick is only showing trace amounts of ketones. My response to this question would be that you are either in ketosis or you are not. If you are only showing trace amounts that could be a sign that you are either properly hydrated or that you are using the excess ketones as fuel. When you first start off with this diet these may be helpful in the sense that they keep you encouraged and assure you that you are in fact doing everything right but eventually you will be able to sense when you are in or out of keto and eventually you will see these as a waste of money. They can also be a source of frustration if you measure too late in the day or when you are extremely hydrated. If you are keeping your carbs low and getting in enough exercise you can be pretty confident that you are in ketosis. I personally have never measured more than trace so I have stopped using them.

Good point. There was a time when I was eating less than 30 grams of carbs per day. I did this for about 4 weeks. After eating that low of carbs for about 4 or 5 days you can pretty much know that you're in ketosis. Perhaps give or take a day or two. I mean how could you not be in ketosis after 4 or 5 days of so little carbs? I could be wrong to assume everyone would be in ketosis, but I certainly felt like I was. I agree with redheadlaw that ketostix can be frustrating and I even read that trying to measure your level of ketosis from urine is not very accurate, for reasons that redheadlaw pointed out.

So in my experience while eating less than 30 grams of carbs everyday, the fat simply melted off of my body. It was pretty incredible. However after 4 or 5 days straight of under 30 grams I would get what I describe as "foggy-headed". I couldn't think straight. I felt as though I couldn't think clearly. Sometimes I had to ask people to repeat themselves when I spoke to them because I couldn't recall what they had just told me. I don't know if that was my brain struggling to adjust to the different type of fuel from ketones. Or perhaps it was my body detoxing, I'm not really sure. I tried to fight through it and lasted about a month or so. Occasionally though during those 4 weeks I would have a day where I ate around 60 grams carbs and it helped the "foggy-headed" feeling to go away. I only did that once a week during those 4 weeks so 4 times total. I also made sure I did that only on workout days.

Since then however I have more carbs each day and my workouts just seem much more productive. I feel a lot stronger when I eat more carbs. I believe you have to play a balancing act between eating very low carb when you want to burn a lot of fat, and then increasing your carbs when you want to increase your strength and build more muscle. That's what has been working for me. I've gained 20 pounds of muscle and virtually not fat since May 2013. Went from 168 lbs to a current 186 lbs.

[FastingCaveman]

I have some questions. My buddy is/was doing keto with me but he cant hang anymore lol. he wanted me to ask how to introduce carbs again? can anything bad happen if he just starts eating them again? hes only been on it for 4 days.

After about a month of keto I began to eat more carbs. I was eating about 30 grams a day for a month, then I decided to bump it up and just try to stay under 100 grams per day. Your friend should be fine, I just would't go way up in carbs. Take it slow and increase little by little. Carbs do help me with strength gains and my workouts are usually more intense. Also I think it's best to eat most of your carbs after your workout, but not too close to sleep. This will ensure you're timing your types of macro consumption to optimize your hormone levels.

[FastingCaveman]

Hey so I've been keto-ing for a week. I've read literally almost everything I could find, including Lyle's book but I can't figure out what my actual amount of protein should be. I'm in a weird place: I was recovering from 2 years of being sedentary (school + 2 jobs) after being really healthy and working out 3x a week for 2-3 years. I was a month in and feeling great and an old arm injury popped up and I basically can't work out at all. I discovered Keto and CKD (excited to try the latter once I can work out again) but am using keto and MFP to reexamine and reign in my eating habits and learn how to track my nutrition. So I'm 5"7 145 lb and somewhere between 20-22 BF maybe lower? I've gotten different responses from different methods but I estimate I have between 110-120lb lean mass from what i've learnt. I am semi-active 2x a week so I seem to be at 1900-2100 cal maintenance so I set myself at 1500. It seems to me that I don't need much protein. The keto calculator said my minimum was 78g and I feel pretty solid around 90g but according to most of the posts on this site I need at least .8g a pound of LBM and Lyle says 150 which seems insanely high to me. I'm trying to approach 120 every day with as close to 65/30/5 as I can manage but it feels forced for the last 30g of protein or so. I figure if I am supposed to be eating this high I'm going to have to get better at planning first the proteins, then the fats. The 1g a pound thing seems to be more aimed at bodybuilders with lots of muscle, but Lyle says anyone no matter what needs 150g of protein for the first 3 weeks. Am I going to be doing damage if I don't eat that much, but am not doing anything super intense workout-wise? Does anyone have experience with starting keto from an out of shape but not morbidly obese (I'm visibly pudgy if naked that's about all the damage that's showing somehow). Any input would be lovely/very appreciated. I can't post links to MFP but it's in diaries under BadWolf0

Also, I'm really unsure what to do nights like tonight. I did manage to get my protein up to 120 but my ratios are off. I could easily eat some leaves in fat to get the rest of the fat calories but is that really better than just going to sleep with less calories consumed since my main goal is weight loss?

You sound a lot like me when I was first starting out. Try not to get so worked-up about hitting all your numbers every single day. Sometimes you will sometimes you won't. Be committed work hard to hit your numbers, but if you don't, so what? There is always tomorrow.

Speaking from experience, one of the worst things for me, that destroyed my progress was getting in the habit of eating too much at one sitting. It's much better to only eat as much at once that your body can handle. I would be so bloated from trying to stuff in as much food as possible to get enough calories for the day. I would go to bed overly stuffed, bloated, and feeling like crap. I would constantly wake during the night and be sweating or feel very hot. I think our bodies can only handle so much food at one time. You will feel much better mentally and physically if you don't try to cram in all your calories.

As far as protein goes…I eat about one gram of protein per pound of body weight. I weigh about 186 lbs. So I make sure to get at least 185 grams of protein per day. Many days I end up getting in between 200 and 250 grams. I am not a body builder, I simply try to stay lean year round. I am about 10% body-fat that I have maintained for years. Also if you're wondering how you are going to get enough protein, if your body can handle whey protein, you could try whey powder mixed into smoothies or make shakes, etc…
I would never be able to get that much protein without using a whey supplement.
Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? If your goal is to get your body-fat down, IF works great.

I hope that helps!

[cuenca237]

Im a skinny-fat 20yr 5ft5in 120lb 19%bf guy will Keto work for me? if so which keto?

[jon andrew]

Its my 8th day of keto. I had only one carb meal on the 5th day.all other meals have been kept as close to zero as humanly possible.
My keto sticks arrived in the post today I tried it and it came up as negative.....soul destroying.

[aaaaaaaaaachooo]

Its my 8th day of keto. I had only one carb meal on the 5th day.all other meals have been kept as close to zero as humanly possible.
My keto sticks arrived in the post today I tried it and it came up as negative.....soul destroying.

Before incorporating carbs, you should become "Fat-Adapted" first.
This generally takes 2-4 weeks.

Carb-up in a couple weeks...until then...keep downing all them fatssss!!!

[Omkar8106]

aI read somewhere that whey can put u out of ketosis . Don't have the link , but it said anything above 10gm of whey in the time span of 2 hours will throw me out of ketosis. Is this true???

[NY Muscle]

aI read somewhere that whey can put u out of ketosis . Don't have the link , but it said anything above 10gm of whey in the time span of 2 hours will throw me out of ketosis. Is this true???

No that is a load of bologna. I consume hundreds of grams of whey protein when on keto and no problem getting in or staying in ketosis. Make sure you buy the lowest carb whey you can find and that goes for any protein powder because if you get one that has 3gms of carbs per scoop and consume say 9 scoops per day that's 27gms of carbs right there. There are a bunch that have zero carbs, usually the ones that are not chocolate which always has at least 1 gram of carb.

[aaaaaaaaaachooo]

aI read somewhere that whey can put u out of ketosis . Don't have the link , but it said anything above 10gm of whey in the time span of 2 hours will throw me out of ketosis. Is this true???

When you supplement with it, consume dietary fats as well.
It will blunt down the insulin response.
Noworriesm8.jpg

[Sezgigz]

Hi! I started low carb 3 weeks ago and just started (attempting) Keto in the last week.

In the last few days I have been cutting carbs down further to between 6-11% of my daily calorie intake, however am still feeling very hungry between meals. From my research and reading I understand that many people on keto find it hard to meet their calorie intake because they feel so full!

I purchased ketostix and tested 3 days in a row and I am not in Ketosis (I also dont have that metallic taste that is apparent when in ketosis).

So my question is - as a beginner, should I be concerned about going over my daily calorie intake until I get into ketosis?

The high fat foods I am eating have so many calories I find it difficult to keep under 1400 per day and not be really hungry in between meals.
I drink lots of water to keep me feeling 'full' however I am constantly looking at the time to see when I can eat again!!

I would be happy to post what my daily eating habits are if that would help in a more detailed response.

Thank you so much!

Current Weight: 55kg / 121 lbs
Body Fat: 25%
Exercise: Weight train & 15 mins sprints on treadmill 5 x per week

A recap of the basics

- Keto is high fat, moderate protein and low carb. 65% fat, 35% protein, 5% carbs.
- CKD requires a carb up every week
- TKD is without weekly carb ups and carbs are consumed around the time of training.
- It's recommended not to consume over 30g of carbs a day while trying to reach and maintain ketosis
- To lose fat, calories should be kept below maintenance.
- It is recommended to wait 2 weeks before doing your first carb up when starting the keto diet.
- Ketones are NOT going to make you skinny. They are a benefit and assist in helping you to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass. The "calories in vs. calories out" will still apply.

One more thing you must understand is that you are unique. Yes, we are all unique. When it comes to the keto diet, what might work for everyone else might not work for you.

If you want to know if eating 20g of carbs in one meal will throw you out of ketosis, no one can tell you that. It is something you will have to find out on your own.

If you want to know if eating less than the recommended amount of carbs on a carb up is good or bad, again, you must know your body and what it may or may not need during training the following week. The same is true for the amount of time you wish to carb up.

Will consuming artificial sweeteners kick you out of ketosis? You will need to figure that out on your own.

Will doing the CKD or TKD be more beneficial to you? That depends on YOUR training and what your body is telling you.


EXPERIMENTATION is the key. You know your body best and after a few weeks on the keto diet i would recommend experimentation with foods, timing and training. Understand, the basics are still true, this is a high fat, moderate protein and low carb diet, but like i said we are all unique and what will work for some may not work for others.

[bukwild]

How do I figure out how to subtract fiber carbs from total carbs? Is there a fiber carbs chart or site? Or do I just subtract the amount of fiber in an item?

[sambshep]

How do I figure out how to subtract fiber carbs from total carbs? Is there a fiber carbs chart or site? Or do I just subtract the amount of fiber in an item?

Total Carbohydrates - Dietary Fiber = Net Carbohydrates