Detailed Questions on Starting Keto (a little long!)

[AbnormalQ]

I know this prolly a repost of a repost, but FML if I am going to sift through thousands and thousands of replies to find this particular answer or that particular answer. I figured I'd make an account, make a post and join the community instead!

I came here from another forum after a poster there linked me to this thread:
http: //forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120904431

I have read through the first 50 or so pages of that thread, and have read a ton of stuff on here so far in the FAQ sticky, the best threads post, etc etc. So, I know a little bit about what I am doing now, but still have some questions.
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I am 5'10" 236 lbs. Damn, how'd I get so FAT?!? 19 months ago, I ran a marathon, and now I am 57 pounds heavier. Sooooo sick. I am 25 and just went in for my first physical in forever. The doctor wanted to put me on simvastatin. Whoa. The side effects and whatnot, and the fact that my doctor thought me cholesterol was THAT bad to warrant a 'scrip was mind bottling. I immediately set out to change my life. I've been getting myself in much better cardiovascular shape over the last 4 weeks, but what I need more than anything is to drop all this damned adipose.

And, I came across TKD. Baller. And I am stoked to do this. But, I want to make sure I am dotting all of my I's and crossing all of my T's.

1.) Firstly, my diet and my macros. Does it look good? For a 236 pound guy, does 2200 calories a day seem low (incl. fish oil and fiber capsule supplements)? An excel sheet is attached...EDIT: I'm not allowed to post with an attachment, so here is the spreadsheet (though it looks much ****tier this way)

Meal # Food Calories Protein Fat Carbs Fiber Net Carbs
1 5 Omega-3 Eggs 350 40 20 0 0 0
4 Egg Whites (eg. 1/4 cup liquid) 30 6 0 1 0 1
Meal Total 380 46 20 1 0 1
2 1+2/3 scoops Whey Protein, 50g 180 40 1.5 4 0 4
1 tblsp Peanut Butter 85 5 5.5 4 2 2
Meal Total 265 45 7 8 2 6
3 8oz Chicken 200 40 2.5 0 0 0
1/2cup Almonds 340 12 30 10 6 4
Meal Total 540 52 32.5 10 6 4
4 1+2/3 Whey Protein, 50g 180 40 1.5 4 0 4
1 tblsp Peanut Butter 85 5 5.5 4 2 2
Meal Total 265 45 7 8 2 6
5 6oz Salmon 270 29 16 3 1 2
2cups Veggie Mix(take out carrots) 50 2 0 7 2 5
1 tblsp Olive Oil 120 0 14 0 0 0
Meal Total 440 31 30 10 3 7
6 1+2/3 Whey Protein, 50g 180 40 1.5 4 0 4
1 tblsp Peanut Butter 85 5 5.5 4 2 2
Meal Total 265 45 7 8 2 6
TOTAL MACROS 2155 264 103.5 45 15 30



2.) My BIGGEST question has to do with all the supplements I have procured. I have:
-Centrum Multivitamin
-Vitamin C 500mg tablets
-Fish Oil 1000mg pills
-Green Tea Extract with 600mg per pill
-Fiber Capsules, .52g per pill of psyllium (sp?) husk.

My question is, how much should I take of each, and just as importantly, when? I was under the impression (correct me if I am wrong) that I should take 3000mg of the fish oil, one pill with each meal. 6g of the fiber, with half coming at each of the lean and fatty meat meals. A multivitamin in the morning with breakfast. Now, the two I am really no sure about are the Vitamin C and GTE supplements. When and how much for these?

3.) Cholesterol...The five omega-3 eggs in the morning themselves represent 300% of my daily recommended intake for cholesterol. With an LDL of 181, taking in so much cholesterol is worrisome to me. I mean, I gather all those numbers go down as I get more fit and less fat, but still, that seems like a lot of cholesterol (in addition to the cholesterol in the whey and salmon, etc).

4.) Cardio...How should I do this. I was thinking of not doing any cardio for the first 4-6 weeks and just doing some LISS 4x per week. I read that cardio is good to add as one begins to plateau. So, I was thinking of really hitting this diet hard, getting acclimated to ketosis and then adding in some low intensity(120 bpm), long duration (45 min) cardio once I get super into the swing of things here.

Does that sound like a good plan?

5.) Diet coke...Everything I have seen indicates this isn't a big deal, but just want o double check, since I drink a ton of this stuff (I hate coffee).

6.) I am slightly concerned at my dinner meal having 7g of net carbs. I read in that thread I referenced that one of the more successful people on the diet (goon, who dropped like 80 pounds) wouldn't eat >6g net carbs in a sitting. I am only sitting on 30g net carbs a day, but still, was wondering if 7 in a sitting would put me off ketosis.

7.) The cheat meal...We are looking to gorge on some dirty carbs on the same night each week of like 300-500g carbs. 500 seems like a lot! I was thinking of sticking in the 300 range. And obv., I'm not doing my first cheat meal until two weeks in.

8.) In case my fat numbers are too low, I was thinking of adding in a tablespoon of EVOO to my chicken. That way, I am right at 118g fat mark I should hit. But, that is the lean meal, is that bad? I am thinking so...

Alternatively, I was thinking of just adding an extra piece of salmon to my dinner, and taking out a cup of the veggies. That would bring my macros closer to 2450cal, 292p, 119.5f and lower my net carbs to 29 and the carbs for that meal to 6. However, I do have to try to be a little budget conscious and this would mean eating well over $30 of salmon a week!

Suggestions? Or do my macros look good as they are?

9.) How often should I me eating. I mean 2 hours between each sounds good. But sometimes life intervenes, and I may not be able to eat that often. What is the max time alloted between meals and what is the minimum time I should space between meals?

10.) Any unsolicited advice you guys care to offer?

Thanks A TON in advance for reason this clusterbomb of an OP, and I reallllly look forward to the responses. Glad to be a part of the forums here on bb.com

AbnormalQ

PS I KNEW I'd been here before I started in on the keto diet threads...It was because I got linked to this HOF OP/thread....http: //forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120921191

[Wtf?]

Sorry, I was going to reply until I had to copy and paste that link and am now lol'ing at that f'd up thread again and forgot what I was going to type.

[AbnormalQ]

Sorry, I was going to reply until I had to copy and paste that link and am now lol'ing at that f'd up thread again and forgot what I was going to type.

You have to re-reply!

It's not my fault that the arcane forum rules require a certain number of posts before I can paste links, and thus was unable to specify a given link to open in new tab.

You are right though, that was a golden thread if I've ever seen one!

[AbnormalQ]

Glad to see this thread got so much love.

Too much to ask for a little help for a newcomer to the forums?

[mike0o2]

I do CKD, so I cannot give information on TKD. Below I answered what I could, but keep reading as much as you can. I have been reading these forums for about a year (since I started the diet) and I usually learn something new everyday.

I know this prolly a repost of a repost, but FML if I am going to sift through thousands and thousands of replies to find this particular answer or that particular answer. I figured I'd make an account, make a post and join the community instead!

I came here from another forum after a poster there linked me to this thread:
http: //forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120904431

I have read through the first 50 or so pages of that thread, and have read a ton of stuff on here so far in the FAQ sticky, the best threads post, etc etc. So, I know a little bit about what I am doing now, but still have some questions.
----------------------------------------------------------
I am 5'10" 236 lbs. Damn, how'd I get so FAT?!? 19 months ago, I ran a marathon, and now I am 57 pounds heavier. Sooooo sick. I am 25 and just went in for my first physical in forever. The doctor wanted to put me on simvastatin. Whoa. The side effects and whatnot, and the fact that my doctor thought me cholesterol was THAT bad to warrant a 'scrip was mind bottling. I immediately set out to change my life. I've been getting myself in much better cardiovascular shape over the last 4 weeks, but what I need more than anything is to drop all this damned adipose.

And, I came across TKD. Baller. And I am stoked to do this. But, I want to make sure I am dotting all of my I's and crossing all of my T's.

1.) Firstly, my diet and my macros. Does it look good? For a 236 pound guy, does 2200 calories a day seem low (incl. fish oil and fiber capsule supplements)? An excel sheet is attached...EDIT: I'm not allowed to post with an attachment, so here is the spreadsheet (though it looks much ****tier this way)

Meal # Food Calories Protein Fat Carbs Fiber Net Carbs
1 5 Omega-3 Eggs 350 40 20 0 0 0
4 Egg Whites (eg. 1/4 cup liquid) 30 6 0 1 0 1
Meal Total 380 46 20 1 0 1
2 1+2/3 scoops Whey Protein, 50g 180 40 1.5 4 0 4
1 tblsp Peanut Butter 85 5 5.5 4 2 2
Meal Total 265 45 7 8 2 6
3 8oz Chicken 200 40 2.5 0 0 0
1/2cup Almonds 340 12 30 10 6 4
Meal Total 540 52 32.5 10 6 4
4 1+2/3 Whey Protein, 50g 180 40 1.5 4 0 4
1 tblsp Peanut Butter 85 5 5.5 4 2 2
Meal Total 265 45 7 8 2 6
5 6oz Salmon 270 29 16 3 1 2
2cups Veggie Mix(take out carrots) 50 2 0 7 2 5
1 tblsp Olive Oil 120 0 14 0 0 0
Meal Total 440 31 30 10 3 7
6 1+2/3 Whey Protein, 50g 180 40 1.5 4 0 4
1 tblsp Peanut Butter 85 5 5.5 4 2 2
Meal Total 265 45 7 8 2 6
TOTAL MACROS 2155 264 103.5 45 15 30

I would only use Whey after a workout. You also might want to take it easy on the PB at first.

2.) My BIGGEST question has to do with all the supplements I have procured. I have:
-Centrum Multivitamin
-Vitamin C 500mg tablets
-Fish Oil 1000mg pills
-Green Tea Extract with 600mg per pill
-Fiber Capsules, .52g per pill of psyllium (sp?) husk.

My question is, how much should I take of each, and just as importantly, when? I was under the impression (correct me if I am wrong) that I should take 3000mg of the fish oil, one pill with each meal. 6g of the fiber, with half coming at each of the lean and fatty meat meals. A multivitamin in the morning with breakfast. Now, the two I am really no sure about are the Vitamin C and GTE supplements. When and how much for these?

I haven't found very much info on the fish oil amounts. I usually just take one a day. I don't supplement with fiber, I just make sure to eat some green veggies. No problems so far.

I cut out Centrum and got the OPTI-Men vitamin from this site. I take it three times a day like the label says.

Only other thing I take is Whiteflood before workout (not needed though) and an EC stack (25/200) 3 times a day.

3.) Cholesterol...The five omega-3 eggs in the morning themselves represent 300% of my daily recommended intake for cholesterol. With an LDL of 181, taking in so much cholesterol is worrisome to me. I mean, I gather all those numbers go down as I get more fit and less fat, but still, that seems like a lot of cholesterol (in addition to the cholesterol in the whey and salmon, etc).

My cholesterol dropped drastically doing Keto. Keep an eye on it, but as long as you follow the diet and exercise, it should actually drop. I wouldn't worry about it.

4.) Cardio...How should I do this. I was thinking of not doing any cardio for the first 4-6 weeks and just doing some LISS 4x per week. I read that cardio is good to add as one begins to plateau. So, I was thinking of really hitting this diet hard, getting acclimated to ketosis and then adding in some low intensity(120 bpm), long duration (45 min) cardio once I get super into the swing of things here.

Does that sound like a good plan?

I don't do cardio unless I am walking the dogs. I stick to weights and depletion workout w/ weights before my carb-up (CKD). Low intensity on keto is preferred, so that is good.

5.) Diet coke...Everything I have seen indicates this isn't a big deal, but just want o double check, since I drink a ton of this stuff (I hate coffee).

I would not drink too many of them and if you have any problems getting into or getting kicked out of ketosis, I would cut them out. I stick to only water (large amounts). I throw in an occasional low-carb energy drink once I am deep in keto, usually at the end of the week.

6.) I am slightly concerned at my dinner meal having 7g of net carbs. I read in that thread I referenced that one of the more successful people on the diet (goon, who dropped like 80 pounds) wouldn't eat >6g net carbs in a sitting. I am only sitting on 30g net carbs a day, but still, was wondering if 7 in a sitting would put me off ketosis.

7 carbs is nothing, you need your veggies. They will not affect you.

7.) The cheat meal...We are looking to gorge on some dirty carbs on the same night each week of like 300-500g carbs. 500 seems like a lot! I was thinking of sticking in the 300 range. And obv., I'm not doing my first cheat meal until two weeks in.

I can't really answer this because I do a 2-day carb up (with some cheat food thrown in usually). As for one meal with that high of carbs during a TKD, I have no idea on the amounts.

8.) In case my fat numbers are too low, I was thinking of adding in a tablespoon of EVOO to my chicken. That way, I am right at 118g fat mark I should hit. But, that is the lean meal, is that bad? I am thinking so...

Alternatively, I was thinking of just adding an extra piece of salmon to my dinner, and taking out a cup of the veggies. That would bring my macros closer to 2450cal, 292p, 119.5f and lower my net carbs to 29 and the carbs for that meal to 6. However, I do have to try to be a little budget conscious and this would mean eating well over $30 of salmon a week!

Suggestions? Or do my macros look good as they are?

Add the olive oil. You want each meal to be about a 65% Fat, 30% Protein, and 5% Carb split. Don't be scared of fat, you don't need a "lean" meal. If you are scared of fat, you won't stay on this diet.

9.) How often should I me eating. I mean 2 hours between each sounds good. But sometimes life intervenes, and I may not be able to eat that often. What is the max time alloted between meals and what is the minimum time I should space between meals?

Don't worry about it, just get your calories in. Timing doesn't really matter.

10.) Any unsolicited advice you guys care to offer?

IF you can stick to Keto and do it properly, it will work for you. Keep reading.

[AbnormalQ]

Thank you very much for the reply Mike, very helpful. Though I have some further questions...

I am not quite sure I agree on the peanut butter. It's not your normal PB, it only has 2 net carbs per tablespoon serving and has Omega-3, wheat germ, flaxseed and egg whites added in. It's a really good product. Not sure I want to cut it out, esp. given that I am sitting on 29-30g of net carbs a day. I think that is pretty good as far as macros go.

Also, I am not quite sure I agree on the whey. I am getting 120g of protein and 9g of carbs a day from the whey. I have another whey product that has just as much protein but no carbs. If I alternate whey, then I am sitting on like 25-26 net carbs a day. Given how much protein I am getting from this.

And then the macros...I am sticking pretty directly to the .5g/lb of fat and the 1-1.5g/lb of protein, according to Palumbo's diet. Is that not very good?

I think I will go ahead and add a tblsp of EVOO to my chicken meal to bring my fat up to 120g/day and my calories closer to 2350.

How have your results been if you've been on this diet for a year?

Anyone else care to share their opinions on the OP? The more the merrier!!!

[nikkiloo2]

Glad to see this thread got so much love.

Too much to ask for a little help for a newcomer to the forums?

I actually started to reply yesterday but there were a lot of questions and I didn't have a lot of time. When you ask that much you need to be more patient.
Then I came back when I DID have time and saw this post and thought "well isn't that nice???"
Reps to you Mike0o2 for helping him; you're a much better person than I am lol lol.

[AbnormalQ]

I actually started to reply yesterday but there were a lot of questions and I didn't have a lot of time. When you ask that much you need to be more patient.
Then I came back when I DID have time and saw this post and thought "well isn't that nice???"
Reps to you Mike0o2 for helping him; you're a much better person than I am lol lol.

Are you really butthurt over my bumping the thread asking for a response? Where I come from on the internets previously, getting your thread onto page two basically means its done. And one has to be a little more forceful in being ask-y, else the thread will die.

I mean, really, EL OH EL at being butthurt. O noes, dude is impatient because he wants to get going on the diet. I won't respond because of an internet slight! Please, gtfo

[nikkiloo2]

Are you really butthurt over my bumping the thread asking for a response? Where I come from on the internets previously, getting your thread onto page two basically means its done. And one has to be a little more forceful in being ask-y, else the thread will die.

I mean, really, EL OH EL at being butthurt. O noes, dude is impatient because he wants to get going on the diet. I won't respond because of an internet slight! Please, gtfo

It wasn't the bump, little man, it was the crappy attitude in the bump.
We all help newbies on this forum; very little bullsh*t in the keto thread. If you check other newbie threads you'll see lots of responses.
I'm sure I'm NOT the only one who saw that and didn't respond, I'm just the only one that actually said something rather than ignore you.
I would never be "butthurt" as you so eloquently put it by a boy half my age who knows next to nothing on an internet thread. I help everyone who asks as best I can.
I was hoping it would help you fix your attitude so people would be more willing to help you; apparently it had the opposite effect.

[AbnormalQ]

I take umbrage at your next to nothing quibble. It's cool though, LOL_butthurt.

[nikkiloo2]

I take umbrage at your next to nothing quibble. It's cool though, LOL_butthurt.

hahahaha, I really did lol.