Vegan Keto

[DreamerSK]

Weight : 77.4kg
Height: 1.68cm
Waist: 39" (measure around navel)
Body Fat: 29%
Age: 35

Hi All,

I have been on a keto diet for the past week. I thought I would start this thread for others interested in keto and specifically, doing keto as a vegan. I have been vegetarian for many years and vegan for about 8 months. I read lots of about the benefits of keto and thought I would try it out.

My first goal is to get to a 35" waist and 21% body fat. I expect to be around 72kg then but it wouldn't bother me if I am not exactly 72kg as I am focusing on waist size.

I started a week ago on November 2nd. I weighed myself on saturday morning and was 77.8kg on this date. It is now a week later and I am 77.4kg after measuring on saturday morning again. I think I will continue to update on measurements once a week.

My keto diet feels good. I noticed that I am doing more things like cooking more, doing a bit of exercise here and there, both weights and cardio but nothing too intense and not for long durations. I plan to keep it this way. Possibly doing one or two jogs a week for 20 minutes and 2 weightlifting sessions for 20 minutes. I am focusing more on my diet. My maintenance calories is around 2000 a day. I am on 1600 a day. I use an excel sheet I created with the foods I typically eat and add on as I find new ones. I have a kitchen scale I use to weight all my food. Below are most of what I have been eating.

Foods I've been eating include:

firm tofu
spinach
kale
other greens
various nuts
avocados
various seeds
olive oil
coconut oil
tahini
liquid aminos
various spices
himilayan salt

Drinks include:

black coffee
apple cider vinegar and fresh lemon juice
tumeric and black pepper
water
flavored zero calorie sping waters
pea protein shake
hemp protein shake
almond milk

Vitamins

vegan multi-vitamin
dha




A little about me...

I am a teacher and a student. I don't get a lot of activity in during most days as I am often at my desk. I became vegan about one year ago and was an ovo-lacto vegetarian for more than ten years. I have been interested in nutrition and exercise as long as I can remember and so have done a fair amount of research on it over the years.

I have trained hard on and off for many years. Unfortunately, more off than on. I tended to push myself too hard and compromise form for heavier weights which often resulted in injury. My weight has fluctuated from 64kg to 84kg two or three times since high school. The heavier weight being largely due to fat. A year ago I was 84kg. I would say my average weight since high school is 74kg.

When I first became vegetarian, I had not researched much about it and this resulted in my diet mostly comprising of unhealthy vegetarian options. When I made the switch to a plant-based diet, I felt that I should have done it a long time ago. I think inflammation was a problem for me for a long time and felt a vegan diet helped get rid of this issue.

I used to wake up and have to spit out a lot of phlegm every morning and sometimes during the day. That has pretty much disappeared. I have less body aches and my recovery time after workouts is better than they were when I was vegetarian.

I don't live in a place that is vegetarian friendly and so I am used to preparing the majority of my meals. Therefore, changing to a vegan keto diet from a regular vegan diet has not been a big leap for me. I enjoy my meals on a vegan keto diet and feel it is sustainable for me.

[Mrpb]

I read lots of about the benefits of keto and thought I would try it out.

You've probably been reading misleading sources. Keto has no fat loss benefits over a normal calorie deficit when calories and protein are matched.

A vegan diet is a restricted diet. Avoiding carbs as a vegan is unnecessary and not necessarily healthy. It will generally make your diet less nutritious and harder to adhere to.

[DreamerSK]

It has been three weeks since I first began my keto diet. My weight this morning was 74.8 which is exactly 3kg in three weeks. I have been eating around four to five hundred calories less than maintenance. I am truly surprised as I have only done a litte exercise ie. 2 or 3 times a week for about 20 to 30 mInutes. A little weights and a little walking.

I feel great. I have more energy than before going on this diet. I am studying a lot, working a lot and always busy. I have always had trouble sleeping and still do now so that hasn't changed. I am definitely more focused, my pants are loose and my cheeks are smaller.

I plan to start bulking after losing 4kg more. I need to eat more greens on a daily basis. I often drink a green powder instead. I haven't had cravings and feel clear minded. So far so good. I have tried other diets in the past but this is just somethIng else.

[DreamerSK]

I did not lose any weight in my fourth week on keto. I did not do any exercise in the fourth week. My weight fluctuated to about 75.5 during the week. On Sunday, I did some weight exercises for my legs. This morning, I was back at 74.8. I ate about 2000 calories twice in my fourth week which is my maintenace level of calories. I still ate according to keto macros.

I use net carbs in my calculations and try to stay around 25g of carbs a day. I have searched that I can go up to 35 grams a day and have done so twice in the past month. 25g of carbs is about 6% of my calories. I plan on doing about 20 minutes of resistance training three times a week.

I aim to eat half of my lean body weight in pounds for my protein intake. This equates to around 65g of protein a day. When I start bulking, I will double this. I can easily go above 65g with some firm tofu, edamme protein noodles and kaofu which is chinese firm tofu, basically gluten. I have started mixing 30g of pea protein powder with 15g of hemp protein powder for my protein shake. That is appproximately 28g of protein, more with hemp or chia seeds.

I will alternate between leg, back, chest and shoulder exercises. One of these for each day I train. I do three sets of around 12 reps and 3 exercises. When I get to my 12th rep. I feel like I can not do more with good form.

No problem with my sex life as I have read many state when they go on keto. I would say it is the same or better.

[snailsrus]

This sounds like a horrible idea, limiting carbs as a vegan is not a good idea, unless you truly have celiacs but then you still have carbs

[hardyboysare]

These kind of diets make me very sad. Unless you have some sort of health issue I see absolutely no need to be completely restrictive on your food sources.

Avoidance of completely macro groups are always less effective IMO for health and performance without the need to careful planning and implementing of specific food products or supplements which again are sub-optimal.

[bicepliberator]

OP: how hard has it been on you mentally to stick with that level of carbs? Were you eating close to that number before? I'm very curious.

[DreamerSK]

OP: how hard has it been on you mentally to stick with that level of carbs? Were you eating close to that number before? I'm very curious.

Hi,

It has not felt like a big transition. I was eating a low carb diet for a few months but nowhere near 5%. Additionally, I was not tracking macros so I ate as I wanted. Changing to 5% definitely required more monitoring and planning but I am surprised at the variety of meals I have been eating. It is not hard mentally at all. The only real problem is eating out which I didn't do much anyway. It seems my taste has changed too, because 99% dark chocolate tastes good to me now and I could not tolerate it previously. This diet is also meant to help with cravings. I think it does help but after a weights workout I eat about 300 calories more some days. With my current lifestyle, this works but I guess it wouldn't work as well if I need to travel a lot.

[DreamerSK]

This week I increased my protein intake. I have been weight training about twice a week. I hope to increase it to three times in the near future, hence my increased protein intake.I have been eating around maintenance level of 2000 calories, some days more some less.

I have also added 2g of creatine to my diet. I try to take it every day but missed a few days. I think 2g is good for me as I feel there is less water retention yet I still get a boost from it. I also dont feel the need to increase my water intake substantially with 2g.

Pants that didn't fit well for at least two and a a half years now feel comfortable. I have tried measuring my waist with a measuring tape but the results aren't relaible that way. I can stretch the tape and pull my stomach in and out.

Overall I am happy with the results, enjoying my food and this way of eating. I have been having mct oil with a teaspoon of coffee and a few drops of stevia. It's become my favorite drink. A hand mixer/milk frother is key here. I have started using cronometer to ensure I get the vitamins and minerals I need. I would say that this way of losing fat is better than others as the food is more satiating and I do not crave carbohydrates. I recently started making protein cookies using pea and hemp protein and raw almond flour. This fits well into my diet.

[DreamerSK]

So it's been a month since I have posted. Yesterday, I exceeded 50g of carbohydrates for the first time since I started (2 and a half months ago). This was due to attending a work dinner. Most days I kept to under 25g of carbs in the last month. I was around 35g of carbs for about 5 days, I would guess. I have been eating less fresh greens than before and relying more on green supplements. I would like to start making green smoothies using fresh greens in the future.

I measured my waist (3 times to increase accuracy) and it was about 35 inches and I am still just under 75kg. I have not been sticking to 1600 calories a day but rather somewhere between 2000 and 2400 a day. I have not trained much in last month although I have walked a little and rode my bike a little. Yet, my 34 inch pants is looser. A belt is becoming more and more necessary to keep them on.

It's really not hard for me to be on this diet. I started using chronometer to track my micronutrients. It does take planning to eat the way I am eating but I believe that everyone should plan what they eat to ensure they are getting enough of the macros and micros that we need.

I noticed (in my first post) that my first goal was to reach 35" around the waist. I hope to be there in another 2 and a half months. People around me are more curious about me and my diet. Except my girlfriend, nobody has told me outright that I have lost weight but I can see the changes when I look in the mirror. Definitely more definition around my shoulders and chest but still have lots of fat to lose.

[playerofwar]

Don't forget to track your micronutrients with a fitness tracker (food tracker).
It will help you fine-tune your diet so you don't have deficiencies.

I would really recommend that your improve your lifestyle as a whole too. Being plant-based is a great way to improve your health, but you also need enough exercise. Get a step counter, 10k a day minimum. (yes, we CEO 10k/day) And do intense exercise for at least 20min a day. Anything that gets your heartbeat over 120.

You're doing great. Gl achieving your goals.