Keto - Gettin Healthy on Steak and Bacon. Info, Tips, and Recipes

[Glassman]

TL;DR - if you cut out sugar and bread, you will lose a lot of weight fast and feel amazingly better.
No heartburn, fewer headaches, more energy, less hunger.

Americans are BIG. We as Cigar smokers in general are even bigger.

This leads to tons of health and quality of life issues, many of which we're not even fully aware of till we're no longer dealing with them.

Huge numbers of Americans are pre-diabetic and don't even know it yet. And many are already on insulin.

But many have been able to improve or even reverse these dangerous problems , just with this way of eating.

I knew my heartburn was bad, but I thought it was just normal and probably genetic...

Same for my regular headaches and migraines.

Didn't think there was much to be done for my arthritis other than taking ibuprofen...

And had no idea that there was a simple food change that could fix my blood sugar problems and constant need to snack.

This is just a few examples of dozens of problems that have been easily remedied for thousands of people by switching to some form of, or something similar to, a Ketogenic or very low carb, form of eating.

Probably the most amazing benefit being the slowing and even stopping the growth and spread of many types of cancers!
No shit. (Many cancer cells metabolize sugar at 200 % the rate of other types of cells. By cutting out sugar you can essentially starve the cancer cells in many cases.)

Intellectualy we all know that eating less, and eating healthier will makes us feel better and lose weight, but for some reason it's just not enough. It's hard for people to stick to, results are slow to see, and despite knowing it, you don't see people's situations improving.

It was a comment somewhere on this board some time back that initially sparked my interest, but finally getting fed up with increasing weight and health problems made me look into it seriously late last year.

I started going low carb sometime in October 18 and went full keto Nov. 21. The health improvements have been amazing.

Ive lost 25 pounds in just a few months, have nearly completely eliminated my heartburn and reflux. (down from a cycle of prilosec every other month and pepcid or tums almost daily.)

I haven't felt arthritis since I started this.

The craziest thing is the lack of hunger and cravings. Not needing to constantly eat and snack is so... , I dunno, freeing.

Not getting strained when bending over to tie your shoes is just so damn relieving.

Being able to see your feet, or... , whatever when you look down, is, nice..

And not having a belly in the way really improves "sexy time" (TM @bwhite220)

There's several of us here trying this out and having great results with it. So I wanted to let more of you know about it. Give you some info, tips, links and recipes to make it easy.

And honestly, it's a LOT easier than you would think. Or than I thought it would be.

And man, it is so worth it.

The health benefits just from severely cutting carbs and sugar, not even going full keto, are amazing.

Is keto the only way to get fit and healthy? Hell no. Of course not.

Is it the fastest way to lose weight and see health benefits? Most likely.

Is it the best and fastest way for sedentary people? Without question. There's no doubt about it.

I'll try to fill in the following comments with helpful links and useful info shortly.

 

[Glassman]

The best overview and instructions for Keto I've seen is here -
https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq
Yes, reddit is the back ass alley of the internet, but their keto subs are really good and helpful.
R/keto
R/ketorecipes
r/ketoscience
r/ketogains
r/desiketo

Also, lot of useful initial info in this thread from bodybuildingdotcom.
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=132598293&page=1

The basics are just cutting out sugar and bread. You want to keep your carbs under 20 - 50 Grams per day depending on your size, activity, and personal threshold to get into and remain in ketosis.

 

[Glassman]

Things to know and watch out for.


It's called HFLC or "High fat, low carb" but there's a lot of misconception. It's not required or necessary to eat large amounts of fat, or hit a certain amount per day. Fat is good because it keeps you sated and not hungry. And you get some good nutrients from healthy fats. But if you eat too much, you're body will just burn what you're consuming, rather than the fat you're carrying on your body.


It may help the first couple weeks to eat a little extra to get you're body used to running on fat.


KETO FLU - Sometimes people feel like crap the first few days or week.

Most of this is Completely avoidable

The trick in the beginning, and throughout, is to drink LOTS of water, and get plenty of Electrolytes.
Primarily Salt, potassium, and magnesium.

A morning bottle of water with lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon of Himalayan salt completely kept me from experiencing this.
But some propel drinks or other forms of getting salt, phosphorus and magnesium along with large amounts of water can be helpful.
@Unpossible_1 Doug, informed me that ZMA supplements in the evening are a good way to get magnesium, and apparently help with sleep and muscle recovery.

Always drinking water first when you feel hungry is an incredibly helpful trick to help you eat less. It works!

The other initial problem is cravings.
You're addicted to sugar and carbs, even though you likely don't realize it. They create a dopamine response that makes us continually want them.

It's like cocaine level addiction, your body will be in shock and will hit you with cravings and other feelings to desperately try to get you to consume some carbs.

This will pass surprisingly quickly, and your internal hormone signaling will change quickly. Suddenly your not near as hungry, get full more easily, and can go longer without eating.


As you go into ketosis, your body produces Ketones which burn your fat for energy. The excess of these are released through your breath, urine or pores.
This can change your breath, creating a metallic or fruity taste, a different smell to your urine, and unfortunately for a small percentage of people, can sometimes cause skin irritation in the case of pore release. In that circumstance you may have to get your carbs up around 50 Grams to prevent the irritation.
All of these issues can be lessened by consuming more water, and chewing lots of gum if the mouth taste bothers you.
And these facets generally ease after some weeks as your body gets adjusted and things balance out.


It's often said that the first rule of keto is don't talk about keto.
Suddenly everyone becomes a doctor and starts spouting all these reasons why it's a bad idea. Most of these reasons are absolute bullshit.
It will not harm your kidneys. The only chance it could is if you already had severe kidney disease.
Carbs are simply not a necessary or important part of your diet in any way. Your brain and a couple other organs need a small amount of glucose for certain functions. The body easily and actively synthesizes this needed glucose from fat and protein if needed. But you will get enough from healthy things like vegetables and other things you eat anyway.

Even many medical professionals are often very negative on keto. Most are horribly misinformed. They are not current on the science, and few have a good depth of knowledge on nutrition anyway. Their study and knowledge base is nearly entirely focused on medications.

Also, nutrition science has changed a lot in the last 20 years.
A lot of things that everyone knew was true, turned out not to be.
Fat is not bad for you. Fat does not make you fat. Fat does not cause heart disease.

 

[Glassman]

Things to Eat. / Things not to Eat.

Turns out there's tons you can eat. Keto and low carb have been so popular for so long, that if you think of an item and search for a keto recipe for it, you will find a way to make it.
There's even tons of Desserts and sweets, which are good, but people get carried away with those, causing them to maintain their sweet tooth and get cravings, or eat so much over their calories that they don't lose weight quickly.

Eggs, so great so many ways.
Any meat not doused in sugar.
Pork, steak, roast, salmon, tuna chicken etc.
Above ground vegetables (carrots and sweet potatoes can be ok in small servings.
Onions are OK for flavor and to cook with, but you want to watch the portions cause they're fairly high in natural sugars.
Cauliflower makes a great mashed potato substitute.
Almond flour and coconut flour help you recreate a lot of bread things and comfort foods.
Brussels sprouts roasted in bacon grease with red onions are surprisingly amazing.
Start experimenting with good steakhouse style salads and you'll end up addicted to and craving them. No shit. @Opie didn't believe me when I told him that till it happened to him too.

Heavy whipping cream is a keto staple. Use in place of milk where needed. Dilute with water as necessary.
Almond milk is a good milk substitute. Handy for protein shakes.

Snack foods.
Nuts - Almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Beef jerky (low sugar or low portions)
Pork skins - satisfy that need for crunch.
Provide collagen, and some are really tasty.
Peanut butter - better to find a lower sugar blend, but eating a hefty teaspoon at a time instead of 2 tablespoons usually keeps it in the safe zone. There used to not be any low sugar yogurt, but now there are 3.
Two good
YQ
And Fage.

Fruit - raspberries & blackberries are alright. Blueberries & Strawberries in small doses.
But again you want to keep your sugar intake under 20 Grams per day at first.

Cheese. You can have lots of cheese.


To stay away from, any bread or wheat flour.
Any grains.
Sugar.
Fruit juice
Milk (fairlife is OK)

This is just a very simplified list off the top of my head. There's so many things you can eat. It's really easy.

 

[Glassman]

Reserved

 

[akpreacherplayz]

Alright you mad genius you finally got me! I’ve done Keto before with some results but I really limited it with too much artificial sweetener. Lots of diet soda. I have cut sugar out but not all carbs and increased fat but it’s not having the result I thought it would.

I’m in bro!


Sent from Area 51 using telepathy

 

[wantacigar]

I did Atkins for a while, lost a lot of weight but gained it back past three years. Started Keto again and enjoying lack of reflux, clear thinking (except when buy those cigars when you know you really shouldn't) and weight loss

 

[Glassman]

Alright you mad genius you finally got me! I’ve done Keto before with some results but I really limited it with too much artificial sweetener. Lots of diet soda. I have cut sugar out but not all carbs and increased fat but it’s not having the result I thought it would.

I’m in bro!


Sent from Area 51 using telepathy

Nice! Excited to hear it!

Different peoples bodies have different reactions to different sweeteners. Malitol and aspartame should be avoided as much as possible.

Sucralose can be ok for some, but it's not the best.

Monkfruit,
stevia - (doesn't agree with some palates or stomachs, fine for others.) Erythritol,
xylitol (toxic to dogs, causes an unrolled insulin release in the canine body for some reason)
are generally the best of the "other" sweeteners, and they're the "go to" when you have to have something for a use or recipe.

They're the lowest GI (glycemic index) creating the lowest insulin response (which is what causes us to store fat)
But some peoples bodies will still have an insulin response to them, and some will have sugar cravings caused by them.

And while these sugar alcohols are helpful and safe in most cases, they're indigestible (part of their benefit) so you want to ease into them if you do decide to use them, as some can cause gas and/or diarrhea if you consume too much too soon.

A mix of xylitol and erythritol has been a huge relief to me as I drink a good amount of sweet tea and they've provided a usable replacement.

(though I'm drinking far less of it now, and at much lower sweetness level)

 

[Glassman]

I did Atkins for a while, lost a lot of weight but gained it back past three years. Started Keto again and enjoying lack of reflux, clear thinking (except when buy those cigars when you know you really shouldn't) and weight loss

Nice! The clear headedness and increase in energy are amazing. I didn't realize it was possible to no longer have that afternoon crash and tiredness.

The wife and I should hit our goals by May, and plan to switch to a modified keto/semi Paleo / very low carb form of eating as a long term way of life. We want to include a few things back in, but in the healthiest way possible, without gaining back or losing these incredible health improvements.

 

[ChuckMejia]

Great post

 

[gurgalunas]

Double

 

[gurgalunas]

I've never done Keto, per se, but when I'm getting in shape, I go lowcarb. I cut out all processed sugars and starches. Sub in complex carbs where needed, whole grains, etc. And I work out.

The workout is important to me, as building muscle creates a bigger "engine". Your body naturally burns more with higher muscle mass. I'm not saying you have to become a muscle-head, just tune up what you got. Build some, tone the rest.

Like @Glassman said, eating with the glycemic index in mind has a ton of benefits. It's not only good for weight loss, but very healthy overall.

 

[Glassman]

I've never done Keto, per se, but when I'm getting in shape, I go lowcarb. I cut out all processed sugars and starches. Sub in complex carbs where needed, whole grains, etc. And I work out.

The workout is important to me, as building muscle creates a bigger "engine". Your body naturally burns more with higher muscle mass. I'm not saying you have to become a muscle-head, just tune up what you got. Build some, tone the rest.

Like @Glassman said, eating with the glycemic index in mind has a ton of benefits. It's not only good for weight loss, but very healthy overall.

All of this is very true. Though there's not nearly as much value and usefulness in grains, even whole forms, as we've been taught and led to believe. They're good for feeding large numbers of people cheaply, but they're honestly not that important to a healthy diet for the average person. There can be some advantage for someone getting serious heavy Excercise.

GI focused eating is such a big deal.

So important for blood sugar, fat retention, and health.

If you're going to eat sweets or carbs (bread turns to glucose immediately upon digestion and creates a higher insulin spike than raw sugar!)
It's always best to eat them on a stomach that has fat, protein and fiber in it, as it will balance out and slow the insulin shock to your system.

The problem is that we eat so much sugar and carbs regularly. Every time we eat them the body produces insulin to try to store them in our cells, but our cells are usually already full of them. Which causes a higher insulin dump, eventually insulin resistance, and long term elevated blood sugar which is unhealthy and dangerous.

One other trick before eating such things, is doing some jumping Jack's or squats, causing the muscles to open up, move some glucose around and make room to accept the glucose you're adding.

 

[Tyler86]

I have been looking into this lately also. My curiosity is resting blood pressure and pulse changes. Any changes with that during or after?

@Glassman


Stupid Tapatalk

 

[csk415]

Great thread @Glassman.

 

[Fusion555]

Being a type 2 diabetic i have tried to keep a low carb diet for a few years now, im not good at it as i like my bread/rice/pasta well you know what i mean lol, just read your link on redit, gona give it a try, im already half way, just need to keep track, did my macro calc so i have a starting point, got eggs boiling and pulled salmon from the freezer for tomorrow, made some jerky earlier today so im good for snacks.
Do you guys use an app to keep track? if so which one?

 

[Glassman]

I have been looking into this lately also. My curiosity is resting blood pressure and pulse changes. Any changes with that during or after?

@Glassman


Stupid Tapatalk

ETA: From what I'm seeing from a quick scan @Tyler86 ; most people had high blood pressure, but it dropped a lot due to the diet change and weight loss. Most were able to reduce or eliminate their medications. Some still had to continue the meds at some level due to issues from genetic predisposition. Does that help, or is there a more specific thing that needs to be looked at?

I don't check or worry about that kind of thing on myself personally, but I can't see any reason for them to trend negatively because of it.

Everything I've read (which is a LOT over the last few months) points to improvements in all the major health markers from these dietary changes.
If there's any specific thing you're concerned about you can pull up r/keto or r/ketoscience and search the term to find great info and commentary.

Primary thing is to get the proper amount of water and electrolytes, and plenty of protein.

Personally we try to get in a good salad and some vegetables every day.

As well as take a whole food multivitamin to assure micronutrient availability.

Also, the wife and I are exercising daily, which really helps with these things, speeds up the process, and helps us feel better.

 

[Glassman]

Being a type 2 diabetic i have tried to keep a low carb diet for a few years now, im not good at it as i like my bread/rice/pasta well you know what i mean lol, just read your link on redit, gona give it a try, im already half way, just need to keep track, did my macro calc so i have a starting point, got eggs boiling and pulled salmon from the freezer for tomorrow, made some jerky earlier today so im good for snacks.
Do you guys use an app to keep track? if so which one?

Many use "my fitness pal" but it's kind of a pain about carb details if you're not using the paid version.
There's a few others people like. "carb manager" seems to be the one I've heard referenced the most.

Study up on keto and diabetes. I don't completely understand it, though I have been looking into it, but it sounds like it's important to watch your glucose and adjust your medications. I believe if you lower your carbs without dropping the insulin accordingly it can cause hypoglycemia issues. You would probably understand that a lot better than me, as I'm just not that knowledgeable about it.
But seeing the number of people that have reduced and eliminated their insulin dosages is amazing.

 

[akpreacherplayz]

Being a type 2 diabetic i have tried to keep a low carb diet for a few years now, im not good at it as i like my bread/rice/pasta well you know what i mean lol, just read your link on redit, gona give it a try, im already half way, just need to keep track, did my macro calc so i have a starting point, got eggs boiling and pulled salmon from the freezer for tomorrow, made some jerky earlier today so im good for snacks.
Do you guys use an app to keep track? if so which one?

I’ve used MyFitnessPal before, it worked well for me.


Sent from Area 51 using telepathy

 

[Fusion555]

Many use "my fitness pal" but it's kind of a pain about carb details if you're not using the paid version.
There's a few others people like. "carb manager" seems to be the one I've heard referenced the most.

Study up on keto and diabetes. I don't completely understand it, though I have been looking into it, but it sounds like it's important to watch your glucose and adjust your medications. I believe if you lower your carbs without dropping the insulin accordingly it can cause hypoglycemia issues. You would probably understand that a lot better than me, as I'm just not that knowledgeable about it.
But seeing the number of people that have reduced and eliminated their insulin dosages is amazing.

Yea im not on insulin just metformin so should be ok, will read up though, better to be safe