Keto Diet Time!

[onewhippedpuppy]

We became more diet aware several years ago and cut out a bunch of unhealthy processed stuff. Seed oil, bioengineered food, fake meat, produce coated in apeal, mass produced meats, caged eggs, etc. We buy a lot of our produce from farmer’s markets or local grocery stores that resell local farm foods, get our eggs from my in-laws that have chickens, and split a cow from a known source with family members. Once you make the change you realize how bad the processed and mass produced stuff really is.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by IROC

The only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn. Fad diets aren't the answer in the end. It's best to eat a balanced diet and just eat less.

Yep...

Once I got into my 50's I realized that I was getting fat. About the same time we bought a boat (can't be seen on a boat being a lard ass ). I launched on a major weight loss mission and went from 178 all the way down to my 18 year old weight of 147. I did it by eating only salads for lunch and a healthy small meal for supper (such as a chicken breast and vegetable). I cut out all snacking but still would occasionally have a couple vodka and Diet Cokes. My wife got on board and she quit buying snacks, bread and pasta.

Back then I found a nice calorie intake calculator that gave me numbers to hit to maintain current weight vs losing weight. It proved to be fairly accurate. One can't lose much weight by just exercising as calorie burn is not very significant compared to the calories one gets from over eating. Exercise is great for ones overall health, but you can't expect to lose 10-30 pounds by jogging a few times a week. It takes a significant caloric deficit to lose lots of weight.

I presently am at about 155 and I play 2.5-3 hrs of pickleball twice a week and i do 40 pushups and situps each morning to stay decentl;y fit. 150 is my ideal weight but anything under 160 and I am happy. If I start creeping towards 160, I go back to salads for lunch and smaller portions for dinner until i get back down to 155 or so again. Works for me at 59.

[450knotOffice]

A few years ago I read a book by Mark Sisson called The Keto Reset Diet. Very well written. He makes it very clear, especially in his more recent writings and blogs, Instagram posts, etc., that Keto is not really a long term program for most. more of a short term weight loss program, to be cycled into and out of periodically. More important is to eat a clean diet of clean protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs (vegetables), and occasionally fruits. Stay away from sugar and processed foods as if your life depends on it (it does). Try to avoid seed oils whenever possible (which are highly processed), opting for olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oils, for example.

Long term, basically, try to eat a mostly natural diet low in processed carbs. Higher protein and "good" fat content goes a long way toward controlling hunger, and really helps to keep your calorie intake in check.

You've probably heard this before, but try to shop around the outer perimeter of the grocery store and stay away from the aisles as much as possible.

Ever since Covid, I allowed myself to gain about 15-20 unwanted pounds over my 160 fighting weight (mostly because I liked a couple of IPA's every evening, lol), so a couple of months back I decided to cut off the beer intake and get back on Keto for a while. I've lost about 12-13 pounds so far and need about 8 more to come off before I back away from Keto and get back on my normal lower carb, high protein and healthy fat eating habit.

[ted]

I do a Keto light occasionally.
Can lose 2 or 3lbs a week.
I use this Optavia diet on a 5 and 1 program.

https://www.optavia.com/us/en/results?gclsrc=aw.ds&&opti_ca=21221991981&opti_ag=165099328721&opti_ad=699653351754&opti_key=kwd-331785643615&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21221991981&gbraid=0AAAAACx_lwZBo3ZIlSQf7mb4wTA_TdkhW&gclid=CjwKCAjw-svEBhB6EiwAEzSdrrlxLCU2acVqrp1ZN9SQfM_TmHolq5nxdcR qW2qH19Th-Cj0xmBGcxoC1ZYQAvD_BwE

[deanp]

Matt - a lot of the comments covered a variety of talking points. As far as foods -

We started substituting cauliflower rice for rice/potatoes/noodles. We do stir-fries and fried rice with it, and the key, at least for my taste, is cooking the riced cauliflower until almost all the water is gone and it takes on a toasted appearance. Add in other veggies, protein of your choice, etc.

We also followed a friend's tip for roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts - cut thin and drizzled with olive oil. 435F for 15-20 minutes is good.

We also found the Carb Sense tortillas to be a good substitute for standard tortillas / soft tacos. Egg sandwiches on the smaller carb sense/carb zero shells with cheese are good. We do them almost like a quesadilla to toast the shells and melt the cheese.

You can also do mini pizzas at home using toasted carb sense tortillas, and then topping them as you want.

Bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta were a problem for me. I'm not carb-free, but generally between 20 and 50g per day and that has worked well for me to lose 70lbs and maintain it.

[deanp]

We also found this channel helpful for recipe suggestions:

https://www.youtube.com/@KetoFocus

[onewhippedpuppy]

Thanks Dean, I’ll share that with my wife who has been looking for keto recipe ideas. I’m not the cook, just the eater.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by deanp

We started substituting cauliflower rice.....

Mashed Cauliflower is "close" to mashed potatoes.

I have purchased in frozen bags and they are in cube form and you just nuke them and add legal flavor.

Plenty of recipes from scratch available.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Also, what is a fat bomb?

Sorry so long to respond. This is from the AI blurb at the beginning of a fat bomb google search.

Fat bombs, also known as fat balls or keto bombs, are bite-sized, high-fat, low-carbohydrate snacks popular with those following ketogenic diets. They are designed to help keto dieters meet their high-fat intake requirements while keeping net carb consumption low to stay in a state of ketosis

I never paid attention to the fat intake "requirement" as it seemed counter to the objective and definitely counter to a long term lifestyle change.

[IROC]

I chose a bit of a different path. I do the intermittent fasting thing. I've been doing this for about 15 years now. Just the way it works out, I only eat between about 5 pm and 7 pm...BUT...I basically eat whatever I want. I don't eat only Twinkies, but I don't freak out about eating carbs, etc. I just eat what I like. I'll be 61 next week and weigh less than I did when I graduated from high school (200 lbs currently at 6' 3"). Blood work is excellent. I hike, ride mountain bikes, do my Bowflex all the time - very active.

If one looks at the statistics, very few people are able to lose significant amounts of weight. For those that do, very few of them keep it off - they gain it back over time. To me, it is because they are adversely impacting their quality of life to try to lose weight and that is just not sustainable.

Fad diets are just not the answer.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

There was an interesting point made by a doctor where he compressed all of human existence into 1 minute of time. Of that minute, humans have only consumed agricultural foods for about 1 second and processed foods for a few 100ths of a second. We've been on a grand experimental diet for the past 75 years or so and are paying the consequences with epidemic-level metabolic disease (i.e., cancer, heart disease, auto immune, stroke and brain diseases, diabetes, etc.).

(You are correct and I am not arguing.)

On the other hand, we live way way longer than folks a couple hundred years ago because of medical improvement.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by IROC

Fad diets are just not the answer.

But I don't want to exercise.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by IROC

I chose a bit of a different path. I do the intermittent fasting thing. I've been doing this for about 15 years now. Just the way it works out, I only eat between about 5 pm and 7 pm...BUT...I basically eat whatever I want. I don't eat only Twinkies, but I don't freak out about eating carbs, etc. I just eat what I like. I'll be 61 next week and weigh less than I did when I graduated from high school (200 lbs currently at 6' 3"). Blood work is excellent. I hike, ride mountain bikes, do my Bowflex all the time - very active.

If one looks at the statistics, very few people are able to lose significant amounts of weight. For those that do, very few of them keep it off - they gain it back over time. To me, it is because they are adversely impacting their quality of life to try to lose weight and that is just not sustainable.

Fad diets are just not the answer.

I don’t think there’s a one sized fits all answer, it’s different for everybody. I sort of do intermittent fasting, as I don’t eat between dinner and lunch except for coffee in the morning. But I couldn’t do what you do, I’d be a raging a-hole by 5!

Honestly I don’t find keto hard, I mostly eat meat and veggies anyway. I mostly miss beer, potatoes, wraps, and sandwiches. None of which are horrible in moderation. I’m hoping to get my weight down and then incorporate a small amount of carbs back into my diet. It’s way easier to maintain than it is to lose.

[onewhippedpuppy]

One other thing that I’ll add, pork rinds aka chichirones (spelling?) are a killer snack and great for dipping. You can also crush them to make crust or coatings, my wife has made a good chicken friend chicken using pork rings as the crust.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I don’t think there’s a one sized fits all answer, it’s different for everybody.

As long as 'burning more calories than you consume' is achieved - how you do it up to you. To me, finding a way to do that in a sustainable manner is the key. Fad diets or short term extreme weight loss schemes generally aren't sustainable over the long term. Even if you lose weight and meet your objective, people often slip right back into previous habits and the weight comes back - with a vengeance sometimes. That's why losing weight and keeping it off is so difficult.

And exercise is a frustrating way to lose weight. Exercise is absolutely necessary as a part of a healthy lifestyle, but it is a horrible way to lose weight. You just don't burn that many calories and 'increasing muscle mass' to burn more calories is very limited. An ultra-marathoner friend of mine who is big into this stuff ran a 26 mile marathon and burned ONE POUND of calories. It is way easier to avoid 3500 calories than it is to burn them off running a marathon, in my opinion.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by IROC

And exercise is a frustrating way to lose weight. Exercise is absolutely necessary as a part of a healthy lifestyle, but it is a horrible way to lose weight. You just don't burn that many calories and 'increasing muscle mass' to burn more calories is very limited. An ultra-marathoner friend of mine who is big into this stuff ran a 26 mile marathon and burned ONE POUND of calories. It is way easier to avoid 3500 calories than it is to burn them off running a marathon, in my opinion.

Spot on!

[onewhippedpuppy]

100% agree, it’s way easier to just not eat the calories than it is to exercise them off.

[gacook]

The Keto diet has been proven to raise a lot of heart risks if used for extended periods of time.

The military advises against its use, period.

I'm currently doing a bit of an experiment myself...I'd like to lose about 20 pounds but don't want to lose any muscle mass (actually want to put more on). A lot of new(er) research is pointing to protein--lots of protein--as not just the key to putting muscle on but also to helping burn fat. So, my primary dietary goal is 200g of protein a day. With my meal plan, that puts me right at 2024 calories/day (which is a 500ish calorie deficit). I lift weights every morning and do a 30 minute walk every evening on a 12% incline (treadmill, obviously).

I don't eat a lot of carbs but I don't avoid them.

Also, age is a killer. The way I'm currently working out...when doing similar training in my 20s/early 30s, I'd notice gains nearly immediately. Now, at much closer to 50...it takes months to notice much of anything at all. I want to go on HRT but my docs say no. I'm "high for my age."

[Skytrooper]

I am not sure I agree with your findings GACook. I just came back from my doctor appointment today. I have significantly lowered cholesterol, A1C, weight, heart and lung functions. At 64, he says my numbers and overall physical condition is better than 80% of 50 year olds.
Keto works. It has for me and thousands of others. It is more of a lifestyle change than a diet. After 2.5 years, it has gotten me off ALL meds, increased my energy, and mental acuity. I am more fit now than I was during 28 years in the military.

[gacook]

Not MY findings, Matt--just reporting the news. I am glad it has worked for you...just being the PSA to let folks know there is risk. The BEST thing is a balanced diet and exercise. We Americans are pretty bad at those two things...

https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/health-and-wellness-articles/ketogenic-diet-what-are-the-risks

If ya like AI overviews...

The ketogenic diet, while potentially beneficial for short-term weight loss and some medical conditions, can pose long-term risks. These include nutrient deficiencies, kidney stones, constipation, and potential cardiovascular issues due to altered lipid profiles. Long-term adherence can also be challenging, leading to disordered eating or social isolation.