Ketogenic Eat-Along

Hurray for the dark chocolate news! I actually like the darkest chocolate I can find (well, not baker's chocolate) so it looks like I'll have options. Just gotta read those labels. Which I'm going to go read right now.

And thanks for the tip on dietdoctor.com! I'll peruse that right after I check the chocolate.

Get an artisanal chocolate at least 72% cocoa solids--one square or rectangle will have fewer than 3 gm. carbs (nutrition labels are generally for 1/4 to 1/2 the bar, which contains several of those pieces. 85-90% (if you can stand it) is even better. Lindt’s 85% is high in flavonoids but their 90% is supposedly “Dutched,” which reduces the flavonoids. The best plain 85% I’ve tried is Green & Black Organic--tastes better than some other 74% (Endangered Species) and as good as Chocolove 77%. And I’ve found that the 85-88% with sea salt (a few from Italy) taste great--the salt mitigates the bitterness. Vosges makes some good >72% varieties with stuff like bacon, wasabi/sesame/ginger, and various chiles, but the price will break the bank.

And savor each piece slowly. Rub it between your fingers to release the aroma. Take a tiny bite and smoosh it against the roof of your mouth to release the full flavor, and let it melt in your mouth. Lather, rinse, repeat. You will never scarf down 3 truffles again.

So glad I found this thread! I started low carb a month or so ago using Diet Doctor too. I lost 5kg quickly then had to start on high dose prednisolone for an auto- immune disease triggered by the immunotherapy drugs Herceptin/ Perjeta. I put weight back on, which was very disappointing. But starting to loose it again now, just slower.

Milaandra I also have mets including bone, which really worry me due to high dose prednisolone causing osteoporosis and fractures. I've started taking a calcium supplement with Magnesium and Vit D. But I have been reading that ketosis can cause calcium to leach from bones, so now I don't know what to do! And so far I have declined Xgeva due to my fear of getting osteonecrosis of the jaw. How long were you on it for? I may have to change my mind down the track but now that I no longer have severe muscle and joint pain and stiffness I am finally getting back into exercise. I'm betting on weight bearing/ muscle resistance exercise and yoga will maintain my bone density. I've started doing either or both every day and finally after 14 months of treatment I am starting to feel good

Ketosis does not cause calcium to leach from the bones. If you are concerned about calcium in the bones, especially if supplementing with calcium, you should be supplementing with Vitamin K2. It will help the calcium deposit in the bones rather than the arteries. There is a great book called "Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox"

A ketogenic diet reduces risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and dementia. I ate off plan over Christmas, but am jumping right back in.

I think that is ridiculous. A healthy diet can only help your body through treatment, and a desired side effect of a healthy diet is weight loss. What you don't want to do is deprive your body of energy or nutrients, and you get plenty of both on a properly planned ketogenic diet.

Gained 18 lbs on letrozole in 18 months. Have been on keto diet since the end of August. Lost the weight and got my energy back. Went off it one week when we had a family funeral and felt like crud brain got foggy and was exhausted afterward. Took 2 days to get back on track. It's a way of life that's habit now. It cures digestive issues I had before BC too! (reflux ans IBS).

I finally got one of those fancy blood ketone meters and I'm doing really well staying in the target range for cancer recommended by Thomas Seyfried. I had been in ketosis so long that ketones were no longer registering on the urine dip sticks, so I wasn't really sure for a few months, although I was strictly following the diet. It was a relief to find out that I am still responding the way I am supposed to.

Is anyone else testing blood ketones? What about ketosis cycling? My naturopath seems to think going in and out of ketosis is a good idea to prevent long term problems, but I have been doing this diet for 19 months straight and I don't seem to be having any difficulties with metabolism or losing weight.

Hi zogo - The reason I finally bought the meter was because after watching on Amazon for awhile I found 20 strips for around $3 each. Sometimes they are up to five bucks a piece! I won't be able to afford to use them very often either but I do need occasional checkups to make sure I'm still responding. I was so surprised to have levels over 3 even when my blood sugar temporarily rises.

I don't do FB but my husband does - maybe I'll peek into the group from his account. I don't meet very many people who have a clue about my diet. They love to criticize it though, even though most of them can't lose weight and I have dropped 150 lbs in the last year and a half. Less than 3 lbs from goal, from 288 to 135 hopefully in the next month. I have only had one stall of about a month, and that was resolved with an adjustment to my program. I always say just try it for a month, what have you got to lose besides the weight?

I do intermittent fasting and always try to leave as many hours between dinner and breakfast as possible.

I haven't wanted to keto cycle so I'm not exactly sure why people do it. I know body builders and other athletes have specific reasons for cycling to get the high performance results they want, but for normal people if it makes you feel bad then maybe that is your clue that it's not good for you. If you don't mind me asking, what is your specific reason for wanting to cycle?

If I wanted to raise my carbs it wouldn't be with grains, and especially not wheat. I would eat more veggies and add a little lower glycemic fruit. Grains are inflammatory and contain destructive and addictive proteins. Literally addictive, because they attach to the same receptors in the brain as opiates. That's why it's so hard to moderate yourself once you start eating even "healthy whole grain" bread again.

I'm 99% happy with my keto lifestyle, and I can figure out something to eat in most restaurants, but I do not like those dinners at the homes of friends. Mainly because I don't want to inconvenience them with "I can't eat this or that or the other thing." Who wants to be that annoying person? They want their guests to be happy and satisfied with the meal they prepare, and they will try so hard to accommodate, but they don't always know enough about our dietary restrictions to do it right.

Sometimes I'll just turn down an invitation and honestly tell the person my diet is too weird and I would never want to do that to them. If it's something I can't or don't want to miss I can usually find something to eat, and I just won't call attention to the fact that I can't eat one or another food they serve. Take a little of everything but shift the carby stuff around on my plate a lot without actually putting it in my mouth. Eating a little something before you go can help just in case there's not much you can have. Or you can ask if you can bring something, and make it something you can survive on for the evening if there are no other choices.

I think you did really good sticking with the fruit, chicken, green veggies. If there was sugar in the cheesecake that could mess you up if you ate a lot of it, but a sliver wouldn't do too much damage. Next time you could offer to bring dessert and make a keto cheesecake that you can have a nice size chunk of. You probably know there are some good recipes out there that most people wouldn't recognize as diet food. We love Maria Emmerich's pumpkin swirl cheesecake, with crust and all.

If you are going to eat something not so good for you, a few bites will always do less damage than a full serving. I do that sometimes when we go out to eat. I do pay for even small transgressions though. My fasting blood glucose will go up for several days, and I try to keep it very tightly controlled. That's why it's really not worth it to cheat, because there are consequences beyond the immediate. You also re-awaken your cravings for the forbidden foods.

The Four Phases of a Well-Formulated Ketogenic Diet from Dr. Steven Phinney

http://i.imgur.com/wC3TmI9.jpg

You would keep protein optimal (but his level is higher than many to start out with), add a couple carbs and bump up fat.

That isthe best explaination i could have wished for! Thank you so much!

Grams of protein is not the actual weight of the item.

4 ounces of chicken breast has about 24 grams of protein.

Yes, that's what I meant - I eat up to 4 oz of meat, poultry or fish, which I collectively referred to as animal protein. It's surprisingly easy to get the rest from plant food without really trying. If I don't watch it I can easily go over my protein allowance, and I don't worry if I do sometimes. It's an average I try to maintain over time.

I track my macros (and micros) with Cron-O-Meter, which has presets for different levels of keto strictness, or you can set custom levels. Carbs are a fixed number (whatever you choose), and it will automatically calculate your protein based on estimated lean body mass times the multiplier you choose. Whatever is left, up to your calorie allowance for the day, is fat. As you eat and log exercise throughout the day, your goals are updated. It also syncs automatically with my FitBit so I only have to enter my other exercise.

This is where I'm at right now this evening. I am in an earlier time zone than most of you and I have slacked on exercise, so I'm about to go for a walk to catch up to my weight loss goal for the day. I usually eat between 1200 and 1400 calories per day. I don't consciously limit calories but that's how it works out. I burn anywhere from 1600 to 2000 calories depending on how much exercise I get, including my basal metabolic rate.I have my protein set at 49 so I will try to keep it closer to the low end of my range, but I will eat up to 60 especially on heavy exercise days.