(Part 2) Best products from r/keto

I meal prep breakfast and work-snack items. I get up really early to go to work and I'm not a morning person so I'll never cook in the mornings. On Sunday (I work m-f) I cook a quiche, and then eat a slice for breakfast on the way to work. I also pick a snack to have at work for the week so I'm not tempted by the vending machine on my break. Last week I made keto egg muffins; this week it's hard boiled eggs. I'm getting tired of eggs haha.

For the other meals, I cook. Lunch is fish because it's fast, and then dinner is usually a protein plus veggies. But I only work part time; if I were still working full time I'd have to figure out something different for lunch.

I also make sure I have some stuff in the fridge that I can grab and eat quick if need be. Cheese, hot dogs (I love Nathan's hot dogs, only 1g of carbs a piece I think), lunch meat, stuff like that, because there are definitely times I don't feel like cooking. So I think for me, I cook when I can because fresh stuff always tastes better but I do meal prep for the meals I know I'm not going to have time for. I think it works pretty well :)

There is a keto recipe subreddit /r/ketorecipes and tons of blogs/sites/etc online for more resources. This is the book I bought and so far it seems really nice. Most of the meals are pretty easy and she has a lot of great information about keto in there as well. There is also a section at the beginning where she makes a 7 day meal plan with a corresponding shopping list which is nice, though too expensive looking for me haha.

edit: I also really like pickles for snacks. Mostly because of the salt and crunchiness

I've been purchasing keto cookbooks for my library system and have been reading through them as they come in. Here's a little list:

Sweet & Savory Fat Bombs by Martina Slajerova
https://www.amazon.ca/Sweet-Savory-Fat-Bombs-Delicious/dp/1592337287/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480350212&sr=1-1
Haven't made anything from it yet, but I have this one checked out right now. I am going to try the recipe for their Toasted Coconut Cups today. The ingredient lists seems semi reasonable and it's great for squares, chocolate, spreads, and little treats if you're into that kind of thing.

The KetoDiet Cookbook by Martina Slajerova
https://www.amazon.ca/KetoDiet-Cookbook-Grain-Free-Sugar-Free-Starch-Free/dp/1592337015/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480350335&sr=1-1&keywords=ketodiet+cookbook
Of all the books I've looked at so far this one seems the most reasonable and helpful. It's actual recipes instead of just a "wrap bacon around asparagus, cook" kind of thing. Plus, there's pretty pictures of the food and I like pictures in my cookbooks. I have it checked out right now and was going to give their recipe for zuch lasagna a try as a first recipe.

Quick & Easy Ketogenic Cooking by Maria Emmerich
https://www.amazon.ca/Quick-Easy-Ketogenic-Cooking-Recipes/dp/1628601000/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480350438&sr=1-2
I had high hopes for this one, but I didn't like the look of it at all, save for a few recipes on slow cooker pulled-pork / pulled-chicken kind of thing. It was lots of "wrap bacon around asparagus, cook" that I mentioned above--the sort of food that folks on keto maybe already know. I did snap a few pictures of recipes I'd like to try, but it wasn't one I am considering purchasing, like the two above.

It can be hard to wade through the crap on pinterest and two sites I've found helpful for bang-on recipes are these:
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/
http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/

Hope this is helpful. Happy shopping <3

I would strongly recommend Phinney and Volek's book I linked. I have not read Dr. Jason Fung's book but it appears to be strongly recommended as well. There are also a few MDs here who do recommend or follow the keto diet. /r/ketoscience is also a great place that your wife would be able to dig into actual research articles and make her own decision.

I am a nurse who lost 45 lbs in 3 months plus 10-inches off my waist a couple years ago and easily maintained that weight loss until I stopped emphasizing a keto diet. I did this while several of my co-workers told me what I was doing "could not work" or "was dangerous" and over the same time they struggled to lose 10 lbs I lost 4 times as much. My cholesterol panel is perfect regardless of my diet or weight, so good genetics there with a small improvement on keto.

During that time I was able to discuss the diet with cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, and internal medicine doctors:

• Out of about 10 MDs probably half were against it but did not substantiate why beyond "I don't like low-carb/keto diets" (I'm sure the objections were valid however these were hallway conversations with busy men and true discussion probably wasn't reasonable at the time)
  
  
• A nephrologist didn't like it but admitted that in an otherwise healthy individual it did not pose a risk to kidneys and no amount of protein intake in an otherwise healthy individual would pose a risk to them
  
  
• A cardiologist admitted that as long as your cholesterol profile was not at risk it was probably safe as long as it did not raise your profile
  
  
• An internal med doctor discussed it at length with me because of my weight loss and confirmed he had heard it was effective for weight loss, did not raise cholesterol, and had several questions as well as asking who I had discuss it with
  
  
• The strongest supporter I had was an endocrinologist who strongly supported low-carb diets for his patients and was also a Crossfit guy and had been low-carb (although not necessarily keto) himself for over 10 years.
  
  Ultimately, your wife may not be swayed that this is the best way. But at least she may realize it should not be dangerous to try.

Everyone can do it. Here is my advice:

Preparation

1. Do not jump straight in. First understand what you are doing, why and how it works, and what the risks are. Spend at least a few days on this section.
   
2. Keto In A Nutshell contains useful material. Read it.
   
3. FAQ Contains a lot of information. Read it, then read it again.
   
4. reddit.com/r/keto Contains a lot of real life questions and answers, experiences and support. Search here to see if others have had your question (they probably have).
   
5. Watch some YouTube videos on Keto. There's a lot of good stuff there.
   
6. Watch some general-audience movies about eating better. I recommend FatHead and That Sugar Film as starting points.
   
7. Get a good book. I recommend The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, and The Big Fat Surprise
   
8. Be aware that there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet, and not everyone knows everything.
   
   

   Planning
   

9. Commit to a 30 day trial period. Weigh yourself and take a candid profile selfie as your starting point. If you want, you can get blood drawn and have the LDL/HDL/Triglyceride values as your starting point.
   
10. Give away all the sugar and flour, cereals and pasta you have in your house. You don't need them and they will be temptations.
    
11. Consider any trips you have during this time. You will need containers to take your own food with you.
    
12. Take a look at /r/mealprepsunday - many people on keto like to do their weekly shopping and preparation at the weekend.
    
13. Take a look at the Keto Calculator, play around with it and get your values. Plug these into MyFitnessPal or some other tracker, so that you can track everything you consume.
    
14. Think about your habits. Do you drink sugary drinks? Are you a bread addict? What will you do instead? Don't be surprised about this.
    
15. Get familiar with the macronutrient content of foods. This site http://nutritiondata.self.com/ helped me.
    
    

    Grocery shopping
    

16. Green leafy vegetables, cauliflower are always going to be needed
    
17. Eggs (fried, scrambled, devilled, poached, boiled...) are your friends
    
18. Meats and organ meats of all kinds, especially the fatty cuts are the best.
    
19. Butter, ghee, lard, tallow, olive oil are some of your better choices for fats
    
20. Many people do well with cheese, greek yogurt, full fat cottage cheese etc.
    
21. Bones for making broth
    
22. Take a look at (cheap) electrolyte salts for supplementing during your 30day trial.
    
    

    Doing
    

23. Don't accept meals / cookies / doughnots / cake from family and co-workers. Your response could be "I'm reducing my sugar intake".
    
24. Don't go hungry. It will take a few days for the natural satiety of this diet to take effect.
    
25. Eat a traditional 3 meals a day. Only skip a meal if you are confident you can make it to the next meal. Don't add additional meals or snacks. Don't get side tracked by all the talk of fasting. Fasting is not mandatory.
    
26. Track your food intake honestly in a food tracking app or tool. This includes calories, but is more useful to you as a history of what caused satiety and what caused hunger.
    
27. Focus on high fat, low carb food items such as eggs, avocados, meat as being the center of your meal, with veggies filling out the plate for taste and volume.
    
28. Never drink anything with calories. You are going to be a tea-totaller during this month. Black coffee and teas are fine, as is water.
    
29. You may test your pee with ketostix if you wish, during the initial period, but there are problems with this kind of testing. Also: don't tell us about your results.
    
30. keep a journal of your sleeping habits, dream intensity, well-being, energy levels, hunger levels etc.
    
    

    Correcting
    

31. If things are not going as planned, ask here for advice. Especially:
    
32. Skin rashes or zit outbreaks, racing heart, headaches, lethargy.
    
33. If you eat something you shouldn't have, don't worry. Figure out what your kryptonite is and plan for a better response next time.
    
    Good luck!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Your fat intake needs to be much greater. I strongly suggest using the Keto Calculator to get your numbers on point. Eating too much protein will keep you out of keto as well. Your carbs look fine. I'm personally at 140g fat - 30g carbs - 50g protein , however, I'm doing a pretty heavy fat loss protocol. When I'm done I will be increasing my fat / protein dramatically. But yeah bud, check out the Keto Calc, and if you have 13$ I STRONGLY suggest buying Keto Clarity - He's a thought / science leader on Keto. I listened to the audiobook in a day and got SO much valuable information. Keto is a delicate chemical and biological process so learning the "do's and do not's" from someone else is best. It's discouraging to go in and out of keto when you're mind and heart wants it..... But yeah, Keto Calc and Keto Clarity, good luck bud!

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that she was "sitting at home and eating Bon-Bons". What I meant by saying "I don't see how she could not be insulin resistant" is, if she is obese at such a young age, then something in her hormone balance has to be out of whack. No one's body wants them to fat, really, it's just that when we eat the wrong foods, we're sending the wrong signals to our bodies. I'm not blaming either her or you for that -- our government recommends that the bulk of our diet be the very foods that send those wrong signals, and it can be easy to chalk it up as "just genetics", because there are certainly a lot of people that eat that way and manage to stay skinny. I think those people did just get lucky with genetics, they tolerate the modern mainstream high carb diet better. But for those of us that didn't win the genetic lottery, so to speak, which I count myself in that group and probably your daughter too, keto and/or low-carb is very often the answer.

It's awesome that she's active, and you're right, exercise helps regulate insulin resistance, but there's more to it than just that, I believe diet definitely plays a bigger role in hormonal balance than does exercise (some people even say 90% diet, only 10% exercise). Additionally, it sounds like it's all cardio, and cardio can actually hinder weight loss as it releases stress hormones that cause your body to want to hold on to its "emergency stores" of energy. I don't know why I forgot to recommend this book in my first comment, but you may also want to read Why We Get Fat. It's a fantastic book, very easy to understand even if I wish it was shorter. It will turn your ideas about what is healthy upside down.

Posted this earlier today in another keto thread. You have to make it in advance, but it's SUPER easy to throw together, and is four servings (4 breakfasts!)

I'm pretty new to this diet so I've been living out of the Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking book (Link)

Author has a chocolate shake for breakfast that I love! I can drink one serving about 6AM for breakfast, and not be hungry until about 1PM.

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut oil or unsalted butter
  
  
• 1/4 cup MCT oil
  
  
• 2 cups water
  
  
• 4 whole large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks
  
  
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
• 1/4 cup Swerve confectioners style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener
  
  
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
  Throw it all in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate overnight to thicken. Pour over 2-4 cups ice, if desired (I don't).
  
  Yield 4 servings (about 1 cup each)
  
  Macros:
  
  664 calories
  
  70g fat
  
  8g protein
  
  1g carbs
  
  0g fiber
  
  
  Side Note If you don't want chocolate, take out the cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Use any flavor extract you'd like instead.
  

I dont know about leaky gut, but I have more energy and feel better doing keto (9 months in). I will say that I started doing supplements as well that have made some differences. I take a daily multi, potassium, and magnesium.

I do sleep a bit better since keto but what has made a HUGE difference is tart cherry extract. I got it to reduce muscle soreness and downtime between workouts (major difference) but apparently it also improves sleep. Massively for me. 45 minutes to an hour after taking it I get fairly tired and I no longer wake up 3-4 times a night. I sleep 6-8 hours straight without interruption and it's incredible.

This is the brand I swear by: Tart Cherry Concentrate - Made... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP54IFO?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Also started taking electrolytes as well. Started spending 10 hours or so a week at the gym (2 hours 5 days) and just felt super lethargic after workouts and even on days off. I put one cap full in my water and take it to the gym with me and it has made an immense difference. I get in more intense cardio and I dont feel tired after working out either.

This is what I use: LyteShow - Electrolyte Concentrate for Rapid Rehydration - NO Sugars, NO Additives - 40 Servings (With Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EISFBYA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bBz-BbC22GB0S

Hope this helps. Good luck!

I'm naturally lazy, so my quick and easy microwave breakfast dishes:

***

Four eggs in a microwave egg "poacher":

• Crack an egg into each well
  
• Pierce the yolks with a fork
  
• Put in microwave, covered, for 2 minutes @ 80% power
  
• Slide eggs onto plate
  
• Add salt and pepper to each egg
  
• Top each egg with a quarter slice of pepper jack cheese
  
• Wash off egg poacher while cheese melts
  
  ***
  
  An omelet in this microwave bowl:
  
  
• Crack 3 eggs into bowl
  
• Add other items -- diced onions, mushrooms, leftover meat, cheese, spices
  
• Stir thoroughly
  
• Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until set
  
• Eat out of bowl
  
  ***
  
  Cream cheese pancakes using that same bowl:
  
  
• Combine cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sweetener in bowl and thoroughly mix (I use a magic bullet and wash it during microwaving)
  
• Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until set
  
• Top with sugar free maple syrup
  
• Eat out of bowl
  
  
  
  I can easily add a Farmer John Hot Link or a spicy sausage patty as a side with any of those. Only takes 40 seconds in the microwave to heat either up.
  
  Heinz reduced sugar ketchup with the eggs. Or some salsa and sour cream.
  
  
  
  Other breakfast options:
  
  
• I haven't tried this porridge yet, but looks to be quick and easy in the microwave. Another I've considered.
  
• Cold cereal. The maple pecan was the best of the bunch.
  
• A generic "Muffin-in-a-minute" recipe.
  
  *
  
  And, keep in mind that you can eat anything** for breakfast that fits your macros. Reheated pizza is delicious. :)
  
  

  ---

Ok. I thought so. Low moisture mozzarella is pretty handy and affordable, has >1g per serving.

Past that I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 Pound, 80 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QSNYGI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_RInkybHE226H3

And for snacks or a mini meal, I go to
http://m.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature-Protein-Bar-Chocolate-Brownie-%2526-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie-Dough,-2-pack,-2-count.product.100296106.html

I'd happily trade my eggs and chicken for your moose and salmon! Best luck friend!

The only criticism I'd have is to find a better dressing. You can find ranch/Caesars that are 1-2g per serving.

Lettuce is good, but there are more nutritious greens. Broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, spinach, etc... Make friends with all of these.

As for 20g of carbs, it's definitely a good hard limit to start. At first generally the closer to 0 the better, (which you'll never do unless you neglect veggies, which you shouldn't do). But people can go as high as 50g or more and still be in keto. Everyone's different but just don't freak out if you're at 25g a day or something. You'll learn your limits.

Also, don't pay much attention to calories, and read Why We Get Fat.

Good luck!

Paderno is the one I bought a few weeks ago. I did a bunch of research and watched YouTube videos of all the top rated ones. This was the one I picked and it's already paid for itself in massive deliciousness. Oh the creamy cheesy sauces and homemade pesto!!! I'm looking forward to trying some Greek salads with the flat slicer on some cucumbers next. :) So much versatility and lots of online recipe ideas for those not inclined to making up their own. Highly recommend!

EDIT: I came back now that I'm not on my phone to add a link to the one I bought. I've been extremely happy with it. Dishwasher safe, easy to clean.

Like many of the others in this thread, I, too, loathe single use kitchen gadgets but despite the impression that this one only does one thing, it's extremely versatile. I'm about to post a bunch of links to recipes I found under someone else's comment asking for recipe ideas so search this thread for some more ideas. It does a lot more than "just" zucchini noodles! But, really, at this point now that I've tried it, even if that was all that it could do, I'd still be extremely happy with my purchase. :)

So, there's always some sort of natural carbs in veggies. I eat only cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. I'll eat a few pieces of carrots, and celery, onions, and bell peppers, but avoid corn, for instance.

I eat no refined sugar, no carbs (flour, potatoes, corn starch, or sugar derivatives like malodextrine, dextrose etc.), and no starchy legumes, or veggies.

I cook with healthy fats, like coconut oil, and butter. I eat lots of protein, and healthy fats, with green veggies.

I bought (for the first time in my life, electrolytes. I bought liquid drops, from Amazon, called Lyteshow because I was getting cramps, and won't eat bananas anymore. I also bought MCT Oil, because I think that medium chain triglycerides are important.

Other than that, I just try to eat as clean as possible, and have fun making keto recipes. I also bought one of those fancy Multi-pot electric pressure cookers, because I'm eating a lot more real meats, and it requires very little prep, and I don't think about food all day. I only eat one meal a day, and try my best not to load up on fat. I've got plenty of fat on my body.

Most of the protein powders have very little carbs. They generally use artificial sweetners for taste. This (http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Standard-Double-Chocolate/dp/B000QSNYGI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317780937&sr=8-1) is one of the best, and decently cheap if you can't find any local brands. Walmart/Sam's have a few varieties that are cheaper, but usually don't taste quite as good.

As for bars...Quest Bars are pretty decent. They're all natural proteins and fats (no sugar alcohols or other crap) and stevia (I think). Again, pricy, but not out of line. I avoid bars like the plague because I find them kinda gross, but they are nice in a pinch. The brownie one is good (free samples http://www.questproteinbar.com/freesample1)

https://www.amazon.com/Morton-Salt-Lite-11/dp/B00KPX1B6Y?keywords=Morton%27s+Lite+Salt&qid=1536506089&sr=8-1&ref=mp_s_a_1_1

They're actually cheaper now, $10 for two. Even better. They're 11oz each, and they go a long way.

You are looking for a solution to successfully get more potassium and sodium in your diet, and I'm just telling you what I have done for ten months without fail. I have no idea why you wouldn't give it a try as it's the perfect fit for what you're needing, but that's your decision. Best of luck to you.

If you're in the states, look for [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Morton-Lite-Salt-Sodium-Table/dp/B0005YM0UY). It's cheaper if you've got a grocery store that carries it. This has your potassium as well as a a little magnesium, but I don't think the magnesium is that physioactive. It helps me a LOT more than the salt that I used before. Just add a bit, I've heard between a 1/4 tsp and a full tsp, to your bottle of water and, if you want, add some vitamin fortified water additive, like [Mio] (https://www.amazon.com/Mio-Vitamins-Tropical-Naturally-Sweetened/dp/B01I5RHUPM/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497978718&sr=8-1&keywords=mio%2Bwater%2Benhancer%2Bstevia&th=1). I like this one with the stevia and the additional B vitamins. It's a wonder drink for me!! But, if you're feeling ok, then go with what's been working for you!

Try to get your diabetes specialist to read this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708

It will explain almost everything he could want to know and has an entire chapter dedicated to specifically why it is what you're doing is so good at treating type 2 diabetes and another whole chapter dedicated explaining the metabolic effects of the diet and the derangements that are fixed by it's unique way to bypass them. There's several segments more or less explicitly written with the intent of convincing curious doctors like yours.

The fact that he signaled curiosity at what you where up to so early on is probably a good sign that he'll have an open mind and be open to exploring the ideas of carbohydrate restriction and extreme carbohydrate restriction with his other patients and doing so could very well save lives.

(That link is not a referral link just to be clear.)

> Does it matter if fat is unsaturated or saturated? I know saturated is bad for you, but would you just burn it off anyway?

Saturated fats are not bad for you, that is another of those myths surrounding dieting that came about during the "low fat" hype. Yes, certain mono-unsaturated fats, such as olive oil or fish oil, are better for you, but saturated fats aren't bad. A great resource for this information is Gary Taubes' book Why we get fat and what to do about it. When looking for fats, think of the ones that don't require a lot of processing, such as olive oil, coconut oil, lard, butter. Canola and other vegetable oils require a lot of processing and would not have been easy to get during paleolithic times.

> Since it can be hard to get a lot of fat, would it be a good idea to cook with butter/extra virgin olive oil whenever possible?

You should cook with butter/extra virgin olive oil, but getting enough fat isn't too difficult, especially if you are eating fattier meats, such as bacon or steaks. For salads, I love to use just olive oil for dressing.

It's a little over $50, but I love my scale.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_lyPEybA9040SV

the really cheap scales I've had in the past weren't as accurate, and broke quickly. I've only had this one a couple weeks but so far it's great! I really like having all my info added to my tablet automatically because I like data, and am usually rushing around in the mornings.

Good to hear! I’m glad to see this update today. I am not in any way an expert on this, but feel free to ask me for help any time and I will be happy to do what I can. Here is a link for lyteshow if you ever need that. Lyteshow

Bump for this response. I need to try the dry-frying method, but I've used them before and find them alright. You have to rinse them quite a bit, but after that I find they're a nice "bulking" addition to food. Don't expect them to be exactly like pasta, and you'll be less likely to dislike them.

I also love using zucchini in place of pasta too. I bought one of these bad boys on recommendation from a vegetarian friend and have been quite pleased with it.

1. ease into the meals, remember your body needs to slowly adjust
   
   
2. definitely use electrolytes. I use Hydrolyte and I feel amazing
   Hydrolyte - Sugar Free Electrolyte Powder with Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium - Boost Endurance and Reduce Fatigue with This Electrolyte Supplement - 100 Servings - Maximum Hydration - Keto Friendly https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCFQF2L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_iQSyCb1CARVA9
   
   
3. as long as there are no hidden calories in the supplements and they’re pure, you can definitely use them
   

Getting past the keto flu....(read the FAQ)

Read this book, its great, provides the science, the rationality and the menus. http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Science-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708

And remember...
in about 3 weeks...

• you will have FAR LESS cravings, if you stick with it
  
• you will have FAR MORE energy thats stable, if you stick with it
  
• you will lose weight and become less bloated, if you stick with it
  
  Stick with it, mean ALL IN...not half in half out....eat 65%-85% fat - moderate protein and only get your carbs from non starchy veggies. This is the key...get in ketosis and stay there...then in a month see how you feel and do what you want. BUT for a month stick with it so you can see the REAL benefits of a well balance Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet.
  
  Good Luck, this diet is like no other, you will never be hungry again.
  

It sounds like you want a "keto for beginners" that is better than what is here on reddit. There are some other websites like DietDoctor, but I think the best information is probably in books such as The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living. However, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Edit: Another good link is http://eatingacademy.com/ but you'll have to poke around to find what you're looking for. I don't think he really has any "how to do LCHF" stuff.

Congratulations! I'm about one month in but haven't made it official with the Ketostix. Drink plenty of water and get yourself some Lite Salt or other source of sodium, potassium, and magnesium. It's comforting to see the great support in this thread.

TL;DR A vegetable spiralizer.

My favorite tool I've been using almost daily since last week (when it arrived from amazon) is a vegetable spiralizer. Had I known about this when I started keto, I would have been able to get a lot more veggies into my diet (and helped appease my spouse who gets bored with the same foods easily).

If you are someone who loves pasta, I cannot recommend this nearly enough. I've made a version of shrimp alfredo (avocado garlic sauce is great with zucchini noodles), noodle sidedishes, and last night spaghetti was back in the house.

I also use it to make apple chips and curly fries for the kids. There are all kinds out there, with loads of recipes as well. This is mine.

Other tools that I use pretty much daily: cheese grater, bullet mixer, food scale.

Other tools I have on my amazon wishlist for my keto kitchen: dehydrator, grease catcher/container, whoopie pie pan.

I have this one, but it looks like Oxo now makes a higher capacity one. If you have bed bath and beyond, you can get them with a 20% off coupon. I love Amazon too, but I typically shop at BBB for those kinds of items :)

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Stainless-Pull-Out-Display-11-Pound/dp/B000WJMTNA

Ignore mainstream nutrition. If you're interested some books are The Big Fat Surprise, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, either of Taubes' books, or you can watch Youtube lectures by Phinney, Volek, Taubes etc. This page is also fairly good on fats.

Fats are extraordinarily complicated in structure, oil composition, metabolism, etc. The best bet is to eat older fats and not newer processed oils because we quite literally evolved eating animal fats exclusively, not shortening hydrogenated from the refined oil extracted from the unused excess seeds that fell out of cotton plants.

Omega 3:

• Omega 3 and Omega 6 are both required to be ingested by the body as we have no metabolic way of creating them (whereas Omega 9 can be created from Saturated Fat).
  
• They should be consumed in a one to one ratio, which is the ratio found in grass fed animal fats, eggs, milk, butter.
  
• It is important to note that the need for these essential fatty acids is relatively small, so in the case that you're consuming 80% of your calories from fat you should primarily worry about the ratio of the fatty acids in your food (IE eat animal fats). You can overdo Omega 3 consumption if you consume an excess of fish oil supplements in addition to fortified foods etc.
  
• The so-called "polyunsaturated oils" like soybean, cottonseed (commonly called "Vegetable"), rapeseed (commonly called "Canola) etc are very high in Omega 6 while being low in Omega 3. The result is that most people in the US consume vastly more Omega 6 than Omega 3, and studies have shown that many inflamation markers and chronic diseases are improved as that dietary ratio moves closer to 1:1.
  
• Grain fed livestock is much higher in Omega 6 than Omega 3, just like the so-called polyunsaturated oils.
  
• Lard is fairly high in Oleic Acid, the monounsatured fatty acid that Olive Oil gets all the praise for.

I have these awesome silicone mats: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00629K4YK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419478312&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

Which literally nothing sticks to them.

So what I do is throw the mat on a cookie sheet, and then grab a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese on there, put some pepperoni, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning on there, then sprinkle a little more chease on top off all that to keep it together.

Bake at 375 °F for 20 min. And you got yourself a perfect keto pizza. Just let it cool a bit and slide the pizza right off the mat. :).

I ate this for dinner almost every single day for 6 months.

Enjoy!

When glucose / glycogen is stored in muscles (and maybe in the liver as well), each molecule of glucose is stored with three molecules of water. There's nothing to be done about that.

When you do a low carb diet, your body will initially use up (draw down) the stored glucose and the associated water will be dumped into the blood stream. Your body will recognize that there is too much liquid in the blood and expel some water (a little perspiration, but mostly as urine). Urine has salt in it and you need to replace this, which is why salty broth is recommended for keto newbies.

If you don't, the body will shift to the use of potassium and then magnesium. These are the main constituents of keto-flu.

Some folks may need continued supplementation of Na (sodium - salt), K (potassium), and even Mg (magnesium). Salt is easy. Potassium is conveniently available in (Morton) Lite salt (50% Na, 50% K). Mg is a bit harder, since the easy one (Milk of Magnesia) isn't absorbed; it's a laxative. A product called Slo-Mag (or a generic equivalent) can help, but this probably needs professional help to diagnose and treat. (I am not a doctor.)

Much of this comes from Phinney & Volek's big Science heavy book, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living.

I'll start off by commending you for taking this step. I wish you the best of luck.

The FAQ in the sidebar is a good place to start. I personally started after reading Gary Taubes' "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It". It provided a great overview of the science behind keto, and the health benefits that could result from it in addition to weight loss.

My advice:

1. Drink coffee with a sugar substitute (I like Splenda, it functions and tastes exactly like sugar) and a dash of heavy whipping cream (you don't need much to lighten the coffee up a lot).
   
2. Diet soda - any kind - is fine.
   
3. Watch this video for an "Explain Like I'm Five" approach.
   
   Bonus advice:
   
   

• Only weigh yourself once a week.
  
• If you weigh yourself two weeks in a row and you haven't lost any weight, make sure you're counting your carbs. 50g is the max, 20g is the ideal. So maybe say, "Okay I will only have 35g of carbs a day" and try that for two weeks and see if it starts the weight loss back up again. If not, lower them.
  
• If you've lowered your carbs down to 15 or 20g and you're still stalled, try limiting the diet soda. Maybe two cans/day for two weeks, then one can/day.
  
• If you're still not losing, cut the soda out completely. For some people, it triggers insulin secretion even though there aren't any carbs in it, and high levels of insulin can stall fat burning.
  
• If cutting the soda out doesn't help, cut all artificial sweeteners.
  
• Next step would be to start limiting dairy. Then perhaps caffeine and/or nuts.
  
  I'm a big fan of the "slow and steady" approach. Make little changes, take some time, observe how it affects you. There's no rush to dump weight off; it's more likely to be permanent if you're not obsessing and just "keeping calm and ketoing on".
  
  Bonus resources, if you want to have a deeper understanding:
  
  
• Why We Get Fat is my favorite intro book.
  
• The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living is a very thorough explanation of the diet.
  
• The Big Fat Surprise explains why scientists and public health officials act like fat is bad for you, even though the scientific evidence doesn't support that belief.
  
• Good Calories, Bad Calories is a more detailed & scientific version of Why We Get Fat
  
• New Atkins for a New You is a very easy-to-follow instructional guide if that's what you need (written by Eric Westman, the doctor in the video I linked above).
  
• Here is a list of great keto videos to watch.

Congratulations on finding Keto! I started at 465. I'm down 120 now. Watch out for keto flu. It may kick your butt. Keep your electrolytes up, and rock this thing. You will likely lose very quickly. You may need to adjust some of your meds as you go along (Bernstein covers this in his book, referenced below).

Tip 1: Buy and read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. It's written by a Dr. with T1 diabetes for diabetics (both T1 and T2). Low carb dieting is extensively promoted and explained in the book.

Tip 2: Educate yourself as much as possible on what you are about to undertake. Read the books. Watch the videos. Read the blogs. Pay attention to /r/keto.

Tip 3: Don't stop trying until you get to where you want.

Tip 4: Some other tips that may help.

If you have any specific question, ask. Best of luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

You may want to add a pinch of salt to your water. LiteSalt is awesome and I use it daily. You could also try that pink salt that's super popular.

​

A general tip about adding salt to water. Don't add so much that the water tastes salty. That's way too much. Only add enough so that the water tastes a little off. Like a different type of tap water, if that makes sense.

Two rules of thought... don't know how accurate.

1. Many massages while losing weight. Idea is that the massages help break up the subcutaneous (spelling?) fat under the skin, helping the skin shrink faster.
   
2. Using something like the following product: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KG7EDU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
   Which is supposed to be good for quite a bit of good things in your body, one of which is skin elasticity... which can only be good so that you skin has an easier time of it getting back to normal as you lose weight. And the older you are, the less elastic your skin is.
   I can't prove or disprove this. :)

I just went on Amazon and wound up getting the nicest one that was under $50, which is this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf (sorry I'm on mobile so I can't make that look nicer >.< ) Sometimes the app is buggy but the scale seems pretty accurate, not too far off from the doctor's last I went. Really though you just need something to help you track the trend: is your weight generally going up or down kind of thing. A lot of times (and I'm sure you've heard this already) you'll lose inches before you lose weight, so in that respect no scale is an accurate measure of how much fat is on your body. And you can get a little tape measure from Walmart for less than $2 lol.

I bought one of the cheaper smart scales of Amazon two months ago and I've been really happy with it.

Easy enough to set up, and I literally just opened the app on my phone and stand on the thing.

One downside: the companion app is super basic (The apparently it does integrate with several of the bigger health apps)

• can't remember the name of the company off the top of my head, but I'm happy to PM you later*
  
  Edit: WeightGURUS scale is the one I bought. dis one

Pretty much everything in the supplement world is a scam, at least as far as over marketing products with pretty labels and lots of "science" to make their product superior to the next guys. Most people in the bodybuilding world already know this but it is unfortunate that there are people who want to take advantage of dieters now as well.

Always look at the lesser marketed products for comparison.

Here is the Now brand for 15 bucks vs 30 for bulletproof brand. The only difference is that you did not just read a 3 page ad for the bulletproof product that would have jerked off your ego just enough to not care that you are paying a lot more.

http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-100%25-32-Fluid-Ounces/dp/B0019LRY8A/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397232291&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=pvl++mct

This is not against bulletproof. This is just supplements in general so that I am clear that I am not just hating on one brand.

Also that is just a quick search. If you search for an online vitamin store in your area you may find one even cheaper. The now and pvl brands are both good and come without price inflation.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032TNPOE/
Got it off amazon a few months ago. Big blue screen, wide platform for big feet. Pretty happy with it. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for something simple. $36.95 and prime eligible.

I highly recommend adding MCT Oil, it's very ketogenic and pretty much taste-free. I go for this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-100%25-32-Fluid-Ounces/dp/B0019LRY8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345347937&sr=8-1&keywords=MCT

For protein powder itself, I like Optimum Nutrition’s Platinum Hydrowhey—it’s low in carbs and tastes pretty good. http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/Platinum-Hydrowhey-p-271.html

Nope, I think you underestimate the self-limiting nature of fat and protein vs. the human bodies nearly endless ability to gorge on carbs.

If you're serious about getting healthy, I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book. I can honestly say it changed my life as well as my understanding of obesity.

the bare minimum entry into intermittent fasting just requires that you not eat before 11am or after 7pm. If you do that, you're technically doing "intermittent fasting" to get more aggressive, just shorten that 8 hour window to an 6 hour window. The idea, is that the longer you fast the more benefit you can potentially gain from it.

I'd recommend you check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538061608&sr=8-3&keywords=guide+to+fasting

or the great resources at /r/intermittentfasting

Powerade Zero has a trace of electrolytes, better than nothing, but you need to add a bit more. Most things marketed as "electrolytes" aren't for people who rely on them. We can't hold water weight, so the minerals go right through us. Best thing to do is pick up a Morton's Lite Salt to add to your Powerade Zero, to give you more significant mg of sodium and potassium. Daily recommended intake for keto is:

5000mg sodium

1000mg potassium

300mg magnesium.

Now look at the Powerade Zero label. A large bottle will have 375mg sodium, about 87mg potassium, no significant magnesium.

Sodium & Potassium. 1/4 to 1 tsp
Morton Lite Salt

Magnesium 1/2 to 2 tsp
Natural Calm

Put in a large bottle of water or flavored drink or powerade zero and you have a ketoade. Sip through the day, don't chug ketoade.

There are lots of books out there that can help with this sort of thing. One that comes to mind is The Ketogenic Diet for Athletes ($2.99 on Amazon). There are some suggested foods toward the back. Though I haven't read it personally, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living has been praised as an excellent resource for new ketoers.

Welcome to the family. We look forward to seeing your many SV and NSVs!

Just to clarify, they're talking about Morton Lite Salt which contains Potassium.

I supplement with chelated Magnsium (have done since before keto) as pretty much everyone could stand to have more. Potassium is more challenging to compensate for nutritionally on keto. I haven't heard much good about supplementation besides the rec's here re: lite salt and aiming for potassium rich greens in your diet.

Electrolytes are super essential. A lot of people also swear by epsom salt baths!

Definitely consider fasting. Check out Dr. Jason Fung's book on fasting. He treats diabetes and obesity and often cycles fasting (from 24 hours to 7 days) into the protocol. He explains why (it's not just to cut calories) and outlines all of the health benefits. Yes, it helps with a stall - and so much more. And no, you won't lose muscle mass. Definitely worth a read!

For books I'd recommend The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung.

I do three 42-hour fasts a week. Basically I don't eat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The other days I eat in a 6-hour window, generally 8am-2pm.

I love it! I get a real energy boost at about hour 36.

Have you tried FatSecret? They tend to have pretty accurate listings. You could use it as a backup.


These are two really good scales.

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display $50 this one was rated highly by Cook's Illustrated Measures in 1/8-ounce (imperial) and 1-gram (metric) increments up to 11 lbs.

EatSmart Precision Pro - Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale w/ Extra Large LCD and 11 Lb. Capacity $25 - this one is half the price but it a great scale. It measures grams, kg, oz, and pounds. It weights up to 11 lbs and is recise to .05 ounce / 1 gram increments.

I like her other book Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking a lot more. I've also found that I do better with her recipes when I use the exact ingredients she calls for. For example, her recipes are all written to be dairy free and I tried to substitute things like almond milk for half and half, and it just doesn't come out right. Same with the sweeteners she uses.

But I still find myself looking more at her books than actually making anything. The Bacon and Butter cookbook is more practical in terms of things I want to make, but less fun to look at (less pictures and not as fancy looking recipes).

If you want to know the science as well as anecdotal evidence supporting low carb and against the Standard American Diet, here's a list of books for you to read:

• The Art and Science of Low Carb Living
  
• Why We Get Fat
  
• The Big Fat Surprise
  
• Good Calories Bad Calories
  
• Fat Chance
  
• Keto Clarity
  
  Jimmy Moore is a lot more anecdotal but it's a good place to start if you want a simple way to understand keto, in my opinion. The rest contain lots of studies and evidence to convince you.
  
  Taubes is also bringing out a new book. I've not yet read it but I've certainly pre-ordered!
  The Case Against Sugar
  
  
  
  
  
  

• 1 Cup Coffee
  
• 1.5 tbsp of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  
• 2 tbsp MCT Oil
  
• 1 scoop Pure Protein Whey Powder (Chocolate)
  
• 2 tbsp [Collagen Hydrolysate]
  (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KG7EDU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
  Top with some ground cinnamon. Delicious!
  
  573 calories, 48g of fat, 4g net carbs, 34g protein. I tried to get the carbs down, it's mainly from the protein powder, but the chocolate taste is really delicious and it's only 4g carbs so I don't mind!

I recommend you read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307272702


It should be available at your library.

In the book, the author gives a very good explanation of the interaction between insulin, triglycerides, fatty acids, fat cells, carbohydrates, glucose, testosterone etc.. and how fat storage and fat release really works in the body.

When you learn some of this biology you can see how to apply that to your diet.

The gist of it is by keeping your insulin levels and blood glucose levels low, then fat storage will be stopped and it allows the fat in the body to be turned into fatty acids to be burned for its primary means of fuel instead of glucose/carbohydrates.


There are also chances that you will be eating less and fewer calories naturally on a keto diet because its more naturally filling and you will have almost zero cravings.. I am around people all the time who say things like 'man I am starving', because they eat carbs and have those large high and low swings in blood sugar/energy and they get cravings. On keto, your energy is much more even, and you almost eliminate those feelings of being hungry, and usually can skip meals with a simple meh.

It is the combination of the biology advantages of much lower insulin levels on fat storage/fat loss on the keto diet, and the reduced hunger and reduced calories because of the reduced hunger swings makes for serious success in weight loss.

But I would caution you that you can't go crazy and pig out. There are still some people who have to LEARN to stop eating when they are not hungry anymore. Even though low carb diets are very filling and satisfying, there are some people who can even seem to ignore those feelings and keep eating more than they really should. Luckily its MUCH easier to re-learn that behavior on a low carb diet than one of low fat and unsatisfying empty calories.

And some people who already have a bit of ability to hear their body tell them they are satisfied and to stop eating, are the ones that frankly get the signals on a keto diet so loudly that they really don't have to count anything.

Personally, after many years of learning to ignore my body and eat more, I still have to re-learn to listen to my body a bit better, and still need to do a bit of counting to make sure I don't overeat.

Definitely speak with a doctor, but I also recommend that your brother (and you?) educate himself. Dr. Bernstein's book pretty much covers all the bases, and also has good insight into how very low carb fits in with treatment of Type I.

I used to be a skeptic of the low carb diets,though I could never deny that people did seem to lose a lot of weight quickly. After hearing Paul Thurrott talk about the book "Why we get fat, and what to do about it" on Windows Weekly, I picked up the book, mostly expecting to find all the holes in his theory. Somewhere in reading it, I became convinced enough to start eating low carb/keto. The weight started coming off quickly, I wasn't ravenously hungry all the time (the culprit in all my previous dieting failures), my blood pressure dropped, all good things. Even though I still had a taste for breads and sweets, the feeling of losing weight, and feeling better was enough motivation to keep me from hitting the donuts.

I would recommend reading the book. He isn't selling a diet, just documenting what doctors and researchers have found that supports the keto diet, and how social and professional pressures keep the it from being widely accepted by the medical community. I honestly think he could have done a better job presenting some of the information, but I still recommend it.

The most consistent scales are the doctor's office style balance scales like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Healthometer-402KL-Physician-Scale-Height/dp/B0009MFUZY

One nice thing about this type of scale is that you can leave the slider at your previous weight. As soon as you step on, you'll know if you gained or lost without having to adjust the slider since the indicator arm will tilt up or down (or stay the same if your weight hasn't changed).

These are much pricier than the spring or strain gauge scales, but more accurate and more consistent.

For digital bathroom scales, I've found that this one matches my balance scale results fairly well:

http://www.amazon.com/Eatsmart-Precision-Bathroom-Technology-440-Pounds/dp/B0032TNPOE

Bonus is that it handles up to 440 pounds.

I just finished a book called Keto Clarity and it was really helpful. I learned about keto from Reddit, read all the sidebar information and have been on a keto diet for almost 2 years. It's awesome, hopefully it works for you too!

Same thing as This and This. It's popular with both Keto and Paleo. The Paderno seems to be the one people like best.

Well, you can take things to help with the electrolytes, as you should.

You wanna double your Sodium intake. You can use Lite Salt as that has sodium AND potassium in it, and a pretty good amount of potassium as well. Better than most supplements anyway. And then you will wanna buy a magnesium citrate. I also use chicken boullion cubes for sodiumm, i put it in a coffee cup and put hot water in it, then drink it. Tastes like soup kinda.

https://www.amazon.com/Tones-Bouillon-Cubes-Chicken-Ounce/dp/B00COCUM96/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1518037994&sr=1-1&keywords=chicken+boullion+cubes

https://www.amazon.com/Morton-Lite-Salt-Sodium-Table/dp/B0005YM0UY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1518037860&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=lite+salt&psc=1&smid=A2OEG1SKNGURE1

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Magnesium-Stress-Original/dp/B000OQ2DL4/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1518037876&sr=8-1&keywords=magnesium+citrate+calm&dpID=41DVGX7wPXL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Its not about "going hard", its not a crash diet. You just figure out your macros and stick to it. Let your body handle the rest.

And no stuff like Powerade has electrolytes in it but nearly enough.

Here's what you should use for your macros:

---

*Generated by [Keto Calculator](https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com) 9.13*

F/5'5" | CW 235 | 49% BF | Mostly sedentary

* 1521 kcal Goal, a 20% deficit. (738 min, 1901 max)
* 20g Carbohydrates
* 97g Protein (73g min, 120g max)
* 117g Fat (30g min, 159g max)

----

Here are my best recommendations to set you on a purposeful path of steady fat loss over time:

• Download a keto-friendly food-tracking app. I use the free version of Carb Manager.
  
• Enter your customized macros (above) in the settings for your app.
  
• Buy a digital food scale if you do not already have one. Basic ones are about $10 or you can get more fancy.
  
• As much as possible, prepare your own food, and choose whole foods, not processed foods. Some people find it helpful to avoid artificial sweeteners, other people don't give them up.
  
• Weigh all your food on your digital food scale.
  
• Log your food in the app BEFORE you eat it—5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days. Doesn't matter. Just do it BEFORE. Your goal every day is to hit your protein goal (97g), while not exceeding your carb (20g) or fat (117g) limits. In Carb Manager, they have a bar chart that shows how far you are to your goal/limit with each food you enter.
  
• Drink lots of water, and make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep.
  
• If you feel fatigued or sluggish, it’s a sign that you need more electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). This sub can help you with that.
  
• Come back here and ask questions when you need help.
  
  If that doesn't work, my next two recommendations would be to continue doing all that and add in some movement (say, a 30-min. walk every day) and possibly increase the caloric deficit to 25%.
  
  I am also a 40+ woman and the above is what I have been doing (full disclosure: I do eat at a very high caloric deficit and I try to get in a pretty good cardio workout 4-5x/week).

I also have a huge sweet tooth. Have you tried sugar alcohols? They won't affect your blood sugar levels, though some people claim that they are knocked out of ketosis by it. I just made a chocolate cheesecake with Truvia(erythritol) yesterday and had three slices today and ketosticks still turn purple.

I just got the the part in Why We Get Fat that claims that even thinking about eating carbs can trigger insulin in your body so maybe it's a mental thing?

As for your love of Chinese food, I'm with you there. I miss it...

I got this one - https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Easy-Ketogenic-Cooking-Recipes/dp/1628601000/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482943942&sr=8-1&keywords=keto+cookbook

It's really great as the first twenty pages or so talk about the keto lifestyle and all sorts of different things from sweetners, to proteins. And fantastic recipes!

I eat my breakfast before working out. Eggs, bacon, pork, a little salsa. That usually gives me a little kick. Helps me wake up too knowing there's some good food waiting for me (I make the food in advance so I don't have to cook so early.)

Afterwards I have a whey protein shake I got in bulk on Amazon. You could actually do the protien shake with a little [creatine powder]
(https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Creatine-Powder-Unflavored/dp/B002DYIZEO/ref=zg_bs_3773431_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=TFWW9YVQXZW3HAMASQ19&th=1) mixed in before working out. That's worked well for me too.

I'm not a fitness expert so take that with a grain of salt, but it's worked well for me and it's reasonably easy.

You don't have to spend that kind of cash to get a good scale. This is the one I have and its very accurate:

http://www.amazon.com/Eatsmart-Precision-Bathroom-Technology-440-Pounds/dp/B0032TNPOE/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1412375981&sr=1-3

If you look at all of these Eatsmart scales, they all get very good reviews - and the reviews are in the thousands so they are very popular

I like to use a protein base gelatin, like Great Lakes Gelatin.

I don't think it would work very well. At best, it would waste a lot of squash. I've got one of these and am quite happy with it for making squash noodles.

It's the Weight Gurus app. I bought their scale and it's terrific. I weigh in every morning before I get in the shower, and the scale connects to my phone automatically to upload the results. It also tracks BMI, Body Fat, Lean Mass, Bone Mass, and Water Weight. The best part is that it's only $60.

Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_m-5dzbB6824Q1

Congrats on wanting to change your life! All of us r/keto-ers are happy to lend our support and encouragement.

But first, some real talk:

The hard part is re-learning what you know about diet and nutrition. For the past 50 years, doctors have been pushing dietary advice that is well-meaning, but based on some bad science.

For example, you say dietary fat is your "real problem," and that you're concerned about calories. These are the two biggest fallacies of mainstream dietary advice. What researchers like Gary Taubes have discovered is that, if you look at all the scientific research we have, most of what we've been told is just plain wrong. Most notably:

• Eating fat does not make our bodies create fat
  
• Calories are mostly irrelevant
  
  I second the recommendation to read Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. It's extremely important that you understand how and why your body creates fat tissue, and how a low-carb ketogenic diet corrects it. This is not a "fad diet." This is science.
  
  Cut out carbs, increase fat, and never look back.
  
  Do not worry about portion sizes.
  Do not worry about calories.
  Do not worry about fat.
  Do worry about what you eat, not how much. There's overwhelming scientific evidence that carbohydrates quite literally make us fat, and that fat and protein do not.

I've been using Optimum Nutrition's Double Chocolate Gold Standard Whey Protein powder since September of last year and I gotta say it tastes pretty damn good. :P

They have other flavors of course, including Cake Batter, Banana Cream, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Mint, Strawberry and Banana, Rocky Road, Tropical Punch, White Chocolate, Coffee, Caramel, and French Vanilla.
Sometimes Amazon will have good deals, other times you might find other places have it cheaper, but here's a link so you know what to keep an eye out for; http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Standard-Double-Chocolate/dp/B000QSNYGI

Cheers!

This is my favorite protein powder... Comes in a zillion flavors:

Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein

Add Water and stir. Top off the glass with HWC. Delicious!

I put 8g of this salt (3g of sodium) in a nalgene bottle every morning and sip on it until I start eating. I try to put about 2g worth of sodium on my food in the evening totaling about 5g of sodium per day as per NEOMGGeeWhiz's suggestion which I'm sure he got from this book because I recognize the beef bullion recommendation. I also take this potassium supplement and this magnesium supplement. I've been successfully ketogenic for over 3 years and these recommendations have worked for me!

LOVE this one

Bluetooth Smart Body Fat Scale by... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

This Stuff



They also make packets like Crystal Light packets if you will be traveling. Tastes pretty good. You might also check if your local GNC carries it.

I have these and I highly recommend them:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00629K4YK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are a lot of similar ones out there though and they all do the same thing. I got those because you can get a set of two cheaper than buying just one Silpat mat (which is the original I think?).

It prevents things that you bake on them from sticking, and it also makes cleaning up a lot quicker since you can wipe off the little bits that stick on there way easier than if they get baked onto a baking sheet. I use them when I make fathead pizza, cookies, jalapeno poppers, roasted chicken etc etc.

I use LyteShow and it seems to work fine. I also make my own bone broth and drink a cup daily...I've only used chicken carcasses, but I definitely plan to take a stab a beef bone broth here soon.

I'm a newbie, started keto just over 30 days ago so I may not know what the hell I'm talking about lol, but I haven't experienced any keto flu type symptoms and have adapted really quickly to this diet. I watched a bunch of videos and did a ton of reading before starting. This is a super easy to watch video that's packed with great information, including stuff about electrolyte loss/dehydration.

I just picked up Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman. Great reviews from everyone on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Definitive-Benefits-Low-Carb/dp/1628600071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420233480&sr=8-1&keywords=Keto+Clarity

There's no need for dairy anything, if you don't want it. I eat a little cream/butter/etc because I enjoy the flavor, but most of my fat calories actually come from medium-chain triglycerides.

Medium-chain triglycerides do not need bile salts for digestion; rather, they are absorbed directly via the portal system and converted to ketones in the liver.

This is the brand I get, as it's specifically only Caprylic and Capric acid.

-------------------------

It works great as a general-purpose oil. You can cook with it, use it as a salad dressing, whatever you like. It has no real taste of its own, so it will just carry the flavors of what you're cooking rather than influence them on its own.

I would like to chime in that the Emerald Dark Chocolate almonds are also GREAT and only have 1g sugar instead of 4g sugar in Blue Diamond's.

Emerald's do cost about 2x's as much as these ($.50/oz instead of $.25/oz). Amazon Emerald Dark Chocolate Roasted Almonds

Found them on amazon!

I got them from a local store earlier today and they have been among the most delicious things I've eaten recently. These will satisfy my occasional chocolate cravings

I ordered Greater Good's Weight Guru:

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Connected-Backlit-Greater-Goods/dp/B00N9ENKDI/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466167858&sr=1-4&keywords=Smart+scale.

I looked at the ones you suggested but chose this one bc of price and current rating/reviews. I hope it works as well as the ones you suggested.
My husband does not use MyFitnessPal. He uses Fitbit.
One of the cons I read is that is didn't sync to MFP, but they very recently made it so it can sync to Fitbit and THEN to MFP.
Once we get it I'll see if I can do that and let you know how it goes.

>sex week fast

Nooooooo.

>Is fasting healthy?

You can check out Dr Jason Fung's stuff.

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/

https://www.dietdoctor.com/category/science-and-health/intermittent-fasting

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012

>And does a sex week fast literally mean you don't eat for 6 weeks?

Correct. I consumed a gallon plus of water a day. Half a Costco multivitamin morning and night. 1 bullion cube (900mg sodium) and 1/4 tsp lite salt (290m sodium, 350mg potassium) 4 times a day. Magnesium spray/oil morning and night since magnesium pills gave me diarrhea while fasting. This fast and in the keto future I am dropping the bullion cube and just doing straight salt due to all the extra ingredients (sugar, msg, etc).

There are people over at /r/fasting that fast longer. There are at least 2 people that have fasted for about a year.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/

/r/IAmA/comments/1o5ndh/iama_guy_who_went_from_430_pounds_to_170_pounds/

>Can you PM me? I have a lot of questions.

You can ask any question openly here. Others could benefit from the dialogue.

> 1."chuck the lentils and potatoes"....how come? and what should i replace them with?

Because they're unnecessary carbohydrates without essential nutrients. There's better options if you're going to enter a ketogenic diet. Because you're eating these, you're missing out on better food options that could be providing you additional nutrients.

> also do you know how long one can be keto for? why not forever like the Inuit?

Forever. There's no requirement for carbohydrates in the human body.

> 3."manage your electrolytes"...what is the best way to do this?

Ensure you're getting enough sodium, magnesium and potassium. Read the FAQ for more information regarding electrolytes.

> also will the ratio of fat vs protein affect keytone levels/production?

Read http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708

May I ask why you don't want to have breakfast? Is it a time thing, or are you just not feeling it? Understandable either way.

I replace butter with coconut oil for the "Bullet Proof" coffee. Personally, I can't stand the mouth feel of 1-2 tbs melted butter. I feel as though it's all over my face once I'm done.

I'll alternate BP coffee with Tim Ferris' "Titanium Tea", which, I'll be honest, is not really for the faint of heart. Not quite as enjoyable as the BP coffee, but it's different... Spicy. Keeps me going without food til' 3-4pm. Health benefits from Turmeric and ginger, too.

Finally, something I've been messing around with is Chicken/Meat stock with a tablespoon or two of beef callogen. Will also add coconut oil to this. I personally love it.

I've read that the urine ketone test strips are not a good measure.

I've recently been reading Keto Clarity which has a lot of good information on how to measure.

But they basically say the most accurate way to measure ketones is a blood ketone meter or ketone breath analyzer. Ketones in the urine are inaccurate and could disappear after being keto-adapted for a while.

I bought the Precision Xtra Blood Glucose & Ketone Monitoring System and Ketonix to try it out for myself, so I could figure out my personal threshold. Haven't received them yet, so I can't tell you my results.

I really recommend that book though, it's a really good read so far. They went on to publish Keto Cookbook which I actually picked up first at Costco, and after reading that I picked up Keto Clarity on amazon.

I think so. I don't know a lot about all the science behind ketosis. But I know a lot about fasting though. Hypoglycemia is a common symptom of people transitioning into ketosis. As long as it isn't permanent, I wouldn't worry too much and I would just be a bit more cautious. The ketogenic diet is the most complex diet there is and not many have an extensive understanding of the biochemistry behind it (myself included). No other diet will change the actual energy that your cells use, so your body will undergo a lot of changes when it's trying to adapt. It is always best to read on these subjects. A book can tell you a lot more information than I can. I have not read any books on ketosis yet, but from what I have gathered, these are most commonly recommended: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keto-Clarity-Jimmy-Moore/dp/1628600071/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1453036057&sr=8-3&keywords=keto and http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Art-Science-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51OSaAmDQJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=1H3CKK9KE453H1J53HRX

I'm from the UK which means those URLs are for the UK. If you're from North America be sure to go to Amazon.com

I just picked up the dark chocolate cocoa flavour in eastern Canada yesterday but did not see this flavour. They are absolutely delicious!!

Refrence link

I unfortunately don't have an answer for your question. But if you are on medication already it will be definitely worthwhile to get yourself The Diabetes Solution by Dr. Bernstein. He has been a champion for the use of low carb diets for the treatment of diabetes for many years. He has got type 1 diabetes himself and at the age of 78 is still as fit as a fiddle.

I've been looking at these for awhile, trying to decide how much I would use it. Cook's tested spiral cutters and this is the one they liked best:
(http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1420128622&sr=1-1&keywords=paderno+world+cuisine+tri-blade+plastic+spiral+vegetable+slicer)

This is one $37, but it's awesome!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032TNPOE/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you, and I understand what you are saying completely. The one thing I think most low carb fans realize is that, as you rightly say, everyone is different, so it takes a fair amount of self-experimentation to find one's optimum low carb game plan, especially in the beginning.

The video that really did it for me regarding this 'cheat days' subject, was this one with Dr Stephen Phinney (co-author of that amazing book!) where he says that if you have a one day break, it takes 2 to 4 weeks to get back into a keto adapted state. Skip forward to 3 mins if you're in a hurry. :)

From this clip my take away was - if you are serious about this lifestyle change, then you will give your body the longest time you can to adapt fully to the new ketone fuel regime, especially in the beginning of the process. The longer you can maintain a period of uninterrupted ultra low carbs, the better the chance of you maintaining the lifestyle long term, and not falling back to bad habits again.

Get a bluetooth scale that tracks through your smartphone. It's gratifying seeing the changes over time. I recommend the weight gurus one on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Connected-Solution-including-Backlit/dp/B00N9ENKDI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GUQ0L2TQ5NFY&keywords=weight+gurus+scale&qid=1556298059&s=gateway&sprefix=weight+gurus+%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-3

I use LyteShow to supplement water and coffee and Lite Salt on food. The LyteShow is amazing though. Highly recommend it!

I started at 185, and came down to 150 at one point, but that was too much. Luckily I went back up 5 lbs. I wasn't really tracking weight loss / time, except roughly the whole thing was 2 months. I've been consistent, I wasn't doing it for fun! (diabetes; Dr Bernstein's plan, 30g / day). I haven't had any measurements taken; I know, I should.

These glorious things taste like candy.

No articles, but the book "The Diabetes Solution" by Dr. Bernstein pretty much advocates a ketogenic diet.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316182699/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1449287061&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=dr+bernstein+diabetes+solution&dpPl=1&dpID=51NMUWSvsEL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Science-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708

dense and technical but awesome.

Careful when you're eating that flavor, they have a few more carbs per serving. For chocolate almonds I like these, they're pretty tasty!

LyteShow on Amazon is my favorite! I don't supplement electrolytes otherwise.

ETA: I drink this with a squirt or two of Mio or Dasani drops and it tastes just like poweraid.

The best and easiest to understand explanation of all the science behind keto is in this book: "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable"

Well, I would say you should add some things that aren't particularly high protein, just mostly fat. With your current ratio it seems like you're probably getting plenty of protein.

So here's some foods that are mostly fat that I enjoy. Coffee with heavy cream. Macadamia nuts. Avocados. Cream cheese (yep, just straight up cream cheese). Olives. You get the idea.

I also supplement some oils. I drink a tbsp of Carlson fish oil every day to ensure my Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio is good. I also drink 2 tbsp of MCT oil every day before my bike ride because Medium chain triglycerides are highly ketogenic.

At any rate I get 70+% of my daily calories from fat, more if I do a lot of cardio so it's certainly possible to eat a lot more fat. I don't eat a lot of red meat, pork, or just meat in general either but in my case it's because they're a bit too high in protein (relative to fat) for my purposes.

I eat these and they fucking rock, plus they are a good source of fat
http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Cocoa-Almonds-Chocolate-Canister/dp/B001EQ55RW

if i am seriously wanting sugar, i eat some sugar free jello with some whipped cream on top.

I just bought this scale from Amazon.

If I weight myself (wearing the same thing) 3 times in 5 minutes, I'll get 3 different weights, with as much as 8 pounds difference.

The thing is rated for 440lbs, which I'm more than 100lbs under, and I'm not moving it or standing in a different way each time. It's on a stable, hard, linoleum floor. It went completely batshit when I tried to use it on carpet.

If you make a scale, please make sure it can do the one thing it's supposed to do.

Nuun is awesome, but that 1 g of sugar pisses me off a bit ( i know i know)

I heard this stuff is great, but haven't tried it yet:

https://www.amazon.com/LyteShow-Electrolyte-Concentrate-Rehydration-Magnesium/dp/B00EISFBYA/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1468336391&sr=8-2&keywords=electrolyte

I would also highly recommend Optimum Nutrition for your whey needs. After trying many types, I've found this brand (from Amazon) has the best mix of taste, "mixability", and cost. If thinking long term, wait until the price is ~$35 for 5 lbs or so due to a sale with Vanilla Ice Cream and Double Chocolate usually being the cheapest flavors, then apply S&S (don't forget to cancel) for a final price of just over $30. Excellent deal.

I can check later but if iirc, each 5 lb tub is 77 servings (serving = scoop) at 0.5g F, 3g C, 22g P per serving.

Same here. Bought it on Amazon. Works like a charm.

http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1410495551&sr=1-1

A daily bouillon cube for a significant sodium boost is recommended when just starting the diet. I cannot speak to your rapid heart rate specifically, but lightheadedness, generalized weakness, mild, gradual, intermittent headaches, constipation etc. are all helped if not completely resolved with sodium repletion.

If your symptoms persist even with this, it could very well be another cause - but mild hyponatremia (sodium deficiency) is very common when starting the keto diet.

The majority of my information is primarily from this book by Phinney and Volek, who've done extensive research on the diet.

I am not a physician and the above is not official medical advice. If you feel something is wrong with your heart, see that cardiologist.

I really love this eat smart scale. It has a capacity of 440 lbs and it's under $30!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0032TNPOE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1506403090&sr=8-1&keywords=eat+smart+scales

I hike and backpack. I try to avoid "extreme" heat, but my local area is desert/high desert, so 90 degree days with lots of exposure have happened. Managing electrolytes and avoiding those deep calf cramps is key. I like Nuun tabs, the Saltstick chewables that come in rolls, but I also have tried Lyteshow (a liquid electrolyte treatment) and found it works well to treat a whole 3L bladder before setting out for a day.

Totally normal BUT you are probably not supplementing electrolytes properly. Get some Lite Salt or magnesium/potassium supplements. In a pinch, grab a Powerade Zero. You'll feel better soon!! Hang in there!

​

Lite Salt

I would second this and also endorse Phinney and Volek as a great resource. However, I would suggest their book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living as it's more introductory than The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance, though if you're into exercise might as well get both. One thing I would add though: I wouldn't really worry about hitting these specific numbers. Any amount of saturated or monounsaturated fat is fine. The main thing to purposely strive for would be keeping PUFA fairly low (20% or less) and the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 balanced (1:1).

I was diagnosed with diabetes in January and I am taking long-lasting insulin and rapid-acting. I've started keto shortly after the diagnosis and adjusted my insulin dose accordingly.

At this point, I've been able to reduce long-lasting insulin (Lantus, from 50u down to 20) and almost removed rapid-acting insulin (1-3 units per day, vs. 15 units) to match my carb intake (<20g/day now) while maintaing a very good BG (I'm still making insulin).

There isn't a simple way to match protein/fat intake to insulin doses as far as I can find. This graph was useful.

I test my BG a lot to see the impact of different foods after eating. When eating a meal with less than 5-10g, I see my BG raise slightly, around 10-15mg/dL, then stay there for 2-3 hours and then go back to my base level.

My a1c went from 12.1 to 5.7 in these 3 months and lost 60 pounds switching to keto.

A couple of good resources that cover keto together with diabetes:

• Eating Academy
  
• Art and Science of Low Carb Living
  

The vegetti is inexpensive and works fine. The Paderno is slightly more expensive but easier to work with

I use the Bluetooth scale from Weight Gurus.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdm_itq1wb08229CS via @amazon

I know it doesn't do fat% very well, but very few scales will do that with any real good accuracy, so it's good enough for my purposes.

I use Great Lakes Collagen Powder

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Gelatin-Hydrolysate-Unflavored/dp/B005KG7EDU/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1536774416&sr=8-3&keywords=great%2Blakes%2Bcollagen%2Bhydrolysate&th=1

I was having a similar issue. During a whoosh I found that my body flushed a lot of electrolytes. I bought this stuff and it seems to do the trick, but the downside is that it doesn't really taste all that good. A good friend of mine who is also on keto uses these which taste a hell of a lot better, but I prefer the no additive stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's great!

It looks like this would be a helpful book/resource for OP:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316182699/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=asw07-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316182699

.....Let me get this straight..... you're in /r/keto... anti-grain, carnivore heaven, where just about everyone who participates loses a phenomenal amount of weight (~80lbs in 6 months here)....

and you're suggesting she eat a "normal" diet of "rice, potatoes or grains"?

Wow.... it's like preaching Catholicism in /r/atheist. I won't downvote you, but I would suggest you read a book. It's well written, and damn near every statement they make has a footnote to the scientific study behind it. If not a book, the FAQ would be a good place to start.

A large chunk of us are here BECAUSE "normal" diets didn't work.

I love my OXO. The display pulls out for when you put a large plate or bowl on it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WJMTNA

I love this brand.
http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Cocoa-Almonds-Chocolate-Canister/dp/B001EQ55RW

A few days ago I have ordered "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" which should be very good. According to Michael R. Eades this is the best low carb book currently in print.

> The body can't make energy just disappear because it perceives it differently. If the body absorbs an energy-containing molecule, then eventually, it has to either use that energy or excrete it unused.

At no point did Mob_Of_One imply any such thing. Your name along with the nature of your responses also leads me to not dismiss his creationist statement, either.

If you are really an engineer, I can understand your difficulty here. I read The Hacker's Diet years ago, and it made perfect sense to me... yet I still struggled to lose weight. It wasn't until this year when I read Why We Get Fat that things started to click.

The hump you need to get over is this: the human body is not a black box. You can't just dump any kind of "Calorie" in and expect the same result. The body treats incoming carbs differently from incoming fat. Carbs are digested almost immediately, and can even be broken down significantly in the mouth (try putting a Saltine on your tongue, see how long it takes for it to taste sweet). Because of this:

• eating carbs causes a significant and sudden spike in blood sugar, usually within 30 minutes of eating.
  
• too much blood sugar is actually toxic, so a panic insulin response is triggered.
  
• cells, both fat and muscle, start storing the blood sugar (this is what insulin does, among other things). The difference is that muscle cells have an upper limit on how much they can store. Fat cells do not.
  
• since the blood sugar drops quickly, but there's still insulin around. This results in feeling hungry again, fairly soon after eating.
  
  This doesn't happen with fats. It takes the body much longer to break them down... on the order of hours. The blood sugar level increases much more slowly and stays pretty even over the duration of digestion rather than spiking. A significant insulin response isn't triggered.
  
  
• edit - fixed link

This one is great for beginners, both recipes and explanations

I prefer this brand Optimum Nutrition Gold standard whey.

[Company Site] (http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-whey-gold-standard-p-201.html)


Amazon Store

It is seriously the best tasting Whey you will find. The idea for using Whey protein immediately after a work out is to absorb the protein into your muscles as fast as possible. Whey is good for about 2 hours. Using it with milk or a slow digesting protein defeats the purpose.

I got this one, it's awesome.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WJMTNA/ref=shptrk_scth

I just replaced ours as it wasn't very consistent. I got this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032TNPOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it's works great and very consistent. It was within 1 pound of my doctor's big fancy one.

> Oh and has anyone used Nokia's Body+ scale? It sounds pretty cool but like all techy stuff it costs a pretty penny...!

I have no experience with the Nokia but it seems kind of mediocre for the price, I own this basic one while my parents own this one but if you want features I don't think you could go wrong with:

• this one
  
• this one
  
• this one
  
• this one

https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478289229&sr=8-1&keywords=dr+bernstein%27s+diabetes+solution

Really excellent.

http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/

Randomly found her cookbook at Costco a few weeks ago, that's what started it all.

Food is all amazing. Even desserts!

Feels kinda weird referring to it as a diet given all the amazing food my wife's been cooking.

After only a couple of weeks I'm down 9lbs, appears to be water-weight, but it's a start.

tl;dr: buy her cookbook

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1628601000/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_1628601000

Here's a couple of portable options:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EISFBYA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1 This comes with a travel size dropper--but is also available as capsules.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IIGMC58/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1 This has several flavors, if you are in need of something more flavorful. Comes in little packets, or in a jar with a scoop.
Either of these is "just add to water" and you're good.

Your plan is good for a weight loss phase of a keto diet. In the maintenance phase you'll have to up your fat intake some, towards the 70-80% mark.

Don't worry about cholesterol in the diet as it doesn't have a huge effect on blood cholesterol levels.

If you have 30lbs or more to lose in total then don't be alarmed if you get blood work done and your cholesterol is higher than normal. Usually this is because your body is depleting it's fat stores, and will go down eventually.

If you're interested in the science and specifics, then check out this book by Phinney and Volek, it's a good read.

I got one of these last month, it's amazing. I have it with the Simply Organic or whatever 4 cheese marinara from Kroger (4 net carbs per serving) and it totally satiates my pasta cravings. I put the cores from the zucchini in the sauce too.

Organic beans are better because they have less toxins. MCT oil you can get from Amazon. NOW brand is $15.99 for 32 ounces

Read this: The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600012/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XV2.yb6NW74W8

Fascinating. And totally debunks a lot of the "common wisdom" that extended fasting is unhealthy.

Just looking at the reviews..

https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Standard-Double-Chocolate/dp/B000QSNYGI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

3g carbs 24G protein 120 calories and seems to be 'great tasting' according to the reviews.

I am looking at a protein shake to get rid of my peanut butter addiction after my workouts. I crave peanut butter pretty badly after weight training.