new to Keto

Hi Friends, I am still learning about Keto, but I have been eating a low carb diet for years. My school year is ending soon, and when I have time, will research and study this concept. (11 more days of school. YAY!) I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes about 4 years ago, and have changed my life and my diet in order to stay healthy. I am not on any medication for Diabetes. I know that this lifestyle is good for me!

Thank you all for the comments. After my comment I am going to check out the links you gave me James. For years now we have been eating as much whole food as possible, and cut out a lot of processed. I have been making fermented foods and quite like how my body has reacted to including them in my diet. I have noticed how cravings change when I eat more of them and how sweets don't seem to taste as good. Money has been tight the last while and I find the we tend to up the carbs to stretch the meals, we have chickens and I don't like eggs lol Quiche I will eat but lots of cheese to hide the egg flavor lol I quite like the idea of not mixing the carb dish into the meal and keeping it separate. I want to show healthy habits to my kids without seeming like I am stressing over the process. I do want to lose weight and I am fine with the slow and steady race I am interested in the Keto because I have heard about it before and like the idea of cutting out the crap calories.

SCARLETFERN,
one other thing you seemed to be asking was "I have been losing but I am interested in the Keto diet."

I hope my first post in this discussion (which the link takes you directly to) will satisfy that interest:

www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/team_mes
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geboard_thread.asp?board=0x28232x655R>75877x1xfirst
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I also agree with Ramona's suggestions about the transition of becoming Keto adapted. My opinion is that when one eats mixed meals (both fat protein and carbs all together) that one is a sort of jack of all trades, master of none.

In other words you get calories from all of them, but not so efficiently, except perhaps for carbs. When you first cut carbs the body is not so efficient at burning fat, either your own or dietary fat, and this can be mitigated by eating yet more food (just not carbs). After some weeks the body more efficiently burns fat, one is less hungry, and one tends to eat less. So in the first few weeks of Keto I think one should focus on cutting carbs, not both carbs and calories. After a few weeks then cut calories also if need be.

Edited by: -JAMES- at: 6/2/2017 (12:03)

Hi, Fern. Our family (myself, Mr. and a 13-year-old daughter) all eat the same way for the last 6 years, and everyone is thriving. We started down this path due to a variety of health issues: anxiety, obesity, skin anomalies, digestive distress, impaired immune function, headaches, SAD, and more.

I don't cook non-keto foods at all.... we are a sugar/grain/starch-free family... and eat very limited dairy. The only difference between us and our daughter is that our daughter eats fruit (I don't eat any fruit), and she eats as much and as often as she wants. Her own carb levels go up and down, depending on her activity levels... and generally her grams of carb per day are a lot higher than mine (maybe triple?)... though I've never tracked her food intake.

Some days (depending on her activity levels) she eats all day, and other days she eats next to nothing. During the school year she eats three meals a day, but as soon as school is out, within a day or two, she drops down to two, and if she's really being a slug, she'll eat only one meal a day. I like to think that what I'm watching is a properly working metabolism in action.

Additionally, our daughter has beautiful skin (no acne issues at all), never moody, has no hormonal/PMS issues (unlike her freinds), has tons of energy, amazing body composition, and is very strong... the parents of her peers often comment and wonder why their girls seem to be less muscular and tending toward getting heavier, while my Divine Miss O just keeps humming along.

Teachers have also noted that our daughter doesn't have any of the distractability issues and energy slumps other kids have... they are very aware of how different her lunches are from the others, and feel there is a correlation. They often say they wish all the kids at school ate the same way.

The thing with transitioning a family (kids in particular) to a keto compatible nutrition model, is that initially you need to be prepared for them to eat A LOT. Until they are fat-adapted, they will be HUNGRY, and unless they can eat freely, things won't go well. When we began, I made sure the fridge/pantry was FULL of on-plan food (hard-cooked eggs, nut butters/celery, cooked roast, pork rinds, pepperoni sticks) and I cooked more than usual for every meal and just let everyone eat when they were hungry. It took about a month, but then things settled back down, and appetites returned to normal, and even decreased.

I also don't cook non-plan foods for guests... I just make sure there is lots to eat, and no one has ever gone away hungry or complaining... in fact the exact opposite, LOL!

I am the only one in our house who restricts carbs. I have a 10 year old son, a 15 year old stepson and my husband. I don't make separate meals. Sometimes I do what James does and makes a side full of carbs that everyone but me eats. We still have their carb snacks in the house, I don't eat them. They all enjoy my main dishes I've made however my husband is a little leary of eating zucchini. I made pasta salad the other day, while cutting up the veggies, I put some in a separate bowl without pasta for me. The next time I make it, it won't have pasta at all, there was no difference in taste so my family can eat it without pasta.

SCARLETFERN,
eating Keto is a healthy way to eat whether you want to loose weight or not. It basically cuts out the nutritionally empty calories, sugar being the poster child for that, all calories, zero nutrition, no vitamins, minerals, essential fats ... zero.

I view Keto as getting the most nutrition at the least calorie cost, which indeed is great for loosing weight as your body gets all it needs for structure, while cutting the pure energy stuff.

As for the rest of the family. I don't have that issue, but when we have guests we provide an extra dish or two where all the carbs are located, and for me easily avoided. Let say we have steak, salad with low carb dressing, like ranch, and boiled broccoli with melted cheese on top for supper. Then we will add one dish, like mashed potatoes for those that want carbs.

We don't make "mixed" dishes, which have carbs mixed with other things. Lets say a fish dish, we make fish with a little lemon on it, not breaded fish, which would mix the protein in the fish with carbs in the breading.

Edited by: -JAMES- at: 6/2/2017 (10:07)

Please do look through the forum... there's a lot of great information here. I've learned a lot.

In regards to your question about the keto diet and the rest of the family. There have been studies showing that keto is great for kids. From what I understand, it first came about as a treatment choice for seizure in children. I would be comfortable serving up keto friendly foods to my kids. When I started, my kids were already teens and my DH is a stubborn Norwegian, so they don't eat as I do. I make up meals and freeze individual servings for myself. That way I have something to eat when I serve them something not on my diet.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing your progress.

Hello I am not so new to sparks, was here a few years ago lost some weight and I have been back for three weeks. I have been losing but I am interested in the Keto diet. I am also wondering how many of you have kids and how much of the diet does the rest of your family follow or do you make different meals for everyone in the house? I guess I will go look over the forums and see what I can learn.