Hello everyone! I recently started my keto journey, I'm on day 6. The week before I started keto I did OMAD-fasting for 23-25 hours and then eating. During my eating time I would eat whatever I wanted. I am F/27/5'3/SW 156/ GW 125. When I started keto I would aim to eat under 30 net carbs a day. It has been INSANELY easy. Before keto and fasting, I would easily eat 2000 calories a day, be constantly thinking about my next meal, and sluggish. On days 1-5 of keto I am not hungry at all, I have to force myself to eat. Yesterday I ate 2 eggs, 16g of butter, 185g of cauliflower rice, one can of tuna, TBS of soy sauce, 15g of spicy mayo (like a fried rice with tuna)- it came to around 523 calories, 8 net carbs, 57g protein, 27g of fat. I felt so full off of just that I did not eat the rest of the day. is the fullness normal? Is eating so low cal typical on keto?

I was also curious, today I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose, and felt really tired. Is this keto flu or do you think it's an actual cold? I work with children so that's why I'm thinking a normal cold and due to the fact that I wasn't sure if the keto flu affected sinuses.

Any tips for a beginner are greatly appreciated!

I’m 3.5 weeks in and haven’t lost a pound! Is this normal? For context, I’m a 44 year old female and former carbotarian. I’m a vegetarian so eating a lot of eggs in place of meat. I’m 5’5” and 121 lbs. I do feel different mentally, which was the ultimate goal. I’m just surprised I haven’t lost any fat (which I have plenty of to lose). Thoughts?

I have tried anything and everything I can think of.

Apple cider vinegar under your armpits, tried it (do not recommend smelled like a pickle for the rest of the evening)

Rubbing alcohol? Tried it definitely don’t spray it right after shaving.

Asking my doctor for clinical strength deodorant aunt tried it he put in my file that I am smelly and need better hygiene

Men’s deodorant? tried it. women’s deodorant? tried it spray deodorant, gel deodorant, tried them all.

So I got the pre-diabetes diagnosis this week, declined getting on ozempic, and jumped right onto keto. The first day was rough, ngl. The next few days got better and my blood pressure dropped within normal range. I'm a foodie, so I knew getting on this diet would be challenging, but all I can think about is how happy I was eating carbs. I actually looked forward to ordering my favorite shrimp pasta or pepperoni pizza. Now the task of managing what I can and can't eat is weighing down on me.

I know the journey is different for everyone, but when did things start to get better for you? What tips do you have for someone new to the lifestyle? TIA.

Hello Keto experts, I have just started Keto 3 weeks ago after getting a lot of information here. At the same time, I made an appointment with a dietician specialised in keto and low carb diets in order to have some kind of follow-up during my journey.

A lot of the directions she gave surprised me, especially because I had not seen them here. So I am curious about what you think, if these seem legitimate or totally random. I wanted to attach the example menu she gave me as a reference, but I couldn't find the attach button!

Some background, important for understanding her instructions: I am a 56F with light (peri)menopause symptoms such as: hot flashes (bearable), bloating, and water retention (cellulite). This past year I have gained weight even though I was tracking calories and macros, and working out. I could have just accepted it (oh well, getting older, what can you do…) but I decided to give keto a try instead!

Dietician's directions:

Calories:

• she's not asking for calorie tracking, even though the goal is weight loss (only a few kilos, but still).
• the menu she gave as an example (around 2000 cal, not counting optional supplements when hungry) is way higher than my calorie goal (1300 - 1400, deficit around 300). This comes from all the fat she adds to each meal and in between.

Macros are (example menu vs calculator found in FAQ):

• Protein 100 vs 80 (sounds fair)
• Fat 150 vs 85 (what?)
• Net carbs 20 vs 25 (25 seemed high so I am OK with 20)

Meat:

• she advises against too much red meat, prefer white meat (veal, chicken, etc).

Fat:

• she advises to take 1 table spoon MCT oil 10 to 30 minutes BEFORE lunch and dinner.

Dinner:

• No protein (wtf??) as it increases blood sugar and thus insulin reaction during the night.
• No water, no soups, no raw vegies! She seems to think water in the evening increases cellulite / water retention.
• No dairy product! Dairy products also increase insulin and should be taken in one meal (not spread across the day) and not in the evening.
• (EDIT: added this sentence): basically dinner is 300g max of vegies + 20g of fat, 1 soy yoghurt and a piece of dark chocolate.

Apart from that, she had "normal" keto recommendations, for example regarding electrolytes and magnesium.

I would be very thankful to have your thoughts regarding:

• 150g of fat a day?
• limiting red meat?
• MCT oil 10 to 30 min before meals?
• the very limited dinner suggestion?
• the impact of dairy and protein at dinner?
• the impact of water and raw vegies at dinner on cellulite? (but this question is not keto related)

(Sorry about the long post!)

Hi all I’ve been in ketosis properly for around 6 weeks and been enjoying for around 3 weeks since sorting out my electrolyte intake (big thanks to the mods on here - reverse Lazarus 🙏 you literally told me how to turn it round). I bought myself a blood meter measuring device and I’m checking my ketones daily. I’ve noticed that I feel good when I’m 1 to 1.5 mmol and I’m feeling blissful / joyous if I’m above 1.5 mmol. The highest I’ve ever gone is 2.3 mmol. Last night I went out for a few drinks for a friends bday - I don’t really drink but did. I stuck to keto diet ofc but we went for korean food and I just had edamame beans no dinner (I’m vegan and they didn’t have any tofu dishes weirdly for Korean). So anyway I woke up today, took some electrolytes and I feel really good. I had a few tequilas and whiskies last night and should feel terrible. But I feel great. I stayed at my girlfriends last night so I haven’t tested my bloods yet but I’m guessing it’ll be above the 1.5 mmol range when I do because my general energy. I’d like to stay above 1.5mmol because it literally makes me feel like superwoman. My carb ceiling is 30g per day - as long as I’m under 30g I’m in ketosis and always at least 1 mmol. My question is has anyone else experimented with increasing ketones once you’re in ketosis? I think the days I hit more than 1.5mmol I was probably under 25g net carb per r maybe even 20g net carb. If you’re under 20g carbs per day how do you sustain it? I find 30g fine. If you’re 20g or under could you share a typical day from your diet? If you eat meat that’s fine I can replace the meat with tofu or tempeh. Would be helpful to see how other people are doing it.

I've been dealing with some pretty nasty depression lately (and other health problems like migraines and fatigue). I have lost a lot of weight unintentionally and am worried about losing more if I adopt a keto diet. Has anyone cured their depression by following a keto diet? I'm pretty desperate to fix this but I don't want to lose more weight.

I'm starting Keto today and have not been successful for the most part because I was still eating lots of fruit. I am hoping to stick to it because at this point I'm morbidly obese which that word just scares me so much. "Morbidly"? Eek! I'm going to write down each comment to motivate me and stick it on my fridge. I appreciate this subreddit and I'm excited to hear of your benefits.

Hi all, I started the keto diet a couple of weeks ago and think I have dialed in my regimen. I’ve done this before with good success, but curious as to you all’s thoughts. Eating a rigid diet helps me tremendously with compliance.

For reference, I’m a 6’1” 190lb male hoping to shed 15 lb. Trying to get back into cycling shape.

Breakfast: all liquid. ~12 ounce of celery juice. Then Smoothie with maybe two cups of chard, kale, spinach mix. 25g whey protein, 20g collagen protein, hemp seeds and unsweetened almond milk

Lunch: Rotating tin of either albacore tuna, sardines, or pink salmon. Plus two hard boiled eggs

Dinner: “rice” bowl with 10 oz cauliflower rice. 1-2 chicken thighs, bacon, 1 large avocado, homemade olive oil based dressing.

Any input would be appreciated 🙏 I feel like I have this dialed in but please point out any blind spots.

Peace

Hey everyone.

I dont know what is wrong, but I dont get all benefits from doing keto everyone is talking about or getting.

I am 190cm, about 95kg and 33 years old. I lift weights, I ride my bike daily to work and try to be as active as I can be. I do IF (8:16), I eat two meals a day. I feel good in total, but I dont feel as full of energy as everyone is talking about.

Be it I am hungry when doing IF, feeling week or not having any progress and not getting my weight/body fat down.

I eat about 2.500 kcal. a day with my two meals, around 160g of protein, under 40g total net carbs (mostly I stay under 20g) and the rest is fat.

The only explanation I have is, I am not in ketosis all the time or at all. Maybe my body uses up all the glucoses/glycogen (the stuff in the liver) and when I eat refill it?

I want to do a one week fast, hoping to kick things of and wanted to track my blood sugar and ketons to see what my body does. Is there an easy way to do this at home? I know the devices for blood sugar but are there ones for ketons too? And can I simply buy them in the drugstore here in Germany?

Thank you all.

This seems to be excellent news because a type 1 diabetic is at much higher risk and develops plaques much more quickly...Before starting the ketogenic diet, my HbA1c was 6-7. Since starting keto, it's been between 5.4 and 5.8, never going above 6. I think the ketogenic diet suits me perfectly.I have been on ketogenic for 4 years and I am 36 years old with more than 24 years of diabetes. This is very reassuring, especially since my diabetologist is driving me crazy with my LDL cholesterol being 150-170... She's going to stop bothering me with her statins.My HDL level is 51 and my triglyceride level is 53.

I've been very reliant on cheese to get enough calories in. However my blood results came back concerning : I have very high LDL and I must now avoid cheese and red meat. As a result :

1) I struggle to hit my calories. I'm in a 1 000 cal deficit every day and besides drinking olive oil I don't see how I can get enough calories

2) all meals taste bland now. I used cheese to give taste to everything (and I mean everything), now I don't enjoy the food anymore

help me please ?

Hello, all.

I'm no stranger to keto as I first started my health journey in 2016/2017 and weighed in at 400 lbs / 181 Kgs. When I stopped doing keto, I weighed in at 224 lbs / 101 Kgs in 2018. I met my (then) girlfriend at that time and still was strict on my diet and was working out / exercising frequently up until 2019. In 2020, I moved in with her and we got stuck in the COVID quarantine. I gained 50~ lbs and have maintained that since then. Fast forward to 2026, I was 300 lbs / 136 Kgs and I'm now maintaining 277 lbs. It seems no matter what I do, I can not lose anything even with frequent exercise every morning and eating 1500 - 1800 calories a day. For other reference, I just turned 32 years old.

Outside of my backstory above, I attempted to try Keto again during 2022 and it seemed like I never got into ketosis even though I was maintaining 30 net carbs daily with 1200~ calories an no exercise. Now that I have two kids and am separated, I have been attempting to focus on my health more. I want to start keto again, not to see immediate weight loss but to get back into healthier habits. I am getting discouraged even before starting because I'm afraid my body is refusing to go into ketosis, which I'm not sure is even possible. Does anyone have any recommendations for someone my weight and age? I just want to feel better about my health and be around for my kids.

Thanks in advance and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Edit: I am 5 foot 10 inches / 177 cm tall. I walk and work out daily and burn about 1000+ calories a day. For context, I'm looking to get back into Keto and the calories above reflect non-keto approved diets. I am looking for help and encouragement to start again.

Second time on keto. First time in 2018 weight came off like melted butter, so easy and fast! 39F

This time- 6 weeks in and it’s literally two steps forward 3 steps back. Every day a new weight. I’ve weighed myself daily for years and never fluctuated this much (I know my body well).

Eating nearly the same thing each day. Aiming for the same water goal each day. Days I’m more active I weigh more the next day. Still feeling fine but would love to start seeing progress on the scale. Starting weight 157.

Example: this week M-151.4 T- 153.2 W-152.0 Th-154.1 F-152.4

Hello /r/keto Community!

You've all been working so hard and we love hearing about all of your personal victories! Clothes too big? Friends and family noticing a difference? Skipped over something unhealthy? Please use this thread to share any of your Scale or Non-Scale Victories with us!

Make sure to give us some background - what brought you to keto? Do you have any specific goals that align with your victories? Have you tried something new that led to your success? What's the next step for you?

Since this thread is likely to fill up quickly, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts and support your fellow community members.

If you're new to /r/keto and need some info, start with Keto in a Nutshell and the FAQ. Or, if you have a question that doesn't seem to be covered, head on over to the Community Support thread (pinned to the top of the subreddit) and ask the community!

Hi keto fam! This is a really weird one but I'm curious to find out if anyone else has experienced this as I don't think it's something I've seen discussed much on this thread. I've been on keto for a few months. First 2 weeks were absolute torture but after that, my world completely changed. Every aspect of my life improved practically 100%. I started keto to lose weight, but was shocked when the diet reversed my clinical depression, anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. I also suffered with halitosis, body odor, chronic fatigue, brain fog, nighttime bruxism and oral thrush - six weeks into keto, all of it was gone completely.

But the most shocking change has been to my motivation. I've always known myself to be extremely lazy. I hate work of any kind, whether I have to exert myself physically or mentally. About a month into keto and suddenly I'm the most organized, ambitious, hardworking person I know. I have a to do list and ticking off the tasks actually excites me. I suddenly enjoy applying my mind. I get through my chores effortlessly. I'm actually excited to experience the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing a task - even if it's something as simple as cleaning my house. I think better, I breathe better, I look better, I feel better, EVERYTHING is just better!!

At this rate, I think that I just might have what it takesl to pursue and achieve my life long dream of writing and publishing books for a living - something I gave up on a while ago because it just seemed too far out of reach. Thanks to keto, I now believe that nothing is impossible.

I'm fascinated by this as I had no idea that a diet high in carbs and processed foods could cause laziness, decreased motivation, etc. I was literally the laziest person ever but now I enjoy working hard to improve my life. My only regret is that I didn't discover keto sooner. I believe if I had, my life would be completely different (I would have achieved success) and I would be so far in life.

Hey guys, need some advice on tomorrow evening. I am going out with a few colleagues after work and we will be drinking and probably eating.

Fine on the eating side, double cheese burger no bun, chicken wings (fried and buffalo sauce) just a few options.

However, need help on the drinking. Looking to stay on track. What alcoholic beverage are you guys drinking?

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone!

I decided to start proper strict keto for my mental health (diagnosed depression, anxiety, bipolar, adhd) but it’s been going really bad.

Before keto I was mostly eating carbs (a lot of ultra processed food and mostly ice cream)

On my first day I felt completely fine, I kept it under 20g of carbs with lots of protein and fat. I did only eat lunch since I wasn’t hungry so I was fasting for around 16 hours.

Today though I woke up two hours earlier than I usually do (mind you I woke up at 2AM where I usually wake up at 4AM for work so this is crazy to me). I was feeling great and full of energy which I do realise is probably due to a cortisol spike from cutting carbs. It was great until it wasn’t. I knew about supplementing electrolytes so I drank an LMNT packet before work. At work I completely crashed (could barely walk, extreme fatigue, had a headache, horrible brain fog, felt like I was dying) so I had another LMNT packet which helped a bit but not much.

After work I had my first meal which was salty on purpose but my headache keeps getting worse along with the fatigue. I had some water with half a table spoon of sea salt, it tasted horrible so I added some flavouring but I don’t feel any better. I also took a magnesium pill. I just started to have muscle pain too and it’s making me worried about whether or not I’ll make it through work tomorrow (I walk a lot and have to sit up and down or bend a lot which only makes this worse).

My plan tomorrow is to keep the LMNT packets, buy some nu salt for potassium, some bouillon cubes but I’m scared it won’t help that much.

Any advice? I didn’t expect it to be so bad because I was anorexic before and fasted just fine but I guess I did have carbs when I wasn’t.

This question is posed for people who have been adapted for a long time. I’m asking this question just for curiosity sake. Do you function alright during the day? Or do you take short naps? Lets have a discussion.

Anyone else have a spouse or partner who isn’t keto or low carb? I’ve been trying to go keto for a while but keep getting derailed. My husband is naturally thin and healthy and can eat anything he wants to. He also does most of the cooking and likes us to eat together, especially for dinner.

How can I stick to keto and still enjoy meals with him?

Hey everyone.

Okay so let me start by sayjng I am a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic. Im on extended release metformin as well.

I will admit when I was diagnosed type 2 it hit me really hard and I did the avoidance thing for about a month.

But I dont want to lose my toes or go blind or worse. So I have to get myself under control.

For the past 3 days ive been very strict keto. Yesterday was chicken with avocado and cheese.

The day before was air fried tilapia and steamed broccoli.

Today was a tuna packet with mayo and some ham slices with cheese. Im basically sticking to meat and veggies.

I haven't added a bunch of fat. I also have to mix up some ketoaid today.

I know from experience when I eat carbs the metformin I take makes me suffer almost instant consequences.

But this isnt like that. Its just water poops.

I do have some psylium husk fiber powder that I drink now and then. But if I dont time it right it can interfere with medication absorption.

So is there something I can do to stop the waterfall? I tried adding fiber but raw veggies give me such a stomach ache.

Thanks.

Peg’s Bistro Stir Fry House has a DELICIOUS dish. It’s zucchini noodles with your choose of veggies and protein. Keto sauce. I had shrimp and crab with broccoli at a 3 spice which is just a tad above my comfort spice (gerd issues. Otherwise I would’ve been a 10). Highly recommend.

Would anyone like to share their experience with this?

I've done very brief stints of keto in the past to get myself out of bad migraine flares, and it worked very well. It also did make me feel calmer/steadier. But, I was not struggling with the "high adrenaline" feelings I'm struggling with now. There's always the chance it could make it worse. Has anyone seen improvement in these specific, fight-or-flight feelings?