Reply to Tips/resources for converting to a low sugar/carb, keto diet

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[quote=Anonymous]Two things have been key for me.

One is the free app Carb Manager. Learning about carb content has been very educational. Although I was generally informed about 'bad carbs,' strict keto means being attentive to every little thing. Measuring (cream and oils, nuts, fruit and veggies) and logging keeps me accountable and on track. It proposes a calorie-protein-fat-carb plan based on your current stats and objectives. It's really great. I feel I'm eating enough and am losing weight at a slow but steady pace.

The second is keto substitutes. This both keeps me happy and allows me to proceed with family meals as usual. I'll use keto bread, pasta, bagels, and wraps for myself (Hero bread products and egg white spaghetti mostly) and make my family members food with the regular stuff. Sometimes I'll switch to a keto variant of our usual, which they haven't minded. This basically means alternatives to sauces that would normally contain flour or sugar. The new recipes tend to be heavier and richer than our usual, but they've liked them so far (really liked them in some cases!) and fortunately have no weight concerns themselves. Kind keto and Atkins snacks for when I'm craving an occasional 'sweet' treat.

Having enough food on hand is important. Cravings diminish pretty radically on keto, but if you need a snack, need to have keto ones on hand. I have a bin on the counter with my keto products, so I have no excuse to go for something that doesn't work with the diet.

A few other things. I started keto mainly because of pre-diabetes and before I hit even two weeks my blood glucose was much improved, so it's well worth it to me. Also, it's not my parent's keto. I do not eat tons of red meat and bacon. I have eggs with veggies, a keto bagel, or yogurt with berries for breakfast, a large salad most days for lunch and a good number of plant-based dinners, plus try to snack on healthier fat items like olives rather than always hitting the cheese.

Lastly, keto flu is real and not easy to push through for ~10 days. Taking it easier plus an electrolyte supplement and lots of water helped. By the 2 week mark, I felt normal again.

The negatives: constant meal planning and logging (though the latter gets easier over time) and pangs about missing some particular favorites. The keto substitutes are adequate so it's been much better than I expected, but I sometimes want to reward myself with Andy's pizza or a good bakery bagel, and need to resist. The keto substitutes are pricey too, but I don't think I'd manage perfect compliance without them. The health benefits do outweigh the negatives for me, especially since I did not want to do the shot for various reasons.

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