r/ketobeginners

Just got a new primary care physician and he is a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), and honestly I’m really glad I made the switch.

I had been kind of on the fence about my “pre-diabetes,” but this doctor corrected me and basically said it should really just be considered diabetes, not “pre.” That definitely got my attention.

He was very encouraging about getting healthier overall, and when I mentioned that I haven’t really been checking my blood sugar consistently, he suggested getting a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) so both I and the office can keep better track of things.

He also recommended a ketogenic diet and gave me Dr. Eric Westman’s “Page 4” handout to get started. I actually like how simple it is, but one thing I’m finding difficult is the 20g carb limit for the entire day. I’m realizing there are hidden carbs in SO many foods I never paid attention to before.

Right now I’m using Cronometer to track everything so I can stay at or near the 20g limit as best I can.

I’m the kind of person who likes to deep dive into things, and while I’ve dabbled with keto before, I never really committed long-term. Now that my health is on the line, I genuinely want to make this a permanent lifestyle change instead of another short-term attempt.

I was hoping some of you here could point me toward solid, trustworthy resources about:

• Dr. Eric Westman
• Keto/low-carb for diabetes management
• Beginner-friendly meal planning
• Reliable books, YouTube channels, websites, podcasts, etc.
• Grocery-friendly foods and recipes without super exotic ingredients

I’ve searched Google and Reddit already, but there’s so much conflicting information out there that it gets overwhelming fast.

Would really appreciate hearing what resources actually helped you succeed long term.

I have been on a keto diet for about six weeks. I started because I was interested in brain health. I’m not sure I’m seeing any difference there, but — wow — I’ve lost over 15 pounds. I love that, and I also feel like it’s really helped me take control over what I eat. But I don’t think I could do this long term. I like food. I like a good baguette, or sushi, or sorbet. How do I manage this? Is there any way to find some balance?

So the title seems kind of dumb, I know that food quality is important and typically eat whole foods; however, Wednesdays are our busy nights with extracurriculars and is always takeout night for us. We typically end up at McDonalds. I know the obvious, bunless burger without ketchup.

I'm staying under 30g net carbs a day and based on my current macros for the day I have enough carbs for a 4pc McNugget (10g net carbs) with room (6g net carbs remaining). I'm trying to be a little less restrictive this time around as the last time I did keto it became unsustainable for me and I fell off hard.

So the question is, if its in my budget should I have them and fulfill what I want in my day? Or since the actual breading is a keto no-no I just pretend they don't exist lol

Can somebody break down what I can eat on the keto diet? I’m 5’4” and 230 lbs. I am beginning to find it hard to breathe and I know I need a lifestyle change beginning with my diet. But everything I google just goes into the scientific breakdown of the diet then asks for money for different plans recipes. Etc. Please help

49 yo woman - 5'3 - 158 lbs.
I've been doing keto for weight loss for a little under 3 weeks and went into ketosis after about 4 days, with concentration climbing to high over a few days and staying steady since.

I cycle through 5 predetermined daily menu plans (where I measure e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g down to the half gram) so that I don't have to rethink a low-carb combo every single day. With those menus, my daily net carb intake oscillates between 5.5g and 11.5g per day.

Everything was fine and consistent, but suddenly since yesterday I've found myself no longer in ketosis, despite changing absolutely nothing. How is that even possible? I'm fasting until tomorrow hoping it will help, but I'm terribly confused about why this happened.

I’ve been strict keto for 2 weeks with intermittent fasting included.
I decided to have a carb day as I was at a celebration. I ate a lot of meats and some veggies but did have some chips and coleslaw that had sugar.

After that, my hunger got outrageous like I haven’t experienced. I tried to satisfy it with meats and that didn’t help so I ate some healthy carbs foods and then it kept getting worse and I ended up eating tons of trash food too.

I want to be able to have carb up days every few weeks without binge eating.

Is it possible?

Just completed my 3rd week of keto. Started feeling great last weekend. Brain so sharp and energised and felt like I was glowing. Was amazed by how few cravings I had. But I’ve been struggling this week with such extreme moodiness. Angry some days then so sad and tearful the other day. Is this a keto thing? Also been having some mild cravings this week. Just walked past a pizza place and felt a sense of mourning!! 😂

I want to try the keto diet for health benefits and to help me with a bit of weight gain, but at the same time mainly because I want mental clarity and stability in my mood. It seems that people have had those effects.

Does anyone have any suggestions to get started?
Should I get a Keto breath analyzer? Like the Lumen?

Thanks

Hello!
I’ve been on keto for about 3 weeks now. I bought the TRUEplus ketone test strips and after about a week in a half I went up to a small trace, 15 per the bottle. A day after and ever since, I’m back to just a trace, 5.
I consume less than 20g of carbs and no sugar a day. In the 3 weeks I’ve lost 7 pounds.
What am I doing wrong?

hey guys

will i be in ketosis if i’ll without oil. only sardines

like 5-10 cans per day or maybe less or should I change to some other fish?

PS. i have stomach issues as gastroparesis. can’t handle fat…

Hi there so new to keto I understand everything is diffrent but my questions are sorry I hope this is aloud.

How many carbs I seen someone say 20?
How to know when I’m in ketosis?
I’m doing this for energy as I’m 21 but always feel tierd despite working out now and again how long does it take to see differences like increased entry and focus?

Thanks

About a month into Keto and honestly it’s been amazing for my mental and physical health. I’m actually trying to maintain the weight i’m at right now, not really using this diet to lose weight, but regardless I like to track calories and carbs to get an idea of my body’s natural hunger needs.

Last night I was drinking, an odd and uncommon occurrence for me. Well, from that came me definitely eating way over my normal calories, but what surprised me is this:

my hunger made my body still default to stuff like grilled meats, cheese, egg salad, etc. instead of turning into a giant processed-carb event like I would’ve had before. Even my carbs only ended up around ~50g net, which is high for me since I usually stay around 20-25g, but still way better than the multi-hundred-carb crashouts I used to have, and for the activity level I am, likely kept me in at least a mild state of ketosis.

The craziest part is how different I feel this morning. Before Keto, if I overate, I’d wake up looking and feeling like a bloated swollen mess. Now it’s basically just “oh, I ate a lot,” and that’s it. No crazy puffiness, no food hangover, and I have not been hungry today, almost like my body naturally balancing itself out.

Big thanks to this Keto community too, because reading everyone’s experiences really helped me get here. Curious if anyone else notices that overeating on Keto feels completely different than overeating used to.