Has anyone tried a keto or other low carb diet?
 

Saw a documentary on Netflix about ketogenic diets and am intrigued. I don't think I could ever be disciplined enough to do full keto, but I think I can start limiting sugars and other carbs. Just wondering if anyone else has experiences pro or con with this kind of eating.

Edit: I just realized that it's not just about low carb; it's also about high fat. I think the recommendation is 50% more of calories from fat. Kind of hard to wrap my head around this idea.

Last June my daughter moved in with me for a few months while she was between apartments. We both wanted to lose weight, so we went almost-no-carb for about 4 months. We didn't follow a specific diet, just tried to eliminate carbs and didn't worry about fats. In fact we ate more fats than usual. I lost 20 pounds fairly quickly, but my cholesterol shot up. We ate lots of beef, bacon, eggs, cheese, and no bread, potatoes, etc. Since then I've managed to keep my weight pretty steady by trying to limit, but not eliminate, carbs, and my cholesterol came back down when I started substituting chicken and fish for the beef and bacon. This was the easiest diet I've tried, and I think I'll go back on it sometime this year and try to lose a bit more.

My SIL is on the keto diet. He calls it the no joy diet. Haven't had a report on how well it's working for him.

I have been doing Keto since Jan 1, 2017 and lost about 75 lbs but have been at a stand still for months now. Need to buckle down and stay away from the baked keto desserts and stick to whole foods that fit in to my macros and see if that helps get the scale moving.

This is the only thing that has worked for me. My blood sugar level is well back under pre-diabetic levels. Blood pressure is amazing had ll my blood test were recently done and Dr says they look great. Plus no more sleep apnea. I have tried every diet out there and had lap band surgery. I am at my lowest weight since Jr high and I will be 49 next month.

Keto works great - but it's a 100% discipline thing. My DH & I have altered our way of eating and have eliminated all sugars/carbs from our daily diet and we both feel so much better (while losing weight too!) After time it has become pretty easy to follow, we just feel better eating this way and when we do cheat and eat bread or sweets we immediately have the old recognizable feelings of being bloated, feeling lathargic, etc.. For us - it's been a wonderful lifestyle change.

I (try at this point) do a 'no flour/no sugar' diet. When I was totally serious about this I lost about 65 lbs in just over a year. No refined flour; no refined sugar. Natural starches/sugars are fine. So...potatoes; rice; other natural carbs are fine. Fruit also fine. It is a challenge initially reading lots of labels but it's very doable. I also never worried about portion size. It worked for me.

Keto works for my DD. She has lost a lot of weight but it's challenge to follow. I tried it and got bored with it. . Now I am doing the one window to eat after a long non eating window during 24 hours and that is working great for me. It's easy and fits the way I like to eat.

I've tried it twice. The first time, I had "keto flu" for about 2-1/2 miserable weeks, but started feeling somewhat better after that. I stayed on it for about 3 months, and did lose a handful of pounds, but nothing really significant. I tried again a few months later, but the results (or lack thereof) were the same. I never really felt right either time. Everything I'd read said that you'd have tons of energy, but that never happened with me. I just felt blah. You know that slightly "off" feeling you have a few days before you get sick, but you can't quite put your finger on exactly what's wrong? That's how I felt. :(

Maybe it wasn't compatible with my system or something. Other people swear by it, so maybe I'm just weird. (But y'all knew that already, right? LOL!) :D

My DD has been doing Keto for the last several months and has lost about 65 lbs. She looks fantastic and says she feels fantastic too. But it is more than just discipline. It is understanding how your body uses the food you eat. As far as the 'Keto flu' feeling, it means that your body needs electrolytes--a shot of pickle juice is what she would take if she felt that way. Believe it or not, salt and fat are good when carbs are severely limited. Again it is the 'right' fats that are key. Keto is also the only diet that has been scientifically proven to reverse stage 2 diabetes.

But before you just cut all carbs from your diet and start chowing down on steak and bacon, do more research and absolutely talk to a doctor if you have any health issues.

I tried it when I was in college - loved all the butter and bacon, lol!! But after a week or so I got up one morning and could barely drag myself from the bedroom to the living room. (small apt.) Took three tries to drag myself to the kitchen to get something to eat - I gave up and made toast and felt much better. But I think it screwed up my metabolism for years afterward, any time I had sugar I would get a "high" and then a "crash" plus intestinal problems. Like when I had syrup on pancakes.

Just my experience.