What do you wish you had known when you started keto?
, medical review by Dr. Bret Scher, MD
in Diet Doctor community 
Our Diet Doctor Facebook group is a forum for our members, where you can discuss all things keto or low carb.
What are some hot topics among our members? This is what trended in The Diet Doctor Facebook group last week:
What do you wish you had known when you started keto?
If you were to restart your keto journey, what do you wish you had known? This question was raised in a post in the Facebook group this week, and so far there are 181 insightful comments.
This a great topic to discuss. If you are new to keto and learn about mistakes that have already been made by those who have followed the diet for a long time, then you set yourself up for better success.
The only caveat is that you often learn best from your own mistakes, so don’t stop trying for fear of failure. Making mistakes is sometimes necessary to reach deep insights.
Here are some of the insights that our members shared about their journey:
- Prepare by reading about and researching the diet as much as you can before you start.
- Try intermittent fasting and don’t snack – these tips can be “game changers”.
- Fat bombs, keto supplements and MCT oil are not necessary. Keep it simple.
- Read labels! Just because it is labeled keto doesn’t mean that it is.
- Tailor the diet to your needs and don’t compare yourself to others because everyone is different.
- Stay off the scale and take your measurements instead. Sometimes the scale won’t move, but you may still drop a size.
What do you wish you had known when you started keto? Leave a comment below.
"Keep it simple" is a good one. I suppose some people find it easier to transition with keto recipes, but I wasted a LOT of time following a ton of recipes I simply didn't need to know about. casseroles are nice, I guess. I've found there are some goto foods (like canned sardines, pork rinds, avocado oil mayo, boiled eggs) and shopping tips that have been quite helpful.
The longer I do keto, the more awareness I have of how "clean" I'm eating, and the less processed crap (from stuff that's "technically okay, not very clean" like most sausages, etc., to "keto" bars, snacks, fat bombs, etc.) I strongly suspect these items are a hindrance, overall.
As for "too much fat," for many of us, there comes a time when it's helpful to dial back the fat a bit, in favor of protein, or even cruciferous and green leafy vegetables, where our body fat makes up the fat balance.
You may find this helpful!
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/cholesterol-basics
1. As others have said, bread substitutes are a waste of time and effort.
2. Plant foods aren't my friends. Cutting nuts and most veg made me stop feeling bloated all the time and improved my energy levels and mental health.
3. It's not worth trying to fit in with everyone else at family gatherings and holidays. From this year on I'm just bringing a load of stuff I can eat and sorting myself out.
7 cups salad
how much fat
how much protein
I could really eat a lot of meat and fat and salad but I don't lose the weight
What is the best way to eat your meals on a 16/8 fast or 18/6 fast??/
Thank you all
Since then I take more salt, magnesium and potassium. It never happened again.
Generally speaking, whenever you are eating, each meal should be a good balance of very low carb, moderate protein and high fat. We have a meal plan designed for fasting that you may find helpful.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/this-weeks-meal-plan-adapted-for-168-fasting