Keto seems to he more involved as far as macros. Carbs,protein,fat. Lots of people I know who tried keto got frustrated with having to shove down those fat bomb things to met their fat requirement. I do simple low carb. I try to keep it under 30 carbs a day. I got that number from a doctor i went to a few years ago who had a weight loss clinic. His plan is easy: unlimited portions of meat, non starchy veggies, full fat dairy,eggs,nuts. No sugar,starchy veggies,bread,rice,pasta,potatoes, yada yada. Limit fruit.

I find that I used to stay in ketosis up to 50 carbs a day, but for some reason that has changed,so 30 is the magic number for me now. If I stick to those basic guidelines of the docs what to eat/not to eat, I dont keep track as far as looking up and adding up carbs for everything. I do keep a food journal though. And it works for me. It keeps me from munching when I am not hungry, if i know I have to write it down or record it in my phone. It's one time my lazy nature benefits me.

Really when you think about it, Weight Watchers and the Diabetes diets are low carb diets and for some, a more comfortable option. If you don’t want to participate full throttle in Weight Watchers they have a really good App available. When I need to kick start a change in diet, I will watch for when they allow you to join without that initial fee. I buy 90 days worth of participation and reevaluate when the time comes. The app seems to have something for everyone in it. Just a thought....

If you are interested in an app, try carb manager. It's free and easy. It is specifically designed for keto. But I use it as my food journal sometimes. I also use it to look up food items to check the carb count if I am unsure such as with restaurant food. I dont use it THAT often, since I try to stick to the guidelines above and it works but sometimes I need to check,and it has saved me from ordering deceptively carby foods before.

Amylou I like that plan although I have heard that eating too much protein can produce glucose through gluconeogenesis. And 30 carbs seems manageable. Previously when I did keto I kept carbs under 15, but I love tomatoes and tomato sauce which is higher in carbs, and I like cooked carrots, and I just don't want to give up on some of the higher carb veggies, and I definitely do not want to skate in and out of keto.

I admittedly know nothing about the keto, but I do know that animal protein is much harder on the kidneys than plant based proteins. Just something to consider when building your recipe box.

Amy, thank you for mentioning that app. I’ve never heard of it but it something I’ll be looking into, as well as the keto aspect.

This is an interesting article I came across today. Geared toward doctors, but is easy to read and clears up some misconceptions about low carb and keto eating. Maybe it’ll help? https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/skeptical-doctors

Your body will make glucose from several foods not just protein especially when it is not receiving enough glucose and other sugars for proper brain function. The elderly in nursing homes that are diabetics seem to be more prone to do this than younger people.

I have never tried Keto, but when I'm doing low carb to lose weight, my goal is to consume no more than 30 grams per day. I'm currently on maintenance and am able to maintain my weight at 50 - 60 per day which is enough to allow a hamburger bun, slice of toast/English muffin or even a small dessert if I want.

Above all, learn to read a nutrition list, On back of every pkg. of food or ingredients you buy. And remember---portion control is the key.

While portion control is important, to me appetite control is the key. I can eat an oversize portion of meat and it keeps me satisfied longer, it works out to have less carbs, and at the end of the day because I am less hungry, I consume less overall calories.

I like cereal, but rarely eat it. I was reminded why the other day. An hour after eating a bowl of cereal, I was famished and had to make myself a second breakfast. On the other hand, when I have my usual breakfast of an egg scramble containing veggies and some sort of protein, it keeps me satisfied until late in the afternoon, sometimes even until dinner.

I do low carb. My body seems happiest with about 30 carbs per day, but I usually allow myself one splurge day each week with 50 carbs. I try to get all my carbs from fruits and vegetables, no sugar and minimal complex carbs.

My DD who has been doing keto pretty strictly since March of last year, said a keto diet should be less than 25 grams of carbs. So those of you eating 30 or less are doing pretty good.

Because of her crazy nursing schedule, she does a lot of meal prep on her days off so she can have something to grab and go for a dinner meal at work or something to eat for her and her DH than requires no prep at home for either of them. She found that after several months, her appetite decreased as well. She does go off keto for Christmas, not denying herself foods she really enjoys on special occasions or on vacation when it’s hard to eat strictly.

She is an excellent cook, but yes, she has had some fails too. Haven’t we all. She isn’t afraid to try new things and adjust recipes to their own tastes. I would say cauliflower and riced cauliflower have been her salvation in cooking. I use it a lot more frequently myself in place of noodles, rice, or potatoes.

Here is a site I go to. LCNEIGHBORHOOD dot com. It used to be lowcarbfriends, with no longer exists. Give it a looksee.

This article popped up in my feed today, so I thought this thread would be a good place to share the link: You probably aren't in ketosis

I did keto for a month before I had to quit. I don't eat meat so it's difficult. I was over eggs by day 3 and the week before I quit I was eating nothing but veggie sausages and cheese and diet soda floats. I lost all taste for vegetables and couldn't stomach the idea of a salad. It was very strange.

I should be doing low carb with my insulin resistance. I am currently just calorie counting and trying to minimize refined carbs.

Those urine keto strips are supposedly not very reliable. I've been testing for a week of eating very low carbs and day after day the strips have shown negative.

My son is on his way over and I decided that as long as I'm not in ketosis I might as well order pizza. But, hadn't tested since yesterday and went ahead and did a test and it is bright purple. So, no pizza. I worked too hard to get into ketosis, now that I'm here I'm going to stay a while.

Eat the toppings only. It's the best part anyway. ;)

The urine strips measure excess ketones being disposed of. Sure there are more accurate tests,such as breathalyzers and blood tests, but the urine strips are a good enough indicator when you are in ketosis.