mrhappyoz’s keto guide and induction hack

Basic Keto How-To

First, I'll preface this by saying "it's totally worth it."

Keto is more of a lifestyle and ideology change, than just another “fad diet”. It involves temporarily removing a bunch of "bad" things from your life, namely sugar and carbohydrates in general (fibre is an exception and is highly encouraged as it nourishes your gut flora, which then produce short-chain fatty acids).

This change in dietary habits means that eating at home is easy, fun and full of cheese or other tasty fatty foods you traditionally considered “bad”, but eating out at restaurants and other places can be sometimes challenging, depending on where you live.

A weekly meal prep and a bag full of keto “snacks” to get you through the day will be the difference between making this diet/lifestyle a success or failure.

Getting started:
The first few week of switching to a ketogenic diet is traditionally unpleasant and challenging. You'd normally feel hunger pangs, cravings, grumpy and probably suffer flu-like symptoms. You may even feel brain fog and light-headed, at times. You’ll definitely feel weak and lacking energy to perform. There are a number of reasons for this, including changes in gut biota, as various colonies are "screaming at you" for food, but mainly as your body initially will be looking for its usual quick glucose/glycogen energy sources, which no longer exist.. and after sometimes a day in this energy-deprived state, your liver slowly switches metabolic states, becoming efficient at burning fatty acids and adapting to prefer ketones, instead. This normally takes a whole lot of patience and discipline.

Personally, I completely lack patience when I know things can be done more efficiently, so I cooked up a dietary timing hack to skip this unpleasant first week.

The Hack:
The purpose of this biohack is to avoid the usual “energy hole” or “brick wall” experienced around day 2 or 3 when switching to a ketogenic diet. By carb loading and then specifically timing a dose of a GoBHB-based exogenous ketone supplement such as KetoSwitch, we first fully refill glycogen stores and then artificially induce metabolic ketosis, effectively allowing a much smoother transition between the two metabolic states, by actually forcing the body to run on both fuels for a short period and rapidly encouraging it to adopt ketones as the primary fuel type.. while the remaining glycogen in your liver and muscles is still available to burn, rather than days after the glycogen stores are already depleted, during which many people understandably and rather rapidly lose the will to continue the keto induction process and quite their diet because they feel really, really terrible and have no energy. Pain avoidance is a good long term survival trait.

Prep:
(NB. these items are critical. Do NOT start your Keto diet until you have everything ready, or you will have a bad experience)

1. Keto food items purchased and ready to eat - high fat, medium protein, minimal / no carbs. Available at supermarkets and supplement stores.
2. KetoSwitch or other GoBHB-base exogenous ketones. You’ll need to buy this at a supplement store. It’s expensive and totally worth it.
3. MCTs - use these for cooking and 3/4 hour before training for additional energy (https://blog.bulletproof.com/what-is-mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil/) Available at supermarkets and supplement stores.
4. Diet salt / heart salt / half-salt / LoSalt  (30% potassium, 20% sodium). Available at supermarkets.

Notes:
Elevated body temperature and or sometimes even mild flu symptoms may be experienced.
You should be thirsty more often - carry/drink lots of water.
Don’t be surprised when you’re not often hungry - that’s expected and a bonus feature of the diet.

Day 1:
8:00AM Carb load for breakfast (160g+) + 30g protein. Carbs should be mixed GI and contain some fructose. I use ballpark 250g of cooked jasmine rice plus 200g of mangoes and 200g of protein yoghurt, mixed up with blueberries and cinnamon.
10:00AM 20g of KetoSwitch / GoBHB + 5g of diet salt
10:15AM Sit down and patiently wait for mild nausea to subside, should you be blessed with that experience.
11:00AM-2:00PM Get active / exercise.
2:00PM 10-20g of fat, 20-30g of protein (or 15g of EAAs), 5g of diet salt
6:00PM+ 30-40g fat, 30-40g of protein, minimal carbs

Day 2:
Eat only when you are hungry, rather than preset meals - daily target is approx 2g/kg of total fat, 2g/kg protein, <20g net carbs
Have 5g of diet salt twice per day.
Have 20g KetoSwitch if feeling cravings rather than mild hunger, or if feeling drained.
Exercise! Drink water.

Day 3:
Eat only when you are hungry, rather than preset meals - daily target is approx 2g/kg of total fat, 2g/kg protein, <20g net carbs
Have 5g of diet salt twice per day.
13:00 20g KetoSwitch - should be needed just as metabolic adaptation ramps up. Have it anytime you feel weak / fatigued.
Exercise! Drink water.

Day 4+:
Eat only when you are hungry, rather than preset meals - daily target is approx 2g/kg of total fat, 2g/kg protein, <20g carbs
Have 5g of diet salt twice per day.
Have 20g KetoSwitch if feeling cravings rather than mild hunger, or if feeling drained.
Exercise! Drink water.

After the first week, the salt intake can be reduced over time. If you find yourself dizzy or fatigued, increase it. Conversely, if you find yourself feeling nauseous, increase your water intake and/or reduce the salt levels. The salt will likely cause you to retain some water. This is fully expected and will shed after the first week.

Next steps:
The upshot of getting through this traditionally unpleasant adaption stage is that once you are there, everything gets really, really easy afterwards. You have constant energy. You don't have food cravings all of the time. You're clear-headed and you'll probably find that unusual health/medical issues you may have been putting up with disappear. (https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/7wnkhk/keto_is_changing_my_practice/?st=JK2H42HQ&sh=966f3018)

Your athletic performance will typically drop about 15-20% for the first 3-4 weeks, then return to baseline. Once fully adapted, your cardio performance and endurance can increase significantly compared to utilising carbohydrates as fuel.

http://www.samiinkinen.com/post/86875777832/becoming-a-bonk-proof-triathlete-fat-chance

https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-blogs/colette-heimowitz/q-a-with-ultrarunner-zach-bitter

https://www.channel4.com/news/british-rowers-break-atlantic-crossing-record

If you're looking to lose weight, this is probably the easiest way to achieve that goal. In ketosis, you can maintain a large calorific deficit without feeling hungry all of the time, angry or stressed out, etc. You preserve lean muscle because your T3 levels are 80% lower than normal and your BMR shoots up. It's brilliant.

You'll probably start looking at your definition of food in a completely different way and start questioning how or why the we, as a society became addicted to high sugar, high fat diets. This is a somewhat controversial diet in some circles, however some of the newest research suggests that without a typical insulin response, your body does not store fat and that insulin is required to trigger de novo lipogenesis. I personally suspect that the Randle Cycle is a better explanation of the mechanism in play and will lead to some alternate diet strategies with different pros/cons.

Here is an interesting set of case studies by Sam Feltham:
http://live.smashthefat.com/why-i-didnt-get-fat/
http://live.smashthefat.com/why-i-did-get-fat/
http://live.smashthefat.com/why-i-got-a-bit-fat/

NB. You will have to be 'zero-compromise' strict on a ketogenic diet, or else you'll accidentally kick yourself out of ketosis, which isn't fun, although when you are adequately Keto-adapted, getting back into ketosis takes about a day and you don't go through all of the Keto-flu symptoms again. You will just feel yourself suddenly craving food again and getting grumpy.. that's about it. It goes away by the next day. Taking a dose of GoBHB exogenous ketones will smooth the transition back into ketosis. MCT also, to a lesser extent.

Moving forward, after adaptation you need to understand that protein is your goal, to help prevent muscle wastage. You want at least 2g of slowly digested / absorbed protein per kg of lean mass, spread out over the day, depending on your exercise regimen. I personally use much more. I typically consume a lot of casein / pea/ soy protein shakes and a couple of Quest bars to help me reach my target. Carbs need to to be avoided / restricted - limit yourself to less than 20g net carbs per day. Fibre is not included in this restriction. The rest of your calorific target intake comes from fat.

You need to work out how many calories a day you need to maintain your weight or reach a specific goal and use fat to reach that goal.

Myfitnesspal is helpful tracking most things, especially calories, but rubbish for displaying net carbs and micronutrients. It doesn’t help that different countries do/don’t already remove fibre from the total carbohydrates on the label (eg. Australia does, USA doesn’t). You can manually subtract fibre from carbs on your daily totals though.

Cron-o-meter is another popular and significantly better tool for logging and tracking food intake.

Both tools allow you to enter your current body stats and it will guide you though configuring your goals. A rough approximation for your macros will be 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs, however tuning this by gram is preferred for accuracy, once your ideal macros are known. Both tools also allow you to scan barcodes, create recipes and use recent items when logging food... plus much more.

Here is a handy online TDEE calculator to help - http://calculo.io/keto-calculator .. eg. I need a calculated 1788 kcal just to maintain my current weight. In reality, it’s more like 2200 kcal, according to my FitBit data logging - which isn’t that accurate either. It's a helper, not a bible, however. It can't calculate everything about your body/lifestyle. During calorie deficits, I’ve comfortably set my calorie limit to under 1200 kcal / day.

You'll find more info and recipes at
http://reddit.com/r/Keto
http://reddit.com/r/ketorecipes  http://reddit.com/r/veganketo http://reddit.com/r/ketogains

A quick note about plateauing / stalling:
Your body is going to do the best it can to preserve your stored energy (fat) if it thinks you’re starving. If you’re consistently on a calorie deficit, various hormonal interactions come into play, triggered by leptin signalling, which will slow down your metabolism and cause your weight loss to stall.

The easiest way to stop that from happening  is to keep your body guessing. Once a week, have a big meal / day. Don’t kick yourself out of ketosis (unless you’re prepared to go through some discomfort), but eat enough calories to reach your “maintenance level”, where you’re maintaining your current weight. Use the previously linked Keto calculator or a fitness tracker to determine your maintenance calories.

Additionally, if not using a fitness tracker (and you really should), once a month you should revisit the keto calculator and obtain your updated values. As you lose weight, the macros and calorie requirements will also drop.

Test your knowledge / Pop Quiz:
1. The maximum number of net carbs I should consume in a day is 20-30 grams. (Y/N)
2. Fibre does not count towards net carbs and is helpful for energy production. (Y/N)
3. If I cheat on the carb cap and exceed my limits, I will feel hunger cravings, low energy and overall poorly. (Y/N)
4. Eating a “low carb” diet that does not induce or maintain ketosis will make me feel tired, weak and light headed. (Y/N)
5. The prep items mentioned in the diet entry hack are all critical to success. (Y/N)
6. A weekly re-feed at maintenance calories, while maintaining restricted carbs will help prevent weight loss stalling. (Y/N)

—

If you answered YES to all of these questions, you are ready to start your keto journey! If you answered NO to any, please go back and re-read the guide above again.

—
Here are some recipes and resources to help you on your journey:

Recipes

Online directory, with search:
https://www.tasteaholics.com/recipes/low-carb-recipes/

120 keto-friendly snacks, treats and meals
http://www.lowcarbkitchen.us/120-keto-snacks-for-your-enjoyment-tasty/

Keto prep.
https://www.ketoconnect.net/vegetarian-keto/

Keto ricotta pound cake with lemon frosting
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6y3mof/ricotta_pound_cake_with_lemon_cream_cheese/

Keto zucchini choc cake
https://lowcarbyum.com/best-low-carb-chocolate-cake-recipe/

Keto choc peanut no-bake clusters
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/77n3hm/no_bake_chocolate_peanut_butter_walnut_clusters/

Keto pancakes
http://m.wikihow.com/Make-Low-Carb-Pancakes

Keto chocolate chip cookies
https://www.perfectketo.com/perfect-keto-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/

Keto ice cream
https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/5yevxx/dr_dominic_dagostinos_keto_ice_cream_recipe/

--
Keto 30 second flapjacks (per)
Pre-heat 5g of cacao butter in a frying pan, at medium-high 44cal, p0, f5, c0
In a bowl, mix:
5g of almond flour/meal 31 cal, p1, f2.6, c0.3
5g psyllium husk POWDER 11cal, p0.25, f0, c0.2
20g of your tastiest chocolate protein powder (Oxywhey ftw!) 68cal, p20, 0.6f, 0.6c
20ml of water
This mixture should create a *thick* paste that needs to be scraped out of the bowl into the frying pan. If you can pour it, it's going to turn into pancakes, instead. The paste should end up about 10mm thick in the pan.
Fry the paste for about 15 seconds and test/flip with a spatula. Fry for another 15 seconds. Both sides should be just crunchy on the outside and firm on the inside.
Serve. Enjoy. 154 cal, 21.25g protein, 8.2g fat, 1.1g carbs per delicious serving. Substitute chocolate for flavour of your choice (eg. strawberry was just as popular here).
--
Keto snacks and desserts
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6qnvng/some_keto_snacks_and_desserts_i_made_last_week/

Keto gf carrot cake
https://twosleevers.com/recipes/dessert/keto-gluten-free-almond-carrot-cake-2/

Keto lemon raspberry cheesecake
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6xozet/lemon_raspberry_cheesecake/

Keto strawberry cheesecake
http://www.lowcarbnoms.com/strawberry-cheesecake/

Keto chocolate cake (text recipe in desc)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzHBZ-k09r0url

Keto choc macadamia brownies
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6xv1ht/chocolate_macadamia_brownie_cake/

Keto tiramisu (360 Cal)
https://cookwithmajor.com/2017/09/27/low-carb-keto-tiramisu/

Keto pad Thai
https://www.ruled.me/keto-chicken-pad-thai/

Keto cheesy English muffins
http://www.lowcarbnoms.com/cheesy-english-muffins/

Keto gf samosas
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6q0ls0/the_ultimate_fathead_samosa/

Keto flourless brownies
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6i2q5d/freaking_heck_my_5ingredient_keto_flourless/

Asian salad recipe
Handful of roasted, salted macadamia nuts
Handful of roasted almonds
150g cheddar, diced
x-large stick of celery, sliced
2 handfuls of kale, chopped
3 heaped teaspoons of tzatziki and garlic dip
2 mini capsicums
Blend at high speed until consistent
Serve with drizzle of soy/Tamari sauce

Flaxseed focaccia bread
https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2014/08/flaxseed-focaccia-bread/

Cheese cracker bites
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/6armej/made_cheesy_cracker_bites/

Lemon cheesecake
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2017/04/easy-lemon-cheesecake-low-carb-keto.html#comment-221311

Keto gnocchi
https://theprimitivepalate.com/2015/01/25/keto-garlic-gnocchi/

Cloud bread
https://www.buzzfeed.com/alixtraeger/cloud-bread?utm_term=.qv3Ol2d30#.givbzVGpo
-
Egg/capsicum rings:
Thick rings of capsicum
Pesto
Egg, poured inside ring
Grated cheese
Fry, flip using spatula
-
keto friendly pizza:
I make my own base..
1/2 cup of LSA
1/4 cup of flaxseed flour
1/4 cup of water
2 eggs
Splash of olive oil.
Mix / beat until pacified and then spread onto grease paper and bake in preheated oven at around 200 degrees C until slightly brown. (>15 mins)
Pull out and cover with keto friendly toppings. eg. spiralised zucchini, some onion and cheese.
Cook that sucker. :)
Most of my pizzas are &amp;lt;5g net carbs for 1/2 pizza. Fibre doesn't count towards your daily limit and you want to get enough of it.
--
Keto cauliflower/ spinach lasagne
Ingredients:
200g spinach, shredded 46cal, 4.2g C / 0.8g F/ 6g P
300g cauliflower, blended 75cal, 9g C / 0.9g F / 6g P
1 packet of Slendier lasagne style konjac 25 cal, 0g C / 0g F / 0g P
5g Garlic paste, 10cal, 0.3g C / 0.5g F / 0.2g P
100g of pasta sauce 53cal, 3g C / 1.3g F / 1.8g P
81g sliced tasty cheddar (4slices), 83cal, 0.1g C / 21g F/ 16.5g P
3 eggs, beaten, 234cal, 1.8g C / 15g F / 18g P
10ml olive oil, 82cal, 0g C/ 9.13g F / 0g P
--
Serves 4 @ 4.5g C, 12g F, 12g P, 170cal per serving
--
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
Spread the oil on a baking tray
Add a layer of lasagne-style konjac
Smear garlic over the konjac
Layer the 200g of chopped spinach
Add a layer of lasagne-style konjac
Smear pasta sauce on the konjac
Layer the 300g of cauliflower "rice"
Pat flat, so that the next layer doesn't drain through
Pour/spread the 3 beaten eggs evenly over the cauliflower
Place the 4 cheese slices on top.
Cover the baking tray with a cooking lid or aluminium foil.
Cook for 40 minutes or until cheese is browning nicely.

Keto dough
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/70bdlv/im_back_i_made_keto_crazy_dough/

Keto pumpkin protein bars
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/70gvrg/pumpkin_pie_protein_bars_99_calories_and_35_carbs/

Keto zucchini boat / taco
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/75gvww/taco_zucchinis_drool/


Battered Zucchini fries with home-made ketchup
 https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/776xxh/crunchy_courgettezucchini_fries_with_homemade/