Calling "VeraDeMilo" - Keto Diet Review!

[BigTMan123]

Only because I've been reading and you seem to know a LOT on this diet. Can you please take a look at my diet and let me know if I need to change anything for maximum fat loss?

24yrs old
230lbs (guessing around 19% bf) I have no idea. I'm not all fat - I have a lot of muscle.
6' tall

I work for an insurance company and sit at my desk all day except for lunch where I try to get in a 30min walk if weather permits.

Here is my rough draft diet:

Meal #1 7:00am
5 whole eggs

Meal #2 10:00am
50g Whey Protein
1.5tbsp natty pnut butter

Meal #3 1:00pm
approx 8oz chicken breast
1/2 cup almonds

Meal #4 1:00pm
approx 8oz chicken breast
1/2 cup almonds

Meal #5 6:30pm (PWO)
50g Whey Protein
1.5tbsp natty pnut butter

Meal #6 8:30pm
8oz hamburger patty (80/20)
8 spears asparagus
1tbsp olive oil


Cardio = 45min medium level intensity. Weight training before cardio. 5 days a week.


After 1st week of diet I will add a cheat meal. Also will be taking multi-vitamin while on diet.

Comments/Suggestions? Need more info?

Thanks!

[Manny735]

Congrats on making the move...i started yesterday....Verde Demilo is the man ...hes a great asset to this site..he helped me out as well...maybe not as much with the plan but support.

Im on day 2...just picked up my multivitamin(one a day)
My Psyllium Husk
And my Keto strips on lunch

Heres mine.

5"11
255 pounds(dont look it but feel it)
Most people dont beleive me they think i am 225..anyways

I train 6 days a week...45-60 minutes cardio and weights.

Heres my plan

Palumbo Diet (for 250lb man

Meal 1 6 whole *****-3 eggs

Meal 2; 8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds

Meal 3 50g whey with 2 tablespoons all natural peanutbutter

Meal 4; 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus=20with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil

Meal 5; 50 g whey with 2 tablespoon PB

Meal 6 6 whole eggs

[BigTMan123]

No help?

[VeraDeMilo]

No help?

BigTMan, sorry for the late response. I didn't log onto the site last night so I just saw the thread. The diet doesn't look bad. There could be some minor changes I would tweak. But first. Can you tell me when in the day you work out and do your cardio? Which meals does your workout fall between?

Edit: nevermind, I I didn't see you write PWO after meal 5

[VeraDeMilo]

See my comments in blue. Lets see how this works. The diet you gave me is more or less the general diet for a 200lb man. Your lean body weight puts you at around 186lbs. Between that and the fact that you are immobile for most of the day makes me want to drop some of these totals, But lets give it a shot right now and see how you progress. Everyone reacts differently. After a few weeks if your weight loss comes to a halt we will have to rework the diet a little. But you should be able to preserve an excellent amount of muscle with this.

Only because I've been reading and you seem to know a LOT on this diet. Can you please take a look at my diet and let me know if I need to change anything for maximum fat loss?

24yrs old
230lbs (guessing around 19% bf) I have no idea. I'm not all fat - I have a lot of muscle.
6' tall

I work for an insurance company and sit at my desk all day except for lunch where I try to get in a 30min walk if weather permits.

Here is my rough draft diet:

Meal #1 7:00am
5 whole eggs
This is good but they have to be 0mega-3 eggs. If they aren't, you have to throw in an additional fat source.

Meal #2 10:00am
50g Whey Protein
1.5tbsp natty pnut butter
Drop it down to 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter.

Meal #3 1:00pm
approx 8oz chicken breast
1/2 cup almonds
Drop the almonds. Throw in a bowl of spinach with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Meal #4 1:00pm
approx 8oz chicken breast
1/2 cup almonds

Meal #5 6:30pm (PWO)
50g Whey Protein
1.5tbsp natty pnut butter
Drop it down to 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal #6 8:30pm
8oz hamburger patty (80/20)
8 spears asparagus
1tbsp olive oil
What does the 80/20 stand for? I'm not crazy about the hamburger patty for the last meal. If you can get a steak or some fatty fish that would be better, but if hamburger patty is what you can afford, than that is fine. I usually like to see some form of casein before bed too, but I think you will be ok with this.

Cardio = 45min medium level intensity. Weight training before cardio. 5 days a week.
Keep the heartrate between 120-135 bpm

After 1st week of diet I will add a cheat meal. Also will be taking multi-vitamin while on diet.

Comments/Suggestions? Need more info?

Thanks!

Good luck! and let me know what you think. Feel free to ask any questions. I try to answer everyones as quickly as possible, but I can not always get access to the site while I'm at work, so just be patient. If I haven't answered a questions, its most likely because I haven't seen it yet.

[BigTMan123]

Great. Thanks for your help.

The "80/20" is the lean to fat ratio. I went to the grocery store last night and bought salmon.

So scratch that anyways and I will replace it with Salmon.

I will make the changes ASAP. I started today and I feel good so far.


ALSO - does celery have count as anything? Can I have that? I forgot to buy Asparagus last night and want to eat celery with last meal.

[VeraDeMilo]

Great. Thanks for your help.

The "80/20" is the lean to fat ratio. I went to the grocery store last night and bought salmon.

So scratch that anyways and I will replace it with Salmon.

I will make the changes ASAP. I started today and I feel good so far.


ALSO - does celery have count as anything? Can I have that? I forgot to buy Asparagus last night and want to eat celery with last meal.

Skip the celery. Try spinach if u can. if you dont have spinach or the asparagus, it won't kill u to just skip your greens all together tonight. One day isnt gonna hurt.

[BigTMan123]

Should I drop the amount of protein intake? Maybe 26g Whey + pnut butter? Make it 4 eggs instead of 5.

That puts me around 200g of daily protein if I am correct. Also, what about dropping to 1/3cup of almonds.

[VeraDeMilo]

Should I drop the amount of protein intake? Maybe 26g Whey + pnut butter? Make it 4 eggs instead of 5.

That puts me around 200g of daily protein if I am correct. Also, what about dropping to 1/3cup of almonds.

Keep the protein up where it is. Try the diet as it is right now. U are going to lose weight imediately because of the water. If fat loss begins to slow later on, we will play with your fat intake. But not your protein.

[BigTMan123]

Awesome. Thanks a lot.

[BigTMan123]

Should I be drinking tons of water? I drink at least 12oz with every meal I eat. Then about 4 16oz cups while not eating. Should I up this?

[VeraDeMilo]

Should I be drinking tons of water? I drink at least 12oz with every meal I eat. Then about 4 16oz cups while not eating. Should I up this?

That sounds like plenty

[BigTMan123]

Last questions - Sorry!

I want to make sure the whey powder I have it ok. It's the body fortress from Wal-mart for like $14.

It has 200 calories, 3g sugar and like 1 or 2 carbs for two scoops. (I think) it's at home.


What would you reccommend as additional fat source with eggs? I bought a ton of regular ones and will seperate yolks and only eat the whites (adding 2). Then when those are done - I will by the 0mega 3's.

[Mister Fister]

im 23 years old 6'1" 216lbs about 19% bf

I workout MWF for 1hour. I dont do any cardio. Would this Keto plan still be ok for me?

Sorry, im not trying to steal your thread. I just like this plan, seems pretty easy to stick too.

[VeraDeMilo]

Last questions - Sorry!

I want to make sure the whey powder I have it ok. It's the body fortress from Wal-mart for like $14.

It has 200 calories, 3g sugar and like 1 or 2 carbs for two scoops. (I think) it's at home.


What would you reccommend as additional fat source with eggs? I bought a ton of regular ones and will seperate yolks and only eat the whites (adding 2). Then when those are done - I will by the 0mega 3's.

I think you mean 3g of carbs and 1-2 grams of sugar. That is fine. Body Fortress only has 1 g of sugar per serving. I had a tough time finding any whey supplement without carbs. The one I use is ON 100% Whey. But yours is fine since you are only doing 2 shakes per day.

As for the eggs, since its only going to take a day or two at most to finish that carton, You don't have to really worry too much. Have a tablespoon of peanut butter or a half cup of cashews with 8 egg whites. Switch over to the 0mega 3s and then u dont have to worry about adding any fat. Just eat the whole eggs

[VeraDeMilo]

im 23 years old 6'1" 216lbs about 19% bf

I workout MWF for 1hour. I dont do any cardio. Would this Keto plan still be ok for me?

Sorry, im not trying to steal your thread. I just like this plan, seems pretty easy to stick too.

Keto and cardio go hand in hand. You need both to maximize results

[BigTMan123]

Just thought of another question, sorry.

Can I have a few beers one night a week? Like 3-4 at most. What about on my cheat day?

Will this throw my body out of ketosis?

[VeraDeMilo]

Should I drop the amount of protein intake? Maybe 26g Whey + pnut butter? Make it 4 eggs instead of 5.

That puts me around 200g of daily protein if I am correct. Also, what about dropping to 1/3cup of almonds.

Hey I took another look at the diet. I think you may have had a good idea with dropping the almond servings down to 1/3 cup. I like to keep the fat and protein amounts in each meal close to the same as the rest of the meals. So yeah, try that. Drop the almonds down to 1/3 cup. I thought about even a 1/4 cup, but i don't want your calories dropping too much yet.

[BigTMan123]

Hey I took another look at the diet. I think you may have had a good idea with dropping the almond servings down to 1/3 cup. I like to keep the fat and protein amounts in each meal close to the same as the rest of the meals. So yeah, try that. Drop the almonds down to 1/3 cup. I thought about even a 1/4 cup, but i don't want your calories dropping too much yet.

Got it. What about drinking beer on my cheat day?

I plan on trying to cheat at the end of the day (last meal) on Saturday.

Also - I would not be doing this until another 2 1/2 weeks. (UFC fight night)

Thanks again for all your help!

Also - will only carbs take your body out of ketosis? Is it easy to screw up and go back to normal?

[VeraDeMilo]

Got it. What about drinking beer on my cheat day?

I plan on trying to cheat at the end of the day (last meal) on Saturday.

Also - I would not be doing this until another 2 1/2 weeks. (UFC fight night)

Thanks again for all your help!

Also - will only carbs take your body out of ketosis? Is it easy to screw up and go back to normal?

Since I'm assuming that you are a recreational lifter and not getting ready for any sort of competition, I see nothing wrong with having a few beers with and right after your cheat meal. I would keep the drinking in a 2 hour window if possible.

Carbs are what takes you out of ketosis, (more specifically- Sugar). Yes it's easy to screw up and go back to normal and out of ketosis. Thats why this particular version of the diet is so strict. And as you attempt to get back into ketosis, your body and mind will feel like crap again, like you feel on a very low carb diet. Untill it gets back to running on ketones.

The 2 good thing about having your cheat meal as the last meal of the day are:
1) By having it earlier in the day, many people lose discipline and tend to cheat with their other meals.
2) By having it as your last meal and you shift out of ketosis, you will be sleeping as your body transitions back to running on ketones, so as long as you didn't go overboard with the carbs for your cheatmeal, you should be back in ketosis, or at least very close, by the time you wake up the next morning.

[Rugger02]

I learned a lot from reading this thread. Never really knew much about keto
Good advice VeraDeMilo.

[VeraDeMilo]

I learned a lot from reading this thread. Never really knew much about keto
Good advice VeraDeMilo.

Thanks Rugger. I'm happy to help

[BigTMan123]

Since I'm assuming that you are a recreational lifter and not getting ready for any sort of competition, I see nothing wrong with having a few beers with and right after your cheat meal. I would keep the drinking in a 2 hour window if possible.

Carbs are what takes you out of ketosis, (more specifically- Sugar). Yes it's easy to screw up and go back to normal and out of ketosis. Thats why this particular version of the diet is so strict. And as you attempt to get back into ketosis, your body and mind will feel like crap again, like you feel on a very low carb diet. Untill it gets back to running on ketones.

The 2 good thing about having your cheat meal as the last meal of the day are:
1) By having it earlier in the day, many people lose discipline and tend to cheat with their other meals.
2) By having it as your last meal and you shift out of ketosis, you will be sleeping as your body transitions back to running on ketones, so as long as you didn't go overboard with the carbs for your cheatmeal, you should be back in ketosis, or at least very close, by the time you wake up the next morning.

I am definately just a recreational lifter. I am mostly doing this diet to get rid of the fat I have and look more toned. Not really looking to gain a LOT of muscle, but do want a little more.

I am only talking like 3-4 beers directly after my cheat meal at night. I don't want to ruin the diet though ... i will not drink anything until about 2 1/2 weeks from now.

So - would a triple stack and fries from Burger King or something be overboard on my cheat meal? How far is too much?

Thanks again.

[VeraDeMilo]

That's a personal call. Usually the cheat meal is more of a carb up meal. We say "Cheat" because it is cheating from your no carb diet. But essentially it is a carb up meal. I usually wouldn't recommend to eat crap, but as you said, you are a recreational lifter. And I'm sure you still want to live and have fun, so if you want fast food I guess you can have it.

Just for an example, my cheatmeal I usually have something italian. Like whole wheat pasta and chicken parm with some italian bread, make sure i get some cheese in there. And I finish it off with a bowl of low fat ice cream. I may have a couple of drinks in there too.

[BigTMan123]

Well - I am in my third day now on this diet. I will have to say I feel good. Not crappy at all. Workouts are not bad. I'm not hungry during the day either. To be honest, I feel like I'm eating a lot. - is this bad? I know I'm eating the right amounts - I guess I just got used to eating three small meals a day (that was my diet before I knew about this site).

On a side note - can I use hot sauce with my chicken? What about a pinch of cheese on my eggs in the morning? I looked on the nutritional values and it says less than 1g of carbs per 1/4 cup.

Thanks!

[VeraDeMilo]

Yeah hot sauce is good. Use whenever you want. If you keep the cheese to a minimum I don't see it being a problem

[Phate]

Yeah hot sauce is good. Use whenever you want. If you keep the cheese to a minimum I don't see it being a problem

VeraDeMilo, have you ever read Lyle McDonald's book on keto, if so what did you think?

[Rockstar1990]

Only because I've been reading and you seem to know a LOT on this diet. Can you please take a look at my diet and let me know if I need to change anything for maximum fat loss?

24yrs old
230lbs (guessing around 19% bf) I have no idea. I'm not all fat - I have a lot of muscle.
6' tall

I work for an insurance company and sit at my desk all day except for lunch where I try to get in a 30min walk if weather permits.

Here is my rough draft diet:

Meal #1 7:00am
5 whole eggs

Meal #2 10:00am
50g Whey Protein
1.5tbsp natty pnut butter

Meal #3 1:00pm
approx 8oz chicken breast
1/2 cup almonds

Meal #4 1:00pm
approx 8oz chicken breast
1/2 cup almonds

Meal #5 6:30pm (PWO)
50g Whey Protein
1.5tbsp natty pnut butter

Meal #6 8:30pm
8oz hamburger patty (80/20)
8 spears asparagus
1tbsp olive oil


Cardio = 45min medium level intensity. Weight training before cardio. 5 days a week.


After 1st week of diet I will add a cheat meal. Also will be taking multi-vitamin while on diet.

Comments/Suggestions? Need more info?

Thanks!

i wouldnt suggest this diet, the keto diet is usually used by obese people

you work outs will suffer and in my opinion so will your muscle so i would recommend carb cycling if anything for you optimal results

three low carb days and one high then repeat the process. the one high carb day on the days arfter the three low carb days will keep your body from being going into starvation mode

so i would adjust this program to your needs and i believe you would see better results

high carb day
Meal 1:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Simple carb (dairy or fruit)
Meal 2:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Simple carb (dairy or fruit)
Meal 3:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 4:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 5
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 6
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb (small serving), Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat


The menu template for the low or moderate carbohydrate diet
Meal 1:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (large serving)
Meal 2:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (large serving)
Meal 3:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (small serving or none), Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 4:
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat
Meal 5
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat
Meal 6
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)

[VeraDeMilo]

VeraDeMilo, have you ever read Lyle McDonald's book on keto, if so what did you think?

Phate, I have read chapters and sections of "The Ketogenic Diet"- by Lyle McDonald. I skipped over a lot of the basic stuff. It is an excellent book for the average guy who doesn't know anything about Keto. It does a great job of explaining everything from A-Z. Kind of like a dummy guide. (And I mean that in a good way).
He came out with a follow up to this book. I think it is called "The Ultimate Diet". This book is geared more towards people like the ones on this forum. Bodybuilders. The first book seems to be geared more for the average guy.

All in all, I think his books on keto are great for anyone to just learn about the actual process of using this diet, how it effects the body, and why it works. For an advanced reader who has dieted with keto before and knows his fair share about the human body, exercise and nutrition, you would have to weed through some of the stuff. I personally, through trial and error, do not agree with some of the stuff Lyle says about keto.

There is excellent information on various types of ketogenic diets like CKD, SKD and TKD. I personally have tried various forms of keto and I like Palumbo's version the best for bodybuilding purposes. Thats why I preach about it the most on this forum. Its also much more strict and harder to do than the previous 3 I just mentioned, which is why its geared toward bodybuilders and not the average joe.

But yes, to answer your question again, I think his first book is a great read for anyone who wants to learn about keto and truly understand all the different aspects of it.

[VeraDeMilo]

i wouldnt suggest this diet, the keto diet is usually used by obese people

you work outs will suffer and in my opinion so will your muscle so i would recommend carb cycling if anything for you optimal results

three low carb days and one high then repeat the process. the one high carb day on the days arfter the three low carb days will keep your body from being going into starvation mode

so i would adjust this program to your needs and i believe you would see better results

high carb day
Meal 1:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Simple carb (dairy or fruit)
Meal 2:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Simple carb (dairy or fruit)
Meal 3:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 4:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 5
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 6
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb (small serving), Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat


The menu template for the low or moderate carbohydrate diet
Meal 1:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (large serving)
Meal 2:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (large serving)
Meal 3:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (small serving or none), Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 4:
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat
Meal 5
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat
Meal 6
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)

LOL. (and that is the only response that post will receive)

[Rugger02]

LOL. (and that is the only response that post will receive)

[BigTMan123]

OK - this is my 7th day on Daves KETO diet. I feel good! Never went through a "foggy/dizzy/drained" stage ... hmmm.

Should I be in ketosis yet? How will I know? I have followed the diet to a "T" (who came up with that saying anyways?)

I hear the ketostix from the pharmacy are not accurate - is that true?

Thanks!

[BigTMan123]

Just went to the pharmacy on lunch and bought "Reli-On Ketone Test Strips"

The color on the strip matches the "Small - 15" color.

Am I doing something wrong?

[VeraDeMilo]

Keto stix can be highly innacurate. there is a good chance you are in ketosis already. If not, you will definitely be by the end of your second week. Generally it takes less than a week, but may take longer for some.

[BigTMan123]

Keto stix can be highly innacurate. there is a good chance you are in ketosis already. If not, you will definitely be by the end of your second week. Generally it takes less than a week, but may take longer for some.

Damnit - why couldn't you have replied 30 mins earlier. J/K

Wonder if they will take a return - these things were almost $10.00.

Is there any other way to know besides the strips? I am losing the water weight pretty rapidly (7lbs in 7 days).

[VeraDeMilo]

Those are the only method I have heard of. I never use them when running keto though. I strictly go by how I feel. If you are following the diet to a T and working out and doing cardio, you almost don't have to worry about it, you will get into ketosis.

[BigTMan123]

Would it be ok to put a little all natural salsa on my eggs in the morning? I am getting tired of plain eggs. There is no sugar in it.

What about a tsp of sour cream and a pinch of cheese?

These are on the list for Keto foods on Big Texan's post - are the OK with Dave's version?

[VeraDeMilo]

Would it be ok to put a little all natural salsa on my eggs in the morning? I am getting tired of plain eggs. There is no sugar in it.

What about a tsp of sour cream and a pinch of cheese?

These are on the list for Keto foods on Big Texan's post - are the OK with Dave's version?

A pinch of certain cheeses is ok. I would say no to the sour creme since almost all sour cremes have a few grams of sugar. Once in a while I guess its ok, but I wouldn't make a habit of using it.

Salsa is a tough one, because on this version of the diet, leafy greens and asparagus are the veggies of choice. The basic rule is no colored veggies. Which salsa is a mixture of. Again, a pinch may not hurt, but be careful because there's 7g of carbs per standard serving of salsa.
(There are many foods allowed in other versions of ketogenic diets that are not allowed in palumbo's version. Hence why it is the strictest)

To be honest, it worries me a little that you are getting this bored of the taste of food so early in the diet. I think you are on your second week. If you are bored of the foods now, I don't know how you are going to make it to week 16. In my opinion, all these little cheats that people like to use like cheese and dairies and stuff like that makes the diet harder. This is because you are getting small amounts of sugar from these foods, which is response, makes your body crave more sugars. Which makes the diet seem more miserable.

If you can tough it out for a few weeks without any of these little additions to your meals, I bet you won't be AS bored with your food because you won't have any carb or sugar cravings.

[BigTMan123]

OK - you the boss - I will cut out all add-ons and tough it out.

Thanks!