Going from keto to whole30, scared!

[Lizzy59]

I'm starting whole30 after years on a keto diet. Keto has improved my health in many ways but hard to not get bored just eating protein.  Haven't had fruit and some vegetables in a long time.  Use a lot of sweeteners. And eat a lot of dairy.  Those will be the hardest for me to give up. I'm celiac so I'm use to not having pasta, bread ,etc. I know I feel better on keto so bring vegetables and fruit back scares me. Didn't really lose a lot of weight like most people on keto but felt great. Hoping fruit and vegetables don't make me feel icky. Looking forward to eating vegetables and fruits again though 

[Lizzy59]

If anyone has come from a keto diet to whole30 could you please share your experience with me. And maybe help me understand some of the foods that are ok but were not ok on keto.

[SchrodingersCat]

I've done both. Remember that W30 isn't meant to be a forever thing (though paleo is very close and is supposed to be a lifestyle). Keto wasn't sustainable for me because I love veggies, and couldn't wrap my head around having to limit them. 

It's a big change - you have to give up all your sweeteners, and the dairy, as you've said. And you have to not be afraid to load up your plate with veg, even the starchy ones (though I limit those to 1 meal a day and not a huge serve, I feel healthier with leafy or non-starchy veg, the starchy stuff is delicious but makes me feel sleepy and heavy so I save it for dinner).

The thing about keto is that it didn't exclude those foods for being unhealthy- it excluded them for being higher in carbs. Carbs aren't bad for you (though many keto followers will say they are). Keto was designed to help people with epilepsy, because a super low carb diet actually shrinks the part of the brain that causes seizures. And they realised that people lost weight on it through ketosis (which is actually the controlled version of the same thing that happens to untreated type 1 diabetics who lose weight no matter what they eat). So really, keto is taking advantage of a sub-optimal body response to lose weight. 

Whole30 is just eating very clean and close to nature and excluding the foods that are most likely to cause adverse reactions in people, then adding those foods back one at a time to see which ones affect you personally. People do tend to lose weight on it, but it isn't a weight loss diet, and the goal is to actually reintroduce excluded foods and learn which ones are worth it for you. Many people transition to paleo, which is pretty close.  

Hope that helps!

[Lizzy59]

Thank you so much I'm not really doing it for weight loss (though I won't complain if it happens) I'm more concerned about my health.  I'm celiac, have psoriasis over 30% of my body , have lots of inflammation in my body asthma and reaching 60 in a year. When I go off keto all the inflammatory aches and pains come back and I start wheezing and coughing.  I really want W30 to work. As much as I love meat I love veggies and fruit as much. Again thanks for the info. It's only been a couple of days on W30. I think I should do fine. I feel like it was so much harder to start keto because  you give up so much more. Giving up the sweeteners for real fruit is a fare trade and having vegetables instead of cheese or my heavy cream in coffee might prove to be a challenge 

[decker_bear]

On 8/25/2020 at 11:25 AM, Lizzy59 said:

If anyone has come from a keto diet to whole30 could you please share your experience with me. And maybe help me understand some of the foods that are ok but were not ok on keto.

Well, I'm a few days late to your party but ... I have also done both. For me, I feel more balanced on W30. I LIKE fruit. I LIKE sweet potatoes. I also love how freeing W30 is because you don't have to measure everything to the gram and keep a constant eye on your carb content. I think you're going to do just fine on W30. After all, fighting inflammation is one of the key things we're working on here. If you're having a hard time, you can always limit your fruits and starchy veg - they aren't REQUIRED on W30. Good luck! I can't wait to follow you on your journey! 

PS - instead of your heavy cream, try blending some coconut milk or coconut oil in your coffee in a Magic Bullet (or similar). It's a game changer. 

[Borealiss]

After a period of keto, I switched back to balanced ratio. Firstly because I got tired of searching every day new keto recipes, and secondly, health issues. I think people should understand that there is nothing better than balanced eating..seriously! Before starting keto, I had a health check and also checked vitamins and minerals and it was good, not perfect but good. After a while on keto, I started feeling strange. I thought I might be sick or something, so my doctor firstly advised me to go again for vitamins and minerals check. And guess what?? I was in minus for everything! Of course I was feeling sick. Now I am eating everything but counting calories and this gave me the body I wanted and the health state I needed.

[Rebecca001]

I switched from low carb high fat to W30 and then I suppose what I settled in is a strict paleo plan based on my reintroductions. I prefer it to keto for a few reasons: 1) sweet potato (I don’t have it often but I run long distances so it’s nice to stock up on a bit of fuel the night before!) and 2) keto is still counting and tracking and macros and all that; w30 is freedom!