Low Carb..Keto..Difference?

I want to lose weight and eat better, I'm a junkie.  Does low carb automatically mean keto?  Can I lose weight just doing low carb?  I started Monday, Tuesday I went walking and had the worst time ever.....legs hurt soooo bad, thought i had a bloodclot or something until I read about keto symptoms.  Have had a headache and extreme fatigue for the last 2 days.  I"m definitely not depriving myself of food.

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  • Keto is low carb but not all low carb is keto.  If you’ve cut your carbs to <50g carbs then your body will burn off all stored glucose and since you are not replenishing that glucose it turns to fat for fuel.  What you are feeling is the changing from glucose to fat, the keto “flu”.  If you continue very low carb this will pass and over several weeks you become fat adapted, a fat burner.  To combat the “flu”, you must drink a lot of water and replace electrolytes. Go get Gatorade Zero to drink or some lite salt which had sodium and potassium and add  1/4 tsp to your water. You can also get electrolyte water or powder  at the store.  If you don’t want to change from burning glucose to burning fat, you can simply eat lower carb which is about <100g of carbs.  Continue to watch calories.  Keto is not required for fat loss. Even with low carb you will need to eat healthy fats. Good luck!

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    • Klea70
    • Get in mah belly!
    • Klea70
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Thank you, that was very helpful!  I really don't want to give up my Dr. Pepper or occasional sweet tea but I'm trying.

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  • Klea70 

    I feel you on the diet Dr Pepper!  I’ve been low carb/keto since 2017 and drank it the whole time until just last month.  It didn’t change anything about my weight loss and maintenance but it had changed my body composition in just a month.  Stomach fat decreased ALOT!  Good luck on your journey!

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    • Klea70
    • Get in mah belly!
    • Klea70
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    No diet DP for me, just the real thing.  I CAN DO THIS! :)

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  • Klea70 

    Hey,  I know you know that’s loaded with carbs, sugar, and calories.  No way you can be keto and very difficult to do low carb drinking regular soda.  Try the diet, it’s really very good.   

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    • 1Fitbabe
    • 1Fitbabe
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I know myself enough to know that I won’t last on Keto so I am just consciously lowering carbs. I will eat half a muffin instead of a whole, berries instead of a banana etc. I am using carb manager to track and make smart choices. It’s going great so far! 

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  • 1Fitbabe 

    I agree I don’t think keto is necessary or suits everyone for sure. Just going from the high carb western diet to lower carbs is huge for many people.  

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    • Klea70
    • Get in mah belly!
    • Klea70
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    1Fitbabe are you still losing weight?  I'm not sure I'm ALL IN for Keto yet.

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    • 1Fitbabe
    • 1Fitbabe
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Klea70 

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  • e2a93469-7dd9-076e-851b-f829dfccecb2 I meant try Diet Dr Pepper 

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    • 1Fitbabe
    • 1Fitbabe
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    i just decided to try it recently and so far it seems to be working very well. I just pick less carbs choices. And if I am heavy on carbs at lunch go easier at dinner. I also am getting away from a snack between lunch and dinner and chewing a plastic toothpick or picking something like celery and PB instead of cookies. I like sweets so I found chocolate chip cookies with few carbs and little crackers that I can eat a bunch of for a low carb load over regular crackers. Just simple changes. I think keto can be great but this fits my lifestyle more. 

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    • 1Fitbabe
    • 1Fitbabe
    • 4 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Also I am not a big exerciser -  I got the Fitbit Versa2 and put one of the pet clock faces on - the cat. I have to walk to feed it fish or it runs off. I am trying to walk 2000 steps in am, after lunch and after dinner. I got some in ear headphones and dance around the house too! 

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