Keto question.

Hello. I’ve had a surprisingly difficult time finding this answer. Would if be beneficial at all to have a keto breakfast but then eat normal the rest of the day? Thank you.

I don't believe you would get all the benefits.  Some people do a "one meal a day" kind of keto diet, where they just eat one big meal each day and fast the rest of the day.   Without keeping your carbs down all day you wouldn't actually end up in ketosis.  If it seems too daunting (I know it was for me at first) you could look into "dirty keto", "lazy keto", or "dirty lazy keto."  I follow dirty lazy keto - I don't count macros except for carbs, I keep them within 50 net carbs per day.  I eat meat and cook with oil or butter, so my fats are probably within the ranges they need to be. It's been working for me.  I mostly eat a lot of vegetables and meats, with a little butter / olive oil thrown in. It takes a while to get used to, but there are recipes to replace a lot of the carb-laden foods, such as keto breads, etc.  You really don't have to buy a lot of expensive stuff either.   I think if you're going to do keto, of some sort, you should be consistent to get the benefits, or your later meals will just cancel out the benefits of your keto breakfast.

I certainly appreciate your response Jen. I had great success with a keto diet a few years ago. The thing I remember was my complete lack of appetite which would be beneficial now. I grow a lot of vegetables which I want to eat. I also like a beer or two every few days. As you can tell being strict isn’t my goal, just healthy. The other thing I should mention is I now have MS. Dietary changes of any sort have to be gradual because they really mess me up. I’m also seeking a way of eating that is easy to maintain. The different kinds of keto you mentioned are greatly appreciated and will be looked into. If you have anymore advice I’d love to hear it!

I think that it will help you maintain low insulin levels for longer which, as I understand it, will help decrease insulin insensitivity long-term.  If you stop eating at 8 pm and then have a keto breakfast, you're esentially following the 16:8 fast:eat regime as far as blood sugar/insulin go.  I had some success with weight loss by going to one meal a day but amazing results with a full keto diet, but I'm diabetic.  My opinion is that it would help.  I think you just have to try to refine diets to fit your body and lifestyle.  If it helps you lose/keep off weight it's working for you and that's all that matters.  If you find it doesn't work, hopefully you'll know what to change next.  

I did a lot of reading and watching to understand keto and the guy who explains things the best is Dr. Jason Fung who wrote The Obesity Code but you can find most of the info in his blog.  He has a real talent for giving fantastic analogies to explain how the body works, a great understanding of statistical analysis and experiment design and provides links to the actual papers.

One of the first paleo/keto books I read was by Dr. Terry Wahls.  She has MS and you can find her here.  She gives an excellent break-down of our biology as well and has seen incredible results personally in reversing the affects of MS.  

It seems to me, a regular breakfast and then keto the rest of the day would be best.

Are you having problems because you only have fast food options due to work?

Buy a hamburger and throw the bun away.  Many fast food places now offer great salads.

For years, I took the same lunch to work every day. Tuna salad on one slice of bread, a hugh salad, cheese and nuts.  The tuna salad could be replaced with bacon or lunch meat.

Maybe a little more info about your situation would help others to answer your question.

You guys are a great help! I will definitely look up the resources provided.
No lunchtime problems Anne. I haven’t worked since mid-March due to covid and my weakened immune system.
I officially retired two weeks ago. The lack of work is part of the problem. I have a lot of things to do around the house but not like work. I can now take naps during the day instead of pushing through like I was doing. Overall I feel like this is better once I get settled in to a new routine and diet.
Not eating past 8pm has been an issue as well.
This is my goal diet. You guys tell me what you think. Low carb breakfast with coffee and fresh veggies from the grounds for lunch. When I want a beer or two after working outside have it. We eat a very healthy dinner usually. Lots of vegetables with protein.
Since I’m up later than I used to be I do get hungry and will have to figure out something different.
I realize this sounds like an odd routine so I’m up for trying something different. My main goal is to eat in a way that’s maintainable.

Scott, what you are doing sounds great.

I never eat after 5 pm and usually, I never get hungry.

If I do get hungry, usually a spoon of peanut butter is all I need.

When I retired, I was like you because I like to stay busy.  It was an adjustment though and took some time.

Try to think of ways to stay busy.  Read some gardening books. Weed the garden or just go out and talk to the plants.  I find they are very understanding. Permies is a great place to get lost reading something or replying to someones question.

I have spent way more time on Permies the last three months. I’ve learned a bunch!
The peanut butter scoop is a good and simple idea to cope with evening hunger.
All of these replies are GOLD, Keep them coming!
I feel like things are going the right direction. The world is in such upheaval now it’s been difficult to find my groove. Lucky for me I happened to see a hugelculture video by Paul several years ago. Because of that one video I’m now surrounded by loads of food. Starting with that good Permie food is always a good starting point!

Here’s what I’m doing and I’d love to hear what you think. Very low carb breakfast, followed by several low carb snacks during the day. Have been snacking on blueberries and cucumbers from the grounds as well. All said and done probably less than thirty carbs before dinner. At dinner I have a beer and whatever we’re having that night in it’s full glory. Last night featured two grilled burgers with buns, fries and onion rings. Since we’re old we eat early and I do have a low carb snack in the evening. Basically I only eat carbs with dinner. I know I will never approach ketosis like this but that’s ok. It’s possibly maintainable. Would love some feedback if possible.

My husband does intermittent fasting and no net-carbs every day but Sunday. It has worked well for him, and he enjoys our homemade muffins and pizza and that type of thing on Sundays. He says this is a very easy "diet" for him since the proteins were always his favorite foods anyway. Thank goodness he never had a sweet tooth!