1 week in: Qs about fat and cal numbers

(Briggs Shore) #1

Hello!

I started Keto just a week ago, and I’m feeling good so far but have a few clarifying questions:

tldr: If I’m staying under 25 carb, but not reaching the protein, fat, or cal numbers, am I doing ok?

Longer version:

So, I’m using an app to track everything, and after inputing my data, it’s telling me to eat 1811 calories, 153g fat, 84g protein, 25g carbs.

I’m having no trouble staying under the 25g carbs limit. A typical day for me food-wise:
coffee w/ heavy cream
egg, bacon, avocado breakfast
salad with salmon and veg and heavy dressing for lunch
sauteed veg, meat, and heavy saucy goodness for dinner
occasionally snacks like almonds or cottage cheese, but I keep an eye on my protein level so it doesn’t get too high with those.

I feel like I’m eating plenty and generally feel full and good. HOWEVER, I’m not even close to hitting the recommended numbers in fat and calories. I’m eating around 1200 calories, and 75 - 80g fat. I’m between 60 - 80g protein and always under or at 25g carbs.

My ketosis strips are coming up moderate / 40 / mid-mauve if that makes sense.

My question is: am I doing ok or do I need to make more of an effort to get more fat in? I’ve tried putting butter or coconut oil in drinks and I think it’s absolutely disgusting. Yes I blended it. This includes an experiment with boullion broth + butter.

Thanks for any help or thoughts!

#2

The only thing I’d recommend is ditching the snacks and making sure you eat enough at mealtime so you don’t snack. Your goal is to go longer between meals without eating, to get your fasting insulin levels low. I wouldn’t worry about “fat numbers” because fat is just there to help you feel full; if you’re full, then you’re fine. Best ways to get your fats in are with whole foods (like meat, avocado, etc) or cooking with animal fats/fruit oils. Just let it happen naturally.

Also, don’t worry about your protein being “too high.”

(Carl Keller) #3

Welcome Brigitha.

Ditto to what @anon2571578 said.

My question in response to your question is how do you feel? Better energy? Less inflammation? Less cravings? Better mental focus? Less hunger? If yes to most or all of those, then you are doing ok for sure.

I believe that as long as we keep the carbs low and eat to satiety, then good things will happen. That means don’t stuff yourself and don’t starve yourself. The macros are a good starting point but they may or may not leave you hungry because everyone is different.

(Briggs Shore) #4

Ok, thanks for the input.

Yeah, I feel fine. I have a sinus infection, so I can’t say I feel awesome, but my energy levels and mental clarity are good.

I guess I was under the impression that too much protein could lead to side effects like constipation (ew. sorry) and not losing weight. I’m not on an intense exercise program, just working as a waitress and doing daily yoga.

(mole person) #5

Your numbers sound great. I wouldn’t even worry about the snacks at only one week in. Usually we recommend cutting out snacking at around the six-week mark when people are fully fat adapted. Ditch the snacking once your appetite starts to reduce. Many of us even end up dropping a meal as well eventually (and some of us two meals).

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #6

I think it sounds good too. I also snacked in the beginning, it helped me cope with the changes. Eventually as I adapted I ate fewer snacks and felt much less hungry which forced me to pack my meals with a punch (when I was hungry). I never looked at calories, fat or protein. I stay under 20 g carbs and it’s working for me. I cook with fats and eat veg too and have a coffee with cream every morning. Welcome, and best wishes.

#7

What are you looking to accomplish? 1800 calories is high in my opinion for your size.
That is if you’re trying to lose weight if you’re trying to maintain your weight you’re fine with that many calories or even more.
just keep the carbs under 25 and the protein and fat …don’t worry to much about just about 60/40 ish.something like that. Don’t get too technical

(Briggs Shore) #8

You guys. Thank you so much for the support and info.

About snacking: I’ve always been a bored snacker. Munching something in the car or in front of the tv or when I hit a slow time at work is just what I’ve always done. Switching from munching bread or chips to munching almonds is a pretty good victory right now.

About goals: I’ve had problems with bloating, low energy, and a severe drop off in mental focus after 5pm. I’m hoping this diet change will help with all that. I’m treating it like an experiment right now to see if it’s doable and feels right. I’d like to lose 20 - 30lbs, but that’s not a high priority. I’ve always been fine with my average body until it started feeling slower and less able to do everything I want. Part of that is hitting my mid 30s, but I’m hoping it’s mostly fixable by taking better care of myself.

Thanks again. It’s been great to find a place to talk about this.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #9

Constipation is generally a sign of not getting enough sodium, which we excrete more rapidly without carbohydrate to slow the kidneys down. So eat plenty of salt (10-15 grams a day is a good range) and drink to thirst.

“Too much protein” is becoming more and more debatable as research progresses. These days it’s coming to be seen as really helpful to eat more protein, rather than less. Don’t go bonkers, but don’t worry about it. We seem to have an instinct for getting enough.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #10

Are you sure about this because I have checked several sources about salt intake and LCHF or ketogenic diets and 2.5 to 5 grams is what is recommended. I used to swallow 3 grams of Himalayan pink rock when I suffered from keto flu plus salting my food to taste( yes I love salt) and it was sufficient. I would think that 15 grams a day would turn you into living :bacon:. :cowboy_hat_face:

#11

I think the recommendation is 4-6 grams of sodium. Remember that the salt we use also has chloride attached. I believe the ratio is about 40:60, sodium:chloride. So, 1 gram of salt (NaCl) would be about 400 mg of sodium and 600 mg of chloride. So, 10 grams of salt would result in 4 grams (4000 mg) of sodium, and 15 grams of salt would result in 6 grams (6000 mg) of sodium. Hence the mentioned 10-15 grams of salt.

Additionally, I believe these sodium amounts also include whatever is contained in the food you’re eating. So whatever the plain salt intake is would not likely need to be at these amounts unless fasting or eating extremely low sodium foods.

(Running from stupidity) #12

Sodium is to salt as protein is to meat - there’s a fair bit of it involved, but it’s a long way from 100 percent of it :slight_smile:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

This video from the lead investigator on the PURE study out of McMaster University might prove enlightenting:

As @kandescent points out, 4-6 g/day of sodium translates to 10-15 g/day of NaCl, which is 2-3 U.S. teaspoons.

Heart beat & inflammatory issues
(Bev) #14

That seems like a lot of fat and protein. I found every site I went on and used the calculator it came up different.

(Running from stupidity) #15

Of course. It’s not a scientific formula based on hard numbers. “Calorie” in terms of humans is a wildly flexible thing.

#16

Welcome.

Sounds like you are doing OK.

You don’t have to eat all that fat, if you’re not hungry. If you eat too little you’ll feel weak and your body will slow everything, including fat burning, down. And it’s pretty hard to eat too much fat. Just stop when you feel pretty full.

First few weeks I was literally all over the place, 70g protein one day, 180g the next …

Just watch the 20g net carbs.

If you’re hungry eat. If you feel about full, stop. (Sounds too easy right…)

Warning: Some of those apps do not follow a ketogenic diet so they prompt you to starve yourself for now good reason (we call that “CICO” calories in versus calories out, you know the kind of thinking brown sugary drink makers want us to believe. You starve yourself, lose some weight but then it bounces back with a vengeance, millions of people have tried and failed that, it just doesn’t seem to work).

Anyway hang in there