Advice!

(Kayla) #1

Hey! So I started my keto journey about two weeks ago. I don’t really have any questions, I guess I just kind of wanted to post a rundown of what I’ve been doing and see if you guys think I’m on the right track or if I have any room for improvement. :slight_smile:

So I’m mixing keto with IF, I fast from 7/8pm to 2pm Monday-Friday. I work an office job and therefore don’t do much weekdays so fasting is easier for me on these days. I do however make a coffee at around 8:00am each of these days. I looked through keto coffee ideas and made my own - which contains 1/2 tablespoon of ghee, 1/2 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon pure MCT oil, 6 drops organic stevia extract, 2 tablespoons malk unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and just a tad of pink Himalayan salt. I can’t remember exact macros off the top of my head but its around .6 net carbs, 24 grams fat, and 1 gram protein.

I eat again at 2, then dinner is about 5:30, small snack about 7ish. I do clean keto, everything I eat comes from fresh vegetables, seafood, some cheese/cream cheese/cottage cheese. No other dairy. No meat since I don’t eat meat. Not really eating fruits. No fat bombs. All my fat comes from my coffee, the avacado oil I cook my food in, and then the fats that come naturally from the food I’m eating. I drink nothing but water, green tea, the coffee, and occasional glass of wine. I also have a shot of apple cider vinegar each morning and night.

My net carbs are always between 14-19 a day, with fat ranging from 74-90 grams, and protein hitting between 15-19% of my total intake. I tried to aim for 1200cals a day but struggle to go above 1100 while hitting macros, sometimes I’m under 1000. I’m currently 158lbs, goal of 130lbs - which I know will take time. I’m also doing this to help my IBS, and find out the exact problem resulting in the random occurrence of food intolerances I’ve been experiencing lately.

Weekends I stop eating at 6pm, but have breakfast around 8-9am. I do not have the coffee these days. I supplement every day with a multivitamin, and a probiotic.

Basically seeing if I am on the right track or not. I honestly don’t exercise much, but am planning to start doing yoga before bed each day.

Thanks guys! :slight_smile:

(Kayla) #2

Only topic without a response, ouch! Well hope I’m doing alright haha.

#3

Don’t sweat it, Kayla. Sometimes it takes the members time to get around to all the posts.

Honestly, when I read your post I thought, “I can’t offer you any advice, you’ve put a lot more thought into this than I have.” Of course I do pride myself on being the laziest of lazy keto. :grin:

Mainly, what I would offer is there isn’t a rule book for everyone to follow. I would keep doing what you’re doing and pay attention to how your body reacts. If everything is favorable, then keep it up. If you feel like nothing’s changing, then experiment.

Many people have asked the same questions you may be having, so search the forums and see if your questions have already been answered. I personally use Google, because the search function here has been hit-or-miss for me.

If you type in your search term, followed by the website, it will search only the forums. Like this:

no rule book site:ketogenicforums.com

Welcome to the forum, Kayla, and good luck on your keto journey!

I’ll see you around the forums. :+1:

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #4

…aand there you go making me smarter again. Cool one Darren. Thanks!

Welcome Kayla! These forums tend to ebb and flow throughout the day, so it takes time every so often. Besides, we have Europe and Australia/NZ well represented as well, and God knows what time it is where they are! :joy:

You sound like you’ve put a lot of thought into this, so you’re undoubtedly close. I agree w/ Darren: There’s no one solution that fits for all, but commonalities are low carb (<15 or 20 net per day), moderate proteins and fat to satiety.

Using my own rules as a comparison, I would say your carbs look good but your cals & fats look a bit low. Eat enough ! :stuck_out_tongue:

If you’re happy doing 18:6, go for it, but I’d eat if hungry. Once fat adapted IF comes naturally.

(Kayla) #5

Thank you!

(Kayla) #6

This was my main concern. I’ve been reading through the forum and see a lot of people mention eating quite a bit more calories and fat than I do. But since weight loss is the main purpose for me I wasn’t sure if I should bump it up or not.

(I Am The Egg Man ku-ku-kachoo) #7

Yeah. There is a real difference of opinion within the keto community regarding calories: you’ve got some saying “You can’t eat too many!” and some saying “Calories matter! Watch 'em”. I’ve heard people I like and respect in here on both sides of that argument.

I have a feeling the solution is more complicated than any single method can resolve. It likely depends on innumerable variables including age, gender, activity, body fat %, etc.

Personally, I have begun to move towards thinking the solution is to be flexible in your thinking and methods. What works for one may not work for you. What works for you now may stop working later! I keep carbs low always. I keep my proteins between 90 and 200 grams per day :flushed: and I may eat little fat or may eat loads of fat, depending on my hunger and internal voice. Right now it works. Will it later? Psssh. Who knows.

But I’m ready to throw a curveball once my body figures out my fastball!

#8

I think you need to get your calories up quite a bit. The goal in the beginning is to make sure you are eating the right foods and keeping carbs low. Too early IMO to start IF. That being said, by drinking that coffee, you are not following IF. Should be black coffee. You don’t eat meat, so what are your protein sources?

(Cindy) #9

Kayla, I read your post but didn’t respond because I’m still pretty new at the keto lifestyle, but also, I’m a meat eater. :wink: So not sure what advice I could have given you, but I should have at least said “Welcome!”

(Laurie) #10

Welcome, Kayla!

What you’re doing looks good to me. I don’t count calories. I try to hit certain macros (fat, carbs, protein), and as a result, my calories are around 1200-1300. I don’t see any reason to eat more, and I’d have trouble eating more anyway. Not that hungry on keto!

What do you mean by “not really eating fruits”?

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #11

Don’t worry about calorie targets in the beginning, as this is not a calorie controlled diet. Whilst they are important and do have an impact, weight loss is generally controlled by hormones and insulin levels.

From reading your post, your calories seem quite low, they are lower than mine and I am 10kg less heavier than you. You should be aiming for 1400-1500 at least and a majority of that should come from fat.

What are your protein sources?

Also, expect to stall between now and when you become fat adapted, it’s natural for the body to begin focusing on healing metabolic issues before fat loss will occur.
You’re off to a good start though!

(Running from stupidity) #12

As ever, basically a day ahead of the yanks :slight_smile:

:+1:

(Kayla) #13

The only problem with boosting my calories is I don’t really feel hungry. So it’s hard to add calories when I’m already adding a significant amount of fat to everything I eat. Suggestions?

Also I was wondering if the coffee would break the IF or not since it had less than a gram of net carbs, but either way I am happy using that as a replacement meal as it easily keeps me full until 2.

Is IF a bad idea so soon, or just harder for people still adjusting? Also for protein I eat a lot of seafood and eggs.

(Kayla) #14

I am a sucker for fruit. I’m not generally a dessert sweet fan, but I do love my pineapple haha. If it fits my macros I always try to add it in when I can.

(Kayla) #15

I’m not really worried about the calorie count, more so following the basic macros given to me by a keto calculator I did. Not to mention I sit in an office most the day during the week which doesn’t make me very hungry. Meeting the 1200 limit is still hard. I don’t want to force myself to eat.

Also I eat a lot of seafood and eggs.

(Running from stupidity) #16

Maybe you need to look at some different options?

I’m doing that ATM…

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #17

I can tell from the macros that you have entered a deficit in the calculator, which you are not supposed to do at this stage.

Also, i’d cut out the pineapple. It’s not something you should really be trying to fit into the macros at this stage as it’s pure sugar and that is what you are trying to avoid. You want your carbs to come from leafy greens etc.

(Kayla) #18

Unfortunately meat doesn’t agree with my system at the moment. :frowning:

(Carl Keller) #19

Your body should have that answer. How do you feel? If you feel good, keep doing what you are doing. And I agree with the others about calories. Don’t worry about them. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.

And welcome to the forum. :slight_smile:

(Kayla) #20

It recommended a 20% deficit of trying to lose weight, but I’m gathering that doesnt really matter haha.

9/10 my carbs do come from vegetables, but maybe every 4 days or so I add it in. Keeps me on track for not indulging in other things.