Clarification on carb counts

newbies
(Chris) #1

Ok so 5 weeks in kept my carbs below 20g net. For weeks my ketones were above 1. Now suddenly they are .3-.7 which is barely even in ketosis. I havent changed much. Amywa is it net or total? And if jts total how the hell are you supposed to eat anything? Almonds nope, any nuts nope. Creamer.nope. heavy cream nope. Even veggies nope barely can get in 200g before you hit 20g. Total carbs seems pike carnivore to me

(Running from stupidity) #2

Stop measuring ketones, just measure carbs.

(Chris) #3

I simply cant. What’s the point of this woe if I’m not even in ketosis and have zero of the benefits? Also as I said if its total carbs I’m not sure I understand how I can get my nutrition needed I can barely eat 200g of veggies or anything really

#4

If it’s making you this miserable then maybe it’s not for you…no one diet suits everyone.

(MooBoom) #5

Ok let’s get started.

  1. What are you routinely eating, and what does a typical keto day look like for you?

  2. What benefits from keto were you expecting to see but aren’t?

  3. Why did you go keto- what goals are you hoping to meet?

(Natasha) #6

My guess is that, 5 weeks in, you are not producing less ketones but your body is becoming more effective at using what you are producing. Therefore you are excreting less. What you are describing is pretty typical and unless you have changed something about your diet very recently (ie more carbs than you have been eating since going keto) I wouldn’t worry about it. If you use the search function in the forum you can find lots of info about how inaccurate measuring ketones can be after the first few weeks. 20g net is a good number to shoot for, watch your results, watch how you are feeling and let that be your guide. Best of luck to you :grinning:

#7

The OP has stated elsewhere that keto has made their IBS significantly worse so I think there are bigger issues at play than low ketone readings :slightly_smiling_face:

(Carl Keller) #8

It’s arguable that we even need vegetables to thrive and be healthy. Our ancient ancestors who lived in the northern hemisphere had little or no access to anything but meat for significant portions of the year and they still thrived for eons.

I eat vegetables in moderation but all my real cravings begin and end with meat. I will have one to two cups of vegetables per day. I rotate between broccoli, brussels sprouts, snow peas and an occasional salad. I’ve been eating this way for the past nine months and I have never felt better in my life so I can honestly say that the importance of vegetables and fruits is at best, exaggerated.

#9

Level of ketones also vary depending on how much your excersicse or how much movement you have as a whole. It affects how much of the remaining carbs you lose, also protein levels when they are very high can change into glucose. Try to look if that changed, sometimes it’s not about carbs. I have up to 40g of carbs per day and still stay in ketosis.

(Chris) #10

My day starts with 40g bacon, 200g of eggs, 200g mixed green veggies fried up. I then have a coffee with heavy cream, mct oil, and protein powder for taste. Then for my “lunch” I have homemade chia seed pudding. Supper is always an entree like chicken beef or fish and a large salad. I always am in the 50g or more total carb. No cheats, counting every gram.

Increased energy, mental clarity, weight loss, health, better digestion, better mood. The only one of those I’m.getting is weight loss. My energy I dont feel a significant change but it’s very very slight.

I went on it to lose weight but to also build health so I have energy for my son and wife and new baby in the way. I hate coming home from work and feeling so tired I dont wanna do anytjing withthe family. Also just feeling better in general

Thanks for the reply:)

(Chris) #11

I’ve read alot of the forums tbh I cant seem to find total.or net answers everyone seems to think differently hah

(Chris) #12

Yes for sure. I was hoping it was just adapting but I cant go to much longer like this. I was extremely excited about this woe and I heard it can drastically help digestion so it’s a huge huge bummer to have the opposite

(Chris) #13

This week I’m trying a carb up day. And also have been eating less veggies. I’ll see how that works out for me. Seems like my guts love fruit to function proper hah. As before keto my IBS was maybe once a year flare up. Now its every week

(Chris) #14

Is that total.or net? Total carbs I have about 50g to 60g. Net is below 20g for me

(mole person) #15

Mct oil and/or chia could be messing with your digestion. Both irritate my IBS terribly.

(Natasha) #16

What I was meaning was a search for the inaccuracy of ketone testing past the first few weeks.

I agree the net/total carb thing can be confusing though! It probably doesn’t feel especially helpful when you are looking for a definitive answer but I really think everyone has to find the carb threshold that works for them.

My opinion is that it is somewhere between 20-100g total carbs and that the type you eat matters. Eg, 18g total carbs from green leafy veg/avocado etc are going to effect you differently to 18g total carbs from a slice of bread. Unfortunately I think finding out our individual carb sweet spots can really only be done by trial and error.

Good luck! :grinning:

#17

That is net carbs, i don’t count fiber as carbs,but there is no sugar alcohols either in my diet. So yes, up to 40g net carbs. Like from 330g of 18% sour cream which i eat like a youghurt i get 12g of net carbs.

(John) #18

I don’t actually measure carbs myself. I don’t really seem to need to. I know which foods are low carb and stick to those, and keep the quantities reasonable. Seems to work.

Guidelines from both dietdoctor.com and from Dr. Ken Berry is:

For natural foods (broccoli, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes) - use net carbs. For anything packaged that has a label (other than something like a bag of mixed lettuce greens), go with total carbs.

So for raw spinach, for example. 4 cups (120 g) = 4.4 g total carbs, of which 2.6g is fiber, so you’d count the net carbs of 1.8g.

I think you can eat a lot of spinach and not go over 20g net carbs.

(Carole) #19

Basically, you can eat whatever you want as long as it’s in your 20 to 30 NET carbs.

(Scott) #20

You don’t have to over complicate this. I would never have imagined that someone would measure eggs by the gram.

I seem to benefit from keto or LCHF (I am never sure what I am). My weight is maintaining effortlessly. I feel good and healthy. I don’t measure anything but my weight. I don’t test anything. I exercise most days running 30 miles a week and weight machines three times a week. I aim for <50g carbs daily because I like wine and veggies. I do try to limit my veggies to evening meal with a basic portion. I only eat salads as a meal (not with a meal) with some protein. I avoid eating massive salads due to too many sneaky carbs that I just don’t have time to count. My internal ketone tester (taste) says I am in ketosis now but I suspect I drift in and out. I never “cheat” or carb up but I do enjoy some IPA’s when I go to the Tap Room. This lifestyle just works for me but maybe not for others. When I combine the way I feel with the possible benefits in the cancer, alzheimer’s, parkinsons, diabetes and cardiac health departments I feel like I am in my happy place.

If you can give it time and I mean months to years to see how you feel. At five weeks you are not there yet IMO. At almost one year on keto I can tell that my body is still changing and adjusting. Also your name is showing as anonymous which can happen sometimes but you can change it in your settings @ 05147ae533bd743d8b98