Hello all,
I have recently started the Keto diet (about 7 days ago to be exact)
I am female 5’7 171 pounds. I have not lost any weight but i do believe i am in ketosis. I have been counting my macros and not feeling that hungry which is great. Except i don’t know if i should be so strict on calories or not. This week i have tried to stay in the 1200cal a day. Am i even doing this right?
Any help at all would be wonderful!!
Cara
Just cut the carbs; sub-20 grams per day. Eat enough fat and protein not to be hungry. Ignore calories for now. Others will advise more specifically.
1200 calories is scary-low to me. Just a word of caution, if we eat too low for too long, our bodies enter a ‘starvation-mode’ because it thinks that there is a famine. This causes the body to hold onto fat for survival. Women seem to be especially susceptible to this. How long have you been eating at 1200 calories?
Have you noticed a change in bloating, or the way your face looks? Usually when people begin keto they lose a lot of inflammation and stored-up water.
You asked if you are doing this right…do you want to list a typical day of what you eat? We can take a look and help you if you want.
Great thank you!
I have been 1200/1300 for about 5 days… hmm maybe is should add more on you’re right. Typical work day is:
Breakfast: 1 egg, 2 pieces of bacon
Lunch: Raw spinach, Flax seeds, (little bit of graded cheese) chicken, small serving of ceaser dressing
Dinner: home made meatballs with more spinach some asparagus or some keto veggie
or coconut chicken curry with cauliflower rice
and then as a snack a powercrunch bar…
too much? too little?
It looks a bit low. I’d try eating more at breakfast, for sure! Maybe add in 1 or 2 more eggs, and more bacon. For lunch, you could easily add more dressing and cheese to help up the fat. For dinner, cook the veggies in butter 
Double check the label to make sure that there are not added sugars/high carbohydrates and bad oils (soybean and canola oils are particularly bad and common).
Usually ive been using just ceaser dressing but i can add more if it helps. I just want to make sure that im getting enough fat/macros in. I have the carb counter app thats been helping me a lot but its funny i haven’t lost a thing… maybe a pound?
What are the ingredients and carbohydrate count? I thought that these were not keto-friendly, but I could be wrong.
Good snack ideas include meat + cheese, hard-boiled eggs, pre-portioned nuts (I recommend sticking to macadamia). Eventually your meals are adequate so that eventually you do not need a snack.
I recommend looking at the ingredients label. There is more to health than the carbohydrates. Bad oils can also cause you to stall. To increase fat on a salad, I recommend adding olive oil. You can do an olive oil and apple cider vinegar mixtures, that is pretty tasty.
13g total fat. 9g total carbs and 13g protein. I was told by a friend they were keto friendly… but maybe not?! and 5g sugar!
That strikes me as high. What other sweetener is used? If maltitol is on the label, that is not really subtractable for a lower net carb count, it acts like regular sugar.
Maybe explore other snacks. Meats, eggs, and cheeses are satiating and generally better ingredients. Watch out for deli meats, check the label first.
Gah. It says on the powercrunch energy bars 9g of carbs… im looking at the ingredients now and there is enriched flour in it… i think you guys just helped me figure it out
Thank you so much!! 
It was my fault for not reading the label and listening to people who don’t really know themselves. I would grab these bars all the time… at least i know now though!
Cara, I recommend looking around this forum for snack and food ideas. There is no need to get super stressed about it all, but read what other people have to say. Use the search function for whatever you are wondering about. There are a lot of people online who put out bad information about keto.
When you buy a product look at both the nutrition label and the ingredients label. Avoid sweeteners that are not allulose, stevia, erythritol, and monk fruit. Avoid bad oils like cottonseed, canola, grape seed, soybean, and roasted nut oils. Stick to whole foods if possible.
Feel free to post and ask questions if you do not find your answers, we love to help around here 
At its simplest, I see keto as “Minimal carbs. Adequate proteins. Fats as needed (for satiety).”
You need to keep carbs low so that you stay in ketosis. Rule of thumb is 20 grams of digestible carbs (i.e. “net carbs”).
You need to make sure you get enough proteins. Your body needs them.
After that, it’s fats (and thus calories). Ideally, hunger should be the guide as to how many fats you’ll need to eat, because your body can get the fats it needs either from what you eat, or from stored body fat.
Since I have nearly five decades of compulsive eating behind me, I do need to watch fats and calories. But, with keto, I am no longer ravenously hungry all the time. So that helps a lot.
Even caesar dressing is suspect. I’ve found that the Primal Kitchen brands use “good” oils and that pretty much everything else uses “bad” oils. You can also, when you feel comfortable, make your own salad dressings. Or just do a basic oil & vinegar (beware, though, that balsamic vinegar has 3g of carbs per 1 tbsp).
I’ve made my own ranch dressing with heavy cream, sour cream, and spices.
ok will definitely just make my own from now on, great tips thank you! Again i’m just surprised that i haven’t lost any weight when i thought i was eating good. But will be patient!
