Counting calories

(Britain Davidson) #1

I was just wondering if anyone on here counts calories? I have been trying to stay around 1200 a day and it’s really hard. Most recipes for keto that I have found have at least 600 calories for just one meal. I read that with a keto diet you don’t need to count calories but I just don’t see how I will get to my goal weight without counting.

HELP ! JUST STARTING OUt
(Jay AM) #2

If you do a search for CICO and calories, you can read plenty of good topics regarding why most of us don’t count calories.

Especially when you are first beginning keto, don’t count anything but carbs. If you are restricting calories while trying to live a keto life, you’re going to burn out fast, give up, and move on to another yo yo diet. Not only that but, anecdotal evidence from this forum shows newbies who restrict calories seeing no changes or even gaining weight.

A ketogenic way of eating is not about restricting anything but insulin spikes which we control by eating low carbohydrates and allowing our bodies to shift to burning ketones as fuel. It is not a yo yo diet. It’s not yo mama’s diet. It’s a way of eating that allows your body to heal itself with a side effect of weight loss. Your body does not care what arbitrary number you use to judge it by. All it cares about is taking the right inputs and being its best self. We have two sayings here, “keep calm and keto on” and “trust the process.”

There are two phases to ketosis and a ketogenic lifestyle.

Nutritional ketosis is phase one. Your body begins to produce and uptake some ketones while dumping the rest. It will still search for glucose to use as fuel. In this phase it’s not an efficient process. It has to work actively to get rid of stored glycogen, clean up excess blood sugar, and turn on the ability to use ketones.

Fat adaptation is phase two. Your body is efficiently producing ketones from intake and stored body fat and is also using them efficiently for energy. It takes around 6-8 weeks of strict keto to achieve for many but not all.

Basically, the whole point of doing the ketosis is to reach the fat adaptation. People who stop short won’t ever experience the true reason for the work they and their body have put into this metabolic shift.

The basic “rules” I go by and many others can agree with especially for beginners are:

*20g net carbs max (you might tolerate more but, starting out, 20g net carbs or less will get you into ketosis.)

*Moderate protein (1g-1.5g per kg of lean bodyweight is a good goal based on the 2 Dudes recommendations.)

*Fat to satiety (add fat to every meal and, if you are hungry, eat more fat. Don’t be afraid of fat. It is energy.)

*Do not restrict calories

*Drink plenty of water

*Get plenty of sodium and other electrolytes

*Do not do excessive exercise to try losing excess weight. You may notice decreased stamina in the beginning. Listen to your body.

Over 55? Support group for older members
(Straight outta ‘Straya’) #3

Friend, take your calories way up. If you want to limit them still then 1600-1800 but 1200? That’s a starvation diet. It will get you very little and screw up your metabolism.

(Karen) #4

Yes, calories, and % macros. Trying to see what works

K

(Olivia) #5

I count calories and I stick to a moderate kcal deficit. If you’re struggling, then it’s most likely due to a too low budget. Ideally your budget should be 100-20 kcals above BMR. Below BMR, there’s not enough fuel for your body’s basic functions.

(Allie) #6

Your body needs fuel to operate the way it’s meant to. You can’t restrict it and expect good, long lasting, results.

(Rob) #7

You will find lots of differing advice on both sides here.

The theoretical keto rule is that calories don’t matter and that healthy metabolisms can regulate excess calories without storing them as long as they are from fat.

Of course many people attempting keto have deranged metabolisms and so the healthy rules don’t necessarily or at least immediately apply. The derangement of your metabolism is not proportional to your obesity so that is not a driver per se. You could be lean and still diabetic and very deranged or obese and have a healthy metabolism.

What we do know is that eating too little is almost universally damaging to your basal metabolic rate since it invokes a starvation response and lowers the BMR almost irreversibly. Studying the Biggest Loser contestants for the next 6 years proved this and explained their 90% failure rate at keeping even most of the weight off since they lost 25% of their BMR and couldn’t get it back. 25% actually ended up heavier than they started. Perhaps they loved being on TV and thought “My 600 lb Life” was easier to get onto? :roll_eyes:

So, my advice (for what little it’s worth) is to not worry about calories to begin with and see how your body handles it. Unless you know you are very deranged (e.g. very diabetic) the risks of calorie restriction seem worse than those of having a few too many calories.

As you get back to a healthy metabolism, you’ll probably be able to handle more carbs, stay in ketosis and not worry about calories (from fat). See this test for an idea of this…

(charlie3) #8

Since starting keto a couple of months ago I’m using Cronometer and a kitchen scale to track food and exercise. The record keeping is time consuming but useful. In the beginning I need to know what’s really happening, no kidding myself. What’s really in the food I’m eating? How many calories am I really consuming? I’m after that tricky thing of reducing stored fat (one pound a week max), increasing muscle mass and improving cardio health, all at once.

Tracking was necessary for me to get to 20 net carbs and 1.2 g protein per kg. My daily calories equal resting metabolic rate (1500 calories). The calorie deficit equals calories burned by activities including exercise (300-500). The easiest way for me to deal with hunger is too skip breakfast and eat in a 6-8 hour window meaning mid afternoon and dinner time. When I like what I’m seeing in the mirror and waiist line is down another inch or two daily calories and exercise intensity will increase.

So far Im getting lean, looking fit and feel amazing

(Barbara ) #9

That was a good explanation. I have been doing keto for three months and trying to keep my calories in the 1500 range. I have not lost weight! I go down one pound and up the next day. I stick with the rules - net carbs mostly 20. I use the Lose It app to keep track of macros. I am getting discouraged but I don’t have head hungries and cravings, so I keep going! I wonder if my age is the culprit? I am 82 but active.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #10

I find that by hitting my goal for protein and keeping my carbs low naturally keeps my calories in a deficit relative to by BMR. It’s not anything that I try for. Happens.

(Liz ) #11

My Keto mom is 83 & she started losing a little bit of fat when she stopped snacking. She eats 3 meals a day but nothing in between except tea. I don’t know if you are grazing but that can throw things off.

(Britain Davidson) #12

Thank you all so much. I will increase my calories and see how it goes!

#13

I understand what you’re saying here, but I also have an off topic question. Isn’t obesity a sign of poor metabolic health? I get how you can be thin with poor metabolic health, but how can you be obese with good metabolic health? The body should naturally hit an appropriate, healthy weight, when metabolically healthy, no?

(Jeannie Oliver) #14

Britsy, your OP doesn’t give enough information to form a basis for recommendations. How much extra weight are you carrying now? How active are you (i.e., do you chase after toddlers, work as a waitress or retail clerk, or sit at a computer all day)? Whether 1200 cal. daily is enough for now depends largely on your height, current weight and level of activity.

Also, what are your goals? Are you just interested in dropping 20 pounds, or do you suspect you are insulin resistant and on the path to a fatty liver, heart problems and diabetes?

Since you asked what the rest of us are doing…I track calories and macros, with a goal of 1250 cal per day (at 5’9" and sedentary part-time job), consuming 75% of my calories from fat, 20% protein, 5% net carbs. (Although My Fitness Pal tracks all carbs, I mentally subtract the fiber.) I’ve been following the keto WOE for 12 weeks, consistently losing 2 pounds a week. I also practice Intermittent Fasting daily (18 hours fasting, 6 hours re-feeding) and most weeks I fast 36 hours (from Sunday night until Tuesday morning).

For me, 1250 calories is about a 500 calorie deficit from what would be required to maintain (BMR). I wouldn’t advise further restriction EXCEPT… you will find that many (if not most) of the people on this forum practice extended fasting–certainly a severe calorie restriction–without concerning themselves with lowering their BMR.

That said, I didn’t come to keto just to drop weight. I have been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that basically destroys liver function if it becomes advanced. Few of my ancestors lived past 70, a number that is not far into my future, and so I am interested in how ketosis supports longevity and vital brain function. I expect that after another few months on this path, I will increase my calories and maintain my weight at 140-145 lbs. I plan to follow the keto WOE and occasional fasting for the rest of my days.

(Britain Davidson) #15

I am a stay at home mom and student so while I am chasing one toddler while she isn’t at school my life is still sedentary from online school full time. I am trying to get back to my healthier weight so I would like to lose 40 lbs. I also have heart palpitations which has been a new diagnosis from my dr. She has said it could be from my weight gain after babies or possibly my schooling. I can’t stop my classes so I am hoping with getting to a healthier weight the palpitations will become less frequent.

(Tammy Kidd) #16

Did the palpitations start after you cut your carbs? If so that is usually a electrolytes issue.

(Jeannie Oliver) #17

Heart palpitations can also be a result of chronic anxiety. Been there.

(Britain Davidson) #18

No they started last summer right before I started school and keto

(Britain Davidson) #19

I was diagnosed with a panic disorder but also PAC (premature atrial contractions) which she says is separate from on my panic disorder. But I don’t knowl how it is different :woman_shrugging:t2:

(Steve) #20

I’m counting - I use myfitnesspal. I’m in the Apple ecosystem for toys, so I have it integrated with the Health app on my iPhone and my Apple Watch keeps track of my workouts.
I’m doing what everyone says that you shouldn’t - just closing in on my first month of Keto and I’m running a calorie deficit to increase weight loss. The first couple of weeks I didn’t need to, as I was being much more active than I was before Keto - just the activity was producing a very good weight loss result.
I also have fatty liver - which I’m optimistic Keto will help me heal.

I’m also doing IF and NOT SNACKING - that last one was really holding back my weight loss. I’m down to two meals a day. I also only have 1 coffee a day now - at the same time that I have lunch, so the insulin response that coffee can cause is part of the meal.

A BIG part of the legwork for counting is at the front end - as you’re accumulating recipes so you have lots of meal options - many (most) recipes online seem to have questionable calculations for their macros - I’ve recalculated every recipe that I’ve made.
The great thing is, I add all of these dishes into “My Foods” in MFP, so it’s really easy now to add them to my daily food diary. (also using it to make sure I hit my water goal - for me, being as big as I am, that’s 5.5-6.0 litres a day).
I think eventually you get to know the ballparks of the macros in the various foods that you eat and won’t need to count meticulously.

Edit: Other things that I’m doing - three times a day I’m having 1T ACV + 1 tsp lemon juice + 1 tsp lime juice in my water - two of them before the meals (the first is usually the first or second water of the day). Also having at least 2 mugs of green tea a day.