Exchange diet portions into macros?

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(Gail P) #1

Is it possible to convert macros into exchanges? If so, where can I find out more?

(Laurie) #3

Although some say not to bother with numbers, I prefer to have some limitations. And I think it’s a good idea to figure these things out before you eat something, rather than after.

I decided I needed 80 grams of protein a day. I know that the following each contain about 20 grams of protein:

beef patty (3.5 to 4 ounces before cooking)
similar sized portion of pulled pork or other meat
3 eggs
2.5 ounces of cheese
half a can of salmon

I mix and match to reach my daily goals. For example, if I’m eating 2 meals a day, I might have 8 ounces of meat for one meal, and a large cheese omelet or a can of salmon for the other meal.

You might eat different foods from the above, and your protein numbers might be different. Research the kinds of foods you want to eat, and/or read the nutrition labels. You will quickly get used to swapping out protein foods.

I let the fat take care of itself, and I eat hardly any plant products. But you can apply the same principles to fat, vegetables, etc.

I hope that helps.

(Carl Keller) #4

Cronometer.com can tell you what food items count toward your macros. It’s a really nifty tool and comes highly recommended by a lot of people here on the forum.

(Gail P) #5

@islandlight, you have been really systematic in determining how much protein is in a given food. Thanks for the list. The way you eat is a lot like the way I eat: get the protein and let the fat take care of itself, plus incidental carbs and greens.

I asked because after eating Keto for almost three years, I realized I have never got the hang of carb counting, but I understand “exchanges” from way back. And I don’t want to do the figuring if I can possibly get out of it!

@CarlKeller, thanks for the link, Cronometer looks a bit different from other apps I’ve downloaded (and deleted), so I may try it out.

(Jane) #6

Exchanges??? As in Weight Watcher exchanges? Or do you mean something else?

(Gail P) #7

Yes, exactly, although the first time I met an exchange diet it was for diabetics. Any ideas?

I opened an account at Cronometer and found that yesterday I was a little low on protein, but otherwise doing much better than expected. Still tedious to enter each ingredient, but not as bad as expected there either.

(Jane) #8

I’m afraid I can’t be much help. The old Weight Watcher exchange for protein was about 70 cal/exchange before they went to the point system. Carbs were 80 cal and fats 40 per exchange.

But these numbers don’t relate to anything keto these days. If you are starting out just keep your carbs under 20 g, eat the same protein you were eating before and enough fat you aren’t hungry.

The rest will sort itself after 5-8 weeks when you become fat-adapted.

(Gail P) #9

Looks like changing “exchange diet” portions into “macros” is strictly a do-it-yourself operation. (do-it-MYself!)

It was fairly easy, starting out, to figure out grams of carbs per meal. So I assumed that it was easy to figure out macros. When I actually tried, I found out my mistake.

All the protein guidelines sound simple and precise, but usually are based on a guess (lean body mass) and do not mention that grams of protein are not the same as grams of actual food. That relationship changes with each food and is not readily available.

To work out macros for individuals, you start from calories per day, which I find distressing. Too much same old, same old.

So thank you, @Katie, you nailed it: > keep your carbs under 20 g, eat the same protein you were eating before and enough fat you aren’t hungry. The rest will sort itself after 5-8 weeks when you become fat-adapted.

I’m not new to this, I’ve been eating that exact way for almost 3 years. I’ve been trying to refine my approach in order to lose more weight and finding all the new recommendations difficult to sort.
My overall health continues to improve, so I’m likely going to give up on refinements and get back to where I started.

(Chris) #10

I use cronometer. Working great for my needs. I’m currently aggressively cutting, and not only does it have every food I need to enter (which includes only ground beef), it connects with Google Fit so my weight that I track syncs automatically as well as my workouts. I haven’t yet paid for the premium account, but plan to soon because that data is very useful.

(Gail P) #11

That’s great!