First Post - Struggling with < 20g carbs - New to Keto - Is what I am eating right?

#5

Thanks is the fat not a good thing on keto. I did think coffee might be a bad idea but so many mixed views.

(Jean Taylor) #6

Fat is fine on keto. It’s what you’re encouraged to eat if you’re hungry after you have finished a meal. It’s calorie dense so after fat adaptation you can remove some but most posts I’ve seen here say starting out eat protein according to your lean mass in kg × .8 to 1.5 possibly higher if you’re super active. Keep carbs under 20g and eat fat to satiety.

I personally do eat some tomato here and there but it’s small amounts added to other things. Your tomatos being sun dried tomatos are going to be worse carb by wise by vollume because they dont have water bulking them up. It will ne easier staying undet 20g if youre eating higher carb flavorfull things like fresh tomato or onion in small amounts to enhance other vegtables or meats rather than just eating them alone. You just have to figure out how to make it work for you.

(Straight outta ‘Straya’) #7

I’ve been there. And yep, it’s a real bugger to try to land at 2k kcal AND stay under 5%/20g but just keep tweaking and as a rule deduct fibre from carbs.

(mags) #8

I wouldn’t bother with dry old chicken breast. Chicken thighs with skin on are much tastier with higher fat content

#9

The majority of people on keto don’t intermix the mindset of calorie counting and keto, some do. With your sugars low you really don’t have to worry too much of your body storing the fat, but it using it as a fuel. Calories do count, but not in the over simplified context of in vs out. There’s a lot more wiggle room than that and a whole lot of other factors that go into it. I’ll agree with the others on tomatoes, 20g isn’t a whole lot…BUT at first you may want to watch them, they are fruit after all.

(Randy) #10

I don’t think I explained it as well as I could have. Keto is essentially 75% of your calories from fat. So from that standpoint Bulletproof coffee is fine. But it is essentially a meal. And it’s energy dense being all fat. If you’re still wanting to lose some weight, you may want to try black coffee. You may be able to access more body fat that way.

Unfortunately there is no magic keto macro for everyone. But fighting type 2 diabetes I do know you want to keep insulin as low as you can for as long as you can. Keto with intermittent fasting is a very good way to do this.

Good luck. :slight_smile:

#11

The absolute best advice when entering keto is to make sure you supplement electrolytes, trace minerals, and phytonutrients. Electrolytes are essential because going keto depletes the body of electrolytes and these are electrolytes must be replaced. Trace minerals are needed by practically everyone because our diets are so devoid of them due to modern agricultural practices. Trace minerals are the keys that enable complete proper body function. Make sure your trace minerals are from plant-derived minerals sources. Phytonutrients are another nutrient are modern diet is sadly lacking in and is essential for proper body functions. I’m not going to suggest any brand names. All these supplements can be found on Amazon just do a little research. They are absolutely essential for helping you transition to Keto and maintaining keto health. From my experience the complete supplemental package of these three will cost you no more than $130 a month on Amazon. Also don’t worry so much about the macros right now just cut out as many carbs as possible don’t count the carbs from vegetables you need the fiber from the vegetables very important and needless to say - You must be on the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice routine. I feel that’s also essential. Sounds like a lot but it’s not, the benefits will motivate you.

(Jean Taylor) #12

I would add if you do decide to get into fasting do your research 1st, and at least try to get your Dr on board. I don’t know a lot about diabetic medication but if you’re on one of them you’re supposed to take before a meal I believe it can be dangerous to take it and not eat.

I would read Jason fung’s “the obesity code” “the ultimate guide to fasting” and probably “the diabetes code” (i havent actually read the 3rd one yet but assume it has more helpful information for your situation)

(Candy Lind) #13

I’m going to try to keep it simpler than some of the advice you’ve received. It’s very confusing trying to assimilate everything when you start this lifestyle.

Keep it simple at first - moderate servings of the proteins you like, always adding fat. If you want to eat veggies, stick to low carb selections and think of them as “fat conveyors.” You need to replace the carbs you were eating with fat, to train your body to use it as fuel, and to keep you from being hungry. If you follow this paragraph alone for your first month, that’s all you need to remember.

Now some comments based on your menu: it looked pretty good except that it’s hard to see where you’re getting your fats from. Tuna and chicken are both “throwbacks” from your low-fat, high carb days. They are healthy protein sources, but you have to work extra hard to get enough fat when you use very low fat protein sources. Eat them with butter, mayo, or cheese sauce. Do you like salmon or sardines? Eat those instead of tuna and it increases your fat intake. What did you fry your chicken in? Be sure to use plenty of healthy fat (olive oil, avocado oil, bacon grease, butter, lard) when cooking lean protein. There is a reason that bacon is so popular in the keto community - it helps us hit our fat macros! And if you add some bacon into your meal plans, be sure to save the bacon grease (an old glass jar from pickles or some such is perfect for this) to cook other foods in. Another great way to add fat is olives if you like them. I go through big jars of green olives and cases of cans of black olives from Costco pretty regularly. Don’t worry about calories - at first you should just eat until you are full. Trust the process - IT WORKS.

On the carbs - those sun-dried tomatoes are probably a pretty big carb hit! I would use them only in small amounts to flavor a salad or other dish. If, as I suspect, you don’t like veggies (green leafy stuff and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, plus a few others like summer squashes), it’s not a crime in a keto meal plan to just leave them off. We have a “carnivore” subforum on here, after all. It is a myth that you need plenty of veggies to be healthy. A wide variety of meat (including organ meat), eggs, fish, cheese, etc. will provide what you need.

Snacks? We don’t need no stinkin’ snacks on keto. If you’re not eating enough fat in your meals, you will be hungry and want snacks, BUT you are sabotaging yourself when you do this because you add an insulin spike to your day. Eat more at meals so you don’t need snacks. You’ll be better off in the “insulin wars.” If you love snack foods, like the meats you mentioned, or slices of cheese, or olives, make a meal of them. Add some pork rinds or celery (with fat on top!) for some crunch if you like (you can learn about parmesan crisps later). Eat enough that you won’t need to eat again for at least several hours. As you get used to eating this way, you’ll be surprised to discover you forgot to eat at a regular meal time because you just weren’t hungry. That’s when you’ll know you’re doing it right.

Now, go back and read my first paragraph again. Forget the rest if you like. I’m too verbose, anyway! :blush: :rofl: :wink: Oh, and KCKO!

#14

I am new to keto also, and wondered what you meant by the vinegar, lemon juice thing? Is that something I should be drinking?

(km) #15

Vinegar-- Apple cider Vinegar with mother is generally preffered if you want to try

i had the following experience … i prepare the following ACV cooler intially

few Ice cubes
Plain Soda (i take Talking rain original)
1 Lemon(persian variant ,you can get it in costco,I squeeze it)
1-2 Tbps ACV
Monk fruit -erythol Sweetner or SeaSalt
This tastes great and refreshing initially i used to drink with the sweetener but now i rarely do that i use seasalt now .
Note: i Also tried splenda once it spiked my sugar …but it can be a different experience for other …so make sure you have a baseline first and then try a sweetener that way you get to know if the sweetener is working for you

#16

Thank you some good advice there. I love olives and most veg but was worried about the carbs. Olives seem to be carb heavy being 6g per 100. But as suggested I may stop counting the carbs. I use fitness pal to track carbs which does cals automatically. I guess I do use a lot of chicken as a lean meat and have to break the habit. I will add more steak and salmon. Will need to break the snacking habit…i have started Apple vinegar before meals with water.

#17

I have started taking 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar with half a pint of water before meals. It helps digestion and control glucose levels as well as weight loss.

(Pete A) #18

The key to Keto-success.

Personally I enjoy 5 cherry tomatoes a day. A full cup has around 5 carbs. They’re a better bet to better use your carbs of the day.

Hard cheese is also worth a look and is flavorful I.e. blue, cheddar, Romano.

(Candy Lind) #19

According to Cronometer, quoting nccdb (national database), 100 g of green olives contain 2.7 grams of carbs, 2.3 of which are fiber (so .4 g net). That’s “incidental” by most definitions. With 10.7 g fat and .7 g protein, they are a practically perfect (to quote Poppins) way to add healthy fat.

EDIT: Black olives (nccdb) do have more: 6.3 g with 3.2 g fiber, so 3.1 g net; still, 100 grams is quite a few olives. I wouldn’t sweat them unless you eat an entire can at a time, like my godson. :smiling_imp:

(Empress of the Unexpected) #20

Yesterday I was advised to use HWC in my coffee to up my fat intake. I have about ten pounds to lose - is upping the fat going to get me fat adapted sooner? Then When adapted let my body burn its own fat? I am confused.

(Dom DePlume) #21

But it is essentially a meal…

That’s the bit needed. I typically tell people just that, and skip “breakfast”. BPC’s got enough goodness in it to cary you for hours…

(Randy) #22

It’s hard to give a one size fits all answer to that. Especially since I’m in no way an expert on this stuff. The 2 Keto Dudes always say 20g or less of carbs. Moderate protein. And fat to satiety.
Satiety is key to my understanding. If you’re hungry, add some fat. If you’re not, don’t. But many other things can come in to play. Insulin levels, stress, cortisol and sleep all seem to effect people in different ways.
You’ll see a lot “n=1” posts here which simply means we’re all an experiment of one. And although there are some common sense guidelines we all follow, the key is to experiment and find what works best for you.

Good luck.

(Candy Lind) #23

Did you start keto “just” to lose 10 pounds? Do you have any hormonal/metabolic issues? Do you want to burn fat for athletic performance reasons?

If you were advised to add HWC to increase your fat because you’re not getting 70% of your calories from fat, then I would do it. You’re new enough that you’re probably not fat adapted. Fat adaption will help get the weight off (if your goal weight is indeed the right weight for your body) by keeping you from being hungry & drawing on your fat stores, but you’ll have to trick your body into giving it up.

I will also tell you that if you thought this would be the easiest way to get that 10 pounds off, you may be disappointed. The last 10 will be a struggle, no matter what approach you take. If you intend to continue the keto way of life, it will more than likely be easier to maintain whatever final weight you settle on by using keto & fasting. If you intend to go back to high carb living, all bets are off. :unamused:

Splenda (packets & bulk) contains maltodextrin, which I believe has higher GI than sugar. The sucralose itself, in its pure form, will probably not spike you. There is a camp that believes it will mess with your gut microbiome, however. Just FYI, TruVia is not pure steviacides, either, and may also spike your BG. Idiot manufacturers putting substances that are known to spike BG in products recommended for T2D’s! :woman_facepalming: SMH

(Empress of the Unexpected) #24

Always good advice. No I am doing this because my triglycerides are suddenly very high and my doctor has pointed out that there is a connection between that and my belly fat. (He told me for my health’s sake to lose the belly, ASAP). I am assuming ten pounds, because that would be my normal adult weight sans belly. But maybe some recomposition will take place, who knows. I’ve always been more of a meat eater than a carb eater, so this is not too hard for me. But spent a couple of years joining my husband on his sandwich binges! That’s how I got into this mess. But I’ve already seen changes in the last two months that I am pleased with.