Forcing Fat to reach calorie goals!

(Stephen Readman) #1

Good Evening Everyone, Just a quick one.
As a background, I’m 31, and around 193lbs. Ive been following a Keto Lifestyle since January this year, and am happy with my loss so far (24lbs). Im not worried so much about the speed of weight loss, im chuffed with how things are going, and away from the scale, I look and fee better in myself.

My issue is reaching a calorie goal, and im aware that counting calories isn’t an issue, but after listening to the podcasts, I understand that being too low will lower my metabolic rate. I tracked religiously for the first few months but didn’t worry about it because I was losing weight. Looking back I was only eating about 1200 calories, very rarely getting over that amount.

I want to get my ensure my metabolic rate doesn’t sink, so im trying to increase my daily intake, ive eaten hat i feel like is a lot today but still only around 1700 calories.

So (after all that) my question is this…Should I force down more fat to raise my metabolic rate back up?

thanks for reading!

(Carl Keller) #2

The good thing is we have a warning system in place to let us know when we are not eating enough. Those things are hunger, feeling cold in our extremities and feeling like crap. If none of those things are happening, then you shouldn’t worry about slowing your metabolism

I went a solid month of eating 1200 calores per day but I felt great. I was simply eating to satiety and that’s where the number of calories ended up. If you are properly fat adapted your body fat will supplement the caloric deficit. It’s only when your body does not have access to fuel that starvation issues come into play.

I confess that it was a big leap of faith to see how little I was eating and still trust that I wasn’t doing myself harm… but I did and I currently have never felt better.

#3

Make sure you don’t go over 20 g carbs, that is the key to keto.

Then “eat to satiety”. Not jam packed, but don’t be shy about eating or worried about calories.

When you eat plenty of protein (which is by far the most important macro) plus some fat your body will say “hey that is exactly what I needed, and I’ve had enough”.

When I started keto I was shy about eating, kept the calories low. But week by week I lost my fear and started to trust the advice “eat to satiety”.

(Stephen Readman) #4

Thanks for the response.

In general I’ve been feeling good, not tried any kind of exercise yet, not because I haven’t felt up to it, just laziness I reckon. I haven’t felt hungry, just a bit concerned after hearing some of the podcasts, especially the one with Megan Ramos (hopefully spelt/got that right) where she talks about not getting stuck in a pattern. What with that and the metabolic rate issue I was concerned.

As I said, im happy with the weight loss and how im feeling so far, so I guess ill just Keep calm and Keto on.

Cheers

(Stephen Readman) #5

Cheers.

Definetely in Ketosis, been strict with my carbs. Main issue was getting Fat up. Just a little worry, probably happens to most.

Ta

(Allie) #6

If you’re hungry you need to eat more, if not, don’t. Your body is not starving and is not going without food as it is feasting on itself, hence the weight loss.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

As long as you are eating to satiety, you don’t need to force calories. It is deciding on a specific goal that runs the risk of not giving your body enough, and pushing it into famine mode. If you are eating when hungry, stopping eating when no longer hungry, and not eating again until hungry again, you are doing fine. If your body wants to limit your calories, that’s very different from trying to force a limit on it.

(Charlotte) #8

I personally am 13 weeks in to keto and -35lbs. When I started I ate less than 1100 and now can usually get to 1300-1400 calories. If I snack which I avoid I can get 1600 but thats my limit. Eat until your not hungry and over time you will be able to eat more. You’re adjusting and you’re not going to be able to go from less than 1200 to over 1700 overnight. Your body will fill up on less until it believes it won’t starve. Time is the answer for almost everything. lol That’s just my own experience though.

(Robert C) #9

What I read recently was about a doctor prescribing a low calorie regime (not necessarily keto) for just 3 months - to avoid metabolic slowdown. When patients did well and wanted to simply continue - it was around the 6 month mark that weight started going up, even with lower calories. Essentially they bounced instead of locking in gains for a while and then trying again.

I think the concern here is that the warning system might be telling you your metabolism has already slowed (now you gain regardless of how little you eat).

Maybe best to throw in a month of eating (every two or three months) that is substantial enough to ensure you do not lose weight that month?

(Carl Keller) #10

I believe if it were that fast-acting that humans would have gone extinct long ago. I mean they would have become hungry, lost their energy and died because they didn’t have the motivation to get food. I believe we will have plenty of time to listen to the warnings. Even Jason Fung says that going three days without food isn’t going to cause irreparable damage and that it’s extended patterns that cause our body to adjust.

(Cynthia Puzio) #11

Sometimes people do need to track their macros! I was never hungry but I was eating way too little protein. I do not think I have ate enough protein most of my life. I started Keto very anemic and it is still a struggle for me to make sure I eat enough protein. It does not feel natural to me. The idea that our body always knows what signals to tell us is not always reliable. Tracking macros at least in the beginning can really help you out.

(Robert C) #12

You are right on the fasting adaptations - body pushes you to get food (heightened metabolism, heightened vigilance, less sleep etc).

I’m talking about the effect of calorie restriction for over 3+ months. Either by intentional restriction or due to boredom with fat (keto) or for any reason. As far as I know, if you just give the body 1200 calories a day, it will try to run at that level. So, not fast-acting, but lowered and would need work to bring it back up. Waiting too long might might not be as good as varying intake to avoid it.

The ancestral argument would be that feasting would not be limited where feasting was possible.

(Carl Keller) #13

I couldn’t agree more.

(Carl Keller) #14

That’s a really good point. Having been a lover of protein and fat for my entire life, it’s difficult for me to imagine that struggle. It certainly has to be a challenge if the thought of meat is generally unappealing. I’m honestly not sure what to tell people with this problem, except try to find plant and dairy based foods that are high in protein. Do they help them achieve satiety the same way animal protein does? I’m not really sure.

Now I’m actually very curious how keto vegans and hunger get along.

(Stephen Readman) #15

Thanks to everyone for the replies, I appreciate it.

Im going to aim to eat more fat a day, but not worry about the calories and/or reaching a certain target. Just a conscious effort to increase fat. Even if its just for a few days, at least it’ll keep my body guessing.

Also, just noticed I spelt calories wrong in the title…changed now :face_with_raised_eyebrow: