Funny thing happened on the way to the fridge

#1

My macros were unbalanced after a veal liver dinner with cauliflower (too much protein and not enough fat) and so I decided my sweet tooth might guide me to a cream cheese dessert. And standing in front of the fridge, I suddenly felt a craving for a salad with my delicious Ceasar dressing, so I had that instead. Added an avocado so the fat macros got a boost. Hard to believe that from craving sweets I went to an avocado and salad. I just suddenly felt a craving for a red bell pepper instead? What more weirdness is going to result from a keto lifestyle?

(Katie) #2

Our brains often misinterpret cravings. Often a ‘sugar craving’ turns out to be a salt craving. I wonder if your body was really wanting/needing fat, but it registered as a sugar craving?

#3

That’s not a thing for most people on keto. Too much protein is difficult to do and not a practical concern. Not enough fat isn’t an issue for someone if they’re trying to lose weight.

The proteins macro is a lower limit, while the carbs and fats macros are upper limits. Your body can satisfy fat needs from stored body fat, so you don’t have to eat to fulfill that macro. Your body can also satisfy protein needs if you don’t eat enough, but that typically comes from breaking down muscle tissue, which is not desirable.

A quick answer to a sweet tooth is a root beer float – diet A&W with some heavy whipping cream.

But typically “hunger” should be satisfied with proteins and fats, but as few additional carbs as possible.

#4

@OgreZed
I just dont follow you-I am sorry. I have read a few of your posts and I can’t understand what you are saying. And I am not telling you this in order for you to try to explain it to me again. I was simply trying to get my macros to 60% 30% 10%. Instead of having 40% fat and 50% protein. Thats all. I guess I don’t really think as far as you do. I just want that pie graph in cronometer to have the recommended balance of macros and I dont worry about anything else. The rest is chinese to me. Sorry Ogrezed.

#5

@pamplemousse
I have no idea. I certainly had not eaten enough fat at that point.

(Marianne) #6

Yes, I’ve experienced this - pretty amazing considering what my go-to foods used to be. I love the richness of HF, and LC suits me because I never loved veggies but now can use them as conduits to HF things - butter, cheese, dressing, bacon grease, etc. As you say, there have been times when I just crave a beautiful, crispy salad with a small variety of veggies and delicious full-fat, home made dressing, or brussel sprouts in butter, salt and bacon grease.

#7

@gingersmommy
Oooo I just saw a recipe for brussels sprouts on youtube. I want to try it. She chopped the sprouts into shreds and then added butter to the frying pan, and onion powder, salt and pepper, and at the very end a bit of heavy cream.Not a lot- just maybe a tablespoon. It looked delicious. ( I too used to hate veggies. Now I love them because I can make them so tasty. Like you say- they become conduits for HF things and that makes all the difference.)

(Marianne) #8

Oh, girrlll, you know it! Throw a piece of processed American cheese in there (like Kraft), because it melts so well. Veggie heaven! Never thought I’d be tempted to binge on veggies!

:innocent: :rofl:

(Amanda) #9

Oh my days, throw in some chopped bacon too! AMAZIIIING!

(Marianne) #10

:rofl:

We could have a field day with this!

#11

Did someone mention Brussels sprouts and butter? Drooling here.

#12

In general, the percentages don’t provide any useful information or goals. You should be doing your macros in grams.

30% of your calories as proteins may or may not be enough protein for you.

Have you tried something like this calculator?

#13

Hopefully this isn’t going to fuel an argument, but I was also interested in the way you are using ratios. Not to criticize it, but to find out if this is a method that works. If I see that I have gone over 20 carbs, can I safely eat more fat to balance it out?

#14

@bluedove
No you cant. Carbs must always be below 20g during the “initiation” phase to ensure weight loss ( anything before maintenance actually, but depending on how your own personal metabolism works). If you keep your carbs that low you can however eat more fat. As a general rule of thumb in the beginning, weight loss is achieved when carbs are below 20g. This works for most people. As soon as you raise the carbs, the body burns carbs for fuel instead of fat. You want to get into ketosis. You want your body burning fats and not glucose and this is when we see ketones in our urine or blood or breath. It is a sign that the body is beginning to burn fats. I don’t want to make it more complicated for you so keeping it simple - so just use this information to begin with. This way of eating is called “keto” and not “low carb” for this reason- the carbs are kept that low.

#15

Sorry but I dont weigh out every portion that I eat in grams. Now stop badgering me. I am not full of “shoulds”.

(Bunny) #16

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#17

@atomicspacebunny
I guess maybe not! LOL

#18

you got this and many are not seeing what you are saying but I get it!!!

to the OP if that veal was not up to standing and your fat was lower and you ate cauli…eat the veg and eat way more veal and more fat. Simple.

Your sweet tooth guided you…oh boy we all have to watch out for that :slight_smile: But not having a big protein and fat meal is truly what turned you that way.

Your meal was not satisfying to your body. Your carb addition took from your body wanting more protein and fat in that meal, you ate cauli that could have been the other. Cause it wanted more meat and more fat for physical satisfaction.

So when we do this we go off ‘looking’ for more food. Sweet? Fat? Anything to float our boat cause our minds are now on ‘feed me’ more cause our meal was less than.

Cravings of any sort or looking for more nutrition the body is asking for-- in any other fashion of a salad or dressing or sweet stuff or whatever–the body wants more protein and fat as it needs to and it is truly telling you this by signals.

So for me I go with inferior meal triggered it all. And if that happens one would go straight for more protein and fat to combat vs. ‘what else’ can I nosh on to make me happy. Dinner left me hungry, now what can I eat more of? Where do I want to go? Sweet, more fat, more veg and full fat dressing? None of this happens if the first meal is enough for you.

Now I might get flamed on all this I typed but heck if it aint’ the way to roll but many won’t see it or aren’t there yet on the best way forward when we under eat and are unsatisfied and ‘need to look’ for more. And good thing if you ‘need more’ it is a better option to tackle more protein and fat than relying on fake sweeteners etc.

I hope I wrote this out as intended to give some insight a bit LOL and not get raked over the coals in how I am trying to tell my point of it all LOL

#19

@Fangs
I WAS going for more fat. As I said I had too little fat and needed to up it to balance out my macros. Instead of in the form of cream cheese ( which I would have “prepared” sweet but counts as FAT) I actually went for the salad with FAT dressing and FAT avocado instead. GET IT?

#20

and I do get it but do you in that your dinner was inferior for your body.

you needed more fat and protein before you went looking. Any time we want ‘more and need more’ we don’t have to go off find subsititues if our meal was satisfactory for what our body needs. Eat more darn meat and fat at your dinner time and this extra stuff never happens.

so that was my point of it all LOL I get you needed more and you found a way to do that but if one eats properly at dinner as needed by the body the extra will never happen is my point…so many eat less than they need when they eat on this forum it is kinda scary of the ‘control’ they put on a keto plan actually from what I read. Not saying you here in this post tho :slight_smile: just a general statement of what I see in the keto plan people in general. Make every meal work for you and not against you when one ‘has to go looking’ after eating is the only point I am saying and this is never a focus on you but just general info to put out to all. Your meal should be ‘it’ and we all have to walk and find that balance as we all do thru our journey :slight_smile: