I just started a keto diet today for my first time ever and i honestly don’t know how you guys do it! A keto calculator said i should have 1400 calories (142g fat, 74g protein and 20g carbs), and I’m already at my carb cap for the day and barely hit 400 calories. I dont know how to eat enough food to give me my fat intake for the day. Do you guys just drink olive oil straight? I wanted To have some brussel sprouts earlier and found out that they have a carb per sprout. I really need some tips to help me eat enough food without taking in so many carbs…pecans are keto friendly apparently but are $30 a lb here. The struggle is not only real but hellish!
Help! Keto day 1 and I’m already failing!
Capnbob
(Rob)
#2
Use an app (MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, Cronometer - all have free versions) to track your carbs and remember they are net carbs (subtract the fiber) you are looking for. Sprouts are high in fiber so great for keto (especially fried where I take the basic sprout macros and then add a couple of tbls of the bacon grease they are fried in… very keto macros).
Read more from the Newbie section, plan more basic keto meals in advance (fatty protein and veggies, bacon/eggs/cheese etc.) and get out ahead of this before you start badly and get disheartened. Keto is the easiest long-term way of eating I’ve ever tried but it isn’t easy per se and also requires you to unlearn most of your prior dieting techniques.
Good luck.
rslaughter1960
(Renee Slaughter)
#3
Hi Olivia,
Bacon and eggs cooked in butter a 1/2 of cup of spinach with butter. Keep it simple. Lunch 2-3 cups of spring mix , a protein like a fatty chicken thigh and your favorite fatty dressing. Dinner repeat lunch. Remember the basics. 20 grams of Carbs, moderate protein, fat till your full. Spring mix is like 5 grams of carbs half of which is fiber. So 3 grams net. Keep it simple and easy.
Wishbone
#5
I now fast 20/4 and my first meal is a bulletproof and two ounce of Kerrygold to munch on as well. I then have dinner at 6pm which is meat and veg
E.Dawn
(Dawn Comber)
#6
I found it hard to restrict carbs when I first started because I had no idea how many carbs some foods had. For my first meal of the day, I eat eggs (2-3), with cheese grated on them for extra fat. Sometimes, I’ll saute some spinach if I want the greens. That’s about 4-5 carbs for first meal. That leaves a few for later in the day.
As @Capnbob said, an app that helps you count macros will help keep you on course.
You can do this!
miketo
#7
My coffee is 280 calories and no carbs. Start a day like this and you’ll be off on the right foot!
Oh and make sure you blend it so the oil emulsifies and doesn’t just create a layer at the top.
Keep Calm and Keto On
littleowlivia
(Olivia)
#9
I make the mistake of having a latte that ended up having 18g of carbs (didn’t realize till after I’d had it). I didnt know whole milk had so many carbs.
littleowlivia
(Olivia)
#10
Thanks for all the help guys and gals! I’ll make sure to check the newbie posts and I’ll make it through this first week lol
Saphire
#12
Substitute cream for milk. Snack on full fat cheese unless you have a problem with dairy. DietDoctor.com has some excellent meal suggestions in the free section
Caories are not relevant now. Worry about carbs and moderate protein based on grams not percent. Eat fat when you are hungry. Salad with fatty dressing (preferably without any seed oils), bacon, vegetables that are grown above ground slathered in butter or other fat
Shortstuff
(Allie)
#13
Don’t beat yourself up, it’s a lot to take in at first. Make changes as you learn.
loco4locos
(Shantanu)
#14
May I make a suggestion? Spend some time and define your goal for starting out on keto. Most people start keto with the intention of losing weight. They soon find themselves drowning in a sea of incomplete information., macros, etc. A good many of them start keto with the intention of reversing health issues. If weight loss is your goal, then this is a good time to realize that weight loss is generally a happy byproduct of keto. The goal should really be to improve your health. With that as your goal, it will help if you could get a baseline reading of your fasted insulin, blood glucose and use that to determine your HOMA-IR score. The level of fasted insulin has a HUGE impact on your ability to lose weight for one, but on your overall health as well. If you are even moderately insulin resistant (IR), which most of us are (I’ve lost 50 LBS and I’m still very much IR)
Once you know this, you will get a better idea of what will work best for you. In general however, here’s a simple way to go about it:
- Ignore calories
- Keep carbs as low as you can initially. I recommend 20g of TOTAL carbs…net carbs can be misleading
- Eat 0.6 - 1.0 g of protein per KG of lean body mass. Start on the lower side and increase if needed.
- Eat as much fat as you need for satiety. Feeling hungry? Eat fat. Feeling peckish: eat fat. Butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, etc. should be your staples and everything else serve as fat delivery vehicles.
- As far as possible, be done with eating by 6 pm so that you are able to give yourself 12 - 14 hours to digest food, followed by several of sleeping in a fasted state (all during those 12-14 hours)
Good luck!
littleowlivia
(Olivia)
#15
You’re right about drowning in information. I don’t think keto is right for me. I’m not looking for a lifestyle change. I’m very happy with my lifestyle, i just want to lose 10-15 lbs without starving or depriving myself. I feel more hungry now in 2 days than I’ve felt on any diet ever. I want an apple so badly i could cry. I made the mistake of having 100ml orange juice this morning with my avocado so I’m already at 22 carbs for the day. I also hate oil and grease and the consistency of butter so a fat based diet isn’t going to suit me.
Everyone who does keto raves about it and how you’re never hungry, but I’m starving and I’m going to die if i ever see olive oil again.
Is extreme anger a side effect of this diet? Lol
Nebulous
#16
You’re starving right now because you’re just starting out and are not adapted. If you stick with it for a while, you’ll see what everyone is talking about.
SarahJustMe
(Sarah )
#17
this isnt win/lose or pass/fail. You’ll get better at managing your food choices, so for now just keep going. Making good choices about every bite you put in your mouth counts, but the ones you already ate arent something you can do anything about. this is a way of eating and it takes time for your body to switch gears and find the most healthy food choices for you
Note:figure out carbs vs net carbs. very different.
lots of sites like ruledme.com or dietdoctor.com or ketodietapp.com have meal plans and charts of some of the most common “keto safe” foods.
SarahJustMe
(Sarah )
#18
give yourself at least a week before you start worrying about how keto is “supposed to make you feel”. the first week is rough, but if you stick with it, you might be very glad. if your only intention is to lose a few pounds and return to your previous dietary habits, you’ll probably be disappointed though. this is a longer term commitment
LeCheffre
(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman )
#19
If ya gotta do the ‘Bucks, and you gotta have a latte:
Sugar free vanilla latte, with Heavy Whipping Cream instead of milk. 5g for a grande, 7 for a venti.
They have other sugar free syrups.
But it’s better to just get drip coffee and top with HWC.
loco4locos
(Shantanu)
#20
You are probably right: this isn’t for you. I think short term goals combined with a dislike for a “fat based diet” is a recipe for failure. Sorry, no way to sugarcoat it. Keto is a lifestyle change and the benefits accrue over time. If you do keto, lose your 10 -15 lbs and go back to eating the way you did, which may be ok for all you know, you are very likely to regain the weight. However, if you stick with it, understand it, you should see marked improvement in health and well being. This forum comprises mostly of people who want to dive deeper, understand the science and pursue long term health benefits.
I would like add, and rather gently at that, that day 1 is a tad early in the game to be complaining. Not sure what calculator you used, but your macros don’t add up. 142g of fat itself is 1,278 calories and 74g of protein and 20g of carbs add up to 376 calories making it a total of 1,654. It does appear to me, and I may well be wrong, that you seem to have embarked on keto without a clear understanding of what it really is and some basic groundwork on the macronutrient composition of common food like a latte, or orange juice for instance. There are plenty of sites (e.g. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides ) and threads on this forum that explain it and offer tips for getting started.
And finally, and even more gently this time: please don’t be trolling us. This is a forum of sincere individuals who genuinely want to learn, share information and help others, and that should be evident even from the replies you have received.
Choice is yours.
Good luck!