Hi all! Just started, question or two

[Aelwulf]

Hi folks. I just started trying to go keto yesterday and first time on here. I’ve read through a number of posts that might have similar questions but haven’t quite seen it yet so posting here.

So far after my first 24 hours, best as I can tell from macro samplers and MyFitnessPal, I’m doing decent generally speaking in the calories and fat areas. For an idea I’m 6’2", about 221 pounds, lightly active (do some bike riding, running, light gym, hiking, hit my 10k steps least 3-4 days a week, etc.). I think my BMI is about 22% (according to my scale and rough fitness test reports).

At the moment for today, and this will probably go up a smidge more, my info is below:
Calories: 2278
Fat: 207
Protein: 74
Fiber (not counting towards carbs): 5
Sugar: 4
Sodium: 4400 (this seems stupid high, but 1) might need it to counter keto flu & 2) was mostly a combination of eggs with butter at breakfast, bacon at lunch, and some cheese brats at night)

I know I need to up my protein probably at least another 40g. That should be doable with bacon/chicken/etc. From the sites I’ve checked calculators on so far seems I might need to nudge my fat down a bit, but from what I’ve been reading here I should largely go with it as it goes?

My big question set is carbs. Previously I pretty much lived on carbs in my opinion so this should be interesting. But I liked keto because there’s still a lot I eat. When counting carbs, are sugars ‘ok’ to count or should I be looking for carbs while completely avoiding sugar? It seems 20g carbs not counting sugar could be daunting. I know veggies and nuts to account for most but that’s a whole bunch of both. If sugar is ok to be included then I think I could munch a square or two of 85% cacao chocolate or something to help bump it up.

I also know going TOO low on carbs can cause problems. My brother-in-law developed kidney stones as he didn’t get enough carbs (although I’m guessing maybe fiber-specific there?). So I’m trying to avoid that sort of issue.

Any tips on the carbs part are appreciated, and the rest in general if any particular pointers. Most of the comments I’ve read so far seem to more or less line up with everything else I read so I think I’m primarily on the right track.

[Baytowvin]

I also know going TOO low on carbs can cause problems.

Nope, there is no such thing as “too low on carbs”. There are many here that are zero carb and doing great. I’m usually at less then 10 total a day (not net)

MFP is great for leaning where hidden carbs might be, but don’t worry about calories.

The carb total on the label counts: Sugar, Starch, and Fiber. As far as counting carbs, most people count net which is total carbs minus the fiber. Starch isn’t listed on its own but also counts towards your carb count so although it’s nice to know how many grams of sugar are in something, the only numbers that really matter are the total and fiber.

Stick to the basics:

• 20 grams of net carbs or less a day (sugar + starch)
• moderate protein scaled to lean body mass
• fat to satiety

If you’re hungry, eat fat. It can take a couple weeks to get through carb withdrawal, and a couple months to become fat adapted. Once you get there, that’s when the magic really happens. Keep reading through posts, and checkout the 2ketodudes podcast.

Above all, KCKO (keep calm and Keto on)

[Anniegirl9]

The kidney stones were more likely due to not hydrating properly. Of fat, proteins and carbs, carbs are the only macronutrient NOT needed to sustain life. You could go zero carb if you wanted (and there are people here who do it). Though honestly there are trace carbs in almost everything so no one is really zero carb. But they are pretty darn close.

[sugar-addict]

lightly active (do some bike riding, running, light gym, hiking, hit my 10k steps least 3-4 days a week, etc.)

I would classify this as “moderately active” to “active”.

Not lightly active.

Just in case that’s relevant re the number of calories you are aiming for per day.

[sugar-addict]

I also know going TOO low on carbs can cause problems. My brother-in-law developed kidney stones as he didn’t get enough carbs (although I’m guessing maybe fiber-specific there?). So I’m trying to avoid that sort of issue.

I have a friend that was put on a special low carb diet to treat her pre-diabetes/ insulin resistance by a diabetes Dr.

She lost a lot of weight quickly and developed a really big gallstone and had to have her gall bladder removed.

Afterwards, she was told that this was a common side effect of losing weight quickly and that she should’ve been given a med to prevent gallstone formation.

I have no idea whether that last part is true - I’m sure others here will be able to provide better information.

I am not doing Keto for weightloss, so I don’t know much about that.

[PaulL]

The recommendation for protein is 0.8 to 1.0 g per kg of lean body mass. You weigh 100 kg, so you probably don’t want to much higher than 100 g of protein a day, unless you are trying to bulk up. Note that meat is not all protein, for example on site I checked says that steak is 25% protein, so you could have nearly a pound of steak a day and still be at a good level.

As others have mentioned, the minimum required level of carbohydrate is 0 (zero) grams a day. There is no such thing as a carbohydrate deficiency disease. While it is true that certain cells in the body need a certain amount of glucose daily, the body is perfectly capable of manufacturing all the glucose it needs. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

[kib]

Salt is your friend. Dr. Phinney recommends 4000-6000 mg, possibly more for people doing keto and/or a lot of exercise, and presented a chart showing that even at 8000 mg there was only a slight increase in mortality, not near as much of an issue as going under. KCKO and ES (enjoy salt).

[RobC]

I would not focus on the daily numbers because you do not want to give yourself an “allowance” of carbs to fill with daily chocolate etc. You really want to use 20 grams as a way to make sure your vegetables are not adding up to too much. No processed food, chocolate, alcohol etc.

An “allowance” just brings in that risk that you are one of those people that have trouble with almost any carbs - that’s why 20 grams as incidental carbs was chosen.

Instead, I would focus on your activities. A square of chocolate (or even two) after a Saturday 25 mile bike ride probably isn’t going to suddenly kick you out of ketosis. If you’re just doing the 2 mile around the park ride - skip the chocolate.

[Anniegirl9]

Sorry Rob, but extra dark chocolate is a must for me, and I’ve never had issues with it pushing me over my carbs or out of ketosis. And there are other health benefits to chocolate that make it worth it for me. I have a couple squares of 92% about 3-4 times a week. Usually topped with either marscapone or a 1/2 tablespoon all natural peanut butter or almond butter.

[Aelwulf]

I was over 4k salt I think the first day, since then I’ve been I think around 2500. I know extra salt and water is recommended, at least the first couple of weeks, but haven’t wanted to go too nuts on it. So if that’s the case I’ll loosen up the ‘cap’ on that.

I generally don’t have a problem with carbs from a medical or weight-specific standpoint. It’s just that most foods I like happen to be carbs. And lately I’ve been snacking on them too much. So I figured this would be a good way to get myself out of that habit as well as possibly lose a few pounds and finally force myself to try some vegetables and other things I probably should’ve already. If I don’t lose much weight, ah well. I’m not one of those looking to lose 100 pounds (although kudos to those who’ve lost a lot). If I lost 20 pounds I’d probably be at an ideal weight for me, from experience, and I’m already down roughly 4 since starting. Granted, without carbs I might have another 10 to drop beyond the 20.

From everything else I’ve been reading really dark chocolate (86%+, or 70 if on the looser version up to 50g total) is ok once in a while. I have a square of 86 2-3 times a week so far, largely to help me keep my motivation. I need to have something occasionally that doesn’t taste like grass, salt, or grease (speaking generically). It also seems a single glass of dry wine or a small amount of straight whiskey (Irish, Scotch, American, whichever) or tequila can still be within the limit, although it will slow down the loss at least a bit. I’m trying to avoid alcohol in general but I did have 1oz of tequila the other night and it didn’t seem to have any negative affect on progress so far.

I know a couple who do keto and they have a Guinness every night and still maintain progress. Although they also own a bar so it might be their way to avoid temptation the rest of the day. That surprised me, but if that’s the only carbs I guess it’s possible.

For activities I average about 8k steps a day, usually go over 10k 2-3 times a week. I’ve had 20k+ days. I usually run 2-3 times a week, anywhere from 1.5 miles to a 5k. I ride a bike about 5-10 miles roughly once a week, and plan to start riding it to work most days (3 miles each way). And those are the planned activities. I usually end up doing some gym work/calisthenics, various things at unit exercise sessions or when my wife wants workout company, and running the kids all over. So not too worried about that square of chocolate there.

Thanks for all the input so far, it’s been useful.