How do you know your macros? Do you plan what you eat?

[liz_santiago]

So perhaps try finishing your eating window earlier in the day, and make sure you have high fat food at end of the day. Add some MCT oil to your food.

I can’t because I am a teacher and my lunch is by 10am and I have my breakfast at 8am. I do tame MCT in pills.
I have been in keto for 2 years, my first year was great, I lost 60-70 pounds but my second year I have lost like 10 and stopped.

[liz_santiago]

I IF 18 hours at least. That helps.

Do you take MCT oil at all? That’ll help boost your keynotes.

I IF for 16-17 some days 20 and I take MCT in pills

[liz_santiago]

sirloin steak

If only they were not so expensive right now I would do that.

[VirginiaEdie]

I was only using that as an example. It could have been ground beef, chicken thighs, pork shoulder…

[liz_santiago]

You will permanently lower your basal metabolic rate by eating 1200 calories per day.

I have been trying to fix that I was making the mistake that I was doing one meal a day but that meal was what I usually eat it if I would have had 2-3 meals a day. So for the longest time I have been probably eat even less than 1200.

[Shinita]

but that is not the same because if you count 20 net could be 30 total or 35. I don’t understand.

No, it’s not the same. 1g net may be 50+ g total too, one just need to eat enough erythritol and fibers (while counting the former as zero. I always do that).
But we all do it as we find it right or doable. Some people use total, some net (me, me! I couldn’t care less about my total… except I try to do carni so my total is the same as my net. but I don’t even care about my net on carnivore. it’s usually below 20g anyway) and some just doesn’t care about their carbs, they know it’s super low without tracking… That’s nice. I love not caring about my carbs while they are automatically low. I always had to track on my original keto to ensure that my carb intake is where I want it to be. After several years it got very old… And I never counted my total, that would have been way more tiresome. To me, tracking everything is the easiest - IF I need to track carbs already. I only track protein now if I track anything (and the guesstimated fat that comes with it), way easier especially if I eat simple. But my fat/protein ratio is pretty stubborn anyway (it can be ensured with some very simple eating too, one main item with the desired ratio) so I get some vague idea about my fat too. Unless I do some experimental low-fat or super high-fat day but I track properly then.

For protein, there is the 1-2g/kg thing, I can’t imagine you haven’t read it already. I am all for the 1.5-2 personally (less may work for some but it’s better to be sure and many really can use some more than usual nutrients when they have some worse woe in their past…) and lean body weight should be used (total is fine if one doesn’t have lots of extra fat). I eat more than that but I need it for satiation, my body doesn’t complain and I am still far from protein toxicity
But the protein need is somewhat individual too, some people feel they need less or more than the calculated amount. But I (along with many others) consider this 1.5-2g/kg for LBM a very good starting point. Unless it’s hard and uncomfortable to eat this much, one should start with this if they have no better idea yet. And below 1g/kg… Just don’t do that, ever - unless there is a very serious medical condition regarding protein (I don’t know how they function).

[Shortstuff]

But some people here have told me that if I keep my carbs below 20 and I don’t lose it is because I am eating more calories that I am burning.

And plenty others have told you it’s because you’ve screwed up your metabolism by restricting so much.

Clearly your misguided belief that limiting is the answer isn’t working so why do you insist on still doing it?!

[LaughingLama]

I’ve lots a lot of bodyfat recently from ketosis and training.

But also doing Wim Hoff method.

Daily deep breathing followed by gradual cold exposure.

I was a ‘I don’t like the cold’ person, so I wasn’t overly keen on it, but with the slower adaption and the breathing stuff, I have gotten used to it.

Cold exposure has a number of benefits but also some on weight loss, it helps rev up your metobolism and also create brown fat cells which are easier for the body to access for food.

Here is a playlist for those that Arne’t familiar on his channel.

Building muscle really helps with fat burning, as it uses calories whilst rebuilding, even in your sleep, especially in the legs. Not sure if that is an option for you?

[Shortstuff]

So perhaps try finishing your eating window earlier in the day, and make sure you have high fat food at end of the day.

Further limiting food intake in someone who has already screwed up their metabolism and body with chronic restriction is not the answer.

[Shinita]

My problem is that 100g of protein will mean a lot of calories

Nope. It’s barely over 400kcal if it’s lean protein…
533 kcal if I use leaner pork… So I need to add some seriously fatty items to get enough energy on those days… Even for 150g protein (and I don’t want to eat that much), it’s still below 1000 kcal! And it’s not among the leanest protein sources. It’s just the leanest I am willing to eat. I like my fatty pork. Like pork chuck. I get 100g below 1200 kcal (well, according to the data, of course every slab is different).

And you NEED some more calories anyway.

[Janie]

If you have loads of self-control and do it for years, it will never ever ever come back.

This is me ^^^^

Fortunately I don’t get hungery on keto like I did eating 1200 cal/day but I eat almost half what my husband does, has the same activity level and we weigh within 10 lbs of each other.

[Janie]

But some people here have told me that if I keep my carbs below 20 and I don’t lose it is because I am eating more calories that I am burning.

If that advice is coming from men (no offense, guys!) then I would take it with a grain of salt. Us wimmin have hormones to deal with, then tendency to retain fat for childbearing, low testosterone to help burn fat, etc, etc, etc. Plus most of us have done the severe calorie restrictions for YEARS. Lots of cards stacked against us.

100g of protein is NOT.A.LOT.OF.CALORIES. I did not get fat eating protein. Or even eating fat. I got fat from processed foods, seed oils, too many carbs and eating too often.

Guess what worked for me? hint: it wasn’t restricting calories or protein. May not work for you but if you keep worrying about calories and starving yourself I don’t see anything changing.

Your body has found an equilibrium at 210 lbs and eating less isn’t going to budge one ounce of fat. Your metabolism will drop to match your intake and exercise won’t help either.

I am 5’ 2" and at one time in my life around 205 lbs eating 1200 cal/day going to the gym and could not lose weight. I joined a CICO diet group my employer sponsored and I am sure the dietician thought I was cheating and sneaking food. I assure you I was not. I lost the initial 10 lbs every diet gives you and plateaued at 195 and didn’t budge until I gave up.

I always prided myself in my disciplne to stick to low calorie plans, never binged even when not dieting, etc. My reward is a sucky metabilism and like the other poster said - probably permanent.

I maintain around around 155 now without tracking, never hungry, just eat low carb.

[robintemplin]

I forgot you had lost so much the first year and now only 10 the 2nd year. Question… how much more do you need to lose?
I lost around 55 the first year too and the next 15 have come off quite slowly over another year and a half.
That’s great in my book, because it maintainable and means it truly is a lifestyle now, not a “diet”.

If you are asking multiple questions every day, you are going about this wrong…. Obsessing over the small stuff. Stop counting anything but carbs.

And PLEASE stay off the scale.

[Fangs]

well key being what was on that tracker to start?

ya put in 1200 kcals first or did ya just put in 20g carb ONLY in our day.

see that can mean HEAPS on it all.

in that you can eat 2500 kcals and be easily 20g carbs. If you do that focus.

now if you limited to ‘a kcal number’ then you went way off smarts here.

KEY FOCUS ONLY IN KETO PLAN IS EAT around 20g plant carbs per day.

after that WHO cares what ya eat but eat well obviiously with no restrictions. you eat all the meat/fat…seafood fish and fowl you need to hold those plant carb intake lower and that is life.

So agree with Allie on this one.

Keto, lower carb lifestyle is TRACK ONLY carbs til ya change. then ya might wanna find out more about your meat/fat/veg intake after that but do not press ALL of it together, drive ya nuts LOL

Your personal walk forward. HOLD 20g total, not net carbs, into ‘Keto Plan’ and you find out tons about you and never, ever, never’ever restrict your fat meat protein intake as you change over into this plan and never think about a kcal as meaning anything when we need and are new to transition. OK this is just me spouting to you on some advice but know I walked it too and it is freakin’ hard when coming off old dieting baggage info into real life nutrition info

[PaulL]

But some people here have told me that if I keep my carbs below 20 and I don’t lose it is because I am eating more calories that I am burning.

Actually, I know that several women have mentioned that their fat loss didn’t start until they began eating more food, not less. The reason is that, even on a ketogenic diet, short rations signal to the body that there is a famine going on, so it responds by cutting the metabolism and hanging on to its resources for as long as possible. The metabolic response to abundant food is the opposite: the body increases the metabolic rate and starts feeling safe parting with an excess of stored fat.

It also happens that the scale might not move because the body is adding muscle and strengthening bone, even while shedding excess fat. So the fit of our clothing is another important indicator of progress. Don’t allow yourself to focus solely on the number on your scale.

[Shinita]

he suggests it’s better to eat your meals early in the day and fast at night, given you’re less active at night (on the whole).

I’ve read elsewhere to have your carb heavier food early in the day too

I aim to do the exact opposite No food until 5-6pm for now (of course only if I don’t get hungry or tempted or need food, I don’t force things) and first meal should be carnivore if possible, no matter what… :smiley
No wonder, of course it’s highly individual. I need the above to fight against overeating but it’s good for my mental health as well. Carbs and early eating easily triggers being unsatiated and unsatisfied and therefore keeping eating all day (I have copious amount of experience about this). Not fun.

Just saying it’s obviously very, very individual. We should find whatever works for us even if it’s different from what our favorites say, potentially even whatever most people do. They aren’t us.
But it’s pretty logical to me that starting with carbs is easily a bad idea. They change many of us. And if we use up 20g carbs right away, it may cause problems later, not everyone can have a big dinner barely using carbs. But it may suit some others, sure, I can imagine nearly everything, we are just that very individual.

Just like high-carbh is ideal for some people and their appetite signals are just fine there. It works for some.
HC isn’t for me but my appetite and hunger worked there, the carbs messed with my brain though so it wasn’t ideal. I can’t trust these on carnivore… So I depend more on my knowledge about my ideal food and macros now (I actually check my macros the next day but I wouldn’t force myself into a mold anyway. I use the right food, experiment, tweak and hope for the best). I still use my physical signs too, they aren’t totally bad but VERY unreliable alone.
Meanwhile my high-carber SO has perfectly working, correlated appetite, hunger and need for food (these points into wildly different direction for me on low-carb. they were more okay on high-carb but this is more fun and I don’t miss my serious overeating) and carbs satiate him very well.

So again, we should figure out how our individual body (and mind, that’s important too) works and act accordingly. We can’t know how it would work on a different style of eating so I encourage and like experimenting. But there are too many possibilities so we should use our existing knowledge about ourselves. I always knew low-fat or early eating (first meal before 2-3pm) isn’t for me so I never experimented with that (for more than one day. I am curious and want to try things obviously not for me if I know they can’t harm me).

[liz_santiago]

381 g or 13 oz. of meat

so that is what I need to eat in a day? I am sorry if I keep asking questions is just I want to make sure I understand so if I were to make this below I would have to eat 12 chicken breast to get to 371g of protein?:
3.5-oz serving of cooked boneless and skinless chicken breast, a person is consuming about [165 calories]

They are also getting:

• 31 grams (g) of protein
• 3.6 g of fat
• 74 milligrams (mg) of sodium
• 1 mg of iron

[liz_santiago]

I know that now. Thanks!

[Shinita]

Now that I have read @Fangs’s comment, I feel a bit bad for writing about numbers… I like my numbers but I can afford thinking about them, even having targets and limits. But this state of mind is not good for @liz_santiago. (I often tell my big numbers to encourage not worrying about way smaller ones being too big though…)

What if you just don’t care about numbers for a while? Track carbs and make sure it’s very low… And wait. Not one week, more like months. Unless of course your body tells you there is something very off and need immediate changes. Feeling good is basic.

[Shinita]

so that is what I need to eat in a day?

All of us said just examples.
There is NO such thing as “you need to eat exactly this”. You don’t even have ONE single number for protein. It’s more like a range and it’s somewhat individual. And it’s fine to go way over it if you are hungry and your body craves more meat. As it was mentioned before…

You need some more flexible attitude. I gladly would give some if I could, I am way too “flexible” sometimes…
If you are lost, it’s fine to have some probably good starting point but if you feel you would welcome more or different (still right) food, listen to your body. And be glad if it still communicates with you. Eating below 1200 kcal for some while, that can make damages and some people never had a good enough communication with their bodies anyway. Even mine is strange sometimes as both fasting and carnivore tends to turn off several signals. But I am sensitive and knowledgeable enough to make it work. But I do keep in mind I need to eat how much of what kind of good items to have a proper day.

I don’t know your chicken breast question but 16oz gives you about 100g protein and way too little fat… I wouldn’t go for such a super lean meat in your stead. Some properly fatty would give you plenty of protein and fat too. I like to use egg and pork chuck as their fat/protein ratio work well for me while I love them. Both too lean and too fatty meat is harder to balance out. For me, at least. And if someone is used to eating little, some probably quite satiating low-fat protein just would make eating barely anything easier Just like OMAD is rarely a good idea for such people. I saw some sad examples where the one in question seemed to at least subconsciously use the most satiating items to be able to say “I am full, I can’t eat a bite more” while starving - they had serious eating disorders though… But I am sure a similar attitude is very easy to get after some dieting and being obsessed by macros especially if it was unsuccessful. I can relate to some extent despite my very different, more hedonistic and careless attitude. When I suddenly had to change my attitude as that triggered undereating unlike before, it was hard. Is? Is. I am just lucky I simply eat a lot at midnight if I neglect proper eating during the day. The mind is powerful, it can even turn off proper bodily signs and very low-carbs often helps with that. At least don’t focus on low-cal items. Like chicken breast. SOME of it in order to raise protein intake? That’s fine. (I focus on leaner items sometimes when I have a harder time to eat my usual amount of calories but I do need my protein. Anyway, I can just drink a bunch of fat calories later while I can’t eat much more protein if I manage to get very satiated early.) But have fattier items too.
In interesting cases, one can eat more of a way fattier protein source. Double win if the goal was more protein and more fat