Keto for Active People

#1

New to the forum and fairly new to keto. I’m on my 2nd month. I’m a 36 yo female, 5’3" and ~150lbs. Despite being slightly overweight, I’m otherwise in good health. I’m doing keto for weight loss.

I already ate fairly healthy so it’s not been too much of transition to eat keto. When I started, I was living in Montana living a fairly sedentary lifestyle. I use MFP to monitor calories and macros.

I’ve since relocated to Florida and am way more active. I work as a server at a restaurant, regularly clocking in around 15-20k steps per shift (4-5 nights a week). I also play tennis once or twice a week at a high level as I was an All-American tennis player in college, sometimes playing tennis in the morning and then going to work at the restaurant at night.

I’m wondering how to account for the extra activity when calculating macros and calories? MFP adds back in the calories burned through exercise and allows you to consume more calories. According to the Ruled.Me keto calculator, for my measurements I should be consuming ~1500 calories/day to stay in 15% caloric deficit for weight loss.

Do I still need to consume only 20g of carbs per day or can I consume slightly more due to high levels of activity? Yesterday, I played tennis for 2 hours in a doubles group and then went to work at the restaurant later that evening. I consumed 33g of total carbs (unsure about net carbs).

Between eating at odd hours because of my work schedule and having to consume more calories due to being more active, I’m not getting the benefits of IF that I was when I was more sedentary. While I don’t feel hungry, I’m worried that’s because I’m eating too much. Yesterday I consumed 2110 calories, 33g carbs (7%), 159g fat (69%), and 126g protein (24%). This was after 2 hours of tennis and a 3 hour shift at the restaurant.

The day before that I worked 4 hours at the restaurant (no tennis), consumed 2000 calories, 35g carbs (7%), 161g fat (72%), and 105g protein (21%).

I look more bloated and don’t feel as though I’m losing weight despite being more active (although haven’t stepped on a scale yet to confirm).

Sorry for the long post, just wondering if I’m on the right track or what adjustments I need to make to be sure I’m eating enough while staying in keto for my active lifestyle. Thanks!

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #2

Concentrate on eating low carb, moderate protein, and fat to satiety. Not the calories. You want to become a fat burner, not a starch/sugar burner. You are not hungry because of the low carbs, and higher fat content in your diet, not because you are eating too much for your activity level.

You have an active lifestyle and are athletic, you might want to read Phinney and Volek’s book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable. They also have a more targeted book for athletes, if you want to science and deep details of how being ketonic helps you be a better athlete. The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.

Good luck on finding your sweet spot for success.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #3

What she said. Dr. Phinney’s idea of a well-formulated ketogenic diet is eating under 100 g of carbohydrate a day, and if you’re not insulin-resistant, you can get into ketosis eating that level of carbs. The 20 g limit espoused on these forums is to ensure that even the most insulin-resistant can get into ketosis. You’ll have to find what level works for you, but rest assured you won’t get yelled at or kicked out of the forums for doing what works for you. Everyone’s mileage varies. Good luck!