Hi from the U.K. I’ve just started Keto 7 days ago and was wondering if I could get some answers as the internet seems to be full of conflicting advice. A bit of backstory, I used to be a bodybuilder for around 15 years but 5 years ago had a serious illness which stopped me training and put me into a vicious circle of depression and eating rubbish. I’m currently 6’4 and weigh 265lbs. My daily macros over the last week have been. Carbs 4% (19g), Protein 26% (134g), Fat 70% (160g) total calories 2101. I’d like to lose fat reasonably quickly but not lose muscle mass. Do these macros seem good?. I’m also weight training again so I’m a bit concerned about the amount of protein per day, is 134g enough to keep my muscle mass? Any advice appreciated, thank you
Looking for advice for a newbie
1 to1.5 grams of protein for each KG of lean body mass is good for maintenance, so if back lifting might want to be on the high side, if not a bit more. The possible glucose spike the protein gives you will be burned off by the lifting so would not be to concerned. you will want to keep your calories up to prevent the body from slowing down.
Don’t measure your carb macros in %. You want your carb total to be NET (that is, total carbs minus fibre), and a MAXIMUM of 20g/day. Then you want your caloric intake to be about 70% fat, and about 25% protein. That’s generally how the vast majority get into ketosis.
Thanks for the advice.1.5 grams was always the rule I stuck by for maintenance. Just panicked a bit as I read on another site about the negative effects of too much protein while on keto. Think I’ll up it a bit next week and see. Thanks again
there is a good youtube by Dr. Bikman that shows how the response to extra protein in a fat adapted person is less than it is in a carb loader. Link is in these forums somewhere. Stay calm and keto on!
Just a note- as you’re UK, apparently packet info in UK already subtracts fibre, so carbs on packets is already net. I only subtract fibre from fresh veg.
Steve
Do you get hungry? For a bloke like you, this does not sound like enough. My advice: eat more fat (if you are hungry).
Cheers
Alec
Calories seem low, but protein looks fine and I wouldn’t even worry about upping it. I could be worthwhile to add a few hundred extra calories in the form of protein and fat. I’m not a bodybuilder, but I strength train and I’m 175 lbs getting around 2200 calories on avg and 100-120g protein with no ill effects. When I do IF phases I might get between 1500-2000 calories a day, but wouldn’t restrict long term. I found eating a lot at once and mixing up my overall calories keeps the metabolism rockin.
Thank you. I did suffer for the first couple of days but the hunger has subsided now. I could easily eat more and getting the fat and protein up a bit would be no trouble. I just wonder if it’s eating because of hunger or eating for the sake of it. The last few days I’ve felt very content and not hungry but not full either
Excellent advice. I was thinking of doing IF on non training days do you think that would help me shift some excess fat or would it not be worth doing?
And to your concern about losing mass… it’s typical for your muscles to look smaller as you burn through your glycogen stores and lose the water. I found however that as I cut body fat with keto, just a few percentage pts as I was already decently lean, my muscles appeared way more defined. So you might lose that bulk look temporarily but you will get more shredded. Also, there are plenty of big dudes out there on keto but it’s real muscle, not water bulk, so gaining muscle is very doable with keto if that’s your goal.
I’m not that worried about losing a bit of size as when I used to do bulk and cut phases you always look a bit smaller but ultimately better. I just wondered about protein levels being enough to help with muscle maintenance and recovery. All my fat seems to go straight to my gut so while I’m still muscular on arms, shoulders, chest I look like I’m 6 months pregnant 
I’d rather look a bit smaller and shredded than look like that
IF is very beneficial, even on training days. Start slow but IF is really where the magic happens. For one, IF has been shown to increase HGH levels, as high as 50%! Also, the less often you eat, the less insulin response and the better fat adapting will go. Eating more in lower frequency can speed up metabolism as well. I do my workouts fasted everyday and never felt stronger! Then I eat my first meal around 1 pm. I’ve lost fat and gained muscle, noticeably after only an month of this protocol. That’s my experience so could be worth trying, but customize it to what feels right for you
I would say eat more fat, not more protein. I think you are high end on protein already.
Your macros seem good. But don’t stress over them. Just be sure to keep your carbs ultra low, and your fat very high. Protein seems to work itself out assuming you are eating meat. Don’t stress, because that will hamper weight loss. Cortisol increases from stress, and that causes an increase in insulin, which locks out fat burning for a while.
Which brings up weight loss. The best way to lose weight is to shorten your eating window. I shortened mine to a roughly four hour window, 11 am to 3 pm. I think the hardest part to grasp is don’t bother counting your number of calories. Don’t try to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. The only way that works is by fasting. To lose weight your body needs enough energy to keep its BMR elevated. Reducing calories actually just reduces your BMR. You might see some short term weight loss initially, followed by regaining that weight, and then leveling off back where you started. I’m guilty of that, simply because it’s not intuitive. Once I learned I needed to eat a little more to lose weight, I broke through my plateau.