Macro opinion

#1

I feel funny for asking this. I’m a certified PT and and trained in Fitness Nutrition and Macro Coaching. However, since Keto goes against everything I’ve ever known lol…

I’m 37, 5’6, 155lbs. I weightlift 4x/week
I have my macros set at 1500
Fat 70%
Pro 20%
Carbs 10% (but this is total carbs) I never go above 20 net so it’s actually 5%. It’s the app I use.

I’m just curious if any other women have found success with different macros or are mine okay?

My food looks like this

Water and coffee at 5;30am coffee has peptides and coconut cream in it.

I don’t eat til lunch. Lunch is usually around 400 cals. A fatty protein, maybe some walnuts, avocado and salad with a Keto dressing.
Gym at 3pm
Home at 5 to make dinner which is always meat cooked in fat with veggies
Probably a fat bomb or two at night or whatever I need to make up any leftover macros.
I put sea salt in everything and take magnesium supplements
On average I don’t eat between 8pm and 12pm other than my coffee.
I’m often quite bloated after I eat. I think my salt intake is too high.

Thoughts on my macros/eating?

(mole person) #2

Don’t think of your macros in percentages, it leads to all sorts of confusion. It looks like you have your protein at about 75 grams which sounds like a good place to start. This is the best way to look at your macros if you are tracking.

  1. Keep your carbohydrates below 20 net grams. There is no minimum.

  2. Aim to hit your protein target. But know that nothing bad happens if you’re a little over or under on any particular day. Also, if you are having a lot of hunger early on, you can increase the protein by some small amount temporarily during the fat adaptation phase.

  3. Fat is the macro where many people get confused. It is not a target that you need to hit. Make sure that you are having fat at every meal that you eat, but only have as much as you need to be satisfied. Fat is your new energy source now that carbs are off the table, but at some point your body will be happy to get some of that fat from it’s fat stores. So, if you’re not hungry leave those fat bombs alone.

#3

Thank you! Coming from a macro focused background, I always hit my protein, but my fat is often below. I’m glad to hear that’s okay… well except last night when I was making and testing a Keto brownies :woman_shrugging:t2:

(Robert C) #4

My thoughts on your macros/eating is that you need to loosen up on the fat macro along with the overall calories.

The important thing (along with less than 20 grams of net carbs) is to eat fat to satiety as a newbie (welcome by the way!).

For example, maybe the day after a heavy lifting day, you jump up to 1800 calories (with extra fat) and the next day, not so hungry, maybe calories drop a bit. Your satiety signals should be your guide.

If, instead, you follow the classic “hit my calorie count” thinking, you’ll be restricting calories that first day in the example above (feeling hungry) and dropping extra fat bombs the second day (to get to your arbitrary goal by eating when not even hungry). Both scenarios are not in the spirit of keto - both are only adjustable down through further overall calorie restriction (which does not usually work for most people long term).

Keto (through eating only up to satiety) will eventually allow fat loss through (sometimes even unintentional) meal skipping and general lowering of satiety levels (without damaging metabolism through restriction).

(mole person) #5

See this is what I was talking about the other day when I said it was a disservice to deprive the forum of your voice. You have a great way of putting some things such that even when I already might know something it still further crystalizes into an “Ah ha!” moment.

#6

Makes sense. I don’t look at the calories, but I def look at the macro numbers. However yesterday I was over my fat by easily 20g and I wondered for a moment if I screwed up. I then thought that considering I had a heavy leg day at the gym, I probably needed it :slight_smile:

Thanks guys!

(Cailyn Mc Cauley) #7

Are your veggies cooked or raw?

Also which veg are you eating?

I’d look at switching up the raw salad for steamed spinach or sautéed greens, and eat your veggies al dente at the least.

Some people experience bloating for different reason and maybe the transition in your
Macros has exposed some potential IBS?

Good luck!

(Bryce P.) #8

Everyone seems to have hit the nail on the head here so I’ll just say try fermented veggies to combat the bloating. You’ll get all the nutrients of raw veggies but without the bloating effects. Cooked veggies lose essential minerals and vitamins in the heating process. Cheers

(Robert C) #9

YES! Butter sautéed spinach or arugula are great.

@JamieBC, adding cheese to sautéed greens (crumbled blue cheese or some other high-fat cheese) might be more satiating than fat bombs to up your fat intake (and there is no need to make ahead of time).

#10

I’ve been eating massive amounts of raw veggies all my life and it’s never bothered me. I eat a lot less veggies now than I ever did, but the type hasn’t changed. I eat broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, celery, cucumber. These things have never bothered me before and the only time I eat them raw is at lunch. I’m positive it’s not the veggies. Also note that I am allergic to dairy and nightshades so I do not eat those items.

It’s definitely something else… also I didn’t eat meat much last year (besides seafood) so I think my body is adjusting to that as well

(Cailyn Mc Cauley) #11

R@JamieBC yes in the past the veg has never bothered possibly because of the chemical makeup of your digestive system.

I was just pondering that if the keto is changing your chemical makeup, and maybe, that is what is triggering bloating? Especially now that you are eating more red meat. Doesn’t that increase the ph?

Very curious, I wonder if we tagged this for the “show me the science” thread if someone might have ideas.

Oh, have you added ACV to your diet?

-Class of 2017
KCKO

(Robert C) #12

@Cailynq - the @ sign only works if you have a space in front of it (or at the beginning of a line) so @Cailynq works but R@Cailynq does not.

#13

ACV has upset my stomach in the past so no I havent

(Cailyn Mc Cauley) #14

@RobC thanks that was a typo!

@JamieBC ah, I really think the bloating is somehow being caused by the change in your chemistry. @Daisy do you have a podcast on this type of issue?

~Class of 2017 KCKO

#15

I’m betting it’s related to the meat/salt as I really don’t eat much raw veg. I even wake up bloated… :frowning: