Macros, how strict should we be in the long term?

(Ryan) #1

So I’m new to the forum, really enjoying it so far, very informative!

Anyway I’m just looking for some opinions/thoughts on macros.

I’ve been on keto for 6 months, just looking to maintain where I am, 80kg, 180cm, 31 years of age.

I’ve attached a pic of my macros (fibre 10g) and I’m wondering what people think of the protein/fat ratio.

There’s literally nobody where I’m from that has the faintest idea about keto and what it is let alone listen to me ramble on about it so everything I know I’ve learned myself through research.

I suppose I’m wondering if these macros look ok, I’m happy with them but I’m open to suggestions on improving things if needs be!

Cheers for the time!

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(Keto in Katy) #2

I don’t know if this is helpful but I think you may not need to track so much as you become familiar with the foods that work best for you. It is an individual thing for sure so maybe others here will offer more insight than that.

I tracked macros for a couple months when I started keto in 2013, and I have never done it since then. It just seemed like a lot of trouble after a while. I eat a lot of fat and some protein, a little low carb veggies here and there, and it works fine for me.

If you feel good and your weight is where you want it to be then maybe you can focus less on the macros.

(Ryan) #3

Yeah I agree, that’s pretty much what I did at the start, after a while you get it down to a t!

I suppose I’m just looking for thoughts/opinions of people in a similar situation, it’s just good to know you’re doing things properly!

(Ashley Haddock) #4

I’ve been keto for 15 months and still track, but I’m a nerd and enjoy it. I could easily do it without tracking.

All that being said, I don’t worry about percentages. I focus first on keeping carbs below 20. Next focus is protein, I keep that within a certain range, though I do go slightly over some days. Then I use fat as a tool for satiety, no matter what that makes my percentage look like. Some days I have 70 grams of fat, it’s usually between 70-130, but if I’m still hungry I will allow myself more.

I think the key is listening to your body and eating when you’re hungry and, maybe even more importantly, not eating when you’re not truly hungry.

#5

Everything @WhoAteMyPsyche said. :smiley:

(Michelle) #6

I do think that people that are fat adapted and lean individuals, also people that don’t have any IR or T2D, can get away with a few more carbs than others. I would experiment and see if you get kicked out of ketosis if you want to add in more carbs or protein to your diet.

(Ryan) #7

Great, thanks for the advice!

(Ryan) #8

Great stuff, cheers for the advice!

(eat more) #9

@Ryan
i like your manners :blush:

(John) #10

Seems like a heck of a lot of protein to me, but if it is working for you keep it up.

(Tom) #11

I think it really depends on your goals. If you’re just beginning I think it’s good to track things closely, weight and measure foods, and be fairly diligent with macros. I’ve heard of many people “trying keto/low carb/random way of eating” who just think they’re adhering to the plan, when they are actually ingesting far more carbs than they think. And when they don’t see progress, they trow up their hands, blame the diet, and retire to their old ways of eating, satisfied that they are not the problem.
As others have said, once you’re dialed in, you can relax a bit, but being mindful of dietary creep is important to keep making good progress.
Where you’re looking to maintain, it’s not going to make or break things if you go over on a given macro here and there, so long as your long-term (whatever you call long term) averages of your macros stay at or near the recommended percentages.
Should your goals change to something more intense, say a recomp, mass building, or a super cut, you’ll probably want to go back to fine-tuned eating plans to eek out every bit of gains you can.

tl;dr: identify your goals, adjust your adherence accordingly.

#12

Welcome. This is certainly the place for great information and great people. Wish I’d known about Keto at 31! :grinning:

(Ryan) #13

As my mother would say " manners cost nothing" :wink:

(Cheryl Meyers) #14

All good advice here. One thing to remember about MFP and other macro counters is that a lot of the entries are not exact, i.e., the nutrient counts, the calories, etc., are at best educated guesses (even what is on the label), at worst totally off. So what you end up with at the end of the day may or may not accurately match what you actually took in. (Ditto for calories burned on your fitbit or other devices…) Your body is not a calorimeter, so relying on the app to tell to a T what has been taken in won’t work in the long run. It is just a guidepost. So don’t sweat it in the long term. :sweat_smile:
If what you are doing is working, keep doing it. If it isn’t, time to change things up. I have been in maintenance mode since late 2014, and haven’t gained back much of the 11kg I lost. I just keep an eye on the scale now and then. IF helps when the number climbs a bit.
KCKO is for life!

#15

Absolutely correct and I would add that unless you’re constantly measuring everything exactly, the tracking is confounded by inexact measurements. This is coming from someone who’s currently dual-entering information in MyFitnessPal and CRON-O-Meter. :wink:

Yep, when my weight does swing around a bit, introducing some additional fasting intervals is far more effective than adjusting caloric intake downward on a day-to-day basis.

(Ryan) #16

Thanks very much guys, top comments :wink: