Need help balancing enough fat with not exceeding protein


(Nigel) #1

Hello, I’m fairly new to keto and I need some help. I’m currently eating 19g/ carbs, 94g/ protein and 117g/ fat per day. I am having a very hard time getting the proper amount of fat in everyday. I eat mostly eggs, steak, avocado oil, Keto fat bombs and mct oil for my fat. My carb intake has not been more than 15g in a day since I started. But my ketone levels are all over the place. One day my test strip is super dark (good) and next day it is super light (bad). Anyone have any advice for a newbie?


(Scott) #2

Put the test strips away and just embrace this way of eating. If you watch your carbs you won’t really need to count other amounts. If you feel you need more fat eat more butter, cook with more fat or buy fatter meats. I bring my steak or pork in from the grill and place five pats of butter on each one.


#3

There is no proper amount of fat, fat fills the gaps, you’re also not going to go over in protein, that’s not a thing. Fat bombs (while they taste awesome) is just keto junk food. Your ketone levels don’t matter, don’t waste your time checking them. Keep your diet right, and let keto do it’s thing.


(Robin) #4

You’re in the right place. And I concur with the other responses. Don’t sweat this. Keto can and should be simple. The best indicator of your progress is your clothes and how you feel. Stay around 20 carbs or less, and the rest will follow.
Many people DO check ketones, and use various methods to measure many factors. But it is only one of the many ways folks on here approach keto. I’ve never used a ketone stick or measured anything and I soon learned my scale could sabotage my momentum. I now weigh once a month out of curiosity. 17 months into keto, I’ve lost over 50 pounds. In the very beginning, I used an app (CarbManager) just to get a rough idea of how to eat. I soon knew it was simple…. Stay under 20 and rock on. You got this!


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

Don’t worry about the test strips. If you are eating under 20 g/day of carbohydrate, then your body is producing ketones, regardless of what the strip is telling you. The urine strips are not a particularly precise measure to begin with, and they are only measuring excreted ketones, anyway. A blood meter would probably show a reasonable level of circulating ketones.

But in any case, higher ketone levels don’t correlate with greater or faster fat loss.

You might want to consider how much food you are eating. Your total is around 1500 calories, which one famous study on starvation identified as a starvation-level intake. If you are hungry, eat more. Fat is highly satisfying without raising insulin, which is why you see it recommended on a ketogenic diet, but it is not magical. Eat to satisfy your hunger; you don’t need more than that.


(Edith) #6

I tried testing for many months when I started keto, but in the long run, it didn’t help and I just wasted money on the test strips. I’m an relatively active person and even though I kept carbs low, usually only registered fairly low ketones which annoyed me. I became much happier when I stopped testing. I decided to “Let go and let Keto.”

Also, fatty meat and low carb veggies are all you really need on keto. Don’t worry if you go over your suggested protein amount. Better to eat real food that contains vitamins and minerals than fat
bombs.


(Nigel) #7

I’m having trouble knowing which veggies are in fact good for me to be eating. As I always find conflicting info online when I try to research. Honestly, I’ve only been eating spinach and some mushrooms. I like to try to try to keep my portions big enough to feel full. So spinach is a huge help for me. If you don’t mind me asking, What types of veggies have you included in your diet??


(Eric) #8

I have a variety of vegetables that I include when possible:

Spinach
Romaine
Spring Mix
Asparagus
Artichokes
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Summer Squash (ie. Zucchini, crookneck etc)

Probably more but these are my most common options


(Edith) #9

Great list. I would add:

cauliflower
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Kale
Iceberg lettuce (not much nutrition, but I just love the taste of it.)
Spaghetti squash

@CanadaDoydge, you do have to be careful with too much spinach. It is quite high in oxalate.


#10

It’s quite individual, I ate certain higher-carb vegetables as well, especially in soups (because I liked the taste and a little went a long way) and almost no green leaves because I disliked most of those. Raw vegetables were especially welcomed, they felt more than some fried stuff that lost much water therefore volume. Now that I try to stay close to carnivore but lost my interest in most veggies anyway, I eat a few raw low-carb veggies here and there, plus tomato, onion and sometimes garlic (and anything else I want but I rarely do). Those are great for flavor and suits eggs and meat alike. But people have different favs and minimum portions (when I learned about fried “riced” cauliflower, I realized 1000g is my minimum so it immediately got banned).
Big portions are important for me too for a long lasting fullness but that’s calories, not volume for me. If you need volume, low-carb vegetables (and mushrooms) make much sense indeed. Maybe soups too sometimes? Drinks with calories? I don’t know how volume eaters function…
Fat bombs are small and dense and potentially not even satiating so if getting satiated is harder, they may be not so great. If it’s better for you to eat more protein, eat more protein, I guess - unless you don’t feel right that way or something, people prefer various amounts. Too high protein is bad, sure but most of us never reach that. Simply eating high protein may be the best to do, I can’t imagine eating only adequate, I couldn’t do when I tried before but I work fine with high. Just not crazy high, I try to be careful but actually it’s automatic, I can’t eat protein up to and beyond dangerous levels, I always reach very complete satiation first (or it’s a single exceptional day and that’s fine. I don’t know, I never ate 220+ g protein longer term). Lots of ketoers eat high protein without a problem.


(UsedToBeT2D) #11

I never saw any indication on test strips, but I lost 50 lbs. 220 to 170 lb. Only walking 1 hour per day over 8 months.


(UsedToBeT2D) #12

Keto is not a diet, although it may seem so at first. It is a way of life. Stick to it and you will be amazed. At least I am. I have never been healthier, more energy, and without medication. I consider myself a Type 2 diabetic in remission.


(Scott) #13

I started keto with a small portion of roasted veggies. Then I got lured into a one month carnivore experiment, that was a year and a half ago. It can simply low carb if it fits for you.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) split this topic #14

3 posts were split to a new topic: Ivy’s keto experience and progress

Ivy’s posts are so significant that I felt that they needed their own thread.


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #15

None. You do not need to eat any vegetables for health and well-being.


(Ivy) #16

Get your macros at ketogains website and follow that and eat more fats if you skip on carbs (close to 0%)
If you need something peppy, listen to The Keto Show
If you want something sciency, listen to 2 Keto Dudes
If you want to get through keto to being fat adapted, keep your carbs under 20, or just use 18 instead of 20 in your mind, if needed, and this speed sup fat adaptation. esp. if you dont have a cheat meal along the way. always google how much carbs in x gr/cups/tablespoons of x. this is a step that sucks but use it like your life depends on it if you feel you might be rocking the boat.

Eat whole foods. Not sugar.


(Allie) #17

Don’t sweat it, honestly. Carbs low, protein wherever you need it, and whatever fats come with that… and throw the waste of time / money sticks away.