Net carb gains

(Purcilla) #1

I’m 2 days into my keto diet. So far I’ve been able to consume relatively close to my goals for fats and proteins, but I’ve only consumed 9g net carbs today with eating breakfast lunch and dinner, Is that ok? I don’t want to cause damage to my body.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #2

Yes, that’s okay. You’ll find some days you eat closer to 20 and other days less.

(And people say there’s no freedom when you stay under 20 g carbs, ha!)

(Carl Keller) #3

Some people find they do better on the scale, the lower they go with carbs. By itself, it won’t cause harm to your body but I prefer to eat closer to 20 so that I am getting ample vitamins and minerals from vegetables. But also consider that I try to get everything my body needs from food and I don’t take supplements.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

I also “spend” my extra carbs on veggies because I really like the taste of them.

(Carl Keller) #5

This is exactly how I approach it. Staying under 20 is quite easy after a while, especially if you enjoy fat and protein and there is zero guilt when I spend what’s left on vegetables.

(Purcilla) #6

I’m not big on veggies, most of the ones I love are not keto friendly therefore I’m avoiding them. I’m working on incorporating more leafy greens. I just wanted to make sure that I won’t do my body harm long term.

(Frank) #7

I tend to look at food more as “fuel” and less as “entertainment “ nowadays. As a result I do eat some foods I normally wouldn’t pre keto because I know they are good fuel.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #8

Protein is a goal
Fat is not a goal, it is a LEVER.

Yes absolutely, why would you think it’s not okay?

(Jessica) #9

20g carbs is a max. Not a goal to hit. There is a subset of keto that do 0g carbs/carnivore .

(bulkbiker) #10

Your body has zero requirement for carbs… so you could eat none (although that’s quite hard) and still be fine.

(Purcilla) #11

I’m still learning. I’ve done research, but I just wanted reassurance that I’m making the right choices. Enough to keep with within 20g any way. Thanks for the help! :smile:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

You actually don’t need to eat any carbohydrate at all. Here’s why:

The “20 grams a day of carbohydrate” business is an upper limit, not a target you need to reach. The point of the limit is that carbohydrate is made up of glucose, and when that glucose enters your bloodstream, it causes damage, if it gets too high (“hyperglycemia,” it’s called, and it can even kill you). So your pancreas monitors your blood glucose level and when it rises too high, secretes insulin to deal with it.

Chronically high levels of insulin also damage the body (think inflammation, high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, increased blood clotting leading to strokes and heart attacks—that sort of thing), so we want to keep glucose and insulin as low as possible as much of the time as possible. Now, we do need a certain minimal level of insulin in our blood to survive (Type I diabetics used to starve to death, before insulin was discovered a century ago), but we don’t need much, and above all, we don’t want our body secreting so much insulin that our cells start to become insulin-resistant.

The point of all this is that the body is capable of making all the glucose it needs (only about a tablespoon—15 mL—circulating in the blood at any one time), from other stuff we eat, so it actually doesn’t need for us to eat any carbohydrate at all. Certain proteins and fats are required in the human diet, because the body can’t make them, but carbohydrate actually is not required. So you could safely eat 0 g/day and be fine (such a diet is called, naturally, a “zero-carb” or “carnivore” diet).

As far as micro-nutrients go, all the minerals and vitamins our bodies need are contained in an all-meat diet, but to explain why would double the length of this post, and this post is already long enough, so I’ll just make that assertion and stop here. Happy to tell you more if you want it, though!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

P.S.—One of these forums is called “Show Me the Science,” and it contains a wealth of information on this sort of topic. Feel free to browse, and people will be happy to explain further if something doesn’t make sense.

(Purcilla) #14

This was very informative. Thank you so much! :grin: