Not meeting my macros - help!

(Erika Knollenberg) #1

I’m using the Carb Manager app and yesterday was my very first day trying to meet macros.

I had used of my alotment:

15g of 16g Net Carbs
71g of 101g Fat
87g of 81g Protein

So, I went over on my protein, but still had 30g left in fat and 1g carb. I couldn’t figure out what in the world to eat that would only give me fat with no carbs or protein.

Suggestions? (I don’t like fish or avocado)

TIA

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #2

Can you add extra butter to your meals?
Maybe cream cheese?
It’s ok to go over on protein, just don’t offer do it

(Erika Knollenberg) #3

Yes, I could do that. In fact, yesterday I added a tablespoon of butter to my chili, lol, for that very reason. I should also add it to my lunch.

#4

You’re over-thinking it. My simple concept of the keto WOE is “Minimal carbs. Adequate proteins. Fats as needed (for satiety).”

  • You need to keep carbs low to stay in ketosis
  • You need to get enough proteins because your body needs them. Better too many than too few.
  • You don’t need to eat fats to meet some guesstimate of a macro. Ideally, hunger should be telling you how much you need to eat. Remember that the guesstimate of the fats macro can also be partially satisfied by using stored body fat, so you don’t need to be eating to that guesstimate.

Or, more simply, just think of the carbs and fats macros as upper limits and the proteins macro as a lower limit.

If I am hungry between meals, I try to choose something that is mainly fats, some proteins, but as few additional carbs as possible. For example, my latest “go to” snack when hungry is two slices of Canadian bacon on a slice of pepper jack cheese. Just fold over and eat.

(Lazy, Dirty Keto 😝) #5
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

When I started keto my problem was eating enough protein! I figured it out. You will figure it out, too. There’s lots of fat. When desperate just plop a load of lard or butter on top of whatever you’re eating. Keep a package of lard and block of butter on hand at all times! :wink: I have no problem eating 263 grams of fat and 90 grams of protein every day.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

You really don’t need to worry about meeting macros. These are percentages calculated off total calories, and for one thing, 20 g/day of carbohydrate is an upper limit, whatever the percentage of your total calories that works out to be. For some people, 80 calories of carbohydrate might be 5% of their calories, for others, a higher percentage. So just go by weight.

Second, as others have mentioned, the amount of protein should be reasonable. Most people eat somewhere between 1.0 and 1.5 g/day/kg of lean body mass, and some go as high as 2.0 g/kg. So eat what feels right, and don’t worry about it. Since meat is only about 1/4 protein, this actually amounts to more meat than it seems.

Third, fat is an excellent source of replacement calories for the calories you are no longer getting from carbohydrate. You don’t need as much fat, because it has over twice as many calories per gram (9 cal/g) compared with carbohydrate and protein (both 4 cal/g). If you cook with butter, tallow, lard, or bacon grease, that will not only add fat to your diet, but will also make your food taste scrumptious. You can make delicious sauces and gravies with heavy cream to pour over your meat and your vegetables.

The key is to eat enough fat to satisfy your hunger, no more, no less. Trust your body to tell you when you’ve given it enough. So you see, macros are hardly necessary. Just keep your carbohydrate low, eat real food, and satisfy your hunger (don’t eat if you’re not hungry, either). You don’t really need to calculate macros or count calories—unless, of course, doing so gives you real pleasure.