Protein overload

(Helen) #1

Hey! So I’m new to Keto, only started about 2 months ago and I’m using a calculator app (Carb Manager) to log everything I eat. I am not struggling with the low carb and usually come in at just under 20g net carbs a day but I have read that my protein should be approx 20-30% of my daily intake however I seen to really struggle with this and am often well over (approx 30-40% instead). I find most foods low in carbs are high in protein! Sometimes I find myself at the end of the day raiding the fridge for fatty foods to eat to try and balance out my percentages.

So my questions I suppose are:
A) does it really make a big difference if my protein is not around 20-30% of my daily intake. Sometimes I think surely it would be better to leave it as it is rather then eat a load of fatty snacks towards the end of the day to balance it out as this is obviously pushing my calories up.
B) are there any foods which are low carb AND low protein?!

Any tips welcome thanks :slight_smile:

#2

If you’re eating any lean meat, switch it with fatty meat, then the issue should fix itself.

(Bob M) #3

Or just eat real food and let the protein lie where it lies. I often eat 100+ grams of protein in a single meal, and eat two meals a day lately, when I eat.

The only macro to be concerned with is carbs.

#4

I only watch my carbs. I got too caught up at the beginning trying to eat exactly to macros in an app and ended up eating things ‘just because’. I only eat when I am hungry and it is mostly meat with some added fat.

(Charlotte) #5

I also only watch my carbs. I keep an eye on my fat and protein but I don’t live or die by the numbers. I use them more as a guide or recommendation.

(Robert C) #6

Protein might be better calculated at 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of your goal weight.
The reason why is that if you are hungry one day - your fat intake should increase, not necessarily protein.
Protein intake should be more constant (it will not be if you keep it a percentage of overall calories).

(The amazing autoimmune 🦄) #7

I don’t worry about my protein at all. I only watch the carbs. The days that I have tracked everything I can be both over and under on the protein on different days. There are some people that eat way more than is recommended and don’t have problems.

I don’t eat any lean meats, I make up herbed butter and put some on most meat I eat.

(Laurie) #8

This means total CALORIES from protein should be 20-30% of your calorie intake.

Fat has 9 calories per gram. Protein and carbs each have 4 calories per gram. So let’s say that today you eat 1600 calories of food. Here’s one way of breaking it down, for 20% of calories from protein:

133 grams of fat = 1200 calories = 75% of calories from fat.
20 grams of carbs = 80 calories = 5% of calories from carbohydrates
80 grams of protein = 320 calories = 20% of calories from protein

I hope that helps.

(charlie3) #9

I get 8-10 pounds of 70% lean ground chuck from a butcher shop, made to order, and turn it all into 5 oz patties with a $20 press from amazon, for the frig or freezer, and prepare in a fry pan to keep the fat. I find this to be the most palitable way to get more fat. I see no need to spend on fancy cuts that are typically 2 or 3 times the cost and probably have less fat.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HWHJUB4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #10

We buy fatty chuck at our grocer and grind our own. We make meatballs, burgers and just cooked ground beef with it spiced a number of ways. This is my favorite way to eat beef. Still eat an occasional rib-eye dipped in butter before grilling.

(Dan McNeill) #11

Like others have said…When starting out, only count carbs. Also, if you have a lot of weight to lose, don’t jack up the fat % just to meet some macro goal. You want to burn your stored fat, not dietary fat. Keep up the good work, progress over perfection.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #12

A: no. I am routinely 35-40% protein. It’s fine. Especially once you are fat adapted.

B: butter. Avocados. Macadamia nuts. Egg yolks. The so called bulletproof coffee. Since the answer to A is that protein is generally self limiting (google: Protein Leverage Hypothesis), the answer to B is largely academic.

I am not strictly a keto adherent. I eat .7 g protein per lbs of lean body mass. As a minimum. Works to -120g for a minimum per day. I am under the impression that you’d have to eat a lot more protein than that and not much else before you had a problem, assuming your kidneys are in functional shape.

#13

If you’re doing keto for weightloss, don’t worry about it. Eat protein until satiety.