Reliable app or best way to determine Macros

(Jim Heller) #1

Started Keto this morning. An online calculator says I should be consuming 1500 calories the CarbManager app says about 1100, which I don’t think I can sustain (I’m 5’6" 206lbs Male). What is the single most important concept? Macro ratios? Amounts? Ketosis? Being perfect everywhere seems really difficult. What are the most reliable ways to calculate this info? Thanks!

(Randy) #2

My advice would be to not focus on macros in the early going. The 2 keto dudes say it this way. Carbs at 20 or less. Moderate protein (just try to stay in the same range of protein you normally eat). And fat to satiety.

It will take time to become fat adapted where your body will burn fat efficiently. So if you’re hungry eat. When you feel you’ve had enough, put the fork down. Try to eat meals, and not snack a lot. But if you’re hungry have something with minimal carbs like hard boiled eggs or cheese and pepperoni etc.

Read every label and look for hidden carbs. I would suggest start tracking macros if you think it’s important to you (I don’t). But don’t worry about hitting any specific fat or protein macros until you feel you’re adapted. Just keep your carbs low.

Just my take. I think people stress too much about being perfect right out of the gate. But it’s a process. You need to find what works for you. So experiment to find out.

Good luck.

(Raj Seth) #3

What Randy said. Macros shmacros. if you minimize carbs, don’t over do proteins, and eat fat to satiety - like full full satiety, you’ll do fine

If calcuLaying macros using any of the online ones, do not set a caloric deficit. Set maintenance. 1500 seems awfully low - so maybe you inadvertently set a deficit

#4

For me, the primary goal in Keto is to keep net carbs low, because it helps to control both my blood sugar and my hunger levels.

The secondary goal is to make sure I get enough protein, because my body needs them. That’s about the only macro I take from the calculators.

After that, calories and fats are just a matter of what my body is telling me it needs for more energy. It will be a different kind of hunger than the one that is generated from sugar highs when I eat too many carbs, especially the simple ones.

So I set my macro goals based on my overall goals:

  • < 1200 calories (because I want to lose weight)
  • < 20 grams net carbs (because I want to control hunger and blood sugar)
  • > 120 grams carbs proteins (because my body needs them)

No direct fat macro, but the fat intake would be indirectly limited because of the calorie restriction. I figure I have plenty of body fat that the body can use for energy if it needs it. However, if I am feeling hunger, I will take in more calories, concentrating mostly on fat, but more protein is OK too.

Before Keto, I used to have a gnawing hunger all the time, no matter how much I ate.

(Jim Heller) #5

This is useful advice. Thanks. Feel good after eating lunch, hopefully I am as full after dinner. It’s kinda nice to be using heavy cream, real butter, and salt!

(Barbara M) #6

Hey OgreZed, would you please review your 3rd bullet point? You mention carb thresholds twice, do you mean fat or protein for the 3rd one?
Thanks. :thinking:

#7

Thanks…fixed. I meant proteins.

(Robert C) #8

I wish those calculators would ask you what phase you were at in your keto journey (assuming weight loss w/o health complications). Something like 3 phases?

  1. Day 1+ - calculator should have you stay high in calories - stay high in quality fats with the goal of moving your metabolism up 20 or 30%
  2. Somewhere in day 40 to 60 (after it is easy to skip meals accidentally or on purpose) - you should be asked to spend 3 weeks monitoring intake to know your daily satiety need (probably about what the calculators show now)
  3. After those three weeks, the calculator should recommend throwing in some meal skipping, fasting days, half-calories days etc. randomly to bring down weight but infrequently enough not to bring down metabolic rate. Rebalance with another 3 weeks to satiety level eating once in a while as the weight comes off.

Instead, the calculators mostly seem to suggest steady state - likely slowing metabolism or creating stalls when weight loss is attempted by simply reducing daily intake (I stopped using them a while ago - maybe they’re better now).

That would be for weight loss - not just keto which levels you out at your “Phinney weight”.

(Sam Moschettieri) #9

Not so sure 1200 total calories is healthy even if trying too lose weight. That’s way too low for basic maintenance of physiological function at rest. The smallest person will need 50cal/hr or 1200/day just to pump blood, breath, maintain muscle, produce necessary hormones, respond to stress such as tissue injury and immune response.

Be careful!

#10

Been doing fine for 18 months now, although I am often over 1200 calories a bit. I figure my goals are aggressive, so it’s not a big deal if I miss them a bit.

I do get comprehensive blood panels every few months, and almost everything has improved. When I started with these macros, I was using insulin and metformin for my T2 diabetes, and doing oxygen therapy. The insulin and oxygen have been gone for over a year. Metformin nearly a year. Even my neuropathy has improved.

18 months ago, I was 6’5" and 650 pounds. I figure I have enough fat for my body to use as fuel. I could probably even do a supervised fast for over a year. Still 6’5", but now 463 pounds. The lowest weight I’ve been in decades. I was 520 pounds when I had my stomach stapled in 2000. I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in 2010.

(Jim Heller) #11

Thanks again! At this point, I’m just going to ignore the calorie part and stick to trying to keep carbs low, and my fat intake ratio @75-80%. See where that takes me over the next couple weeks. First day went well. Only challenge was I could smell my co-workers Whopper and fries, almost drove me insane, Burger King isn’t even something I eat a lot, its just when something is off limits, you want it more haha.

(Robert Grane) #12

Hi there.

I would reccomend Lifesum. This app is great and you can easy scan your food to get the right amount of carbs. Its easy to use and a good tool to control your macros.

Want inspiration? Follow ketoenthusiast at instagram

#13

I know a lot of people use carb manager but it always seems to have people set low. I definitely would never go below 1500 and even that is low in my head. Are you exercising? What’s your activity level? You’re not going to be perfect everywhere, impossible. At first, ratios are the easiest way while not worrying about fat intake. Eat it, eat, eat it and attempt to keep your ratios. For most, the rest just falls in place. If it doesn’t there are more pain in the ass ways to go about it.

#14

For me, my own goal is 1200 calories. I’m Male, 61, 6’5" tall, and currently 463 pounds (down from 650). My activity level is practically nil. I use a wheelchair to get around, but can do my own transfers. My legs swell up if they aren’t elevated. So a typical day for me might be 5-6 hours in the bed with legs elevated and 16-18 hours per day in my recliner with legs elevated.