ULTRA LOW CARB CONCERN - Just Starting


(jen) #1

Hi Everyone! I’ve started my Keto journey 4 days ago. I’m starting out slow. Lots of eggs, chicken, beef, cheese, HWC, water. So far not a lot of veggies or some of the better keto fruits. My main question, is how damaging or beneficial is very low carb daily intake?

In 3 days of tracking, my net carbs have been under 7 when my macro goals compute to be under 17. My complete macro profile is 70g protein, 117g fat, 1398 total calories and of course the 17g carbs. This is what was calculated for my 5’9 height/240lb. I used different calculators and got varying numbers. The numbers seem low, except for the carbs, but when I saw one with high calorie/high fat I couldn’t bring myself to use those numbers. ha ha ha . Anyhow, its the low net carb number of my tracking that has me wondering good or bad.

Thanks for any input. Looking forward to getting the hang of this and getting my energy back.

Thanks!
Jen


(Ethan) #2

It’s good. What are you worried about? What fruits are you eating such that you can stay under 17g?


(Chris W) #3

OK
First things first, the entire process of ketosis is driven by the lowest possible carb intake.
On an given day I am on the order of 12g of carbs I eat basically and can predict what I am in taking based on experience.
The benefits are a lot, long term health, short term health, typically weight loss, and blood sugar completely under control, the natural burning of fat via ketosis and later via fat adaption. This is a natural cycle that we have evolved over millions of years, the high carb diet has evolved over the last few decades, you decide which is better for the human body.

The next thing, I am glad you provided your macros and size, you are way under calories by like half. You will if you follow that particular path sooner or later feel miserable and most likely not loose weight. You should be more like 2100 calories at this point(i don’t have an age or relative activity level). One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the first few weeks is calorie restrict, I always tell people to eat to there maintain macro level for at least the first few weeks. Ideally until you hit fat adaptions which can take around 8 weeks in a typical person but we are all different and have different dysfunctions.


(jen) #4

I have not touched a fruit yet and been very limited on my veggie intake. Just trying to get in the swing of tracking, measuring, and preparing food.


(Ethan) #5

Ah I misread that you had some fruit. I see now. Keep doing what you are doing, but don’t stress the macros too rigidly yet except carbs. Keep carbs under 20. Eat enough protein and the rest fat to satiety. Make sure you get the micronutrients like potassium and salt


(Candy Lind) #6

If you “whoosh” off your water weight, and then get “stuck,” think again about going to that high calorie set point. It will probably “un-stick” you.

Don’t worry about the carbs, except to keep them low. We have a ZC/carnivore subforum here, after all. Many folks are finding they are better off with no plants in their diets. Look for Amber O’Hearn (not the greatest speaker but has good info) or Shawn Baker on YouTube; there’s another dr. whose name escapes me ATM who says we are better off without plant foods because they contain substances meant to “attack” animals that eat them. Someone else, I hope, will help me out with that.

I still count my carbs because I’ve always loved veggies. If you only eat “incidental” carbs, you won’t have to worry about counting them. Your main focus should be making sure 70% or more of your calories come from fat. And keep up your salt intake - you need a lot more than you think.


(Ashley) #7

I agree with candy, going higher calorie is what cause my “stall to install”


(TJ Borden) #8

That’s always fun to try to explain to non-ketoeans, especially those steadfast in CICO


(Gail Dawson ) #9

Protein turns to glucose, so you may want to lower animal protein. I believe we need a lot of different vegetables. I add powdered greens to my breakfast smoothie, and try to eat loads of non - starchy vegetables every day. Skip the grains, though. Perhaps you should see a nutritionist to help you ?


(Ron) #10

Something I noticed not mentioned here is that some calculators have a way to set your macro nutrient levels according to desired goals. These are usually classified as: 1) deficit - or loose weight
2) maintenance
3) increase - gain weight
You might be set at deficit on the calculator you are using here. Check it out…and welcome!


(jen) #11

Thank you for you input. I will revisit the macro count and adjust as necessary. It is difficult to wrap my head around such a high calorie/fat intake. I am 43 yrs old and walk a few times a week. Upwards of 2000 calories a day is daunting but it appears doable.


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

It’s not a problem. People do this under 5 a day or strictly with animal foods.


(Siobhan) #13

I wouldn’t worry about calorie intake, just eat to satiety. For me sometimes that’s 2000 calories and sometimes it’s 1300. It depends on the day. If you’re full and satisfied on 1300 don’t force yourself.

As for carbs there is no such thing as an essential carb. Eat as little of it as you like. Personally the only carbs I eat are in dairy and so often am between 5-10g of carb per day. Sometimes 0.

Impact of protein varies per person, some do well with higher, some do better with lower. I’ve found if I just eat protein and fat to satiety I do fine. But diabetics for example may need to be more careful. If you run into problems you can always tweak so it’s not a big deal imo.


(Chris W) #14

Actually this not entirely correct, the premise is correct but in actual practice protein will not always be turned into glucose. Its hard to put a figure on it, as each person is different and amounts, types, and timing of protein, and glucose levels and usage will vary. GNG can use other substrates, and it will also if not enough protein is provided and you are in dire straits start to reclaim muscle. But that is typically not someone who is ketogenic and eats balanced and correctly. One of the benefits of ketosis esp when you are farther along and can IF or even EF is that your body will be in a catabolic state(self digestion) and it will reuse old proteins be reforming them, burning them or turning them into waste. Now if there is a lot of proteins floating around in the blood yes they will most likely turn to glucose, this is not a bad thing, it should not be feared or otherwise without it you would be dead.


(Chris W) #15

Not trying to lecture, I am just trying to help you get to your stated goal of more energy. At the macro levels you posted you will most likely loose weight, and probably feel good a for a while a few weeks maybe. I cut my fat macros around 3 weeks in to this WOE and at around 5-6 weeks I hit a funk, after much thought on the matter, information from here and the dudes I realized I was not allowing my body to work at full potential. Since you asked about the health benefits, I am 44 male, went form 243 to 193 in exactly six months(as of today), my energy has never been better, my mood is stable, my health markers (for what they are worth) are all trending correctly, I had a NAFLD, I had skin problems(about 6 kinds), I had BPH, I had gout, I had inflammation, I was always tired, I was cold a a lot, and always hungry, had gas, and in general felt rotten. All of that is gone.

Now I am rarely hungry(never hangry), my body fat went from 31-32% to 19%, I am never tired, I have now almost endless energy through the day, I rarely eat more than twice a day, my intake of calories total is on the order of 2500-2900 a day sometimes higher and I am almost always loosing weight at this point, that is not to say I have never stalled, but I am always trending down in a given week(save vacation week). One of the ways I get my extra energy is that I routinely eat more than macro target area in fat, typical 2-3 days a week. But that is down the road for you some yet.
KCKO


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #16

If you’ve got a lot of stored fat to lose, then you probably will find yourself stopping eating well before that point. On the other hand, if you are already at your goal weight, you will probably need to eat a tad more than that. But you don’t need to count calories—you can make the whole process automatic by eating fat until you are no longer hungry. It may take you a couple of weeks to get to the point where your satiety signal is reliable, but you will find yourself suddenly just not wanting another bite, even though your belly is far from full. At that point, you know you’ve given your body enough energy (because it’s just told you so), and you will not be hungry for quite some time. As your body burns off its fat store, if you keep eating fat to satiety, your caloric intake will automatically increase to keep your body well-energized. And the beauty of it is that you never need to worry about how many calories you’re eating.

For me, this is what makes the keto way of eating possible. I could never follow a diet that left me hungry or required me to make complicated calculations. And although it’s a very weird experience, I am coming to like the sensation of not wanting to eat, even though my belly is full and there is still food on my plate! :bacon: