Very confused about macros and cals

#1

Hello everyone, if someone can steer me in the right direction id appreciate it very much.
So i started keto a month ago lost 6 kg in two weeks but nothing more after that. Not complaining about it though maybe it takes more time i said. I had all of the keto flu symptoms the first few days but after i felt awesome. However its been a couple of days now that i feel so bad even though i take magnesium, calcium(once or twice a week), eat plenty of salt and take multivitamins every day. Im terribly tired, irritable and the worst i have a hard time breathing and feel like fainting every time i stand up.

Some people, also doing keto, on a site suggested that i felt like that cause my cals and macros where all wrong so i need your opinion.
I weigh 110 kg, im 180cm, 23 year old female and not very active.
I use myfitnesspal to track macros and i count total carbs( they also said it was wrong and i should switch to net carbs).
I eat 20-27g of total carbs
110-130g of fat (struggling to reach that number so i eat two fat bombs a day)
60-80g of protein
I consume daily 1500 cals

Tried a lot of calculators TDEE BMR and all.
Some say eat 1700 some say eat 1390 im lost guys dont know what to do.

#2

It doesn’t matter if you count total or net carbs (net carbs are total minus the fiber if in the US.). Just make sure to keep carbs low.

It is good to track to get an idea of what you are consuming. It is not a great idea to eat solely to hit arbitrary macro numbers in an app. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Don’t consume random fat bombs just because. Do you feel hungry? Are you restricting food because you hit your number in MFP? Are you just eating more food …just because the app tells you to?

#3

I felt like this for my first 8 weeks until I crossed the fat adaptation threshold. I was hard core on my electrolytes, but only felt better when I ate more.

(Daniela) #4

Hi there! I am new to keto but I am familiar with macro calculating. There’s 3 tips I can help with!

Macro calculating can seem overwhelming at the beginning, practice on pen and paper to get familiar with the formula.
1 gram of Fat = 9 calories
1 gram of Protein = 4 calories
1 gram of Carbs = 4 calories
Take in to count Fiber grams which eliminate the total Net carb, this comes in helpful in keto.
Multiply the grams of your Fats by 9 to see the calorie equivalent. Grams of Protein by 4 and Carbs by 4 to see those calories. Work this formula to see the basic math and get familiar with it. Many food labels have the F, P, C and fiber information for you to use. Things like vegetables that have no label you need to figure out the grams by using a food scale and most diet apps will already have macro information about them as you type in the weight grams of the veggie, or google it to find the nutrion facts from other available sources compare them if you have to.
Such as “how many calories in 100grams of raw avocado?” It will show you the macros and calories.

Second tip I am familiar with my fitness pal I only use the free version without the premium I’m not sure if the premium option works as well for calculating your low carb goals. In the free version you can put in yourself your macro goals and track as usual, however you need your macro and total calorie goals before doing so. Find these by using a keto calculator. Search one online or I’ll post a link here after, in a keto calculator you will type in your age, gender, goals to loose, gain, or maintain and activity level. This gives you an estimate on your macro/calorie needs.

Third tip is, I personally discontinied using my fitness pal to track while going keto and used a keto/ low carb app that does the calculating for you but also give you the option to manage your own macro goals at the same if you wish.

Screenshot_2019-02-06-13-25-22
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Carb Manager - Keto Low Carb Diet Tracker
This app takes the work out of calculating each gram by giving you the same option to scan items or logging serving sizes, this app also calculates the fiber grams and total net carbs. I find it way easier/simpler than my fitness pal! Give the app a try, get familiar with the macro formula, get familiar with you specific needs using a keto calculator. Hope I was able to help! :grinning: Good Luck!! :blush:

#5

You shouldn’t be forcing yourself to eat fat, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

  • Protein is a lower limit.
  • Carbs are an upper limit.
  • Fat should be an upper limit, but the amount should be dictated by your hunger, because stored body fat can be used in place of ingested fat.

The only thing I take away from the calculators in the protein macro.

#6

Thanks for your input :blush:

#7

I feel soooo bad…another few weeks like that? Dont know how much i can take

#8

Wow your answer is bomb…thank you very much
I ll download it to see if its actually better
Thank you SOOoo much

#9

So no fat even if i cant reach my fat macro? Will definetely do that see if it helps

#10

Try not to worry about calories at all. I think you lost a lot of water weight. I lost a lot of water weight in the first two weeks also.

Try to be patient with your body. It’s transforming itself into a new system. I would say the 1-2 month mark was discouraging for me as well. I had keto malaise for 3 weeks. It was mostly the mid to tail end of the 3rd week where I started to emerge and feel a difference. I had to change the amounts of fats and proteins I was consuming in order to burn my fat faster based on my energy outputs.

I’m unsure why you’re consuming so much carb, fat and protein all at the same time. Your carbs can be a lot lower and under 10-15g. Lower your fat too. I only consumed the fats that were in the proteins I was eating (ie bacon and patties). I think your protein is fine.

#11

Everyone is different. Maybe it won’t be the case for you. I just wanted you to know that what you’re experiencing is not unusual for the stage you’re at. I think it’s a really big deal to get your body to switch fuel sources. And the body needs time to rewire a bunch of things.

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

As long as you are keeping your carbohydrate low, that’s most of it right there. The rest is about getting enough protein and filling in the missing calories with fat. The idea is to eat in a way that lowers your insulin level and keeps it as low as possible for as much of the time as possible. That way, your body has access to its fat stores.

While keeping carbohydrate low, eat when you’re hungry, eat until you stop being hungry, then stop eating. Don’t eat again until you’re hungry again. Eating in that manner will give your body as many calories as it needs but not too many.