Ready to jump in both feet. A few Q's for those who've been around the block...

JodiCaldwell_7

Okay, so I've done a bit of research of the "Keto Diet" in the past and have been researching all week. I am ready to jump in full force.

I'll lay it out, my plan was to lower Carbs to about 20g/day until I hit ketosis. That puts my macros at 50% Fat - 78g, 45% Protein - 158g and 5% Carbs - 19g with my calories set to 1405, my TDEE being 1905 and eating back all exercise calories.
- I am just wondering if this is a good start?
- Is there any Macros tweaking anyone would suggest? I think for me it will be easier to go all in instead of gradually reducing.
- How long before I start to feel the "keto flu" at these levels? how long will it last? Research says 2-3 weeks but did not give much of a timeline based on actual carb intake.
- Is there a benefit of keeping Carbs at 20g or should I be able to up it? to what?
- Without strips how will I know what level my Carbs should be at?
- can you tell by how you feel if you are still in ketosis?

So I went and stocked up my protein and fat sources, lots of salmon, steak, avocados, eggs and bacon mmmmm Wondering if anyone had good Ideas on marinating and/or condiments. Looks like Mustard is still a freebie All of the commercialized marinades have 5-10 carbs/tbls.

I was in the understanding that nuts were a go to but all of the labels were still 7-10 carbs per serving...

I was also looking at my protein bars which I love as a quick easy snack to curb that hunger but they have 30g/serving. any substitutes? I haven't had a chance to check out my protein powder at home so maybe that's better...

Thanks so much in advance!

A_Dabauer

~waves~ howdy neighbor, I'm from Calgary.

I'm probably not the best person to answer your questions regarding Keto, as it's been years since I've done a full Keto diet. I low carb but I count net carbs (carbs less fiber) and stick to around 75 Net carbs a day and it works wonderfully for me.

That being said nothing wrong with Keto it's really about what works for you.

Couple of things however, your calories/TDEE seem low to me. I'm not sure if you are using MFP's numbers or a 3rd party resource. If you are just using MFP I personally would go to a site like IIFYM, and use their calculators, just to double check, then adjust from there if needed.

Your ratio of Macro's look OK to me but I'm not a big expert on macro break downs, nor do I watch my numbers extensively other than my Net Carb number.

Back in the day when I did Keto, I didn't get the Keto Flu, the severity and duration is going to be different depending on the person.

Regarding the keto strips, you can buy them at any drug store, if I were you I'd spring for a bottle, especially to begin with until you know what Keto feels like. There is a distinct feeling to keto, but it's been so long since I've been in it I can't describe it.

Depending on the protein bar/powder is going to depend on the carb count. You need to look specifically (especially in bars) to find ones that are low in carbs as well as high in protein.

That's about all the help I can be

Good luck, send me a FR if you like!

deansdad101

JodiCaldwell_7 wrote: »

Okay, so I've done a bit of research of the "Keto Diet" in the past and have been researching all week. I am ready to jump in full force.

I'll lay it out, my plan was to lower Carbs to about 20g/day until I hit ketosis. That puts my macros at 50% Fat - 78g, 45% Protein - 158g and 5% Carbs - 19g with my calories set to 1405, my TDEE being 1905 and eating back all exercise calories.
- I am just wondering if this is a good start?
- Is there any Macros tweaking anyone would suggest? I think for me it will be easier to go all in instead of gradually reducing.
- How long before I start to feel the "keto flu" at these levels? how long will it last? Research says 2-3 weeks but did not give much of a timeline based on actual carb intake.
- Is there a benefit of keeping Carbs at 20g or should I be able to up it? to what?
- Without strips how will I know what level my Carbs should be at?
- can you tell by how you feel if you are still in ketosis?

So I went and stocked up my protein and fat sources, lots of salmon, steak, avocados, eggs and bacon mmmmm Wondering if anyone had good Ideas on marinating and/or condiments. Looks like Mustard is still a freebie All of the commercialized marinades have 5-10 carbs/tbls.

I was in the understanding that nuts were a go to but all of the labels were still 7-10 carbs per serving...

I was also looking at my protein bars which I love as a quick easy snack to curb that hunger but they have 30g/serving. any substitutes? I haven't had a chance to check out my protein powder at home so maybe that's better...

Thanks so much in advance!

Jodi;

As you've probably already seen from you research there really is no (specific) "keto diet" - but rather a number of variations on the theme.

You didn't say (and since your food diary isn't open we can't tell) but judging by your profile pic, it doesn't appear that you have all that much weight to lose which "might" indicate that insulin resistance isn't a current concern of yours (is it?).

I'm asking, only because it really does matter "why" you are considering keto and exactly what your goals are. It "matters", not because I'm questioning your motives, but rather because the suggestions folks offer will be affected by those questions.

Assuming that you have decided to achieve a state of Fat Adaptation or Nutritional Ketosis (completing the "switch" from burning carbs as your primary energy source to burning ketones), I'd offer the following but with the proviso that the recs "might" change somewhat, depending on your replies.

For the macros, start with the following;

1. Assuming your daily calorie intake (Total, not "net" after counting exercise) is correct, use that number to get started,
2. Calculate your Protein requirements by multiplying your "target" lean body mass X 0.5-0.6. The result will probably be a number between 60 and 90 (or so). Enter that number in MFP
3. Looks like you've decided on 20g/day Carbs so let's use that as your "target" and add it to MFP
4. Whatever is left over, will be your total "fat" number.
5. You'll likely come up with numbers close to F= 65-70%, P=20-25%, and C=5-15%

You will receive varying opinions on whether it's best to "jump right in" or "ease into it" - the choice is yours although, generally, for folks who are starting from 150g/day carbs or more, I'd suggest "easing in".

You will also get different opinion on whether you should be counting "total" or "net" carbs (and cals).

I'm in the "total" camp for both. For carbs the debate centers around how much impact fiber has or if it's really just a "marketing" thing.

For calories, the "net" argument focuses on the "eat back what you burn" philosophy which, IMO, doesn't work very well and runs counter to at least "some" of the LCHF thinking.

Most importantly for me though, is that by including the "exercise" numbers on your MFP diary, it screws up the macro numbers and confuses the issue. Much easier to stick with total cals and not "import" the exercise numbers - but in each case, again the decision is yours.

On the protein bars - here again the jury is out to some degree. I'm not a fan of them because you'll likely find it's difficult to keep your total protein numbers down to your target so you won't need the extra in the bars. Once you are hitting your numbers consistently, it's likely you'll no longer need that carb (or protein) "fix" - the fats will provide satiety and your body will no longer be craving the carbs.

Hope this helps and I'd suggest (if you haven't already), take some time and read through some of the back posts on the group, there's some good info there that might help with your decisions.

FIT_Goat

As DD said, you'll find two different opinions here. You'll find those who say start at 150g and work down until you find the balance that best fits your body. And others who say jump right in and work up to the amount of carbs you can tolerate. Personally, I think the choice depends a lot on the kind of person you are. If you're the type to just jump right into a pool and get the hard part over with, you may be the kind to jump right down to 20g. If you need to ease yourself into the water to get used to it a little at a time, you may be more comfortable with the slow transition.

I actually like your starting macros. 158g of protein is ample for the first few weeks. After 3-4 weeks, you may want to lower the protein to the amounts calculated by the formula DD gave. Replace that protein with increased fat. At the start, keeping protein at 150g reduces muscle loss. After you have adapted, you need less protein because your body is more efficient at using the ketones and circulating triglycerides and won't be using protein to make up for the glucose shortage.