Looking for low carb friends - also quick question about macros
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lucysmommy2007
Posts: 103 Member
ok...
Hi
I am Kirsty, started low carbing about 2 weeks ago now, and I would love some friends for support, I am 232lbs.
I was doing really well - eating what I wanted and when - hunger was gone - then someone told me my protein was too high and to cut it back - now i am hungry and that is with, what I thought was a decent amount of fat. So my question is as long as my carbs are under 20g, does it matter what my protein and fats are? as long as I am full? I wasn't overeating as far as I was aware, so now I find myself on MFP logging amounts of my food and watching my calories.
I think its getting very confusing for me - I haven't fallen off yet but I am hungry - and apart from going and spooning in a tablespoon of fat - I am at a loss tbh
Help required please
Hi
I am Kirsty, started low carbing about 2 weeks ago now, and I would love some friends for support, I am 232lbs.
I was doing really well - eating what I wanted and when - hunger was gone - then someone told me my protein was too high and to cut it back - now i am hungry and that is with, what I thought was a decent amount of fat. So my question is as long as my carbs are under 20g, does it matter what my protein and fats are? as long as I am full? I wasn't overeating as far as I was aware, so now I find myself on MFP logging amounts of my food and watching my calories.
I think its getting very confusing for me - I haven't fallen off yet but I am hungry - and apart from going and spooning in a tablespoon of fat - I am at a loss tbh
Help required please
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Replies
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Hi Kristy. I try to keep my carbs low (aiming for net 20 but not quite there yet), moderate protein, and higher fats. Moderate protein means, to me, I eat protein at each meal and sometimes snacks. If your protein wasn't super high, though, I would go back to it until your body adjusts.0
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How much protein were you eating before exactly? The concept of low carb-high fat is very sound, restricting carbs and fat and eating TONS of protein isn't something you want to do long term. But, if that recommendation was just an aim for some kind of perfection, and you weren't doing something extreme with your macros, you may want to consider going back to what was working for you and only worry about things if you hit a stall and want to fine tune.
Now, on to specifics:
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
enter your current stats there and see what it suggests. It will offer you a wide range for protein. If you are mostly sedentary then the recommendation is to select something closer to the bottom end of the protein recommendation. If you are lifting heavy weights regularly then maybe something on the higher end of the recommendation.So my question is as long as my carbs are under 20g, does it matter what my protein and fats are? as long as I am full?
If your protein is too low, you will lose muscle mass along with fat as you lose weight. If your protein is too high, some of it can be converted to glucose and prevent you from staying in ketosis, which is the goal if you're limiting your carbs to 20g or less.0 -
Hi Kristy, you shouldn't be hungry on this WOE so yes go spoon a TBSP of fat!
Seriously, for a few weeks, I'd just get used to the macros (I do approx 5% carbs, aim for net of 20g; 75% fat and 20% protein) and eat so that you're not hungry. Get a bunch of friends and look at their diaries for meal inspiration. Top everything with butter! Read the Launch Pad info at the top of this Discussion for a lot of good guidance. I'll add you and feel free to look at my diary. 0 -
average day I eat about 250g of chicken leg and the skin (weighed off the bone and then split between lunch and dinner) with veg and a slice of cheese. 2 eggs and 2 x streaky bacon for breakfast with 1 tablespoon of butter. I drink coffee and water
thanks0 -
I have no answers for you, as I'm new to this whole thing.... but I wanted to say welcome! I, too, am a mommy and weigh around the same as you. I weighed in at 236 last week, which is when I decided once and for all to get healthy. I haven't weighed since then (I need to get a scale!!), but I expect I'm still around 235ish. May I ask what your goal weight is? I felt awesome around 160-165 a few years ago (before I had my last 3 kids), so that is my long-term goal for now, but I'm only 5'1" and technically my ideal weight maxes at around 132, so I may keep pushing through until I get closer to that. One day at a time, and really my goal is just to be healthy enough to keep up with my kiddos and live long enough to play with my grandkids.
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Hi Kristy! I'm new to Keto as well. From what I've read, 50-ish% of protein turns to glucose in the same way carbs do. The idea of Keto is prevent glucose from being your energy source. If you eat too much protein, it has a similar effect as eating carbs so can defeat the purpose of going super low carb. I'm using a 5/20/75 ratio. Someone correct me if I'm wrong with that science. I'm def not a nutritionist!0
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thanks for the replies - think 150lbs will be my goal - i am 5ft 5in so it shows!
Thanks summer, i just watched butter makes my pants fall off on youtube - and my macros are the same as yours - i think i was a bit confused! i thought i had to have a calorie goal and stick to it but..... on thinking I assume no matter what the calories are the pie chart for nutrition should read 75/20/5?
thanks0 -
You and your family are cute together! Feel free to add me. I'm no expert, doing this for 2 months and have lost 18 lbs and finding ketones a better way of living. You look young so you'll probably lose faster!0
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lucysmommy2007 wrote: »thanks for the replies - think 150lbs will be my goal - i am 5ft 5in so it shows!
Thanks summer, i just watched butter makes my pants fall off on youtube - and my macros are the same as yours - i think i was a bit confused! i thought i had to have a calorie goal and stick to it but..... on thinking I assume no matter what the calories are the pie chart for nutrition should read 75/20/5?
thanks
Right! I still watch my calories, but my main concern is macros.0 -
thanks summer, i average about 1900 cals a day but at my weight it should still show a loss
will give it a try0 -
please add me as a friend. i went a bit over my protein goal today but not very concerned. we'll see if it has any effect. i like bacon and eggs, what can i say?0
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Hi guys! I think this is a great idea to add for a nice support group! I started on January 13 :-)0
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I am brand new to this as well. The macros confuse me to death. Right now I am just trying to hit my daily carb level without going over and still watching my calories. Feel free to add me I need all the help,encouragment, and knowledge I can get. We can learn together. Once I don't go over my carbs on a consistent basis I might worry about the other. I am afraid of getting to overwhelmed.0
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Once you've calculated your macro with the keto calculator (or whichever you choose to use) it's not much more complicated than counting calories ever was. It might help to follow one of the many keto menus that's available (I really like what I've tried from "I Breathe... I'm Hungry" so far). But basically if you're still counting calories and carbs, you're just adding a couple other lines on your nutrition chart to monitor protein and fat, too.
Getting the macro set up is probably the most confusing part, but it gives you hard numbers you can use at the end (you set those, too, based on a range they offer, which is in turn based on your body info that you'll provide them).
I think if you still rely heavily on reading calories it might make it tougher to also manage your macros. I set my calories to about 1275 just to get the level of carbs (~25g) I wanted from MFP, and otherwise I try to ignore calories. It bugs me that calories are the prime measurement displayed, and there's no way to pick a preferred category per user.
Hope some of that was helpful!0 -
Oh no! I didnt realize you could have too much protein! Luckily Im only on day 2 of low carbing so I can fix my macros. (I ate about 100 grams of protein yesterday, a lot since I only walk and do yoga) Thanks for the keto calculator!
I'll need to add a lot more fat, thats going to be kinda hard, Im so use to avoiding added fats!0 -
It is really hard to have a different mind set on fat. I still find myself worring about it, even though I know better!0
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@stillonamission LOL I guess I'm just the weird one. I was the one who dabbed the grease off my pizza and couldn't tolerate much grease and I just jumped in whole hog...pun intended. hee hee. I guess all that work I did getting my brain on board (first) really helped!0
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Grams of chicken don't equal grams of protein.. 250g of chicken and a few eggs isn't too much protein.. Yes you should become aware of your protein/fats but also your vitamins and minerals to feel healthy. Start watching your nutrition tab. It will show you the grams of protein and such in what you eat. I think your amounts are more than reasonable0
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crystalsan726 wrote: »I am brand new to this as well. The macros confuse me to death. Right now I am just trying to hit my daily carb level without going over and still watching my calories. Feel free to add me I need all the help,encouragment, and knowledge I can get. We can learn together. Once I don't go over my carbs on a consistent basis I might worry about the other. I am afraid of getting to overwhelmed.
I think this is very smart. I actually would encourage you to only worry about carbs and not calories at the beginning. Later you may need to make some tweaks, but getting into ketosis (if that is your goal) should come first. Cutting carbs is a pretty big shock to your system so go easy on yourself otherwise.0 -
Oh no! I didnt realize you could have too much protein! Luckily Im only on day 2 of low carbing so I can fix my macros. (I ate about 100 grams of protein yesterday, a lot since I only walk and do yoga) Thanks for the keto calculator!
I'll need to add a lot more fat, thats going to be kinda hard, Im so use to avoiding added fats!
100 g protein should be fine. I shoot for 75-100 g/day myself but if I go over I don't stress.
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