Do you eat more calories
panda4153
Posts: 418 Member
Hello, I have been with MFP for a few years. I lost 60lbs using the IIFYM methodology and counting calories. However, I have stalled, so I have transitioned into a LCHF diet. So far I really like it, but I do miss sweets 
I have found that Russel Stovers has some pretty good sugar free chocolates with low net carbs that seems to fill my craving pretty well.
I am wondering if people find that they are able to eat more calories and still lose on LCHF. I have been counting my carbs closely, and making suring I am hitting my fat and protien macros, but I have not been stringent with staying in my calorie counts for the day. In fact most days I am over by as much as 300-400 calories. I am trying to listen to my body, and I eat when I am hungry. If I am not hungry I don't eat.
I am not complaining, I have still lost 2lbs this week, but I am wondering if this normal? should I pay closer attention to the calories? I have read a lot of different things online, some say that you should still count calories others say don't worry about it so much. I have also read that it should find my appetite to naturally be satiated but I find that I am more hungry then before, could this be because I ate at a calorie deficit for so long that now that I am eating higher fat foods my appetite is kicking in?
I would appreciate any thoughts or experiences you can share.
I have found that Russel Stovers has some pretty good sugar free chocolates with low net carbs that seems to fill my craving pretty well.I am wondering if people find that they are able to eat more calories and still lose on LCHF. I have been counting my carbs closely, and making suring I am hitting my fat and protien macros, but I have not been stringent with staying in my calorie counts for the day. In fact most days I am over by as much as 300-400 calories. I am trying to listen to my body, and I eat when I am hungry. If I am not hungry I don't eat.
I am not complaining, I have still lost 2lbs this week, but I am wondering if this normal? should I pay closer attention to the calories? I have read a lot of different things online, some say that you should still count calories others say don't worry about it so much. I have also read that it should find my appetite to naturally be satiated but I find that I am more hungry then before, could this be because I ate at a calorie deficit for so long that now that I am eating higher fat foods my appetite is kicking in?
I would appreciate any thoughts or experiences you can share.
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Replies
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I've been sticking to my calorie limit - but would be interested into know if I didn't need to. Who wouldn't like the option of a bit more food
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Most people will find that they lose a bunch of weight in the first couple of weeks they start LCHF. This is water weight and won't last, just so you're aware.
After that, many people find they can increase their calorie allotment by a couple hundred calories and still lose at the same rate. It's not guaranteed, but if after a month or so, you're losing at a faster rate than you were at this calorie amount before LCHF, then feel free to increase your calories a little.0 -
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I think this depends on the person's metabolism, expectations, wanted rate of loss, etc. Also, if you are hungry on LCHF, you are probably not eating enough fat and/or calories for YOU. Maybe bump your fat % up by 5% and see if that helps. Also, I recommend you try to eat your allotment every day unless you are sick or something. If I skimp on cals one day, I'm ravenous the next, and it tends to make me binge. So, eat as much as you can to actually lose, and 2 lbs in one weeks is stellar, so be thankful for your progress so far.0
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I can't help myself. LOL... I tried.
I, personally, have success losing weight eating well above the amounts that are recommended. Where I should be eating around 2200-2400 to maintain my weight, I average around 2600 and am still losing weight. Can I promise similar results for everyone? Only if no one is around to make me keep that promise.
I can say that I am not the only person who has atypical results like this.0 -
FIT_Goat is an experiment in protein thermogenesis. If you're going to increase your caloric intake with meat, it should be fine. Ice cream? Maybe not so much.
IMHO, the "don't count calories" should only apply to people in tune with their diet and metabolism. Just starting out with LCHF? I would watch and wait.0 -
wabmester is right about that. Here's the bottom of my keto-calc results.
You can see my protein is a bit higher than recommended. And, I intentionally try and spread it out over 3-4 meals a day. These are based on averages from the last time I bothered to track (which was 40 days of continuous tracking or so). Over the last 10 weeks, I have not gained weight. I have averaged a 0.35 lb/week loss (0.16 kg/week).
I am on my-own-plan.
So, the experiment continues. 0 -
Vive la n=1!
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Rather than being tempted by fake candies and chocolates which seem to increase sweet cravings in some people and contain sugar alcohols, why not try some of the "fat bomb" recipies Ditto Dan has posted?0
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When i was counting calories, i was eating 1100-1200 a day and losing only very slowly. Since i started cutting down on carbs, i have been eating about 1400 calories a day and losing weight about three times faster than i did before.0
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I tried strict Paleo for a month without tracking and gained 2 pounds. I loved the freedom of not tracking--I mean, loved it! My brother is the kind of guy who can eat a pound of bacon a day for breakfast and still lose--he's lost 20 lb in a month on 4,000 low-carb calories a day. Lucky dog. I, on the other hand, have found more success staying within a reasonable range. But reasonable fluctuates all over the place depending on my activity level and stress level. I ate about 1200 calories today, but some days I'm much closer to 3,000. I think it will be nice when you get to know your body and make a judgment for yourself.0
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I count calories... Sorry but calories still count, unles you are a fit-goat....0
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I'm definitely in the eat when hungry and watch the weekly trend category. My calorie allotment from MFP, based on 1 pound per week loss is 1720. Some days I eat <1600. Some days I eat almost 3000 calories. But, my FitBit syncs with MFP, and I installed than nifty PC add in for net carbing and pie charts, etc. and both show that at weekly, my calories are still generally considered at some kind of deficit.
I eat more when I'm hungry, and I eat less when I'm not. I use carbs as a limit, proteins as an acceptable range, and fats as needed to fill the gaps. Since 1/15, I'm down 15-20 pounds overall, 1.5 pants sizes, and several waist/hips/arms/thighs inches, so what I am doing WORKS FOR ME.
I can't say it works for everyone. After ditching the carb cravings (I strongly strongly recommend @KeithF6250 's recommendation to ditch sugar alcohols altogether, for the reasons he says, they "taste" closest to real sugar, and our bodies keep the cravings when eating them. Use Stevia (Pure Via Stevia is a great one) or other sweetener - natural or otherwise, that agrees with you, and keep it to a minimum.), I could HEAR my body's internal hunger voice better. Once you get to that point, the whole thing becomes simpler.
I track my food for carb levels, sometimes protein, etc. But calories are a faintly interesting byproduct. I don't put much stock in the over or under numbers unless I am way, way under! One day I was less than 800 calories due to stress, heading into the dinner hour with zero appetite, so I went for calorie dense fats to help...0 -
This past weekend I ate 2100 calories one day. MFP threatened me with a significant weight gain in 5 weeks. MFP recommends that I eat 1200 calories for a weight loss of something a little over 1 pound per week. I think the last time I checked my TDEE I would have to eat less than 1000 calories per day to lose 2 pounds per week. I had my calories set to 1200 per day and would go over by 300-400 every day. I bumped it up to 1300 and now I go over about 1/3 of the time. I have no answers about how much people can eat. I wish I was like @FIT_Goat that would be awesome. I'm not a huge proponent of the "oh you're not losing weight, try eating more" camp. If that were the case it seems like we would see a bunch of obese anorexics walking around. Trial and error, that's my answer.0
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If you're losing, keep calories where they are. No need to take away food when you don't have to. If you were to stall for 3-4 weeks, maybe consider dropping calories by 100-200? Most importantly, if you're hungry, eat!0
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Lrdoflamancha wrote: »I count calories... Sorry but calories still count, unles you are a fit-goat....
No one has said otherwise....0 -
Titrating between NOT having any sweet substitute under Keto..going commando, OR finding Keto 'desserts' that work is personal. Some weeks you may be fine with pure low carb and no sweet 'taste' foods, then you really desire it…so after a lifetime to fight this need for sweet might lead to falling away right when sticking makes the difference.
What is your absolute favorite?
Ice cream? there are whole egg and heavy cream recipes that make buying an ice cream maker worth it if it helps YOU.
Next is chocolate sweet..recipes exist everywhere online, especially the talented Keto guy at www.ruled.me who offers pages of recipes free..he cooks all the time and is working on pies and other desserts that are PURE Keto.
Chocolate cane? Plain real Cocoa+Almond butter+coconut oil are amazing..add Macadamia or chopped Brazil nuts and shredded coconut flake for perfect high fat candy.
Fruit sweet? making hot berry sauce with blackberries, raspberries, and pouring over a chilled Keto cheesecake made from:butter-cream cheese and heavy cream…is out of this world!!..and my personal favorite.
Hot & sweet? try Almond milk (unsweet vanilla), butter and cocoa+flavors and heat- an amazing super wonderful hot coco drink with fewer calories and almost NO carbs.
I even tried blending hot almond milk and raspberry sauce, and butter…terrific!
I use Stevia and Swerve and no chemical sweeteners as my preference.
If you allow yourself to track a set calories number you will know the results better than guessing, starving at 1000 may teach you nothing. The "EM2WL" group at MFP promotes constant heavy exercise and eating just below TDEE..it takes a longer to lose 'fat' and build real muscle, but they can weigh MORE and LOOK thinner, but this method is suited to those who CAN do heavy exercise long term so attracts body builder and fitness buffs.
Good luck on your journey of discovery!0 -
Hello, I have been with MFP for a few years. I lost 60lbs using the IIFYM methodology and counting calories. However, I have stalled, so I have transitioned into a LCHF diet. So far I really like it, but I do miss sweets I have found that Russel Stovers has some pretty good sugar free chocolates with low net carbs that seems to fill my craving pretty well.
I am wondering if people find that they are able to eat more calories and still lose on LCHF. I have been counting my carbs closely, and making suring I am hitting my fat and protien macros, but I have not been stringent with staying in my calorie counts for the day. In fact most days I am over by as much as 300-400 calories. I am trying to listen to my body, and I eat when I am hungry. If I am not hungry I don't eat.
I am not complaining, I have still lost 2lbs this week, but I am wondering if this normal? should I pay closer attention to the calories? I have read a lot of different things online, some say that you should still count calories others say don't worry about it so much. I have also read that it should find my appetite to naturally be satiated but I find that I am more hungry then before, could this be because I ate at a calorie deficit for so long that now that I am eating higher fat foods my appetite is kicking in?
I would appreciate any thoughts or experiences you can share.
Just a thought from looking at your diary. You use a lot of "standard" entry measurements, 1 sausage link, 1 cheese slice, etc. As long as you're still losing, that's not an issue. If you find you're stalling for an extended time (or gaining), it would be worth it to use a food scale for everything. Rarely do my cheese slices weigh up to the amount the package says, and the margins on sausage vary by company. Even eggs are different than the 1 egg entry - there have been times when I've been making a batch of a recipe, and weighing the number of eggs called for left me short or over by half an egg. In the meantime, be aware that while you're using those kinds of measurements, you may not actually be over by 300-400 at all.0 -
Hi JPW1990, I actaully weight most of what I eat, I adjust the standard measurement to match whatever the weight of what I am eating. For example if package says 1TBS (28g) I will weigh it, if it is actually 32g I put in 1.14tbs. This works great for when I am using my scanner to scan in barcodes for the items I eat.
I have found that my cheese and bread almost always weigh what the package says is a serving, but if it is off, then I adjust for it.
My kitchen scale was a great investment. It has helped alot for me to know what correct portions are.
To add, if I dont know exactly what something weighs, for example if I eat out, or don't have my scale with me I enter the standard measurement. I know things are off in some cases by about 20% it can go either way over or under. I try to to get to intense over this as, I do not want to be so ruled by food, that I am afriad to eat something if I dont know exactly how much it weighs. You see this a lot on the general forums. I want to be healthy and feel good, sometimes you just have to live and let it go 0 -
KETOGENICGURL wrote: »Fruit sweet? making hot berry sauce with blackberries, raspberries, and pouring over a chilled Keto cheesecake made from:butter-cream cheese and heavy cream…is out of this world!!..and my personal favorite.
In order for this to get in my belly this weekend, a recipe would be very helpful.
*nodnodnod*
Please?0 -
Lrdoflamancha wrote: »I count calories... Sorry but calories still count, unles you are a fit-goat....Dragonwolf wrote: »No one has said otherwise....
Not even me. Calories do count. I just don't count calories. My body moderates my hunger based on need. Clearly, I am eating less calories than I am burning. I have to be. I am losing mass and getting smaller.0 -
Hi Twibbly..glad to oblige. I discovered this 3 ingredient mix looking for a cheaper version of Marscapone Italian cheese, which is very bland, and used for sugary desserts.
faux Marscapone- 3/4 C cream cheese, 1/4 C butter, 1-3 tbl heavy cream..let all warm and soften, not melt. Mix well with fork or hand mixer, a whisk won't do much. add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbl+ lemon juice, stevia or Swerve, or your fave sweetener. You now have one 8 oz cup of cheesecake for ~1100 calories. I keep it all in one flatter cereal bowl, and use a 2 tbl scoop as my "serving" which is ~ 135 calories for 1 oz.
I use fresh berries or frozen and as much sweetener as I like and heat a minute in microwave, or on stove, adding tiny bit of gum can thicken. Once cheesecake is chilled in fridge, Just pour some hot berry sauce onto your serving. Or dip by teaspoonful into the sauce…yum!
I am a lazy cook. I don't portion into tiny bowls, too much time, waste, and cleanup. a scoop works great as a handy measure at same time.0 -
Petri Dish here. I am doing this; I am adding protein and carbs and making them equal to (=) or less than (<) my fat intake. Simple. I read this on one of those low carb math sites that make your head spin and you keep needing to check back to review. ( if a car travels west at 60 miles per hour and the dog gets loose, how long will it take to run away?)
No math is simpler than this. Adding. (Use to teach math. )
Asking Goat is a big mistake. You'll learn. Now we have humor. Cheeze.0 -
KETOGENICGURL wrote: »Hi Twibbly..glad to oblige. I discovered this 3 ingredient mix looking for a cheaper version of Marscapone Italian cheese, which is very bland, and used for sugary desserts.
faux Marscapone- 3/4 C cream cheese, 1/4 C butter, 1-3 tbl heavy cream..let all warm and soften, not melt. Mix well with fork or hand mixer, a whisk won't do much. add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbl+ lemon juice, stevia or Swerve, or your fave sweetener. You now have one 8 oz cup of cheesecake for ~1100 calories. I keep it all in one flatter cereal bowl, and use a 2 tbl scoop as my "serving" which is ~ 135 calories for 1 oz.
I use fresh berries or frozen and as much sweetener as I like and heat a minute in microwave, or on stove, adding tiny bit of gum can thicken. Once cheesecake is chilled in fridge, Just pour some hot berry sauce onto your serving. Or dip by teaspoonful into the sauce…yum!
I am a lazy cook. I don't portion into tiny bowls, too much time, waste, and cleanup. a scoop works great as a handy measure at same time.
Sounds awesome! Thanks for the recipe 0 -
You can see my protein is a bit higher than recommended. And, I intentionally try and spread it out over 3-4 meals a day.
Way too high
My keto coach has me limited to 24g protein on a per meal basis. Everyone is different but that is my limit. Any more and I get raised blood glucose through gluconeogenesis.
I suggesting cutting the protein down and filling up on fat instead.
This is my setup from the keto calculator
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*Generated by [Keto Calculator](http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com) 8.5*
43/M/5'8" | CW 196 | 31% BF | Lightly active
* 3027 kcal Goal, a -25% deficit. (641 min, 2421 max)
* 20g Carbohydrates
* 72g Protein (82g min, 135g max)
* 295g Fat (31g min, 228g max)
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And yes, with 30-40 mins per day of very relaxed resistance exercise with lots of stretching between sets, I'm building some nice muscle! 0 -
I have recently decided to track for macros only and nutrients (so I can supplement as needed) and to not stress the calories. I am having success with it! I don't always track anymore, and my intake is all over the place, but I think I eat what I need more this way. Stressing over it makes it worse for me. The key is I am also trying to be more active and not to eat if I am not actually hungry. Mindless snacking can get me! But if I do track for a few weeks and say hey, I ate 2000 calories of snacks , UH, I might wanna check that! I am eating double what MFP recommends and I lost 2# this week! So, I think in the context of a good diet where we are having our needs met the calories will sort themselves out if we are mindful as well to not be gluttons! I used to be a tracker but found it was not serving me anymore (to count calories).0
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You can see my protein is a bit higher than recommended. And, I intentionally try and spread it out over 3-4 meals a day.
Way too high
My keto coach has me limited to 24g protein on a per meal basis. Everyone is different but that is my limit. Any more and I get raised blood glucose through gluconeogenesis.
I suggesting cutting the protein down and filling up on fat instead.
This is my setup from the keto calculator
---
*Generated by [Keto Calculator](http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com) 8.5*
43/M/5'8" | CW 196 | 31% BF | Lightly active
* 3027 kcal Goal, a -25% deficit. (641 min, 2421 max)
* 20g Carbohydrates
* 72g Protein (82g min, 135g max)
* 295g Fat (31g min, 228g max)
----
And yes, with 30-40 mins per day of very relaxed resistance exercise with lots of stretching between sets, I'm building some nice muscle!
You must be new around here.
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Have you confirmed that you actually experience this or is this an assumption? I recently read that this is an overstated risk. Would love to know if anyone has actually experienced it (perhaps blood glucose readings after high protein vs. a meal with similar carbs and lower protein).Any more and I get raised blood glucose through gluconeogenesis.
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Would love to know if anyone has actually experienced it (perhaps blood glucose readings after high protein vs. a meal with similar carbs and lower protein).
I assume that the smell of ammonia (breath and/or sweat) is a telltale sign. The only way your body makes ammonia is from protein catabolism.
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Dragonwolf wrote: »
You must be new around here.
My thought exactly.
We have birthdays coming up and I'm trying to decide what to do about serving cake. I think to most guests anything I make will be a catastrophe, while simultaneously tempting me back to the carb side. I may just get a small treat cake for them and make some of those macadamia brownie bombs for myself.
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This discussion has been closed.