HFLC without Keto?
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Raynne413
Posts: 1,527 Member
I've been trying to do HFLC, mostly because high fat tends to keep my cravings and binge urges in check (I have a history of eating disorders) and because I have PCOS so I think it helps keep my hormones level. However, due to my love of fruit, I don't think I could do full on keto, as well as my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).
Is there still a benefit to doing HFLC without going fully into keto? My net carbs tend to be around 150g per day. Is this just way too much to see a benefit? Without fruit my net carbs would actually probably be in the 75 range, which I know is still considered too high.
Is there still a benefit to doing HFLC without going fully into keto? My net carbs tend to be around 150g per day. Is this just way too much to see a benefit? Without fruit my net carbs would actually probably be in the 75 range, which I know is still considered too high.
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Is it better than you were eating? Are you seeing improvements? Are you feeling the urge to swan dive into a tub of ice cream?
If the answers are yes, yes, no, then decide from there if you want to change.0 -
If you're experiencing reduced hunger and cravings, you're getting the main benefit of keto.
At 75g, you'd be producing a lot of ketones, but perhaps not the maximum level.
Even at 150g, you can get there if you burn off a lot of glucose with exercise. 150g = 600 calories, and you'd need to burn off 400 of that daily to ensure strong ketosis.0 -
I'm sure I probably burn off a good amount, so that makes me feel better.
I still get pretty hungry at times, but I don't have the urge to drive to Whole Foods and buy out the entire bakery, like I have previously LOL, so I am sure that is a good thing. I'm still eating around 2300 calories a day, so I'm sure any weight loss will be slow, but at this point, I was more concerned with the damage I was doing to my body by my almost weekly binges on sugar.
And anything that gives me permission to eat nuts, peanut butter and cheese makes me happy.
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I'm sure I probably burn off a good amount, so that makes me feel better.
I still get pretty hungry at times, but I don't have the urge to drive to Whole Foods and buy out the entire bakery, like I have previously LOL, so I am sure that is a good thing. I'm still eating around 2300 calories a day, so I'm sure any weight loss will be slow, but at this point, I was more concerned with the damage I was doing to my body by my almost weekly binges on sugar.
And anything that gives me permission to eat nuts, peanut butter and cheese makes me happy.
Well. There you go! I've been keto for over a year. I'm a huge keto fan. But keto isn't the end all, be all of low-carb diets. Many see great success, health, and happiness from carb levels above ketosis level. Just as long as you feel good and are meeting your goals, then you are fine with what carb level you choose.
And not feeling the need to rob a bakery is an awesome NSV in my book. 0 -
If you're having success then stick with what's working for you and don't worry what the definition is.
IF you were wanting to get the carbs down and fruit is not the way you want to do it, consider where the other 75g are coming from and see if you can live without that stuff. Or maybe consider the fruits that aren't as high on sugar and go with more berries instead. Or even a combination of both.
But, like I said, if your happy with the success you are achieving then there's no reason to look into changing up anything.0 -
I lost almost 100lbs in less than a year eating apples, bananas, grapes, grapefruit, watermelon, salads, meats, seafood, eggs, and cheese. I ate between 1000-1200 calories a day. I kept my fruit to 1 serving per day or less and usually ate it with a protein.
You are fine!0 -
I eat for pain relief and the lower the carbs the less pain I have so staying in a state of ketosis just makes good sense in my case. I have lost 30 more pounds in the last 9 months is a good side effect of ketosis in my case. I was eating in a way that was leading to my early death and when I realized that fact in a REAL way when the doctors were pushing for me to start Enbrel injections that could lead to cancer in my case I researched how I could control my pain by diet. Cutting out sugar and bread and going heavy on coconut oil was what my research turned up to try. By accident I wound up LCHF but had never heard of the term or MFP.0
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My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.0 -
Maybe skip the "disgusting" protein shake then? Personally I won't buy or consume such things because they don't fit my long term view of how I want to feed myself or my family.0
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Right. I think I do them because sometimes it's the lowest calorie way to get over my protein grams for the day.0
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dalansteiner wrote: »Right. I think I do them because sometimes it's the lowest calorie way to get over my protein grams for the day.
Maybe try a different brand of protein? I've been using Protizyme (I think that is the spelling) because it is very low carb, but mostly because it has iron and I have severe issues with anemia. I mix just about 10g in the morning with some Cashew Milk and coffee concentrate. I plan on also adding liquid coconut oil when I finally get it!
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I originally started doing this just to support my SO whose doctor recommended Atkins. Initially I figured about 100 grams would be a good goal for me, because I always thought I loved carbs and sugar so much that I wouldn't be able to go lower. Well immediately I felt better eating this way and typically I am between 40-75 grams. On a day I feel like I screwed up I am up around 100.
That said, I have a friend who is extremely active and trains hard, also around my age, and she says she can't function well on less than 150, but she keeps to the complex and high fiber carbs.0 -
dalansteiner wrote: »My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.
If you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Trust your body to know and tell you what it needs, and listen to it.
For example, I eat less on my more active days, usually, but the next day (which are recovery days), I tend to eat more, so it balances out.my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).
Just an FYI, the idea that you need carbs for these things is a myth. There is an adaptation period beyond the base level of keto adaptation, but the body does just fine with these things without carbs. So if you ever did want to try keto, don't let your choice of exercise prevent you from doing so (and just remember that there is an adjustment period, during which your performance will drop before picking back up).0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »dalansteiner wrote: »My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.
If you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Trust your body to know and tell you what it needs, and listen to it.
For example, I eat less on my more active days, usually, but the next day (which are recovery days), I tend to eat more, so it balances out.my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).
Just an FYI, the idea that you need carbs for these things is a myth. There is an adaptation period beyond the base level of keto adaptation, but the body does just fine with these things without carbs. So if you ever did want to try keto, don't let your choice of exercise prevent you from doing so (and just remember that there is an adjustment period, during which your performance will drop before picking back up).
Well, most of my carbs come from fruit and nut butters and I'd really prefer not to give them up.
So I am not sure if I will ever be able to do full keto. But I don't purposefully think, Oh I need carbs for my workout, I'm going to eat an apple, or a brownie. I guess the main reason I feel that way is before I tried to do low carb high fat at all, I could get through two hours of turbo kick with circuit training for strength and maybe some zumba just fine. I mean, it was hard because I was putting effort in, but I was fine. Last Saturday, I could barely make it through one Turbo Kick session and I felt like I was going to DIE!!!! My workouts have definitely been a lot harder the past week.
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Dragonwolf wrote: »dalansteiner wrote: »My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.
If you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Trust your body to know and tell you what it needs, and listen to it.
For example, I eat less on my more active days, usually, but the next day (which are recovery days), I tend to eat more, so it balances out.my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).
Just an FYI, the idea that you need carbs for these things is a myth. There is an adaptation period beyond the base level of keto adaptation, but the body does just fine with these things without carbs. So if you ever did want to try keto, don't let your choice of exercise prevent you from doing so (and just remember that there is an adjustment period, during which your performance will drop before picking back up).
Well, most of my carbs come from fruit and nut butters and I'd really prefer not to give them up. So I am not sure if I will ever be able to do full keto. But I don't purposefully think, Oh I need carbs for my workout, I'm going to eat an apple, or a brownie. I guess the main reason I feel that way is before I tried to do low carb high fat at all, I could get through two hours of turbo kick with circuit training for strength and maybe some zumba just fine. I mean, it was hard because I was putting effort in, but I was fine. Last Saturday, I could barely make it through one Turbo Kick session and I felt like I was going to DIE!!!! My workouts have definitely been a lot harder the past week.
After 3 weeks, your performance will level back out. It takes about that long for the muscles to convert to using the fat for fuel instead of carbs. You have to give your body time to adjust. After that, you may even see better performance improvements, as fats are far more efficient fuel than carbs.0 -
dalansteiner wrote: »My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.
Check out KetoGains on reddit! It's about LCHF and gaining muscle. You can figure out macros, ask questions, etc. I've been mostly on the keto train for about a year and have main some gains in the lifting department. The body does take some time to adjust, and lifts might not be as heavy as they could be at that moment in time with carbs, but it's not like you can't get strong.0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »dalansteiner wrote: »My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.
If you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Trust your body to know and tell you what it needs, and listen to it.
For example, I eat less on my more active days, usually, but the next day (which are recovery days), I tend to eat more, so it balances out.my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).
Just an FYI, the idea that you need carbs for these things is a myth. There is an adaptation period beyond the base level of keto adaptation, but the body does just fine with these things without carbs. So if you ever did want to try keto, don't let your choice of exercise prevent you from doing so (and just remember that there is an adjustment period, during which your performance will drop before picking back up).
Well, most of my carbs come from fruit and nut butters and I'd really prefer not to give them up. So I am not sure if I will ever be able to do full keto. But I don't purposefully think, Oh I need carbs for my workout, I'm going to eat an apple, or a brownie. I guess the main reason I feel that way is before I tried to do low carb high fat at all, I could get through two hours of turbo kick with circuit training for strength and maybe some zumba just fine. I mean, it was hard because I was putting effort in, but I was fine. Last Saturday, I could barely make it through one Turbo Kick session and I felt like I was going to DIE!!!! My workouts have definitely been a lot harder the past week.
After 3 weeks, your performance will level back out. It takes about that long for the muscles to convert to using the fat for fuel instead of carbs. You have to give your body time to adjust. After that, you may even see better performance improvements, as fats are far more efficient fuel than carbs.
Thanks! I have the bad habit of being impatient and if I don't see results immediately, I start wanting to tweak and change things. I may just back off if I start feeling REALLY winded and then up the intensity when I recover a bit, until I am able to go full out again.
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »dalansteiner wrote: »My experimentation with low-er carbs is still in its infancy. Week 1 I lost close to 5 lbs. 2-1/2 weeks since I have lost .2 lbs. Adaptation? Not sure. I allowed myself to run over on fat and protein carbs, so for the last 3 days I have tried to eat not much more than my caloric limit. We'll see what happens.
Complicating things is my effort to get stronger in my weight training. As a result I am trying to eat more protein, and some days I feel bloated like a pig as I choke down one more burger, or chicken breast, or disgusting protein shake.
I am determined to ride it out though, so we'll see what happens.
If you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Trust your body to know and tell you what it needs, and listen to it.
For example, I eat less on my more active days, usually, but the next day (which are recovery days), I tend to eat more, so it balances out.my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).
Just an FYI, the idea that you need carbs for these things is a myth. There is an adaptation period beyond the base level of keto adaptation, but the body does just fine with these things without carbs. So if you ever did want to try keto, don't let your choice of exercise prevent you from doing so (and just remember that there is an adjustment period, during which your performance will drop before picking back up).
Well, most of my carbs come from fruit and nut butters and I'd really prefer not to give them up. So I am not sure if I will ever be able to do full keto. But I don't purposefully think, Oh I need carbs for my workout, I'm going to eat an apple, or a brownie. I guess the main reason I feel that way is before I tried to do low carb high fat at all, I could get through two hours of turbo kick with circuit training for strength and maybe some zumba just fine. I mean, it was hard because I was putting effort in, but I was fine. Last Saturday, I could barely make it through one Turbo Kick session and I felt like I was going to DIE!!!! My workouts have definitely been a lot harder the past week.
After 3 weeks, your performance will level back out. It takes about that long for the muscles to convert to using the fat for fuel instead of carbs. You have to give your body time to adjust. After that, you may even see better performance improvements, as fats are far more efficient fuel than carbs.
Thanks! I have the bad habit of being impatient and if I don't see results immediately, I start wanting to tweak and change things. I may just back off if I start feeling REALLY winded and then up the intensity when I recover a bit, until I am able to go full out again.
This way of eating is not for the impatient. You will hit strides above your previous best as your body's efficiency improves, but each and every change you make should be isolated and given a 4 week run (extreme health side effects obviously excepted). If you don't isolate and give things a chance to show the results - it takes 4 weeks to see the full impact of changes eating this way - there is not much point in fighting hard. So I personally recommend working through the impatience and seeing other things you can change up (logging, blogging, journaling, meeting/chatting with like minded folks, etc.) to feed your impatience and allow you the control and focus you need to maintain to see the progress eating this way...0 -
LOL You sound exactly like my boyfriend. He always tells me I need to make ONE change and then give it at least four weeks. I'm getting better. And I don't think low carb is the only way of eating this is important for. Honestly, I think ANY change should be given an acclimation period. I just have a hard time following my own advice at times.
On a good note, I have managed to cut my net carbs from around 150g to around 75g! Yay me! LOL0 -
Everybody is different. Your body is an experiment lab. Do many tests. Do what works for you. If you're not happy with the rate of weight loss, lower calories and/or carbs per day. If you're hangry ~ lower carbs, increase calories. If you need inflammation in your joints to decrease, low carbs to Keto level. If you want many other health benefits, try water fasting & exercise...
There lots of variables here, so make sure in your experiments to not change too many of them at one time, so you can see what affects what.
Dan the Man from Michigan0
