New to Low Carb HELP!!

change04

Hello Low Carb family

I'm currently starting the low carb diet and need some advice where to start!!!
a little about myself my name is Tasha a mother of four children also married.
My weight gain started with my first child over 15 and a half years ago I went from a size 12 to the size 24.
I'm not sure where to start, or what to eat also what my intake should be any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm current Micro is

1550 calorie
Carbohydrates 78 g 20 %
Fat 103 g 60 %
Protein 78 g 20 %
Saturated Fat 17 g
Cholesterol 300 mg
Sodium 2300 mg
Potassium 3500 mg
Fiber 25 g
Sugar 58 g

Thanks in advance for all advice given

RowdysLady

Hi, I'm still really new myself. I've changed what I eat but not what I cook for my family. What I've learned so far is when I cook, I cook with healthy fats and I add butter to my plate now the way I used to add pepper. My kids are not interested in trying to eat this way and Rowdy would eat a bug before he'd give up his bread at dinner so I make "normal" meals but add to my plate the fats and I avoid the rice, pasta and breads I make for everyone else. I've found it's much easier than I thought. I do still want sugar sometimes but I have not given in.

I created a cabinet off in the dining room, not in the kitchen that only holds stuff I "can't" or "won't" eat in it. So the chips, cereal, snack cakes etc. all live there. I don't open that cabinet for any reason. That helps with my temptations.

I tried the Bulletproof Coffee for the first time today and I really liked it. Coffee blended with 1T coconut oil and 1T butter and heavy whipping cream if you like. I adjusted mine because I'm not so sure about the coconut oil yet and only added 1 tsp. I also added cocoa powder and splenda because I actually do not like coffee, but love Mocha. I used a lot of whipping cream...1/4 cup and only 1 tsp of cocoa and 2 tsp of splenda.

I was eating lots of cheeses to up my fat but I'm not losing right now and it was suggested that the cheese may be the culprit. This week I nixed all cheese. We'll see. Most mornings I eat 2 fried in butter eggs and either sausage or bacon. I LOVE meat and find I eat a lot of protein and there is a mixed idea here of whether that's good or bad for Keto so I'm trying to play it safe and keep my protein within my ranges.

My diary is open if you'd like to check it out. I've found I've fallen back on Atkin's products too, which also have a lot of protein, so in the past few days I've tried to cut them back some.

When I'm dying for something sweet Russell Stover makes sugar free candy and I will have a serving of that but not every day. I also make a "mousse" with heavy whipping cream, cocoa and splenda. Add to your taste the cocoa and splenda then whip til whipped into a mousse. I love it. I use very little splenda so mine is not very sweet. I've found the longer I do Keto, the less sweet I want my sweets.

ladipoet

Your sodium level is not high enough. If you keep it at that level, the Keto "Flu" will eventually find you and you will not be a happy camper when it hits you. Generally speaking, when you follow this way of eating (WOE), most of us NEED to get between 3000-5000 mg of sodium every day. I personally seem to require at least 5000 mg every day. It is pretty much impossible to get this much sodium into your diet by salting your food alone. Drink pickle juice or eat pickles if you can afford the carbs. Dissolve 1-2 bouillon cubes in the appropriate amount of water and drink them every day. Liberally salt your food or chosen drinks. The rest of your Macro numbers look ok; however, I suggest you re-visit them after 4-8 weeks. You may need to readjust them several times as you find what works better / best for you (i.e. your sweet spot). For example, when I started my Macros were:

70% Fat
15% Protein
15% Carbs

After about 4-6 months, I adjusted them to:

75% Fat
15% Protein
10% Carbs

Then after another 4-6 months, I adjusted them again to:

80% Fat
10% Protein
10% Carbs

And these are the levels I'm still at on a daily basis right now.

KETOGENICGURL

Sugar 58 g << this is going to be too high for LCHF…the DAILY average USDA standard diet (SAD) my RD and others recommend is 20 gr..less than 1 reg. Coke…

For LCHF the goal is as few sugar as posseble, either give them up, or use arctificial sweetners, which is another whole decision and may effect loss…bummer.

Sugar can be a really big issue when trying to give it up as you know….headaches, cravings, etc the first several days… if you can pay attention and start lowering NOW, maybe drop 5 gr every 3 days, down to 10 or so, and really track them you will do great!!!

You get lots of credit for doing this while feeding 4 munchkins and a hubby,,, Best of luck, lots of support here, just keep reading and learning.

change04

Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated.

Dragonwolf

Check out the Launch Pad. There are a ton of good resources there.

A lot of us are in houses where we're the only ones really eating this way. What many of us find works is what I call "Lego meals." That is, you have the different parts, and people piece it together how they want. Like taco night, you have the meat and lettuce and salsa and whatever else, and everyone assembles their own. That way, you're not cooking different meals.

Also, you can very often work in lower carb dishes in some meals. In my house, cheesy spaghetti squash casserole has become quite the hit, and spaghetti squash in general has become the go-to for pasta (actually favored over pasta).

Twibbly

I make meat and veggies. Everybody else adds rice, potatoes, bread, etc, if they want it. I have to be gluten-free, so we have a small kitchen setup in another room for my husband & kids where they can cook "normal" food.

I'm eating more carbs than most people here, but the idea is the same.

If I make tacos, I generally don't eat the shells (maybe 1) and add more sour cream and cheese than the kids do. If I make parmesan chicken, I make pasta for the kids and tend to eat a much smaller amount myself (I need to experiment with spaghetti squash). If I'm making something that everybody else just flat out doesn't like, my husband feeds them Spaghetti-Os and Hot Pockets (yeah....he's not exactly on board with eating low carb, but he is trying to cut out the Dr. Pepper at least!).

Sandee_Bee

Cooking two different ways is very hard, I did it for a while. I started using cauliflower rice but I'm not fooling anyone

Sunny_Bunny_

I just make a larger amount of veggies for my family instead of any starchy sides. In the very beginning, I would still make them an extra side to go with the veggies a couple times a week. Then I just slowly stopped making it.
Now they eat what I eat but I give them a larger veg serving compared to myself and I often add butter to my vegetables on my plate because I only use a small amount when cooking them.
My husband will even occasionally ask for no bun on his burgers! I just let it go and don't even say anything about it. Don't want to jinx it! Lol

RowdysLady

"Lego meals" @Dragonwolf I LOVE IT! That's exactly what I do now.

change04

Thanks once again for the advice, I'll definitely check out the Launch pad. Currently experimenting what works easiest and best in the household, The "Lego meals" sounds like a awesome idea.
So glad I found this group. I look forward to our journey (highs and lows) together.

canadjineh

We do 'Lego Meals' a lot too as I have to be gluten free but hubby doesn't, so sometimes I will cook pasta for him and make the sauce extra chunky - 'what's stew for the goose is sauce for the gander', lol. Same goes with Paella (mine is all meats & veg, his has actual rice), home made Chinese food, etc.