Help please

twistedwoman

Hi, I want to start a LCHF WOE as I've found that fat keeps me happy. I have read lots of info but think I've read too much and confused myself.

I bought the book'The Real Meal Revolution' and I'm plowing through it. My questions so far are:

Do I still need to limit calories??

What should my macros be??

How much protein is too much??

I'm 42, female, current weight 223 and 5ft4.

Many thanks

neweuquol

Are you looking to go keto or just lower carb? There is a keto calculator at ruled.me to determine your macros.

http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/

For me it gave the calories needed and the grams of fat, carbs, and protein needed to meet my goals.

PamamaJane

For every one of your questions, I've read multiple and contradicting answers. What works for one person doesn't work for everyone.

Here is a Keto calculator that will help you set your macro goals. This is NOT a final answer to what they should be but it will give you a starting point to test out for a while. Note, however, that not every low carb person is necessarily a Keto person. You have to find your own solution and that will take some time.

As I just posted elsewhere, the important thing is to listen to your body. Start paying close attention to real hunger signals, not just signals that tell you to eat out of boredom. Learn to read the signals for when your body is tired. And do go to the top of this group page and read the topic about electrolyte imbalance. Then have fun learning and testing and finding your own way.

Best of everything as you strive for the new and healthy you!

dasher602014

There is also lots of information in the Launch Pad at the top of the group page.

Looking forward to hearing of your successes!

nvmomketo

Welcome to the group.

twistedwoman wrote: »

Hi, I want to start a LCHF WOE as I've found that fat keeps me happy. I have read lots of info but think I've read too much and confused myself.

I bought the book'The Real Meal Revolution' and I'm plowing through it. My questions so far are:

Do I still need to limit calories??

Yes. To lose weight you will need lower calories in than calories out but the beauty of a LCHF diet is that it often lowers our appetite so you don't feel restricted. At all. A good number of us only eat a couple of times per day now because we aren't as hungry as we used to be.

Also, some of us find the calories our body uses on a LCHF diet seems higher than it did before. Whether it is the slight thermogenic beefit of the fats or lower insulin, sometimes our calories out seem to be higher than expected.

twistedwoman wrote: »

What should my macros be??

How much protein is too much??

That really varies. LCHF is considered to be (very roughly) below 100-150g per day. Some go above that if they are very active, or if they are choosing slow carb foods. A ketogenic diet is below 50g of carbs per day. Usually around 20g. Those in ketosis usually stick to <5%, up to 10% carbs. Others are often 10-20% , but some go a bit higher.

Protein is usually moderate. Often around 20-25%, but some go as low as 15%, and more active people may go as high as 30%. I think the body's protein requirement is around the lines of 0.8g per pound of body weight for an active person. I believe it is much lower for those who are not lifting and exercising hard.

Fat fills in the rest, between 50 and 80%, with most of us between 60 and 75%.

Just as an example, I follow a LCHF ketogenic diet (so my carbs will be lower than yours and my fats are higher). My carbs are about 5% (20g), protein is 20% at about 85g, and fats are 75% (around 120g). That is set up for close to 1500 kcal per day. I'm 5'8" and started at about 190lbs.

Whatever you start with is easily changeabe if you find it isn't working well for you. Best wishes.

Dragonwolf

Do I still need to limit calories??

Calories do still matter to some degree. You can't just eat 5,000 when you only need 2,000 and still expect to lose weight. However, you may not need to consciously limit calories, and may in fact, have more issues getting enough calories.

My advice is to focus on eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're satisfied (not stuffed). Log for informational purposes, so you get a feel for where you naturally sit and so you can learn to gauge what has how much fat, protein, and carbs. After you've done that for a couple of months, you can go from there.

What should my macros be??

I'm personally a fan of http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ , but the linked one above works well, too. To give an idea, though, generally speaking, for about 2000 calories, it works out to 0-100g carbs, 100-160g protein, and 70-150g fat, depending on your goals. I mention this, because the three figure numbers for protein and fat tend to scare a number of newbies.

How much protein is too much??

Generally speaking, you have to put forth effort to get objectively too much protein. Keep your fat up and protein usually falls in line on its own, really, especially when your fat comes primarily in whole food sources (meat, eggs, etc). Don't try to live on skinless chicken breasts and broccoli and you'll likely be fine.

That said, some people have found that their blood sugar is more sensitive to protein intake, and certain medical conditions require specifically restricting protein. In which case, you'll want to do some experimenting using whatever measurement tools you need/have. However, if you're otherwise healthy, you'll likely find your protein falling into place on its own with a whole foods based approach.

froyseef

Twisted woman. I have been doing Ketogenic for four months now. At age 72, weight loss is slower, but my blood panel after three months says it is working. Good luck!