Keto - How do you keep your protein down?

Christie23
Christie23 Posts: 357 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.
  • SuperCarLori
    SuperCarLori Posts: 1,248 Member
    Green Veggies with butter, bacon grease, cream cheese, cheese, etc
  • haney1722
    haney1722 Posts: 27 Member
    I drink my own version of bulletproof coffee: 8oz coffee, 2 TBSP MCT oil, 1 TBSP unsalted grassfed irish butter, and 1 tsp heavy cream. If you like coconut flavor, you can swap that for MCT oil. Avacados are high in fat and fiber, bacon, butter everything lol! I struggle also keeping protein levels down but my coffee helps a ton.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Just pick fattier cuts of meat and protein sources. choose beef instead of chicken. Salmon instead of white fish. Macadamia nuts instead of peanuts. Avocado instead of an apple. Full fat yogurt (10+%) instead of low fat yogurt. Whipping of heavy cream instead of milk.

    You can always add extra fat to your protein too. Add butter or cheese to veggies and meats. Use full fat salad dressing and a bit more than normal. Butter a steak. Eat the yolks. Add bacon or bacon drippings to anything you want. I like butter or coconut oil in my coffee....

    Have fun with it.
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.

    I wouldn't call keto high protein. That's misleading. It's moderate protein. Most are at around 20-25% protein. Even the few carnivores I know who just eat animal products are around or just a bit over 25% protein.
  • Christie23
    Christie23 Posts: 357 Member

    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.

    I wouldn't call keto high protein. That's misleading. It's moderate protein. Most are at around 20-25% protein. Even the few carnivores I know who just eat animal products are around or just a bit over 25% protein.[/quote]

    Exactly!! And therein lies my challenge. I love meat and I eat meat and eggs like crazy, but I always end up going over on my protein. It's harder than it sounds to the average non-keto person.

  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    Is it that bad to go over on protein?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Come join the Low Carber Daily. Many ketofiles tend to hang out there. You'll find lots of tips and recipes.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Just pick fattier cuts of meat and protein sources. choose beef instead of chicken. Salmon instead of white fish. Macadamia nuts instead of peanuts. Avocado instead of an apple. Full fat yogurt (10+%) instead of low fat yogurt. Whipping of heavy cream instead of milk.

    You can always add extra fat to your protein too. Add butter or cheese to veggies and meats. Use full fat salad dressing and a bit more than normal. Butter a steak. Eat the yolks. Add bacon or bacon drippings to anything you want. I like butter or coconut oil in my coffee....

    Have fun with it.
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.

    I wouldn't call keto high protein. That's misleading. It's moderate protein. Most are at around 20-25% protein. Even the few carnivores I know who just eat animal products are around or just a bit over 25% protein.

    I don't think it's misleading at all...I know people who do adkins and they eat a crap ton of meat.
    Christie23 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.

    I wouldn't call keto high protein. That's misleading. It's moderate protein. Most are at around 20-25% protein. Even the few carnivores I know who just eat animal products are around or just a bit over 25% protein.

    Exactly!! And therein lies my challenge. I love meat and I eat meat and eggs like crazy, but I always end up going over on my protein. It's harder than it sounds to the average non-keto person.

    [/quote]

    so just don't eat the meat and eggs and whatnot and eat more fat.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    extra_medium wrote: »
    Is it that bad to go over on protein?

    It isn't always helpful for those striving for ketosis or low insulin levels. Protein will raise insulin, and very high levels of protein (double or triple a normal intake - so not common) will prevent ketosis. Health issues may warrant keeping protein to a stricter goal.

    Going over protein is not a problem unless it interfers with health or your health goals. While in ketosis, 25% protein is not a problem if 20% is your goal. If your goal is 20% but you keep ending up around 40%, your diet needs some work. Changes can be made to better meet your goals.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    You don't. Eat your protein.

    Lots of people think that extra protein can cause kidney problems. It doesn't (at least, there's no science to believe that it does). It CAN cause problems in people with kidney disease, but if you're a generally healthy person with a varied overall diet, there's no reason at all to limit protein intake.
  • louvig
    louvig Posts: 15 Member
    xmichaelyx wrote: »
    You don't. Eat your protein.

    Lots of people think that extra protein can cause kidney problems. It doesn't (at least, there's no science to believe that it does). It CAN cause problems in people with kidney disease, but if you're a generally healthy person with a varied overall diet, there's no reason at all to limit protein intake.

    This!!
  • KarlynKeto
    KarlynKeto Posts: 323 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Just pick fattier cuts of meat and protein sources. choose beef instead of chicken. Salmon instead of white fish. Macadamia nuts instead of peanuts. Avocado instead of an apple. Full fat yogurt (10+%) instead of low fat yogurt. Whipping of heavy cream instead of milk.

    You can always add extra fat to your protein too. Add butter or cheese to veggies and meats. Use full fat salad dressing and a bit more than normal. Butter a steak. Eat the yolks. Add bacon or bacon drippings to anything you want. I like butter or coconut oil in my coffee....

    Have fun with it.
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.

    I wouldn't call keto high protein. That's misleading. It's moderate protein. Most are at around 20-25% protein. Even the few carnivores I know who just eat animal products are around or just a bit over 25% protein.

    I don't think it's misleading at all...I know people who do adkins and they eat a crap ton of meat.
    Christie23 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    Keto by default tends to be a high protein diet...if you're going by MFP's default settings, the protein target is basically the minimum or amount that is sufficient for good health...many people eat more than the minimum for good health and many people need more than that for optimal performance.

    I wouldn't call keto high protein. That's misleading. It's moderate protein. Most are at around 20-25% protein. Even the few carnivores I know who just eat animal products are around or just a bit over 25% protein.

    Exactly!! And therein lies my challenge. I love meat and I eat meat and eggs like crazy, but I always end up going over on my protein. It's harder than it sounds to the average non-keto person.

    so just don't eat the meat and eggs and whatnot and eat more fat. [/quote]

    Atkins 1.0 is high protein, whereas LCHF, aka Nutritional Keto, is not. These diets are often confused, and people modify all types of diets so much it's hard to keep any straight. The LCHF is about getting adaquate (not excessive) protein. The logic is the body doesn't store excess protein, it converts it to things like glucose. There is nothing toxic or 'bad' about this unless you are counting carbs, but the actual protein over what we need isn't necessary. We can get glucose from other foods, for example. As for protein needs, you can only fill a glass so full before it runs over.

  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Christie23 wrote: »
    I'm doing pretty well on the keto diet, but I've noticed that I go over my protein goal every single day. Aside from fat bombs, do you have any other tricks you use to keep your fat up and your protein down?

    If you're doing well and enjoying your food I wouldn't worry about your protein. 100g, give or take, is absolutely not a problem for ketosis and higher protein intake does nothing but good things for dieters.
  • juliedoodles
    juliedoodles Posts: 1 Member
    A little extra olive or coconut oil for cooking veggies, higher fat nuts and full-fat cheese as a snack, and coconut oil in coffee are usually what I do to help keep fat up and protein within range.
  • emeti
    emeti Posts: 1 Member
    extra_medium wrote: »
    Is it that bad to go over on protein?

    If you eat too much protein, your body can turn it into glucose and kick you out of ketosis. Too little on the other hand, and your body will start using is own muscle mass as protein.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    emeti wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    Is it that bad to go over on protein?

    If you eat too much protein, your body can turn it into glucose and kick you out of ketosis. Too little on the other hand, and your body will start using is own muscle mass as protein.

    Protein intake needs to be well over double the normal amounts in order to kick you out of ketosis. Most people can't do it.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    You can't go over Protein just calories if your goal is weight loss-

    Think Minimums not Maximums when it comes to Macros and adjust calories accordingly. I live on Keto and have for the past two years with awesome results.

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