Keto/low carb diet - need some advice

Marianna93637

My background:
Nov 2014 - June 2015: lost 33 lbs by logging food, didn't care for macros at all, exercised 4-5 times / week. Only had 5 more lbs to go.
June 2015 - June 2016: didn't lose any more weight, slowly gained 5 lbs, then 5 more, and in the last 6 months 5 more. This is mostly due to not logging food, or when I got back to it, it didn't give me any results and gave up after a couple of weeks. Somehow I wasn't as desperate to lose the weight I guess. I still exercised a lot, 3 weekly Zumba classes on average, sometimes more, + walks with my dogs.

Now:
I figured might as well start a low carb diet, then read about keto. First mistake was that Ive read that you don't really need to count your calories. Big mistake! I'm sure I've gain the last 5 lbs n the past 2 weeks.

Then just 5-6 days ago I decided that I'll log my calories, this will really help me see how low carb, low sugar, high fat and protein I'm really eating. It was very eye opening. Carbs are everywhere.

So in the past, looking back, I ate about 200-250 grams of carb on average. I usually didn't meet my protein goals, the fat fluctuated from low to high. Goal was 1400 cal.

Now, trying to go low carb, goal is still 1400, I'm trying to stay under 50 gr of carbs. It's hard. I usually end up at 60 gr. Also let me say that I don't care for sweets, or pasta or bread or potatoes, so these are not even hard to cut out. But there are carbs in dairy, in vegetables (even zucchini or cabbage) and even in Truvia, 3 gr / packet! These are the places my carbs are coming from.
My sugar intake is pretty low. I usually end up with a lot more grams of fat and protein that I'm supposed to, I'm just so hungry!! I do exercise, but I end up eating back most of those calories.

The past 3 days, my average macros were : fat 60-65%, protein: 25 %, carbs 12%. but that 12 % fluctuates from 45-67 grams.

What am I doin wrong? Or is this going to work? I can't even imagine to try to go lover than 50 gr of carb. I guess one of my downfalls is coffee, I have to have it and I can't have it black. I tried full fat regular creamer (still has carbs), coconut creamer (same thing), but they don't have sugar. I love bulletfroof coffe (coconut oil and grassfed butter) but it gets so bitter, I have to add Truvia. If I added as much as I wanted, I'd still end up with 15 gr of carbs just from that. I settled for 2 packets (6 grams).

Sorry for going on and on and rambling, but I just want to make sure I'm doing it right and will get results. Feel free to look at my diary.
Thank you
Marianna

Marianna93637

And one more question: why am I so darn hungry? Ok, I'm a teacher and right now I'm not working, but I try to stay busy. I do some form of exercise every day (usually burn around 350-400 calories), and although the past few days have been very quiet and relaxing, I shouldn't be this hungry. I though high fat and protein will fill me up more, but that's not what has been happening. Is it just boredom?

Gallowmere1984

I stay at less than 20g net carbs per day (less than 30 total) every day, at 1700 kcal. My diary is public, if you wish to have a look. For any thoughts regarding items that belong to me (like bacon avacado muffins), you can message me if you have questions regarding ingredients.

JDixon852019

The trick with Keto is to ignore your calories and eat more fat/protein as your body goes through carb/sugar withdrawal. It is indeed torture and most people get Keto flu after 2 weeks. Once your body adjusts to not getting anymore "cheap" energy it will stop freaking out in you and you will naturally eat less thus naturally take in less calories.

I personally started with Keto to break my addiction to sugar and carbs but lost significantly more weight practicing CICO (while avoiding added sugars and white carbs).

JDixon852019

You are hungry because your going through withdrawals. Your body is angry with you. Stay strong, it will pass. Avocado and bacon are your friends.

yami0385

It took me a year to get the hang of low carb diet, now I am doing keto diet. If you are not mentally ready to overcome cravings it will be hard and you have to keep trying. It takes awhile to develop a habit so even if you mess up one day just start again the next day. Good luck on your keto journey!

BABetter1

I count NET carbs. So, I subtract out total fiber from total carbs. And, I know some people also subtract carbs from sugar alcohols, but I don't know all the science about that.

Marianna93637

thanks everyone. The thing is, I don't have any cravings. I don't crave carbs or sugar, like I said before I never cared for any of them. I could live without sweets for the rest of my life, I prefer sour lol.
I haven't had any fruit either, I kinda miss that, but no big deal.

I'm afraid not to count calories, because like I said I did that for about a week or so, and I know I gained weight during that time, I could feel it and see it. I think it could get out of control, lol.

My issue is that I think it's hard to only eat meat, cheese, eggs, nuts and bacon, etc. I mean I love it, but I need vegetables. I need large amount of lettuce, cabbage and zucchini, but they have carbs, and that would go way over 50 grams. I guess that's where my sacrifices will come in.

Was I messing things up with having 60 grams of carbs? What happens if I eat mostly fat and protein and carbs are only about 15 % of total calories, but they total over 60 calories overall. Am I not going to see results?

Marianna93637

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I stay at less than 20g net carbs per day (less than 30 total) every day, at 1700 kcal. My diary is public, if you wish to have a look. For any thoughts regarding items that belong to me (like bacon avacado muffins), you can message me if you have questions regarding ingredients.

thank you, I'll check out your diary. Can you look at mine? Do you see anything that's so wrong?

nvmomketo

I would take this post and copy and paste it into the Low Carber Daily group (after joining). http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group There are many supportive people in that group that know their LCHF stuff. They'll be able to help.

My thoughts? The first few days of dietary changes are hard. I think switching to keto is going to affect your energy for a while which may cause hunger. If that is the case, it won't last.

Some find that with the water loss and low electrolytes, that their hunger appears to increase when it is actually a need for salt. If you haven't already increased your sodium to 3000-5000mg per day, perhaps try that and see if it helps.

You may be a volume eater who never enjoys keto. If you normally like a really full plate, keto may not be a great fit. That being said, I eat about 20g of carbs per day and still manage to eat a lot of veggies. I find the trick there is to not "waste" your carbs on non veggies foods. Do not use creamers with carbs. Don't get meats or foods that have carbs. Save your carbs for veggies and nuts. At 50g of carbs you should be able to eat a salad bowl of low GI veggies at one meal plus include a couple of veggie side dishes. I have veggies at lunch and dinner and I am at half the carb count.

Best wishes.

ominousdusk

You have to count calories until you go into ketosis because of the hunger and you need to make sure you are hitting your macros. Once in ketosis your hunger goes down alot and that's why you don't need to count anymore.
Make sure you are drinking a ton of water. And it sounds like you have the wrong kind of truvia. Look at the ingredients and make sure it only has stevia in it. Or stevia with this list of approved sweeteners. http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2013/06/10/Top-10-Natural-Low-carb-Sweeteners
The powdered stevia they sometimes add in dextrose or other sweeteners that spike your glucose
Www.ruled.me has a great 30 day keto meal plan I've been following with some modifications. I've been doing keto for 5 days and I've lost 4lbs already

Gallowmere1984

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I stay at less than 20g net carbs per day (less than 30 total) every day, at 1700 kcal. My diary is public, if you wish to have a look. For any thoughts regarding items that belong to me (like bacon avacado muffins), you can message me if you have questions regarding ingredients.

thank you, I'll check out your diary. Can you look at mine? Do you see anything that's so wrong?

The only things I really noticed:
Personally, I would drop the peanuts for something like walnuts or pecans.
The carbs from Truvia are likely all Erythritol, so of no concern.
Ditch the coffee creamer for unsweetened Almond milk (assuming you actually like it). This will save you not only carbs, but calories as well. A lot of them. (8 tbsp unsweetened almond milk is only 15 kcal)
What are you putting in your BPC that's giving it so many carbs?
The tomatoes will obviously be a problem for you. If you absolutely must have tomato, Roma tomatoes will serve your low-carb goal better.

Other than that, not looking too bad.

MelaniaTrump

Keto works.
From Time Magazine quote :
"Research is mounting that saturated fat is better for you than processed carbohydrates like sugar and white bread"
http://time.com/4386248/fat-butter-nutrition-health/

Marianna93637

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I stay at less than 20g net carbs per day (less than 30 total) every day, at 1700 kcal. My diary is public, if you wish to have a look. For any thoughts regarding items that belong to me (like bacon avacado muffins), you can message me if you have questions regarding ingredients.

thank you, I'll check out your diary. Can you look at mine? Do you see anything that's so wrong?

The only things I really noticed:
Personally, I would drop the peanuts for something like walnuts or pecans.
The carbs from Truvia are likely all Erythritol, so of no concern.
Ditch the coffee creamer for unsweetened Almond milk (assuming you actually like it). This will save you not only carbs, but calories as well. A lot of them. (8 tbsp unsweetened almond milk is only 15 kcal)
What are you putting in your BPC that's giving it so many carbs?
The tomatoes will obviously be a problem for you. If you absolutely must have tomato, Roma tomatoes will serve your low-carb goal better.

Other than that, not looking too bad.

Thank you so much!
peanuts: I don't care so much for them, I could eat walnuts or pecans, but this is what I had at home. It's all gone now, so I'm not even sure if I'll buy any more nuts. If I do I'll probably make my own nut butter out of it.

Bullet proof coffee: it calls for 1 tbs of coconut oil and 1 tbs of grassfed butter, each is 14 grams and about 100-120 cal for each. I actually love the taste and it has no carbs in it. I played around with it a bit, and it turns out the coffee is still great if I just add the butter but not the coconut oil. This reduces the calories to half, about 100 or so. Not bad. I tried just the coconut oil, that didn't work. Not sure if it's still as beneficial without the coconut oil, but it tastes great and replaces the usual creamer with something better.

Almond milk instead of coffee: that wouldn't work I've been drinking coffee since I was 14 and in the past year and a half, since I started losing weight, I experimented with everything: no fat, no sugar, almond milk only, soymilk only, milk only, regular creamer (flavoured, enjoy every bit of it and then work it off) -> this has been what I was doing most. Obviously the flavored creamer is out, because it's full of not only carbs but also sugar. But I need something creamy and almond milk is too watery. I think butter, as gross as it sounds is the best choice.

Tomatoes: my all time favorite foods, I can live off of those. Every since I was little. It would be hard to give up, but I can limit them and chose those that have less carb. (didn't know there was a difference)

Thank you!

Marianna93637

ominousdusk wrote: »

You have to count calories until you go into ketosis because of the hunger and you need to make sure you are hitting your macros. Once in ketosis your hunger goes down alot and that's why you don't need to count anymore.
I've been doing keto for 5 days and I've lost 4lbs already

That makes a lot of sense. I am counting calories, because this way I know I there's no way I should gain weight, as long as I'm hitting my goal.

Your progress is great!! congratulations! If I lost 4 bs, I'd be ecstatic.

Gallowmere1984

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I stay at less than 20g net carbs per day (less than 30 total) every day, at 1700 kcal. My diary is public, if you wish to have a look. For any thoughts regarding items that belong to me (like bacon avacado muffins), you can message me if you have questions regarding ingredients.

thank you, I'll check out your diary. Can you look at mine? Do you see anything that's so wrong?

The only things I really noticed:
Personally, I would drop the peanuts for something like walnuts or pecans.
The carbs from Truvia are likely all Erythritol, so of no concern.
Ditch the coffee creamer for unsweetened Almond milk (assuming you actually like it). This will save you not only carbs, but calories as well. A lot of them. (8 tbsp unsweetened almond milk is only 15 kcal)
What are you putting in your BPC that's giving it so many carbs?
The tomatoes will obviously be a problem for you. If you absolutely must have tomato, Roma tomatoes will serve your low-carb goal better.

Other than that, not looking too bad.

Thank you so much!
peanuts: I don't care so much for them, I could eat walnuts or pecans, but this is what I had at home. It's all gone now, so I'm not even sure if I'll buy any more nuts. If I do I'll probably make my own nut butter out of it.

Bullet proof coffee: it calls for 1 tbs of coconut oil and 1 tbs of grassfed butter, each is 14 grams and about 100-120 cal for each. I actually love the taste and it has no carbs in it. I played around with it a bit, and it turns out the coffee is still great if I just add the butter but not the coconut oil. This reduces the calories to half, about 100 or so. Not bad. I tried just the coconut oil, that didn't work. Not sure if it's still as beneficial without the coconut oil, but it tastes great and replaces the usual creamer with something better.

Almond milk instead of coffee: that wouldn't work I've been drinking coffee since I was 14 and in the past year and a half, since I started losing weight, I experimented with everything: no fat, no sugar, almond milk only, soymilk only, milk only, regular creamer (flavoured, enjoy every bit of it and then work it off) -> this has been what I was doing most. Obviously the flavored creamer is out, because it's full of not only carbs but also sugar. But I need something creamy and almond milk is too watery. I think butter, as gross as it sounds is the best choice.

Tomatoes: my all time favorite foods, I can live off of those. Every since I was little. It would be hard to give up, but I can limit them and chose those that have less carb. (didn't know there was a difference)

Thank you!

BPC: I was referring to the fact that your BPC entries on Tuesday showed 9g carbs.

Butter is actually fantastic as a texture addition to coffee, and with the benefit of not having any carbs.

Marianna93637

The carbs came from 3 packets of Truvia. Somehow that coffee gets so bitter (I use espresso) that I have to use Truvia. I first used 5 packets, but now that carbs count, I went down to 3. Maybe I can get used to 2, in time.

Gallowmere1984

Marianna93637 wrote: »

The carbs came from 3 packets of Truvia. Somehow that coffee gets so bitter (I use espresso) that I have to use Truvia. I first used 5 packets, but now that carbs count, I went down to 3. Maybe I can get used to 2, in time.

Ahhh, okay, that makes sense then. Fortunately for you, Erythritol has zero affect on blood sugar, so it is one of the few sugar alcohols that you can ignore entirely, so long as you know that's the only carb in your stuff.

Marianna93637

Oh that sounds great !!! Then maybe I won't log them so it won't throw me off.

KetoneKaren

Some diabetic sites recommend logging half the carb content of sugar alcohols, but if you aren't diabetic, I wouldn't log them.

Gallowmere1984

KetoneKaren wrote: »

Some diabetic sites recommend logging half the carb content of sugar alcohols, but if you aren't diabetic, I wouldn't log them.

That's true except for arabitol and erythritol, because their food energy is effectively zero. Even the closest to these two (mannitol) has about 8x the energy of erythritol (1.6 vs 0.2, respectively)

LokiGrrl

Marianna93637 wrote: »

The carbs came from 3 packets of Truvia. Somehow that coffee gets so bitter (I use espresso) that I have to use Truvia. I first used 5 packets, but now that carbs count, I went down to 3. Maybe I can get used to 2, in time.

I hate artificial sweeteners but when it comes to the keto coffee I have to have that bit of sweetness, so I use 1 packet of Splenda (1g carb). That's the only time I use an artificial sweetener. My keto coffee has 1 tbsp butter and an ounce of heavy cream. When I'm out of cream I use cashew milk which is not as creamy but still good. One carb total, although somedays I choose to spend 7 carbs on half a teaspoon of honey.

The poster above is right about not using your carbs on non-veggies. My limit is ~20 net carbs depending on how much I exercise (5% of total calories), with a hard limit of 50 total, but I don't usually go over 30 total. I am a person who needs raw veggies in my life, so I have to make room for them. My favorites are tomatoes and bell peppers, both of which we grow at home, and I do limit portion sizes on those because of the sugar content. I also like celery, cabbage (napa and regular green), romaine lettuce, etc. Iceberg doesn't do much for you in terms of nutrition as far as I know - try some of the more leafy-green ones and see if you like them. I love carrots but currently staying away from them due to sugar/carbs. Basically I portion out my veggies in single-serving snack bags so I'm not always weighing and measuring. Spoons and cups are pretty inaccurate for a lot of things, and I love my food scale, but if I have to weigh everything every time I'm just like blaaaaah and either guesstimate for the log or don't log it.

Commercial salad dressings were one of the first things to go for me. I occasionally still indulge in Hidden Valley Avocado Ranch on occasion because omg it's good, but the rest of the time I just make my own. I also pretty much gave on commercial sauces for day-to-day, due to the carb and sugar content, and am still experimenting with making my own (Salt Lick BBQ sauce only for special occasions). The sugar that is in a lot of prepackaged stuff really doesn't need to be there, IMO, so I make most things from scratch now. I work at home, so it's easier for me than for others, I think, but I do most of it on my days off, or on those nights when sleep is not my friend.

The point is, look at the carbs in all the things you eat, and consider which of them you can make yourself (sans carbs), which of them you can live without, and which you still want to eat occasionally. And ooh, the crockpot is totally your bud. There are tons of recipes out there that you can follow to the letter, or tweak to your liking. You might have to exercise more mental energy and creativity than you're used to in regard to food, but you're worth it.

Counting carbs IMO is a lot like counting calories. You decide on your limit and then you tailor your intake to it so you can still enjoy your food. Yeah, it's fuel, but I'd rather not eat at all than eat stuff I don't like (I'm looking at you, cottage cheese). Food to me is comfort and family and celebration and love, so I make it enjoyable, within the limits I've chosen in order to lose weight and get fit. Sometimes I want to eat that cake more than I want to be in keto. Sometimes I don't. It's always my choice and I wonder sometimes if thinking about it that way is why I've been so successful with LCHF (I hate being told what to do).

Marianna93637

I'd love to learn how to make my own low carb salad dressings, and ketchup and barbeque sauce. I love barbeque sauce.
Like I said before, I'm a teacher, so school start in 3 weeks (yikes, I thought we had almost a month left). I know once I'm working, I'll be on my feet, and just being mentally and emotionally "on" I burn more calories and my weight loss will kick in. I just don't want to wait that long, it'd be nice to lose 6-8 lbs before that, I'd feel more comfortable.

I think maybe I need to sleep more, and be less bored. I just took a nap earlier and when I woke up I didn't feel hungry. I wanna get busy, and get out there, but I can't walk or jog during the day. It's in the high 90s outside, and next week it will be 100-105 F, all the way until 7 pm, who wants to go outside then?

Gallowmere1984

Ask and ye shall receive.
Recipes:
http://www.ruled.me/5-minute-keto-raspberry-vinaigrette/
http://www.ruled.me/keto-5-minute-caesar-dressing/
http://www.ruled.me/zesty-keto-italian-dressing/
http://www.ruled.me/easy-keto-honey-vinaigrette/
http://www.ruled.me/catalina-style-dressing/
http://www.ruled.me/lc-thousand-island-dressing/
http://www.ruled.me/keto-approved-ranch-dressing/
http://www.ruled.me/homemade-lc-ketchup/
http://www.ruled.me/spicy-tangy-bbq-sauce/

LokiGrrl

Marianna93637 wrote: »

I'd love to learn how to make my own low carb salad dressings, and ketchup and barbeque sauce. I love barbeque sauce.
Like I said before, I'm a teacher, so school start in 3 weeks (yikes, I thought we had almost a month left). I know once I'm working, I'll be on my feet, and just being mentally and emotionally "on" I burn more calories and my weight loss will kick in. I just don't want to wait that long, it'd be nice to lose 6-8 lbs before that, I'd feel more comfortable.

I think maybe I need to sleep more, and be less bored. I just took a nap earlier and when I woke up I didn't feel hungry. I wanna get busy, and get out there, but I can't walk or jog during the day. It's in the high 90s outside, and next week it will be 100-105 F, all the way until 7 pm, who wants to go outside then?

I feel that about the heat. I'm in Texas. Night walks, man. Night walks.

KetoneKaren

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

KetoneKaren wrote: »

Some diabetic sites recommend logging half the carb content of sugar alcohols, but if you aren't diabetic, I wouldn't log them.

That's true except for arabitol and erythritol, because their food energy is effectively zero. Even the closest to these two (mannitol) has about 8x the energy of erythritol (1.6 vs 0.2, respectively)

Good to know!

Christine_72

LokiGrrl wrote: »

Marianna93637 wrote: »

I'd love to learn how to make my own low carb salad dressings, and ketchup and barbeque sauce. I love barbeque sauce.
Like I said before, I'm a teacher, so school start in 3 weeks (yikes, I thought we had almost a month left). I know once I'm working, I'll be on my feet, and just being mentally and emotionally "on" I burn more calories and my weight loss will kick in. I just don't want to wait that long, it'd be nice to lose 6-8 lbs before that, I'd feel more comfortable.

I think maybe I need to sleep more, and be less bored. I just took a nap earlier and when I woke up I didn't feel hungry. I wanna get busy, and get out there, but I can't walk or jog during the day. It's in the high 90s outside, and next week it will be 100-105 F, all the way until 7 pm, who wants to go outside then?

I feel that about the heat. I'm in Texas. Night walks, man. Night walks.

Or early morning walks are nice too (if you have the energy in the early a.m).

tlflag1620

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I stay at less than 20g net carbs per day (less than 30 total) every day, at 1700 kcal. My diary is public, if you wish to have a look. For any thoughts regarding items that belong to me (like bacon avacado muffins), you can message me if you have questions regarding ingredients.

thank you, I'll check out your diary. Can you look at mine? Do you see anything that's so wrong?

The only things I really noticed:
Personally, I would drop the peanuts for something like walnuts or pecans.
The carbs from Truvia are likely all Erythritol, so of no concern.
Ditch the coffee creamer for unsweetened Almond milk (assuming you actually like it). This will save you not only carbs, but calories as well. A lot of them. (8 tbsp unsweetened almond milk is only 15 kcal)
What are you putting in your BPC that's giving it so many carbs?
The tomatoes will obviously be a problem for you. If you absolutely must have tomato, Roma tomatoes will serve your low-carb goal better.

Other than that, not looking too bad.

Thank you so much!
peanuts: I don't care so much for them, I could eat walnuts or pecans, but this is what I had at home. It's all gone now, so I'm not even sure if I'll buy any more nuts. If I do I'll probably make my own nut butter out of it.

Bullet proof coffee: it calls for 1 tbs of coconut oil and 1 tbs of grassfed butter, each is 14 grams and about 100-120 cal for each. I actually love the taste and it has no carbs in it. I played around with it a bit, and it turns out the coffee is still great if I just add the butter but not the coconut oil. This reduces the calories to half, about 100 or so. Not bad. I tried just the coconut oil, that didn't work. Not sure if it's still as beneficial without the coconut oil, but it tastes great and replaces the usual creamer with something better.

Almond milk instead of coffee: that wouldn't work I've been drinking coffee since I was 14 and in the past year and a half, since I started losing weight, I experimented with everything: no fat, no sugar, almond milk only, soymilk only, milk only, regular creamer (flavoured, enjoy every bit of it and then work it off) -> this has been what I was doing most. Obviously the flavored creamer is out, because it's full of not only carbs but also sugar. But I need something creamy and almond milk is too watery. I think butter, as gross as it sounds is the best choice.

Tomatoes: my all time favorite foods, I can live off of those. Every since I was little. It would be hard to give up, but I can limit them and chose those that have less carb. (didn't know there was a difference)

Thank you!

Haven't read all the way thru, but wrt the coffee - you say you've used full fat "creamer". Have you ever tried just using heavy whipping cream? Or even half and half. Cream has no carbs, half and half has like 1 or 2 g per serving (2 tbsp) IIRC.

I also second the idea of counting net carbs (subtracting out fiber). That will give you more leeway than you realize.

Marianna93637

I haven't tried heavy whipping cream. Sounds delicious, I'll check it out

Gallowmere1984

Marianna93637 wrote: »

I haven't tried heavy whipping cream. Sounds delicious, I'll check it out

It's pretty fantastic. My BPC is just Coconut or MCT (if I don't want the coconut hint of taste), butter, and HWC, though I haven't used it in a while, because I left my immersion blender at the little woman's house, and keep forgetting it when I am there.

Marianna93637

Today ended up pretty good. Way under my calories as I took a Zumba class (over 400 cal) and a long walk, almost an hour, 260 calories, which I think my Fitbit undercalculated somehow, because this would normally be closer to 400. Oh well.
114 grams of protein, only 18 gr of carbs, 6 of it is fiber, 12 gr. sugar and 121 grams of fat.
Most I just ate pork, very fatty pork and some cheese and a little zucchini. I love this type of meat but I don't know if I can eat like this consistently. I'm gonna try though
I'm having a Margarita, all calorie/carb/sugar free stuff (besides that tequila of course), if I get hungry, I guess there's more pork lol