Keto/LC 4 Week Challenge April 23rd - May 20th
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I'm curious about the macro percentages. Right now I'm doing a modified keto because I'm still nursing infant. My percentages are not quite what everyone else's are. However I'm wondering how do you get so much fat without the proteins? I think my protein has been a little bit higher
mjj If you follow my posts on this thread today you will see how to get plenty of fat because I am posting my food today to stay accountable as I am lacking in enthusiasm right now and really need to stay on track. See my posts above for starters. Although Mary and others here are strict about keeping net carbs around 20, I choose not to go that low because I feel better with a higher carb level. I am keto-ish all day long and then have a modest amount of carbs in the evening, and my carb goal is 15-20% of total calories, which is certainly higher than the goal of a true ketophile, which is usually something like 5% or 20g or so.
Breakfast: 3 hard boiled eggs and 1 T butter
316kcal/1g net carbs/16g fat/19g protein/0g fiber
Snack: Mocha (1/4 c heavy cream/5g cocoa powder/5g instant coffee crystals/12 oz boiling water)
214kcal/3g net carbs/22g fat/3g protein/2g fiber
Running Total for the day:
530kcal/4g net carbs/38g fat/22g protein/2g fiber
Karen in Virginia
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My word..... I GAINED 2 LBS. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? My macros are good... maybe I need to up my water? Hhhhhhh.....
@Chena83 - that is very likely water weight fluctuations. The scale actually shows what you did 2 weeks ago as far as true fat loss ... not yesterday.
Any huge changes day to day are due to things retaining water from not enough sodium (happens far too often for keto-ers), having had more carbs than intended (carbs hold in water to process themselves), or more activity/workouts (water is retained to repair muscles), or dozens of other things. Most of these regulate themselves readily.
The biggest component of success on a ketogenic diet is patience. Patient and reevaluating every 6-12 weeks. Any major changes will take 4-12 weeks to show true results - like if you flipped macros, added workouts, etc.2 -
I'm curious about the macro percentages. Right now I'm doing a modified keto because I'm still nursing infant. My percentages are not quite what everyone else's are. However I'm wondering how do you get so much fat without the proteins? I think my protein has been a little bit higher
@mjj79 - the main thing I always think of first, aside from adding things in, is to use fattier cuts of meats. Get chicken thighs with the skin on - rather than chicken breasts. Get ribeye steaks instead of filet mignon. Get 75%/25% ground beef instead of 95%/5%. Eat whole eggs instead of egg whites. Get pork shoulder roast instead of lean pork chops/port tenderloin....etc.
If you personally prefer the the lean meats for texture or other reasons, you'll want to start looking at fats you can add while cooking, or fatty sauces you can serve with things, toppers, etc.1 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »My word..... I GAINED 2 LBS. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? My macros are good... maybe I need to up my water? Hhhhhhh.....
@Chena83 - that is very likely water weight fluctuations. The scale actually shows what you did 2 weeks ago as far as true fat loss ... not yesterday.
Any huge changes day to day are due to things retaining water from not enough sodium (happens far too often for keto-ers), having had more carbs than intended (carbs hold in water to process themselves), or more activity/workouts (water is retained to repair muscles), or dozens of other things. Most of these regulate themselves readily.
The biggest component of success on a ketogenic diet is patience. Patient and reevaluating every 6-12 weeks. Any major changes will take 4-12 weeks to show true results - like if you flipped macros, added workouts, etc.
Interesting that you say not enough sodium can cause water retention...on the regular boards people are always saying that too MUCH sodium causes that. I wonder why?
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Day four here...feeling very weak...however may not necessarily be diet related. I have weak/dizzy spells due to my autoimmune diseases. I've been keeping my sodium around 3000 a day.1
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I don't know if I should be discouraged or not. 3 weeks of eating Keto on a strict 20 g carb limit and I have only list 2 pounds. My husband drops weight easily and is down 10 pounds and he eats a lot more carbs than me! Everyone is always posting great losses and I'm wondering what my issue is. Too much protein? I know I tend to go over in protein. Insight anyone?
I'm just a beginner but one of the sites I'm on recommends the protein for women to be 45g at 5 feet, then add 2.8g for each inch to get your protein macro (mine is 56, I'm short). They claim going over this number of protein (unless adding strenuous activity) causes the body to convert the excess protein to Glucose through gluconeogenesis. So maybe check your protein #?
I typically lose weight very slowly when I've counted calories it would take me 6 months to lose 10. I started this about a week now following the 20 carb/56pro and the rest of my target calorie of 1300 in fat. I try not to stress if I go over 1300 as long as my over macros are fat and not carbs and protein. I'm down about 3 in the week which is good for my turtle metabolism.
Not sure if that helps but thought I'd let you know what I've read other places.
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Day 3 for me. I barely made it through my workout this morning, but at least I went so I don't get out of my routine. I think I'm finally getting the hang of what/when to eat! We're going out of town this weekend and at first I was worried, but I'm getting more comfortable with the idea of eating away from home!1
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »My word..... I GAINED 2 LBS. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? My macros are good... maybe I need to up my water? Hhhhhhh.....
@Chena83 - that is very likely water weight fluctuations. The scale actually shows what you did 2 weeks ago as far as true fat loss ... not yesterday.
Any huge changes day to day are due to things retaining water from not enough sodium (happens far too often for keto-ers), having had more carbs than intended (carbs hold in water to process themselves), or more activity/workouts (water is retained to repair muscles), or dozens of other things. Most of these regulate themselves readily.
The biggest component of success on a ketogenic diet is patience. Patient and reevaluating every 6-12 weeks. Any major changes will take 4-12 weeks to show true results - like if you flipped macros, added workouts, etc.
Interesting that you say not enough sodium can cause water retention...on the regular boards people are always saying that too MUCH sodium causes that. I wonder why?
I think that it has to do with the presence of a high carbohydrate/low fat diet - water is retained to process carbs - because water is retained, so is sodium. I think this is a strong case of correlation is not causation - meaning that the two issues are related - but there isn't a clear cause pointed out here. Also, thyroid levels being low can cause edema, particularly in the legs. It takes a long time of bad internal stuff going on for the edema to be heart related without the presence of specific heart conditions, just as a random factoid.
But there is a post in a "cousin" group that many folks from this group are in about a kidney doctor who proved that medicinally applied sodium up to 15K a day can be proven to be save for most folks without a specific genetic high blood pressure. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group You have to send a request to join, but the post on this is in the LaunchPad. Sodium and the Russian Nephrologist. Really great info!
The long and short of it is that sodium, water, magnesium, and potassium are in a very delicate balance. The body will leech sodium, magnesium, and potassium out of the bones and muscles (hence muscle cramps!) to keep this balance. Too much water will cause sodium to dump. Too much sodium to dump will cause magnesium, then potassium to dump. Too much potassium will trigger magnesium to dump (along with the others) - and it can be dangerous to your heart! too much sodium will cause you to dump sodium, but the only way to dump sodium is through water excretion/pee. So you can get dehydrated. Most people need to drink enough water for thirst, get a steady amount of sodium throughout the day, supplement magnesium twice a day (12 hour half-life), and get potassium through food only. (MOST...not all.) And everyone is so unique that those numbers vary wildly from person to person.
Nutritional Ketosis has been tracked, and that is how we know most people dump 3500-5000 mg of sodium a day when lowering carbs...hence the need to supplement. But what we don't know is how each person's body regulates. Which is why individual experimentation is crucial. For me, I found that other than on days of heavy exertion/sweating, heat exposure, or sun exposure, I can't supplement potassium, even in lite salt. It makes me dump magnesium and get bad muscle cramps. I apparently get enough from food. But I also don't do well with table salt. I need a sea salt - probably mainly because the iodine is not good or needed by most of us who eat a varied diet, especially for thyroid folks... So it is ALL about tweaking and trying different things to see what works best for you.
***** Please note that these are my experiences from 2 years of ketogenic and low carb eating. I am not a medical expert in any form. I have collated this data from my own experiences, the experiences of friends/colleagues, and the writings/studies of numerous medical experts/researchers. This again is all very individual and may apply perfectly to you, may not apply to you at all, or might apply somewhere in between. Please use this info only as it is intended, as a starting place for you to do you own research and experimentation, preferably with the care of a knowledgeable medical professional. *****2 -
Day 3 checking in. A bit of a set back yesterday on the scale, but I'm going to have my official weigh day be Monday. Today, I had some yummy lamb meatballs. Feeling a bit off today. It's cold and rainy and I just want to go home and get under the covers today. Keeping it all in perspective tho..2
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Breakfast: 3 hard boiled eggs and 1 T butter
316kcal/1g net carbs/16g fat/19g protein/0g fiber
Snack/Lunch: Mocha (1/4 c heavy cream/5g cocoa powder/5g instant coffee crystals/12 oz boiling water)
214kcal/3g net carbs/22g fat/3g protein/2g fiber
Dinner: Salmon 150g and Roasted Veggies (Asparagus 100g/Cauliflower 100g/Bell Peppers 120g), Olive Oil 14g
517kcal/10g net carbs/34g fat/36g protein/6g fiber
Evening Snack: Whole Fat Greek Yogurt 200g/Strawberries 100g
222kcal/14g net carbs/10g fat/19g protein/2g fiber
Planned Total for the day:
1269kcal/28g net carbs/82g fat/77g protein/10g fiber
I feel confident I will stick to this plan, as I already have my food prepared and ready to take to work with me. So far I have had Breakfast and my Snack/Lunch and I am not hungry. Today's total is lower in net carbs and higher in fat than I had planned but is fine and I am pleased with myself.
Here is a picture of my roasted veggies all ready to go to work:
Karen in Virginia feeling hopeful
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Day 3--
Weighed in and dropped 2 pounds!
Other than that, another good day.
Calories:1428
Net Carbs: 27 gm-- although I would swear that this is off as a large part comes from lunch which was a big *kitten* salad
Fat:91 gm
Protein 76 gm
Got a 45 minute walk in. Having chia pudding for dessert tonight, YUM!3 -
kitten?
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The word kitten is automatically swapped out by MFP for any words it designates as inappropriate, such as swear words and the like. It's only in the forums.3
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Hi just a fast check in .. Day 4 I am up .6 lb this am.. but thinking it might be the increase of yesterdays sodium, to combat the Keto flu symptoms On a good note, I am feeling significantly better.
I hope everyone is doing good, I need to catch up here, as I know there is a wealth of knowledge, I need to know to be successful with this way of eating.
A question .. Our bodies retain water with the increase of sodium, is that true with Keto/ LC and if so does it eventually even out or only when we reduce the sodium?
**Might be a duh... ??
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »My word..... I GAINED 2 LBS. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? My macros are good... maybe I need to up my water? Hhhhhhh.....
@Chena83 - that is very likely water weight fluctuations. The scale actually shows what you did 2 weeks ago as far as true fat loss ... not yesterday.
Any huge changes day to day are due to things retaining water from not enough sodium (happens far too often for keto-ers), having had more carbs than intended (carbs hold in water to process themselves), or more activity/workouts (water is retained to repair muscles), or dozens of other things. Most of these regulate themselves readily.
The biggest component of success on a ketogenic diet is patience. Patient and reevaluating every 6-12 weeks. Any major changes will take 4-12 weeks to show true results - like if you flipped macros, added workouts, etc.
Thanks so much for the motivation and insight along with Ms. Fanncy0676 you two are Awesome Sauce.
Sooooo..... I called myself upping my water and trying to get a little exercise in today, I walked 1-mile at mile pace, and then weighed myself. And guess what the scale went up an additional two pounds. I was angry. But it's okay now I understand it will be okay.2 -
So adding salt (suggestion from yesterday) certainly helped. Today was much better. Thanks again! Since I weighed yesterday plus added salt to my water, the scales will not see my feet today (ha!) Keep up the great work!!3
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I'm just a beginner but one of the sites I'm on recommends the protein for women to be 45g at 5 feet, then add 2.8g for each inch to get your protein macro (mine is 56, I'm short). They claim going over this number of protein (unless adding strenuous activity) causes the body to convert the excess protein to Glucose through gluconeogenesis. So maybe check your protein #?
Thanks for the input. Right now I have my macros set for Carbs 6% / 20 g Protein 19%/62 grams and Fat 75%/110 grams. I'm a tad bit over 5'6". Some days I make it some days I don't but I always try to stay under 20 grams net carbs each day.
I'm beginning to think that my activity has something to do with it. I have always worked out a lot and have built quite a bit of muscle but due to shoulder surgery and family issues I haven't been able to do weights regularly or run. That should change soon though as I'm getting ready for a marathon. I've done half-marathons but no full marathons so I'm taking plenty of time to train, especially since I'll be dealing with summer swelter and 85% humidity on the runs. Maybe my lessened activity has something to do with the lack of weight loss.fanncy0626 wrote: »Could be what you are doing now with the extra protein. You will still have success because muscle is more dense than fat and if you take your measurements you will see a drop in inches!
Hopefully I'm maintaining my muscle and not losing it! And yes. Thanks for the reminder... measuring tape is a more accurate measure at this point. And yes, I have lost some inches. I'd just like to see that danged scale move!
As to my day today.....
Under calorie, 73% fat and only 10 net carbs. I consider it a success.
Marcelyn itchy from poison sumac in Houston
(tip: long pants when tearing out random vines in the yard is a safety measure!)
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Has anyone here experienced ocular migraines? I had never even heard of them until five weeks ago. I've had one a week since then. My first one hit about three weeks after I restricted my carbs. Could it be related to the keto diet?1
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Has anyone here experienced ocular migraines? I had never even heard of them until five weeks ago. I've had one a week since then. My first one hit about three weeks after I restricted my carbs. Could it be related to the keto diet?
I haven't read anything about Keto causing migraines. The information I've read is that it helps stop migraines as well as many other brain disorder/diseases. Would be interesting to see what you find out.
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I just finished reading how everyone is doing. Thanks for helping and supporting each other.1
