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Help me understand my macros!!!
nursevee
Posts: 344 Member
So... I started keto 1 week ago and I'm doing pretty well. I'm trying to grasp all my macros though. I don't seem to be having enough fats and/or too much protein. It's not excessive but it's either too much or too little of either. I'm lost on what to eat to keep the balance right!
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You don't need to teach the fat. It's not a goal.
And it's ok to go over protein.
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Very lengthy explanation about protein and GNG.
http://www.tuitnutrition.com/2017/07/gluconeogenesis.html?m=13 -
Or just to keep it simple.
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I usually have 1/4 cup of macadamia nuts most evenings. They have a ton of fat (23 grams), plus some fiber... and they're yummy! They help me keep close to my macros. If you don't like macadamia nuts, I think pecans and walnuts are pretty similar.3
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In a nutshell, the 80% fat thing is only for people doing keto for medical purposes - that is where the ketogenic diet originated, to stop young children with a specific type of epilepsy from seizures. Hit your protein macros and keep your carbs as low as you can and the fat it not as important. I have heard it said "The fat either comes from your plate or your body". If you are eating up to 80% in your macros then your weight loss will be less significant. If you eat 50% fat, the other 30% comes out of your stored body fat, which is preferable if you are trying to lose weight. I hope that made sense?4
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ShrinkingShona wrote: »In a nutshell, the 80% fat thing is only for people doing keto for medical purposes - that is where the ketogenic diet originated, to stop young children with a specific type of epilepsy from seizures. Hit your protein macros and keep your carbs as low as you can and the fat it not as important. I have heard it said "The fat either comes from your plate or your body". If you are eating up to 80% in your macros then your weight loss will be less significant. If you eat 50% fat, the other 30% comes out of your stored body fat, which is preferable if you are trying to lose weight. I hope that made sense?
@ShrinkingShona - That is true - BUT you can't force keto to lose weight faster by intentionally holding back calories. The satiety response is crucial to success. If you stay perpetually hungry, the body will eventually compensate by releasing insulin in hope of getting you to eat more, and if it does that ALL FAT BURNING STOPS. So artificially trying to keep calories low to force the body to burn more fat won't have that side effect. The body will either lower the metabolism to match the input, metabolize muscle if it isn't given enough protein, or start holding in everything to try to balance it out...
The body is smart, sneaky, sly, and a liar, especially about the scale. The best toll we have to hit it with is consistency of dietary plan adherence and chaos by keeping it guessing - mix up exercise, foods, calories, carbs split, etc. Sleep and fluid/sodium/electrolyte intake are absolutely crucial... We can keep the body guessing, but we can't outsmart it without continuing to adapt...5 -
Honestly it sounds like you're doing great!! Lately I'm meal planning to hit protein (I have the opposite problem to yours - I almost never reach my protein goal so I added protein powder) and then if I'm still hungry or worried about my calories being low I'll mix a drink of flavored carbonated water and a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream, or add some MCT oil to my coffee. Then I'm FULL lol1
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