Keto to calorie counting

cbowman1114

I know this will probably be a long shot... but I’m switching from keto where my carbs were at 5% back to just calorie counting and MFP has my carbs at 50% now. This makes me extremely nervous not knowing how my body will adjust going back to a “normal” diet. Any thoughts or advice helping to transition back? My macros were 75f/20p/5c and now there 50c/30f/20p. I’m afraid I’m going to instantly gain weight my first few weeks...

deannalfisher

you'll see some weight gain at first because it will be from water weight (carbs take water to process) - but that will stabilize after a couple of weeks

davidylin

Taper. No sudden drastic dietary changes. Give it a couple of weeks.

cbowman1114

davidylin wrote: »

Taper. No sudden drastic dietary changes. Give it a couple of weeks.

How do I do this slowly?

deannalfisher

slowly increase your carbs - this is what you have right now: 75f/20p/5c

MFP goal - 50c/30f/20p

increase your carbs from 5-10% the first week and reduce fat 5% - give it a week or so, then increase carbs/decrease fat again

kommodevaran

Your body will be fine, it doesn't have to adjust, there is nothing to adjust to. You will retain some water, though. If you stick to the same amount of calories, your weight will continue to drop, or a maintain, depending what your goal is, after that initial replenishment.

ZoneFive

deannalfisher wrote: »

slowly increase your carbs - this is what you have right now: 75f/20p/5c

MFP goal - 50c/30f/20p

increase your carbs from 5-10% the first week and reduce fat 5% - give it a week or so, then increase carbs/decrease fat again

And if you need more than one week to get comfortable with a 5% or 10% change, then give it two weeks. There's no time deadline, and you want these to be changes you can live with. Best of luck!

cbowman1114

kommodevaran wrote: »

Your body will be fine, it doesn't have to adjust, there is nothing to adjust to. You will retain some water, though. If you stick to the same amount of calories, your weight will continue to drop, or a maintain, depending what your goal is, after that initial replenishment.

I’m hoping so. I have heard it doesn’t matter as long as your in a calorie deficit. Hoping this is true.

deannalfisher

cbowman1114 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

Your body will be fine, it doesn't have to adjust, there is nothing to adjust to. You will retain some water, though. If you stick to the same amount of calories, your weight will continue to drop, or a maintain, depending what your goal is, after that initial replenishment.

I’m hoping so. I have heard it doesn’t matter as long as your in a calorie deficit. Hoping this is true.

it honestly doesn't - i know of lot of people demonize carbs (just like fat was demonized in the 80's) - slow and steady wins the race

kommodevaran

cbowman1114 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

Your body will be fine, it doesn't have to adjust, there is nothing to adjust to. You will retain some water, though. If you stick to the same amount of calories, your weight will continue to drop, or a maintain, depending what your goal is, after that initial replenishment.

I’m hoping so. I have heard it doesn’t matter as long as your in a calorie deficit. Hoping this is true.

It is true. What you eat doesn't matter for weightloss. You lose weight as long as you are in a calorie deficit. What matters is that you are in a calorie decficit.

steveko89

I've always thought the MFP recommendation for carbs was high.

kommodevaran

steveko89 wrote: »

I've always thought the MFP recommendation for carbs was high.

Why? For what? Compared to what?

cbowman1114

Should I put my carbs at 40% instead of 50%

AlabasterVerve

Don't overthink it. Eat the foods you like to eat within your calorie goal and go from there. If you feel good, are losing weight and like your diet that's where your macros should be.

deannalfisher

cbowman1114 wrote: »

Should I put my carbs at 40% instead of 50%

find the ratio that works best for you - personally my carbs (3-400g a day) are approximately 55% of my daily intake - i'm down 12lbs and now maintaining - I find carbs satiating and aim for starches like potatos, rice to make up a good portion of my daily amount

busyPK

I honestly don't pay much attention to my macros (carbs, fat, protein) and am losing weight (38lbs so far). I stay within my calories and workout for my health and to eat a bit more on those days. Counting calories is something that I can do for my lifetime, however restricting food group isn't realistic to my life. Good luck!

davidylin

cbowman1114 wrote: »

davidylin wrote: »

Taper. No sudden drastic dietary changes. Give it a couple of weeks.

How do I do this slowly?

Reintroduce carbs gently back into your diet. Avoid going from no carbs to wolfing down a plate of pasta. Stay to your current diet and maybe substitute 50 calories of chicken with 50 calories of bread for a day or two, then another 50 calories. Gradually approach your new targets.

cbowman1114

busyPK wrote: »

I honestly don't pay much attention to my macros (carbs, fat, protein) and am losing weight (38lbs so far). I stay within my calories and workout for my health and to eat a bit more on those days. Counting calories is something that I can do for my lifetime, however restricting food group isn't realistic to my life. Good luck!

Exactly why I decided to quit keto. Honestly I have lost weight from calorie counting, WW, whole30, and now keto. I don’t think it really matters, but I’m with you in the fact calorie counting is more sustainable. I won’t go the rest of my life without eating bread or yogurt or whatever.

JustRobby1

I am maintaining now, but grand total I have lost a little over 100 pounds. I never paid much attention to macros except towards the very beginning when I myself was also into the whole carb thing. My take is that for most normal people who are not body builders or athletes and are just looking to drop some pounds, macros are irrelevant and are more of a distraction than anything else.

Now granted that there are plenty of people out there who claim they lose more weight following their diet trend of choice, but these people have almost zero scientific ground to stand on for their beliefs. Many eventually realize this just as I did and say to themselves "what the hell am I even doing this for"?

At the end of the day, it really does not matter so long as they keep their calories under control if weight loss is their goal. More power to them if it helps.The only major problem I see with fad diets is that they generally do not teach people how to adopt eating habits that are sustainable on a lifelong basis. They simply teach them how to conform to their fad diet. This not only gives them a false belief on how weight loss is really achieved to begin with, but I have also noticed over time from people who have come and gone from my friends list that the fad diet crowd are at a much higher risk of failure.

[Edited by MFP Staff]

cbowman1114

JustRobby1 wrote: »

I am maintaining now, but grand total I have lost a little over 100 pounds. I never paid much attention to macros except towards the very beginning when I myself was also into the whole carb cult thing. My take is that for most normal people who are not body builders or athletes and are just looking to drop some pounds, macros are irrelevant and are more of a distraction than anything else.

Now granted that there are plenty of people out there who claim they lose more weight following their diet trend of choice, but these people have almost zero scientific ground to stand on for their beliefs. Many eventually realize this just as I did and say to themselves "what the hell am I even doing this for"?

At the end of the day, it really does not matter so long as they keep their calories under control if weight loss is their goal. More power to them if it helps.The only major problem I see with fad diets is that they generally do not teach people how to adopt eating habits that are sustainable on a lifelong basis. They simply teach them how to conform to their fad diet. This not only gives them a false belief on how weight loss is really achieved to begin with, but I have also noticed over time from people who have come and gone from my friends list that the fad diet crowd are at a much higher risk of failure.

I can totally relate with everything you have just said. At the end of the day, I just want something that is going to be sustainable long term- and restricting certain foods or macros only causes me to binge. Before I had my son I lost 60 lbs from calorie counting. Since having him I’ve lost it mostly from whole30, and keto. But with both of those I would binge eat because I didn’t know when I could said X food again. I think with calorie counting I was able to control those urges a bit more. Now I just figure out what to eat! lol I haven’t had any rice or fruit in so long, I’m kinda having trouble knowing what to even eat lol

cbowman1114

JustRobby1 wrote: »

I am maintaining now, but grand total I have lost a little over 100 pounds. I never paid much attention to macros except towards the very beginning when I myself was also into the whole carb cult thing. My take is that for most normal people who are not body builders or athletes and are just looking to drop some pounds, macros are irrelevant and are more of a distraction than anything else.

Now granted that there are plenty of people out there who claim they lose more weight following their diet trend of choice, but these people have almost zero scientific ground to stand on for their beliefs. Many eventually realize this just as I did and say to themselves "what the hell am I even doing this for"?

At the end of the day, it really does not matter so long as they keep their calories under control if weight loss is their goal. More power to them if it helps.The only major problem I see with fad diets is that they generally do not teach people how to adopt eating habits that are sustainable on a lifelong basis. They simply teach them how to conform to their fad diet. This not only gives them a false belief on how weight loss is really achieved to begin with, but I have also noticed over time from people who have come and gone from my friends list that the fad diet crowd are at a much higher risk of failure.

Also, congrats on your weight loss! I too want to be able to say I’ve lost 100 lbs, and I’ve got 30 more to go!

kommodevaran

cbowman1114 wrote: »

Now I just figure out what to eat! lol I haven’t had any rice or fruit in so long, I’m kinda having trouble knowing what to even eat lol

I really really want to say and say again - "just eat food", but I understand that that's not concrete enough when you've restricted food groups for so long. I think this is too simplistic, removed from real life and real meals that real people eat, and overcomplicating the simple task of feeding oneself, but maybe it can help you?

cbowman1114

kommodevaran wrote: »

cbowman1114 wrote: »

Now I just figure out what to eat! lol I haven’t had any rice or fruit in so long, I’m kinda having trouble knowing what to even eat lol

I really really want to say and say again - "just eat food", but I understand that that's not concrete enough when you've restricted food groups for so long. I think this is too simplistic, removed from real life and real meals that real people eat, and overcomplicating the simple task of feeding oneself, but maybe it can help you?

Thanks that helps a lot!

Tacklewasher

Bear in mind, you're weight will go up. Being low carb you have really reduced the amount of water you've been holding onto. When you add back carbs, you are going to see a substantial bump in weight, maybe up to 10 lbs. This is your body just holding onto water because of glycogen stores being replenished. It is NOT fat, but it will show on the scale. And it can happen pretty quick, like a couple of weeks. It does not mean what you are doing is wrong or that you are gaining fat from carbs. It's just a normal response to the change you are making so please expect this to happen and don't be upset by it.