Carbs and calories

lkayholt

I've been having difficulty with carbs and calories. I was told not track both, that if I was in ketosis there is no reason to worry about calories? To me this just doesn't make sense... in my mind and how I've always been told, eating too many calories will add weight. So, do I watch both? Or, just get myself into ketosis and not worry about calories? I realize that I shouldn't be as hungry or want to eat because fat helps to feel full but, fat is caloric... what to do, what to do.... advise please!

Running_and_Coffee

I track both and don't understand how it would work otherwise. I need to know what % of calories I am eating are carbs, fat, protein and fiber to be able to determine if I am eating 20 net carbs a day. I am guessing people who don't count calories just look at the nutritional info and choose foods under a certain number of carbs?? Not sure.

kpk54

Some people find that ketosis suppresses their hunger to the point that they don't over eat and therefore don't need to monitor calories.

People like myself who became overweight because they over ate whether they were truly hungry or not can over eat despite being in ketosis.

Calories matter. If you are anything like me, I'll encourage you to monitor calories also. I'm a huge fan of Dr Eric Westman at the Duke University Obesity Clinic. The diet there is a ketogenic diet. He suggests counting calories is not necessary UNLESS one is not losing weight.

This video is only 7 minutes. Take a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSRTnDsMCHQ

tcunbeliever

I track both...I would think for weight loss you need to track both...maybe if you are doing keto for other health reasons you might not need to worry about calories as much.

DvlDwnInGA

Both if your goal is to lose weight in a manner that is easily understandable and repeatable.

Calories absolutely matter. Keto makes it easier because the foods you eat are more satiating and keep you fuller longer.

I think there could possibly be a time when you will be able to be more instinctive with your eating, however, in the beginning it is good to track so you know what you are needing to be instinctive toward.

carlsoda

I track both!

KnitOrMiss

The reason many people say you don't have to track both is that there is a natural level of satiety, a lessened hunger, so many people find it difficult to overeat on Keto.

But if you do not have good control of your appetite or hunger levels, or eat in response to other things (stress, sadness, boredom, etc.), this likely would not be a good call for you.

The easiest thing is to track your carbs tightly, get enough protein, and then only eat enough fat to feel satisfied. Not FULL, satisfied. If you don't ever reach that point, then you'll have to tightly watch your fat calories too, since your deficit of calories comes from stored body fat, so your entire deficit comes out of consumed fat...

jheye

One of the reasons I like keto is that if I regulate carbs, the calories stay down as well because I'm satisfied and don't feel the need to eat more. It did take several weeks to get the that point however, so if you are just starting you probably are still dealing with hunger. Tracking calories along with carbs is fine, but avoid the temptation to try to restrict calories by restricting protein or healthy fats. You must get adequate protein on a daily basis, and severely restricting fats will likely keep you hungry most of the time. Track protein to be sure you get enough, track carbs to be sure you don't overdo it, and then add fats up to the point of satiety or a moderate caloric deficit, whichever comes first.

2t9nty

I track both.

One of the issues with people who have a weight problem is that they are sometimes not good at listening to their body. Am I really hungry or just want three donuts? The limits and goals with my macros and calories give me a framework to manage it all.

lady_bug_jd

When I first started I only paid attention to carbs and aimed for 20 or less of net carbs (carbs minus fibre). I tracked everything I ate but did not worry about the calories for the first 3 - 4 weeks and still lost weight each week. By then I was adapted to eating this way and didn't have much hunger and was naturally intermittent fasting. I do watch both calories and carbs now but I think you could just count carbs and only worry about calories if you find your weight loss stalls for a period time or you gain.

KnitOrMiss

Remember, also, that hungry naturally changes from day to day. Some days, we really are just not that hungry. Other days, we feel super hungry all day. Hormones, sleep, stress, exercise, activity, etc., and a ton of other factors all contribute to hunger, etc. Look at calorie deficits on a 7-10 day average...

rgg71

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Remember, also, that hungry naturally changes from day to day. Some days, we really are just not that hungry. Other days, we feel super hungry all day. Hormones, sleep, stress, exercise, activity, etc., and a ton of other factors all contribute to hunger, etc. Look at calorie deficits on a 7-10 day average...

I agree with this from my experience.
I track both but tend not to limit calories when I am having a 'hungry' day. I then find that other days I eat under and the averages are good over a longer time.

If I restrict calories every day then the hunger seems to stay longer.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I track both. I track calories to make sure I stay in a deficit and I track carbs to make sure that I stay under 50g per day (my magic number that ensures I stay in Ketosis). I technically track protein and carbs, but I don't do anything specific to hit those numbers, they tend to fill in quite nicely as long as I'm limiting my carbs.