Not Getting Enough Calories & New to "Keto" - Help!

MommaBirdNH

I am really struggling to eat enough calories on low carb, it also seems impossible to meet my carb goal. Does anyone have any suggestions??

quiksylver296

I'd start with a food scale.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

savithny

Everyone I know doing keto makes up the difference in calories with fat.

From your macros at the end of the day, that's where you're missing the most.

Add fat to everything. Fry that chicken in oil and drench it in butter. Why only one tablespoon of mayo with your egg? Why no dressing on that salad mix? Have another slice or three of Provolone cheese with your snack.
Why is your broccoli fat free? COVER IT WITH BUTTER.

Going over on carbs? The other thing on keto that I've seen is that fruit takes you over fast. Drop the fruit and substitute cheese or butter.

THAT is how keto eats more calories and stays under their carb max.

deannalfisher

drop the apple, add some avocado or similar

deepwoodslady

Two slices of tomato with a piece of cheese is not enough for dinner. You need more food & that meal alone will help you reach your calorie goals. The apple hurt you most as far as carbs & sugars go. You would have been better off choosing a berry for the fruit & to go with the yogurt. Otherwise, your menu looks fantastic for Keto & weight loss.

kimny72

Most folks I know doing keto or almost keto levels of carbs don't eat any fruit other than occasionally a serving of berries. They also cook pretty much everything in fat or add butter/oil/dressing to it afterwards. (Which is why I don't do low carb, I would be so unhappy eating that way, but they seem to like it!)

I would also second the food scale suggestion and double checking that the entries you're choosing in the database are accurate. I would've guessed that assortment of foods would get you more calories and fat than they're showing.

If you are just starting out, some people find it takes a week or two for their digestion and appetite to regulate to keto. But if after a couple of weeks you are still struggling to get enough calories, consider tweaking your macros a little if that's what it takes to get your calories up. Under-eating isn't healthy long term either Good luck!

Nykkismommy21

I'm doing Keto, have been for a month. I remember being where you were a couple times not getting enough calories. It goes away though. You can add me if you like, I leave my food diary open. I try to eat between 1400-1600 calories, sometimes I go over. I go over on fat too, mostly cause if my bullet coffee, and I love avocado. My carbs stay pretty much between 15-20 net carbs.

kshama2001

Alas, yogurt and apple isn't a keto-friendly snack. That meal alone was 31 g in carbs.

So you need less carbs, and more protein and calories - think steak - with butter! That might not be practical for your 2 PM meal, but you get the idea.

If after you get your protein up where it should be you still have calories to spare have more mayo with your eggs and butter with your broccoli.

magnusthenerd

Your carb goal is 22 grams, but most people interested in low-carb / ketogenics are looking at net carbs, rather than total carbs. That apple probably has 5 to 8 grams of fiber, which would usually be subtracted from the total for purposes of meeting a carb goal as fiber will ultimately pass out of the system or turn into butyrates (a fat) and thus not involve glucose pathways.
Though as others have pointed out, you're not going to get a lot of fruit into a deeply ketogenic diet. Is there a particular reason you're trying to do keto?

diannethegeek

Instead of hard boiled eggs do you have time to switch to fried or an omelette preparation that you could cook with a fat? Butter or oil would definitely help here. Peanut butter with the apple. An oil based dressing on the greens. Even just switching from a slice of cheese to a higher calorie cheese stick would help.

Is 3 oz of chicken really only 90 calories? I might double-check that entry because it seems low. Either way, sauce or butter on your chicken would help boost calories if you really want to stick with keto. Or you could choose a higher fat meat like chicken thighs, beef, pork, etc.

kshama2001

magnusthenerd wrote: »

Your carb goal is 22 grams, but most people interested in low-carb / ketogenics are looking at net carbs, rather than total carbs. That apple probably has 5 to 8 grams of fiber, which would usually be subtracted from the total for purposes of meeting a carb goal as fiber will ultimately pass out of the system or turn into butyrates (a fat) and thus not involve glucose pathways.
Though as others have pointed out, you're not going to get a lot of fruit into a deeply ketogenic diet. Is there a particular reason you're trying to do keto?

Good point.

OP, swap out Sodium for Fiber, move Fiber next to Carbs, and subtract F from C to get Net Carbs.

jlynnm70

When I was doing keto - everything became a way to get the FAT to my mouth - I made keto pancakes and put cream cheese on them. I cooked everything in Butter or oil. My husband (a chef) made cream sauces for everything...a favorite was sausages or brats with cream sauce and 'mashed cauliflower'. High fat salad dressings. Avoid LEAN meats - cook up some bacon and eat it with your egg (cook the egg in the bacon fat). Add cheese to EVERYTHING - on top my eggs, my salad, my meats. Add WHOLE MILK to coffee. I was pretty much down to almost no carbs other than the 1/2 teasp of sugar in my coffee, a single glass of wine - and whatever naturally came in the rest of what I was eating. Avocados are your friend - a really good fat - I'd just cut up and eat the whole thing with some protein (tuna, deli chicken or turkey). My friend who was on it said cream cheese was his favorite - used to dip celery into cream cheese like it was a dip - same with sour cream. It's hard because you get used to looking for low fat, low cal and lean options - you feel like you are doing everything backwards. I lost 17# and kept it off - but just couldn't keep avoiding carbs anymore so stopped. I'm slowly reducing my carbs again - but not going to NO carb this time...just lower.....

sarabushby

It does have some carbs but you could bash the peanut butter for extra fat calories. Maybe as an additional snack on some celery? (I don’t do Keto so not sure how the net carbs of this would look but I’d think def better than the apple)

If you’re awake before noon, could you not have some breakfast to increase calorie intake?

I have breakfast at 8, a snack at 10.30 and I’m still ravenous by 12! Well, 11.30 actually.