Hitting Keto specific macros

TravellerBrews

Hey Everyone,
Been working on keto for about 2 months. Finally dialed in my macros about 4 weeks ago.
Question:
Im 285 lbs 5' 10male with a goal of 190.
Macros set for 70f, 25p, 5c.
Calculator put me at:
169g Fat, 136g Pro, 27g carb ... 2170cal
Over the last 2 weeks, Im not eating 2170 cal, more like 16-1700. Im not hungry and i feel good. I try to keep my macros balanced as much as possible.
A. Should i be eating more?
B. Should i re-calculate my macros?
Im just concerned im not doing it right. I see the success of others following a system. At times i doubt im doing the system right ya know.
Thanks in advance.
*disclaimer i did attempt to search for this topic. Couldnt find anything uniquely relevant.

ccrdragon

Most people find that hunger comes and goes with keto. As long as you are not seriously under eating for an extended period of time (and it looks like you are not), I wouldn't worry about not being able to hit your calorie goal every day.

As for doing it right... lots of people get hung up on doing it 'right', but there really is no 'right' way to do it. If you are having success, losing weight and not feeling deprived, then you are doing it 'right'.

Sunny_Bunny_

Is what you’re doing working? Do you feel good?
Then I oils keep doing it. It may need some tweeking later but keep it up if you’re working toward your goals with it.

ploomka

I struggle with this as well. Some days, a lot of days actually, I really have a hard time eating enough. This has never been a problem for me before 🤣

anubis609

You do not need to eat as much as the calculator provides. You will have periods of hunger and non-hunger. As long as you’re overall net calorie average is a deficit, you will lose fat.

As an aside, on keto, it would be beneficial to eat more protein than fat in the context of fat loss, as well as reducing the loss rate of lean mass.

ploomka

Thanks, @anubis609. Good to know.

I have started looking more at weekly macros/caloric deficit. This helps me relax a bit regarding my day to day numbers.

anubis609

ploomka wrote: »

Thanks, @anubis609. Good to know.

I have started looking more at weekly macros/caloric deficit. This helps me relax a bit regarding my day to day numbers.

You’re welcome. In the realm of health and fitness, it’s usually better to look at things from a wider perspective. Focusing too much on narrower timeframes, macros, calories, etc tend to cause more frustration and militantly rigid rules than if you were to step back and see the bigger picture. Of course, beginners have no data to track in the long term but as they gain more experience, they’ll have data points they can use week to week and month to month.

ploomka

@anubis609 Agreed! Personally, I like to track for a while, to record what I have been doing, and then make adjustments. I wait until I feel I have settled into a good routine, then I lay off the tracking. When I feel I am starting to slip or not seeing the results I want, I head back to the tracker.

I feel this is especially important when switching things up. I recently added more fat to my diet, and I saw the scale start to creep up, so, back to tracking, and I noticed my carbs and overall calories were not low enough to support my increased fat calories. So I knocked the carbs down, kept the fat up, and I'm seeing how it goes.

gwendyprism

I just read something useful when thinking about macros. Carbs are a limit (for most people don't go over 20g daily.) Protein is a goal (try to hit to maintain lean muscle.) Fat is a dial; it's adjustable. (Eat enough to not be hungry but no need to add extra. You want your body to get its fat from "storage" if you're trying to lose weight.

I think the only thing you really need to track is carbs. Don't worry so much about calories and other macros. If you stop losing, then you can go further with it.

ploomka

Great info @gwendyprism. For me, I have a hard time hitting a minimum calories for the day without adding fat. But I’m finding, anecdotally, what you said seems to work for me. I usually go over on protein without trying. I’m glad to know this isn’t too much of an issue.