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just starting lchf

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Deuxtrouble43
Deuxtrouble43 Posts: 41 Member
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New to all of this but want to give it a go. Do I still keep track of calories or more so just my macros? Just not sure what i need to do to set myself up for success. Any help would be appreciated :-)

Thanks

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  • mamamudbug
    mamamudbug Posts: 572 Member
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    I keep track of both. I try to eat between my bmr and tdee. I found that I feel bad if I don't eat enough and tracking calories helps with that. I also like using those two numbers as a calorie range. If I'm not that hungry I aim to hit my bmr target, on days that I'm hungrier I have all the way up to my tdee.
  • kiramaniac
    kiramaniac Posts: 800 Member
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    I'm assuming you are on a ketogenic diet, so my answers are based on that.

    Tools: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

    For the first week, don't worry about calories. Focus solely on getting into ketosis.

    Carbs: Keep net carbs around 20 g per day (net carbs are the carbs minus fiber). Try not to eat all of your carbs at once, but instead spread them out across the day.

    Protein: Use the keto calculator to determine your protein target (use the minimum that it identifies). Make sure you get that minimum value, but don't go too much above that. Try not to have too much protein at once that doesn't also have fat. I try to have at least as many grams of fat as protein at a meal (e.g. if your meal has 20 g protein, you should have at least 20 g fat at the same time). (excess protein converts to glucose in your body, and can impact getting into ketosis).

    Fat: The rest of your calories will be from fat, and will likely be 70%+ of your total calories. Do not worry about keeping fat in check.

    Water: Drink at least 12 8 oz glasses of water per day.

    Electrolytes. Supplement! Switch to Lite Salt and use it liberally (adds both sodium and potassium). Drink a cup of high sodium broth each day. Find a good magnesium supplement (I like slo mag).

    If you are hungry, eat, but make sure it is a high fat snack. Coffee with heavy cream (or with coconut oil or butter). Almonds, Pecans or Macadamia Nuts. Bacon (I used to carry pre-cooked bacon in my purse!).

    After the first week, start also focusing on calories. The keto calculator, again, can help set your calorie target. I basically still follow the same guidelines as above for protein, carbs and fat, but just start also paying attention to calories at that point.

    A good resource: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

    Good Luck!!!

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