Netting under 1000 calories (ketosis)

jfrice12

HI, newbie here:

I was wondering if anyone else was doing a low carb/ high protein diet. I'm having such a hard time fitting in my calories because I'm so full all the time - then, right before bed, I am SO hungry and mindy-lahiri-style zero out my fridge with whatever will fit in my mouth.

I've been trying to drink protein shakes (low or no carbs) as fillers throughout the day, but I'm still netting under 1000 calories. That is NOT okay, and, as a biochemist, I know its wreaking havoc on my metabolic system.

I know adding olive oil is a good start, but I already feel so heavy eating so much protein.

Any suggestions?

Also, I'd love to have some keto friends who can help me when I get those crazy keto headaches around week 2... those are the worst.
(I originally put this in the main food and nutrition thread, but found this message board instead! Oops..)

Caeyla

I can't see your diary, but you probably need to increase fat. How high is your protein? With calories that low, low carb and high protein can be dangerous. You need either carbs or fat for fuel (but obviously on a keto board, we're gonna tell you to eat more fat).

Check this site to get an idea of what your macros should be: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

ginnyspencer1

I have a couple of hunger-fighters in my arsenal, all ingredients at my office and at home: (1) Green tea or coffee + stevia + 1/2-1 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil, and (2) Beef broth (yes, the powder out of a jar/box that's like $3 for a ton of powder) + 1/2-1 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil.

THEN, I have two heavy hitters, just in case, which I keep ready every week: (1) a tub of smoked chicken salad from Whole Foods (any not sweet chicken or tuna salad will do..just have a big dish of it ready and waiting to snack on, and (2) a tub of plain Greek Yogurt, which I sweeten all of with stevia when I first buy it. (To make the greek yogurt fatty enough & YUMMY...I stir together equal parts coconut oil + plain cocoa powder (2 tbsp each), then stir in stevia, and pour/drop the blob of chocolate into the yogurt, swirling it all into the yogurt! HEAVEN! Who needs sugary ice creams with fudge swirls, now? not me!)

colourkitten

I think salt is really important when getting into ketosis due to the dumping of water (and so minerals) out of the muscles. I drink a cup of vegetable Bullion ('cos I'm a vegetarian) when I start to feel headachy and it helps a lot. Coconut oil is your friend for hunger pangs, and avocados help bump up the fat without feeling nauseous.

Good luck

jfrice12

hey, sorry i dont get notifications for my threads for some reason. i just saw yalls comments, and thank you! I have been eating sour cream with everything to increase my fat/calorie intake.

it doesnt hurt that i love sour cream....

i've lost 7 pounds so far doing keto, so im really grateful for your suggestions - will totally check out the keto calculator site!!!!


thanks so much


also, i read that salt is what contributes to keto headaches. i used to get really bad headaches on atkins, but i seriously douse salt on everything since most atkins meals are bland - is that not enough???

rainbowunicorns720

headaches during keto mean you aren't consuming enough sodium. drink broth. casein protein is a slow digesting protein and will keep you full a while. maybe have some casein protein powder mixed with almond milk with your last meal of the day? or just eat eggs.

hairyjerry

I think a lot of ketoers would shiver at the notion that the diet is 'low carb/high protein' and insist it's actually low carb/moderate protein/high fat. Too much protein can kick you out of ketosis, because the body will convert excess to glucose. In your case, reframing it to a 'high fat' diet will help because eating more fat will keep you full, especially after dinner (before bed). This is a great site to calculate your macros: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

Generally, I think your daily calorie breakdown should be in the range of 5-10% from carbs, 25-30% from protein, and the rest from fat, but of course everyone's different so a little tweaking is in order for everyone.

Anywho, eating more fat at the expense of protein (and carbs) will keep you feeling full, and as long as you kit your protein macro, you'll limit any lean mass atrophy.

bfnaught

I think a lot of ketoers would shiver at the notion that the diet is 'low carb/high protein' and insist it's actually low carb/moderate protein/high fat. Too much protein can kick you out of ketosis, because the body will convert excess to glucose. In your case, reframing it to a 'high fat' diet will help because eating more fat will keep you full, especially after dinner (before bed). This is a great site to calculate your macros: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

Generally, I think your daily calorie breakdown should be in the range of 5-10% from carbs, 25-30% from protein, and the rest from fat, but of course everyone's different so a little tweaking is in order for everyone.

Anywho, eating more fat at the expense of protein (and carbs) will keep you feeling full, and as long as you kit your protein macro, you'll limit any lean mass atrophy.

This.

Try subbing some of your protein throughout the day with some fat. You won't be eating a whole lot more (volume wise) but your calories will increase. And of course 2 of my 3 favorite things about keto, BulletProof Coffee and Fat Bombs (the third is bacon, of course).

jfrice12

i actually actively tried this week to eat more fat and decrease my protein intake... and i'm still getting about 50/50 on those. i might start eating everything with lard. ugh.

i've started to plateau, maybe the high protein has something to do with it.

hairyjerry

Your plateau may be you're eating too much protein and it may also be the things you eat because you're not feeling full enough (which, of course, the fat will help with). I too struggled to meet my fat goals and fat/protein ratio back in the early days of keto, and made a few changes that really helped me, such as I substituted leaner meats for fattier meats and I bought full flavor (read: fat) ranch dressing (Caesar works too) and put it all over things, from meat to broccoli. It helps kick your fat up without boosting carbs or protein.

blushingbride2bee

I had this problem when I started Keto too. It can be hard to get your macros right. Here are some ways I added more fat. Coconut milk (tons of fat, I use it to make breakfast shakes), Coconut oil I just eat a tablespoon with peanut butter as a before bed snack, Avocados are also a great source of fat, and I drink heavy whipping cream and eat a lot of cheese.

I hope that helps. You will get the hang of it Just check everything in MFP the day before so you can better plan food that fits the macros.

Good Luck.

carltonstedman

As others have mentioned: more fat.

You mention about a 50/50 split between protein and fat. If this is _calories_, this is pretty high-protein as far as keto goes. If it's _grams_, that sounds alright to me.

As a point of reference, I'm "fairly high protein" for keto (cause strength training) and I'm doing 5%/35%/60% calories from carbs/protein/fat, for 26g/162g/123g per day. That's 1850 calories, which is like a 300-500 calorie deficit (about 20% deficit from TDEE of around 2350).

MollySC2

The tl;dr of this is as others have said, more fat.

I'm able to keep my caloric intake usually under 1400 calories by simply seeing what I'll be doing throughout the day & adjusting properly.

Am I gonna be on the computer all day? I'll have some eggs for breakfast, chicken thigh & broccoli for lunch, and a light dinner like a chicken breast salad or just a chicken breast with some hot sauce.

Am I going to be out & active today? Party later tonight or a long day at work? I'll have eggs AND bacon(fat) for breakfast. 2 chicken thighs(thighs are more fatty than breasts) and alfredo sauce, and for dinner I'll have 8oz ground beef with cheese & taco seasoning.

Treat your fat like you normally would your carbs. Only eat enough to fuel your energy.

cdn_beaver

How long have you been on keto? Keto also isn't a high protein diet. It's high fat, low carb, moderate protein so as others have said you need to increase your fat intake. If you open up your diary or give us an example of what you eat each day we'd be more able to help.