Figuring out how many carbs t consume

lalalyn12

Hello I am new on MFP, and I have a few questions about low carb diet. Last year I attempted the Atkins diet, and made it 3 weeks before giving up. I gave up because I was just simply tired of eating constant meat. Now during that time I did experience the induction flu, and it was horrible. So after trying that, in May I was at my heaviest of 378-380, and decided I have to do something. So I decided to try a low calorie diet. I was somewhat consistant with it for 2 months. I cheated alot, but still worked out, so I got down to around 365-364 on a good day. So I was like why is my weight not dropping. So I gave up and now a few months later I am back.

I did ALOT of research on youtube. And seen alot of success stories with people doing the low carb, not necessarily doing atkins. One girl on youtube lost 150 in one year and is still losing as I speak. I was like wow, how did she do it. So she gave staples in her diet which atkins kind of restrict, but I know everyones different. She ate skinny cow candies, and sugar free jello, flat out bread and special k cereal. And she still lost massive weight. Now in another persons video who lost 200 pounds and counting was not 100% carb free, but she stated that she new how many carbs to eat to still lose weight, which hers was 100. Now what I am trying to figure out is how many should I start. I started my diet on Thursday, well not diet but life change cause I have massive weight to lose. But I targeting between no less than 50 no more than 100. Should I just stick with just 50 to see how my body does, or just don't go over 100 and if weight stalls, drop the carbs.

I will open my diary so you can see what I have been eating so far.

zynx1234

Hey
As to the macros on how many carbs you should have are going to differ depending on your body and your goals. I for example have my carbs set to no more than 20 per day.... But I am aiming for a ketogenic diet where most of my calories come from fat (I think I have it set at 70%) then protien (25%) and carbs (5%). I also have alot of weight to use.

I found my percentages by doing alot of research on Keto diets, primal and paleo lifestyles... I had a full month of pseudo low carb where I was trying to be low carb but was still averaging 80 carbs per day and the scale didnt move.. keep in mind that I have only tried the real low carb the last week. But it was a good week. I felt good. No the scale isnt moving much... but I am gonna keep trying. I think I am still over on calories.. but this week I did better and stayed closer to my calorie goals (with the increase in fat) also reducing my carbs has really nearly made all my cravings go away.

Hope thats helpful

doneatfour

The amount of carbs you should target is really individual. It depends on you, what you are comfortable with, and what your goals are. Depending on how many carbs you were typically consuming, <100 g per day is probably sufficient to help you drop weight. However, if your goal is ketosis, you will probably need to go lower. I don't think most people need to drop all the way down to "induction level" (<20 g / day), but if you want to insure that you'll get into ketosis then that is the usual recommendation. However, many people successfully enter and remain in ketosis at up to 50 g or higher. I started slowly by dropping all breads, rice and junk from my diet. That easily took me under 100. I lost weight steadily. When I got used to that, I dropped down to 30 or so and my losses continued. Now i only stay at that level for a week at a time here and there. I usually do that when I have a high carb intake (100) a couple of days. Sometimes I even go lower, but not usually and not lately. I usually have no problem staying in ketosis at around 50 g as long as I spread them out over the course of the day instead of eating majority of those grams in one sitting.

Gradual stages worked best for me. But that's me. I know I'm going to be low carb for life, so I wanted to figure out what I could live with. I don't think I would have had the willpower to stick it out had I dropped too low too fast. Plus, I think going in stages helped me with "withdrawal.". 50-100 g is reasonable and not too restrictive. That's where I am at right now. I try to stay as close to 50 as possible, but i dont get too upset as ling as i stay under 100. When i hit maintenance i plan to up my carbs to 100-120. Low carb diets aren't the same for everyone. I'm not on the Atkins plan. I'm terrible with sticking to plans. I just restrict my carbs. I do have food that isn't "low carb" on occaison, but I know the consequences so I don't indulge often. I would recommend that if you are just starting out to not indulge for a while. It can trigger massive cravings and sabotage your efforts and motivation.

Good luck!

TheVimFuego

I started at 30g and upped to 50g (which hasn't seemed to have harmed my progress).

Your tolerance will of course be different. The fact you have more weight to lose may indicate that you are highly insulin resistant and would benefit from a very small amount of carbohydrate until you can get your metabolism back in balance. 100g might just be frustrating.

I prefer a slash and burn approach, I went from being a carb-monster to 30g practically overnight.

I cut processed stuff immediately, I cut grains (bread, pasta, rice, etc) a short time after that (for general health reasons as well as the carbs) and I wasn't a fan of sugary stuff anyway.

I'm not a fan of fruit for weight loss and I suspect dairy isn't that great either if you have a lot to lose.

Once this is done then limiting carbs isn't really a problem. And do it for long enough and you don't crave the junk anyway.

I guess I am more or less "Paleo" and the best resource on the net for this is the Marks Daily Apple website.

I would much rather eliminate everything at once then try to bring it back in gradually than attempt a middle ground.

This isn't a transitory thing for me, my nutrition framework is for life now. I will have the occasional off-plan treat (I love my spoonful or two of ice-cream daily) but this is just a healthy way of doing things and I don't crave the less than nutrient-dense stuff.

Sugar, wheat and processed whatnot will only make you crave more, I'm not going back down that road.

It can seem daunting and REALLY upping the fat content (65%+ of my diet by calories) goes against what we have been told but what have been told is wrong.

Good luck with it, stick around here!

mstorvik

It all depends on you, really. My friend does less than 100 net a day, and I try for less than 50 net a day... although I am noticing that when I go over 30 net, I seem to ride the ketosis line. So it's always different.

Being is ketosis is important to me because I know I am burning fat. However, for others they just want to lower carbs and cut out processed junk carbs. it all depends.

I went from carbing to less than 20 a day because it was just easier. When i did this, I allowed myself to eat as much low carb stuff as I wanted - and really really ate a lot of fat - and didn't count cals. It helped me thru the carb flu. Once you get over that hump, things get way way better. I did not "cheat" during that time and because of that - once I was done, I no longer craved carbs. The opposite in fact - I don't even get tempted by them anymore!

Please also note it's not about meat. Sure, you should get moderate protein - but it's about FAT. If you don't eat it, you won't lose and your body will get pretty angry when it has to deal with all the protein. Also, I have been able to eat way more calories - eat until satisfied - and still lose. I had over 2000 calories yesterday, 190 grams of fat, and 140 grams of protein. 20 net carbs. Felt great!!

lalalyn12

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I think I am going to try and cut my carbs some more this week, I have been between 50-100. And I have also noticed that eating all that protein does a number on your gut and your digestive system. So I am going to try and focus on lessing my calories, least less than 50, and adding more fat to my diet, which I dont think I should have a problem with, but shall keep posted, my official weight in will be thursday. So I will see how much weight I loss, also another question, how do you all control your sodium intake, my sodium is off the chain, and I know salt holds water????

zynx1234

Sodium is pretty important part of your diet. Eat it. Drink it in the form of broth or bullion. As you drop in to a ketosis diet or semi ketosis or whatever your body will lose a lot of water weight and a lack of sodium will result in headaches and such.... not fun....I second Marks daily apple. Lots of good posts and he does a great blog.

ZipperJJ

Just a tip - you can cut out a ton of carbs by getting rid of bananas and the Dannon Light & Fit yogurt. The only fruits you should be eating on a regular basis are berries. If you gotta have some other fruit, make it a once-a-week treat.

You'd be better off eating plain Greek yogurt and adding in your own strawberries and Splenda. The pre-mixed stuff has 6g of sugar. The label has fructose, modified corn starch and carrot juice concentrate in it. If you mixed your own you'd have yogurt, strawberries and sucralose as a nutritional label!

The bananas and the yogurt are going to spike your bloodsugar and make you more hungry and make you want more sugar.

Another thing - and I'm not going to knock it too hard cuz I eat these items myself - is that you seem to still be in your old high carb mindset. Even though they are low carb versions you are having cereal for breakfast and bread for lunch. That's not changing your habits just replacing them with close approximation. You're not fully embracing the whole life change of low carb.

I'm not saying you need to never eat any special LC foods (like I said I eat them too) but part of the reason Atkins has his Induction phase is not just physical/chemical but also mental. It helps you realize that a good breakfast doesn't require cereal or a bagel, a good lunch doesn't include a sandwich and a good dinner doesn't require a starch.

Also if you go down to the bare minimum of food choices for a bit you are then "excited" to see stupid stuff like nuts and yogurt and berries. And then once you're a pro at eating stuff that is very low carb you can choose to eat a tortilla every so often or have cereal 3 days a week because you've got this whole thing down and under control.

You gotta help yourself help yourself. You are making some SUPER good choices when it comes to food and you clearly know what sort of stuff to eat. It's just the little extras that you are hanging on to that is not letting you have that complete mental change over to what low carb really is/can be for you.

Good luck, hope you stick around and stick to it!

mstorvik

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I think I am going to try and cut my carbs some more this week, I have been between 50-100. And I have also noticed that eating all that protein does a number on your gut and your digestive system. So I am going to try and focus on lessing my calories, least less than 50, and adding more fat to my diet, which I dont think I should have a problem with, but shall keep posted, my official weight in will be thursday. So I will see how much weight I loss, also another question, how do you all control your sodium intake, my sodium is off the chain, and I know salt holds water????

#1 I use the phrase off the chain ALL THE TIME! Love it! i also say off the hinges and OOC (out of control). HAAA!

#2 - Eat as much sodium as you need. You need more when you're low carb. Unless you have problems with sodium, you don't need to monitor it. I get peeved when people tell me to put down my pickle - it's loaded with salt. I always let them know that if you don't have sodium problems, there's not need to monitor it. *sigh* If you feel bloated, cut it. if not, don't worry about it. it doesn't bloat me anymore.... but it used to. Maybe my body just uses it now?

mstorvik

Also if you go down to the bare minimum of food choices for a bit you are then "excited" to see stupid stuff like nuts and yogurt and berries. And then once you're a pro at eating stuff that is very low carb you can choose to eat a tortilla every so often or have cereal 3 days a week because you've got this whole thing down and under control.

Let me just say - if you have an addiction to carbs, don't replace the carby stuff with imitation low carb frankenfood. Otherwise you are never going to stop you want of it. I know that once I cut out Culver's Custard (among other bad for you items) I no longer even though of them. Let's put it this way - I know what it's like to crave something because I used to smoke. I was the same way with culver's Custard. No jokes. Now I would refuse it if it was put in front of me....

lalalyn12

Also if you go down to the bare minimum of food choices for a bit you are then "excited" to see stupid stuff like nuts and yogurt and berries. And then once you're a pro at eating stuff that is very low carb you can choose to eat a tortilla every so often or have cereal 3 days a week because you've got this whole thing down and under control.

Let me just say - if you have an addiction to carbs, don't replace the carby stuff with imitation low carb frankenfood. Otherwise you are never going to stop you want of it. I know that once I cut out Culver's Custard (among other bad for you items) I no longer even though of them. Let's put it this way - I know what it's like to crave something because I used to smoke. I was the same way with culver's Custard. No jokes. Now I would refuse it if it was put in front of me....

Ok ok I get what you both are saying, But i am not doing atkins by no means, just lowering my carbs. My problem areas was eating out and eating candy and cakes. So what you see on my food diary is actually great compared to what I usually eat. If my weight stalls or if I feel I am going to run and get a donut or whatever carb then I will go and do the induction phase. The reason I Kept cerea and flat out bread in my diet is because I am not that much of a creative person and I dont want to get tired of chumping on eggs and bacon everyday, and sometimes i am busy and dont have the time to cook,. I also eat my banana before or after my work out. I dont eat them just to eat them, I eat the post workout. Cause I do know that bananas has ALOT of sugar, but thanks for the tips, I am going to see what happens the next few weeks, and tweek it if need be, but I must say did Zumba tonight, didnt have the energy, had a protein drink before and I was able to do the whole class, and afterwards I felt great, so something must be working. But I do have another question What do you do about the constipation, how do you stay regular

zynx1234

I think alot of low carbs are coming from the Primal and Paleo view which is essentially clean eating. All that processed stuff has stuff in it that can really hurt your diet so by fully doing the low carb you learn to actually live it and then it becomes a lifestyle change. Now I am not one to be giving advice cause I havent lost no weight but I fully subscribe to natural clean eating.



Good luck on your journey.

mstorvik

Also if you go down to the bare minimum of food choices for a bit you are then "excited" to see stupid stuff like nuts and yogurt and berries. And then once you're a pro at eating stuff that is very low carb you can choose to eat a tortilla every so often or have cereal 3 days a week because you've got this whole thing down and under control.

Let me just say - if you have an addiction to carbs, don't replace the carby stuff with imitation low carb frankenfood. Otherwise you are never going to stop you want of it. I know that once I cut out Culver's Custard (among other bad for you items) I no longer even though of them. Let's put it this way - I know what it's like to crave something because I used to smoke. I was the same way with culver's Custard. No jokes. Now I would refuse it if it was put in front of me....

Ok ok I get what you both are saying, But i am not doing atkins by no means, just lowering my carbs. My problem areas was eating out and eating candy and cakes. So what you see on my food diary is actually great compared to what I usually eat. If my weight stalls or if I feel I am going to run and get a donut or whatever carb then I will go and do the induction phase. The reason I Kept cerea and flat out bread in my diet is because I am not that much of a creative person and I dont want to get tired of chumping on eggs and bacon everyday, and sometimes i am busy and dont have the time to cook,. I also eat my banana before or after my work out. I dont eat them just to eat them, I eat the post workout. Cause I do know that bananas has ALOT of sugar, but thanks for the tips, I am going to see what happens the next few weeks, and tweek it if need be, but I must say did Zumba tonight, didnt have the energy, had a protein drink before and I was able to do the whole class, and afterwards I felt great, so something must be working. But I do have another question What do you do about the constipation, how do you stay regular

I eat flaxseed, avocado, and almonds or pecans everyday. They have enough fiber to keep me perfectly regular. They are actually where I get most my fiber because in all actuality, veggies are NOT high in fiber - at least not high enough for me.

Also, I had huge problems working out with low carb at first. Then i realized I didn't have all that energy to bust out because I don't have a ton of sugar/glucose in my system to get rid of before I start getting into the "fat burning zone." I've noticed that with a tad less energy (it does come back for the most part after the first few weeks - which were HELL) I am getting a better workout. The muscles I am building actually show now. Kinda neat!

Avocados provide more potassium than a banana without the sugar. And as a bonus, they have magnesium, too! These are those electrolytes that people need after working out. I've also replaced getting my vitamin C from oranges since I found out that red and orange peppers have more vitamin c than an orange! Thought I'd throw that in there - cool stuff I've learned over the last few months of low carbing.

Good luck on your journey!

cramernh

What do you do about the constipation, how do you stay regular

That requires the individual to consume fresh vegetables and to push hydration.

Fiber is the "lubricant" needed by the colon to move fecal material out of the lower GI tract. The water also help keep the fecal material moist (along with the vegetables).

Getting a well balanced variety is key to relieving constipation.

The more exercising you do, the more your body is going to grab hydration from anywhere it can - fecal material included.....

With a good start of 100g of vegetable-related carbohydrates (also if you want to include berries and such), that will help your body maintain homeostasis (a physiological type of balance)....

Unfortunately you have to make the time available to prep fresh foods, regardless of how busy you are. Its the same thing with exercise: you have to make the time for it.

Grab the day you go shopping and also make that a good food prep/bulk cooking day. There are many food items you can prep ahead, and even cook ahead. That way you arent left with quick fixes that might lead you to eating poorly.

Personally for me, I want regular foods for my breakfast in the morning: today, I have fresh oven roasted turkey that I turned into a nice turkey salad, with fresh herbs, celery, onion, green pepper and hellmanns mayonnaise sitting on a bed of Frisee and Romaine lettuce... I cant wait to sink my teeth into that after my protein recovery shake... The normal breakfast items, I like to have that on Sundays when I cook a big New England style breakfast for my husband. Bacon......extra thick cut.....keep it comin'! LOL!

cramernh

I think alot of low carbs are coming from the Primal and Paleo view which is essentially clean eating. All that processed stuff has stuff in it that can really hurt your diet so by fully doing the low carb you learn to actually live it and then it becomes a lifestyle change. Now I am not one to be giving advice cause I havent lost no weight but I fully subscribe to natural clean eating.



Good luck on your journey.

You can promote clean eating all you want - because I said so! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! You are right hun - processed foods can in fact be a detriment.... in any health-related circumstance really.

eyesus34

I'm doing a quasi Atkins, South Beach diet, a low carb Mediterranean, Hunter/Farmer diet combo. I just finished 2 weeks of "induction" and lost 8 lbs. To be honest it was one week of strict compliance and a 2nd week of carb cycling because eggs every morning were starting to make me gag. (The trick I've figured out is to abandon the traditional carb loading breakfast for a non-traditional one like last night's dinner or a meat and vegetable stir fry in the morning.) My "induction period" was 40 grams carbs per day. I can't figure out net carbs so I included every carb I ate whether it came from fiber or not in my 40 gram limit. After 2 weeks I'm adding back fruits and whole grains and increasing my daily carb limit to 60 grams. I can now enjoy either 6 ounces of orange juice in the morning or a 1/2 cup of ice cream at night (but not both). If I still lose weight next week, I may increase my carbs again to 80 per day so that I can have 2 serving carb servings although just being able to have a little bit of fruit has made me happier than I've ever known. I say all that to say, do what works for you. Atkins induction is 20 net carbs. A keto diet is 50 or less grams of carbs per day (I don't think net matters). Maybe you can start by cutting your usual carb intake in half. I think the best way is whichever one works for you. Best of luck.

lalalyn12

I'm doing a quasi Atkins, South Beach diet, a low carb Mediterranean, Hunter/Farmer diet combo. I just finished 2 weeks of "induction" and lost 8 lbs. To be honest it was one week of strict compliance and a 2nd week of carb cycling because eggs every morning were starting to make me gag. (The trick I've figured out is to abandon the traditional carb loading breakfast for a non-traditional one like last night's dinner or a meat and vegetable stir fry in the morning.) My "induction period" was 40 grams carbs per day. I can't figure out net carbs so I included every carb I ate whether it came from fiber or not in my 40 gram limit. After 2 weeks I'm adding back fruits and whole grains and increasing my daily carb limit to 60 grams. I can now enjoy either 6 ounces of orange juice in the morning or a 1/2 cup of ice cream at night (but not both). If I still lose weight next week, I may increase my carbs again to 80 per day so that I can have 2 serving carb servings although just being able to have a little bit of fruit has made me happier than I've ever known. I say all that to say, do what works for you. Atkins induction is 20 net carbs. A keto diet is 50 or less grams of carbs per day (I don't think net matters). Maybe you can start by cutting your usual carb intake in half. I think the best way is whichever one works for you. Best of luck.

Thanks, I have just set mines to just 100, which is 20% of my diet consumption, but since I have been on this 2 weeks, today I checked out my sugar inatake, and I only had 7 grams of sugar that was in my food consumption, that is a big KUDOS for me cause comparing it to the other days, which was days I had fruit, I went from 40 grams of sugar to 7, so Im kind of liking the fact of just consuming a certain amount of carbs vs, strict 20 grams or whatever....iono

StarLeopard

I'm also trying to figure out a happy place for my body's ability to consume some carbs while still losing weight. I didn't see anyone suggest testing for ketones with test strips but that's what I'm doing so I can experiment with different amounts of carbs and then see what the results are on the test strips. Wal-Mart has them in their pharmacy diabetes section for less than $6 for 50 strips. I don't plan to test forever but now, while I'm in the learning mode, I think it helps to see what's going on. Good luck, and definitely add some low glycemic vegetables and fiber to that protein and fat.

TheVimFuego

I'm also trying to figure out a happy place for my body's ability to consume some carbs while still losing weight. I didn't see anyone suggest testing for ketones with test strips but that's what I'm doing so I can experiment with different amounts of carbs and then see what the results are on the test strips. Wal-Mart has them in their pharmacy diabetes section for less than $6 for 50 strips. I don't plan to test forever but now, while I'm in the learning mode, I think it helps to see what's going on. Good luck, and definitely add some low glycemic vegetables and fiber to that protein and fat.

You should be aware that the urine sticks are very unreliable indicators of being in ketosis.

Especially given that if you are efficiently burning ketones (as you will become more able to the longer you restrict the carbs) then you will see less in the urine.

So, you can be in deep ketosis and show nada on a stick.

For $6 it's a fun way of adding interest to toilet breaks but wouldn't rely on the results, for that a blood ketone monitor is best and those aren't cheap when you factor in the cost of the strips.

mstorvik

I'm also trying to figure out a happy place for my body's ability to consume some carbs while still losing weight. I didn't see anyone suggest testing for ketones with test strips but that's what I'm doing so I can experiment with different amounts of carbs and then see what the results are on the test strips. Wal-Mart has them in their pharmacy diabetes section for less than $6 for 50 strips. I don't plan to test forever but now, while I'm in the learning mode, I think it helps to see what's going on. Good luck, and definitely add some low glycemic vegetables and fiber to that protein and fat.

Know that you can be out of ketosis for days and still test positive on the sticks because of the extra ketones leftover running around your body. This happened to me a few weeks ago - I ate over 100 g carbs in a night and it took THREE days for the ketones to go away... And then of course, a week and a half for them to return But I am like you - I pee on the sticks, too!

cramernh

I'm also trying to figure out a happy place for my body's ability to consume some carbs while still losing weight. I didn't see anyone suggest testing for ketones with test strips but that's what I'm doing so I can experiment with different amounts of carbs and then see what the results are on the test strips. Wal-Mart has them in their pharmacy diabetes section for less than $6 for 50 strips. I don't plan to test forever but now, while I'm in the learning mode, I think it helps to see what's going on. Good luck, and definitely add some low glycemic vegetables and fiber to that protein and fat.

You should be aware that the urine sticks are very unreliable indicators of being in ketosis.

Especially given that if you are efficiently burning ketones (as you will become more able to the longer you restrict the carbs) then you will see less in the urine.

So, you can be in deep ketosis and show nada on a stick.

For $6 it's a fun way of adding interest to toilet breaks but wouldn't rely on the results, for that a blood ketone monitor is best and those aren't cheap when you factor in the cost of the strips.

In addition to Vim's response - ketostix are mentioned in several other threads/topics.. however, even the die-hard Atkins patient can even have difficulty hitting even the 15 mark if they are really good at consuming water. We have had plenty of patients at work who were clearly in ketosis (thanks to a blood draw result), but their urine did not go purple-crazy... so Vim is definitely correct - ketostix are not truly viable for the water-lovers (like me - 140oz daily average)...

cramernh

Also - to add to the topic of the the OP's diary..
Lalalyn - if you can clean your intake to an entirely 'fresh' palate.... you would be better off. I dont know what your intake looks like because you have locked your diary however, there is definitely an educational opportunity for you to learn more about the current foods you are choosing to have...

www.glycemicindex.com

The low glycemic foods are the ultimate best foods for any of the low-carb categories.

Bananas are a medium to high glycemic food and are not a traditionally healthy fruit. Foods like bananas cause the body to respond fast with large doses of insulin. The body cannot handle large doses of insulin - the cells in your body start screaming "I DONT WANT ANY MORE LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE" - basically. If the cells dont want the food - the next thing insulin will do is store the food as fat. Fat is stored-energy cells of sugar. And... sugar is a carbohydrate... its a vicious chain of events that the body does - especially in heavy individuals...

I would like to invite you to visit that website - the doctors I work for are friends with the researching team at the University of Sydney that wrote that book.... very easy to read and understand... and it does truly awaken you to realize just how horrible some fresh foods really are...like bananas unfortunately.


Good luck!

StarLeopard

Point well taken about the unreliability of the pee stix but I still think they're better than nothing if one is still learning and has $6. I will definitely take your cautionary observations into account and not get too obsessed over the individual readings. Thanks for your feedback.

lalalyn12

Ok starting Monday, I am going to go cold turkey..no processed foods, fruits,dairy. Im going to do a week of clean eating..im even going to cut the butter if i can. Boiling or baking my chicken or fish, veggies of galor and lets see what that does..

TheVimFuego

Ok starting Monday, I am going to go cold turkey..no processed foods, fruits,dairy. Im going to do a week of clean eating..im even going to cut the butter if i can. Boiling or baking my chicken or fish, veggies of galor and lets see what that does..

Cut the butter? Sounds a bit fat-light to me.

Don't forget to add it in, we need it

cramernh

Ok starting Monday, I am going to go cold turkey..no processed foods, fruits,dairy. Im going to do a week of clean eating..im even going to cut the butter if i can. Boiling or baking my chicken or fish, veggies of galor and lets see what that does..

ummmmm... I dont know if you are truly aware but low carb actually does need the individual to increase the intake of natural fats... dont cut out butter, cheeses are zero to very low carbs per serving... I should take a picture of the freezer door - I have it loaded with butter....

Vim and I are being dead serious... dont pass the butter, embrace it and accept it...

Reserve yourself for berries if you need sweet but be careful with portion control....

TheVimFuego

Without wishing to get too graphic, I think being constipated is probably a decent sign that fat intake is too low.

I feel like a bit of a brief recap, more for my sake than anything else ... anyone feel free to correct me

When low carbing we want to make our bodies burn fat as efficiently as possible, both dietary fat and the stuff we are trying to lose.

We do this by limiting carbs as a primary energy source, so that the body naturally shifts to burning fats/ketones (as it does, to a lesser extent, naturally overnight during sleep).

Protein should not be over-consumed because it will both raise blood sugar (and therefore the fat-promoting hormone insulin) and the liver will create glucose from excess protein (gluconeogenesis). Some of this glucose can be used by the brain but we don't need anything over this for fuel.

The insulin response from protein will not be as great as consuming carbohydrate but it still exists. And so it should as this is what gets the essentials from the protein into the cells/muscle/etc.

So, after limiting the carbs the key is to limit protein to what is adequate for body maintenance and no more.

The rest is fat (naturally occurring fats, including saturated fat).

Given dietary fat will not raise blood sugar (and therefore the fat-promoting hormone insulin) it's pretty easy to see why erring on the side of 'more fat' is a Good Thing.

Just my take on the whole thing, everyone is different, etc

... I'm going to add this to my blog, I need to document my weird ideas as they evolve over time

StarLeopard

I feel like a bit of a brief recap, more for my sake than anything else ... anyone feel free to correct me

Thanks for the good information. That all sounds pretty reasonable to me.

In the FWIW (for what it's worth) department, the ketone test strips have been working well for me over the past week. They appear to correlate well with what I would expect from my daily net carb intake. In only about a week I've found out that I can sustain moderate ketosis with about 40 net carbs per day but that 85 will kick me out. It's still good to know that they are far from perfect but, within their limits, they are useful to me until I get a better overall feel for this. Thanks again for everyone's input.

StarLeopard

So, after limiting the carbs the key is to limit protein to what is adequate for body maintenance and no more.

Can you point me in a direction toward determining what this amount might be? Or just telling me a number would work well too. I just figured out how to modify my goals to 10% carb, 45% protein and 45% fat. Less protein than that? (Those are gross carbs. Net carbs would be more like 7%.) Thanks!

mensasu

... I'm going to add this to my blog, I need to document my weird ideas as they evolve over time

Had to look up how to get to your blog www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/DeadVim
thanks