Ketogenic Diet - How many carbs do you eat?
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wlsuser9
Posts: 7 Member
I do a lot of reading about low carb/kenogenic diets, and typically I see people are in ketosis and losing weight between 20-60 net grams of carbs a day. I began my "low carb" (not low enough for some people) with a goal of <100 net grams a day, and I've lost about 2 lbs a week. My current calorie goal is 1200 because that's just what was recommended when I first joined myfitnesspal, and I really eat between 1100-1800 net calories, depending on my exercise and how many low carb snacks I decide to eat. I used ketostrips when I first started my diet, I had small to trace amounts detected and I was losing weight. I haven't used a test strip in a few weeks, but I've been keeping my carbs consistently lower than when I first started, anyway. I am on the cross country team at my college, so exercise is a necessity for me. I used to just eat whatever I wanted around 1200 calories a day, and would lose weight, but I couldn't stick to it and never got results like I have been eating a reduced carb amount.
To anyone else who eats reduced carbs and exercises around 40 min a day 6 days a week, how many carbs do you eat to lose weight? Heck, even if you don't exercise, please let me know.
I am probably going to buy more test strips to make sure I'm doing it right, but sometimes I think I might be eating too many carbs, and I just lose weight because of the amount of calories I eat. I just don't know! I hope to find somebody who can eat as many carbs as I do and still be burning fat!
To anyone else who eats reduced carbs and exercises around 40 min a day 6 days a week, how many carbs do you eat to lose weight? Heck, even if you don't exercise, please let me know.
I am probably going to buy more test strips to make sure I'm doing it right, but sometimes I think I might be eating too many carbs, and I just lose weight because of the amount of calories I eat. I just don't know! I hope to find somebody who can eat as many carbs as I do and still be burning fat!
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Replies
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I don't work out everyday, and when I do, it's just vigorous walking. I aim for as close to zero as possible, with no more than 75g in any one day. It's almost always way less than that. Also, a ketogenic diet isn't just low carb, it's also high-fat. If you can do at least 50% of calories from fat, that would help out any ketosis.
On a personal note, I'd encourage you to not get too caught up focusing on the strips. I was like that for a long time and it frustrated me more than it helped (although it did help a bit).0 -
As a diabetic who controls my glucose with diet, I eat a ketogenic diet of 65-70% of my calories from fat, 25-30% from protein and a maximum 5% from carbohydrate. I will occasionally have more carbohydrate on days where I'm doing considerable exercise - such as a 100km bike ride, a 5 hour mountain hike, etc.
I ONLY have more carbohydrate IF I'm burning it while exercising. IE: I'll eat it within 30-45 minutes prior to exercise.
To GET ketogenic I did 2 weeks of 20-30g a day. That, combined with exercise, got me into ketosis in a few days, actually. I slowly added more carbohydrate into my diet - but found 5% on normal days was my threshold for good glycemic control. (On high-exercise days I can eat up to 10% with no issues.)
The amount (in grams) of carb you have that keeps you in ketosis will obviously vary depending on your caloric intake.
I normally eat up to 3,000 calories a day - as such 40g daily is about 5%. On a 5,000+ calorie day (not uncommon for me when doing endurance exercise) I may eat 120g or more...
My daughter recently started a ketogenic diet for weight-loss. She doesn't really count calories, just eats reasonably, and keeps her carbohydrate intake about 20g a day. She lost 20lbs in the first 3 weeks.0 -
Thanks for the replies. I do keep my fat intake at 50% so I guess that should be helping. I'd have a hard time eating only 20g of carbs a day. That seems so low to me. My average is 87g, and I'm losing weight.0
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Ketogenic Diets are crazy. Why not just eat mostly fruits and vegetables with moderate amounts of fat and protein?0
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I have now started the Ketogenic diet and its hard to cut carbs when I love Pasta
I will do this to loose my weight and slowly add the carbs back in. Good luck on your diet!!0 -
Ketogenic Diets are crazy. Why not just eat mostly fruits and vegetables with moderate amounts of fat and protein?
I learned today that fruits have tons of carbs. Avoid them like the plague 0 -
Ketogenic Diets are crazy. Why not just eat mostly fruits and vegetables with moderate amounts of fat and protein?
I learned today that fruits have tons of carbs. Avoid them like the plague
Good luck with looking good without them. heh0 -
OP... under 100 keeps you in ketosis... most start really low and do some pump workouts to burn out all the glycogen and get into ketosis dfast.. youll feel like crap til your body adjusts.... many do a TKD (targetted ketogenic diet) when they eat more carbs surrounding workouts.... You can do this and perform better in the gym while staying in keto... also, once youve been in keto for over a month people often jump out of keto (refeed) for a day or so just to let their body even out and improve training capacity... do your research
Keto isnt crazy but you should be doing some supplementation since you cant really eat much fruit.... I wouldnt make it a lifestyle, but, its fine for quite a while.... Some people do really well switching their energy source to fat... others never adjust
its the right answer for plenty of people.. especially overweight people who just dont have the capacity to eat carbs in moderation... (too big of a psychological bond)
im talking about eating the same amount of calories as woudl be suggested by any diet.... not some stupid fad diet that says eat whatever the F you want as long as its not carbs.. thats just stupid..0 -
From what I read and heard, Ketosis makes the body acidic and you may lose bone density since the body uses minerals from bone to alkalize it.OP... under 100 keeps you in ketosis... most start really low and do some pump workouts to burn out all the glycogen and get into ketosis dfast.. youll feel like crap til your body adjusts.... many do a TKD (targetted ketogenic diet) when they eat more carbs surrounding workouts.... You can do this and perform better in the gym while staying in keto... also, once youve been in keto for over a month people often jump out of keto (refeed) for a day or so just to let their body even out and improve training capacity... do your research
Keto isnt crazy but you should be doing some supplementation since you cant really eat much fruit.... I wouldnt make it a lifestyle, but, its fine for quite a while.... Some people do really well switching their energy source to fat... others never adjust
its the right answer for plenty of people.. especially overweight people who just dont have the capacity to eat carbs in moderation... (too big of a psychological bond)
im talking about eating the same amount of calories as woudl be suggested by any diet.... not some stupid fad diet that says eat whatever the F you want as long as its not carbs.. thats just stupid..
Why not try mostly fruits and vegetables if they normally eat mostly carbs? unless they are diabetic. I suppose fats are cheaper than fruits and vegetables.its the right answer for plenty of people.. especially overweight people who just dont have the capacity to eat carbs in moderation... (too big of a psychological bond)0 -
Keto isn't for me, but I completely understand it for diabetics / medical reasons. I understand why people may want to eat also just meat or just raw or just the dew off a virgin blade of grass in the Himalayas, but I think a balanced diet is what's right for me.
It's just odd to train your body to function in a way it really wasn't intended like most people's brains run on sugar, but it can make use of ketones when there are lack of carbs in a diet.0 -
Ketoacidosis is the acidic state. Not ketosis. As for bone-density: Studies are inconclusive - there are as many that correlate ketogenic diets with loss-of-bone density (correlation is NOT causation) as there are that show no measurable affect whatsoever.From what I read and heard, Ketosis makes the body acidic and you may lose bone density since the body uses minerals from bone to alkalize it.
It depends on the individual. The clinically obese, especially as they get older, are more-prone to insulin-resistance than others. So even without a Dx of diabetes, the obese are often insulin-resistant and NEED to reduce carbohydrate.Why not try mostly fruits and vegetables if they normally eat mostly carbs? unless they are diabetic. I suppose fats are cheaper than fruits and vegetables.
Insulin resistance causes high levels of circulating insulin in the blood, which is clinically shown to both 1) cause cravings for carbohydrate and 2) is the hormone responsible for ingested carbohydrate to be stored as fat.
This is why so many obese people do well on a VLCKD (very low-carb ketogenic diet) where others have failed them.
For those that enjoy carbohydrate, usually as the weight comes off, they can gradually increase the carbohydrate consumption and maintain weight loss. Those that go OFF the VLCKD have a tendency to gain it all back. Talk to anyone that used to be 350+ lbs and maintained weight loss - the almost all exclusively stayed low-carb.0 -
OK so ketones from ketosis are acidic and prolonged excess of ketone bodies can overwhelm normal compensatory mechanisms, leading to acidosis. Why risk your bone density?
Ketoacidosis is the acidic state. Not ketosis. As for bone-density: Studies are inconclusive - there are as many that correlate ketogenic diets with loss-of-bone density (correlation is NOT causation) as there are that show no measurable affect whatsoever.From what I read and heard, Ketosis makes the body acidic and you may lose bone density since the body uses minerals from bone to alkalize it.
It depends on the individual. The clinically obese, especially as they get older, are more-prone to insulin-resistance than others. So even without a Dx of diabetes, the obese are often insulin-resistant and NEED to reduce carbohydrate.Why not try mostly fruits and vegetables if they normally eat mostly carbs? unless they are diabetic. I suppose fats are cheaper than fruits and vegetables.
Insulin resistance causes high levels of circulating insulin in the blood, which is clinically shown to both 1) cause cravings for carbohydrate and 2) is the hormone responsible for ingested carbohydrate to be stored as fat.
This is why so many obese people do well on a VLCKD (very low-carb ketogenic diet) where others have failed them.
For those that enjoy carbohydrate, usually as the weight comes off, they can gradually increase the carbohydrate consumption and maintain weight loss. Those that go OFF the VLCKD have a tendency to gain it all back. Talk to anyone that used to be 350+ lbs and maintained weight loss - the almost all exclusively stayed low-carb.
They should eat slow digesting carbs with fruits and vegetables and lean proteins and they would lose weight.
I doubt almost all of them are low carb. If they go off the diet they will most likely gain the weight back like you said and they have to eat more carbs eventually or risk dying from acidosis. There are far better alternatives to losing weight.0 -
It is INCREDIBLY rare for excess ketone bodies to lead to acidosis, as it also requires excess glucose in the bloodstream - which ketogenic diets prevent.OK so ketones from ketosis are acidic and prolonged excess of ketone bodies can overwhelm normal compensatory mechanisms, leading to acidosis. Why risk your bone density?
As for bone-density, there's no validity to the idea that ketogenic diets reduce bone-density.
I don't think you understand nutrition and metabolism where it relates to digestion of carbohydrate. Even "slow digesting carbs" raise serum glucose levels. They simply do it for a longer period, but have the same overall impact on glycemic control and insulin levels as rapidly digested carbohydrate in the same amount. To suggest otherwise is like believing it's OK to eat 3 candy bars each if spaced one hour apart, but not 3 candy bars at once. Same net impact, sorry.They should eat slow digesting carbs with fruits and vegetables and lean proteins and they would lose weight.
You seriously do NOT understand acidosis. Ketogenic diets pose NO risk of acidosis. NONE. You are confusing ketosis with ketoacidosis which are two very different biochemical states.... and they have to eat more carbs eventually or risk dying from acidosis. There are far better alternatives to losing weight.0 -
I've eaten as many as 60g net per day and still pissed and breathed acetone.0
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OK so ketones from ketosis are acidic and prolonged excess of ketone bodies can overwhelm normal compensatory mechanisms, leading to acidosis. Why risk your bone density?
Ketoacidosis is the acidic state. Not ketosis. As for bone-density: Studies are inconclusive - there are as many that correlate ketogenic diets with loss-of-bone density (correlation is NOT causation) as there are that show no measurable affect whatsoever.From what I read and heard, Ketosis makes the body acidic and you may lose bone density since the body uses minerals from bone to alkalize it.
It depends on the individual. The clinically obese, especially as they get older, are more-prone to insulin-resistance than others. So even without a Dx of diabetes, the obese are often insulin-resistant and NEED to reduce carbohydrate.Why not try mostly fruits and vegetables if they normally eat mostly carbs? unless they are diabetic. I suppose fats are cheaper than fruits and vegetables.
Insulin resistance causes high levels of circulating insulin in the blood, which is clinically shown to both 1) cause cravings for carbohydrate and 2) is the hormone responsible for ingested carbohydrate to be stored as fat.
This is why so many obese people do well on a VLCKD (very low-carb ketogenic diet) where others have failed them.
For those that enjoy carbohydrate, usually as the weight comes off, they can gradually increase the carbohydrate consumption and maintain weight loss. Those that go OFF the VLCKD have a tendency to gain it all back. Talk to anyone that used to be 350+ lbs and maintained weight loss - the almost all exclusively stayed low-carb.
They should eat slow digesting carbs with fruits and vegetables and lean proteins and they would lose weight.
I doubt almost all of them are low carb. If they go off the diet they will most likely gain the weight back like you said and they have to eat more carbs eventually or risk dying from acidosis. There are far better alternatives to losing weight.
You do not die from ketosis. I've seen people in *ketoacidosis*, it's not pleasant and NOT the same thing as ketosis. As an obese person I've tried the diet you say obese people should eat and it didn't do jack **** except raise my insulin level and keep me fat. Bad advice for the insulin resistant.1 -
The total amount you can ingest and still stay in ketosis will depend on your overall metabolism and daily caloric intake. As a big guy (I'm 6'3" and a true mesomorph - I'm usually around 220 when at 11% bodyfat) I can eat over 100g a day and maintain ketosis.I've eaten as many as 60g net per day and still pissed and breathed acetone.
A 120lb woman, however, might have issues maintaining it at 60g ... I find 10% of calories from carbohydrate usually maintains ketosis for exercising individuals already-in a ketogenic state. A little bit lower for those who cannot (for whatever reason) exercise.0 -
I do a lot of reading about low carb/kenogenic diets, and typically I see people are in ketosis and losing weight between 20-60 net grams of carbs a day. I began my "low carb" (not low enough for some people) with a goal of <100 net grams a day, and I've lost about 2 lbs a week. My current calorie goal is 1200 because that's just what was recommended when I first joined myfitnesspal, and I really eat between 1100-1800 net calories, depending on my exercise and how many low carb snacks I decide to eat. I used ketostrips when I first started my diet, I had small to trace amounts detected and I was losing weight. I haven't used a test strip in a few weeks, but I've been keeping my carbs consistently lower than when I first started, anyway. I am on the cross country team at my college, so exercise is a necessity for me. I used to just eat whatever I wanted around 1200 calories a day, and would lose weight, but I couldn't stick to it and never got results like I have been eating a reduced carb amount.
To anyone else who eats reduced carbs and exercises around 40 min a day 6 days a week, how many carbs do you eat to lose weight? Heck, even if you don't exercise, please let me know.
I am probably going to buy more test strips to make sure I'm doing it right, but sometimes I think I might be eating too many carbs, and I just lose weight because of the amount of calories I eat. I just don't know! I hope to find somebody who can eat as many carbs as I do and still be burning fat!
Hey girl! I too am in college and try to stay under 1200cal and have carb concerns as well. I'll share w you everything I've learned, note that I'm writing this from my phone so i won't be linking my resources but I assure you they're out there!
First off, and simply put, a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss regardless of how you go about getting your calories. That said, for keto specifically I've found much debate about counting calories. On the one hand, when we eat higher fat diets, like keto, folks tend to feel satiated for a longer period of time, so in general there's less eating since people feel full while coincidentally being at it under their target caloric goal. On the other hand, some people have a snack habit, or for one reason or another want to eat and run the risk of exceeding their caloric goal. In my opinion it seems silly to work so hard counting my carbs just to "stall" my progress by eating too many calories. I personally count my calories, but don't stress if they're a touch over or under per day so long as my weekly looks good.
About carbs, there's so much research out there describing different approaches for various results. I've read the classic carb up before heavy work outs or a cyclic keto diet (ckd) that some athletes are in to, and I've read research where (in this case) runners were able to improve overall on keto because their muscles weren't running on glucose. The approach that I've read as most successful is reducing the work out initially on keto so the body fully acclimates- the amount of time varies person to person. Then train as usual up to where your goals are. Some folks at this point decide to have a regular carb up before workouts, or a once/twice weekly carb up, or none at all. I've found the best and happiest results seem to be when the person listens to their body. For me, I aim to keep a strict ratio of 5%net carbs, 65% fats, and 30% protein. I haven't had any issues maintaining this ratio, and its server as a great goal for me to plan my meals by.
As far as how many carbs knock you out of ketosis, it varies by person. I've seen some people certain its one number or another, but person to person is different! On average the large majority of people will be in ketosis having 30g-50g carbs per day. There are however people who exist and their limit is higher or lower. As mentioned, I aim for 5% of my intake, which is 15g net carbs. ( I do hope you're subtracting your fiber from the carb count listed on the nutrition facts to get the net carbs as your body doesn't process fiber). The most net carbs I've eaten is 24 while on keto, so I'm unsure what my upper limit is. Initially when I was uncertain I could do 5% net carbs per day I decided to stay below 30 net at all costs lol. Thus far i haven't had any carb ups and feel like my running is doing great, I've got lots of energy, and I understand my muscles needed to adjust to running a little differently on keto.
With your keto test strips, depending how protein heavy, dairy heavy, water heavy you most recent meal was you may not be reading an accurate amount of ketones. The most accurate time to do the test is with you first pee in the morning. Low ketone levels imply your body still has carbs/sugars to run on for the most part and only needed to oxidize and burn some fat. Keep in mind that though dietary fat is not equivalent to body fat directly, if it doesn't get burned it'll get stored [read as: it important to count your calories]. High ketone readings mean you're running on mostly ketones, yay!
I don't know what your goals are with keto; weight loss, lifestyle change, bulking on muscle, etc. but your goal will help determine what kind of keto diet you should do. Above all, listen to your body and ask lots of questions if you have them.0 -
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OK so ketones from ketosis are acidic and prolonged excess of ketone bodies can overwhelm normal compensatory mechanisms, leading to acidosis. Why risk your bone density?
Ketoacidosis is the acidic state. Not ketosis. As for bone-density: Studies are inconclusive - there are as many that correlate ketogenic diets with loss-of-bone density (correlation is NOT causation) as there are that show no measurable affect whatsoever.From what I read and heard, Ketosis makes the body acidic and you may lose bone density since the body uses minerals from bone to alkalize it.
It depends on the individual. The clinically obese, especially as they get older, are more-prone to insulin-resistance than others. So even without a Dx of diabetes, the obese are often insulin-resistant and NEED to reduce carbohydrate.Why not try mostly fruits and vegetables if they normally eat mostly carbs? unless they are diabetic. I suppose fats are cheaper than fruits and vegetables.
Insulin resistance causes high levels of circulating insulin in the blood, which is clinically shown to both 1) cause cravings for carbohydrate and 2) is the hormone responsible for ingested carbohydrate to be stored as fat.
This is why so many obese people do well on a VLCKD (very low-carb ketogenic diet) where others have failed them.
For those that enjoy carbohydrate, usually as the weight comes off, they can gradually increase the carbohydrate consumption and maintain weight loss. Those that go OFF the VLCKD have a tendency to gain it all back. Talk to anyone that used to be 350+ lbs and maintained weight loss - the almost all exclusively stayed low-carb.
They should eat slow digesting carbs with fruits and vegetables and lean proteins and they would lose weight.
I doubt almost all of them are low carb. If they go off the diet they will most likely gain the weight back like you said and they have to eat more carbs eventually or risk dying from acidosis. There are far better alternatives to losing weight.0 -
When I started low carb I was around 40, but it didn't become me too well. I felt very sluggish, lead in the legs. Some suggested to lower it to 20 g. and eventhough it looked odd to me to lower even more it seems to work for me, I am way more alert and active. At the moment my rates are 70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs.0
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