Keto Diet vs Low Carb
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lisamarie2181
Posts: 560 Member
Hey Everyone!
For members doing low carb and keto, can you please differentiate the two? I have adjusted my carbs to net below 50, it has only been a week and my first three days have been all over (day 1 was 20 something, past two were around 40), does being under 50 put you in ketosis or do you have to be under 20? Does your body burn fat instead of carbs ONLY in ketosis or will it do it just being low carb?
What is the Net Carb count for the Keto Diet? As I have read I understand it to be high fat low carb, but what about protein? Can it be high or is it supposed to be lower then fat? Can you give me any recommendations on what you have your macros set to?
I have my calories at 1839, and I have not adjusted my macros yet because I am not sure where to put them because I just want to make sure I net under 50. I eat a lot of fiber so my carbs shown are usually over 50, but once I take the fiber out I am below. My carbs either come from veggies, or dairy, and I sometimes eat the Low carb tortillas from Mission. I also try to make sure my sugar is either equal to my fiber or lower.
I do this for medical reasons, I have PCOS and I have been stalled on the scale for three months, I have been losing inches, but after this long I should still see something on the scale, and I was trying to see if this may be why. I was around 130 carbs, netting below 100 - now I am netting below 50.
Please let me know if you can give me some advice and also if you have any tips or things you find help you stay low, please share, I would love hear your experiences.
Thanks!
For members doing low carb and keto, can you please differentiate the two? I have adjusted my carbs to net below 50, it has only been a week and my first three days have been all over (day 1 was 20 something, past two were around 40), does being under 50 put you in ketosis or do you have to be under 20? Does your body burn fat instead of carbs ONLY in ketosis or will it do it just being low carb?
What is the Net Carb count for the Keto Diet? As I have read I understand it to be high fat low carb, but what about protein? Can it be high or is it supposed to be lower then fat? Can you give me any recommendations on what you have your macros set to?
I have my calories at 1839, and I have not adjusted my macros yet because I am not sure where to put them because I just want to make sure I net under 50. I eat a lot of fiber so my carbs shown are usually over 50, but once I take the fiber out I am below. My carbs either come from veggies, or dairy, and I sometimes eat the Low carb tortillas from Mission. I also try to make sure my sugar is either equal to my fiber or lower.
I do this for medical reasons, I have PCOS and I have been stalled on the scale for three months, I have been losing inches, but after this long I should still see something on the scale, and I was trying to see if this may be why. I was around 130 carbs, netting below 100 - now I am netting below 50.
Please let me know if you can give me some advice and also if you have any tips or things you find help you stay low, please share, I would love hear your experiences.
Thanks!
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Replies
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Forget net carb silliness on keto. Just stay under 50.0
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Keto is an extreme version of a low carb diet there carbs are kept to less than 50g a day. There not enough glucose in the diet to provide the body with energy, so energy is generated from body fat, dietary fat, gluceogenesis (making glucose from protein), and ketosis (producing ketone bodies in the liver for brain fuel).0
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As far as I understood, when you go low carb your body switches to burning fat instead of carbs. Is that true of all low carb or just when you go into ketosis? I am just confused by this because I hear some say yes and then others say you have to be under 20 carbs to be in ketosis and change to burning fat.
Also just incase anyone is wondering about my diet, I try to get an even balance of meat and veggies and add in the fats where I can. I have been eating at least 7-10 servings of veggies a day, still working on adding more varieties since it is only week one, and I have had to double my portions of meat to be able to get enough cals.0 -
As far as I understood, when you go low carb your body switches to burning fat instead of carbs. Is that true of all low carb or just when you go into ketosis? I am just confused by this because I hear some say yes and then others say you have to be under 20 carbs to be in ketosis and change to burning fat.
You burn more fatty acids for fuel (both dietary and stored) because carbs are unavailable.
However, whether there is any NET FAT LOSS is determined by your calorie balance, same with any other diet.0 -
Forget net carb silliness on keto. Just stay under 50.
Yup. I max at 30 during keto.
Keto = protein at or below lean body mass. So if youre 90lbs lean mass its 90g protein roughly. Range can be 80-100.
Carbs <30 if you can make it. <50 may be alright, you'll have to experiment
Rest of the calories come from fats. Doesn't matter what it is.
If you're doing it for medical reasons I can understand that but for the individual who does engage in exercise it's not a smart move. Been there, done that, not again. Remember to have a carb day 1x/week after 4-5 weeks of SKD.0 -
i find keto so hard to stay on and get in enough calories, what are people using for fats? to get my calories from fats id have to eat alot of peanut butter...0
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I do have my cals set to 20% from my TDEE, and since I have started this approach I have been losing inches and my BF has gone down, so I do make sure to hit my cals as close as possible. But because of the PCOS, you do need to play around with your carb numbers to see what your body can tolerate weight loss wise. Mine were on the higher side of low carb before, so I didn't know if me being just around 50 will really make that big of a difference from where I was before. I know inch loss is more important, but after 3 months of no change on the scale, I think something needs to be altered so I tried this.
It just seems like alot of people say you only burn fat instead of carbs when you go into ketosis and I wasn't sure what really constituted as low enough or if it is even necessary to be in ketosis. I can't go below 20 carbs, I want to make sure I am always getting in enough veggies, so that is why I gave myself the 50 limit so I can get them in.
I don't want to label I am following atkins/southbeach/keto etc. because I'm not, I am really just eating clean low carb this is my lifestyle, I find it easy to stick to low carb because I have had to for many years because of my medical condition, I just want to make sure I am doing it the best I can.
Thank you for your help, I appreciate it
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i find keto so hard to stay on and get in enough calories, what are people using for fats? to get my calories from fats id have to eat alot of peanut butter...
Too many carbs and peanut butter is inflammatory. Also, organic peanut butters have alpha-toxins. Use oils, cream cheese, heavy cream, mayo etc. Its very low density meals, that one reason I dislike it.0 -
i find keto so hard to stay on and get in enough calories, what are people using for fats? to get my calories from fats id have to eat alot of peanut butter...
I have been getting my fats from meat, dairy, butter (i know prob not the best lol ), oil. Also can do nuts, and avocados. I think though too because I haven't changed my macro setting yet, that I really should be eating more and I don't know if that is going to be a problem. I get around 80 to 100g of fat, my protein is usually between 130-150 (which my LBM is at 145, so I think that is ok) so I wasn't sure exactly what to change my macros too because it just shows my consumed which usually shows over 50, but when I take the fiber out I am below 50. My cals are around 1800 and day one I did find it hard to get to my cals, so overloaded more on meat.0 -
I do low carb. I have netted between 50 and 75 for the last 3 months. Going to kick it down now with the holidays approaching so I can speed things back along and jolt the system again one last time to kick in the final stretch of 30 for me. But anywho....
Yes, you will still burn fat at 50, just more slowly. Your body SHOULD still go into Ketosis below 100, it's just a lower ratio of ketosis than at lowered carbs. Keep in mind too the other factors:
You will be losing a LOT of water right away. Drink Plenty of WATER (real Water, not coffee or anything made with water counting as your water that some follks do.) The lower the carbs, the better chance of constipation... watch out for this. My recommendation: Chia seeds. Drink them until you allow yourself dairy and add them to yougurt.. I eat Activia. BAD TASTE in mouth... the lower the carbs, the worse the aftertaste that remains in your mouth. Brush often, save yourself enough carbs to allow at least two pieces of gum per day, and WATER lots of it will help this some. IT is not a good idea to stay below 35 for a prolonged time. remember, the carbs you eat in the start (induction) should only be vegetable. No sugar, no processed flour. sugars and flours will slow the ketosis, even in fruit and dairy. Limit these the first couple of weeks and add them in slowly after.
Exercise! Can't tell you enough how many people say they feel the fatigue from low carb. IT CAN happen. Some people have been said to get low carb flu. it's your body fighting off your effort and adjusting to the change. IF these symptoms are severe, add carbs back and once you feel better reduce them Slowly down to induction level. Exercising will give you energy as you build your stamina and you will soon notice that you don't crave certain foods and that you can eat and feel full on shockingly little amounts of food.0 -
It just seems like alot of people say you only burn fat instead of carbs when you go into ketosis and I wasn't sure what really constituted as low enough or if it is even necessary to be in ketosis.
What people neglect, when discussing effects of low carb dieting, is that while fat oxidation increases, so does fat consumption. You are oxidizing more fat and you are consuming more fat. In a non ketogenic diet where carbs are higher, you are oxidizing more carbs and less fat but you are consuming less fat. It's basically a wash.
What matters is NET CHANGE in bodyfat, not short term substrate utilization.0 -
Forget net carb silliness on keto. Just stay under 50.
Yup. I max at 30 during keto.
Keto = protein at or below lean body mass. So if youre 90lbs lean mass its 90g protein roughly. Range can be 80-100.
Carbs <30 if you can make it. <50 may be alright, you'll have to experiment
Rest of the calories come from fats. Doesn't matter what it is.
If you're doing it for medical reasons I can understand that but for the individual who does engage in exercise it's not a smart move. Been there, done that, not again. Remember to have a carb day 1x/week after 4-5 weeks of SKD.
What do you mean about the exercise? I do cardio 3x a week (Mon/Fri/Sun) and Full Body Strength 3x a week (tues/thurs/sat), is this not good with low carb or just when doing keto? I don't specifically want to follow the keto, but I wasn't sure if being under the 50 would automatically put me there.
I posted this before I saw your reply -
I eat 1839 cals, I get around 80 to 100g of fat, my protein is usually between 130-150 which my LBM is at 145 - so do my numbers look okay or do I need to add more fat? As you said about the protein it seems like I am in my range, what do you think?
thank you for you help 0 -
I do low carb. I have netted between 50 and 75 for the last 3 months. Going to kick it down now with the holidays approaching so I can speed things back along and jolt the system again one last time to kick in the final stretch of 30 for me. But anywho....
Yes, you will still burn fat at 50, just more slowly. Your body SHOULD still go into Ketosis below 100, it's just a lower ratio of ketosis than at lowered carbs. Keep in mind too the other factors:
You will be losing a LOT of water right away. Drink Plenty of WATER (real Water, not coffee or anything made with water counting as your water that some follks do.) The lower the carbs, the better chance of constipation... watch out for this. My recommendation: Chia seeds. Drink them until you allow yourself dairy and add them to yougurt.. I eat Activia. BAD TASTE in mouth... the lower the carbs, the worse the aftertaste that remains in your mouth. Brush often, save yourself enough carbs to allow at least two pieces of gum per day, and WATER lots of it will help this some. IT is not a good idea to stay below 35 for a prolonged time. remember, the carbs you eat in the start (induction) should only be vegetable. No sugar, no processed flour. sugars and flours will slow the ketosis, even in fruit and dairy. Limit these the first couple of weeks and add them in slowly after.
Exercise! Can't tell you enough how many people say they feel the fatigue from low carb. IT CAN happen. Some people have been said to get low carb flu. it's your body fighting off your effort and adjusting to the change. IF these symptoms are severe, add carbs back and once you feel better reduce them Slowly down to induction level. Exercising will give you energy as you build your stamina and you will soon notice that you don't crave certain foods and that you can eat and feel full on shockingly little amounts of food.
I definitely get my water in! I try to stay constant at 168oz a little short some days. I have a 56oz bottle pretty much at my side lol I am not really starting under 20, I have been doing low(er) carb for years, so I don't really have any issues with carbs anymore. I do try to make sure my carbs are coming from veggies and dairy and I am trying to eliminate the tortillas I have been using, they are super high in fiber and only 6 net carbs, but not sure if this could have a negative effect. My fiber usually come in between 30-50 most days, if I ate more meat then veggie, then usually around 20 or so. I try to get in as many servings of veggies as I can for sure. I did atkins long long ago, and all I pretty much ate was meat and dairy. I now understand how malnourished I probably was and I was definitely not counting cals back then, just carbs, so I am thinking that was why I didn't really lose. Didn't understand the whole importance of cals like I do now
Thank you so much for sharing, looks like you have been very successful with this, definitely gives me hope that I am in a good range 0 -
Cells need glucose to metabolize fat for energy properly. When a person has poorly controlled diabetes, is fasting or starving, or follows a very low carbohydrate/high protein diet, his or her cells must use greater than normal amounts of fat for energy. Under these conditions there is not enough glucose available for cells to metabolize the fat efficiently and excessive amounts of ketone bodies (chemicals that result from incomplete fat breakdown) form. Cells in the muscles and brains can use ketones for energy, but a condition called ketosis occurs when these compounds accumulate in the blood. If not treated, ketosis can disrupt the body's ability to maintain normal blood chemistry and can result in loss of consciousness or even death.
A nutritionally adequate diet should include 45-65% of total calories coming from carbohydrates and 130g of carbohydrates is what is recommended to prevent ketosis. Being that we have PCOS, I assume this number would have to be adjusted because of issues like insulin resistance. In terms of burning fat, it's not the most ideal and isn't the way the body is naturally programmed--we're programmed to use the glucose in carbs as our main source of energy. The Keto diet and ones similar are okay in the short run, but it can be pretty dangerous to try to sustain them for long periods of time. I know this is going to be redundant and nothing you haven't heard already or are already doing, but sticking to complex carbs rather than the simple refined carbs.
Not sure if this is helpful at all.. 0 -
I found this study http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/35
it limited the carbs to 20...
Of course it doesn't give any info as to WHAT THE HECK the participants were eating on a daily basis which is really annoying!
I would suggest contacting one of the authors of the study. Also, the references listed at the end contain many possible resources for you.
good luck 0 -
I found this study http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/35
it limited the carbs to 20...
Of course it doesn't give any info as to WHAT THE HECK the participants were eating on a daily basis which is really annoying!
I would suggest contacting one of the authors of the study. Also, the references listed at the end contain many possible resources for you.
good luck
thanks teresa!! I will check it out 0 -
ooops I read it again more thoroughly...they actually do mention a basic overview of what the subjects were encouraged to eat so that's good but it would probably be a good idea to see if there were any caloric restrictions or exercise restrictions etc...0
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read it again...they actually do mention a basic overview of what the subjects were encouraged to eat so that's good but it would probably be a good idea to see if there were any caloric restrictions or exercise restrictions etc...
Would have also been nice to have a control group0 -
i find keto so hard to stay on and get in enough calories, what are people using for fats? to get my calories from fats id have to eat alot of peanut butter...
steak.0 -
I am new to this, but my reading has told me that you need to net under 30 g of carbs a day to go into Keto.
I am also doing a cycling plan with one carb night per week, and I workout (cardio and free weights, swimming) a minimum of 6 times per week.
I also understand that you should not do both "low carb" AND "low fat," rather one or the other is necessary for your body to burn for energy. The low-carb-high-fat diet has been effective for me so far, and for fats I eat mayonnaise, butter, olive oil, cheese and meat.
There are a couple of low-carb groups on here (one called The Daily Thread that is great), and the intro articles have some informative links that helped me get my head around what I was doing. Good luck!0
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