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Is calorie creep sabotaging my progress?

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darlingdani83
darlingdani83 Posts: 44
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Hi everyone!

I'm writing this because I've had less than desirable results lately after having a period of stellar weight loss, and I have to wonder if perhaps I'm consuming a few too many sneaky calories? To be clear, I keep my carbs and protein well in control, carbs are usually 4-7% of my caloric intake and protein is 25-30%, with the remainder from fat. According to my diary, I usually consume 1800-2000 calories a day, which is a 30% deficit from my maintenance level.

While I am very careful not to let any carbs sneak in, I'm probably having more calories throughout the day because I have 3-4 cups of coffee a day and I drink those super white and full of cream. When I get coffee at home I use whipping cream and coconut oil, but when I'm out and about I usually have to use half and half, which I know is a little higher in carbs. So basically what I'm wondering is, how much impact do those extra calories have? I know it's somewhat of a controversial topic in the keto community; some say that as long as you restrict carbs and protein, calories don't matter much, especially if they're from fat. Others are more concerned about calories and feel that it is crucial to keep them under a certain level. Does anyone have any good resources about this that you'd like to share, or any experiences you'd like to discuss? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks a lot, and sorry for the detailed/lengthy post. I'm just going a little crazy trying to figure this out! Any help would be definitely appreciated :)

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  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    I've read research that goes both ways. Some studies show that you can reduce body fat percentage even in a mild caloric surplus (somewhere <10% over TDEE), especially with resistance training. I've also read some studies that seem to indicate that every calorie counts even in ketosis, and that you can gain body fat eating fat and protein... but those ones didn't really have an accurate count of HOW MUCH over TDEE the subjects in the trial were consuming.

    So, first off, you're not "having a stellar period of weight loss". You are "having a stellar period of body fat reduction while retaining or building lean muscle mass". :D

    Once you're in that mindset... SCALES LIE. Measure your body fat any way you can. Get some squeeze calipers and body tape, find an electric scale to use that measures it, use a handheld device as a last resort... I don't have a scale at home, I use the blood pressure machine at my local grocery store that also weighs you and gives you your BMI and tests your body fat and stuff. Over the course of two months of eating pizza and beer and not running or lifting, I went from 175lbs 19.5%BF to 175lbs 26.5%BF. It was a real shocker.

    Personally, I try not to worry as much about extra calories, like from chewing gum or whatever. If anything, I bounce around in my cubicle, drop and do 10-20 push-ups, whatever. :D
  • darlingdani83
    darlingdani83 Posts: 44
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    I've read research that goes both ways. Some studies show that you can reduce body fat percentage even in a mild caloric surplus (somewhere <10% over TDEE), especially with resistance training. I've also read some studies that seem to indicate that every calorie counts even in ketosis, and that you can gain body fat eating fat and protein... but those ones didn't really have an accurate count of HOW MUCH over TDEE the subjects in the trial were consuming.

    So, first off, you're not "having a stellar period of weight loss". You are "having a stellar period of body fat reduction while retaining or building lean muscle mass". :D

    Once you're in that mindset... SCALES LIE. Measure your body fat any way you can. Get some squeeze calipers and body tape, find an electric scale to use that measures it, use a handheld device as a last resort... I don't have a scale at home, I use the blood pressure machine at my local grocery store that also weighs you and gives you your BMI and tests your body fat and stuff. Over the course of two months of eating pizza and beer and not running or lifting, I went from 175lbs 19.5%BF to 175lbs 26.5%BF. It was a real shocker.

    Personally, I try not to worry as much about extra calories, like from chewing gum or whatever. If anything, I bounce around in my cubicle, drop and do 10-20 push-ups, whatever. :D

    Good point about the body fat reduction over weight loss. I do have a body fat monitor, which hasn't budged much (although that's not surprising.) As for inches, I had a loss of 4.5 inches at the beginning of January, but nothing since then. I suppose the thing I really want to know is if I'm just being impatient, or if I should really be concerned? Obviously I'm not going to go and binge on carbs regardless, so in a way it's a moot point, but it would be nice to understand what I can expect in the next coming months.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
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    Avoid drinking 3-4 cup of coffee's in a day. I am not sure what size coffee you drink but its hard to fit 3-4 cups with in a 2000 calorie diet, especially full cream or half and half. I usually have an heavy cream cap from star bucks and keeps me pretty full through out the day. The secret for me is to stop eating when full and eat when I am hungry.
  • FXOjafar
    FXOjafar Posts: 174 Member
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    Do you track your coffees? I do. 100cal for each one with 30ml of cream in them. I resist most days and only have 2 or 3 cups when if I didn't hold back I would be having about 5 :)

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