Need Help Entering Keto...

Hello, hopefully this is the right board to post this on.
I'm trying to start a keto diet, and I was wondering if some more experienced users of this diet could look at my data, and tell me if it should work.

I'm using CRON-O-Meter to track my macros.

My daily goal is:
1776 kcal (I think maintenance is about 2000 to 2200 for me, depending on activity)
20g Carbohydrates (5%, 80 kcal) (net carbs)
75g Protein (17%, 300 kcal)
155g Fat (78%, 1396 kcal)

Today, I wasn't able to reach this goal, and came in at:
1534.8 kcal
16.7g Carbohydrates
70.4g Protein
128.8g Fat

Originally my protein goal was 70g (which is why that's what I had today), but I found that I have a difficult time eating that little protein. I'd prefer to be able to eat more than the 75g that I upped it to, but I've heard that protein can make it difficult to enter ketosis. How much protein should I eat to enter ketosis? I am still growing and mostly sedentary (30min to 2hr of walking most days, sometimes more sometimes less, infrequent other exercise), but am kind of muscular.

This is my first day, so input is really helpful. Anything you have to say (unless you're a troll) would be great!

Also: I ate some cheese (3.9 oz cheddar and 0.7 oz cream cheese) today, and I am wondering if that will hinder my weight loss potential.

Replies

  • DeadKoala
    DeadKoala Posts: 13
    Originally I had posted this on the main weight loss forum, and luckily, somebody directed me here :)
  • tru2one
    tru2one Posts: 298 Member
    There are alot of extremely knowledgeable and helpful folks here that I'm sure will be jumping in to help. I've not done the amount of research into this that others have, so just try to go by what does and doesn't work for me while staying in a ketogenic state.

    When you say that you need more protein, I'm curious why that is? Is it because you're still hungry? You feel sluggish w/ no energy? You're craving things not conducive w/ eating this way? If it's any of those things, I'd look less at protein and more at increasing your fat. But with that being said, I don't think the numbers you're targeting now are off base at all.

    Here's a great resource to help determine what your keto macros should look like: http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/

    There are also great recipes, tips, before and after stories, etc. Very good site!

    Best of luck to you and feel free to friend me...
  • DeadKoala
    DeadKoala Posts: 13
    It's not so much that I feel like I need more protein, as it is that I feel that I would like more protein. It's just a personal preference, since I don't really like drowning my food in oil. I've been a little bit hungry, but not too bad.

    The website you gave me suggests:
    1773 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
    20g Net Carbs (5%, 80 kcal)
    60g Protein (13%, 238 kcal)
    162g Fat (82%, 1454 kcal)

    Which is at least close to what I am doing now. Thanks :)
  • Skoster1
    Skoster1 Posts: 134 Member
    It's not so much that I feel like I need more protein, as it is that I feel that I would like more protein. It's just a personal preference, since I don't really like drowning my food in oil. I've been a little bit hungry, but not too bad.

    The website you gave me suggests:
    1773 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
    20g Net Carbs (5%, 80 kcal)
    60g Protein (13%, 238 kcal)
    162g Fat (82%, 1454 kcal)

    Which is at least close to what I am doing now. Thanks :)

    Was that the minimum protein it suggested?

    What's your lean body mass?
  • DeadKoala
    DeadKoala Posts: 13
    The website that tru2one gave me for calculating said that there could be a 5% fluctuation any direction on any of the macros.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lbm_calculator.htm said that my lean body mass is around 99lbs, but http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi said that it is 94. So I'm guessing it's somewhere in between.
  • Skoster1
    Skoster1 Posts: 134 Member
    The website that tru2one gave me for calculating said that there could be a 5% fluctuation any direction on any of the macros.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lbm_calculator.htm said that my lean body mass is around 99lbs, but http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi said that it is 94. So I'm guessing it's somewhere in between.

    You can have more protein if you want.

    Lately I've read a lot of articles and the final takeaway I found is that it's not a specific number that kicks one out of ketosis, it's a ratio (some people talk about 120-140g but that seems to be an estimate based on the math and is not accurate for the individual case).

    Essentially, you want to eat less protein calories than fat calories. Keeping in mind that each gram of protein has 4 calories and each gram of fat has 9.

    The other important aspect is how much you need to maintain your muscle while on a caloric deficit. Having read a variety of studies I follow the guidelines of between .8g/lb LBM (there is discussion of as low as 0.6, however studies don't consistently seem to support that low of a number) and 1.2g/lb LBM remembering that individuals have great variance and some people need to go a bit below and some people can go above. The .8 is a good place to start. If you find you're still wanting protein you can increase to the 1.0g level and see if you're still in ketosis. Much higher than that becomes pointless unless you're a really serious athlete with extreme training.

    Always keep in mind that high protein diets can be hard on the kidneys, some going well over your needs isn't necessarily recommended.

    References:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6707202/
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/protein-intake-while-dieting-qa.html
  • DeadKoala
    DeadKoala Posts: 13
    Thanks, Skoster1.

    That's very helpful :)

    I think I will stick with 75g and see how it goes.
  • Skoster1
    Skoster1 Posts: 134 Member
    Thanks, Skoster1.

    That's very helpful :)

    I think I will stick with 75g and see how it goes.

    Smart plan! Giving anything adequate time to find out whether it's useful is one of the things that really helped me.