Low carb noob in need of assistance

DannehBoyy
DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've started a low carb diet today and i'm struggling make up the calories and eat at my maintenance. I just ate something without knowing how much fat was in it and had more than i planned to have :grumble: . Is it ok to have more fat than usual if your going low carbs?

Also, does anyone know of some foods that i can eat that are low in fat and high in calories? :smile:

Replies

  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    YES!
    When you are eating low carb, you should be eating HIGH fat...that's your energy. It is NOT a good idea to be eating low carb/low fat.

    Bacon, cream cheese, full fat cheese, ground beef (not the lean stuff), full fat dressings, sour cream....these are all ways to add calories and fat to balance out leaner protein sources like fish and chicken or low calorie foods like veggies.

    What are ratios set at for fats/protein/carbs?
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
    YES!
    When you are eating low carb, you should be eating HIGH fat...that's your energy. It is NOT a good idea to be eating low carb/low fat.

    Bacon, cream cheese, full fat cheese, ground beef (not the lean stuff), full fat dressings, sour cream....these are all ways to add calories and fat to balance out leaner protein sources like fish and chicken or low calorie foods like veggies.

    What are ratios set at for fats/protein/carbs?

    Wow, couldn't have asked for a better answer :) thank you

    ...and i didn't change my ratios yet, i thought as long as i ate low carbs i'd keep everything else how it was, and just get loads of protein in, but i'll change them so that my fat is higher now :D

    What ratios would you say are good for low carb?
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    I'm trying to find the keto calculator online which I have seen people like to help you calculate a ratio. It takes into account your goals, approximate lean body mass, etc for your ratio.

    It really is individual. Mine are set to 75% fat/20% protein/5% carb but I probably have more to lose than you do and with the mindset it is an aggresive goal. I see ratios vary between 60-75% fat/20-30% protein/5-15% carbs.

    Just another side note: that would be NET carbs. Carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols will get you to NET carbs. This is the *new* Atkins way, however there are several people that follow the "old" Atkins way of counting carbs, no matter if they are from fiber or sugar. That can also be very individual. I would stick to net for the time being, especially if you don't eat any of the packaged low carb foods or sugar free candy which all contain alot of sugar alcohols.
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
    I'll have a look for the calculator too, that sounds good. I am trying not to eat too much bread and rice, and other starchy carbs. I'm also trying to keep my diet as unprocessed as possible.

    I've now changed them to 20carbs/45protein/35fat, i hope that works ok for me. Would most people usually keep their sugars low on a low carb diet then?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    yes, many low carb people are also low sugar as sugar itself isn't a necessary nutrient / carbohydrate so an easy one to target.
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
    yes, many low carb people are also low sugar as sugar itself isn't a necessary nutrient / carbohydrate so an easy one to target.

    thank you, how many grams would you say is considered low carb btw? under 100?
  • ThomasGinter
    ThomasGinter Posts: 36 Member
    Here is a great post about setting your Calorie and Macro targets:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Most adult men need a minimum of 1g of protein/lb of lean body mass (LBM). LBM is calculated as Your Weight * (1-%body fat). As far as fat goes the typical calculation for an appropriate amount is 0.35g/lb of body weight. When setting your ratios in MFP you just set the percentage for fat and protein that gets as close as possible to the amount you need, carbs gets the remaining amount.
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
    Thanks man, i'll check this link out! :)
  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
    "Low carb" has many different meanings. I live a ketogenic lifestyle (http://www.butterisnotacarb.com/what-is-a-ketogenic-lifestyle/) and my ratios are 70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs. Low carb can also meaning 50-150g carbs a day. It depends what your goals are.

    Most definitely you need to eat more fat if you cut carbs. I see you changed it to 20c/45p/35f. Eat like that for a while and see if it helps; if it doesn't, I'd reverse the protein and fat ratios and try that (a while = 4-6 weeks).

    Best of luck!
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
    Thanks for the advice ! :)
  • Betta2
    Betta2 Posts: 11 Member
    Good keto info: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/ This is the keto calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ There are also a number of keto groups here on MFP; just go to Groups and search keto and a number of them will come up. Your don't have to be in keto to be on a low carb diet.

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