unsure of amount of carbs,protein,fat I should be eating

Hi. I am new to all of this. I decided to give this a try because people have raved about it because of the weight loss and just feeling better. I am just 4-5 days in and I have had night sweats, no hunger (weird for me) and I just bought some keto sticks and it looks as though I am in a moderate level of ketosis. I thought that it would take a while to get into that but...I am peeing ALOT!!!! Hopefully the sweats stop soon and I get more energy....feel a bit lethargic but I heard that Bulletproof ( a concoction of coffee with cream, coffee, butter and I think MCT oil) really amps up your energy! So, I will give it a try...I am confused about the amount of grams of each (fat, protein and carbs) that I should be eating. I am tracking my food now but not sure what I should be aiming for in terms of grams of each...although my carbs I believe are good (around 25g)...can anyone shed some light on this...I feel a bit overwhelmed but I don't want to give up...thanks!

Replies

  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    You want enough protein to maintain lean mass, without it knocking you out of ketosis. This is generally in the ballpark of 100g, in my experience. The formula is .5-1g per pound of lean body weight.

    Your carbs are good, so then just fill the rest of your calories with fat. It might look scary high, but that's what you want.
  • That helps alot!!! Thank you!...Fat does scare me so i have to get use to that...I also just find myself having my protein (in grams) close to fat grams on some days and I don't know a way around it...
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Include other fats besides what's on meat. I can't see your diary, but I'd venture to guess that you're getting most of your fats from sources that come with protein. That's a great start, but as you've found, ends you up with too much protein.

    Easy ways to get more fat include:

    - Making fat bombs. There are a number of recipes on the internet, just find one that sounds good and fits into any other restrictions you may have and give it a shot.
    - Drinking Bulletproof Coffee or butter tea. The original Bulletproof Coffee recipe is very specific on the ingredients, but it doesn't really have to be -- a cup of coffee, a tablespoon or two each of butter and coconut oil, mixed with a blender, and you're good to go. Butter tea is basically the same, just with butter and tea.
    - Toss all vegetables in a fat. The specific fat doesn't much matter, it's all about flavor. I've personally found that bacon grease and clarified butter are great on grilled asparagus, for example.
    - Use full cream or canned coconut milk in any place you'd use milk. The canned part of coconut milk is the important part with that, because the kind you find in the carton is severely watered down and generally has a ton of additives. (Coconut milk and cream make a great base for a green smoothies, by the way.)
    - MOAR BACON! (And save the bacon grease!) Yep, bacon's a great source of more fat, since the bacon itself is largely fat. Cook some up and keep a drippings bowl and you're good to go.

    Also, start branching out with your fats. Not all sources of fat are created equal, not just in nutrients, but also in taste and good purposes. Here are are few of the staples we have at my house:

    Butter. I've fallen in love with salted Amish roll butter, but be warned, it's more salty than regular salted butter (they do sell an unsalted, though). Any real butter is fine, though (ingredients should read something like "sweet cream, salt" or "cultured cream," because that's really all you need). As an added bonus, for a fun project, buy some cream and make your own butter.

    Clarified butter/ghee. Clarified butter and ghee are simply regular butter that's been slowly heated, so that the fat, proteins, and sugars separate out. The difference between ghee and clarified butter is simply that ghee is heated a little longer, which brings out more of the unique flavor. While clarified butter is "simply" butter with the rest of the milk parts removed, it changes the flavor and texture, which can add new depth to different foods.

    Bacon grease. For one, it's good to not waste things. It's also great for greasing baking pans (like, for egg muffins).

    Lard. Different taste from bacon grease. Also the secret to pie crusts. And the best fries you could possibly imagine (treats, of course).

    Coconut oil. My second favorite oil to butter. Coconut oil is great for sauteing and skillet frying...and popping popcorn....and....just about anything else you want to do with it, because it's extremely versatile.

    Olive oil. Good for dressings and making mayo (avocado oil and macadamia oil are supposed to be good for mayo, too, but that depends on your tastes).

    Anywho, that's all I have time for. Hope this helps get you started, though.
  • klindema
    klindema Posts: 55 Member
    I googled "keto calculator" and used the one at anklr- but I think everyone falls pretty close to a 5% carb, 20% protein, 75% fat split. Once you update your macros in MFP it will break down your grams for you. I also eat a little more protein on days when I'm more active, the calculator shows you a range. Good luck!
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    klindema wrote: »
    I googled "keto calculator" and used the one at anklr- but I think everyone falls pretty close to a 5% carb, 20% protein, 75% fat split. Once you update your macros in MFP it will break down your grams for you. I also eat a little more protein on days when I'm more active, the calculator shows you a range. Good luck!

    Agree! When I started Keto my percentages were 15/15/70. After a while I had changed it to 10/15/75. You can always change you ratio % as you progress and your needs / requirements change.
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    Dragonwolf wrote: »
    Include other fats besides what's on meat. I can't see your diary, but I'd venture to guess that you're getting most of your fats from sources that come with protein. That's a great start, but as you've found, ends you up with too much protein.

    Easy ways to get more fat include:

    - Making fat bombs. There are a number of recipes on the internet, just find one that sounds good and fits into any other restrictions you may have and give it a shot.
    - Drinking Bulletproof Coffee or butter tea. The original Bulletproof Coffee recipe is very specific on the ingredients, but it doesn't really have to be -- a cup of coffee, a tablespoon or two each of butter and coconut oil, mixed with a blender, and you're good to go. Butter tea is basically the same, just with butter and tea.
    - Toss all vegetables in a fat. The specific fat doesn't much matter, it's all about flavor. I've personally found that bacon grease and clarified butter are great on grilled asparagus, for example.
    - Use full cream or canned coconut milk in any place you'd use milk. The canned part of coconut milk is the important part with that, because the kind you find in the carton is severely watered down and generally has a ton of additives. (Coconut milk and cream make a great base for a green smoothies, by the way.)
    - MOAR BACON! (And save the bacon grease!) Yep, bacon's a great source of more fat, since the bacon itself is largely fat. Cook some up and keep a drippings bowl and you're good to go.

    Also, start branching out with your fats. Not all sources of fat are created equal, not just in nutrients, but also in taste and good purposes. Here are are few of the staples we have at my house:

    Butter. I've fallen in love with salted Amish roll butter, but be warned, it's more salty than regular salted butter (they do sell an unsalted, though). Any real butter is fine, though (ingredients should read something like "sweet cream, salt" or "cultured cream," because that's really all you need). As an added bonus, for a fun project, buy some cream and make your own butter.

    Clarified butter/ghee. Clarified butter and ghee are simply regular butter that's been slowly heated, so that the fat, proteins, and sugars separate out. The difference between ghee and clarified butter is simply that ghee is heated a little longer, which brings out more of the unique flavor. While clarified butter is "simply" butter with the rest of the milk parts removed, it changes the flavor and texture, which can add new depth to different foods.

    Bacon grease. For one, it's good to not waste things. It's also great for greasing baking pans (like, for egg muffins).

    Lard. Different taste from bacon grease. Also the secret to pie crusts. And the best fries you could possibly imagine (treats, of course).

    Coconut oil. My second favorite oil to butter. Coconut oil is great for sauteing and skillet frying...and popping popcorn....and....just about anything else you want to do with it, because it's extremely versatile.

    Olive oil. Good for dressings and making mayo (avocado oil and macadamia oil are supposed to be good for mayo, too, but that depends on your tastes).

    Anywho, that's all I have time for. Hope this helps get you started, though.

    I also like Red Palm Oil (this is NOT the same as Palm Kernel Oil). To me, red palm oil has a slightly nutty, slightly sweet flavor which sometimes reminds me of sweeter squash...like pumpkin. I find it very tasty especially when added to any meat and veggie dish.
  • apple852hk
    apple852hk Posts: 210 Member
    If anyone is still reading this in 2019 - here's a link to a good keto calculator: https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator
  • Romwriter57
    Romwriter57 Posts: 10 Member
    [quote="Dragonwolf;c-21597867"
    Lard. Different taste from bacon grease. Also the secret to pie crusts. And the best fries you could possibly imagine (treats, of course)]

    Everything I've read about lard with Keto says NOT to use what you find in stores because it's too processed. Ask the butcher for animal fat and render it yourself or locate a local farmer or meat processor who'd be willing to share or sell you some animal fat to melt down. Just sayin'...to each his/her own. :-)