devermee wrote: »

1st post here - joined MFP about 1.5 weeks ago and so far have lost 4 lbs!!
I'm trying to eat lower carb/high protein and feel like I'm eating the same things over and over.

Breakfast is egg bake with spinach & lean ham, Greek yogurt
Lunch is Spinach salad with grilled chicken and dressing
Dinner is hard with 3 young kids so this varies and may end up having some carbs unless I cook two different meals.
Snacks: almonds, peanuts, peppers/hummus, light string cheese, mini baby bell cheese, hard boiled eggs

Any other suggestions that are not too complicated?

Also, talk to me about protein drinks. Are they beneficial, if so, why? Or do the just add un-needed calories?

Thanks!

Dever;

As BJ posted, there is an endless supply of LC recipe sites free for the taking on the interwebs - some better than others just takes a little time searching.

Here's one to get you started:
http://tinyurl.com/mgxm3gb

Why the "lean" ham? - you WANT the fat.

Once you get up to speed on LC meal recipes (or modifying your current "favs" to LC) there should be no need for "two different meals". Not only can LC be every bit as tasty, it's MUCH healthier for you kids and gets them off on the right foot, nutrition wise.

As to protein drinks, not necessary (unless, maybe, you're training for a marathon or the atlas body builder competition. 20-25% protein/day is plenty (usually somewhere around 60-80g depending on the individual is fine).

For many it's tough in the beginning to keep the protein down to the level required and more is NOT better (one reason being that excess protein will be converted by the body to sugars) - so, short answer = a waste of money.

Those choices sound great. It reminds me that I need to hard boil some eggs. I love fruit but not much of a veggie girl. So I try to insert a fruit in my lunch and breakfast everyday. I like tomatoes and mushrooms the best and use them in my meals at night.

just made this for my lunch today. I happen to eat very little right now, so I have it divy up in smaller portion sizes. May take 2 servings for others compared to me. I added 3 steamed asparagus spears on the side with 10 calories and 2 carbs for that.

Betty's Buttery Garlic Shrimp (36 count)

11.4oz - 36 Fisherman's Wharf Raw Shrimp Peeled & Deveined, Tail Off
1 1/2 tbsp Great Value Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp Old Bay with Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 Tbsp Blue Bonnet Butter
1 Tbsp Land O Lakes Garlic & Herb Butter

1. Preheat oven 350F. Apply cooking spray to baking sheet.
2. Place drained and towel blotted dry shrimp into a large bowl. Add olive oil and minced garlic. Using hands toss the shrimp until well coated.
3. Spread shrimp on baking sheet and bake for 6-8mins, until pink or opaque and cooked through.
4. Once done, remove from oven. Put both tbsps of butter into a serving bowl with lid. Add the shrimp on top and replace lid. Gently shake the bowl to allow the warm shrimp to melt the butter and mix well.
5. Makes 6 servings of 6 shrimp each. Each serving has 68 CALORIES, 0 CARBS, 4g PROTEIN, 6g FAT, 224mg SODIUM, 0 POTASSIUM, and 35mg CHOLESTEROL.

alterone1982 wrote: »

I'm new here too and am doing low carb/high fat. This is more cooking than I usually do but it was my day off.........

Today for breakfast I had: 2 eggs scrambled topped with salsa, full fat sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro and half of an avocado.

For Lunch: I made a spread out of 1 oz of neufchatel cheese, chopped green olives and onions. I used that to make roll ups with thin sliced deli ham and lettuce leaves. I made a homemade tomato soup from canned diced tomatoes and whipping cream.

For dinner: I fried pork chops and made a sauce for them out of the pan scrapings, mustard, chicken broth and whipping cream. I had green beans with butter. Spaghetti squash with butter. -I made potatoes for my husband .

I went a little over my goal for carbs, but was still under 50g. I'm trying not to focus on calories too much but was really surprised I was under 1400.

Alt:

Sounds like you made very good, individual choices and yes while cals do matter, it's really quite easy to keep them to a reasonable limit while enjoying LC "friendly" (and delicious) foods.

I haven't done the numbers (would be easier if you opened your diary for others to review) but, more important than the cal count is the macro balance (fats, carbs, and protein). Not saying today's menu is not properly "balanced" (just don't know) but keep it in mind if you haven't been focusing on it.

Being able to prepare your foods at home opens up a world of possibilities so take advantage of doing so whenever your schedule allows. Dining out is a little more difficult but far from impossible.

alterone1982 wrote: »

I set my goals at 33 carbs, 87 fat, and 98 protein based on an online calculator I came across.
I was a low on protein and a little high on the fats and carbs today. Do those goals sound reasonable?

Alt;

As percentages they equal 10% Carbs, 65/Fat, 25/Protein, so yes they sound very reasonable for LCHF, especially for someone starting out.

As you progress on your journey, and depending on whether or not you decide to move toward induction (ketosis) you'll want to drop the carbs below 20 (for a couple/few weeks), increase fats to something close to 75% and reduce protein closer to 20% (rough numbers and based on 1400 cals.

But don't be in too big of a rush to get there - give yourself time to adjust and to get comfortable with the requirements of the diet food wise. After you are able to hit the current goals pretty much every day for a couple weeks (and the "hungrys" go away) drop another 5 carbs, adjust, and then another 5...
You'll "just know" when/if you are ready and if you're not (for whatever reason), be happy and celebrate your success on LCHF.

Nothing says you "have" to go there as 33 carbs is a MAJOR step in the right direction, but the benefits of keto are many. If you decide to stick with the 33 carbs, I would shoot for lowering protein to 20% and raising fat to 70 - choice is yours.

Without knowing all the details (age, weight, exercise, etc) it's just a WAG but 88 protein (25%) is likely more than you need and with protein, more is not better so I wouldn't go any higher.

Pinterest is a GREAT idea for low carb stuff. Also, weclome!

deansdad101 wrote: »

alterone1982 wrote: »

I set my goals at 33 carbs, 87 fat, and 98 protein based on an online calculator I came across.
I was a low on protein and a little high on the fats and carbs today. Do those goals sound reasonable?

Alt;

As percentages they equal 10% Carbs, 65/Fat, 25/Protein, so yes they sound very reasonable for LCHF, especially for someone starting out.

As you progress on your journey, and depending on whether or not you decide to move toward induction (ketosis) you'll want to drop the carbs below 20 (for a couple/few weeks), increase fats to something close to 75% and reduce protein closer to 20% (rough numbers and based on 1400 cals.

But don't be in too big of a rush to get there - give yourself time to adjust and to get comfortable with the requirements of the diet food wise. After you are able to hit the current goals pretty much every day for a couple weeks (and the "hungrys" go away) drop another 5 carbs, adjust, and then another 5...
You'll "just know" when/if you are ready and if you're not (for whatever reason), be happy and celebrate your success on LCHF.

Nothing says you "have" to go there as 33 carbs is a MAJOR step in the right direction, but the benefits of keto are many. If you decide to stick with the 33 carbs, I would shoot for lowering protein to 20% and raising fat to 70 - choice is yours.

Without knowing all the details (age, weight, exercise, etc) it's just a WAG but 88 protein (25%) is likely more than you need and with protein, more is not better so I wouldn't go any higher.

Thanks for the the food for thought.

Welcome! Pintrest is a good place as well as Yummly, My Low Carb Family, and I Breathe I'm Hungry (just google search and they'll pop up).

Not sure if you planned on it but, your macros might be primed for ketosis already. Get yourself some keto sticks if you'd like to check. In the beginning, I went into ketosis at 50 net carbs (fiber cancelling out 20 carbs so I actually had 70). Everyone is different. I've since limit myself to your carb intake..around 35mg (net).

I sent you a friend request.

High protein is hard on the liver and kidneys. For people who want ketosis if there's too much protein the body will convert it into glucose to burn vs burning fat.

frob23 wrote: »

BansheeCat wrote: »

High protein is hard on the liver and kidneys.

Source?

This is one reference that I've found which states otherwise, which was a review of just that sort of claim.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129142/

For people who want ketosis if there's too much protein the body will convert it into glucose to burn vs burning fat.

There is evidence that neoglucogenesis (sp) is demand, not supply, driven. That is, your body only turns as much protein into glucose as it actually needs. It doesn't just convert protein willy-nilly to glucose because it can. That said, there is evidence that large intakes of protein have an inverse effect on the amount of ketones in the blood (the more protein, the lower the level of ketosis).

http://www.ketotic.org/2012/08/if-you-eat-excess-protein-does-it-turn.html

I don't recommend shooting for 300g of protein a day. But, I wouldn't worry or stress with any reasonable level of intake (70g-180g, for example). Even on the high end, you're well below the levels where the amount could have negative effects. On the high end, you may not be in very deep ketosis, but it's never kicked me out. Even over 200g in a day and I was still at 0.7 on my blood meter (0.5 or higher is considered in ketosis).

I think BansheeCat's referring to the diets that are low carb, low fat, high protein -- ie. most of the person's calories are coming only from protein. One of the ratios I found in the article you linked put a 40/30/30 (c/f/p) diet under the name of "high protein" by ADA standards (which considers anything with more than 20% protein as "high"). While this is "high" by the standards of a lot of diets, it's not what I'd consider actually high (my personal opinion of a "high X" diet is that X is over 50% of calories on its own).

One of the common things I see when people fail or have issues with a low carb diet is that they come from a low fat mindset, so their fat is by default at something like 10% of calories or less, and they don't increase this when they drop their carbs. They go down to something under 20% carbs, and raise their protein, instead. I've seen people who have goals of something like 25g fat, 50g carbs, and 285g protein. This situation is dangerous (protein toxicity) and hard on the kidneys, because at that point, the body simply doesn't have enough fuel from carbs and fat alone, and has to convert protein (especially paired with a high activity level). At the very least, this tends to be a recipe for failure, because protein alone doesn't provide long-term satiety, and as a defensive mechanism, the body will turn on insatiable cravings for carbs and/or fat in order to drive the person to get the nutrients they need (it also becomes a problem for the "image" of low carb diets, because that person is more likely to say things along the lines of "low carb doesn't work" or "low carb is a fail" or whatever, which can keep people who would benefit from a proper low carb diet away). Then, there's also the problem of GI issues, because there isn't either adequate fibre or fat to keep things regular (saw this one in a person, too -- she had a similar ratio as above and was taking laxatives and thinking "that's just how things are"; I managed to talk her into eating more fat and she no longer needed the laxatives).

Also, it's gluconeogenesis, though it's not the only way protein can blunt ketosis. Protein, itself, triggers an insulin reaction (since insulin is a growth hormone). It's usually smaller than carbs (except whey, which is on par with white bread in its insulin triggering). Ketosis is modulated by insulin, so the more insulin, the fewer ketones will be made (this is also why ketoacidosis only occurs in insulin dependent Diabetics).

Also, it's gluconeogenesis

I knew it was spelled wrong. That's why I put the (sp) after it. Despite knowing it, I couldn't see why it was wrong this morning. When I checked it by typing it in google, I spelled it right. Saw the same spelling that I had typed. But failed to see that it was different from the post.

My response to the high protein was mostly in response to the statement that this danger to the kidneys and liver was based on a 35% protein, 35% fat, 30% carbs attempted macro balance (actual balance closer to 30% protein / 45% fat / 25%). At the attempted macro balance, a person would need to consume over 3,200 - 4,200 calories a day before the protein amount would be near the limits of an 80kg adult [referring to the max safe intake range from the above study]. At the actual balance it would be even more calories. If someone is eating boiled and drained lean meat, it's possible to get sick from the protein pretty quickly (Steffanson had it happen in a matter of days when intentionally fed a diet of almost no fat and pure protein). Or if someone intentionally loaded up on only protein (maybe consuming massive amounts of protein isolate and nothing else).

But, eating normal food with a normal amount of fats to satiety? It's nearly impossible to reach the levels where it's harmful. Is saying 50% protein or more is probably a problem reasonable? Yeah, I would agree with that. I find it's hard to really get 50% of your calories from protein without intentionally trying to up protein and avoid fats/carbs. Mainly, if someone eats real foods without intentionally avoiding the natural fats, then I doubt they'll run into a problem.

Does protein cause an insulin response? Yes. Does protein have an inverse effect on the level of ketones in the blood? Yes. I'm not denying either of those. I don't think it's because too much protein automatically becomes glucose beyond the needs of the body. I also don't believe the effect is severe enough that people need to greatly concern themselves about not going "moderately" above their protein goal. If your goal is 65g-90g of protein a day and you happen to eat 130g, that's not going to ruin ketosis for you. You might not be as deep in ketosis as you otherwise would, but you'll be fine. And, if that flexibility reduces anxiety about diet and success, I believe it's better in the long term.

Assuming normal caloric goals (1,500-2,000 calories a day) eating normal foods, I'd say it's almost impossible to reach levels of protein intake where you need to be concerned about causing liver and kidney damage. If a person has existing liver or kidney problems, they may need to approach protein intake much more cautiously.

Also, as one becomes more adapted to keto, they may want to experiment with various levels of protein intake and see which range works best for them in regards to both weight loss and also dietary satisfaction. I believe, although some may disagree, that slightly slower weight loss by eating a combination of foods that satisfies you most, is better than a slightly faster weight loss eating a combination of foods that you're not as satisfied with. The first one is more likely to be successful long term.

Basically, my point is to not fear protein. It's unlikely to be eating an amount that is harmful unless you're intentionally eating foods that are pure proteins. And, the negative effects (what ones there are) are likely not significant enough to warrant avoiding a steak which would please you because it would put you over your protein macro.

Frob: I don't think anyone is fearing protein here. Getting most of your caloric intake from protein is the cautionary tale I was eluding to. To clarify, one can damage liver and kidneys that were healthy to begin with. You need not have previous impairment to cause damage if you're on a low carb, low fat, high protein diet. Referring to ketosis, this is when protein can be transferred into glucose stunting the ketosis process.

The reason I brought this up to the poster was in reference to macros with high protein.

Quite a few people think before researching that LCHF is a high protein diet. Almost all my discussions with misinformed people shoot back "That's a lot protein!" It's not too far from the truth to say some have acted on that misconception. Like Dragonwolf had mentioned, for many the low fat mantra is difficult to break away. What some people think is LCHF is a macros of low carb, moderate fat, high protein. After all, moderate fat macros is still a breakaway from status quo being pushed by many health organizations as optimum health maintenance.

My apologies go out to Devermee for taking her post off topic.

devermee wrote: »

BansheeCat wrote: »

My apologies go out to Devermee for taking her post off topic.

That's Ok, I'm trying to follow.
Does anyone have a reputable link for me to best research LCHF diet to see what I think will work best for me?

Dev;

BC has offered a great list to get you started.

I'd add the following:

Go to youtube and search for,

Gary Taubes
Steven Phinney
Jeff Volek
Fathead the Movie
The Diet Doctor
Jimmy Moore
the list goes on....

There are any number of videos and once you get tuned in the best ones give you leads to the others, you can literally spend many hours just absorbing the wisdom and research.

And, the two best "bibles" (IMO) - both on kindle for 10 bucks or so
tinyurl.com/p5opadk
tinyurl.com/phpzxmf