How can I possibly eat this much....

Options
ABrownGrl
ABrownGrl Posts: 41 Member
edited February 2015 in Social Groups
A quick history....

I've been on this weight loss journey for just over two years. I started Keto around July 2014, did well, fell down, did well....you get the idea. This went on until January when something finally clicked in my crazy head and I realized not only do I need to follow this WOE to lose weight, but I feel so much better mentally, emotionally, and physically. I never want to eat carbs or sugar again. They are the root of all evil. They make me physically sick to my stomach if I eat them now.

I'm 5'5, 31, F, sedentary job, SW 283, CW 182. It's taken me two years and I'm down 100 pounds. I think I want to lose about 35 more pounds. I have a blood meter I check my ketones and am consistently between 0.6 and 1.6, usually on the lower end though. I've always done 5/20/75 percent. I "thought" the keto calculator told me it was 20g carbs, 80g protein, and 94g fat. About 1200 cal a day.

BUT....

Today I decided to put my numbers in the keto calculator again and see what it would show for my macros. Well, I'm not sure what I did the last time and how I got my macros set in MFP....but they were way off. I have fixed them but now I'm feeling like there is NO WAY I'll be able to meet my intake. It's telling me a 20% deficit would be 1478 cal, 20g C, 80g P, and 120g F. (5/22/73 percent)

People with experience....do you think my fat intake was too low and that's why I couldn't get into consistent ketosis above 1.0?? I also have been losing quite slow. I feel like all I do is eat. I don't have much of an appetite, and have to force myself to eat.

120 grams of fat in a day is A LOT. I notice when I try to get my fat up my protein also seems to creep up. I might just start eating butter by the spoonful...

TIA for any feedback B)
Amanda

Replies

  • hippygirl325
    hippygirl325 Posts: 223 Member
    Options
    My fat is at 75% and higher most days. It seems crazy if you're not used to eating that way, but once you get in the swing of it it's pretty easy. Add and cook everything with butter, olive or coconut oil. That helps. Look for the most fatty meat cuts. I eat almonds every day. I also eat a lot of random meat and dairy.
  • oyadancing
    oyadancing Posts: 91 Member
    Options
    I think the weight loss has slowed as you've got much less to lose. And that's what I'm telling myself, too :smiley: From what I've read,. 0 5 for blood ketones is ketosis - which means you're doing great - and more ketosis is not necessarily better, but please don't listen to me, YMMV. Dr. Peter Attia's got lots to say on this.

    Recently, I've decided to maximize the fat in my diet, too, primarily to beat back carb creep. To accomplish this, I've had to make sure to choose proteins that come with lots of fat, or else I augment with fat (aioli, bacon fat, butter, bone marrow).

    With 9 calories per gram, 10 additional fat grams while keeping calories stable means removing 22.5 grams of protein; taking in more net fat results in less volume.

    Lastly, some ideas for fatty meats - I've posted something like this list elsewhere, forgive me if you've read it.
    - "Tougher" cuts of meat that work well with braising, slow cookery, and pressure cookers like short ribs, oxtails, tri tip, brisket.
    - Pork (not baby back) ribs. Pork belly. Ham hocks.
    - Fatty fish, fresh (mackerel, salmon) or canned (sardines, herring, kippers)

    My diary is open and you're welcome to take a look and see how fatty it is :smile:
  • tq33702
    tq33702 Posts: 121 Member
    Options
    oyadancing wrote: »
    I think the weight loss has slowed as you've got much less to lose. And that's what I'm telling myself, too :smiley: From what I've read,. 0 5 for blood ketones is ketosis - which means you're doing great - and more ketosis is not necessarily better, but please don't listen to me, YMMV. Dr. Peter Attia's got lots to say on this.

    Recently, I've decided to maximize the fat in my diet, too, primarily to beat back carb creep. To accomplish this, I've had to make sure to choose proteins that come with lots of fat, or else I augment with fat (aioli, bacon fat, butter, bone marrow).

    With 9 calories per gram, 10 additional fat grams while keeping calories stable means removing 22.5 grams of protein; taking in more net fat results in less volume.

    Lastly, some ideas for fatty meats - I've posted something like this list elsewhere, forgive me if you've read it.
    - "Tougher" cuts of meat that work well with braising, slow cookery, and pressure cookers like short ribs, oxtails, tri tip, brisket.
    - Pork (not baby back) ribs. Pork belly. Ham hocks.
    - Fatty fish, fresh (mackerel, salmon) or canned (sardines, herring, kippers)

    My diary is open and you're welcome to take a look and see how fatty it is :smile:

    ^^^^^^
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    Options
    The difference in calories between your 2 calculations equals about 2T of butter --- I think you can handle that.

    That being said, ketosis comes from carbohydrate restriction and adequate protein. If you're staying under 25g net carbs, hitting that protein target of 80g, and filling in fat as needd, you'll be fine. You don't need to hit fat grams as a target.
  • ABrownGrl
    ABrownGrl Posts: 41 Member
    Options
    haha! @kirkor thank you all!
  • kerrihwilson
    kerrihwilson Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    What about calories? Do we need to be conscious of creating a calorie deficit? I'm very confused
  • sweetteadrinker2
    sweetteadrinker2 Posts: 1,026 Member
    Options
    What about calories? Do we need to be conscious of creating a calorie deficit? I'm very confused

    OP has the opposite problem, feeling like she's cramming in more calories than her body wants. But if you're after weightloss a caloric deficit is still necessary.
  • radiii
    radiii Posts: 422 Member
    Options
    What about calories? Do we need to be conscious of creating a calorie deficit? I'm very confused

    Some people on keto find that carb restriction limits their hunger to the point that when they simply eat until they're full, they end up eating at a reasonable caloric deficit and that they don't actually have to count calories. It just works and weight comes off and it feels like magic. It doesn't work that way for everyone though, and yeah, you need to eat at a caloric deficit to lose weight on keto (at least past the initial water weight loss).
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
    Options
    What about calories? Do we need to be conscious of creating a calorie deficit? I'm very confused

    For weight loss, yes, you have to be at a calorie deficit. I have found, for myself, that I can eat slightly more daily calories, around 1500 on LCHF and lose, as opposed to a regular SAD at 1200 with no loss. But every body is different, so the key is finding what works for you. Good luck!
  • croooz
    croooz Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    Don't eat. Since you're on MFP track your food but if you're not hungry just don't eat that meal or day or whatever. Eat when you're hungry and track the food. Track but not to hit any calculated value but to get an idea how much you eat that keeps you satisfied. You may find you do not need as many calories as a calculator is telling you. Calories matter however with ketosis there's more at play than simply calories in/out. So don't switch what you've been doing just to eat the "correct" number of calories or macros. Eat and track based on hunger.
  • JennyToy
    JennyToy Posts: 149 Member
    Options
    what kirkor said!
  • ABrownGrl
    ABrownGrl Posts: 41 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    y'all are some smart folks! :) I think sometimes my OCD gets to my head and I'm looking for perfection. Silly....I know. I've failed SO many times, I'm scared of it happening again.
  • croooz
    croooz Posts: 48 Member
    Options
  • radiii
    radiii Posts: 422 Member
    Options
    ABrownGrl wrote: »
    think sometimes my OCD gets to my head and I'm looking for perfection. Silly....I know. I've failed SO many times, I'm scared of it happening again.

    Not silly at all, this is something I've been working on over the last year. Both the OCD issue and the fear of failure b/c I've failed so many times. I've lost 70 pounds in a year, I have 35-45 to go, I'm well over halfway there!! I still have moments where I think that one little screwup might trigger binge after binge and I'll gain 70 pounds back and more in a couple weeks. This was a near constant concern for me for the first 8 months or so. There wasn't a switch that flipped for me or anything, but at some point I actually, honestly became confident with the idea that "I've got this, I'm actually going to succeed". Mindset is a huge part of the battle.


    The OCD... I'm very "all or nothing" with many things, and diet has been that way too over the years. This leads me to phases where I obsessively weigh and log everything, where I spend my free time on keto forums reading about everything that can possibly happen to everyone on keto and compare my experiences. But I just can't do that forever, I go crazy. In the past, this has led to literally all or nothing backlash. Welp, I can't do it perfectly, so I give up, and drown myself in soda for the next 2 years. I wish I could offer you some advice on this, but all I can say is good luck. For whatever reason, again, my mindset is different. I don't log all the time, or even most of the time, and I have stalls that aren't really stalls, I'm just eating closer to maintenance. But I'm ok with it. It's absolutely happening, just taking a little longer than if I was perfect. But that's ok!

  • kerrihwilson
    kerrihwilson Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Thanks for the reply. There are so many opinions on this way of eating ... Very hard to know what's best. I like the advice to do what works for me. I can't wait to find out what works!!