New guy hoping to stick around
callmetj86
Posts: 5 Member
Hey all,
I've decided to give this low carb keto thing a try given my recent and unfortunate plateau in calorie counting.
Here are my current stats:
Sex: Male
Height: 5"8
Weight: 258
Daily calorie goal: 2000 for weight loss
Weight loss goal: 30lbs by mid June.
Today was my first real attempt at a low carb diet. Given that I normally consume around 180g/day, I have a lot to work on and I am aware of how challenging this endeavor will be. Essentially I would like to bring my carbs down to around 40g/day.
While I feel like I did a decent job today, I went over my carb limit - currently sitting at 53g after dinner
I've decided to give this low carb keto thing a try given my recent and unfortunate plateau in calorie counting.
Here are my current stats:
Sex: Male
Height: 5"8
Weight: 258
Daily calorie goal: 2000 for weight loss
Weight loss goal: 30lbs by mid June.
Today was my first real attempt at a low carb diet. Given that I normally consume around 180g/day, I have a lot to work on and I am aware of how challenging this endeavor will be. Essentially I would like to bring my carbs down to around 40g/day.
While I feel like I did a decent job today, I went over my carb limit - currently sitting at 53g after dinner
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Replies
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Hey, 180 -> 53 is a huge improvement. The hardest part is the first few days. It gets easier as time goes on. Welcome aboard.0
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Thanks man. The funny thing is, I didn't even feel a significant difference. I don't want to be overly optimistic this early on but I really think I can do this.0
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Hi! This group is great and everyone is so helpful and supportive. Good luck to you!0
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Welcome @callmetj86! Be sure to read the "start here" thread if you haven't already. You definitely want to take electrolytes, particularly sodium, quite seriously to avoid the worst of the low carb flu symptoms. I'm glad you're not feeling anything negative yet, but forewarned is forearmed.
I'm getting back in after a hiatus. So glad to be back.
Your goals sound reasonable. I wish you the best of health and success!0 -
Hi @callmetj86 !0
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Thank you all for the kind welcome! Much appreciated0
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Welcome! It sounds like you are off to a great start!0
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Hey, 180 -> 53 is a huge improvement. The hardest part is the first few days. It gets easier as time goes on. Welcome aboard.
Yeah, that^
Today I had only. 2 grams of carbs (yes two!) And I didn't even notice. In fact, I thought mfp was broken when I saw the number because I really didn't feel restricted at all today. Move over, @FIT_Goat. There might be a new carnivore in town.0 -
Very nice day!
Make sure to take @mlinton_mesapark advice about the sodium. You'll lose a bunch of water this week and electrolytes will suffer. Get plenty of extra sodium to prevent low electrolytes and feeling cruddy.
The launchpad has tons of great tips.
Make sure to get some good healthy fats. None of that margarine and vegetable oil junk!
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Welcome aboard the keto train! Next stop skinnyville, population? YOU!
A few quick tips that I have learned:
- you won't be hungry...ever
- you won't crave sweets after a couple weeks
- you don't have to eat at specific times of the day. I only eat twice a day.
- you can fast if you want
- going very low carb can excelerate weight loss 20g or less
- eat a lot of animal fat like butter and bacon, avoid boneless skinless chicken breast like it's poison. Go for the tastiest fattest cuts of - this took me a long time to really embrace
Good luck!0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Very nice day!
Make sure to take @mlinton_mesapark advice about the sodium. You'll lose a bunch of water this week and electrolytes will suffer. Get plenty of extra sodium to prevent low electrolytes and feeling cruddy.
The launchpad has tons of great tips.
Make sure to get some good healthy fats. None of that margarine and vegetable oil junk!
Welcome to the group! We hope you stick around to
I quote sunny because it's super ultra important to get enough sodium. In the beginning you will feel great but if you don't keep up the sodium the following weeks will feel like hell.0 -
Welcome home! You will love it here! Today is my one year mark on MFP! I was nervous to try Keto at first, but it is now a way of life and I love it. Hope you will too!0
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Howdy. I'm newer myself, but you've chosen a great community to align yourself with.0
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Welcome. You're off to a great start. Nice!
Ditto the others about sodium. You may need 3000-5000mg of sodium per day so drink broth, salt your food, take a salt tablet or even add a teaspoon of salt to your water. If you get headaches, fatigue, nausea, muscle aches or spasms, or brain fog, you'll know you need to add more.
It sounds a bit extreme, but it does help.Kitnthecat wrote: »Welcome home! You will love it here! Today is my one year mark on MFP! I was nervous to try Keto at first, but it is now a way of life and I love it. Hope you will too!
Oh wow! Congrats!!0 -
Welcome to our community. Huge success on day one, well done.
We have a wide range of low carbers here. In contrast to @daylitemag I use both prawns and boneless skinless chicken breast every week. I add tasty sauces made with coconut oil or olive oil or butter to increase the fat.
We each will suggest things that work for us in an effort to help each other. Ultimately, your body will be your best guide as to what level of carbs suits you.0 -
Hi new guy @callmetj86 Welcome to the group and to low carb life!! Sounds like you've set some very reasonable goals and 53 g carbs is a great place to be right now. The group here is awesome and you'll always find plenty of people ready to help answer your questions and cheer you along your journey! Good luck reaching your goal
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Welcome to the group! You've plugged into the right place! Congratulations on a super successful first low carb day!! Heed the sodium and fat recommendations!0
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Welcome and good luck!0
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Hi TJ! Welcome! For what it's worth, I still love my boneless skinless chicken breasts... lol!0
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Thanks for the motivation guys! I can already tell this will be a fun group.
I don't think I'll be able to cut out my boneless skinless chicken breasts since just like you @SamandaIndia I have some great recipes that make for a tasteful meal. Coconut oil has been my best friend for the past few weeks so I'm glad to see you have luck with it as well.
Trying for 20g today! Wish me luck0 -
callmetj86 wrote: »Thanks for the motivation guys! I can already tell this will be a fun group.
I don't think I'll be able to cut out my boneless skinless chicken breasts since just like you @SamandaIndia I have some great recipes that make for a tasteful meal. Coconut oil has been my best friend for the past few weeks so I'm glad to see you have luck with it as well.
Trying for 20g today! Wish me luck
I prefer boneless skinless chicken as I can get it much cheaper locally. I can get thighs for a good price but they hardly have any meat on them because most of the weight is the bone. So I get the breasts and top with cheese and bacon usually.
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I use lean chicken a lot too. I just cook it in butter, coconut oil or make a cream sauce with cheese to add fat. And I eat whatever portion fits my protein needs.0
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Welcome. This is really a great group. I have learned a lot from the people in this group that will help keep the course.0
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Congrats callmetj86!0
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My words of wisdom: Get lots of sodium and read up on magnesium. Once you find a balance that works well for your body - the magic happens. The longer I eat the low carb, the happier my body is 0
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Be careful when putting salt in a glass of water, too much salt and you will cause yourself to immediately run to the bathroom. It's not fun.0
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Yeah I took a teaspoon of mortons light salt today, and that gave me around 500mg of salt and I think I will take another tsp before my workout tonight. Thanks again for the advice.
Daily update: I took in only 1.5 carbs today and I feel great! No cravings at this point and I feel like I can stick to less than 10g/day. Is this overkill?
Also, have you guys ever heard of lyteshow? It's an electrolyte booster sold on Amazon and the reviews look awesome.
Let me know what you think
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The amount of sodium and magnesium you get from it is negligible, and it would be very expensive to meet your needs using it. Plus, you'd probably get too much potassium if you actually used enough to get the sodium and magnesium you need.
You'd get about 1000mg for pennies from a cup of broth from boullion. The 40mg of magnesium (don't know what form) is about 1/10 of the typical minimum.
I think these kinds of products are more fitting a high carb diet where you don't need much sodium.0 -
callmetj86 wrote: »Yeah I took a teaspoon of mortons light salt today, and that gave me around 500mg of salt and I think I will take another tsp before my workout tonight. Thanks again for the advice.
Daily update: I took in only 1.5 carbs today and I feel great! No cravings at this point and I feel like I can stick to less than 10g/day. Is this overkill?
It is not overkill. I, personally, aim for 0g a day. But, it is also not necessary and it is probably not going to provide significantly better results than you'll be getting at 20-30 grams a day. While I love being a strict carnivore, I don't want you to over-commit or get frustrated with that level. Then again, one of my favorite bloggers recommends people start keto/low-carb with zero-carb (http://www.empiri.ca/p/eat-meat-not-too-little-mostly-fat.html). So, there's multiple opinions on it.
I feel best when my carbs are super-super-low. You may feel the same way. But, there's nothing wrong if you're comfortable at higher. Keep doing what feels right, for you. Just promise you won't worry about going back up to a higher level, if that starts to make more sense to you. The differences in the results will be tiny, and if you can stick with a higher carb limit, the long-term result will be much better than staying lower and giving up.
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