Newbie help please
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MarilynCurves
Posts: 25 Member
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for having me here, I've really enjoyed reading all the discussions, and have already learned a lot!
I tried keto (Atkins) back around 2000, and was probably doing it not as well as I could have at the time. One thing that was never discussed back then (and was even discouraged) was counting calories.
Basically, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you're eating such calorically dense foods, but staying under a calorie limit! How on earth do you eat butter, cream, and so much meat, but stay under your daily limit??
I've set myself a limit of 1650. I'm 5"8 (172cm), and weigh 90kg (196lb). I calculated that I'm 37.4% fat. Hooray....
I understand that I might naturally experience a decrease in appetite as my body adjusts to this WOE (in fact, I chose to try this because I'm sick to death of feeling hungry all day on a traditional CICO WOE), but I'm on day 2, and I'm starving! I'm loving the food, and am trying to focus on my macros (something else that's going to take getting used to
), but I just can't get my head around all you guys' posts about the kind of foods you're eating, and how that fits within your calorie limit. Feel free to look at my diary - I'm still trying to figure out what my day will look like, food-wise.
I've been reading up on it so much I barely slept last night, so anxious that this won't work for me. Any advice would be so appreciated.
FYI, Previously I was working out 4 times a week at the gym, and expect to incorporate weights and cardio into this lifestyle, having been discouraged from doing weights by a registered dietician (who I won't be returning to see!!).
Thank you for your time xo
I tried keto (Atkins) back around 2000, and was probably doing it not as well as I could have at the time. One thing that was never discussed back then (and was even discouraged) was counting calories.
Basically, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you're eating such calorically dense foods, but staying under a calorie limit! How on earth do you eat butter, cream, and so much meat, but stay under your daily limit??
I've set myself a limit of 1650. I'm 5"8 (172cm), and weigh 90kg (196lb). I calculated that I'm 37.4% fat. Hooray....
I understand that I might naturally experience a decrease in appetite as my body adjusts to this WOE (in fact, I chose to try this because I'm sick to death of feeling hungry all day on a traditional CICO WOE), but I'm on day 2, and I'm starving! I'm loving the food, and am trying to focus on my macros (something else that's going to take getting used to
), but I just can't get my head around all you guys' posts about the kind of foods you're eating, and how that fits within your calorie limit. Feel free to look at my diary - I'm still trying to figure out what my day will look like, food-wise.I've been reading up on it so much I barely slept last night, so anxious that this won't work for me. Any advice would be so appreciated.
FYI, Previously I was working out 4 times a week at the gym, and expect to incorporate weights and cardio into this lifestyle, having been discouraged from doing weights by a registered dietician (who I won't be returning to see!!).
Thank you for your time xo
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Replies
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Don't worry about calories for the first week or so, just get used to your carb range.4
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You're right, calories are important if you want to lose weight. I'm 174cm 90kg and I eat 1500 to 1700 a day. I've been keto for 4 years (I used to weigh 124kg at my heaviest). I would have lost a lot more weight if I'd stuck to my calorie goal however there was a period of a few months in the middle where I was eating very strict keto but too many calories and I gained back about 12kg.
A normal day for me is a coffee in the morning with butter and heavy cream blended in (15g butter and 25g cream - about 225 cals) - lunch is 120g baked chicken breast with 25g olives and 75g ricotta for lunch (300 calories) - dinner something like 2 x Kranski's with broccoli and zucchini for dinner (400 calories) which leaves me about 600 calories for snacking. This usually includes a coffee with butter after dinner and a low carb bar. And some cheese or something. I'm not hungry, I'm under 25g carbs a day, and I find it easy to stick to. The biggest key for me is to find easy combinations that work and eat those things often. I make my lunches on Sunday and take the same thing all week. Next week I might change it up, sometimes I'll make a chicken/cucumber/mayo salad or egg salad, but I keep it simple. You need to learn that you don't need a huge volume of food to be satisfied.1 -
MarilynCurves wrote: »Hi everyone! Thanks so much for having me here, I've really enjoyed reading all the discussions, and have already learned a lot!
I tried keto (Atkins) back around 2000, and was probably doing it not as well as I could have at the time. One thing that was never discussed back then (and was even discouraged) was counting calories.
Basically, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you're eating such calorically dense foods, but staying under a calorie limit! How on earth do you eat butter, cream, and so much meat, but stay under your daily limit??
I've set myself a limit of 1650. I'm 5"8 (172cm), and weigh 90kg (196lb). I calculated that I'm 37.4% fat. Hooray....
I understand that I might naturally experience a decrease in appetite as my body adjusts to this WOE (in fact, I chose to try this because I'm sick to death of feeling hungry all day on a traditional CICO WOE), but I'm on day 2, and I'm starving! I'm loving the food, and am trying to focus on my macros (something else that's going to take getting used to ), but I just can't get my head around all you guys' posts about the kind of foods you're eating, and how that fits within your calorie limit. Feel free to look at my diary - I'm still trying to figure out what my day will look like, food-wise.
I've been reading up on it so much I barely slept last night, so anxious that this won't work for me. Any advice would be so appreciated.
FYI, Previously I was working out 4 times a week at the gym, and expect to incorporate weights and cardio into this lifestyle, having been discouraged from doing weights by a registered dietician (who I won't be returning to see!!).
Thank you for your time xo
I took a quick look at your diary and it did not appear what you were logging was LC. Most days in the last week 50% or more of your calories were from carbs. There was also at least one entry where the macros were not entered (Wonder White Toast for 189 calories) which would be almost exclusively carbs.
The reason for the appetite reduction is that by dramatically reducing carbs, you dramatically reduce the insulin response. When your body produces the insulin to process the carbs, it will almost always overshoot what is needed. As a hormone, insulin will tell your brain your hungry if it gets too high because it needs the glucose (from the carbs) to even out. This usually happens 1-2 hours after you have eaten the carbs. This is why you get hungry an hour after eating Chinese food which is mostly starchy rice and such.
On the flip side, when you get your calories from fat and somewhat from protein, when those hit your intestines they cause the secretion of other hormones which tell your brain you are full.
I won't tell you how low to go on your carbs but to say you really want to be below 100 at least. I know we have all had it drilled into our heads for the last 50 years that fat is bad, but it is not and the research shows it is not. Some will argue about the quality of the fat more than others. I think it is very easy to prove olives/olive oil, avocado/avocado oil and coconut oil/mct oil are all good for you and good for this WOE. That fat consumption will be the one thing that will drive down your hunger more than anything.
A couple quick and easy tips - avoid ANYTHING that claims to be low fat as it will almost always be made that way by having higher sugar. This includes low fat/fat free dairy like milk and yogurt.
Your primary source of carbs should be from vegetables that grow above the ground not including corn and grains. Leafier veggies are better.
Depending on the level of carbs either don't eat or significantly limit: bread, pasta and any veggie that grows underground (i.e. potatoes). Those "healthy" whole grain biscuits are NOT your friend. They will make you hungry an hour later.
To get to keto levels, many have to get below 20g per day of carbs. My experience is that it seems to have more to do with % of calories of about 5-8% or less. At 4 calories per gram, 20g would be 80 calories which is very near where you have your calorie goal set.
If you haven't already, go to the Launchpad as there is a TON of information there as well as links to all kinds of other information.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10103966/start-here-the-lcd-launch-pad#latest
Welcome aboard and good luck!5 -
cstehansen wrote: »MarilynCurves wrote: »Hi everyone! Thanks so much for having me here, I've really enjoyed reading all the discussions, and have already learned a lot!
I tried keto (Atkins) back around 2000, and was probably doing it not as well as I could have at the time. One thing that was never discussed back then (and was even discouraged) was counting calories.
Basically, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you're eating such calorically dense foods, but staying under a calorie limit! How on earth do you eat butter, cream, and so much meat, but stay under your daily limit??
I've set myself a limit of 1650. I'm 5"8 (172cm), and weigh 90kg (196lb). I calculated that I'm 37.4% fat. Hooray....
I understand that I might naturally experience a decrease in appetite as my body adjusts to this WOE (in fact, I chose to try this because I'm sick to death of feeling hungry all day on a traditional CICO WOE), but I'm on day 2, and I'm starving! I'm loving the food, and am trying to focus on my macros (something else that's going to take getting used to ), but I just can't get my head around all you guys' posts about the kind of foods you're eating, and how that fits within your calorie limit. Feel free to look at my diary - I'm still trying to figure out what my day will look like, food-wise.
I've been reading up on it so much I barely slept last night, so anxious that this won't work for me. Any advice would be so appreciated.
FYI, Previously I was working out 4 times a week at the gym, and expect to incorporate weights and cardio into this lifestyle, having been discouraged from doing weights by a registered dietician (who I won't be returning to see!!).
Thank you for your time xo
I took a quick look at your diary and it did not appear what you were logging was LC. Most days in the last week 50% or more of your calories were from carbs. There was also at least one entry where the macros were not entered (Wonder White Toast for 189 calories) which would be almost exclusively carbs.
The reason for the appetite reduction is that by dramatically reducing carbs, you dramatically reduce the insulin response. When your body produces the insulin to process the carbs, it will almost always overshoot what is needed. As a hormone, insulin will tell your brain your hungry if it gets too high because it needs the glucose (from the carbs) to even out. This usually happens 1-2 hours after you have eaten the carbs. This is why you get hungry an hour after eating Chinese food which is mostly starchy rice and such.
On the flip side, when you get your calories from fat and somewhat from protein, when those hit your intestines they cause the secretion of other hormones which tell your brain you are full.
I won't tell you how low to go on your carbs but to say you really want to be below 100 at least. I know we have all had it drilled into our heads for the last 50 years that fat is bad, but it is not and the research shows it is not. Some will argue about the quality of the fat more than others. I think it is very easy to prove olives/olive oil, avocado/avocado oil and coconut oil/mct oil are all good for you and good for this WOE. That fat consumption will be the one thing that will drive down your hunger more than anything.
A couple quick and easy tips - avoid ANYTHING that claims to be low fat as it will almost always be made that way by having higher sugar. This includes low fat/fat free dairy like milk and yogurt.
Your primary source of carbs should be from vegetables that grow above the ground not including corn and grains. Leafier veggies are better.
Depending on the level of carbs either don't eat or significantly limit: bread, pasta and any veggie that grows underground (i.e. potatoes). Those "healthy" whole grain biscuits are NOT your friend. They will make you hungry an hour later.
To get to keto levels, many have to get below 20g per day of carbs. My experience is that it seems to have more to do with % of calories of about 5-8% or less. At 4 calories per gram, 20g would be 80 calories which is very near where you have your calorie goal set.
If you haven't already, go to the Launchpad as there is a TON of information there as well as links to all kinds of other information.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10103966/start-here-the-lcd-launch-pad#latest
Welcome aboard and good luck!
Probably should've specified that I only started yesterday! Haha!! Before that I was doing traditional CICO, but just hungry all day
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MarilynCurves wrote: »cstehansen wrote: »MarilynCurves wrote: »Hi everyone! Thanks so much for having me here, I've really enjoyed reading all the discussions, and have already learned a lot!
I tried keto (Atkins) back around 2000, and was probably doing it not as well as I could have at the time. One thing that was never discussed back then (and was even discouraged) was counting calories.
Basically, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you're eating such calorically dense foods, but staying under a calorie limit! How on earth do you eat butter, cream, and so much meat, but stay under your daily limit??
I've set myself a limit of 1650. I'm 5"8 (172cm), and weigh 90kg (196lb). I calculated that I'm 37.4% fat. Hooray....
I understand that I might naturally experience a decrease in appetite as my body adjusts to this WOE (in fact, I chose to try this because I'm sick to death of feeling hungry all day on a traditional CICO WOE), but I'm on day 2, and I'm starving! I'm loving the food, and am trying to focus on my macros (something else that's going to take getting used to ), but I just can't get my head around all you guys' posts about the kind of foods you're eating, and how that fits within your calorie limit. Feel free to look at my diary - I'm still trying to figure out what my day will look like, food-wise.
I've been reading up on it so much I barely slept last night, so anxious that this won't work for me. Any advice would be so appreciated.
FYI, Previously I was working out 4 times a week at the gym, and expect to incorporate weights and cardio into this lifestyle, having been discouraged from doing weights by a registered dietician (who I won't be returning to see!!).
Thank you for your time xo
I took a quick look at your diary and it did not appear what you were logging was LC. Most days in the last week 50% or more of your calories were from carbs. There was also at least one entry where the macros were not entered (Wonder White Toast for 189 calories) which would be almost exclusively carbs.
The reason for the appetite reduction is that by dramatically reducing carbs, you dramatically reduce the insulin response. When your body produces the insulin to process the carbs, it will almost always overshoot what is needed. As a hormone, insulin will tell your brain your hungry if it gets too high because it needs the glucose (from the carbs) to even out. This usually happens 1-2 hours after you have eaten the carbs. This is why you get hungry an hour after eating Chinese food which is mostly starchy rice and such.
On the flip side, when you get your calories from fat and somewhat from protein, when those hit your intestines they cause the secretion of other hormones which tell your brain you are full.
I won't tell you how low to go on your carbs but to say you really want to be below 100 at least. I know we have all had it drilled into our heads for the last 50 years that fat is bad, but it is not and the research shows it is not. Some will argue about the quality of the fat more than others. I think it is very easy to prove olives/olive oil, avocado/avocado oil and coconut oil/mct oil are all good for you and good for this WOE. That fat consumption will be the one thing that will drive down your hunger more than anything.
A couple quick and easy tips - avoid ANYTHING that claims to be low fat as it will almost always be made that way by having higher sugar. This includes low fat/fat free dairy like milk and yogurt.
Your primary source of carbs should be from vegetables that grow above the ground not including corn and grains. Leafier veggies are better.
Depending on the level of carbs either don't eat or significantly limit: bread, pasta and any veggie that grows underground (i.e. potatoes). Those "healthy" whole grain biscuits are NOT your friend. They will make you hungry an hour later.
To get to keto levels, many have to get below 20g per day of carbs. My experience is that it seems to have more to do with % of calories of about 5-8% or less. At 4 calories per gram, 20g would be 80 calories which is very near where you have your calorie goal set.
If you haven't already, go to the Launchpad as there is a TON of information there as well as links to all kinds of other information.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10103966/start-here-the-lcd-launch-pad#latest
Welcome aboard and good luck!
Probably should've specified that I only started yesterday! Haha!! Before that I was doing traditional CICO, but just hungry all day
Sorry. You did say day 2. You just didn't have much logged for yesterday or today. Yesterday was very low, but it was almost all carbs. If I had eaten that little and those foods, I think I might have chewed my arm off. I would still highly recommend the launchpad and don't hesitate to ask questions. I promise if I respond again, I will do a better job reading first.
EDIT: I won't say calories don't matter, but for the first couple weeks as your body adjusts, don't worry about them IF you are going very low carb (below 50).3 -
@MarilynCurves I spent a year losing my weight and ~2 years maintaining via 160-120g of daily carbs. I switched to keto 9 months ago for a health reason other than weight.
I have continued to maintain but understand your trouble wrapping your head around all these fatty foods and staying within your calories. The 1st thing I had to get used to (after trying to believe fat won't cause me to have a heart attack and fat won't make me fat) is the serving size of fatty foods and carbs.
To me, having eaten differently before and being one who strives to stay on target regarding calories: keto (high fat) portions are incredibly small. I can have a much larger piece of pork tenderloin than pork butt for the same calories. Additionally, I was never one to weigh/measure vegetables because they're so low in calories. Now, because carbs...vegetable servings seem tiny too.
My maintenance calories are ~1500-1600. That's not much volume of fatty food split between 2-3 meals. It's tiny. I've never been able to go over calories for an extended period of time and not gain. I would agree to maybe get the carb limit under control 1st then focus more on calories. Fat doesn't make you fat unless you eat too much of it for your output.2 -
Do yourself a huge favor and skip counting calories the first week at least.
Seriously!
Eat as little carbs as possible but eat the butter the cream and meat and cheese. Even nibble all day long. Priority 1 is teach your body that there's a new sheriff in town. Give it a couple weeks to get with the new program before restricting calories. Don't go completely nuts though. Set your calories at maintenance to start. Make that the goal. Get used to logging the foods and learning where all the sneaky carbs are. Avoid sweet stuff and skip the fat bombs you'll see everywhere online. Nobody needs those. They are simply low carb candy.
After a week or two, you'll know exactly how we all can eat such calorie dense foods without an issue.1 -
Many thanks for all these sensible responses!! I would love SO MUCH to experience that decrease in appetite. I just feel a bit daunted right now. And terrified I'll only gain weight!!1
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I'm always starving for the first few days of getting into ketosis. I keep my carbs under 20g and my fats high and eat whenever I am hungry. It can take about a week but once I'm solidly in ketosis the appetite reduction kicks in.
I still don't restrict calories too much. I'm 5'2", largely sedentary due to health issues and I eat between 1500 and 1800 calories a day on average. I've lost 36lbs in the last 4 months.
For the first few days don't worry about calories. After that don't go crazy but don't worry too much either.1 -
I know it seems daunting right now. But very shortly, if you remain consistent, this new lifestyle will quickly become routine. You won't have to think much about it. The momentum of the routine will pull you forward in uncertain times. Plan ahead, always. I often pre-log my day so that I'd have an easy, stress-free plan to just follow like a puppy and not have to think about or agonize over food when hungry. Stack the deck in your favor: create a logging, prepping, planning habit. Keep on-plan snacks for when the craving monster gets you. Be consistent. And like I said, before you know it, it will become second nature.
I was able to just count carbs for the 1st 3 months before I stopped losing. But I was 100lb overweight so I had a lot to lose. Take a week getting the basics down just counting carbs, then you can take the next step and add calorie consciousness. And I recommend joining a Basics challenge we hold for the group. It's Determined December this month. Despite the theme, I'm always trying to get everyone to focus on their plan basics. Because that repetition and awareness is necessary for long-term success in my experience.
I also second (or third?) reading the LaunchPad. Start with the FAQs, then look over the Open Threads for any other information you might be interested in. We have a Recipe site like on that main page as well.
HTH.3
