Macros, how do they work?!
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nazna
Posts: 5 Member
/wave
Hello, I'm new to keto and low carb (seriously I love bread and pasta). I've been doing okay for almost three weeks but I feel like I rarely hit the fat percentage right. Protein is fine and I usually stay under 15-20 carbs. Anyone willing to look at my diary and give me some pointers?
It would be much appreciated!
Hello, I'm new to keto and low carb (seriously I love bread and pasta). I've been doing okay for almost three weeks but I feel like I rarely hit the fat percentage right. Protein is fine and I usually stay under 15-20 carbs. Anyone willing to look at my diary and give me some pointers?
It would be much appreciated!
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Replies
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Well I notice yesterday you had a fat-free steak. With keto, avoid anything that says low-fat or fat-free. Your "light" laughing cow cheese is also not helping with the fat content. If you are going to eat dairy, try to get it from whole milk when possible so nothing that says light or "made with skim milk". Also, try adding more fatty toppings to your salad. Try sunflower seeds, walnuts, avocado, hard boiled eggs, bacon bits and try ceasar or ranch dressing instead of Italian (the fat:carb ratio is higher). I see you have some sort of fat bomb for breakfast most days and one day you even have bacon. When you eat bacon try adding an egg or two and cook the egg in the bacon greese, butter, ghee, or olive oil. Instead of the fat bombs try having keto coffee otherwise known as bulletproof coffee. You'll get a lot more fat for your buck (time, effort). Also you are under your calories by 300-600 calories some days. That's a whole other meal, a keto coffee, or more fat bombs but I would first work on bulking up your meals instead of adding more fat bombs.4
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Thank you! I'm looking into adding more pork in the mornings. I like the fat bombs because I can make a huge batch and eat them whenever. I didn't know about the sunflower seeds. Thought they'd be off limits. I love them!0
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Another note:
Carbs are a hard limit.
Protein is a range, based on lean muscle mass and activity levels. Unless you have specific metabolic issues, you should aim for the upper part of this range.
Fat is only to satiety. If you are full, this is the macro that doesn't need to be met. Your body will provide the difference.5 -
When it comes to keto, it's not necessary to hit your fat macros. It's a limit more than anything. Keep the carbs low, keep the protein in the middle and fill the rest with fat. There's not much to it, though it can be a challenge to get used to.3
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Thank you! I'm looking into adding more pork in the mornings. I like the fat bombs because I can make a huge batch and eat them whenever. I didn't know about the sunflower seeds. Thought they'd be off limits. I love them!
Try to work on eating full meals so that you don't need to have any snack between meals. So the idea of "I can eat them whenever" might keep you nibbling throughout the day which never allows you time between meals to use body fat.
If you eat enough of the right food at a meal it should keep you satisfied for 5+ hours.
Since you just started, this will take time to figure out. If you're truly hungry between meals, definitely eat. But then think about that previous meal... what could you have changed to make it more satisfying? Then try that the next time.3 -
This was where I was getting stuck with regards to macros, I was almost force feeding myself fat until someone here enlightened me. That said, I did learn some tricks that made the fat consumption easier. It just took a mental shift because the old way of thinking was that it was bad for me. Like putting butter on a steak, or extra dressing and bacon bits on salad, throwing oil and heavy cream into a smoothie. Thank goodness I didn't like bulletproof coffee- I'd go broke on grass fed butter and MCT Oil, here in Canada it's so bloody expensive.KnitOrMiss wrote: »Another note:
Fat is only to satiety. If you are full, this is the macro that doesn't need to be met. Your body will provide the difference.
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I can't stand coffee, bulletproof or otherwise. Breakfast is definitely the more difficult meal for me.
Thank ya'll for the advice! I mostly just read a guide and thought if I didn't hit those macros I was somehow messing everything up. I plan on keeping under 15 in carbs since it's not especially difficult if you're making meals yourself.1 -
I just looked back over you last week of diary or so, and I'm somewhat concerned by the low calories. If you have at least 100 pounds to lose, as your profile indicates AND you're a recently diagnosed T2D, I'd wonder what your blood sugars look like, and if you calorie counting is off at all (which I'm hoping you're under-estimating). Since you're roughly a month in, you might still have some reduced hunger, but not having only 750-900 calories most days, WITH activity, unless you're 4'8" or something... Did your doctor set your calories that low? Or are you just trying to lose weight faster? Because with lower calories, you will lost very quickly, at first. But our bodies like to be in stasis - the like to get level and stay there. So once your body realizes that you've reduced your calories that much, consistently, it may slow your metabolism to match your intake. That's why we constantly have to mix things up, to keep our bodies from settling into a rut and slowing everything down.
When we go keto, everything feels and looks fabulous and amazing at first...and then, if we haven't stacked the deck in our favorite with our tools, come 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and so on, we'll start hitting roadblocks, speed bumps, and plateaus. I'm insulin resistant and prediabetic myself, so I'm really keen on how the body works together for EVERYTHING... So I'm always studying...though I'm definitely not a doctor.
That being said, what kind if recipes are you using for those keto breakfast muffins, @nazna ? I'm thinking I want to come have breakfast... You had my heart at, "I can't stand coffee, bulletproof or otherwise." LOL That is SO me.1 -
http://ketosizeme.com/keto-lemon-blueberry-muffins/
^ Those are the muffins. They're lasting me like two weeks and taste pretty good. With almond flour most things are denser than I'm used to but the blueberries make up for it.
Thank you for looking at my diary and giving me tips!
I'm not feeling as hungry or feeling full quicker so I haven't been eating as much. I'm 5'1 so the calculators I've looked at say around 1200 a day. I'm trying to add more low carb snack options that give me more calories but I'm a little afraid of going over that 15 a day.
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@nanza - once you hit 6-8 weeks, or maybe 12 weeks, depending, Dave Asprey and Chris Kressler and others, they all actually suggest that you do testing to find your individual carb threshold. They spell it out either in their books or on their websites. @Sunny_Bunny_ may have more information on this... Finding this threshold will allow you to find your most healthy level of keto. Without activity, most folks can maintain nutritional ketosis in the 50 total grams of carb range. With more activity, timing carbs to before workouts, some folks can get closer to 200 grams of carbs (during 18 mile rides and things) and STILL MAINTAIN NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS. It is VERY unique to you. So please don't think that 15 a day is forever. It's easy right now, but you'll probably get to a point where you want to add in some veggies there, some berries here, etc. When that happens, knowing how those foods will affect you is crucial... My sweet spot is usually 35 NET grams of carbs with not more than 50 total grams of carbs (allows for some fiber and such, but not excessively so)... I'm working to increase this number for my thyroid health (long story that), and I keep hitting way above it... that 50 is my CONTROL setting.
I don't remember if I gave my stats above, but I'm 40 years old, female, numerous health conditions, 5'4" and 280 pounds. in 2015, I got down to 239 before I started having problems worsen in my thyroid condition... So I'm fighting my way back now... Ironically, I look and feel healthier now at 280 than I did 4 years ago at 250. I'll pull out some pictures for comparison!
June 29, 2012 - around 250-255 pounds
January 1, 2017 - around 280 pounds
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This picture here is only 3-4 months BEFORE the top picture in 2012...
This picture is around my heaviest in 2008...
Just to share some perspective. (hugs)1
