It isn't are hard as it would seem. Often, it is hard for people to stay above their minimum calorie goal.

Not really. The times I do go over calories its because I over eat and I know I'm overeating lol. This WOE has taught me to listen to my body and to recognize TRUE hunger from just wanting to eat cuz its delicous food lol. For example, I love wings. Low in carbs, but high in cals. Now, I WILL be full on 4 wings from Buffalo Wild Wings but sometimes I will cram in that last one cuz its so darn good not because I am still hungry. See? But when I really lock in and stay focused I will stay under cals because I feel satisfied with LCHF.

I have days when I have to have fat bombs to get to the MFP limit, otherwise I can't submit my diary. This is a whole other way of eating. I still log but I think I would do just as well if I didn't. I log mainly because some people like reading my diary since I eat a lot of ethnic foods and it inspires them to try new things. I have always been a serious foodie type person and love to play around with new recipes and ingredients. A habit that is serving me well with this WOE.

I'm finding I eat far less volume than I used to. Idk the exact calories I took in each day previously, but my goal is set to 1800, and now i find it hard to meet this on many days.

Honestly? Yes. For me. I find it hard to stay within my calories most of the time.

On the upside, I'm at maintenance and have been for a couple of years. I got there via a non-high fat diet as a calorie counter and food logger then switched to keto for a health reason other than weight.

On the downside, this keto food is "fattening". Now that I'm using more oils, fattier cuts of meat, etc, when I log all that stuff in my diary it adds up fast. Fat is quite satiating for me so that is a good thing but the sad truth is I have had years of practice at excessive eating. I don't have any diseases/disorders/conditions that mess with my metabolism. I got fat because I ate too much too often.

Losing weight has never been a goal for me on keto. Good news is, I've not gained. Keto has helped me become aware of my eating habits (grazing, etc) that are unrelated to hunger. I'd love to be able to graze through a party nibbling on fatty nuts, cheese, salamis then have a fatty dinner, then have a fatty keto appropriate dessert. Can't do it. I'd be back where I started weight wise. Quickly.

This is interesting - I am finding it hard to hit 1500 calories now i know why. I wrote on another thread that as a newbie gluten and wheat free I was worried I wasn't eating enough as I'm not used to my new way of eating and the dietician didn't mention that I'd be fuller.

I am trying to lose that last 6 pounds. I aim for 6 weeks of deficit (1250 cals) followed by 2 weeks of maintenance (1740 cals)...if I am hungry I will eat back up to half of my exercise calories, but I try to avoid that if I can manage it without being miserable.

aimos87 wrote: »

Hi, When you eat LCHF do you stay within a calorie allowance? I imagine this is difficult to do as fats are high in cals?

My first 6 or 7 months of LCHF I did not count anything. I read labels / nutritional information, and just eyeballed the portions. This worked for me up until the point when it stopped working. Then I started using MFP primarily to count carbs. In my experience, finding and eliminating the hidden carbs also eliminated hidden calories.

My opinion is, if you're making progress without worrying about calories, then that's fine. However, if you find you're not seeing the results you want, then it's time to start counting everything to make sure you aren't unintentionally slipping up somewhere.

Having said that, I definitely find I'm satisfied and not hungry, and I almost never hit my calorie goal. I've even been 'scolded' by the app for trying to complete my diary with < 1000 calories lol. Even eating high fat foods, I find it difficult to go over my limit -- I'm full long before then.

Cheers!