Please review my numbers... suggestions?

gsp90x
gsp90x Posts: 416 Member
edited November 21 in Social Groups
Hi all,

Ok keto gurus... I've been using various forms of keto/low carb/carnivore for maybe 3 plus years now. Testing with keto strips I can get into ketosis reliably on day three consistently with zero keto flu. I'm doing well but upon review I don't think I had a good handle on my numbers when doing keto previously. I loved carnivore for the sake of not tracking but I just didn't have it in me to stick with it.

So this time I've been tracking. I've been supplementing and salting and peeing on sticks. So far so good right?

I weigh 188lbs (5'4") female so not really near target weight which I think will likely fall around 150 or 160.

My diary is public if you'd like to check but really what i would like to know is if these initial targets look right to you. If they do.... If someone is patient enough to check my diary and see if any of the numbers for certain foods seem off... That's another thing I'm wondering. One time I put in ground beef at it was 3000 calories for 4 oz! PKEASE NOTE: although everything I ate is recorded in the diary it is NOT necessarily in the right place. Meaning I didn't necessarily just eat 4 tbsp of coconut oil as a snack. It was likely with other things at other times.

Ok. So. My goal is weight loss. I'm really not very active. I'm in school full time (online) and work full time (standing up) and tge poor dog only gets a walk about4 times a week about an hour each at a very leisurely pace.

My targets from the keto calculator:

Calories 1200

Carbs 5% = 15g
Fat 80% = 107g
Protein 15% = 45g

The issue is I feel like all I can eat is fat. I have a pork chop and a few eggs and poof! There's my protein for the day. Done. Only fat left. So I'm having trouble getting the fat in and feeling kind of ... deprived? I have the thing others have said where I know I'm hungry I just don't want to eat. So at least the cravings ate under control.

But today was a brutal blood sugar crash. I know that's not supposed to happen on keto but man it ruined the entire day because I didn't eat break fast. Another thing I never used to have to do.

So something needs to be tweaked somewhere I'm just not sure what. Are my calories too low? Or my targets off? Do you ketoers really eat THAT little protein? (After carnivore I have to say... with those target numbers although I'm not hungry I am missing my meet).

The blood sugar crash doesn't feel the same as keto flu. It really feels like a "food coma" kind of thing. Some of you know what I mean. And when I get up I feel hung over the rest of the day.

As an aside I can't do butter or cheese as they cause much mucous and will trigger over eating and a high speed launch "off the wagon" so to speak.

Any suggestions gratefully and humbly accepted.
Thank you!

Replies

  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    I'm not a keto guru but for starters are you eating coconut oil by the tbsp (tablespoon) or tsp (teaspoon)? You mention tbsp (tablespoon) above. You diary entry states tbsp (tablespoon) but the macros listed for all of those entries in your diary equate to macros for a tsp (teaspoon).

    There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon so if you're eating by the tablespoon, each entry that shows 39 calories should be 117 calories. Could be a big calorie oops right there. Most or every day and multiple times.

    I see several things that look a bit off. 1 is the 100 grams of pork chop loin @ 47 calories. I'm not a metric user but I think 100 grams is more like 3-4 ounces. 47 calories sounds about average for a moderately fatty ounce of pork but that would equate to 140-180 calories versus 47 for 100 grams.

    I might as well continue. You mention in your original post you're weary of eating fat. Keep your carbs low, your calories in check and eat more protein if you're weary of eating fat. The ratios you have above are more like those for someone eating a medically therapeutic ketogenic diet. Low carb, low protein, high fat. Are you eating keto for a medical condition?

    Last but not least, your profile states your weight has been as high as 325. Your ticker starts at 225. Kudos on that 100 pound loss and the continued loss that got you to 188. Any reason you can't do the same WoE that you've done previously and so successfully?

  • gsp90x
    gsp90x Posts: 416 Member
    Whoa! Thank you! I just knew SOMETHING was off. But now with changing the calories for the pork chop and oil numbers.... holy cow that puts at almost no food at all!

    I'm going to go back and really look at the values attributed to the foods that are input. Can't just trust the app to get it right. Likely some "user error" I there too.

    I am eating roughly 4oz pork chop each time and yes, I measure my coconut oil by tablespoon.

    Hmmmm.....

    Thank you for that.

    My numbers came from the keto.ruled.me site (I believe). I basically need to keep my carbs as low as possible - so always incidental carbs - otherwise my cravings spike and all of a sudden I'm binge eating before I know it.

    I cannot use the method I used to loose the first 100lbs (which was actually closer to 200lbs when i did it) because it was not healthy nor safe. I'm just thankful I only gainex 100lbs back before finding low carb/keto before it got back up above 225. With my efforts so far ive managed to prevent further weight gain - which has been as high as a pound a day - but havent found a sustainable formula/approach/plan that will get it moving down wards past where I'm at.

    Thank you again for the feed back! It's greatly appreciated!

  • PattiBE
    PattiBE Posts: 9 Member
    While I'm no expert since I'm only on my 5th week, I think your protein is low. I've got MFP set to 10% carbs, 60% fat and 30% protein. However, I really just try to keep my carbs below 30g net and keep within my calorie goal. Im 5'4" and now weigh 166 with a target calorie of 1490 daily. Some days I meet this others not depending on my hunger.
  • radiii
    radiii Posts: 422 Member
    I think your protein is low. Depending on age your calories might be making for a pretty aggressive deficit too? But regardless of age, Im seeing 65g protein as the minimum suggested on the site I always used in the past (https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ )
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,630 Member
    I have carbs at 5%, Fat at 65% and protein at 30%. I am always under on the fat and have to be mindful to meet the protein goal. The carbs are pretty easy to stay under (for me).
  • gsp90x
    gsp90x Posts: 416 Member
    @radiii
    Thank you for sharing that site too! I will check it out.

    I've gone back in and looked at the values not was attributing to the food I entered and the first comment or was bang on! What a mess! So I think I fixed that. But yes I think the protein feels low.

    @2t9nty
    Thank you for sharing those numbers. Looks like higher protein could still work. I appreciate your response. This is helpful.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Also keep in mind that protein is a minimum goal not a maximum. If you're hungry you can always eat more meat.
    Reducing fat a bit and increasing protein will equate to more food volume while keeping calories within goal. Fat being 9 calories per gram and protein only 4. That will help you be able to eat more food without blowing through your calories.
    You really don't need to specifically add a bunch of fat to anything. Cooking with healthy fats and eating meat will pretty much get you all the fat you need.
    Your blood sugar should stabilize pretty quickly. Cutting out the carbs means your current basal insulin production doesn't have as much glucose to work with anymore. Your body will respond by reducing insulin production. That's a good thing!

  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,630 Member
    edited September 2017
    Also keep in mind that protein is a minimum goal not a maximum. If you're hungry you can always eat more meat.
    Reducing fat a bit and increasing protein will equate to more food volume while keeping calories within goal. Fat being 9 calories per gram and protein only 4. That will help you be able to eat more food without blowing through your calories.
    You really don't need to specifically add a bunch of fat to anything. Cooking with healthy fats and eating meat will pretty much get you all the fat you need.
    Your blood sugar should stabilize pretty quickly. Cutting out the carbs means your current basal insulin production doesn't have as much glucose to work with anymore. Your body will respond by reducing insulin production. That's a good thing!

    @Sunny_Bunny_ pretty much summed it all up here. Every now and then, I add a pat of butter to some veggies if I have a lot of calories to spare, and I do like HWC in the first cup of coffee in the morning. I don't add fat intentionally as a rule. There just IS some in meat, or you use some cooking.

    Today I exceeded my protein goal by 1 g, and fat was about half the max. Carbs were 8 g net. I felt good and was satisfied with what I ate. Calories were 600 or so under my max.

    I am T2D, so I am checking glucose. I can vouch for the low carb WOE stabilizing blood sugar.
This discussion has been closed.