Confused about keto and my macros

ASAIAHSMOMMY
ASAIAHSMOMMY Posts: 14 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
OK so about me first I'm 24 years old, 5'7. And started keto 7 days ago starting weight was 265. As of this morning I was 255. So I've lost 10 pounds but just by looking in the mirror or pictures I take daily, I don't see a difference at all. Could I be losing muscle instead of losing actual body fat??? I think I have my macros calculated wrong. Different sites have different macros.. And I'm kinda confused about keto. Isn't the idea of losing weight losing body fat, wouldn't putting more fat into my body take longer to actually get to my body fat to burn???? I tend to eat around 1200-1350 calories a day. And I stop eating by 8pm every night. and tend to fast until I wake up around 12 the next day. I think I'm making this more complicated than it is lol but I don't see a difference at all. I'm wanting to get down to 175-180

Replies

  • ent3rsandman
    ent3rsandman Posts: 170 Member
    Keto is essentially staying under 20-30g of carbs a day. Everyone's a little different.

    What you lost was water weight and likely 1-2 lbs of fat. Carbs get converted into glycogen and glycogen holds a ton of water. By not eating carbs, you're going to lose a lot of that water weight once your glycogen stores get depleted, which can happen within days. There are 3500 calories in a lb of fat and 2500 in a lb of muscle, so I assure you you have not been losing more than a lb a day. You would essentially have to be fasting for that to even be plausible at your height and weight, and even then it's a stretch.

    To lose body fat, you have to eat at a caloric deficit. The idea behind keto is that it switches your body's primary source of energy from glycogen to dietary fat. This has some benefits in that it lowers your insulin levels, but in the grand scheme of things it's not going to magically make you lose more fat. Anyone that tells you otherwise is drowning in the Kool-Aid.

    That being said, it's a great diet if you have issues with insulin sensitivity and would rather have a juicy steak instead of bread.
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    I think ent3rsandman just nailed it

    If you're worried about seeing a difference you might consider measuring yourself...because the scale will break your heart at times

    It's only been 7 days and you've lost 10 pounds....that's great...keep up the good work
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    OP, what are you macros currently set at? Also, Keto and LCHF ways of eating tend to be muscle sparing so unless you're eating no or really low amounts of protein which is difficult to do, gonna say NOT muscle loss. I suggest you check out the following main low carb daily forum group here in MFP. It's where most of us Ketophiles tend to hang out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • mrsmccree
    mrsmccree Posts: 1 Member
    ASAIAHSMOMMY wrote: »
    OK so about me first I'm 24 years old, 5'7. And started keto 7 days ago starting weight was 265. As of this morning I was 255. So I've lost 10 pounds but just by looking in the mirror or pictures I take daily, I don't see a difference at all. Could I be losing muscle instead of losing actual body fat??? I think I have my macros calculated wrong. Different sites have different macros.. And I'm kinda confused about keto. Isn't the idea of losing weight losing body fat, wouldn't putting more fat into my body take longer to actually get to my body fat to burn???? I tend to eat around 1200-1350 calories a day. And I stop eating by 8pm every night. and tend to fast until I wake up around 12 the next day. I think I'm making this more complicated than it is lol but I don't see a difference at all. I'm wanting to get down to 175-180

    Go to YouTube and watch Dr. Berg videos. It's literally a science. Being a Nurse and watching his videos really helped me understand the genius of this LIFESTYLE.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    ladipoet wrote: »
    OP, what are you macros currently set at? Also, Keto and LCHF ways of eating tend to be muscle sparing so unless you're eating no or really low amounts of protein which is difficult to do, gonna say NOT muscle loss. I suggest you check out the following main low carb daily forum group here in MFP. It's where most of us Ketophiles tend to hang out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    This sounds right. It probably was not muscle loss. More likely 1-5lbs of fat and 5-9lbs of water. Ketogenic dieters tend to lose a lot of water weight due to the lower carbs and insulin.

    You are also losing electrolytes - mainly sodium (salt). You'll need about 2 teaspoons worth of salt a day to replave the sodium you have lost. If you aren't getting enough salt you may end up with headaches, fatigue, brain fog, nausea and muscle aches.

    I'm 5'8" and started at about 190. That was about 35lbs above my goal. It took at least 10 lbs before I noticed a difference. When you are farther from your goal, losses aren't as noticeable. Plus you lose in a variety of spots: breasts, cheeks, arms, ribs, waist, etc. Ten pounds distributed evenly over a body may not be that obvious. Just hang in there.

    And congrats on the 10lbs. Outstanding!
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