Hi! That's how I was at the beginning...wasn't sure about Keto and just decided to jump in feet first and it's been a heck of a ride! I've learned a lot, and very happy with my success with Keto. Don't stress at the beginning. It definitely is a learning process. Just remember, eat to your protein, if you go over a bit, it's ok. Keep your carbs low. If you go over 20 grams, it's ok. I usually wavered between 15 and 50 and still lost weight. Now it's easier to stay around 20 net. I don't think it matters when you eat what, but I pretty much keep everything even.

My personal theory is:

Carbs are a hard limit. BUT - with veggie carbs that are NON-starchy - I subtract fiber, etc. I personally never got kicked out of keto by a large salad or plate of broccoli. Unless you're doing this for medicinal reasons (like stopping seizures or something), you're probably okay to do that...

Protein is a MINIMUM GOAL RANGE. This is based off of your current body weight, goal weight, and activity levels. I used to think I had a problem going over protein...but that's almost impossible, unless you're severely diabetic and/or have a hugely impaired metabolism or health condition (CKD or something) that doesn't handle protein well.

Fats fill in ONLY TO SATIETY. You don't need to add a ton of extra fat. The "extra" fat (after reasonable hunger is fully met - which varies widely, especially in the beginning) is supplied by your body fat stores. Now if you're still hungry, by all means add the fats. But don't add them for the sake of hitting some macro.


It took me nearly 2 years to get to this point of understanding. The caveat I will add is that this is my own experience and based on research I've shared back and forth with others on this forum and such. I am NOT a medical professional, and don't claim that this will work for everyone. Please use info you get here for research and discuss with your medical professional to see what is best for YOU.

Some people do NOT do well with veggie fiber...like they do carnivore keto (i.e. all animal products, ZERO veggies, etc.). Other people do better WITH veggies. It really depends on you and how things go for you... But there's a HUGE difference in having a 4 cup serving of broccoli and 4 cookies... Carbs are NOT equal. Some people process some things better than other, or seem to be fairly equal in base carb counts, but there are things going on behind the scenes that contribute to how things seem to be versus how they truly are....

Good luck.

My suggestion is not to over think it.
I would never make a meal out of just fat. Ie; fatty coffee.
Well... I shouldn’t say I would never... because I did exactly that for a long time. I restricted protein like I read I should and added fat to my already high fat foods and I lost a bunch of weight really fast. Too bad it was mostly muscle...

Then I learned there is absolutely no reason to limit protein on a weight loss keto diet and all I accomplished by doing so was a reduced bmr from the muscle loss. So now I’d have to eat even less than expected if I wanted to force more weight loss.

Protein doesn’t just turn into glucose because you ate some amount beyond what your body needed at that moment. The blood sugar rise assocuated with protein intake isn’t even from the protein itself. It’s from the glycogen that’s secreted to offset the insulin that is required for uptake of the amino acids into your cells. Like muscle and bone. You need them. So what it comes with a little insulin. Insulin in normal and functional levels isn’t a bad thing. You’d die without it. Just ask my T1D daughter.
So unless you are eating keto to treat a medical condition and under the supervision of a knowledgeable doctor, I wouldn’t limit protein at all.
Back to keeping it simple.
Do your best to eat only when hungry. Make each of those meals a meat with whatever low carb other food you want with it.
Want a big beef patty and pickles? Go for it!
Want a chicken breast and a salad with olive oil or ranch. Eat up!
Don’t stress the macros. You’re just looking for weight loss. You don’t have epilepsy.
Make all your carbs from green leafy vegetables and some dairy if you tolerate those things.
Eat whole foods. Not things from boxes or packages.

If you really want to dig into the science of protein. You can. But you don’t need to.
Our ancestors ate animals. They ate as much as they could whenever they were available. Sometimes they didn’t eat because they couldn’t. They weren’t counting macros or drinking butter coffee.
http://www.tuitnutrition.com/2017/07/gluconeogenesis.html?m=1

Oh, and my favorite saying, or at least one of the top three, "Nutrition TRUMPS any carb or calorie. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME."

In other words, don't fob off nutrient dense veggies over a 20 gram carb limit. Most folks (again, if only partially impaired in metabolism) can go up to 50 grams of reasonable carbs (don't stuff that 50 grams on sugar and mashed potatoes, etc.). and still maintain nutritional ketosis. That threshold is different for everyone.

Just like, I could eat 20-30 grams of carbs of broccoli and be fine.

I could do 10-15 grams of carbs from normal crackers and be okay...

I could do 5 grams of straight sugar/sugary food and NOT be okay...or take a small hit...

Also, for me specifically, it's combos of things...sugars PLUS grains? Sure-fire mess for me. Sugars plus cream (like a small serving of real ice cream/gelato) - not nearly as bad. And so on.

You have to find out what works for you -- and what you aren't willing to sacrifice long term, etc. We all recommend ditching them in the beginning, but you have to find what makes that sustainable FOR YOU...

Certain things I found essential at first, I dropped off on after a year or so. Other things got added. Etc.

It needs to be reasonable. It needs to be sustainable. Even when I was at a hard 20 grams of carbs...I wouldn't skip tomatoes, because they're a life-long love for me... I never minded going a little over my carb levels for nutrient dense real foods...

I go with total carbs, not exactly net carbs. I will subtract fiber but not sugar alcohols. non starcy Veggies just have too many vitamins etc. I will eat spinach, broccoli, cauliflower without worry.

hparr0601 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Right off the bat, the suggestion to focus on nutrient dense veggies and protein was immensely helpful. I tweaked my meals to include a veggie or two at each meal (spinach, cauliflower, bell pepper, other leafy greens so far), and aim to eat as much protein as I can while pacing myself to stay on target with my calories, then the fat just seems to fill in the rest (doesn’t take a lot of effort for me to get my fats lol). Anyway, I must be doing something right, because I’m down 3.5 lbs after 4 days of keto! This is my third go-round in MFP, but first try ever with any form of low carb. Never have I had such a successful weigh-in before. In the past, I had some months that I barely lost 3.5 lbs. So, thanks for helping me get off to a great start!

Whoo hooo! Awesome! And Keto does it again!

amg211 wrote: »

Great job! I am brand new to keto and looking for some support and help! I have no clue how to add people on here, so can keto people add me please!!!

Just sent a request. To send a friend request, you simply click on a person's name, click on their name again in the little box that pops up, then you can click Add Friend on the next box.