Keto experts needed!! -Qs

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spvlat
spvlat Posts: 28 Member
in Food and Nutrition
hi! I've been trying the keto diet for a few days now and I have a few questions: 1) Does it still count as keto if I eat less than 30g of net carbs per day? 2) What if I eat less than 30g of net per day but my overall carb percentage is over 10% ? (it's usually about 10-15%) 3) and lastly do I have to restrict my calories while on keto to lose weight? (I've been eating close to my "maintance weight" so far). I'd be really helpful to get some answers. Thanks and good luck to all!!

Replies

  • ChelseaAnnEssert
    ChelseaAnnEssert Posts: 9 Member
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    I feel like you should eat less than maintenance calories to lose weight. I just program it into MFP. It tells me how many calories I can have to lose two pounds per week.
  • TheopolisAmbroiseIII
    TheopolisAmbroiseIII Posts: 197 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Ditch thinking about your macros in terms of percents. Eat less than 25-30g of carbs per day. Eat at least, or more, protein somewhere around 0.75g/lb bodyweight (+/-, depending on activity level, etc). Eat the rest of your calorie allotment in fat, up to where you don't feel like you're starving.

    MFP, unless you pay for premium, only lets you use percents in goals, but keep reworking the goals to keep your macros in those numerical ranges.

    As for "counting" as keto.. keto is a binary condition. Either your body is in Ketosis or it isn't. People who say things like "partially keto" mean the same thing as "a little bit pregnant". It's nonsensical. Your body is in ketosis when you routinely have too few carbs in your diet to maintain your body's energy requirements, and your body has to switch to fat burning for energy. For some, this can be done only at 25g of carbs or less daily. For some, like some mythical creature who runs a marathon daily, they could eat a lot more carbs and still be in ketosis.
  • liciav23
    liciav23 Posts: 1 Member
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    Keto friends: can I get an add?! Need keto Accountability with those who get it!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited January 2018
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    As stated earlier, upper carb limits for ketosis can vary. Some who have IR and are inactive may need to stay under 20-30 g of carbs (net or total) whereas very active, healthy people who time carbs around exercise can eat well over 100g ( I have seen over 200g for endurance athletes). Most people do fine under 50 g. That is often about 10%.

    You do need to restrict calories to lose weight. Some keto'ers naturally eat less when ketogenic so they don't have to count calories in order to eat at a deficit. If they are losing weight, they are eating at a deficit though.

    Good luck!
  • Selendraco
    Selendraco Posts: 41 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Does anyone have any good sites to help with meal planning?

    I would also like an add for keto help.
    I am the worst with meal planning as I semi know what I can/should eat. but its the planning part that messes me up.
    Today is my first day of "real" keto. In December, I've been ramping my way up, by lowering stuff so I don't get overwhelmed and self sabotage myself.

    So all of December was minimizing sugar, re-quitting soft drinks, minimizing carbs, buying ingredients (ghee,coconut oil), and things that will help.

    So now that I've officially started I don't even know where to begin even when I have all the resources, I need guidance.

    (What I really need is Mutombo slapping things out of my hand, "No, No, No. Not Today" but I'll settle for guidance.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO6n-aT3Fhg
  • spvlat
    spvlat Posts: 28 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Thanks for all of your replies. I'm new to keto and reading all these diferrent articles about it confused me a bit but you guys were very insightful. The thing is it's hard for me to tell if my body's in ketosis since it's difficult to get a hold of a ketostix where I live but I've definitely eaten less than 30grams of net carbs in the past 8 days. I'm 5'6, 135 lbs and I have a 27,5% body fat percentage(woman).I was thinking of dropping about 8 lbs with keto and maybe slowly transist into eating low-carb. I think now I'm going to focus more on lowering my body fat% rather than the scale. I don't see myself doing keto in the long run maybe low-carb but keto's been very hard so far.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited January 2018
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    spvlat wrote: »
    Thanks for all of your replies. I'm new to keto and reading all these diferrent articles about it confused me a bit but you guys were very insightful. The thing is it's hard for me to tell if my body's in ketosis since it's difficult to get a hold of a ketostix where I live but I've definitely eaten less than 30grams of net carbs in the past 8 days. I'm 5'6, 135 lbs and I have a 27,5% body fat percentage(woman).I was thinking of dropping about 8 lbs with keto and maybe slowly transist into eating low-carb. I think now I'm going to focus more on lowering my body fat% rather than the scale. I don't see myself doing keto in the long run maybe low-carb but keto's been very hard so far.

    At those carb levels you can be certain that you are in ketosis unless you have insulin resistance. And if you do not have a medical need for ketosis, don't worry about slipping in and out of ketosis if low carb feels good for you. There is no black and white with ketosis. If you are under 50g of carbs then you are probably in ketosis all of the time. At 100g you would probably be in ketosis some of the time. It is not a huge difference for healthy people.

    Best wishes.
  • spvlat
    spvlat Posts: 28 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »

    At those carb levels you can be certain that you are in ketosis unless you have insulin resistance. And if you do not have a medical need for ketosis, don't worry about slipping in and out of ketosis if low carb feels good for you. There is no black and white with ketosis. If you are under 50g of carbs then you are probably in ketosis all of the time. At 100g you would probably be in ketosis some of the time. It is not a huge difference for healthy people.

    Best wishes.

    Wow! That's a relief! Keto is hard enough and the struggle of counting every food to the last gram as well as worrying if it kicked me out of keto is exhausting. Your comment made my day
  • xapeacefulwayx
    xapeacefulwayx Posts: 1 Member
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    Looking for more keto buddies and would love to friend up with people who are sharing their food journals so I can get food ideas.

    Agree with those saying keto is an all or nothing diet. You can't do this diet halfway and that's what makes it so hard to stick to. I have IR/PCOS so low/moderate carb is the best diet for me.

    I am planning to do keto for 1 to 2 months and then slowly transition to a moderate carb diet that still excludes refined sugar and flour.
  • ericflatekval
    ericflatekval Posts: 7 Member
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    spvlat wrote: »
    Thanks for all of your replies. I'm new to keto and reading all these diferrent articles about it confused me a bit but you guys were very insightful. The thing is it's hard for me to tell if my body's in ketosis since it's difficult to get a hold of a ketostix where I live but I've definitely eaten less than 30grams of net carbs in the past 8 days. I'm 5'6, 135 lbs and I have a 27,5% body fat percentage(woman).I was thinking of dropping about 8 lbs with keto and maybe slowly transist into eating low-carb. I think now I'm going to focus more on lowering my body fat% rather than the scale. I don't see myself doing keto in the long run maybe low-carb but keto's been very hard so far.

    I’ll echo what’s shared above, also definitely understand that being too granular on your carb numbers etc can be challenging if this is not something you enjoy/find tedious/stressful.

    My personal advice I’d repeat, keep your fats up if you intend to stay in ketosis or even pretty low carb. This is your energy source and is tremendously good for appetite satisfaction, cognitive function, and other benefits. It can be challenging to find a variety of healthy fat sources, but do some googling and you’ll find lots of ideas.

    Good luck on wherever you land, and keep up the diligence of learning and curiosity!
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    xapeacefulwayx wrote: »
    Looking for more keto buddies and would love to friend up with people who are sharing their food journals so I can get food ideas.

    Agree with those saying keto is an all or nothing diet. You can't do this diet halfway and that's what makes it so hard to stick to. I have IR/PCOS so low/moderate carb is the best diet for me.

    I am planning to do keto for 1 to 2 months and then slowly transition to a moderate carb diet that still excludes refined sugar and flour.

    Just noticed you aren't already a member of the low carb groups.

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

    And keto specific:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1143-keto

    Come join those groups and ask for friends. A lot of us don't get out of our bubble (as there is plenty of discussion there) and might not see that you're looking for friends. You will find tons of supportive people there who will be your friend and share diaries and meal ideas.
  • spvlat
    spvlat Posts: 28 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Does anyone also know if there's a limit to how much lettuce you can have while on keto? Butterhead lettuce has 2grams of carbs per cup according to MFP and it says all of it is fiber. So I can have as much as I want? or not?
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
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    liciav23 wrote: »
    Keto friends: can I get an add?! Need keto Accountability with those who get it!

    You'd get many more responses if you either search for keto groups/discussions on here or at the very least start your own thread instead of hijacking this one. You'll find tons of keto friends around here.

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