Is anyone on the Keto diet?

Im watching what I eat and tracking everything but still struggling to eat more fat and a little less protein. Any suggestions are helpful. I just started and so far I’m loving it. Just need some ideas!

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Some ideas: Why are you aiming for keto, when you prefer to eat differently? What are you loving about it, when you struggle with it?
  • BelenPm
    BelenPm Posts: 1 Member
    Hi Hannah,

    I just started as well, and am finding the overall plan much easier than counting calories. For fats, I add vinaigrette with olive oil to leafy greens, a slice or two of avocado with lunch and/or dinner, a handful of almonds for a quick snack. I’m also still learning the tips and tricks, and welcome any advice you’ve found works for you - still looking for a milk alternative that tastes good in my coffee!

  • slim4map
    slim4map Posts: 6 Member
    BelenPm wrote: »
    Hi Hannah,

    I just started as well, and am finding the overall plan much easier than counting calories. For fats, I add vinaigrette with olive oil to leafy greens, a slice or two of avocado with lunch and/or dinner, a handful of almonds for a quick snack. I’m also still learning the tips and tricks, and welcome any advice you’ve found works for you - still looking for a milk alternative that tastes good in my coffee!

  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    How can you eat lots of meat and protein foods and NOT get enough fat?
  • aniracace
    aniracace Posts: 39 Member
    There's a low carber group; I'm sure some of them are doing keto
  • slim4map
    slim4map Posts: 6 Member
    PS. As a result I am off meds that I took for years! The majority of my food choices are real and non processed except for the whipped cream, stevia chocolate and cream cheese.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Yes, of course. (Not me, although I did experiment with it.)

    Here's a place where lots of people doing it hang out, and a source of information: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    My suggestion: it's probably not necessary to worry about lowering protein. Depending on where you got your macros, some of the popular keto popularizers (including one initials JM) suggest that protein should be on the low side, and that's pointless and absurd. And anyone who says keto is muscle sparing is not looking at the evidence.

    To be in ketosis, you probably will want to be under 50 g net carbs and to be safe lower might be good (although frankly there's no meaningful difference for most between low carb and ketosis, so worrying about how many ketones you produce is likely not necessary).

    For protein, at a deficit you aren't going to consume enough to kick you out of ketosis in all likelihood, and the normal recommended amount for muscle protection at a deficit is fine -- that's around .8 g per lb of healthy goal weight (a range really, but protein is so easy on keto).

    After that, aim for a reasonable calorie level and eat fat to satiety.

    Anyone who claims you need a certain percentage of dietary fat to go into ketosis is misinformed, BUT, of course, fat is your main fuel source, so you do want to eat a good amount of fat and not fall into the track of low carb and low fat.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    slim4map wrote: »
    PS. As a result I am off meds that I took for years! The majority of my food choices are real and non processed except for the whipped cream, stevia chocolate and cream cheese.

    What is not real about cream? or cheese?
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    edited February 2018
    slim4map wrote: »
    <snip>
    The key is maximizing your fat, unfortunately my fitness pal doesn’t let you do custom macros unless you pay for the upgrade.
    <snip>
    Understand that it’s not about calories it’s about how food affects your insulin level.

    Sounds like you're very happy with keto and it works for you, but a couple of things...

    You can absolutely adjust your macro percentages with the free version of MFP. It's just the grams setting that is locked.

    30ta2pwfu2e1.jpg

    Keto or not, it's still about calories. Keto just helps some people control their CI better. It's not magic :neutral:


  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Lean59man wrote: »
    How can you eat lots of meat and protein foods and NOT get enough fat?

    It's easy if someone prefers lean meats.
  • slim4map
    slim4map Posts: 6 Member
    slim4map wrote: »
    PS. As a result I am off meds that I took for years! The majority of my food choices are real and non processed except for the whipped cream, stevia chocolate and cream cheese.

    What is not real about cream? or cheese?

  • squeeeyk
    squeeeyk Posts: 165 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Yes, of course. (Not me, although I did experiment with it.)

    Here's a place where lots of people doing it hang out, and a source of information: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    My suggestion: it's probably not necessary to worry about lowering protein. Depending on where you got your macros, some of the popular keto popularizers (including one initials JM) suggest that protein should be on the low side, and that's pointless and absurd. And anyone who says keto is muscle sparing is not looking at the evidence.

    To be in ketosis, you probably will want to be under 50 g net carbs and to be safe lower might be good (although frankly there's no meaningful difference for most between low carb and ketosis, so worrying about how many ketones you produce is likely not necessary).

    For protein, at a deficit you aren't going to consume enough to kick you out of ketosis in all likelihood, and the normal recommended amount for muscle protection at a deficit is fine -- that's around .8 g per lb of healthy goal weight (a range really, but protein is so easy on keto).

    After that, aim for a reasonable calorie level and eat fat to satiety.

    Anyone who claims you need a certain percentage of dietary fat to go into ketosis is misinformed, BUT, of course, fat is your main fuel source, so you do want to eat a good amount of fat and not fall into the track of low carb and low fat.

    This. Eat below carb cutoff, eat at protein cutoff, the rest should be fat until no longer hungry.
  • Thank you everyone! This was very helpful!!!!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Yes, of course. (Not me, although I did experiment with it.)

    Here's a place where lots of people doing it hang out, and a source of information: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    My suggestion: it's probably not necessary to worry about lowering protein. Depending on where you got your macros, some of the popular keto popularizers (including one initials JM) suggest that protein should be on the low side, and that's pointless and absurd. And anyone who says keto is muscle sparing is not looking at the evidence.

    To be in ketosis, you probably will want to be under 50 g net carbs and to be safe lower might be good (although frankly there's no meaningful difference for most between low carb and ketosis, so worrying about how many ketones you produce is likely not necessary).

    For protein, at a deficit you aren't going to consume enough to kick you out of ketosis in all likelihood, and the normal recommended amount for muscle protection at a deficit is fine -- that's around .8 g per lb of healthy goal weight (a range really, but protein is so easy on keto).

    After that, aim for a reasonable calorie level and eat fat to satiety.

    Anyone who claims you need a certain percentage of dietary fat to go into ketosis is misinformed, BUT, of course, fat is your main fuel source, so you do want to eat a good amount of fat and not fall into the track of low carb and low fat.

    This is very good advice.

    Do not try to cut protein when in a deficit. It won't help you lose faster and it will only increase ketones marginally, which is only important for those who are using ketosis for a medical reason. Around 1g of protein per pound of lean mass is often a good spot to start.

    Hit your protein goal, try to stay below your carb ceiling and then fill in the rest with fat or more protein.

    The group linked above is a very good place to look for more help. Good luck.
  • Teresamaria860
    Teresamaria860 Posts: 4 Member
    I believe the mistake most make when doing some form of low carb program, i.e. Keto, Paleo or primal, is they are afraid to really eat fats. 65-70% of my total calorie intake is from fats. These I eat in the form of ghee, lard, butter, heavy cream, tallow, coconut oil, olive and.avocado oils. I will usually add 2-3 tablespoons to my meal in addition to any fats I might use in cooking. As an example a typical breakfast might be 1-2 boiled eggs, roasted butternut squash, a cup of bone broth and coffee or tea. I will put 2 teaspoons of melted ghee on the eggs, add 2 teaspoons of butter to the squash, 2 teaspoons of tallow in the bone broth and an ounce heavy cream to the coffee. This would be a 500-600 calorie meal. My faily calorie goals is 1600 -1800 calories daily dependingnon my activity level. Sonfar I've.lost about 25 lbs gone down 2 dress sizes and all my health markers are vastly improved.

    So don't be afraid of fat. Fat in the absence of dietary carbohydrates does not put fat on the body instead it is used by the body as fuel.
  • tshirtartist
    tshirtartist Posts: 109 Member
    I have been doing Keto for a year and a half. So grateful to be off of that Binge and diet rollercoaster!!! Cravings are gone and for the first time in my life I feel sane around food. Originally started it to lose weight but really now it is just about sanity. I used to be REALLY overweight. Lost 200lbs 17 years ago on a low carb diet and then went vegan for 9 years and struggled nonstop gaining and losing the same 30lbs over and over again. I lost that when I went on ketosis and have kept it off and feel awesome.
  • LauraFaliveno
    LauraFaliveno Posts: 1 Member
    Vegan keto here and I LOVE it.
    I’ve just been packing as many fats as I can to each meal - a lot of vegan meats are super high in protein and fats but very low carb. I’ve just been having a lot of that with a lot of greens, avocado, plenty of olive oil / coconut oil. A lot of seeds like flaxseed, chia seed and sesame seeds.
    Shout if you want more interesting and tasty recipes!
  • bglasgow15
    bglasgow15 Posts: 5 Member
    I've given up on breakfast...too much work. A Bulletproof Coffee (use a blender; otherwise it's not emulsified and it's just gross) keeps me happy until lunch. A salad and a few ounces of meat for lunch, and dinner is meat and veggies. I often make a veggie sauce using lots of fats. Here's an example of one I made last night.

    www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/98300827823869