Keto Help!?

ncarpenter11
ncarpenter11 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My doctor told me to switch to a Keto diet for health reasons and honestly I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the information. Can someone help break it down for me? I used the keto calculator and updated my goals and preferences to reflect a daily goal of 5% carb, 20% protein, and 75% fat. Beyond that I have absolutely no idea what Im doing. I printed some "keto shoppping lists" that help decide what to eat (and what to avoid) and I planned to start my diet tomorrow. I'm not fasting and I'm aware to look out for Keto flu but I just really could use some direction. How do I go about making sure I get the right percentage of macros? Any little bit helps. TIA

Replies

  • julyjm99
    julyjm99 Posts: 1 Member
    check out pinterest, lots of info on keto gor beginners there
  • candilc9
    candilc9 Posts: 21 Member
    Just started as well. Read that if you up you sodium and potassium intake, it will help with the keto flu. I started an egg diet with hard boiled eggs to kick-start ketosis and I also drink broth/bullion with couple of tbsp of salted butter. As of midnight, I'm into day three and feel fine. I also do tea or coffee with a little protein powder and a couple tbsp of coconut oil. So far not a lot of cravings yet. Literally made this decadent dessert (that I won't even describe as that would be totally counterproductive) at work a couple of hours ago and didn't even have the urge to lick my fingers! This keto diet is awesome so far! As far as macros go, I plug in food for the whole day (next day) and keep tweaking the servings until I get the right ratios. Then I follow the menu for that day. If I veer off, I tweak the servings again to compensate OR I plug in the item ahead of time, before I eat it, to see if it's worth eating.

    Also if you have a sweet tooth like I do, I searched for keto versions of my favs (like cookie dough), made a lot of it, portioned it out for snacks to eat once I'm done with the egg thing and I know I'm in ketosis.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You've got it down. Set your food diary to display fat, protein and carbs, set the macros like you said, and prelog a day (or several), you can add and remove and adjust amounts until you get it right; single food ingredients are easiest to work with, imo. You can ease into it by gradually reducing carbs and increase fat. A side note: If your doctor didn't tell you why you should eat keto, and you find yourself struggling, I would go back and ask if it's really necessary, and what it is you're supposed to achieve by keto that you can't get just by improving your diet.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited May 2018
    Looks fine. There is no "right" percentage of macros. Some have carbs over 10% (but usually under 50g) and some go to almost zero. Protein may be low (below 20%) if one needs high ketones for a medical reason, but most are between 20-40%. Fat fills in the rest, and is usually between 60-80%.

    Right now I am using 0C-25P-75F, but in the past I have used 5-20-75, and 10-25-65 too. Ketosis is mainly about keeping carbs low.

    Unless higher protein is prohibited, you could always consider going higher on that. The bare minimum for protein is 0.36 g per pound of body weight, but it is often recommended that people go higher in order to help preserve lean body mass like muscle. Something like 0.70 g per pound, or even higher if you are active, may end up being more helpful. That could be 25 or even 35% of your macros.

    Plus protein is thermogenic so you burn more calories per pound eaten than other macros. And many people find protein very filling. I know I find it almost impossible to overeat protein.

    When I started a ketogenic diet, I cut the refined and highly processed foods first. The first to go was added sugar and anything made with flour (bread, noodles, cereal, muffins, taco shells, chips, candy, soda). Next I Mostly eliminated grains like rice, oats, corn and such. I also cut high sugar, often tropical or dried, fruits like mango, bananas, grapes, and raisins. Then I really limited starchy root vegetables like potatoes, yams, carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, etc. I would not eat much at a time. I also limited most temperate fruits like oranges, apples and melons.

    Most keto'ers eat a lot of veggies, especially leafy greens, some berries, olives, seeds, nuts, coconut, meats, eggs, seafood and full fat dairy.
  • Cesullivan0510
    Cesullivan0510 Posts: 5 Member
    Some websites that you can find great recipes, and that have information that I've found helpful in my keto journey:

    www.ibreatheimhungry.com - Has a *lot* of recipes that I've enjoyed.
    www.ketoconnect.net - This one also has a youtube channel.
    www.marksdailyapple.com - Keto guru who is a big advocate of primal/ancestral eating
    www.headbangerskitchen.com - Also has a youtube channel.

    I mention the channels because it can be nice to see some of the recipes in action. As far as the macros, I think you've got a good start with the 5-20-75, and it's important to realize that you may need to tweak them as time goes on. The intermittent fasting is something that shouldn't enter your mind until you're in ketosis, and comfortable with it enough to skip a meal. From what I've read, it's something you want to ease into.
  • Tennisplayer66
    Tennisplayer66 Posts: 2 Member
    Buy the book Keto Cure written by Dr. he really explains things in it. He talks about what sweeteners are good and the ones to steer clear of.
  • genghis54
    genghis54 Posts: 123 Member
    diet doctor is helpful
  • fleckza
    fleckza Posts: 1 Member
    Dietdoctor.com is helpful and I also found keto diet by Vogel to be super helpful with fantastic recipes.

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