Totally new to Keto and completely overwhelmed

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carebear76
carebear76 Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
Hi. I'm a 42yo mom of two teenagers and have about 40-50 pounds to lose. I keep hearing about the Keto diet but I'm really clueless on where to start. I have a Pinterest account which is where I search for recipes. I used an online calculator to figure macros, which I'm not sure I fully understand, but maybe I'm reading into it too much. I'm mostly concerned about portion control. I'm completely lost in how to use my macros and meal plan using those figures (do you have to weigh your food??) One calculator gave me macros of 120%, but entering those into MFP, I had to adjust to 100%. So all in all, I need some easy to understand guidelines.

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  • Kim_S_G
    Kim_S_G Posts: 120 Member
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    I agree with the above poster.

    Once you get used to using MFP, you might find that you are happy with your results and may no longer be interested in Keto.

    I am about 10 years older than you and have about the same amount of weight to lose. I am losing weight at a rate of approx 1 pound per week. (Down 13 pounds so far.) I am merely eating at a caloric deficit, without paying much attention to macros - although I have recently started to be sure I hit my protein goal. I walk for 1 hour about 5 times a week (2.5 mph) and eat most of those calories back.

    I started out not weighing my food, but I do weigh more food now. I am not to the point where I need to be so accurate as to have to weigh prepackaged food like protein bars. But I do weigh meats, cheese, cottage cheese, watermelon etc.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
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    carebear76 wrote: »
    Hi. I'm a 42yo mom of two teenagers and have about 40-50 pounds to lose. I keep hearing about the Keto diet but I'm really clueless on where to start. I have a Pinterest account which is where I search for recipes. I used an online calculator to figure macros, which I'm not sure I fully understand, but maybe I'm reading into it too much. I'm mostly concerned about portion control. I'm completely lost in how to use my macros and meal plan using those figures (do you have to weigh your food??) One calculator gave me macros of 120%, but entering those into MFP, I had to adjust to 100%. So all in all, I need some easy to understand guidelines.

    I do Keto, but as the others have suggested, losing weight is all about keeping a caloric deficit. So, the "calories in" are less than the "calories out".

    Keto, and I am a huge fan of that way of eating, is very restrictive. It is super low carb (I am usually fewer than 30 Carbs a day) but that is okay - for me. Not everyone can do that. Well, not that people *can not*....I would venture to say that *most people* do not want to.

    Might I ask why you are looking at Keto? Do you have any medical conditions that might be treated - to a greater or lesser extent - by following this way of eating?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited July 2018
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    The main forums are not the best place to get keto help. it it pretty moderation-in-all-things focused. ;) look into the Low CArber Daily and Ketp MFPSub groups for info on the diet.

    I was the same age as you when I lost my 40lbs. I ate an average of 1500 kcal a day and used a macro of 5% carbs, 20-25% protein. (25% was better IMO), and 70-75% fat. It took under six months for me to lose my weight. Keto suited me well enough Hugh ask tend to overeat in carbs, and had early insulin resistance and some autoimmune issues that the inflammation fro high carb intake bothered.

    For weight loss, low carb levels can lead to lower appetite, steadier energy, and reduced cravings - keto has been shown to be as effective as any other diet. A ketogenic diet is one where carbs are kept very low, typically under 50g a day. Those with insulin resistance may find that under 20-30 g works better for them (as do some with a low calorie intake like 1200 kcal) whereas active healthy people may go higher, especially if they time carbs around exercise.

    There are 4 kcal in every gram of carb. If you eat 30 g a day, that is 120 kcal. On a 1200 kcal diet, that is a carb macro if 10%, and a 1800 kcal diet would use around 7-8%, etc.

    Protein is usually moderate. Some calculate moderate protein with 0.8 X pounds of body weight. A more active person might want to go with 1g X lbs body weight. The minimum is more along the lines of 0.36g X lbs body weight. For a woman losing weight, above 70g is usually a good idea; I think 100g + might be better. JMO.

    Like carbs, there are 4 kcal in every gram. 100 g protein = 400 kcal.

    Protein macros are usully between 20-30% but if you have a low calorie intake, consider going with a higher percentage. 400 kcal (100g) protein on a 1200 kcal diet is just over 30%.

    Fat fills in the rest. If carbs are 5%, and protein is 30%, then fat is 65. For someone who is at maintenance, and eating more calories, the macros more commonly look like 5% carb, 20% protein, and 75% fat.. There are 9 kcal in every gram of fat so 100g = 900 kcal.

    Try a keto TDEE calculator for more help. Good luck.
    https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/

    https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/


  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited July 2018
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    carebear76 wrote: »
    Hi. I'm a 42yo mom of two teenagers and have about 40-50 pounds to lose. I keep hearing about the Keto diet but I'm really clueless on where to start. I have a Pinterest account which is where I search for recipes. I used an online calculator to figure macros, which I'm not sure I fully understand, but maybe I'm reading into it too much. I'm mostly concerned about portion control. I'm completely lost in how to use my macros and meal plan using those figures (do you have to weigh your food??) One calculator gave me macros of 120%, but entering those into MFP, I had to adjust to 100%. So all in all, I need some easy to understand guidelines.

    So, easy to follow guidelines? Okay...and keep in mind that these are really very generic! You may need to adjust one way or another....

    First off, there are four different versions of Keto. I am going to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly) and only speak about the Standard Keto Diet. So, forget about the other three kinds (I will post a link to the four that you can click on if you like...).

    Essentially, the Standard Keto Diet suggests the following macro breakdown:

    1. 75% of your calories come from Fats
    2. 20% of your calories come from Proteins
    3. 5% of your calories come from Carbs

    This is a good starting point....you might want | need to adjust - but that is on you.

    So, what in the world does "XX% of your calories come from Fats" mean?

    Let's say that - and I am going to totally make up numbers to keep the math easy and straightforward - you have determined that you need to consume 1,000 calories (again, totally made up for easy math.....please do not use this number in real life) so that you lose 1lb a week - so it will take roughly one year for you to lose your desired weight.

    Okay...so, of those 1,000 Calories, you need to have 75% of them come from Fats. Okay...so, you will consume 750 calories from Fats. So, that is roughly 83g of Fats. One gram of fats = 9 calories.

    Of those 1,000 Calories, you need to have 20% of them come from Proteins. Okay...so you will consume 200 calories from Protein. So, that is 50g of Protein. One gram of protein = 4 calories.

    Of those 1,000 Calories, you need to have 5% of them come from Carbs. Okay...so you will consume 50 calories from Carbs. So, that is roughly 13g of Carbs. One gram of carbs = 4 calories.

    How does this relate to MFP? You could - if you were to continue with Keto - manually change the percentages from the default to what I put above (75% Fats | 20% Protein | 5% Carbs).

    Does this help?

    Edited: forgot that link. Here it is: https://www.perfectketo.com/keto-diet-types/

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