New to My Fitness Pal - Just learning about Keto

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raincitygirl74
raincitygirl74 Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Just started tracking food consumption and macros today - first day on My Fitness Pal - as I'm starting to go on a ketogenic diet (well not officially yet, as I'm still reading up on it). But holy crap I basically blew my load on breakfast and already consumed more than half of my macro allotment with a yogurt parfait. Sheesh. I am learning lots. :( Anyone else on keto? I'm also a bit of a wino so I feel like I'm giving up lots by severely limiting my wine intake. Help!

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  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,124 Member
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    Why do you feel you need to do Keto? There's nothing magical about it. Just eat your regular foods, but in a reasonable calorie deficit and you will lose weight.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If the breakfasts that you prefer are using up half your carbohydrates and you enjoy wine, I would question if this is the right plan for you. Is there a specific reason you're choosing keto?

    I lost weight by counting calories to create a calorie deficit. It worked for me because I could continue to eat the foods I enjoyed and I usually had calories for wine (or another drink).
  • zanyterp
    zanyterp Posts: 291 Member
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    i can't comment on the alcohol element, but re-learning food stuff is rough. and it may work for you to use that much during the morning and spread them throughout the other meals. it just depends on how your body reacts to the carb reduction.
  • raincitygirl74
    raincitygirl74 Posts: 3 Member
    edited November 2018
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    Thanks everyone! I've found that counting calories in the past hasn't worked - and instead I switched to counting macros. Even though I eat way less starches, the carb content is still really high in things like Greek yogurt - which was astounding to me. :neutral: I'm trying to lose 30 pounds and my boyfriend did Keto and it really worked for him; that's why I'm thinking of trying it.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited November 2018
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    raincitygirl74 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! I've found that counting calories in the past hasn't worked - and instead I switched to counting macros. Even though I eat way less starches, the carb content is still really high in things like Greek yogurt - which was astounding to me. :neutral: I'm trying to lose 30 pounds and my boyfriend did Keto and it really worked for him; that's why I'm thinking of trying it.

    Can you be more specific on why it did not work? were you still hungry? were you not finding yourself able to log daily as needed? were you logging and still not loosing weight? how long did you stick to it?

    You can look at the macros for sure but at the end of the day, you loose weight by eating fewer calories than you use. So eating fewer carbs won't help you loose weight until you eat fewer calories overall.

    Some people find Keto helps them feel full. I personally would find a diet that limits veggies and fruit to drive me insane. I eat tons of veggies to help feel full. I don't eat a ton of "pasta-wheat*potatoes" but I do eat "carbs" in other foods like vegetables and fruit (and I do eat oatmeal in the morning).
  • showjack70
    showjack70 Posts: 57 Member
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    Keto is a fad diet. Honestly, no diet is going to be the solution. Counting calories or macros is not the solution (for most people).

    We get overweight because we overeat. The real fix (which is much tougher than a diet prescription) is to reflect on behaviors and patterns that caused you to be 30 lbs heavier than you would like. Begin to make small changes that you can sustain. Build on that. Reevaluate every few weeks. Be patient and kind to yourself.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    raincitygirl74 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! I've found that counting calories in the past hasn't worked - and instead I switched to counting macros. Even though I eat way less starches, the carb content is still really high in things like Greek yogurt - which was astounding to me. :neutral: I'm trying to lose 30 pounds and my boyfriend did Keto and it really worked for him; that's why I'm thinking of trying it.

    The Greek yogurt I use has 5 grams of carbohydrates which I certainly wouldn't consider to be "very high"...as with other dairy products, it's going to have lactose which is a type of sugar.

    But yeah, keto is going to be by and large fat, meat, and low carb veg like greens, broccoli, etc.
  • Sloth2016
    Sloth2016 Posts: 846 Member
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    Hi @raincitygirl74 and welcome!

    New keto'er here; having lost 80+ tracking calories after heart surgery, I decided to try low carb to help moderate my blood glucose.

    Nice intro./overview here: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

    Nice groups to join here:https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum and https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1143-keto

    Best book on Keto: Lyle MacDonald, "The Ketogenic Diet" (available directly from his web site)

    I found pre-logging the day helped me get the most out of my carbohydrate as well as calorie allotment. I can usually keep it under 100gm. daily and most days close to 50gm and have room for lots of leafy greens, and a high carb treat (e.g., serving of pasta, or rice with dinner, or a small piece of pie or chocolate). So, it's not as restrictive as many say it is.

    An hour of hard cardio exercise brings a larger allotment of carbohydrate and calories.

    Things like full sugar yogurts and such, I practice eat half, save half for another day. Same with hummus.

    Get lots of protein from lean cuts of meat and fish, eggs and plant based sources. I supplement with powdered protein as well.

    Lots of herbs and spices make things delicious!

    Remember, a goof up just means that tomorrow is another day :smile:
  • Wifett3
    Wifett3 Posts: 24 Member
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    Welcome! I’ve been eating keto since August and have never felt better! It’s helped with my weight loss and mild PCOS symptoms so much more than a well rounded standard diet ever did. That first week will be... an adjustment, but stick with it! You’re on the right track trying to do research. Use your boyfriend as a resource too. Keep in mind if you’re trying to lose weight while keto you still need to be eating at a deficit. The biggest benefit is once you get the ball rolling, you don’t really get hungry. I’d recommend joining the Low Carber group to meet more likeminded people or for more targeted advice. Feel free to add me as a friend too!

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