Starting Keto diet

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supah11
supah11 Posts: 71 Member
in Getting Started
So I'm starting keto diet and I got confused/stressed seeing the meal plan and the food to avoid and choose. My question is, will depending on my macros here on MFP and eating the right food for keto be good? Like I won't stick to the meal prep of keto but I'll be targeting my macros anyway. Will that be fine?

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  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    @supah11 over the past 4.5 years of doing Keto I have learned the main thing in my case is to ballpark the carbs at or just under 50 grams daily. The protein and fats just kind of worked out so far. Protein can vary greatly from person to person due to activity levels.
  • ShaeDetermined
    ShaeDetermined Posts: 1,525 Member
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    You need to custom set your macros to fit the keto guidelines. I would use a site like ruled.me, figure out your macros and then adjust your mfp diary accordingly.
    Many people lose following the iifym (if it fits your macros) mentality.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    What are your goals - weight loss? Do you have a medical reason to restrict carbs? What appeals to you about keto?
  • supah11
    supah11 Posts: 71 Member
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    @WinoGelato No medical reason, I just want to lose weight
  • supah11
    supah11 Posts: 71 Member
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    @GaleHawkins so its basically just cutting out the carbs? I just hate the restrictions and confusion. Like for example, cherry tomatoes aren't allowed but regular tomatoes are?
  • supah11
    supah11 Posts: 71 Member
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    @ShaeDetermined yes I have edited my macros intake here in MFP. So does it mean that following the targeted macros and eating the allowed food for keto diet will help me with weight loss?
  • ode22a
    ode22a Posts: 15 Member
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    Starting the Keto diet on Monday. Do we have any success stories and/or some helpful tips?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2019
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    supah11 wrote: »
    @WinoGelato No medical reason, I just want to lose weight

    All weight loss is thru calorie deficit. If very low carb helps you reduce calorie intake (and you enjoy eating that way) have at it.

    There are no special weight loss properties with keto (apart from the initial woosh of water weight loss from carb restriction). You can eat high carb (vegetarians generally) and lose weight, or low fat, or moderate carb. All these work if you reduce calorie intake consistently.

    Pick a way of eating that you enjoy. Weight loss should be a learning experience that helps you ease into maintenance.
  • ShaeDetermined
    ShaeDetermined Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited March 2019
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    supah11 wrote: »
    @ShaeDetermined yes I have edited my macros intake here in MFP. So does it mean that following the targeted macros and eating the allowed food for keto diet will help me with weight loss?

    It definitely should.
    If you are staying within your allotted calorie intake, and following the recommended macros, you should definitely lose.
    Keep in mind, on keto the macro you should be strictest with is carbs. Use it as a hard limit. Eat plenty of protein, and enough fats to keep you full.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    @supah11 from what you have said keto may not be the best way for you to lose weight if it sounds too restrictive. Maybe rather than going keto follow a low carb diet for a while and see how you go with that. Low carb is considered anything under 150 grams of carbs a day. Just remember that as long as you eat at a deficit for a prolonged period of time you will lose weight. As you have no medical conditions your particular macro percentage will depend on the foods you enjoy and the foods you find most filling. This will help with long term adherence. For some, this is keto because they enjoy that type of food and find fat much more filling than carbs. Others, however, need higher protein and carbs to achieve the same results.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    If quick weight loss is your reason for doing Keto it might not be the right choice for you. If the eating style appeals to you or medical issues are the reason it is worth considering. I lost all my weight on low calorie but have had some issues with cravings and water weight retention in maintenance which is affecting my blood pressure so I have cut my carbs to 20%. I am seeing a big improvement so far although it’s only been a few days. I am not doing strict Keto and I am still logging my calories. Keto for some can still allow them to overeat although it is less likely because the high fat tends to make people feel more satisfied. Ignore all the crazy advertising saying it is a magic weight loss method. I believe calories still matter. @GaleHawkins seems to be one of the most knowledgeable people on here where Keto is concerned. I would listen to his advice if you choose to proceed with the Keto lifestyle.
  • supah11
    supah11 Posts: 71 Member
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    @ode22a I'm planning on syarting at it too. For the success stories, just the people on the internet..no friends has done it yet.
  • Larkspur94
    Larkspur94 Posts: 114 Member
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    supah11 wrote: »
    @GaleHawkins so its basically just cutting out the carbs? I just hate the restrictions and confusion. Like for example, cherry tomatoes aren't allowed but regular tomatoes are?

    Most food you are told to avoid is generally because of the higher carb content. Makes it harder to fit it into your food plan for the day, make sure you get enough calories. I'll have cherry tomatoes in guacamole for instance. It's about how much of a more moderate carb veggie or fruit you use. So onions, red bell peppers and tomatoes you need to weigh and calculate into your limit for instance. As long as you don't go over the limit you could say nothing is off the table. I'll also have peas now and then, but in a pretty small amount, like 10/20g.
    The lower carb stuff like spinach, you'll soon find you prefer as you can have quite a lot of it. Cauli is your friend. 150g serving is about 5 net carbs. Make rice or mash with it. Goes with so many meals.
    If I have a meal that takes up most of my limit, anything else I have that day is planned to contain as little carbs as possible to meet my calorie goal. So a cheese and meat omelette fried in butter for instance.

    Now say you wanted a banana. Something that you really shouldn't eat on keto. A whole banana comes to approx 20g net carbs. That's your whole limit for the day. Say you separate it into 10 pieces and have one piece, now it's only 2g net carbs. So you can have a little taste and still be fine. But you also need to be aware that such a sugary item can give cravings. So again, reason to avoid.

    People on this diet for diabetic reasons would have more reason to avoid the higher carb stuff than those just on weight loss, as higher carb food are often high GI. In their case, doing that taste with the banana thing wouldn't work out since it would spike the blood sugar too much even in that small amount.

    Anyway, point is, to be in ketosis you just need to be consuming less than 50g total carbs a day or 20-30g net. The lower you go, the deeper the ketosis.
  • FarmerCarla
    FarmerCarla Posts: 470 Member
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    I started Keto on 9/24/18 to lose weight, and I haven't minded the restrictions--no sugar, no root vegetables, no milk/bread/cereal/beans/peanuts, etc. I've had plenty to eat with meat, cheese, tree nuts, and vegetables I enjoy! Today, I reached my goal--down 43 lbs., from 178 to 135. I logged my food until about 3 weeks ago. By then, I felt comfortable about what and how much to eat. It's worked! If you decide it might work for you, go for it! It's a good plan for some of us.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    GaleHawkins I must be confusing you with a different person with the same user name and profile picture then so I apologise. You know, the one whose posts are regularly pulled apart by others because the claims made can not be backed up by science.

    Also, you do not need to try keto to understand how the body works. You do not need to try keto to understand the law of conservation of energy. Basic high school science is enough for that. You do not need to understand keto to differentiate between a blog and peer-reviewed research. This is something that you will very quickly master when you begin university if you haven't done so beforehand.

    I am glad that you have found a way of eating that has benefited your health. That is fantastic. However, N=1 does not mean anything without other data. You can not distinguish between correlation and causation with such a small sample size.

    Psst, I'd also suggest you look up the definition of personal attack before misusing the phrase again.

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