How to start with keto

lea4d
lea4d Posts: 2 Member
edited December 20 in Social Groups
Hello everyone. Im a new starter for keto, actually planning for a long time but still feel clueless abd also scared. Because i travel a fee times coming months, i dont know if i can still start with keto. Any advice and friendship would be very much appreciated

Replies

  • ketoandweim
    ketoandweim Posts: 23 Member
    I started by just consciously not eating bread or sugar, reading labels and looking ahead at menus if I were going out so I knew what to order. I wasn’t worried about calories I just ate the right food and listened to my body if I was hungry I ate. I am to the point now where I rarely eat more than one meal a day but if I have a day when I’m hungry I eat! Magnesium and potassium are very helpful for me and as awful as it to drink 1/2 tsp in a few ounces of water help take that keto flu headache away! You don’t have to overhaul your entire life just start making conscious choices! Meat, eggs, cheese, sprouts, and almonds are my favorites! Today I had a five guys cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce and it was amazing!
  • Tubbytucka
    Tubbytucka Posts: 83 Member
    edited March 2019
    I cut down on the Bad White Stuff like bread, pasta, sugar, rice and spuds for a week or so (eating smaller potions or avoiding them completely,) then when I felt it was the right time to commit, cut down to 30g carbs a day on MFP. (I am a large build and active) I first tried keto 5 years ago and the comment that made me try it was, 'it can be as easy or as hard as you want' so I started easy, then after a month or so of good results I started logging everything.
  • MHKKAK
    MHKKAK Posts: 13 Member
    Hi everyone, I'm a long-time MFP member, not necessarily a user, unfortunately, but a member....and I just started looking into keto. I really have NO idea what to do. I am approaching it with some skepticism and fear as I've never really cut out fruit. I've done a lot of reading and know what percentages each of the fat, protein and carb macros need to be at, but if you're using MFP, how do you know the percentages of total if it counts via grams?

    I did a calculation where I converted grams to calories based on x9, x4, and x4 respectively, but that calculation resulted in about 500 more calories than what MFP said I ate. Then I calculated it as a % of total calories to see if I'm at the required 5%, 25%, 70%, and I was off by quite a bit. MFP states I need a 1200 calorie limit. I don't know how to make the 70% fat and only 25% protein happen. I feel that this is science that needs to be precise or it won't work.
    Please help!
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    It really doesn't need to be precise for weight loss however if you want to base it on 1200 and the percentages you indicated:

    1200 x .70= 840 calories in fat
    1200 x .25 = 300 calories in protein
    1200 x .05 = 60 calories in carbohydrates

    Divide the individual calories by 9, 4 and 4 respectively to get the grams for each. That said, mfp uses percentages. Just go with that for now. You really do not have to be precise for weight loss.

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    MHKKAK wrote: »
    Hi everyone, I'm a long-time MFP member, not necessarily a user, unfortunately, but a member....and I just started looking into keto. I really have NO idea what to do. I am approaching it with some skepticism and fear as I've never really cut out fruit. I've done a lot of reading and know what percentages each of the fat, protein and carb macros need to be at, but if you're using MFP, how do you know the percentages of total if it counts via grams?

    I did a calculation where I converted grams to calories based on x9, x4, and x4 respectively, but that calculation resulted in about 500 more calories than what MFP said I ate. Then I calculated it as a % of total calories to see if I'm at the required 5%, 25%, 70%, and I was off by quite a bit. MFP states I need a 1200 calorie limit. I don't know how to make the 70% fat and only 25% protein happen. I feel that this is science that needs to be precise or it won't work.
    Please help!

    It doesn’t need to be precise at all.
    Just keep carbs low. Under 50g for keto and get enough protein to support muscle maintenance or growth depending on what you do. Just aim for 1g per pound of lean body mass and you’ll be fine.


  • MHKKAK
    MHKKAK Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you for replying! I seem to be having a hard time getting my fat higher than my protein. It seems impossible to eat within the ranges and to have the fats so high when I really only use them for cooking. To get fats higher I have to eat either a carb or protein with it. Does that make sense?
    Do you have any high fat food suggestions that aren't a by-product of cooking a carb or protein?
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    Using heavy whipping cream, and butter will help you get the fat ratio higher. Mix them at a 1:1 ratio and add some Parmesan cheese and you’ve got a homemade hollandaise sauce. I used this a lot in the beginning to get my fat ratio higher (to curb hunger too). You can add it to eggs to make them fluffier when scrambling, or making an omelette.

    But, fat isn’t a percentage that you need to strive for everyday. You only use it to help you feel full and keep you from starving between meals the way it seems on a SAD diet. Once you’ve become fat adapted you won’t need as much and your body will use the fat it has stored, instead of what we eat.
  • Malimalai
    Malimalai Posts: 276 Member
    I choose fatty cut of meat, chicken with skin on and fatty fish. I add fat to my hot drink.Add olive oil and avocado in my salad. I snack on Brasil nuts, macadamia nuts or avocado to get higher fat .You can also make Thai curries and Thai soups with coconut milk if you like.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    MHKKAK wrote: »
    Thank you for replying! I seem to be having a hard time getting my fat higher than my protein. It seems impossible to eat within the ranges and to have the fats so high when I really only use them for cooking. To get fats higher I have to eat either a carb or protein with it. Does that make sense?
    Do you have any high fat food suggestions that aren't a by-product of cooking a carb or protein?

    Ok. You are probably misunderstanding how high fat needs to be.
    When people say fat is higher than protein, that means the calories are higher. Not the grams necessarily.
    There are 9 calories per gram of fat and 4 per gram of protein.
    I never add any fat at all and I’m in Ketosis all the time. Have been for 4 years.
    If weight loss is your goal you do not need to add any fat. You are wearing your fat.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    That is right. A good protein level of 100g is 400 kcal. 100g of fat is 900 kcal. If one added in 25g of carbs (100kcal) then you have a 1500 kcal diet.

    If you want 100g of protein but to eat fewer calories, you cut the fat (or carbs) to 80 g (for example) which is 720 kcal. Now you have 720+400+100=1220 kcal.

    If you eat fatty meats, your fat will be high.
  • miz_thang35
    miz_thang35 Posts: 1 Member
    GM all. Today I'm staring Keto. There is so much info that my brain is overloaded. I did find my numbers but I'm not sure about the carbs portion. I entered them in MFP so I will see how it goes today. My only question is are we weighing food before we cook it or after?
  • noegrand123
    noegrand123 Posts: 166 Member
    Great job tcunbeliever! Fabulous!

    Mix thang just jump in there and start.... don’t get overwhelmed! U can do it!
  • __Roxy__
    __Roxy__ Posts: 825 Member
    edited March 2019
    GM all. Today I'm staring Keto. There is so much info that my brain is overloaded. I did find my numbers but I'm not sure about the carbs portion. I entered them in MFP so I will see how it goes today. My only question is are we weighing food before we cook it or after?

    It depends. I weigh ingredients separately before combining them together in a pan or dish. But if it is something plain like a piece of grilled meat, I'll weigh it after cooking.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    Raw...with the exception of bacon which shows the cooked/fried nutrients on every package I've ever purchased here in my little part of the USA. Your experiences may vary.
  • lorrainequiche59
    lorrainequiche59 Posts: 900 Member
    New too...a few weeks in...Carb Manager (CM) will calculate all your calories/macros for your height, weight, activity level, age etc. I also track my food there because I like how it includes a pie chart for carbs/protein/fat which I like cause at a glance I get a picture of my ratios. I didn't check out if MFP has the equivalent. My daughter who is also on this recommended CM. Also, Dr Berg/YouTube can walk you through the basics of Keto in a couple of videos. Very helpful and less overwhelming if you keep it simple.
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