Obsessing about net carbs!
carinamiles860
Posts: 1 Member
Hello! This is the first time I have posted a discussion on MFP and I am on day two of keto. So my main issue is I am getting super obsessive about net carbs, what the hell they mean, how I do it, that I am not doing good enough and yeah giving myself a really hard time to be honest and I have been trying my bestest. I got Suzanne Ryan’s simply keto book which I am finding super helpful but there’s a lot of prep involved I’m finding and I don’t eat meat (fish sometimes) so it’s really hard getting in the protein sometimes but yeah obvs I am worried about net carbs and I have no clue what I’m doing. It feels hard to calculate it all and I don’t even know if I’m in ketosis and am trying not to spend money on a ketone meter. Gaah so much on my mind. Positives are that literally day one I stopped being hungry which was mega weird as I am always hungry (insulin issues) and so this was actually really amazing for me. The food has been lovely but I am worried I am gonna mess it up and not know how to calculate my macros. I can beat myself up for not hitting them exactly or going over and that’s what I finding difficult! Thanks in advance and sorry for the full on rantage!
1
Replies
-
@carinamiles860
Well. KISS.
1. Carbs are a ceiling in grams.
Whether or not to do net carbs depends on your body really. Start with net carbs. And if that is working great for you, know that is fine. Most people can get and stay in ketosis at 50g total carbs. But some people with metabolic syndrome or diabetes need lower, and athletes can actually eat more carbs and stay in since they burn them off so fast. These are generally outliers though. So since you started net carbs stick with it until it doesn't work for you any more. If your energy and health are feeling good and the cravings are staying away then you're good.
2. Protein is a goal in grams.
It's a range. How much you personally need depends on your height, weight, and activity level. But in general, unless you are super short or a super athlete, then shoot for around 100g. More isn't going to hurt you. Don't listen to any of that noise. 100g is a pretty good amount of meat/dairy. You'd have to eat like 250-300g to even begin to consider worrying about stuff like gluconeogenesis, and even then, that's disputed.
3. Fill the rest of the intake with fat.
Don't listen to super obsessive rants on particular fat to protein ratios. It is unnecessary noise. If you count your carbs, get enough protein by choosing med to fatty cuts of meat, some low-carb dairy, and just enough oil/butter to cook tasty meat and veggies, your ratios will naturally fall around over 60-70% fat. And since you aren't doing this for theraputic/medical keto, then you don't need to worry about it more than what I've detailed.
Last tip:
Don't forget to count calories. This is a calorie-count app/site after all. There are a lot of keto folk who get Marvel-Hero level appetite suppression and can just follow their satiety cues and lose weight till they hit goal. But there are just as many with wonky appetites, like me. Our cues are lazy or nonexistent and we can easily keep eating well past what is "enough." It doesn't help that keto food is so DANG delicious. I started out just counting carbs, but lost weight for only 3 months before stalling out. I then knew I had to start counting calories. So I did and went on to lose weight until I reached my goal. I've met or talked to all kinds of people who have had my exact experience. So, anyway, just keep the calorie component in mind. You have this.
HTH.3 -
Net carbs is just total carbs - fiber in the mfp totals. So for example, total 20 carb grams, minus 6 fiber grams, equals 14 net carb grams.
If you view MFP on a computer browser, you can install an extension that does the math for you. It's described in the Low Carber's info here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10348436/enhancing-mfp-displays-for-low-carb#latest
1 -
For me, it’s just easier to count total carbs.2
