Quote:
Originally Posted by JODIO
I will start tracking better. I really only looked at carbs.
These 3 things jumped out at me, I didn't know they were a factor!
I just started this, so I'm still pretty un-enlightened!
4. Too much protein (again, back to needing a sample daily menu).
5. Some people find they need to eliminate certain item/s, generally whipping cream, cheese or nuts.
9. Excessive reliance on artificial sweeteners causes some people problems.
I don't know what specific plan you're following but I'm eating ketogenically. My basic macro ratios are 65% of calories from fat, 25% from protein and 10% from carbs. You can find a calculator here:
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
Totally off topic, I'm lucky, I primarily use an old version of the Calorie King diet log and it has a very easy way to set dietary macros (you can set them by percentages or actual grams). I've since used other diet logs that don't have that feature, then you really need to use the keto calculator. But I can't emphasize how much you need to log stuff and track everything, at least at first.
The thing is, our bodies are highly adaptable. They're not like, well your car, for example. Without modification your car can ONLY burn gas. Our bodies can burn glucose, and ketones, and even acetate (the byproduct of alcohol metabolism). The source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability and how easily it burns. Plus it can chemically convert available fuels into different fuels, excess protein can be converted into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis (high protein intake for the purposes of ketogenic eating means beyond 25% or 30% of your total calories). So you STILL get insulin spikes, even if you're eating the bare minimum of carbs, if you eat more protein than your body requires.
When you give your body carbs, it utilizes the simple sugars immediately, or breaks the complex ones down but it ALL produces a fast burning, easily accessible fuel (THAT'S why it's called a preferred fuel. Not because it's BETTER for us, BTW!)
In your first post you mentioned that the Ketostixs are pink, so you've got extra ketone bodies, but if you're not in a caloric deficit you're not going to lose weight because you're eating the fuel you need. The primary benefit of ketosis for weight loss is the natural appetite suppression and what hunger you do experience is easily abated by smaller meals. I think of being in ketosis like "carrying your groceries" right there in your tummy and tush. A LOT of people who eat ketogenically (HF/LC) combine it with intermittent fasting because, as long as you have enough water, we can easily go 12+ hours without eating and not notice it. My husband regularly has a high fat breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and often doesn't have anything during the day except for water and a cup of coffee with cream and doesn't experience energy drops or any noticeable hunger. Dinner is usually at 7:00 p.m. and when I ask him if he's hungry he shrugs and says "I could eat, but it's not desperate".
One thing I'm still having a little trouble with is breaking the
HABIT of eating simply because it's time to eat and I should be having a meal (amazing how good of a built in clock our bodies have). I'm also still learning appropriate portion/meal size. I've spent more than a decade eating 30% carbs, 30% (or less) fat and 40% protein (years of eating a weight lifters diet). Fat has more than twice the calories of either protein or carbs which means eating less than half the volume of food. It's a paradigm shift I'm still working through.
