MACROS

I know this question floats around all the Keto treads. And in the first few months of this diet I only did the basics to get the weight moving. But no that is moving I have become more intrestead as to how this Way Of Eating works. I wanted to know more about how to get the right calculations, why its important to always track, and what was really allowed by filter through a ton of information. This has become may latest obsession and I love it even more because there is so much information out there. Ive learned that the most important is to follow what works for you this is a game of progress not perfectionism. But the numbers don’t lie! If you stick to your numbers you will continue to have progress. I found and awesome MACROS Calculator that I found was the easiest to calculate for me. You will also need to know your Body Fat%.  There are many websites that have calculators and I suggest comparing a few to make sure you are making the right choice for you. My main goal in my diet is lots of fat, so when I build my MACROS I always want mostly fat, a fair amount of protein, and a small amount of carbs. I usually looks like 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbs. When I say carbs I mean carbs from vegetables, fruits, nuts, and dairy (cream cheese, Hwc, and cheese). I was guilty of getting caught in the Sugar Free Black Hole and I wont say it was easy to get back from. So for me I only allow myself a special item once maybe twice a week. If I consume to may processed foods I can feel it later on. I try and get my sugars from fruits or nuts. I notice when I eat more fat I crave less sweet treats. Let’s get into the educational part of this article and hopefully I can break things down a little better.

 

Macronutrient (mac·ro·nu·tri·ent)- an essential nutrient required in relatively large amounts, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, or water; sometimes certain minerals are included, such as calcium, chloride, or sodium

Macros vary from

60-75% Fat (or more)

15-30% Protien

5-10% Carbs

This is all dependent on your body and your measurements. The above calculator will ask you about your height, weight, age, BMI, and activity level. For me I am focused on weight loss so the more fat intake I have the more weight I should burn. One great thing about Keto is that you don’t have to exercise, its more about the food that’s allowed in the body. I will say on the other hand if you do exercise you Will see better results, that’s just from my personal experience. When I first started keto I had no interested in working out, now my days aren’t done until I at least walk or go on a bike ride.

Fat Adapted- a state of pure fat-burning where your body has climatized to low carb eating enough that it now sees fat as its primary source of fuel. This can take anywhere from 1-5 weeks.

Signs of Fat-Adaption:

Being able to skip meals, not needing to snack as often, increased energy, craving high fat foods instead of carby foods

Once you are Fat adapted you can being Intermediate Fasting.

Now the break down of Macros

BMR- Basal Metabolic Rate- this is the amount of calories your body needs for a 24 hour period for vital daily function of your body. Here is some More information BMR

TDEE- Total Daily Energy Expenditure- Is an estimation of how many calories you burn per day when exercise is taken into account. It is calculated by first figuring out your Basal Metabolic Rate, then multiplying that value by an activity multiplier

When both of these are calculated you will find you calorie intake for a 24 hour period

My Calorie Calculations:

Height: 5’2 Weight 193lbs Age:___

BMR- 1568

TDEE- 2039  ( I am lightly active)

Calories needed daily- 1929

Body Fat- 48%

Lean body mass 101lbs —- 94 lbs of fat

Time for the rest! Its important to remember to constantly check you Marco calculations because you will need to adjust when your begin to base line. This is your body adapting to the new way of running. And to continue to lose you must adjust your allowances.

Protein is extremely important but you need to make sure you do not get to much. Our bodies will begin to turn protein into a sugar and use it as another fuel source.

Protein- 81 g 20%

Fat is another main component in this way of eating it is our new main source of fuel and you want to make sure you are getting plenty of it to keep your energy level up and hungry down.

Fat- 130g 74%

Carbs is the clincher. You want to make sure you get carbs but they should be healthy carbs, such as, nuts, fruit, and vegetables. Cheese or dairy is another form of acceptable carbs. Carbs from sugar or grains are the worst! Almond or coconut flours can be used to replace regular or rice flour. Carb allowance should be under 50 depending on goals. Ketosis is usually achieved with under 25gs of carbs a day.

Carb-25g 6%

Now for exercise and keto

So this is not a must by any means and you will most likely lose without it. But I feel so much better when I do a minimum of 30 minutes 3x a week. This just boost all the benefits of being in ketosis. You burn fat better and your body is becoming healthier. I will be doing a new ongoing post of my progress of adding in some more intense workouts and the results. Please refer here to the best workouts on keto and the information behind its benefits.

 

 

Different Low Carb Styles

In this world of “Low Carb Lifestyle” there are so many options. Lazy keto, Low Carb, keto, strict keto, Paleo. And its confusing the information gets crossed and everyone in the support networks are usually a mix of all forms. Miss information gets thrown around and the most important questions get unanswered.

So my first tip is use google, I know the internet is so accessible and I love all the different forms that are available to us. But I am going to stand by the fact that majority of the time you can find your answers more accurately answered there.

My next tip is to find what is going to be best for you!! Some people can do almost 0 carbs and some people need 50 or 100 carbs a day. Depending on how many carbs you ate before this you may want to gradually work you way down. Going from 500, 600, 700gs of carbs a day to 20gs of carbs a day will put your body into a shock. An that is Keto Flu! It is completely normal and there are tons of tips to combat it. I have a few friends that do Low Carb and they all have a different carb count. Some even don’t do it on the weekends and some are really strict. And some have no interested about the science or back story behind it. And all styles are fine. Because the great thing about this way of life is all the options to choose from. I think the one thing everyone can agree on is WE ARE ALL on a mission to better ourselves!!

Next tip is when you mess up don’t beat yourself up! It happens and even I have been subdued by a nice piece of chocolate cake ( I don’t even like chocolate). Just pick yourself up and start over, but at the same time don’t let one slip continue each day. Remember tomorrow is a new day and you are still amazing.

Next tip DROP THE SCALE! I am so serious, get yourself a pair of jeans or pants and a tape measure. In 3 months youll be so shocked when those pants don’t fit anymore! I just recently tried on jeans for a night out and my jeans use to be tight on me. Would you believe I’m about 4 sizes or more to small now. ( Ill post a picture) I use to weight myself 3-4 times a week and I got myself down so many times looking at numbers. So what I do is take a picture, measurements, and have a tight pair of pants, that’s how I watch my goals.