getting started on keto

[CrystalSilva]

Hey Ladies. Tomorrow is going to be my first attempt on keto. I came up with a food plan based on all of my research and I just wanted to make sure I'm on the right track. Thanks in advance for any advice!


M1: 5 strips turkey bacon, 1 tbsp olive oil

M2: 1 scoop whey, 1 tbsp pb, 50g lettuce, 1 tbsp ranch

M3: 3 oz chicken, 0.5 avocado, 50g broccoli, 1 tbsp ranch

M4: 0.5 cup egg whites, 1 tbsp pb, cinnamon, 3 packets stevia (protein pancake! ), 4 strips turkey bacon, 0.5 tbsp olive oil

M5: 3 oz chicken, 1 tbsp olive oil


TOTALS: 1433 cals, 81g fat, 19g carbs, 142g protein

[Gavin_]

i'd use net carbs (carbs minus fiber) as more of a guide for your carb-intake.

50g broccoli is ~4 florettes. there's no way you're getting enough veg out of this, and you can do much more while keeping carbs and calories where you want them.

maybe start off with 2 oz spinach or a leafy green with every meal.

im inclinded to think that ranch is ****, but i honestly don't know the composition of it, so i'll hold off on that comment. i do think you might find a better way to add healthy fats though. i'd be thinking 1/4 avocado > 1tbsp ranch for nutrition.

macros look fine, but we'd need to knwo your bw, bf%, lbw, and goals to say anything else. again, i think you'll be lacking in total nutrition though, which will lead to a dropoff in performance or somewhere else laong the line.

and you're not taking fish oil...

[CrystalSilva]

i'd use net carbs (carbs minus fiber) as more of a guide for your carb-intake.

50g broccoli is ~4 florettes. there's no way you're getting enough veg out of this, and you can do much more while keeping carbs and calories where you want them.

maybe start off with 2 oz spinach or a leafy green with every meal.

im inclinded to think that ranch is ****, but i honestly don't know the composition of it, so i'll hold off on that comment. i do think you might find a better way to add healthy fats though. i'd be thinking 1/4 avocado > 1tbsp ranch for nutrition.

macros look fine, but we'd need to knwo your bw, bf%, lbw, and goals to say anything else. again, i think you'll be lacking in total nutrition though, which will lead to a dropoff in performance or somewhere else laong the line.

and you're not taking fish oil...

Thanks so much for the reply. I changed it up a little bit, but still left in some ranch. I looked at the brand that i'm using and it's gonna be fine. I'm definitely going to take fish oil. Sorry, I forgot to mention that.

Oh, and I'm 5'6", I weigh 135-140 depending on the day, and I've never gotten tested but I think I'm around 21-24% bf. I do lots cardio everyday just because I love it. I do 2 hours 4 days a week and 1 hour 2-3 days a week. I lift 4-5 times a week. I'm looking to get down to 16-18% bf, and maintain muscle...not gain or lose.

How's this look now?


M1: 5 strips turkey bacon, 1 tbsp olive oil

M2: 1 scoop whey, 1 tbsp pb, 100g broccoli, 1 tbsp ranch

M3: 3 oz chicken, 0.5 avocado, 100g broccoli, 1 tbsp ranch

M4: .5 cup egg whites, 1 tbsp pb, cinnamon, stevia, 4 strips turkey bacon, .5 tbsp olive oil, 2oz spinach

M5: 3 oz chicken, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 oz spinach


TOTALS: 1524 cals, 86g fat, 33g total carbs, 19g net carbs, 147g protein


Thanks again!

[Gavin_]

looks nice. all you have to do is run it for 1-2 weeks with minor tweaks as you see fit (but keep it 95% the same so be able to measure results off it).

at the end of the week, if your plan is getting you closer to your goals, you're doing it right.

as you get tired of broc/spin, you should look into equal portions of peppers, other leafys, and cauli, etc etc, but keep your template.

i'd even replace the whey with a whole food if possible. you're aiming for caloric deficit and whole food is more filling and has more nutrients, which will be important to keep performance high during all your cardio.

if you're dragging ass, all those cardio sessions don't mean a thing. performance usually dips during a cut, but you should know when you're using your time well or if you're going through the motions. cruising probably won't get you your goals, so keep that in mind.. or at least it wont get them as fast as you'd like.

on top of this, a good multi-vitamin should fill any gaps you may have, and very importantly, you want a nice greens/veggie power (Greens+, LightForce Greens, MEGA GREENS.. or whatever it's called).

Micros are just as, and possibly more important than macros in terms of health, IMO.

Oh and get a BW/BF% test done. Unless you've gotten tests often before and you know what you look like at different %s, you shouldn't eye-ball your % and think you're accurate. If you can't compare composition in a week or two down the road, how do you know if your plan is working? BW does not tell the whole story at all. And seeing progress would lead to motivation or lack of progress might be what you need to light a fire under your ass.

Schedule carb/cheat days. If by the end of week 1, you're going insane from the carb-withdrawl, you need to have a re-feed day. If you're feeling it, but you can handle it, I'd suggest every 2 weeks, take your day.

On second thought (forgot you're doing keto), I'd keep the rock-bottom carbs and just have a surplus calorie day instead. Eat 2x-3x your normal intake instead and don't worry about balancing the macros a slong as carbs stay low. Make sure to train on this day, though. Training should increase just from the mental and physical effects.

[CrystalSilva]

looks nice. all you have to do is run it for 1-2 weeks with minor tweaks as you see fit (but keep it 95% the same so be able to measure results off it).

at the end of the week, if your plan is getting you closer to your goals, you're doing it right.

as you get tired of broc/spin, you should look into equal portions of peppers, other leafys, and cauli, etc etc, but keep your template.

i'd even replace the whey with a whole food if possible. you're aiming for caloric deficit and whole food is more filling and has more nutrients, which will be important to keep performance high during all your cardio.

if you're dragging ass, all those cardio sessions don't mean a thing. performance usually dips during a cut, but you should know when you're using your time well or if you're going through the motions. cruising probably won't get you your goals, so keep that in mind.. or at least it wont get them as fast as you'd like.

on top of this, a good multi-vitamin should fill any gaps you may have, and very importantly, you want a nice greens/veggie power (Greens+, LightForce Greens, MEGA GREENS.. or whatever it's called).

Micros are just as, and possibly more important than macros in terms of health, IMO.

Oh and get a BW/BF% test done. Unless you've gotten tests often before and you know what you look like at different %s, you shouldn't eye-ball your % and think you're accurate. If you can't compare composition in a week or two down the road, how do you know if your plan is working? BW does not tell the whole story at all. And seeing progress would lead to motivation or lack of progress might be what you need to light a fire under your ass.

Schedule carb/cheat days. If by the end of week 1, you're going insane from the carb-withdrawl, you need to have a re-feed day. If you're feeling it, but you can handle it, I'd suggest every 2 weeks, take your day.

On second thought (forgot you're doing keto), I'd keep the rock-bottom carbs and just have a surplus calorie day instead. Eat 2x-3x your normal intake instead and don't worry about balancing the macros a slong as carbs stay low. Make sure to train on this day, though. Training should increase just from the mental and physical effects.

Thanks again. You're right about the cardio. I only continue to do it because I love it, but I was already thinking about cutting back to an hour 5x a week. Then cut back even more if i feel the need.

As far as the vitamins go, I take plenty on a daily basis, so it shouldn't be a problem.

What type of bf% test do you recommend? It's true that to see progress will tell me i'm on the right track and vice versa. I didn't think of that. I was just gonna try to track my progress by pictures but a test would be far more accurate.

I'll do a weekly calorie-up day...probably on saturdays.

Thanks so much for your help!

[Gavin_]

i'd probably keep my re-feed to every 2 weeks. 1500~ cal is not much of a cut for a girl who is probably 110-130 lbs.

im on a 1500 cal/day diet at 175(10%) to see how i feel fighting in a lower weightclass and i feel fine training 1-2x a day at high intensity right now.

me:

bw/% - 175~/10%~ (est.)
cals - 1534.4
pro - 140.5 (32%)
carb - 35.9 (8.2%) *24.9net
fat - 91.7 (59.8%)


for the bf% test, in wrestling we use 7-site pinch test and most believe it to be the most accurate. your doc could probably do it at your next check-up or w/e. you can buy calipers and it takes minimal know-how so if you are resourceful or have a good friend, you could do it on your own. if you suck at the technique you practice a few times and take the avg of your results per site, then plug them into a calc on exrx.net

for me, my cut is not long-term, and would probably be a poor choice for long term, but i think 1500~ cal is more than suitable for a very active female. you might even need to cut lower if progress slows on wks3,4,etc, which is why you want to know your bw/bf now. you track results and calc your next weeks cals based of that info.

minus a few pounds (1-2 lbs) per week, minus 0.5-1% bf per week is phenomenal--no extreme dives. and im sure you know all about the benefits of adding some muscle mass. yes, you'd gain *weight*, but you'd look better and help in the loss of *fat*.