Keto log + Advice needed...

[bbp1117]

Basically, have a big holiday booked in November, looking to shed some/as much weight as possible to look and feel a bit better for said trip.

Have been on and off with the gym for a couple years have got back into it recently and plan to stay that way.... Have managed to put on allot of weight recently through lack of exercise and bad eating.....

Will be starting the Keto Log/Diet officially on Monday 13th June (have something on at weekend/can start a fresh with a new week)....

Just looking for some advice whether that be recipes for food, workouts (I plan on going to the gym 4 times a week) etc etc all help and advice welcomed...

Long and short of it is: I am 6'2 Weigh 344 lbs (bad I know) starting a Keto Diet/Log looking to lose weight....

Fire away!

[bbp1117]

Another note... I have used a Keto Calculator on the internet... should be looking at around:

2456 KCals a day
30g Carbs 5% 120 KCAL
179g Protein 29% 716 KCal
180g Fat 66% 1620 KCal

This seems allot of Fat?? is this usual?

[SugarFree1]

Your starting target percentages is just that, a starting point. Log your progress each week and make adjustments as needed. My personal preference is for a bit higher in protein and lower in fat. (Im around 190 lbs and intake 220-270g protein per day.) Also if you are exercising consistently you can have a higher carb intake and still be low enough to be in ketosis.

Keep good logs including weights, measurements etc.

[danfleysher]

Your macro's look good, I wouldn't change them.

Food wise, just be sure to keep track of everything. I eat similar foods all the time so it's easy for me to keep track. My breakfast is usually 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, 1 slice cheddar and the only variable will be the veggies i include but that's always sub 50 cals. You'll probably find it hard to reach the amount of fats so I suggest you look into Fat Bombs.

Exercise wise, I suggest you run All Pro's Beginner Routine (Link Here). You should be in the gym 3x a week building strength and on your off days, doing some light cardio, ignore HIIT or intensive running. I hop on a bike and peddle while watching some TV or walk on a very steep incline.

[danfleysher]

Your starting target percentages is just that, a starting point. Log your progress each week and make adjustments as needed. My personal preference is for a bit higher in protein and lower in fat. (Im around 190 lbs and intake 220-270g protein per day.) Also if you are exercising consistently you can have a higher carb intake and still be low enough to be in ketosis.

Keep good logs including weights, measurements etc.

250g is probably too high for a keto diet. If he was just doing a low carb (not keto), I would recommend that as well.

[SugarFree1]

250g is probably too high for a keto diet. If he was just doing a low carb (not keto), I would recommend that as well.

I dont believe that to be correct but either way I was not indicating for him to raise his protein to that. Only pointing out that he can experiment with adjusting the percentages around while overall still remaining in ketosis.

[shan1784]

250g is probably too high for a keto diet. If he was just doing a low carb (not keto), I would recommend that as well.

I would agree... I'm at 1g of protein per lean mass and am maintaining strength and muscle mass... I don't see a reason to go more then that.. I could even go lower but I'm doing good where I'm at...

[shan1784]

My advice would be to strive for 0 carbs.. Just don't allow them... Don't look at 30g of carbs as something you have to hit.. That's the limit, doesn't mean you have to consume that. Less then 30g of carbs daily will put you into ketosis but if you are eating them on purpose just to get them in then you will end up riding that line.. The objective is to get into ketosis as quickly as possible and benefit from the fat burning...

What I did and would do if I were you... Start off like you said, new week... Strive to hit those calories to start. Use MyFitnessPal to plan out a weeks worth of meals divided up through out each day... That part can be a pain to get meals all organized and hit your caloric, protein, and fat requirements but once it's done it's done. You can repeat the same menu over each week until you want to change then it gets easier to tweak from there. Stick to your menu, don't stray, consistency is the key to success to this... And yes, that much fat to consume is normal... With the fat though treat it as a means to hit your calories. Think of it like this, 30g carbs is the limit (but strive for 0g), 179g protein is the rule (have to hit this every day), fat should be on a sliding scale as it's used to fill in the rest of your calories and can be used to either increase or decrease (more of a calorie defecit, this is what is used to control your total calories).. So if you are feeling hungry, add more fat.. If you are sitting at a meal and not that hungry, remove some fat.. Don't modify your protein. The rule I go by for protein amount is 1g per pound of lean mass.. To figure that out you need to know your bodyfat. There is theory that this much protein can actually cause a spike in blood sugar which will take you out of or prevent you from going into ketosis. I lift weights every day and another site I go to suggested this protein strategy, it's been working for me. You may want to look at how much protein you want to consume but what you have listed look fine to me.

Foods that I utilize are the following (I just mix and match these to make meals) -

Protein
chicken breasts
chicken thighs
steaks (rib-eyes, sirloins)
beef roasts
beef burger
whole eggs
egg whites
white fish
tuna

Fats
mayo
heavy cream
avocado
sour cream
butter
fats from meat
cheese (cheddar)
fats from eggs
fish oils
mct oil
coconut oil
olive oil

Veggies (you will get carbs from these but net carbs will be low)
Broccoli
asparagus
celery
romaine lettuce
spring mix lettuce
avocado


More on carbs.. I say to ignore them but it's a given you will consume them and that's ok as long as your are eating clean and the carbs are coming from your veggies. Something to remember about carbs is you are looking at net carbs that are counted here. A net carb would be total carbs minus fiber... So like an avocado for example, in a 51g serving it contains 4.4g carbs and 3.4g fiber so the net carb count for this would be 1g of carbs, this is what you would count for that meal. But like I said, use MyFitnessPal to see all this laid out and you will see your carbs and fiber for each meal and totaled for the day where you can then calculate your net carbs. I usually sit around 8-15g net carbs daily...

Exercise... The way I understand it, and someone correct me if I'm wrong here, our bodies are getting energy from glucose which is being supplemented from the carbs we consume.. It fills our liver up with glucose and it pumps it out into your bloodstream. Cutting carbs cuts this supply of glucose and eventually depletes our liver of glucose and at this point our liver starts to pump out ketones (ketosis). Then our body learns to use fats, either what we consume or our fats stores, for energy. So regular exercise is going to help speed this process up. It will help deplete your glucose from your body, burn it up, and get us into ketosis faster. After we are in ketosis exercise will be fueled by fats.. This is where your calorie defecit controlled by your fat intake comes in. The more fats you eat the less your body will utilize your own fat stores for this energy. Lower the fat you consume and boom, your hitting your fat stores for energy and you will start seeing bodyfat disappear... Don't strive for this at first.

When you first get going on this you will feel terrible, keto flu... Tired, grumpy, headaches, foggy, lethargic, etc... Fight through and stick to your menu. If you need to give yourself more calories in fats to help... Also up your sodium intake.. I still daily take 3g of potassium citrate.. Helps with the electrolytes which is what is off and causing your symptoms at first from all the water retention loss. Expect to spend most of your first few days in the bathroom urinating... At least it was that way for me.

As you come out the other side and start feeling better then tighten up your menu, and make sure the servings are weighed and measured. Need to match your menu to what you are actually consuming otherwise you will end up in a calorie surplus which will not help you drop the weight... Once you are on a roll you can try and reduce calories as your weight drops to make sure you keep dropping.. Need to stay in that caloric defecit.

But the main thing with all of this is to stay off the carbs... Cheat meals or snacks, especially at first, will take you right out of ketosis and can take days to get back in and losing fat again... If you feel like you need a treat then by all means do it but use only fats and proteins...


So give it a shot.. Everyone's different and what has worked for me may not for you. It's a start and will get you going... Tweak and make it your own.. It's a much healthier lifestyle regardless.. Good luck!

[bbp1117]

Wow, thanks guys already for the input! I feel the wealth of knowledge on here will come in very handy whilst on this journey!

Mike just a quick one when you list the foods in their groups I noticed milk wasnt on the list, im guessing stay away from Whole Milk etc that has a high sugar content? Cheers

[shan1784]

Wow, thanks guys already for the input! I feel the wealth of knowledge on here will come in very handy whilst on this journey!

Mike just a quick one when you list the foods in their groups I noticed milk wasnt on the list, im guessing stay away from Whole Milk etc that has a high sugar content? Cheers

Not sure to be honest.. I'm not much of a milk guy so never really drank it... Looking in MyFitnessPal, 3.25% whole milk, 1 cup, has 7.9g fat, 7.9g protein, 11g carbs, 0g fiber, and 12.8g sugar.. So yeah, I wouldn't do milk...

[danfleysher]

Wow, thanks guys already for the input! I feel the wealth of knowledge on here will come in very handy whilst on this journey!

Mike just a quick one when you list the foods in their groups I noticed milk wasnt on the list, im guessing stay away from Whole Milk etc that has a high sugar content? Cheers

I stay away from the regular or skim milk because as you said, high sugar content. I do use Unsweetened Almond Milk (30kcal w/ 1g carbs) in my protein shakes because it gives it a thicker consistency than water which I like.

I wouldn't drink it by itself but in shakes it's amazing.

[bbp1117]

What supplements would you guys recommend?

Should I be taking fibre pills? Fish oils? etc?

Cheers

[danfleysher]

What supplements would you guys recommend?

Should I be taking fibre pills? Fish oils? etc?

Cheers

I recommend a mutli-vitamin and fish oils.

I also use a pre-workout (contains creatine) before the gym. I have casein protein that I use for morning shakes if I wake up late or don't have time to make breakfast.

[shan1784]

Same here, multi-vitamins and fish oil... Also use mct oil in preworkout coffee. Big on creatine.. I've noticed that I tend to lose alot of water retention doing keto... Creatine helps keep some fluid in the muscles and helped give some strength and endurance back in the gym...

[bbp1117]

Im about to go do the food shop for the week, when choosing my fats, meats and veggies what foods should I avoid? Obviously carbs but any veggies that could do without etc?

Cheers

[danfleysher]

Im about to go do the food shop for the week, when choosing my fats, meats and veggies what foods should I avoid? Obviously carbs but any veggies that could do without etc?

Cheers

Corn and Carrots I completely avoid as they are very starchy and have low fiber compared to their carb count.
Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Onions I try to avoid or have in limited amounts.
Broccoli, Spinach, & Avocado I eat plenty of.