Confused about carb
Husband & I started the keto diet 1 week ago. I am 5'1 & based on the ratio of 5% carb, 25% protein & 70% fat it says I can only have 13 g of carbs. I have lots 3lbs this first week but I'm struggling with keeping my carbs at 13g. We've tried several recipes & i really need a hot drink to start my day but i hate coffee. Any ideas on how to stay under 13g of carbs? Any any recipes for a no carb hot beverage ?
-
The number of grams of NET carbohydrates (carbs minus fiber) to kick and keep someone into ketosis will vary from person to person. I do really well in the 15g to 20g net carb range, and others do well with 30g or 50g. There is no calculator that will predict with 100% accuracy what your body needs at any given moment, and also note that your dietary requirements will fluctuate from day to day and week to week. It's not like our bodies reset themselves at 12:00am.
If you are new to Keto, some experts recommend easing your body into it, rather than going cold-turkey. So you could adjust your macros as such to allow for 50g net carbs and slowly lower it everyday as your body adapts. This also reduces the symptoms of Keto flu (which can also be prevented by adequate hydration and electrolyte balance).
As you are petite in stature, your daily caloric needs will be lower, and that will impact the suggested macros that you are calculating. I would recommend testing your ketones daily while you tinker around with the right net carb that works best for your activity level and lifestyle.
Best of luck!
-
I too am on 13g net carbs a day according to set up with Carb Manager. I'm 57yo. 5'5-1/2" and started this at 162 lbs. My ONLY choice with Carb Manager was to choose to loose 1.5lbs a week or less. No real weight loss goal. Just when I'm happy/comfortable with myself. It's the keto life style I'm enjoying with a tremendous surge of energy. I've been doing this for 44 days and have never exceed 20 net carbs a day. Actually I try not to and haven't gone over 10 carbs/day in a long while and averaging about 6-7 carbs/day. I've lost 16lbs. and very happy with that. I don't get the "too low carb" thoughts. Isn't that the whole purpose? Our bodies produce their own carbs to begin with. Hot water with some cinnamon & ginger. Green tea. Hot water & lemon juice as suggested in another comment is good too. I intermittent fast at 12 hour intervals starting my morning off with MCT oil & butter w/spices in my coffee. That breaks my fast. I drink mineral water, green tea and of course apple cider vinegar. I will add a dash of turmeric to something every day. I have one meal a day. I eat a lot of sockey salmon, sardines, chicken, tuna.... My main veggies are spinach, broccoli, cauliflower. I eat my fair share of eggs also. I will add flavour with some salsa here or some sour cream there. Don't forget to have a few shakes of Himalayan pink salt too :-) The reason I do what I do is because I've researched, (Dr. Berg on YouTube is good), that every time something hits your stomach you get an insulin spike and you have about a 1hr window with this so IF I were to "eat", I would do so in the morning when my "Power Coffee" breaks my fast (but I don't) and then take an hour to ingest my meal. What I generally do is eat my hot meal saving some of the meat and "snack" on it before my 1hr window is up. I do not "graze" at all (snacks). Even when it is a good snack it spikes your insulin each time. I stick in my 1hr window. I remain satiated so it all works for me. I never have followed any recipe or meal plan. I just punch my food into Carb Manager and be sure my macros are good is all I do. My exercise is low, generally doing "exercise moves" to dance but I do planks, squats, a few general exercises. Everyone is so different so experiment and work on you. Good luck!! Cheers, Jo