Intermittent Fasting ( And my Screw Up lol )

It depends on the type of stevia you are using?  I've read that there is a pure stevia which  you only need a tiny amount of, but majority of sweeteners I've found labelled as 'stevia' actually contain erythritol, which I've read is one of the better sweeteners to use on keto.

Have you tried cutting down on the amount of sweetener you need?  I used to have 2 teaspoons of sugar in a milk based coffee (before keto), but now have no sugar/sweeteners at all and no milk!  I'd read that constantly having sweeteners, your body is expecting a sugar hit and this isn't good on a keto diet.

What are adding to your coffee to make up the fat content?  I thought black coffee was fine during the 'fasting' part of your day, but if you are adding fats/oils and lots of high carb sweeteners, then yes, you aren't actually fasting.

I have read that some studies have shown that any sweetener, even no carb sweeteners can cause an insulin response. That in effect will take you out of ketosis until the insulin levels drop again. It would be best to try and ween yourself off of the sweeteners, at least while you are "fasting". 

Don’t know if you realize this, but you don’t have to consume all of your fat macro, so no need to add MCT oil and butter to your coffee. Fat is to satiate, so eat only as much as you need to not be hungry. You might want to try erythritol for a sweetener, no carb or after taste. 

@danw I am pretty new at this, but I have been reading that as long as you stay under 50 calories during your fasting time, you do not break your fast. I fast from 8pm-1:00pm every day. the only thing I have in my 24oz of coffee every morning is 1 TBSP of Truvia and 2tsp of SF creamer, which brings my calories to 28 and net carbs to 1 for the morning.

I dont know if this is the right thing  to do but it is working for me.  

I should add that I'm only 2mths in, and only starting to see any significant weight loss since I started fasting in the mornings, and only eating lunch and dinner. In 2mths Ive only lost 6kg, but 2kg since starting fasting 2 weeks ago.   I was also unaware till recently that you dont need to get to your fat target, unless hungry.  Sometimes I'm full and can't finish a meal.  Unlike another dietary app I've used, this one doesnt have any nutritionist that can answer questions, nor Q&A guidelines which would be helpful- esp for newbies like us.  Good luck and congrats on the weight loss so far.

DanW I would say that keeping the carbs low is more important than hitting your fat target. Keeping carbs low is the biggest thing since that is what will keep you in ketosis, too many carbs increases blood sugar which in turn increases insulin which in then turns off converting fat into ketones.

The fats you eat will still get metabolized even if your insulin levels are up, just not in the way you want, so keeping your insulin levels low is the best way to get the body to use up fat stores.

I’m relieved about being able to not eat the target amount of macros. Does that apply to all of them or just fat? I’ve been on Keto about 2 months. I don’t weigh myself, but I notice my clothes fit better, not great, but better.  I started eating one meal only (dinner) about 2 weeks ago and thought maybe that would lead to more weight loss.  No such luck. I usually drink a homemade americano with a few tsp of Swerve sweetener for breakfast. I take tastes of pink Himalayan salt when I’m hungry along with plenty of water. I couldn’t really find much information about how much of each macro to eat when 23-hour fasting. Mostly I only found “eat until you’re full”. That’s pretty vague and doesn’t seem very “keto” like. I know to keep my carbs low and my fat high, but I thrive on specifics. I’m worried about eating too much protein in relation to fat since I’ve read your body converts extra into glucose. Does that make sense? My carbs are very low- around 15 per day. Anyone know what the other macros should look like approximately? My blood sugar is typically between 50 and 80 and my ketones are usually around 3-3.30. I use a breath ketone measurer. 

Stephoney first you have to figure out your macros, you can do that in this app. They’re individualized because they take into account your age, gender, height and weight. Set them up to count net carbs and to not deduct for exercise calories. It’s good that you thrive on specifics because you’ll have the best and fastest results if you weigh and measure your food and count calories as well as track everything you eat. Calories still matter a lot on keto. You don’t have to meet either your fat or carb macros. 15 net carbs sounds good, anything below 20 will get you into ketosis. It is important to get all of your protein, that’s a misconception about protein. For more information about that go to the drop down menu at the top left of the app, then all the way to the bottom to Learn about Keto. Spend some time reading that information. 

I figured out my macros, but I’m confused about how much of those macros I should consume if I’m only eating one meal a day. If I attempt to eat them all at dinner I fall short and feel terrible- like I’m going to burst from being too full. Even if I consume the total protein and some of the fat, it’s way too much food for me.  I’ve been eating fatty beef, olives, some cheese (though not a ton) and avacodos for fats. I eat a fat bomb every now and again, but would rather stay off any sweetners if possible. I’ve been in Ketosis, according to breath and now blood tests (just got it today), for quite a while. I prefer the OMAD plan, but want to make sure that I’m not slowing my progress by not meeting the correct amount of each macro. I’m not too worried about eating carbs since I’ve pretty much cut them out of my diet, barring vegetables. I read the info about protein and it makes sense, however, I’m still stuck wondering just how much fat and protein I need to consume daily. All of the macros is just too much in one meal. Should I attempt to keep it in the ratio (70% fat/ 20% protein)?

Stephoney if you want to try IF, instead of OMAD try restricting your eating to two meals in a 6 to 8 hour window. So you might eat between 11 and 5, that way you don’t have to eat in one sitting. The other option is to eat calorie dense foods for OMAD, such as nuts & nut butter, oils etc. Personally I think eating two meals is healthier and more realistic. Also, you don’t need to IF to do keto. Weighing, measuring and tracking is just as effective, IMO.