Kicking off a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) way of eating
- Michelle Slater
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After years of being unable to shift weight using traditional diet plans, I experienced dramatic weight loss by following a low-carb, high fat (LCHF) diet. I've recently been asked by several people facing similar stubborn weight retention as to how they can set themselves up for success on a LCHF eating plan.
"Track everything you eat. Cap your calories so you don't overeat (I cap mine at 1400), cap your carbs at 50g of net carbs, and, if you can, get around 70% of your calories from fat."
Setting aside the scientific evidence for the diet - I assume you've already done your research to understand why this way of eating works for many people where other diets have failed - let me give a medical heads up you might have missed in your researching - those with thyroid issues should only attempt a low carb diet under the care of an endocrinologist or other medical professional as it can interfere with T levels. I do have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and as such I have moderated the amount of carbs I require to be less restrictive than many people on low carb diets (I loosely cap my carbs at 50g - 75g of net carbs and will increase this as I reach my goals). See also: Choosing the right diet for medical conditions (PCOS/Thyroid).
It goes without saying but individuals with high cholesterol levels or on blood sugar controlling medications should also have their levels monitored closely as they ease into a LCHF diet to ensure this way of eating is, and continues to be, right for your body (see ‘Further Reading’ at the end of this post).
Medical disclaimer aside, here's the lowdown on how to get started:
1) Firstly, work out what macros (carbs, fat and protein) and calories you should be aiming toward given your height, weight, activity levels and goals. Here's a great calculator in order to do that:
https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
Suggested adjustments for this calculator:
CARBS: Personally, I would recommend that you ALWAYS adjust your carbohydrates upwards to 50g net per day. (See "What are net carbs?" toward the end of this blog post.) This level works for most people and is a lot more sustainable - and allows you to eat a lot more healthy, nutritious vegetables in your diet - than very low carb diets of <25g/day. Some people find they can go even higher on their net carbs and achieve positive health outcomes, but this is a very individual macro you will come to understand and adjust as you see how your body reacts to LCHF. As a loose guide keto diets are less than 25g and low carb diets are less than 100g. If you're confused just set it to 50g.
FAT: I would lean toward adjusting your fat intake to be between 60% - 70% of your total calories. This works for me as it provides a level of satiety above what I get from protein and therefore makes the diet more sustainable for me. See what works for you and adjust as time goes on. Try to get the majority of your fats from 'healthier' sources, such as avocado. But the amount of fat you eat is less important than capping your carbs, so play with the remaining balance between fat & protein to see what works for you.
PROTEIN: The remainder of your calories after you have adjusted carbs and fat will come from Protein. I would just go with what the calculator suggests and adjust as necessary as you go.
So, for me, when I was 87kgs and wanted to lose 1.2kgs in a month, my adjusted macros were:
1400 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
50g Carbs (14%, 200 kcal)
70g Protein (20%, 280 kcal)
102g Fat (66%, 920 kcal)
While I feel that it's a bit of a myth that you can eat as much as you want on LCHF, I found that if I stuck to carb count, even if my calories went slightly over on some days, I lost a lot more weight than this calculator said I would. A LOT more (like 3x more, so I would actually lose 3 - 4kgs in a month).
2) Get My Fitness Pal (MFP)
Sign up for free here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com and then download the free app.
MFP is not perfect but it works really well for tracking a LCHF diet if you set it up correctly.
Feel free to friend me (ChelleChelle76) as I have an open diary and you can see what I'm eating. You should weigh and track everything you're eating religiously for at least your first month of LCHF and after that you might find you can ease off a bit as you will understand what works and portion control.
3) Set up MFP for more easily tracking LCHF macros
There are a few detailed blog posts on this but here are the basics. Open your my fitness pal (on a computer if possible) and log in.
Setting macros. Click on MY HOME tab > then click on GOALS > then click on the EDIT button for “DAILY NUTRITION GOALS” and set your calorie goal and the macros you have decided upon, expressed in a percentage. E.g. Carbs 15%, Fat 65%, Protein 20%. SAVE CHANGES and it will return you to the GOALS page
Tracking fibre. Click on MY HOME tab > then click on SETTINGS > then click on the interactive text that says DIARY SETTINGS. Under Nutrients Tracked, I have in the following order Carbohydrates, Fiber, Protein, Fat. You can also track an optional fourth nutrient, I track sugar but it could just as easily be potassium or another nutrient you care about.
Changing meal names. Scroll further down on the same page until you come to MEAL NAMES. I added another meal type called Slip Ups, which helps me stay accountable if I stray a little from my macros one day and reminds me it’s ok and even part of this way of eating to have an off-brand/cheat meal or treat every once in a while. It works for me - feel free to play with meal names and segregations as it works for you.
Diary sharing. Scroll further down on this page and you have the option to make your diary public or available to your MFP friends. I’d encourage you to consider opening up a little for some accountability and mutual encouragement if you feel this won’t intimidate you into whitewashing your diary. My diary is available for viewing (warts and all!) at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/ChelleChelle76
4) Lastly, you should join my next DietBet where you'll be getting support, regular tips and inspiration for healthy eating, no matter what your approach is to weight loss. There will be a lot of people following LCHF on this DietBet. You can join directly by clicking on this link: http://dbet.me/yTDeVu Alternatively, post in the comments if you are interested in joining and I will personally get back to you.
If you're not up for a Dietbet just now, you can also join my Facebook group for free tips and coaching https://www.facebook.com/groups/444158355947348/ Please be sure to tell me why you're joining so I know you're not a spambot! ;)
Other LCHF tips for newbies:
- My number one tip. "....and on Sundays, we prep!" I lose all of my weight in only one or two hours a week: that is, prepping for the week on a Sunday. I see it time and again. The weeks when I dedicate time to prepping, I lose. The weeks where I don't, I gain. Prep will mean different things to different people but for me it includes getting a large container that goes into the fridge, and chopping up a bunch of fresh low-carb vegetables ready for snacking on raw and with dip, or for quick use in cooking meals. I usually wash and chop up broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, snow peas, radishes, multi-colored capsicum/peppers, celery and cucumber. But go with whatever works for you. I also buy good quality meat and fats for the weeks' meals.
- Snacks. Make up small tubs of your favourite high-fat nuts and seeds for daily snacks for the week (I have a daily mix of 15g roasted/salted macadamias, 15g sunflower seeds, 15g pumpkin pepitas and 5g of toasted/salted coconut slivers). I'll mix it up if it ever gets boring but for now I still love it. You've also got your pre-cut vegetables and a nice LCHF dip. Other less nutritious but great LC snacks are deli meats, pork rinds and biltong (check the panel to verify carb content as sometimes they add sugars). For the first month try to avoid fruit except for berries, until you get the hang of carb counting and can weave them back in. Fruit can put you over really easily so best to just skip initially!
- The hardest meal for LCHF is breakfast. Eggs are an easy go-to: omelettes stuffed with meat, cheese and veggies, scrambled, fried and with breakfast meats and low carb veggies... but egg breakfasts can get a little repetitive after a while. Take the time to strategize what low carb breakfasts you are going to eat on those days when you just can't face another egg. Great options are Keto cereal (you can make this yourself in advance as it keeps really well), Protein Muffins and keto/low carb Chia pudding.
- Lunch for me is where I get most of my nutritious carbs: I eat vegetables from the rainbow with a little dip (I like tsatziki) plus a serve of fat (usually 25g cheese) and around 100g of good quality meat, like cold chicken breast. Lots of LCHF followers just have dinner leftovers at lunch, which works well too.
- Dinner is the easiest meal, there are a bunch of recipes, but if all else fails think meat, fat and low carb vegetables. For example, steak with chimmichurri dressing, steamed brocolli and cauliflower smothered in butter.
- Try to break the carb addiction by avoiding even "good" desserts for the first month if you can, but if you feel it would help you to add desserts aim for berries and whipped vanilla cream, or look up fat bomb recipes that are low carb, as well as custard or egg-based desserts. There are entire websites dedicated to LCHF recipes that include a lot of desserts (see resources below).
- Add fibre to your diet every day. Psyllium husk in particular. And drink a tonne of water. This adds no extra carbs because its 100% fibre.
- Find a high-fat cheese you love, even go to a fromagerie and have a tasting. I love white castello and have 25g of it with lunch most days. It feels like such a treat.
- Don't give up if you have a dietary requirement. No matter what it is (gluten free, vegetarian, egg-free, dairy-free) I guarantee there is a website out there that will help you develop a LCHF eating plan that works for you. Feel free to comment with your particular dietary requirement and I will point you in the right direction.
- Yes, you can drink alcohol while following LCHF, even on a very low carb diet. For example, a glass of Champagne has only 1g of carbs! Some people find, however, that their weight loss stalls when they drink even a small amount of alcohol. I'd suggest skipping alcohol for the first month (unless you have a special occasion) and then weaving alcohol back in when you understand how it impacts your weight loss. Avoid high-carb beer if you can. Great blog post here on it: http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2016/08/30/ultimate-guide-carbs-in-alcohol/
- Forgive yourself. You're going to slip up, and that's fine. As mentioned earlier, I even created a section in My Fitness Pal called "slip ups" to ensure I track even the stuff I fell off the wagon with. If you can even call it "falling off the wagon" because as long as the vast majority of your food decisions align with LCHF you can get away with a few slip ups here and there. A few weeks ago I "accidentally" ate an entire box of movie popcorn when I meant to just have soda water and some crackle. But, gawd it was good. My philosophy is to enjoy those slip ups, really revel in them, suck every ounce of joy from them, and then just get right back on with your way of eating the next day. Having a small break is actually part of this way of eating, and I have personally found that while my weight goes up the day after a slip up, I actually end up losing even more weight about 5 days later. I think the reset is good for your system.
- If you’re not hungry, you don’t have to eat! If you have had a day where you have eaten enough fat that you feel you don’t want dinner, just have a cup of broth and go to bed. Many people combine this way of eating and intermittent fasting. Just don’t go too low on your calories for too long or you may ruin your metabolism.
TIP: What does "net carbs" mean?
Net carbs are the TOTAL carbs in a food MINUS any fibre. Fibre passes through the body and so we do not need to count it in our total carb count. So in a day you might eat 70g of carbs, but because 20g of those carbs are fibre, you are still hitting your target of 50g NET carbs.
You need to look at the nutritional panel and do the calculation (or look at your results in My Fitness Pal).
Here's an example:
Apples with skin (edible parts)
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 218 kJ (52 kcal)
Carbohydrates 13.81 g
Sugars 10.39 g
Dietary Fiber 2.4 g
Fat 0.17 g
Protein 0.26 g
Rounding up, 100g of apple has almost 14g of carbs (13.81g) but also has almost 2.5g of fibre. Therefore the total carbs are 14g but the NET carbs are 11.5g (14g - 2.5g). So therefore only 11.5g goes toward your daily NET carb count. Once you set up your macros properly in My Fitness Pal this becomes very easy to work out by looking at your daily totals.
That's pretty straightforward but it can get a little bit tricky in some cases because some food manufacturers will already do this calculation for you - but it's easy to spot because a total carb count can never be less than the sugar + fibre count. Additional note: Some countries nutritional panels (like Australia and the UK) default to NET carbs on the total carbohydrate count, but the USA shows carbohydrates inclusive of fiber.
If you're finding this part confusing or bothersome, just focus on total carb count (don't worry about math or deductions) and simply increase your total carb count by 10g or 20g. As long as you're capping carbs (whether that's total carbs or net carbs) and it's working for you in terms of your health goals, you're golden.
I've never bothered with the following additional step, but you can also minus sugar alcohols to achieve lower net carbs. More info on that if you're interested in the "further reading" section, below.
Further reading and references:
Choosing the right diet for medical conditions (PCOS/Thyroid)
The science behind low carb high fat diets: https://www.dietdoctor.com/science
What does a LCHF diet do for cholesterol: https://www.dietdoctor.com/get-elevated-cholesterol-low-carb-diet
Is low carb bad for hypothyroidism? https://www.dietvsdisease.org/low-carb-hypothyroidism/
How to calculate net carbs on Atkins: http://www.livestrong.com/article/83532-calculate-net-carbs-atkins/
Setting up MFP for keto: http://cavemanketo.com/configuring-mfp/
Setting up MFP for keto x 2: http://ketosizeme.com/my-fitness-pal-keto/
Ditch the Carbs - great resource for recipes and tips: http://www.ditchthecarbs.com
Diet Doctor - another great resource: http://www.dietdoctor.com/
DietBet HoneyIshrunk Coaching page: https://www.dietbet.com/coach/michelle