I've gone from 27 to 23% body fat since following the keto macro calculator. I'm curious how it determines when it recommends "lose body fat" vs maintain or build muscle. I kept my weight roughly the same but entered 15% for the bodyfat and it'll still recommended lose body fat, and even if I selected build muscle it gave me a recommendation of a 0% surplus. Does it make these recommendations based on a height/weight ratio or body fat %. I would have thought 15% body fat would have been sufficient to start a bulk,

6’0” male 188 lbs at 18% bf (33 lbs of fat) after 15 weeks. Started at 200 lbs and 23% bf (46 lbs of fat). Have been tracking with body scanner.

Lift 2-3 times per week (depending on stress/sleep/energy) focusing on big muscle groups with the 5x5 regime.

I at eating 1600 calories a day focused around chicken/beef/eggs/broccoli and protein shakes.

Rough macros are P/F/C 230/70/25

However I’ve plateaued and am not losing fat.

Any suggestions? I guess I can always go down in cals but feel like lower than 1600 starts getting very taxing on my body and was hoping I’d be able to avoid that until I hit 13-15% bf.

I am drinking “premier protein” vanilla shakes as my protein shake. 160 cals, 30 gs protein and helps get 25-50% of a laundry list of vitamins and minerals. Can this be hindering progress since it is “milk protein concentrate” based along with “calcium caseinate”?

In addition to workouts I had been getting roughly 7k steps in for the first 10 weeks of this cycle. I have upped that to 10k in the last 5 weeks but haven’t seen too much progress with that.

Would really appreciate any advice you can give me here. Thanks for any and all help in advance!!

I am currently at 19 percent body fat percentage. Getting into my fourth week of starting ketosis ( 2nd trial) yet it seems like I am not losing body fat. I am skinny fat by look. And most of the fat I really want to lose is on my thighs and bum. Here are my measurements: WTHR: 0.85 Hip circumference :100cm Thigh circumference :60cm Chest circumference :93cm Neck circumference :35cm Waist circumference :85cm Tiny wrists and knees. Should I start bulking my upper body (because it is rather small) then add a calorie deficit?

I’ve been high fat keto (carnivore) for almost 3 months.

Fasting insulin is low…but morning blood glucose is about 100-120, higher than I expected.

6’1 m 47 215 lbs. about 25 lbs to lose.

Thoughts?

I often use protein bars.

Pros:

• compact
• they preserve themselves without any particular care even in moderate heat
• packed one by one

Cons:

• expensive
• many of them contain sweeteners like sucralose
• hard to find bars with moderate amount of sugar/carbs

The obvious thing to do is to make bars by myself. Do you have any recipe?? Do you have a suggestion about packaging them in a similar way like industrial protein bars? They don’t have to necessarily be sweet and also super strict about carbs.

My bodyfat is like 22% and even when I eat about 4200 calories a day (something I have a hard time with) I still won't gain any weight. I get stronger in certain excercises (barely get any stronger in squats and bench press) yet as said before my weight doesn't change.

Hello, this might be an odd question. So I am keto for over a year now and exercising regularly. I like my general performance in the gym, electrolytes seem fine after some adjustments and everything is going well.

So now for my question. I realized when I add new or a change to an exercise, that it can happen that I feel really shaky afterwards and sometimes even nauseous. For example I worked on my Bulgarian split squat for a while without any weight, because of wonky feet. Everything was fine. Then I added weight, which was 8 kg, 4 kg in each hand and it was hard. Ok expected. But the thing is, after the exercise there sometimes comes a rush of shakiness and even nausea and i wonder why.

Same happened as I incorporated some new one legged exercises. After some point everything is ok, it's normally just a few times when I add or change something.

I am wondering why that is. It feels just like you will pass out. Like the minutes before that. And then it vanishes. Feels more like a nervous sytem thing, than something about nutrition or electrolytes.

Has someone an explanation and knows how to mitigate that?

Anybody have insomnia after starting keto? I’ve been on keto 2-3 months. It’s not really a problem, I just feel perfectly awake until 1 or 2 in the morning. Not like, tired but can’t sleep. Just feels like the middle of the day awake.

I’m a male, 35, 5’10” now 243 lbs. I started this journey about 3 weeks ago. I had been stuck at 260 for a few years, my heaviest I have been in my life after starting to take a medication that has been life changing from a mental health perspective. Because weight gain was the only side effect (it’s for my bipolar) and all other symptoms have been in remission for 3 years, I had accepted that I was just going to be a fat guy as several attempts to lose weight failed. I built up the mental strength to start again in early March and lost 5 lbs but found keto and encouragement on Reddit the first week of April. I am down 17 lbs total (in two months) and 12lbs with keto. I am through the fog and feel focused and energetic, I have stayed strong even when eating out and it feels different this time. I even started biking again, going 15 miles last night. My goal is my college weight of 200 so still 43 lbs away but it feels like an inevitability now rather than an impossibility, I have time on my side and fully expect to hit my goal before my 36th birthday in November. I don’t need any advice or anything, just excited and wanted to share. Stick with it, and know that rough times, especially early, will pass. Good luck everyone!

Hi, I've written here several times for advice and I've always gotten good advice :)

In November I started to do something about my weight, I was 106 Kg and 31% BF.

Since January I'm on the ketogains program and I'm also working out according to the newbie barbell program, where I have a big improvement.

I am currently 83 kg and 17% BF.

My macros are set according to the ketogain calculator.

But I am wondering if I have been in deficit for too long. It's been 7 months.

Do I risk any health problems? Shouldn't I take a break for two weeks and eat in the maintenance phase?

The weight has been going down more slowly in the last month, but it is going down. I want to get down to 12% BF. But it's getting a bit harder, especially on the psychological side, and I also seem to be hungry or craving for something more often :)

I ask because it looks like it will take another 3 months to get to 12% BF.

183cm 83kg 17% BF , 42 y/old

Average macros

1789kcal
186g protein
105g fat
22g carbs

I tried to find some old posts speaking to when to use ideal body weight versus lean body mass (LBM) as the coefficient for computing protein goals. There is also a separate multiplier which I think I often see between 0.7 and 1 times the title metric.

My question is: when does one use lean body mass to compute protein goals and when does one use ideal body weight? I thought that I read when you have a lot of weight to lose that you should use ideal body weight and that when you are near ideal body weight that lean body mass and ideal body weight converge to basically the same value.

Another question I have is the multiplier that is used in this equation as well. I see some sources say 0.7 grams per pound of LBM and some (like KetoGains) defaults to 1.0 and then some as high as 1.5 to 2.0 if you’re body building.

It seems like there are a few variables above to play with when computing protein macros and was just curious if there are rules of thumb on how to configure/choose each.

For myself, there can be a huge swing depending upon what is chosen. I’m 34M 6’ 185 pounds with 160-170 pounds LBM per a Tanita impedance scale and Fitbit impedance scale (yes, I know these are wildly inaccurate, but it is all I can do without getting a Dexa). This means that 0.7 * ~165 lbs = ~115g protein on the low end and 1.0 * 185 lbs = 185g protein on the high end (if I consider 185 to be ideal body weight). Quite a disparity!

Thanks!

Hi! I was keto for 3 years and loved it, never felt better until I had hormonal issues. Notably , SHBG was through the roof due to lower insulin. I would LOVE to get back on keto, anyone have any ideas on if SHBG can be lowered to a normal rate while staying in ketosis? I'd love to know! Would rather not go on proviron to make it work!

Hello,

​

i am trying Keto for a second time but with Ketogains approach. I lost 23 kg back in 2020 but got them back because i love tacos and pizza without control. my goal is to lose bodyfat while keeping my muscle.

Here are my Macros according the oficial calculator for fat loss

1636 calories:

carbs: 20g

protein: 164g

fat: 100g

i have a high bodyfat % (around 36%), i'm 181 cm and 124 Kg and lifting weight 3-4 days per week.

i have issues to get the 100gr fat, usually stay around 30-70 gr the last 2 weeks. however i am not feeling hunger or low on my energy levels... my question is. Should i add more fat just to reach my Macros?

I know fat "is a lever" but i thought the calculator was already low on the fat intake.

I usually eat twice a day, my meals consist mostly on chicken breast, green veggies, eggs, ground beef, avocados and olive oil. Also getting my preworkout coffee every day as it also helps me to be active and without hunger at work all morning even if i don't go to gym. I also track everything on Myfitnesspal.

​

Another question... How often should i recalculate my macros?

Hello i have been on keto for a while and also doing some strength training. I have the Rule 1 protein powder (total carb 1g, dietary fiber 1g, sugar 0g, total calories 120; i make it only with water) and Beyond Raw Lit pre-workout. I have read that these both are keto friendly. However could someone confirm if taking these once a day would still keep me in ketosis? I am doing this to lose weight and tone my body so want to make sure i am not making mistakes.

I'm eating 120 g of chicken 4 times a day, a ton of coconut oil, a good amount of green peppers and yellow squash

On top of this I'm taking in about 4800 mg from a ketone supplement

Was spinning my wheels but much more fullness and I actually feel like I'm being productive in the gym now

I have medical issues and have had low potassium in the past but on blood work it was in the normal range, but I was still flat as a pancake

What is the consensus on Six Star Triple Chocolate protein powder...?

I add a scoop to my daily cup of coffee, along with 2tbsp of MCT oil...

I know it is higher in carbs (8g) than other protein powders, but I still manage to keep my daily net carbs to 20g...

Thoughts...? Pros...? Cons...? Options...?

Thanks...!

I’m feeling very grateful for the novice guide and the discussion here. No quantifiable changes to date, but having just wrapped Week 3 in novice 5x5 I feel:

*more connected to my body *a much improved balance *and greater range of motion

Have a great weekend, everyone, and thank you!!

Hey! I do bjj, and been on keto for 4 weeks. My overall energy levels are lower than before I started, and I have less energy for my workouts. Recovery takes longer too. I eat under 30g carbs per day and my electrolytes are good. Is this normal at 4 weeks? Should I add some carbs? Workouts are pretty intense, my whoop has me burning around 1800 cals per workout.

So I recently came across this blog: https://peterattiamd.com/the-interplay-of-exercise-and-ketosis-part-i/

Does Blood Glucose released during exercise take you out of Ketosis? I don't eat carbs, but wouldn't the blood glucose released from my liver get used as energy before fat?

I'm just feeling this may be why I stopped losing weight. I'm 5'2" and 108 lbs. I started keto in the fall at 113 lbs and got down to about 105. I'm petite and lean and love good food and exercise! Over the holidays, I went off for a few weeks, gained a couple pounds back. So in Jan, I started Keto again and also started working out consistently, and the scale just stalled-- I can tell from my pictures, I'm not as lean as I was, so I don't believe it is re-composition. I skipped my workouts this week, and the scale is moving again.

Any insight?

Little background I’m 23, M. 5’8, My body type is skinny-fat.

Back in February I started Keto at 190, and got down to around 175 by April 1st. My overall goal is to lose body fat.

With that being said for the past 3 weeks (since April 3rd) I decided to start strength-training so I can start gaining some muscle and look lean/toned as I lose weight. I work out 5 days a week; 10-15 min cardio every time, and 1 1/2 hour of strength training each time.

Since I’ve started my body is looking amazing, everything is looking tighter and I feel like I notice some small but slightly noticeable muscle gains. I’m still eating at a calorie deficit but keeping it high protein. (100-125g protein everyday) I eat a lot of meats, eggs, nuts, cheese.

But from what I’ve noticed the scale stopped moving since I’ve started the strength training, I’ve actually been stuck at 177 so it went up a little too. If it’s been 3 weeks, am I still losing weight? Is it the muscle I’m building? Am I actually building muscle? I’m a newbie to strength training so I heard newbie gains will happen regardless of being in a calorie deficit, but I want to make sure I’m still losing weight. Anyone else experience something similar to this? I can post pictures too if that helps. Just want some insight please.

I’m 6 ft 3 195 lbs and about 18% body fat. I just checked 5 different Keto calculators and they all said I should be eating around 2,500 calories a day to gain muscle.

Idk if that’s accurate because I’ve had to eat about 3,500+ calories a day in previous years on normal diets to gain weight and muscle. I feel like I’d be losing a ton of weight off the Keri recommended macros.

Has anyone had experience with this?

38, 6'2", 175 lbs, 11% BF, no matter what I do, I can't seem to pull the final 5 lbs off my lower abs and reveal a six-pack. Nothing I do helps me blast through my set point.

I found one idea called The Stubborn Fat Solution by Lyle McDonald: https://store.bodyrecomposition.com/shop/stubborn-fat-solution/

Besides the incredibly cringe-worthy title and cover photo, I've found a few anecdotes online where people said it works for them.

The TLDR seems to be, prior to a workout:

• 200mg caffeine
• 1-3g tyrosine
• 16mg yohimbe
• Ephedrine

And then to basically do HIIT cardio for your workout

Has anyone followed this protocol before? Any strong opinions on it?

35M Been doing keto for 3 months now. Mostly started to it to support wife who was trying it. Went from 190lb 17% body fat to 178 14.5 %

I run and strength train a 3 or 4 days a week and usually have 1 day on the weekend where I ride motocross for about 5 hours.

My weightlifting performance hasn’t really changed. Maybe a little stronger overall just from sticking with it more diligently. My cardio is much improved and so is my riding on the track. Loving all of that but I have noticed if I go hard on legs it wipes me out the rest of the day and some of the following day. It wasn’t this bad when I was eating carbs. Is this normal? Is there a way to mitigate this feeling?

I’m eating a lot of meat and cheese. Is this maybe why? Not really eating junk food or processed foods but my diet could be cleaner I’m sure.

I have a work from home desk job, but I also alternate pulls up and push ups every hour from 9-4, and make sure I get at least 10,000 steps in. Technically that is part of my workout, but it’s spread out through the day. Should I consider this sedentary, light, or moderate?

Thanks for your time.

Hello, so before I started ketogains I had my T tested and I was at 150ish ngdl. Doctor told me to go loose weight and lift and I found this reddit.

So since I have been here I lost 50ish pounds and been lifting. I go back to the doctors soon to get tested again and was wondering what I should go about doing if my T is still low?

I'm not really interested in having to go to the doctors every 2 weeks to get an injection. So I was wondering what I can do naturally to up my T? Are there vits or mins I should be looking at? Should I ask if there's something wrong with maybe a gland or my testies?

I was just wondering what people think about it? Thank you.

I started the modified 5x5 program for dumbbells in September (30M 5'6 159 lbs 18%ish BF) & have been lifting in my bedroom with an old pair of screw in dumbbells! I started at 10 lbs and am now breaching 30 lbs. It's taken a bit but historically I never did any weight lifting in my teens / 20s, managed to get a 4 pack for the first time in my 30s.

I've been doing youtube videos to check forms & different exercises and finally noticed there's different dumbbell squats I can do lmao. Are the modified dumbbell squats for the 5x5 program meant to be squatting with the dumbbells on my shoulders, or do I hang them on the sides? Still haven't started any formal barbell work but will hopefully be doing that in the summer when I'm a bit more financially stable.

I just wanna make sure thanks for bearing with my noob questions.

edit : asking mostly because on Workout B days, the Dumbbell squat hanging them on the sides into the dumbbell deadlifts kinda feel like the same exercise, but I also know the squat is a negative into positive whereas the deadlift is a positive into negative.

I have been doing keto for 3 years. Have lost around 100lbs, however I just hit pleateau. I have been doing “dirty keto”, eating any protein (even Mcdonald’s with no bun), but staying below 50g of carbs. I look “skinny - fat”, and rly want to have a six pack in the future. Do you think I should start eating cleaner? What advice do you think its best.

Thanks a lot

Hello everyone, As the tittle says, i got a quick, dumb, question. I have started to work out at 5 am, and I am taking my ketogain pre-workout about 4:40 am. Now, usually i am having two meals consisting if 300 grams of mince, 60grs avocado, 30grs olives and plenty of green vegetables (lettuce and spinach) Before, when I used to workout in the evening, i would fast until lunch (1pm), have my pre workout about 7 pm, and then my dinner at around 9 pm. Now question is: Would it be sensible to have pre-workout at 4:40 am, exercise for an hour and then do not eat anything until 1 pm and then 8 pm again? Or would it be better to move the meal’s earlier?

I tend to find easier to fast or not eat during the day than in the evening.

Thank you!

36/M 6’2 36% BF SW: 363 CW: 267 1st GW: 250 2nd GW: 200

Macros: Protein: 197g Fat: 112g Carbs: 20g

Hello everyone, I started Keto this past September after hitting what I considered my own personal rock bottom (it’s a long story). Anywho, I have been super strict with my macros and have managed to lose almost 100 pounds in the past 7 months. I am now at the point where I feel I am ready to start lifting.

I am starting the Ketogains 5x5 this coming Monday. I am no stranger to lifting, however, it’s been almost 6 years since my last consistent workout routine. I am really hoping to get back into a solid routine and build some muscle/lose some fat (I think that is what all of us want to do here). I also recently re-calculated my macros which are listed above.

I’ve read through all of the FAQs, however, I could use some guidance regarding how much weight I should start with since it’s been so long. I don’t really have anyone to reach out to for suggestions regarding lifting, so y’all are my best resource at the moment. Should I start with just the bar? Any input is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hello everyone! Ii just would like your POV on the following: I started 3 weeks ago at 99kg with 29% body fat. I have been very extricated and following advice from this group and Dartluighi i have managed to see some visible changes. Now today i measure myself again and I am on 24% body fat!! Only 3 weeks in, but as I put it on another post, my weight is stuck at 96 kg for about two weeks now..

The calculator is giving me new macros and slighly more calories to continue with the recomp. Is this ok to do now at week number 3? Or it would be better to continue with original calories until a plateau?

Thank you!