Portion Sizes

[Leeleepuss]

Good evening all, I hope you're all having a good day 😊 I have a question. Do I need to worry about portion sizes with lchf? I do eat rather a lot 😬 I am wondering if this may hinder my progress? Your thoughts would be much appreciated, thanks.

[ChubbieChops]

I'm not the right person to give advice (I put 2 lbs. on today and I can't think why) but with regard to most veg that grow above the ground, I think that doesn't have to be limited. I have read that if you eat too much protein, the body can convert it into glucose so it would be wise not to eat loads of protein. My understanding is that fats don't have to be limited although milk and cream do contain some carbs but not very much. Why don't you have a look at some of the recipes in carbdodging.com and the Diet Doctor? That would give you an idea of how much you can consume at each meal? No doubt some of the clever people will answer soon with a more definitive answer

[Leeleepuss in reply to ChubbieChops]

Thanks ChubbieChops. I’m kind of making it up as I go along but will try and do more research. 😊

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

What ChubbieChops said. Non-starchy veg don't need to be limited. I know several people will disagree with me that it's physically impossible to eat too much cheese, fatty meat, etc., but my personal experience is that as long as you fill up on vegetables then these things are not a problem. Your stomach has only a limited capacity for food, so make sure it's full of non-fattening food and you won't be able to put "too many calories" into it!

In particular, if you feel inclined to consume a glug of cream when you feel peckish, this isn't a healthy habit. I would argue that's not precisely because "cream contains a lot of calories and therefore you can overeat it", but it suggests your meals aren't big enough, and you're consuming what amounts to a dessert instead of having some proper food.

The problems only start, IMO, when people focus too narrowly on macros instead of just getting quality food on the plate and re-learning a healthy eating pattern.

You might want to ask yourself : "a lot compared to what?"

What's your reference point for "a lot"? If you're thinking of a calorie-counted meal, full of "healthy carbs" and zero fat, you'll have got it into your head that a normal meal for a 70kg adult human looks about the same as for a 20kg micropig. Thanks, nutritionists!

Even if you find yourself "overeating" to begin with, simply because you're finally allowed to, your appetite will rapidly start to dial it back. Nobody here has ever posted that their appetites are raging out of control; a typical comment around week 2 is "Is this right? I seem to be eating a lot less and I don't feel hungry".

[Leeleepuss in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thanks so much. Cutting carbs is not a problem for me but I do seem to stock up on protein to compensate and fill myself up. I am definitely not snacking as I don’t feel I want to so that’s good! Vegetables are the key! 😊

[ChubbieChops in reply to TheAwfulToad]

As always, very helpful words of wisdom 😊

[Lesley1234567 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

There are carbs in green vegetables too, I think these have to be limited too.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Lesley1234567]

I guess it depends if you're trying to go "keto" or not. Once you're out of that phase, I don't think there's any practical reason to limit non-starchy vegetables. Unless you're a "bad loser", I suppose.

It's only my opinion, but if you start obsessing over the carbs in your veg you're likely to end up with meals that are either too small, or rather unhealthy. Humans do, after all, have perfectly good metabolic pathways for processing carbs, they just (a) sometimes need a bit of a kick to get them back in working order and (b) tend to go wrong if they're overloaded with starch.

[Lesley1234567 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

It’s only recently that I have noticed on some websites where they have given carbs for vegetables I have only looked at calories before which are so low I have not really bothered.

I have been more interested in protein and fat and have been logging the four ie is protein, carbs, fat and calories.

If you were trying to stay below 20 grams of carbs it would soon add up with vegetables.

I hadn’t realised and wondered how many more out there are like me, unaware.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Lesley1234567]

Certainly if you're aiming for sub-20g then yes, vegetables would be a problem ... which is precisely why I personally argue against staying keto for any length of time. It doesn't appear to be harmful as such, but I've not found any research that indicates that it's beneficial, either.

[Hidden]

Dont worry about portion sizes as your body will naturally reduce in appetite once your body adjusts to lchf. Just keep carbs low and fats high and you will be fine 😊