44g protein. Seriously?

rihaankhans

So, my dietician uses Cronometer, and I am really liking all the data it gives me, but he left me at the strict ketogenic setting, which automatically gives you a range of 44-48g protein/day. He also has fancy machines that measured my TDEE and my body composition. According to my scan, I have 120 lbs. of lean muscle, which means Cronometer has me set to .3g/lb of lean mass. I feel that this is way too low, but have been maintaining it for 5 weeks. My weight loss has been painfully slow--like 1-2 lbs every 3 weeks. Wondering if this is because my protein is ridiculously restricted. Is anyone else sticking to these protein macros? How have your results been?

tcolvinOH

Id be curious for @Susan_RD_101 take on this. .3 seems low, but Im not sure I understand the math behind how much protein is necessary for maintenance of muscle mass and the rate of increase/decrease of protein and its affect on muscle comp.

Having said that, from everything I remember reading, I believe the general principle for keto is 1g of protein/lb. It could be 1g/kg. I dont recall off the top of my head. I'll have to look it up. I know that Cronometer sets the protein setting based on kg and not lbs.

Is your dietician also testing your ketones to see if you're actually in ketosis? What sort of diet were you coming from prior to going keto?

I know there are lots of other factors that can be attributed to plateaus/slow weight loss. I think some of that has been covered in previous discussions here too, so it might be worth digging into some of that.

I have my own protein values up a bit from what is recommended from strict. But I do try to eat to those targets. If Im not going to eat to the direct targets, I at least try to maintain percentage targets (65-75% fat, 25-30% protein, and no more than 40g of carbs per day - which is still high for me.)

Good questions though. I'll be curious to see what comes of the discussion.

Karen_Cronometer

Hi rihaankhans,

The rigorous setting on High Fat/Ketogenic macronutrient targets will calculate your protein target based on 1 gram of protein per kg lean body mass.

Have you updated your body fat % in Cronometer? This will give you a more accurate protein target. In your diary, select Add Biometric, choose Body Fat % and enter in your value to up date the calculation, as it does currently seem a little low.

Let us know how that changes your settings!

Best,

Susan_RD_101

This question looks familiar so I'm happy it's been flagged. Just a few quick notes in case others have questions about this post:

• A traditional keto diet also restricts protein
• Loss of lean body mass is common in keto diets (and other weight loss diets) because of the weight being lost and the restricted calorie intake
• I personally don't like to see protein less than 1 g per kg of body weight (ideal weight)
• If following keto, it's really important to engage in resistance activity in order to prevent loss of lean mass

Kind regards,

tcolvinOH

@Susan_RD_101 - this was pretty much how I understood it also. Thanks for the input. I know that protein can convert to glucose if you have too much in your system, but I also understand this to be a much slower process than it is for carbohydrates to convert to glucose. My understanding is the reason for restricting protein is to prevent the introduction of unnecessary glucose to the bloodstream, which can interrupt ketosis. Im wondering if there's an upper limit of the amount of protein, or if its subjective in any way. I suspect the only real way to know is to test to see if you're in ketosis or not.

Susan_RD_101

@tcolvinOH

You're exactly right! From what I've seen, true keto diets will be 75-80% fat, but rely on testing to ensure ketosis is achieved. In reality, many keto diets that people are following are closer to an Atkins or low-carb, high fat, moderate protein diet.

Kind regards,

Susan_RD_101

@tcolvinOH

I JUST noticed your profile picture was a cat! This crazy cat lady approves!

tcolvinOH

@Susan_RD_101 - This is pretty much the extent of his effort toward the cause. Although he does help a lot with meal planning. By help, I mean walk across the keyboard while Im writing it up, or wrapping himself around my legs while Im doing food prep. Sometimes, he just tramples on my phone while Im trying to log data. Hes entertaining though.