Frustrated

Stoonloveskeith

See comment below

Stoonloveskeith

I have read too many different sites and now I am so confused, plus I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror today and I'm so down and out. Hoping someone can help me. I have done my tdee by the Scooby Fitness calculator as suggested by quite a few people on here. My BMR is 1653 and Tdee is 2273...so as long as I eat 500 below the Tdee I should lose weight?? It states my calorie intake should be around 1819. I've tried the 1200-1500 calorie diet and I failed miserably. Do I have to eat all the 1819 calories or can I try to eat as close to it as possible? Sometimes I have trouble finding things to eat that don't have carbs as I seem to hit that goal no problem by my snack at 3pm. I eat a ton of veggies and some fruit as I am cautious with the sugar content, but everything seems to have those darn carbs! Any help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance

pander101

More protein may help.

Liftng4Lis

What is wrong with carbs? To answer the question, eat as close to as possible.

ana3067

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

What is wrong with carbs? To answer the question, eat as close to as possible.

This, and more protein and/or more fat sources will also help to reach calorie needs without increasing carb intake. Although peanut butter is the best fat source and contains carbs, but still a good staple food.

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ana3067

LiveLaughLoveEat1 wrote: »

Stoonloveskeith wrote: »

I have read too many different sites and now I am so confused, plus I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror today and I'm so down and out. Hoping someone can help me. I have done my tdee by the Scooby Fitness calculator as suggested by quite a few people on here. My BMR is 1653 and Tdee is 2273...so as long as I eat 500 below the Tdee I should lose weight?? It states my calorie intake should be around 1819. I've tried the 1200-1500 calorie diet and I failed miserably. Do I have to eat all the 1819 calories or can I try to eat as close to it as possible? Sometimes I have trouble finding things to eat that don't have carbs as I seem to hit that goal no problem by my snack at 3pm. I eat a ton of veggies and some fruit as I am cautious with the sugar content, but everything seems to have those darn carbs! Any help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance

you do realize you can eat carbs, right? They aren't bad.

crisb2

People always make a fuss about posters who choose to eat less carbs. If it's so annoying to you people reading it, imagine she said broccoli!!! She hates and totally despises the taste of broccoli and would like to eat OTHER things. Now put down your pitchforks people.

@Stoonloveskeith If you want to eat less carbs, up your other macros - fat and protein. Pre-log your meals because the carbs do creep up, they're truly everywhere, so that you stay within the goals that you've set for yourself. And google lists of low carb fruits, vegetables, and other foods, post them on your fridge and take them to the market with you.

JJ250

Those BMR calculators work pretty well but sometimes can be off. If you're trying to lose weight I would suggest going about 100 calories below what it takes to maintain your weight. Also just a few tips supplement some of your carbs for protein (take a protein shake everyday, or get it from another source), and lastly AVOID SUGAR at all costs. Some sugar like from fruits are okay but try to limit your sugar intake as much as possible. Hope this helps.

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alereck

Sorry, I'm confused. You said "I've tried the 1200-1500 calorie diet and I failed miserably. Do I have to eat all the 1819 calories or can I try to eat as close to it as possible?"

So you are saying that you had trouble staying under 1500 but is asking if you have to eat all of the 1819 as if that would be difficult. Which one is it? Do you have a hard time eating less or more than needed?

I've been more successful at reaching my macro goals if I prelog my food. Make sure you understand what your food choices are (veggies and fruits being mostly carbs) so that you can eat a balance diet.

Stoonloveskeith

Yes I know I can eat carbs and I DO!!! Sorry I should have said this in my previous post. I am just trying to stick within my daily limit and would rather not go over on my carbs. It seems like I hit my carb limit first and then have quite a bit of fat and protein to still consume, was looking for suggestions on low carb snacks…will google it. Some sites say I am eating too much then some say I am not eating enough. I am currently 205 pounds and when I tried eating a 1200-1500 calorie intake, I had no energy and could barely make it through the day. When I recalculated using Scooby fitness, it suggested I should be eating 1819 calories. I just wanted to know if it would hurt me if I didn't consume all the 1819 calories but tried to get as close as I can. I am just confused and thought maybe some of the people on this site could help.

I will just keep trucking along and take the great suggestions of what a few of you said. Thanks to those of you who tried to help.

Stoonloveskeith

crisb2 wrote: »

People always make a fuss about posters who choose to eat less carbs. If it's so annoying to you people reading it, imagine she said broccoli!!! She hates and totally despises the taste of broccoli and would like to eat OTHER things. Now put down your pitchforks people.

@Stoonloveskeith If you want to eat less carbs, up your other macros - fat and protein. Pre-log your meals because the carbs do creep up, they're truly everywhere, so that you stay within the goals that you've set for yourself. And google lists of low carb fruits, vegetables, and other foods, post them on your fridge and take them to the market with you.

Thank you Crisb2

StacyPhillipsTSFLcoach

I'm sorry you are experiencing frustration! First you may want to consider that everyone has a different metabolism and just because the "formula" puts you at a BMR of 1653 doesn't necessarily make it so. I am currently in a Masters Program in Obesity Prevention and Management and the stuff I am learning about metabolism is pretty mind blowing. For example, did you know that the "3500 calories = 1 pound" gold standard is based on a study done in 1930 with 13 study participants, and they had such varying metabolisms (up to 1000 calorie difference between the highest and lowest) that they simply took the "average" of all the participants' rates of weight loss and weight gain under carefully monitored deficit/refeeding routines? Anyway, it may be beneficial for you to ask your local university if they have a study you could participate in where they would actually measure YOUR SPECIFIC metabolism and give you your ACTUAL RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) so you can tailor your consumption a little closer to your individual needs.

lolly715

Stoonloveskeith wrote: »

Yes I know I can eat carbs and I DO!!! Sorry I should have said this in my previous post. I am just trying to stick within my daily limit and would rather not go over on my carbs. It seems like I hit my carb limit first and then have quite a bit of fat and protein to still consume, was looking for suggestions on low carb snacks…will google it.

Try thinking about this the other way. Instead of taking carbs out of your snacks, remove some of them from meals. I find it MUCH easier to eat a low carb meal than a low carb snack. It's just what I naturally prefer. Also I find by trying to hit my protein goal FIRST, the carbs naturally keep themselves under control. I do need to eat lower carb for medical reasons but don't really worry about watching them now, it very rarely goes into the red.

If you're still struggling, take a look at what carbs you're eating and if you can switch them for lower sources. As an example, berries have about half the carbs as a banana. I will occasionally have a banana in my oatmeal, but usually have raspberries now as otherwise my total carbs are way too high.

Also try setting mini-goals through the day for your protein and fat, if necessary. I don't track fat too closely but I do try to get 30% of my protein with each meal, and find the remaining 10% fills up from snacks no problem.