Low Carbing unhealthy?
LunaKate
Posts: 64 Member
My back story: Since having my first son I have been stuck. I gained about 50lbs and have been unable to lose and keep it off. My mother-in-law had thyroid problems and switched to a keto diet and has lost a lot of weight as a result. Her daughter went keto and has lost a lot too.
My husband recently decided we should both eat better and lose weight. I agreed. For friendly competition we are seeing who can reach their goal faster. He is not counting calories or going on a diet, just trying to eat healthier and exercising more.
I researched why a keto diet works and have been keeping carbs under 20g and calories under 1000 since Sunday. My husband thinks its unhealthy even though I explained the science to him. He believes I wont lose weight unless I exercise more as well, but since he works third shift and I stay-at-home with the boys its hard to fit in. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. I have them all day since my husband needs to sleep, then he wakes up and goes to work so I have them all night too. I dont really like working out with them, I feel like I have to stop constantly to do stuff for them or to see what they are up to and cant concentrate on my exercising. So I have just started doing yoga and try to be more active around the house, sit less, move more, get more done during the day, go for walks in the mall when I can, do some squats and lunges, I dont track it though.
My husband recently decided we should both eat better and lose weight. I agreed. For friendly competition we are seeing who can reach their goal faster. He is not counting calories or going on a diet, just trying to eat healthier and exercising more.
I researched why a keto diet works and have been keeping carbs under 20g and calories under 1000 since Sunday. My husband thinks its unhealthy even though I explained the science to him. He believes I wont lose weight unless I exercise more as well, but since he works third shift and I stay-at-home with the boys its hard to fit in. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. I have them all day since my husband needs to sleep, then he wakes up and goes to work so I have them all night too. I dont really like working out with them, I feel like I have to stop constantly to do stuff for them or to see what they are up to and cant concentrate on my exercising. So I have just started doing yoga and try to be more active around the house, sit less, move more, get more done during the day, go for walks in the mall when I can, do some squats and lunges, I dont track it though.
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Burning sugar causes oxidative stress and glycation. Both responsible for aging. Ketosis is probably healthier, but there haven't been any long-term studies.
Exercise is good for you, but it won't help with weight loss. For the most part, it just makes you hungry. If you do enough resistance training to stimulate new muscle growth, that can raise your metabolism and you'll burn more calories, but it'll still make you hungrier, and if you ever stop exercising, you may tend to keep eating at the higher level. Plenty of overweight ex-athletes out there.0 -
The wise man once said, if you have to maintain your weight by exercising, your diet is wrong. Something to think about.
xoxo0 -
Your DH is in the same group as many MDs, some scientists, and MOST of your family/friends, unfortunately. They stick rigidly to what is now passe if not downright harmful for people with serious carb intolerance. Ask him if Diabetics are eating unhealthy? They really watch sugar and carbs! Ask if a 75 year old woman in a wheelchair should eat the same as a buff 23 yr old runner? if they both weigh the same? The answer is NO. Eating the right Quality of food is more important than calories, and ANY exercise. There is a TON of data in books, research, youtube in the last 7 years that will overload you with proof.
You may choose to approach LCHF not discussing <20 carbs..EVERYONE outside LC groups freak to hear that, because the USDA pushes 120+minimum a day grain/carbs!! (60+ meal!)
Maybe try "I'm eating no sugar, lot of low carb veggies, healthy fats, and protein as the 'garnish' I will post two links below as basic info to calm him down.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LEAD PEOPLE VERY SLOWLY.. a fast jump to "I eat high fat" kills your message….but showing your plate 50% with veggies will ease him into it, and help you by adding nutrition but not carbs. (If you try the new fresh spinach+ frozen fruit smoothies it's a great way to get those nutrients. NO veggie taste, but it bulks your shake.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-lose-weight
http://authoritynutrition.com/10-benefits-of-low-carb-ketogenic-diets/
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^^ that. 1000 calories is the absolute bare minimum for a woman to function. You want your body to burn fat, not think it's going into a famine.0
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Use this site: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
Enter your height/weight/etc, set the carbs to 20g, answer the rest of the questions, and it will tell you how much you should be eating and what proportions to stay in keto. Show him the info it gives you, and that alone might also make him feel better. 1000 is way too low.
ETA: when you get your numbers, focus more on the grams, not %. Do your best to eat all your protein, consider the carbs an upper limit, and fill in with fats when you're hungry, but you don't have to eat every single gram of fat.0 -
If he was just talking about the calories, he'd be right. Eat food and plenty of it. You'll most likely win even without starving yourself.sweetteadrinker2 wrote: »^^ that. 1000 calories is the absolute bare minimum for a woman to function. You want your body to burn fat, not think it's going into a famine.
I did use that keto calculator, I just thought it was better to go a little lower in calories since I am only lightly active. I havent been hungry at all so far and I am usually STARVING when trying to lose weight. I can up it to 1200 though if you think thats best. I know thats still really low but I find Im one of those awful people that when I dont see the scale moving I lose motivation.
Ketogenicgurl thats a great idea. I eat REAL food mostly now, meats, veggies, cheese. Its the best way to eat and I plan on upping my carbs a bit after about a month so Ill be able to eat more veggies.
The last time I really lost weight, I lost about 20 lbs, I did it by working out a lot and trying to eat low calorie and I was hungry all the time. I cheated a lot because I was always ravenous and then Id feel like crap about myself for not eating right so Id try to workout even more. It was an infinite cycle. Id much rather eat right and not force myself to burn the fat with exercise.0 -
The calculator has a specific setting for sedentary and light active near the top, it takes your level of activity into account when it gives you that number. You're better going with what it tells you and getting all the nutrients your body needs than trying to cut back even further and damaging your body.0
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I'm probably not the best person to ask. But, my opinion is that calorie restriction is the wrong way to approach weight loss. Cut the carbs, balance the hormones, let the body heal, and weight normalization will take care of itself without the need for conscious counting or restriction.
Going too high on your deficit will just put extra stress on your body (switching to low carb is already a stress, as is any major change). Stress raises cortisol, which decreases weight loss and makes weight gain and regain more likely.0 -
Since the calorie thing is being addressed, I'll go for the exercise part.
Most people who don't usually keep kids fail to realize that just keeping up with the kids is a workout in and of itself. I was exhausted trying to keep up with a 2-year-old for a few months...and she was a well-behaved one who loved being read to!
Exercise doesn't always have to look like exercise. Cleaning house is exercise. Hauling kids is exercise. Playing tag is exercise. Some nights, giving a kid a bath is exercise. If you really want to exercise, pull up a short workout video (Adam Rosante has a 60-second workout on Youtube) and go for it. Kids will survive for a few minutes, generally, and sometimes will start imitating...which is cute as heck when they fall on their butts doing yoga.
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Yes, please up your calories to at least 1200, preferably a bit higher. One if the benefits of low carb is that you don't have to worry about calories as much. I lost my first 50-60 lbs. without tracking anything at at. Now I do it because it usually keeps me from eating when I'm not hungry. And I've lost all my weights far (90 lbs.) without exercise. If you eat sufficient protein this WOE helps you lose fat while maintaining lean body mass.0
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Ive always heard if you dont feel hungry dont eat and since Im not having my usual sugar crashes Im a lot less hungry. I just finished my food diary today and MFP wont let me complete it because I only ate 800 calories today. I think its the fat I have the hardest time with. Ive been avoiding it so long, I know that you need fat on low cal but Ive gotten so use to cooking without it, I dont even think to add it. I made myself eat half an avacado for the good fats but Im still way under my goal of 75g. I know just uping my fats will make up the calories too. Its my head thats the problem. Im afraid eating more fat will make me gain weight.0
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Fat will not make you fat. I have lost 90 lbs. of body fat eating around 100 or more grams of fat a day. Animal fats and saturated fats are the best fats. One well known low carb personality (can't remember who) calls human beings "fatavores" - we are designed to eat a high fat diet and it is optimal for health to do so.0
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I eat about 200g of at a day, and I am losing weight. I lost almost all my weight eating over 120-150g of fat a day. Fat won't automatically make you fat. Obviously, I am not suggesting you go out and start eating two and a quarter sticks of butter a day. You have different nutritional needs than I do. But, that's the equivalent to what I eat each day. That's almost 4 pounds of butter a week on average (if it was all converted to butter). And, I am still losing weight.
You will not get fat from fat. Eat it. Love it.0 -
Wow! That is amazing! Thank you everyone for the excellent support and advice, I will definitely follow it!0
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High carbs high fat will make you not lose weight. You have to lower your carbs and up your fat to achieve weight loss. Just MHO
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Ive always heard if you dont feel hungry dont eat and since Im not having my usual sugar crashes Im a lot less hungry. I just finished my food diary today and MFP wont let me complete it because I only ate 800 calories today. I think its the fat I have the hardest time with. Ive been avoiding it so long, I know that you need fat on low cal but Ive gotten so use to cooking without it, I dont even think to add it. I made myself eat half an avacado for the good fats but Im still way under my goal of 75g. I know just uping my fats will make up the calories too. Its my head thats the problem. Im afraid eating more fat will make me gain weight.
I can completely relate to this, I was having the same struggle. My approach has been to gradually scale back carbs and increase fats, little by little incorporating more into my meals. It feels so wrong to be cutting back on fruits and vegetables since I ate so much of them before and tried so hard to minimize fats, which is why it's somehow more psychologically manageable to do this slowly. I'm finding that after a couple weeks I'm almost there. Everyone is different but it sounds like you might benefit from making gradual changes until you get to your macros goal and adjust to the new way of eating.
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My back story: Since having my first son I have been stuck. I gained about 50lbs and have been unable to lose and keep it off. My mother-in-law had thyroid problems and switched to a keto diet and has lost a lot of weight as a result. Her daughter went keto and has lost a lot too.
<snip>
I have lost 63 lbs since Aug 29th of last year. I am keto'ing and occasional water fasting. I have done no exercise and I probably move less than anyone on this group. Maybe 100 or 200 steps a day. Computer desk job. No kids, no stairs, no nothing. As soon as I lose some more weight, I will start exercising to get fit again. (I'm 58 years old).
Dan the Man from Michigan0 -
While it seems most of the specific advice given here has been generally standard and good, I do have to say that it really bothers me when I see comments from the more experienced folks here on calorie counts of newer people without asking the person's height first. Sure, under 1000 calories is almost always going to be low. I have a 4'11" ex girlfriend, for her 1000 calories with a goal of 40 pounds to lose would be a larger caloric deficit than recommended. That's about it. Under 1000 calories would require an unusually small person, but I've seen the same comments for calorie values that would be pretty much fine for someone who is just a little taller than that. Just something to think about.
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I'm late to this, but when I started LC, it helped my friends and family get off my back by just telling them that I stopped eating anything white. no rice, flour, , sugar, pasta or potatoes.0
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My mother, who is under 4'11" and probably much older than your ex-GF has a BMR of 1,200. That means she has a TDEE of at least 1,450 and 1,850 (depending on activity level). Even at her size, I would discourage trying to eat below 1,200 calories a day.
I have a feeling the sub-1,000 calories isn't because of extremely low TDEE for the original poster. They mention a competition to lose more weight than their husband. That's a pretty strong indicator that someone set an overly aggressive weight loss target.0 -
I'm late to this, but when I started LC, it helped my friends and family get off my back by just telling them that I stopped eating anything white. no rice, flour, , sugar, pasta or potatoes.
I have a daily limit of 40 net carbs (a la Atkins), and I find that simply by eliminating all the junk (sweets, munchies, soda, etc.) and "white" foods (bread, rice, pasta, and white potatoes) I have absolutely no problem staying under 40. I basically just eat a meat and some green veggies with each meal; between meals if I'm hungry I eat cheese. I love cheese. If I don't want to tell someone I'm eating low carb I just tell them I've eliminated processed/refined foods and foods with added sugar. Nobody can argue that bread is unprocessed, you know? Also, who is going to tell you that eating REAL food is unhealthy or unnatural? Let me rephrase that: Who *in their right mind* is going to tell you that eating real food is unhealthy or unnatural? 0 -
I really love the keto-calculator from the link that was provided early up this thread. If you are honest with it, you can see where your low and high numbers should be. Of course it'll let you be as aggressive if you want but I love that it asks, "Are you sure?? that's really going to be hard!"0
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Like others have said, though, you do need to be sure you fuel your body with enough calories so your body doesn't go into starvation mode and hold on to every ounce of flesh it can. [/quote]
Starvation mode is a myth. If you cut your calories down to 600 for several months you enter starvation mode. The body does not hold on to fat.
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Sorry. Editing now.
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Starvation mode is real. It happens when your body runs out of fat. I don't think any of us will hit that point for a lonnnng time.
I'd be more concerned about gallstones. The probability of getting them seems to go up if you lose more than 3lbs/week.
To me, the beauty of LC is that you'll eat at a calorie deficit naturally because you're not hungry. No reason to push the envelope.0 -
The wise man once said, if you have to maintain your weight by exercising, your diet is wrong. Something to think about.
xoxo
I was dense on this point for a long time. Exercising to 'maintain' weight does set us up for a regain of weight loss. Something ALWAYS comes along that prevents exercising at some point in our lives.
If there is not ice/snow on our road I do walk 1/4 mile each day but that is more about 'moving' than working out.
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To me, the beauty of LC is that you'll eat at a calorie deficit naturally because you're not hungry. No reason to push the envelope.
I really am not hungry. I usually only have chocolate milk for breakfast, now an atkins shake, but I made myself eat some eggs with butter and bacon this morning. It was delicious. I think I aim for such low calories because thats what I did when I lost weight in high school and it worked. I was also only 130lbs then so 1000-1200 calories wasnt so extreme.
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It seems many think the low carb diet means low carb high protein. For me it does not. Low carb, high protein is generally considered to be toxic.
But low carb high fat produces healthy results.
I had a doctor try to push low fat. I don't have that doctor any more. Low fat is bad on so many levels. It is linked to clinical depression and other mental health problems because the human brain needs fat to function properly.
There are a lot of good sources for the science behind LCHF. It is in fact among the oldest approaches to dealing with obesity in western civilization.
BTW, I also know when I'm getting a little high in protein because my wife notices the ars breath
A table spoon of coconut oil is good for a breakfast supplement to my shake when I'm not having whole eggs with sausage.0 -
@LunaKate my calories usually stay between 1000-1300 a day... i think for the weight loss stage this is completely acceptable.. once you reach or near your goal obviously it should go up with your carbs until you plateau at your desired weight. Decide to start building more muscle.. adjust accordingly. You dont want to starve your body, just manage its function! I hope you win your bet!0
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