Many Questions

deksgrl
deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
edited November 18 in Social Groups
My significant other was told by his doctor that he should do an Atkins type diet to lose weight. He has asked me to help him with shopping lists and meal plans. He likely isn't going to count calories or carbs (and I don't know when I will find time to count them for him.....lol) but I am trying to get some guidelines together for him on what to eat and how much. I have been doing a lot of reading at http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/

His stats:

285 pounds, 6' tall, age 52, activity level moderate to strenuous depending on what work he is doing on any particular day. I don't know what his LBM is but it is on the higher side from doing a lot of manual work. He looked very buff at 220 pounds a few years back.

What I have figured I would recommend to him is:

2,500 calories
62 grams carbs, 250 calories
136 grams protein, 544 calories
194 grams fat, 1750 calories

Does this sound feasible under the circumstances?

Any hints and tips for advance weekly meal prep so he will have an appropriate lunch to take with him?

Replies

  • wabmester
    wabmester Posts: 2,748 Member
    edited May 2015
    That sounds good to me. The hard part for a lot of people is simply compliance, so that means you should focus on foods he already likes that also happen to be low carb. For example, I just dropped all grains and processed sugar and increased nuts, berries, and other stuff I like. I eat about the same amount of protein and from the same sources I used to.

    The secret sauce of low carb is that it naturally reduces hunger, so your main focus should be to avoid foods for him that trigger his hunger/cravings.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    That sounds somewhat feasible, though if he's got an active job, it may be on the low side. It's a good starting point to get an idea, though.

    If he's not going to count anything, then the easiest way is a sort of prioritization/formulaic approach:

    Favor meats and fats for all food choices. Start the meal with the meat, and favor fatty cuts and eat the fat.

    Always favor non-starchy vegetables over other fruits (except avocado, coconut, and palm, which are fatty fruits) or vegetables, and include fatty sources of some sort with vegetables. Add cheese, avocado, oil/cream based dressings, etc to salads. Cook or dip vegetables in butter or cream/oil based dips, etc.

    If you want to go the "plate" route - half or more the plate meat, up to half the plate non-starchy vegetables (thereabouts).
  • Fat4Fuel2
    Fat4Fuel2 Posts: 280 Member
    I know that for me, it's helpful when my significant other keeps carby foods out of the house or cooks plain food so I can take my own portion and add my own "seasoning" (i.e. extra fat).
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Thank you. I'm sure I will end up cutting back on the carbs as a result as well.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    deksgrl wrote: »
    My significant other was told by his doctor that he should do an Atkins type diet to lose weight. He has asked me to help him with shopping lists and meal plans. He likely isn't going to count calories or carbs (and I don't know when I will find time to count them for him.....lol) but I am trying to get some guidelines together for him on what to eat and how much. I have been doing a lot of reading at http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/

    His stats:

    285 pounds, 6' tall, age 52, activity level moderate to strenuous depending on what work he is doing on any particular day. I don't know what his LBM is but it is on the higher side from doing a lot of manual work. He looked very buff at 220 pounds a few years back.

    What I have figured I would recommend to him is:

    2,500 calories
    62 grams carbs, 250 calories
    136 grams protein, 544 calories
    194 grams fat, 1750 calories

    Does this sound feasible under the circumstances?

    Any hints and tips for advance weekly meal prep so he will have an appropriate lunch to take with him?

    I just want to say that if his doctor wants him to do Atkins type diet, that 62 grams of carbs is high. I know that for me personally, my cravings for junk didn't abate until I got below 50 total grams of carbs daily.

    Also, if he's a sweet drinker - sodas, sweet tea, sugar in the coffee, etc., be sure to experiment and find sustainable choices he can live with. Powerade makes a MIO type product now...so if he tends to alternate water and Gatorade/Powerade at work, this is a decent option there (other brands do low cal sweeteners with zero dyes, too)... Teas are similar options... And variations posted here for coffee/hot tea "boosts" are abound!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Thank you. He does sugar in his coffee. I suggested splenda or another sweetener and initially he said no to that but today he said he doesn't think he will be able to go cold turkey and will be trying the splenda. He wants to start on Sunday. What is a good alternative to Half and Half which we usually use in our coffee? I have read coconut oil.

    Meanwhile I got the new Atkins book and I am reading it. I'm thinking about jumping in at another phase of the plan myself which it says you can do even if you don't do the initial induction phase. This way I can be supporting him and eating in a similar manner, and hopefully drop my final pounds to goal weight.
  • DianaElena76
    DianaElena76 Posts: 1,241 Member
    I personally don't think I could have jumped from half and half to coconut oil. It may be an easier transition to use heavy whipping cream.
  • camtosh
    camtosh Posts: 898 Member
    deksgrl wrote: »
    Meanwhile I got the new Atkins book and I am reading it. I'm thinking about jumping in at another phase of the plan myself which it says you can do even if you don't do the initial induction phase. This way I can be supporting him and eating in a similar manner, and hopefully drop my final pounds to goal weight.

    That is what I have done the whole 2 1/2 years I have been eating LCHF -- it is hard to do the induction level for me, so I just go as low as I can. My weight came off more slowly, but it did come off, and it is still off, so it is worth it. The key is sticking with it. Good luck to you both!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Mami1976D wrote: »
    I personally don't think I could have jumped from half and half to coconut oil. It may be an easier transition to use heavy whipping cream.

    Thanks. We'll try that.

    cam, slow is fine with me. I'm certain I will feel better with less carbs.

  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    deksgrl wrote: »
    Mami1976D wrote: »
    I personally don't think I could have jumped from half and half to coconut oil. It may be an easier transition to use heavy whipping cream.

    Thanks. We'll try that.

    cam, slow is fine with me. I'm certain I will feel better with less carbs.

    I really like the combination of both (heavy cream and coconut oil - but the key to this is BLENDING!!!), but if you don't drink a ton of coffee, half and half can be acceptable as a choice, once the sweetener is managed. There are sugar free syrups like Torani brand, which use splenda in them. Me personally, I prefer stevia (I use Pure Via Non-GMO Organic Stevia Powder - 40 packets for $2 at Walmart)...it tastes truer to sugar to me. There are a ton of options, as far as sweeteners go...
  • DianaElena76
    DianaElena76 Posts: 1,241 Member
    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    deksgrl wrote: »
    Mami1976D wrote: »
    I personally don't think I could have jumped from half and half to coconut oil. It may be an easier transition to use heavy whipping cream.

    Thanks. We'll try that.

    cam, slow is fine with me. I'm certain I will feel better with less carbs.

    I really like the combination of both (heavy cream and coconut oil - but the key to this is BLENDING!!!), but if you don't drink a ton of coffee, half and half can be acceptable as a choice, once the sweetener is managed. There are sugar free syrups like Torani brand, which use splenda in them. Me personally, I prefer stevia (I use Pure Via Non-GMO Organic Stevia Powder - 40 packets for $2 at Walmart)...it tastes truer to sugar to me. There are a ton of options, as far as sweeteners go...

    I do this--a combination of coconut oil and heavy cream, with the addition of butter most of the time, and I drink it instead of eating breakfast.
  • aholt7286
    aholt7286 Posts: 11 Member
    I used to drink sugar in my coffee, but I found the heavy whipping cream adds a much richer taste to my coffee and have been able to cut the sugar altogether.....
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    aholt7286 wrote: »
    I used to drink sugar in my coffee, but I found the heavy whipping cream adds a much richer taste to my coffee and have been able to cut the sugar altogether.....

    I had cut sweeteners out before I switch to the Primal variation, and I'm working to cut them back down again...

    But I used to be the 5 heaping teaspoons of sugar in one mug of tea person. (I'm not a coffee person at all...tried, and my system HATED it...). Mainly, I was a sugar junkie. I cut it way down, but couldn't cut it completely because of the tannins in tea...which was why I was cutting my sweeteners slowly.

    But I've discovered having the sweeteners in the tea, and chewing sugar free gum instead of having a sweetened treat after meals and when craving it is helping me eliminate the sweeteners elsewhere, and since my LOADED TEA doesn't seem to trigger cravings for me, I don't mind the sweeteners there...

    So it's all personal taste and adjustments as you discover your own new preference and triggers...
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    We both use 1.5 teaspoons (the teaspoon out of the kitchen drawer that you eat with, not the measuring teaspoon) of sugar in coffee, in 10 ounces of coffee.
  • GrannyMayOz
    GrannyMayOz Posts: 1,051 Member
    I was using tinned coconut milk in my coffee long before I'd even heard of low fat or keto. It's creamy and delicious and has a nice amount of fat for satiety.
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