Cutting Calories & Still Feeling Satisfied?
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mrsgoodwine wrote: »I am 54 years old and I am 5'2". I have my calories set for 1370. I am active so I eat more than the typical 1200 calories that MFP gives. My carb macros are set at 171 but I usually get about 150. I am also averaging about 50-55 grams of fat per day (I eat cheese, yogurt bars, nuts, bacon, but I am not into the cakes, cookies, chips etc. - I feel like garbage when I eat what we commonly refer to as "junk foods." My macros for protein is 69 and I usually come close to that. I have lost about 11 pounds in 5 weeks. I am basically just walking for exercise (I have a fitbit and strive to get my 10,000 steps per day). I also do some planking to build my core, but aside from that I also move around a lot when I get home. I don't know if any of this is helpful. They say it's all calories in and calories. Not sure what MFP suggest for you but I would look at that first.
This is not low carb?
45% carbs, 20% protein, 35% fat is more like a HIGH carb diet. You're losing weight because you're eating low calorie and you are fairly active, that's all.
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mrsgoodwine wrote: »I am 54 years old and I am 5'2". I have my calories set for 1370. I am active so I eat more than the typical 1200 calories that MFP gives. My carb macros are set at 171 but I usually get about 150. I am also averaging about 50-55 grams of fat per day (I eat cheese, yogurt bars, nuts, bacon, but I am not into the cakes, cookies, chips etc. - I feel like garbage when I eat what we commonly refer to as "junk foods." My macros for protein is 69 and I usually come close to that. I have lost about 11 pounds in 5 weeks. I am basically just walking for exercise (I have a fitbit and strive to get my 10,000 steps per day). I also do some planking to build my core, but aside from that I also move around a lot when I get home. I don't know if any of this is helpful. They say it's all calories in and calories. Not sure what MFP suggest for you but I would look at that first.
This is not low carb?
45% carbs, 20% protein, 35% fat is more like a HIGH carb diet. You're losing weight because you're eating low calorie and you are fairly active, that's all.
Low carb is pretty loosely defined in this group is below SAD amounts. When putting a number on it, we generally go with 150g being the upper limit.
Her ratio is higher due to her low calorie level. We generally go by absolute gram values because of this.0 -
Yes! @Keliandra! So glad you are receiving validation from your MD. On this woe! Believe me, two months of this woe, you will be SOLD! It's amazing to be able to "Laugh" at carbs, like you've never been able to before! It does happen! I'm living proof of the changes/improvements that can happen with the LCHF woe!!0
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itsjustdawn wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »itsjustdawn wrote: »The reason I even posted this is because there are arguments in this group for and against tracking calories.
Technically, there's a difference between tracking calories and counting calories. You can track without counting, and you can count without tracking (though that's arguably harder). Not tracking or counting is not suitable for everyone all the time. Even if it's suitable for you most of the time, if you're finding yourself running into problems, then tracking -- and possibly counting -- for a short period of time may be beneficial, to aid in troubleshooting and finding what gets you back on track.
You're experiencing problems, so it's a good idea to take notes for a while. Once you get back on the right track, you can re-evaluate whether you need to continue counting or tracking and go from there.
If you notice, though, most of us have attempted to address your hunger and haven't said that you need to count calories, necessarily.
1. You're getting hungry every two hours, because you're not eating enough at each meal. Eat until you're full at each meal and aim to eat only 3 meals. Your meals should eventually fall somewhere between the 300-400 that you're eating per meal now and the 600-800 that your two-meal total is currently.
2. Reduce your condiment intake. You shouldn't need a quarter cup of dressing on a 3-cup salad. Try different dressings to see if they work better, or reconsider why you feel the need to put that much dressing on a salad in the first place.
3. Track (don't artificially alter your caloric intake) for a couple of weeks with the above changes, so that you can see how they change your calorie intake, weight, etc.
4. Remember that weight loss isn't a race. Look at trends over a month or two, so that you get a view of your body's patterns over a full hormonal cycle, and so that you give your body enough time to adjust to your new way of eating.
Thank you. I guess I am thinking I need high fat foods, which equates to more calories in my head. I was already thinking I need to change the dressing to something else - I just don't care as much for salads without it. My biggest struggle is having food at work. I am trying to pack foods that will keep me full for 10 hours. I feel like there is a lot of fat in my meals, at least based on what my diary says. I do want to try making my own dressings. I am not really a fan of cooking, but I do make my work meals ahead of time. If I could get away with only 2 meals or whatever at work, that would be freaking fantastic. I did drop to one cup of coffee, and I love my HWC, so I'd like to keep that as well.
I eat twice/day with 3-4 cups of coffee per day (usually 2 in am, 1 midday and then maybe 1 in late afternoon/early evening). My coffees run me 150-200 cals, leaving me 1150-1200 cals to split between my two meals.
Samples of meals include butter-fried or scrambled eggs with plenty of bacon, medium-boiled eggs with butter, hamburger patties either alone or with bacon and cheese, steak (7-9oz, ribeye or buttered ny strip), smoked brisket (6oz cooked), skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks, prosciutto egg cups, roasted boston butt, quality deli meats like boar's head beef franks, hard and genoa salami and kielbasa.
Today I had 4 cups of coffee with hwc, 3 eggs fried in butter, a mess of bacon and beef brisket. Delicious and oh so satiating.
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OK so I dropped my goal down to 1800. I am over today, but it's 1897. Carbs are a little higher than they should be. I made mashed cauliflower without checking the carbs. Ooops. But I made my own dressing with EVOO and red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and basil. I am trying to make one of my meals larger so that I am down to 2 during work hours. My diary is open, so you can check today (Tuesday) to see what I've done.
I'd like to fit in coconut oil, but I am not sure where. And I don't have coffee until I am at work, so I can't even blend it into my coffee.0 -
itsjustdawn wrote: »
Thank you. I guess I am thinking I need high fat foods, which equates to more calories in my head.
Well you are trading out fat for the carbs. 500 calories of fat is going to hold you a lot longer than 1,000 calories of carbs. And so you are eating lower calorie just by changing what you eat. I have found that I am eating a lot less calories doing LCHF.OK so I dropped my goal down to 1800. I am over today, but it's 1897. Carbs are a little higher than they should be. I made mashed cauliflower without checking the carbs.
Are you looking at Net Carbs, subtracting the fiber amount from the total carbs? 1 cup of cauliflower is 5 grams carbs, but has 2 grams from fiber, so there is only 3 grams net carbs.
Editing to add: I just looked at your diary and it shows you had 34 total carbs, but 15 was from fiber, so your net carbs was only 19.
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O'MY So THIS >>>"500 calories of fat is going to hold you a lot longer than 1,000 calories of carbs"
Thanks!
And I second that too>> I have found that I am eating a lot less calories doing LCHF.
Thanks for the confirmation.
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itsjustdawn wrote: »OK so I dropped my goal down to 1800. I am over today, but it's 1897. Carbs are a little higher than they should be. I made mashed cauliflower without checking the carbs. Ooops. But I made my own dressing with EVOO and red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and basil. I am trying to make one of my meals larger so that I am down to 2 during work hours. My diary is open, so you can check today (Tuesday) to see what I've done.
I'd like to fit in coconut oil, but I am not sure where. And I don't have coffee until I am at work, so I can't even blend it into my coffee.
All you need to blend coconut oil in is some sort of shaker (there are some insulated mugs that seal this way, or someone suggested a mason jar to me with a protein ball - looks like a round whisk thing - to help with agitation). I personally use a water bottle, which leeches some of the chemicals, I'm sure, but there is no clean up, just toss it after. I don't have my hot beverage until at work either... There are also little "frothers" that are battery operated or rechargeable that you can have at work for just this reason....0 -
itsjustdawn wrote: »
Thank you. I guess I am thinking I need high fat foods, which equates to more calories in my head.
Well you are trading out fat for the carbs. 500 calories of fat is going to hold you a lot longer than 1,000 calories of carbs. And so you are eating lower calorie just by changing what you eat. I have found that I am eating a lot less calories doing LCHF.OK so I dropped my goal down to 1800. I am over today, but it's 1897. Carbs are a little higher than they should be. I made mashed cauliflower without checking the carbs.
Are you looking at Net Carbs, subtracting the fiber amount from the total carbs? 1 cup of cauliflower is 5 grams carbs, but has 2 grams from fiber, so there is only 3 grams net carbs.
Editing to add: I just looked at your diary and it shows you had 34 total carbs, but 15 was from fiber, so your net carbs was only 19.
I wasn't sure if people did net carbs while doing LCHF... In that case, YAY! And this stuff is yummy, wow!0 -
nicsflyingcircus wrote: »itsjustdawn wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »itsjustdawn wrote: »The reason I even posted this is because there are arguments in this group for and against tracking calories.
Technically, there's a difference between tracking calories and counting calories. You can track without counting, and you can count without tracking (though that's arguably harder). Not tracking or counting is not suitable for everyone all the time. Even if it's suitable for you most of the time, if you're finding yourself running into problems, then tracking -- and possibly counting -- for a short period of time may be beneficial, to aid in troubleshooting and finding what gets you back on track.
You're experiencing problems, so it's a good idea to take notes for a while. Once you get back on the right track, you can re-evaluate whether you need to continue counting or tracking and go from there.
If you notice, though, most of us have attempted to address your hunger and haven't said that you need to count calories, necessarily.
1. You're getting hungry every two hours, because you're not eating enough at each meal. Eat until you're full at each meal and aim to eat only 3 meals. Your meals should eventually fall somewhere between the 300-400 that you're eating per meal now and the 600-800 that your two-meal total is currently.
2. Reduce your condiment intake. You shouldn't need a quarter cup of dressing on a 3-cup salad. Try different dressings to see if they work better, or reconsider why you feel the need to put that much dressing on a salad in the first place.
3. Track (don't artificially alter your caloric intake) for a couple of weeks with the above changes, so that you can see how they change your calorie intake, weight, etc.
4. Remember that weight loss isn't a race. Look at trends over a month or two, so that you get a view of your body's patterns over a full hormonal cycle, and so that you give your body enough time to adjust to your new way of eating.
Thank you. I guess I am thinking I need high fat foods, which equates to more calories in my head. I was already thinking I need to change the dressing to something else - I just don't care as much for salads without it. My biggest struggle is having food at work. I am trying to pack foods that will keep me full for 10 hours. I feel like there is a lot of fat in my meals, at least based on what my diary says. I do want to try making my own dressings. I am not really a fan of cooking, but I do make my work meals ahead of time. If I could get away with only 2 meals or whatever at work, that would be freaking fantastic. I did drop to one cup of coffee, and I love my HWC, so I'd like to keep that as well.
I eat twice/day with 3-4 cups of coffee per day (usually 2 in am, 1 midday and then maybe 1 in late afternoon/early evening). My coffees run me 150-200 cals, leaving me 1150-1200 cals to split between my two meals.
Samples of meals include butter-fried or scrambled eggs with plenty of bacon, medium-boiled eggs with butter, hamburger patties either alone or with bacon and cheese, steak (7-9oz, ribeye or buttered ny strip), smoked brisket (6oz cooked), skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks, prosciutto egg cups, roasted boston butt, quality deli meats like boar's head beef franks, hard and genoa salami and kielbasa.
Today I had 4 cups of coffee with hwc, 3 eggs fried in butter, a mess of bacon and beef brisket. Delicious and oh so satiating.
I drink about 12oz of coffee (in one mug), and add 2 TBSP HWC. Otherwise I'd be consuming a lot more calories cuz I love my HWC in my coffee.0 -
I have a chipo stainless steel thermo cup 20oz from Wally world and it works perfect for coffee (keeps it hot) and water (keeps it cold). Mix my coconut oil or butter and HWC and go. You can probably bring small jar of coconut oil to work so you have it handy.0
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I have a chipo stainless steel thermo cup 20oz from Wally world and it works perfect for coffee (keeps it hot) and water (keeps it cold). Mix my coconut oil or butter and HWC and go. You can probably bring small jar of coconut oil to work so you have it handy.
Will it stay blended? I won't drink the coffee til about 3 hours after I make it...
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itsjustdawn wrote: »I have a chipo stainless steel thermo cup 20oz from Wally world and it works perfect for coffee (keeps it hot) and water (keeps it cold). Mix my coconut oil or butter and HWC and go. You can probably bring small jar of coconut oil to work so you have it handy.
Will it stay blended? I won't drink the coffee til about 3 hours after I make it...
It stays blended better with the eggs to emulsify, but you should be able to shake it back together if you get it well blended to start. That's why I suggest getting one you can safely shake (not all can take the pressure or heat. I know former trucker driver friends swear by the "bubba cup" brand. Will you be able to reheat it? If not, make sure whatever you get will hold the heat and can be shaken... There were a couple types listed on the BPC or Primal Egg Coffee thread...0
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