A low calorie, low sugar, high fat, high carb diet - is this actually sustainable?

MagnificentMihirung

First the preliminaries: I'm a long-term herbivore (vegan for the last eight years; vegetarian for the last sixteen - I've been vegetarian for long than I was an omnivore, at this point!) who's in the process of ejecting the sixty-pound Cupcake Joey I've been carrying around since I was a preteen. After a year or two of false starts, I'm forty days (and twenty lost pounds!!!) into aggressively comprehensive calorie-tracking. Overall I'm not yet at the point where I'm changing the sorts of things I eat, and I haven't added an exercise regimen; I'm just systematically underestimating my activity level (I work on my feet all day as a barista and political campaigner and walk to or from work rather than take the bus, but unless I do something unusually strenuous I am keeping my caloric recommendations for "sedentary" and not counting walking as exercise).

So here's the thing: While I haven't changed the sorts of things I eat, I have been futzing with the proportional intake of my normally preferred foods to make sure that I hit my nutritional goals (especially protein) while trending lowish on sugar and staying below my calorie limits. I am also avoiding any elaborate Healthy Dining Meal Plans or shakes or supplements at this point, sticking to things that I can grab at the bulk section of the neighborhood co-op and throw together in a panicked rush on my way out the door/ grab at a the farmer's market and graze on between lattes (oh gosh, typing that sentence was the most Pacific Northwestern Polarfleece Liberal thing I have ever done). The result is a nut-heavy, fruit-and-vegetable-heavy, (admittedly vegan pastry and latte-heavy, too, because hey, free food) diet that meets my nutritional minimums and stays below my calorie and sugar maximums but goes WAY beyond the suggested amount of fats and carbs (like, multiple times over).

So I guess my question is: Is this a problem? I know fat is an essential nutrient, and on a week-to-week basis I still seem to be trending fairly well downward (though I'm hitting my first plateaus already), but is a fat-heavy but calorically-within-bounds diet actually nutritionally sustainable - at least through the weight-loss (rather than weight-maintenance) phase? If not, why not, and what are things I can do to mitigate it? Is this the sort of thing I can get away with now that I'm 240+ but is a habit that will come back to bite me at 220-?

My first flush of loss happened at more or less a cost to overall nutritional health; I'm enjoying the level I'm now at, where I'm eating food I look forward to while also getting the protein, calcium, and vitamins I need. But there has been a little bit of a plateau that came with nutritionally balancing my meals, and I don't know whether it's the increased fat or just something that's inevitably going to happen after the first fifteen pounds. So any advice you guys have would be totes preeshed! Thanks in advance!

~colin~

~Also I'm pretty sure that the whole Calories v Fat thing is a regular beginner question, so feel free to just link me at other posts and articles if that's simpler!~

PeachyCarol

Calories are all that matter for weight loss. Nutrition matters for your health and body composition. You didn't mention anything specifically enough to comment on, though.

To be honest? I think something's off with your data.

I just ran some numbers on your diary and I think something is off with your logging. It's probably the nature of the entries you're using. When I multiplied out all the macros and added up the calorie content for one day? Well, unless you're eating 197 grams of fiber, it just doesn't work out. The calorie count might be right, but the counts for carbs and fat might be overstated and you might be working off a false assumption that you're over-consuming them.

healthygreek

Unless you've been at the same weight for awhile, it's not neccessary to be concerned at this point. If the weight stays the same for over a week you may need to make sure you are weighing, measuring and logging everything you eat properly.
You may be eating more than you think if you're not already doing this.
Also you are not sedentary-you are at least lightly active!
As far as fats, proteins and carbs, I just make sure I eat a healthy balance of whole foods with some treats kicked in for fun and it all works out.
I'm sure a vegetarian will help you with your protein questions etc. l love lentil soup for protein myself and it's really filling.

lauraewulf

The macro content of the pumpkin seeds you log appears to be inaccurate.

PeachyCarol

lauraewulf wrote: »

The macro content of the pumpkin seeds you log appears to be inaccurate.

Oh, yes, they would be the culprit! Well spotted. I just looked at his totals and knew that all macros being over could not add up to calories being under.

MagnificentMihirung

Wow, this is a great response already! Thanks so much for investing in such thoughtful replies.
Yeah, I always struggle with figuring out which analogues to use from the database.

SLLRunner

You are losing weight and you are hitting your macros for nutritional purposes. Does this feel sustainable to you?

That said, macro balance and type of food has nothing to do with weight loss unless it helps you stay within your calorie goals.

SLLRunner

mamapeach910 wrote: »

lauraewulf wrote: »

The macro content of the pumpkin seeds you log appears to be inaccurate.

Oh, yes, they would be the culprit! Well spotted. I just looked at his totals and knew that all macros being over could not add up to calories being under.

Hey, that is a good catch!

SLLRunner

mamapeach910 wrote: »

Calories are all that matter for weight loss. Nutrition matters for your health and body composition. You didn't mention anything specifically enough to comment on, though.

To be honest? I think something's off with your data.

I just ran some numbers on your diary and I think something is off with your logging. It's probably the nature of the entries you're using. When I multiplied out all the macros and added up the calorie content for one day? Well, unless you're eating 197 grams of fiber, it just doesn't work out. The calorie count might be right, but the counts for carbs and fat might be overstated and you might be working off a false assumption that you're over-consuming them.

That's also a great catch. I didn't even think of that, and now it's......duh.

PeachyCarol

Don't you wish all newbie threads were this easy, SLL?

SLLRunner

mamapeach910 wrote: »

Don't you wish all newbie threads were this easy, SLL?

Oh ny goodness, yes!

MagnificentMihirung

Yeah, you guys rock! Now to rejigger to get my protein intake back up...

MakePeasNotWar

MagnificentMihirung wrote: »

Wow, this is a great response already! Thanks so much for investing in such thoughtful replies.
Yeah, I always struggle with figuring out which analogues to use from the database.

If you are using the app, pick the ones with a green check if you can. They aren't guaranteed correct, but they generally have been confirmed by multiple users. On the website, look for entries that don't have an asterisk at the beginning, or if that isn't possible, try to find one with user confirmations.

There still may be errors, but a lot fewer than the rest of the database.

SLLRunner

MakePeasNotWar wrote: »

MagnificentMihirung wrote: »

Wow, this is a great response already! Thanks so much for investing in such thoughtful replies.
Yeah, I always struggle with figuring out which analogues to use from the database.

If you are using the app, pick the ones with a green check if you can. They aren't guaranteed correct, but they generally have been confirmed by multiple users. On the website, look for entries that don't have an asterisk at the beginning, or if that isn't possible, try to find one with user confirmations.

There still may be errors, but a lot fewer than the rest of the database.

I use the app on both my Iphone and tablet, and I've never seen any check in the food diary....