Eating low carb

MPD6944

I have been eating for the most part 30-50g carbs per day and have not lost anything. I've been eating meat; eggs; cheese; nuts; I've stayed around 1200 calories. So frustrated! any suggestions?

BekahC1980

How long you been doing this? What are the rest if your stats? Are you weighing everything to aaccurately know you are eating 1200 calories?

rockmama72

Hmmmmm... 1200 calories, low carb or not, should make you lose weight. What's your diary look like? How's your logging? Are you weighing your food or estimating? If it's the latter, tighten up--meats, eggs, cheese and nuts are calorie dense and a bit extra on the plate adds a lot of calories.

MPD6944

About a month. Yes I'm pretty accurate. I also work out 4 days a week. I have a hard time keeping my fat down when eating this way though.

lemurcat12

The best way to get help is to open your diary. There are tricks to logging and it can be helpful to get pointers as to any issues, and people might see something else.

Normally you should at least lose a bunch of water weight right away when you go low carb. Did that not happen? Have you been stalled all month or did you lose first and then stall?

MPD6944

rockmama72 wrote: »

Hmmmmm... 1200 calories, low carb or not, should make you lose weight. What's your diary look like? How's your logging? Are you weighing your food or estimating? If it's the latter, tighten up--meats, eggs, cheese and nuts are calorie dense and a bit extra on the plate adds a lot of calories.

Thanks all. I will tighten up on my calories.

RodaRose

When you are close to goal, the calories come off slowly.

nvmomketo

MPD6944 wrote: »

About a month. Yes I'm pretty accurate. I also work out 4 days a week. I have a hard time keeping my fat down when eating this way though.

When one is eating very low carb like you are, usually fat is kept at high levels and is the largest macro, by far. Don't short change the fat.

If you are eating 1200 calories, I imagine you will be losing soon. Perhaps log all of your food for a few days to ensure you are not accidentally overeating?

sunkissmarie

There is no point in going low carb. I suggest slightly higher calories & low fat diet & eat as many carbs as u want.

mantium999

Tighten up your tracking and logging first. If you aren't accurate with monitoring what you eat, it becomes difficult to ensure a deficit. Once you have the basics down, and you wish to add in low-carb for whatever reason, then go ahead. Unless of course you have a medical reason to reduce your carb consumption. If you eat a balanced diet of protein, fat and carbs and are under your calorie target you will lose weight. As you gain knowledge and progress it becomes easier to tinker with your macros.

Also, regarding the 1200 calorie target, I am curious.....how much are you trying to lose and what is your weekly loss target set at? Many who bring up 1200 calories are at that goal because they set such an aggressive weight loss goal and bottomed out what MFP will let you consume. Its very possible for you to be successful eating more.

ladymiseryali

Are you weighing your food on a food scale? Low carb or not, it's very easy to overeat if you're not properly measuring your food. Cups/spoons are not very reliable. Are you drinking enough water. I also do low carb and find that if my water intake is poor, I don't lose weight. Is it around your special lady time? Weight can stall or go up around that time. Also, is it humid where you're living? Humidity causes water retention, which can mask weight loss.

MPD6944

mantium999 wrote:

Also, regarding the 1200 calorie target, I am curious.....how much are you trying to lose and what is your weekly loss target set at? Many who bring up 1200 calories are at that goal because they set such an aggressive weight loss goal and bottomed out what MFP will let you consume. Its very possible for you to be successful eating more.

I am close to my goal - I have about 9-10 lbs. left to lose. I am 5'2", 46 years old and already in menopause and I know that can stall weight loss. I go to a trainer 2x a week and he is the one that suggested I try low carb and so I am trying it. I have had some bad days where I eat a lot of carbs and I know it throws me off but then I have good days again. Roller-Coaster! I have been doing great these past few days and have lost 1 lb. in the last 2 days by eating 1200 calories and I have been walking and/or working out. Also, yes it is humid here in NC. And no I guess I don't drink enough water. I usually only drink about 32 oz. a day.

Thanks for all the help. I am feeling better about it now that I have things under control (at least for the past few days).

madhatter2013

MPD6944 wrote: »

I have been doing great these past few days and have lost 1 lb. in the last 2 days by eating 1200 calories and I have been walking and/or working out.

This is awesome, however, I wouldn't expect to lose at this rate for long. With only 9-10 lbs to lose, you should be shooting for .5 lbs a week. I would up your calories. I know it sounds counter productive but it should help to regulate your loss. Eating at to high of a deficit for too long will slow down your loss and, ultimately, may cause health issues in the long run.

MPD6944

Well it feels as though when I do eat more I gain whatever weight I lost back. I may put it up another 100 calories to see how that does. Thanks!

mantium999

MPD6944 wrote: »

mantium999 wrote:

Also, regarding the 1200 calorie target, I am curious.....how much are you trying to lose and what is your weekly loss target set at? Many who bring up 1200 calories are at that goal because they set such an aggressive weight loss goal and bottomed out what MFP will let you consume. Its very possible for you to be successful eating more.

I am close to my goal - I have about 9-10 lbs. left to lose. I am 5'2", 46 years old and already in menopause and I know that can stall weight loss. I go to a trainer 2x a week and he is the one that suggested I try low carb and so I am trying it. I have had some bad days where I eat a lot of carbs and I know it throws me off but then I have good days again. Roller-Coaster! I have been doing great these past few days and have lost 1 lb. in the last 2 days by eating 1200 calories and I have been walking and/or working out. Also, yes it is humid here in NC. And no I guess I don't drink enough water. I usually only drink about 32 oz. a day.

Thanks for all the help. I am feeling better about it now that I have things under control (at least for the past few days).

A couple things. First, and this is very important, trainers are notorious for giving garbage dietary advice. It is very rare for them to have received proper education in that realm. Heck, the same can be said about most doctors. Barring a medical condition, low-carb will not help you beyond maintaining your calorie deficit. The "roller-coaster" can be resolved by consuming the foods you enjoy daily, in appropriate allotments, allowing you to not feel deprived and subsequently "cheat". Second, with less than 10 pounds to go to your target, you should consider setting your loss target at .5 lbs per week. I imagine this will increase your daily calorie target, and be easier to maintain. It will take time and patience, but will set you up better for when you are at your happy weight and switch to maintenance. Losing 1 lb in 2 days is probably normal weight fluctuation, I doubt you were in a daily deficit of 1750 for those 2 days. Honestly, it sounds to me that your tracking is not on point. Weigh your foods, track everything you eat, and adjust your weight loss target on MFP to determine the appropriate calorie goal, because 1200 is likely too low.

kshama2001

MPD6944 wrote: »

Also, regarding the 1200 calorie target, I am curious.....how much are you trying to lose and what is your weekly loss target set at? Many who bring up 1200 calories are at that goal because they set such an aggressive weight loss goal and bottomed out what MFP will let you consume. Its very possible for you to be successful eating more.

I am close to my goal - I have about 9-10 lbs. left to lose. I am 5'2", 46 years old and already in menopause and I know that can stall weight loss. I go to a trainer 2x a week and he is the one that suggested I try low carb and so I am trying it. I have had some bad days where I eat a lot of carbs and I know it throws me off but then I have good days again. Roller-Coaster! I have been doing great these past few days and have lost 1 lb. in the last 2 days by eating 1200 calories and I have been walking and/or working out. Also, yes it is humid here in NC. And no I guess I don't drink enough water. I usually only drink about 32 oz. a day.

Thanks for all the help. I am feeling better about it now that I have things under control (at least for the past few days).

I was wondering if you logged your bad days and found one - good for you for logging it! I noticed the day before you had almost 700 calories left over. I think you'd cut down on the roller coasters if you ate more calories every day.

psuLemon

Low carb can be an effective strategy for weight loss. But if you follow the regime, you need to make sure you do it correctly. You can't just cut out carbs. You need to eat high fat to allow your body to use it as an energy source. If you check out the low carb groups, you can see implementation strategies for this.

Second, if you notice that you are binging more frequently, it may be beneficial to increase carbs and go with a moderate approach to allow yourself to incorporate treats. Some find that if you can incorporate carby foods they enjoy, that they are able to maintain a deficit for frequently.

Third, definitely tighten up your logging. A food scale is a great tool, especially when you are fairly lean. The more lean you are, the less room for error.

And 4th, as others mentioned, an active lean person should not be eating 1200 calories a day, which could be a reason why you binged. Again, the more lean you are, the more calories you need to help maintain your lean body mass.