Carbs

PinkPixiexox

Hi everyone

My personal trainer has put me on a 1600 calorie diet. That 1600 diet has to be made up of 99g Fat, 132g Protein and 50g Carbs.

The carbs are so incredibly low (I know the benefits and reasons - i want fat loss) but I was wondering what happens if I stick to the 1600 but go over the 50g carbs on some days?! I'm struggling to find things to have for lunch at work that don't have 20+g carbs in alone!

janejellyroll

Some people have success with low carbohydrate diets, but they work through creating a calorie deficit. You can also do this without restricting carbohydrates and still lose weight.

If 1,600 puts you in a deficit and you go over the carb limit, you will still lose weight. If you like the low carb plan and it seems like something you can sustain, there's no reason to change. But if you're struggling to find foods that you like that meet the plan, it may not be for you.

jaqcan

The world will open up and swallow you whole!
Of course I'm kidding. Use the personal trainer for exercise. Eat what you want so you'll stick to your 1600 calories. Nothing will work if you can't stick to it.

vismal

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

Hi everyone

My personal trainer has put me on a 1600 calorie diet. That 1600 diet has to be made up of 99g Fat, 132g Protein and 50g Carbs.

The carbs are so incredibly low (I know the benefits and reasons - i want fat loss) but I was wondering what happens if I stick to the 1600 but go over the 50g carbs on some days?! I'm struggling to find things to have for lunch at work that don't have 20+g carbs in alone!

What are the benefits and reasons as they relate to fat loss? Low carb does not quicken fat loss. It can help some people stay compliant, but it in no way causes faster fat loss. If you trainer insists it does, ask her for scientific evidence.

PinkPixiexox

He says I need a low carb, high protein diet to burn off fat and build my muscle. Sticking to 1600 is VERY achievable for me, I also eat balanced foods - lots of fruit and veg, fish, chicken etc. But the very low carb just seems a bit 'much' at this point.

DeguelloTex

Low carb doesn't do either of those things.

PinkPixiexox

Why do you think he suggested the low carb route for me in that case? I'm confused!

janejellyroll

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

He says I need a low carb, high protein diet to burn off fat and build my muscle. Sticking to 1600 is VERY achievable for me, I also eat balanced foods - lots of fruit and veg, fish, chicken etc. But the very low carb just seems a bit 'much' at this point.

Trainers vary widely in their understanding of nutrition. You don't NEED low carbs to do either of those things. Some people find that lowering carbohydrate consumption helps them be less hungry (making it easier to stay in a deficit). There are many people here who have had success with losing weight or building muscle without going low carbohydrate -- it's just one tool among many and if it isn't for you, that's okay.

The deficit is going to be the important thing for weight loss. If you want to build muscle, you will also want to focus on protein.

jaqcan

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

He says I need a low carb, high protein diet to burn off fat and build my muscle. Sticking to 1600 is VERY achievable for me, I also eat balanced foods - lots of fruit and veg, fish, chicken etc. But the very low carb just seems a bit 'much' at this point.

So it's too much, don't utilize that part of the advice. Trainers give advice, not godly revelations.
Making sure you're getting enough protein will help keep the muscles you have, but eating at a deficit won't build muscle either (something I learned on MFP) If you're burning the building blocks, you can't build something. You can lose fat around the muscle so they look more defined, but you won't be building muscle.

PinkPixiexox

I'm relieved, thank you! That strict amount of carbs doesn't seem at all sustainable for me. I've just come off a restrictive diet and I'm educating myself to eat healthy again (I ate 1200 calories a day to lose weight and I was becoming exhausted so upped to the 'right' amount to lose safely). It just seems there is constant restrictions! I'm more than happy to eat a deficit and include more protein but all this restricting at this point (a healthy weight just wanting to get rid of some wobble) seems OTT! Thank you so much for your advice. Just been hearing horror stories about 'going over carb allowance causes bloated and wobbly stomach"!

janejellyroll

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

I'm relieved, thank you! That strict amount of carbs doesn't seem at all sustainable for me. I've just come off a restrictive diet and I'm educating myself to eat healthy again (I ate 1200 calories a day to lose weight and I was becoming exhausted so upped to the 'right' amount to lose safely). It just seems there is constant restrictions! I'm more than happy to eat a deficit and include more protein but all this restricting at this point (a healthy weight just wanting to get rid of some wobble) seems OTT! Thank you so much for your advice. Just been hearing horror stories about 'going over carb allowance causes bloated and wobbly stomach"!

My personal experience: I have lost 35 pounds and am now maintaining with about 60% of my calories coming from carbohydrates and I am perfectly happy with my stomach.

adawson55510

A lot of personal trainer's will do this for a quick fix for fat loss so you get results quick and he looks like he know his stuff the problem with this diet its not a sustainable lifestyle change. Don't get me wrong it works very well and will help with insulin sensitivity but know one could keep this up for yrs. As people have said its calories in versus kcals out so if you wanted to swap some fats for carbs some days i would as long as you stay in your kcal deficit you will still lose weight. I don't know your stats but 1600 for any woman would be on the low end of the scale for me imo this would be someone trying to get very lean.

psuLemon

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

I'm relieved, thank you! That strict amount of carbs doesn't seem at all sustainable for me. I've just come off a restrictive diet and I'm educating myself to eat healthy again (I ate 1200 calories a day to lose weight and I was becoming exhausted so upped to the 'right' amount to lose safely). It just seems there is constant restrictions! I'm more than happy to eat a deficit and include more protein but all this restricting at this point (a healthy weight just wanting to get rid of some wobble) seems OTT! Thank you so much for your advice. Just been hearing horror stories about 'going over carb allowance causes bloated and wobbly stomach"!

You will hear this about any diet someone brings up. A lot of which is in someones own head.


Some of the most lean individuals on this forum have rather large carb numbers. Overall, like others have said, the calorie deficit will determine weight loss, protein and progressive lifting will aid in muscle retention, fat help regulate hormones and improves satiety, and carbs provide energy.

PinkPixiexox

I'm trying to get lean. I have lost 25lbs but still have quite a bit of fat left to lose. He put it like this "By following this plan, you will get your results" - but I think I will work that around what feels right for me. I will certainly be mindful of carbs but I think the 50g stop on daily carbs is crazy for me. I really appreciate your intelligent advice. I'm very new to doing things 'properly' as such so I'm really glad this has been cleared up.

psuLemon

Side note, some people don't do well on low carb diets. I am one of those. I cannot go below 200g or my workouts go down the crapper. In fact, you may actually see an increase in performance with an increase in carbs.

And while I am not advocating a diet with nothing but carbs, your concentration is better spent on 1. calories (using a food scale to be accurate), 2. protein (.8-1g of protein per lb of lean body mass) and 3. getting a variety of foods to ensure you are maximizing nutrient intake.

vismal

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

I'm trying to get lean. I have lost 25lbs but still have quite a bit of fat left to lose. He put it like this "By following this plan, you will get your results" - but I think I will work that around what feels right for me. I will certainly be mindful of carbs but I think the 50g stop on daily carbs is crazy for me. I really appreciate your intelligent advice. I'm very new to doing things 'properly' as such so I'm really glad this has been cleared up.

If your trainer says you "need" to go low carb to lose fat and build muscle, fire them. Also, if their goal is for you to simultaneously lose fat while building muscle, again, fire them. Many trainers like low carb because of the big initial weight loss to due water weight leaving the body because glycogen storage depletes. Makes it look like they caused you to lose 5 lbs of fat in just 1 week. Unfortunately all you did was lose 5 lbs of water. Low carb is fine if that's your thing, but it very much sounds like it's not. I would seriously consider getting a different trainer.

PinkPixiexox

Psulemon, Spot on. Thank you so much.

VintageFeline

He's a personal trainer, not a dietician. Eat carbs, if they're within your calorie goal there's no need to restrict. Do what is sustainable for you.

You say you're a healthy weight? In that case are you trying to lose weight or reduce your body fat percentage? If it's the latter you may want to look into recomp instead. Some kind person can link to the thread discussing it, I can't as I'm on mobile!

PinkPixiexox

Vismal - Brilliant advice. Thank you

PinkPixiexox

VintageFeline - A healthy weight but with excess fat. Could do with losing roughly 7lbs for me to comfortable with the weight I am.

louise5779

I'm not on a low carb diet but tend to natural eat less of them as their calories spend seems to be higher. I tend to switched them out and eat high protein low calories as I find them more fulling. Also with the level of exercise I do I seek out protein to help my muscles repair and rebuild.

PinkPixiexox

Stats are 5 ft 2, 132 lbs and work-out 4 times a week (mix of strength and cardio). According to him 1600 is the correct calorie amount but broken into the protein, fat and carbs.

RodaRose

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

I'm trying to get lean. I have lost 25lbs but still have quite a bit of fat left to lose. He put it like this "By following this plan, you will get your results" - but I think I will work that around what feels right for me. I will certainly be mindful of carbs but I think the 50g stop on daily carbs is crazy for me. I really appreciate your intelligent advice. I'm very new to doing things 'properly' as such so I'm really glad this has been cleared up.

Yes. Do what feels right for you. Good luck.

IsaackGMOON

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

Why do you think he suggested the low carb route for me in that case? I'm confused!

OP... does your trainer have any sort of "testimonials" sort of thing where he says "this person lost X amount of pounds in X time!!!!"?

Bacchants

I'd give a fair bit of side eye to a PT suggesting you go on a low carb diet and that you 'need' it for fat loss. Are you at a gym with multiple trainers? I'd suggest giving a few PTs a trial and seeing which one suits you best as this trainer seems a bit meh.

Chasity6

I don't think I could do 50 carbs or less a day. I am trying to keep my carbs on lower end to help with glucose levels but I can only stay below 90gms a day fitting in lots of fruits and veggies. I would be evil on that many carbs for a long term.

nordlead2005

That is enough protien for a 145lb serious athelete (think pro football who lifts, or a world strong man competitor), or a 180lb muscle building person, or a 363lb average person.

The recommended guidelines range from 0.8g/kg to 2g/kg. 1g/lb is 2.2g/kg. Most people replace kg with lb and ignorantly increase protein intake by 2.2x because they don't reduce the number when they change the scale.

You could probably go with 1.6g/kg (more than I get now, despite dropping 20lb and gaining strength) and use some of those calories for carbs. That would come out to something like 96g protein, 62g fat, and 164g carbs.

62g fat because the upper recommended fat intake is 35% according to the USDA. 164g of carbs would be considered low carb, as it is only 40% of your caloric intake. It just isn't paleo low.

You could tweak that a bit if it makes you happier

daniwilford

Stay within your calorie limit to lose weight. Higher protein levels help some people feel fuller longer but to preserve or even build muscle (depending on your height and body type) around a 100 grams is probably more than enough. Make up the rest in carbs or fats in a combination that helps you get all your nutrition and feel full. Even diabetics can eat 50 grams of carbs in a single meal or snack and be alright.

pili90

Unless you have insulin related problems, carbs aren't the enemy. I have insulin resistance and my nutritionist told me I have to control my carbs, but I eat 175gr a day, a lot more than you, and I'm still losing weigh because it about calories, not carbs.

However, if you really want to eat the 50 gr, my suggestion is to concentrate most in you lunch, so that you can prepare easier things....

ladymiseryali

DeguelloTex wrote: »

Low carb doesn't do either of those things.

It can IF you do a bulk and cut cycle.

faberallison

You don't need to limit carbs to lose fat. I eat under 20 grams of carbs a day, but it is by no means necessary. Work out with your trainer, but eat what you like in a deficit.