Carbs and Fat
Replies
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ksteyskal_1 wrote: »Do you have medical condition that requires you to eat low carb and low fat? If not and you think this is necessary for weight loss, its not. Eating less calories than your body uses is needed to lose weight. Doesnt matter if the calories come from carbs, fat or protein.
I need to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. Also, my cholesterol is a little high. My doctor told me to avoid starches, fat, and salt.
Based on this you might want to check out the DASH diet, although I still vote for dietician as the easiest starting place. Or just focus on losing weight by reducing calories and gradually transitioning to a healthier diet: look here for good information -- http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/.
Your issues are ones that usually are helped by reducing weight and perhaps sodium (increasing exercise helps with sodium, though, as does increasing water and potassium, which is in vegetables, among other things).0 -
ksteyskal_1 wrote: »PikaKnight wrote: »ksteyskal_1 wrote: »Do you have medical condition that requires you to eat low carb and low fat? If not and you think this is necessary for weight loss, its not. Eating less calories than your body uses is needed to lose weight. Doesnt matter if the calories come from carbs, fat or protein.
I need to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. Also, my cholesterol is a little high. My doctor told me to avoid starches, fat, and salt.
As savage said, most doctors are not really trained in nutrition. I would consider looking for a registered dietitian (not a nutritionist) to work with.
The main thing is that you eat at a healthy deficit for weight loss (Healthy in regards to how large the deficit is, not the foods).
I think I will just use the proportions that MFP recommends and see how my blood pressure and cholesterol improve.
Ah, just saw this. Sensible approach. ;-)0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »ksteyskal_1 wrote: »PikaKnight wrote: »ksteyskal_1 wrote: »Do you have medical condition that requires you to eat low carb and low fat? If not and you think this is necessary for weight loss, its not. Eating less calories than your body uses is needed to lose weight. Doesnt matter if the calories come from carbs, fat or protein.
I need to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. Also, my cholesterol is a little high. My doctor told me to avoid starches, fat, and salt.
As savage said, most doctors are not really trained in nutrition. I would consider looking for a registered dietitian (not a nutritionist) to work with.
The main thing is that you eat at a healthy deficit for weight loss (Healthy in regards to how large the deficit is, not the foods).
I think I will just use the proportions that MFP recommends and see how my blood pressure and cholesterol improve.
Ah, just saw this. Sensible approach. ;-)
Thank you!0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »ksteyskal_1 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »ksteyskal_1 wrote: »How on earth can I eat both low carb AND low fat, when proteins have a fair amount of fat? What's left to eat?
Not all proteins have a fair amount of fat, but if you eat low fat and low carb all you have left is protein, and eating super high protein isn't recommended. Why are you trying to eat low carb and low fat? Knowing your reasoning and objectives might help.
(I don't eat low carb or low fat -- I do a balanced approach of 40-50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20-30% protein, depending on my overall calories. But as long as I get my minimum protein and a generally healthy diet I don't actually sweat carbs vs. fat on a particular day.)
My doctor told me to avoid starches and sugars and fat! But I can't do that because then I can't even have the recommended servings of whole grains and fruits. I just can't live on non-starchy veggies and lean meats.
I would ask for a referral to a dietician, then. You are likely to get much more helpful diet advice. Also, many times doctors assume their patients won't be compliant and so overstate things -- avoid may mean reduce. For that reason too I'd ask follow ups (like what should I aim for? what should I eat? why? health issue or just your personal ideas about weight loss?) or go with the referral, as I suggested.
Non starchy veg and lean meats are a great thing to base your diet around, but I agree you can't just eat that. That's my go-to when reducing and I end up with 900 calories and boring meals -- MFP caused me to realize I could be a lot more varied this time.
@ksteyskal_1 I see your plan is to stick to MFP's macros, but if you run into issues, do ask your doctor for a referral to a dietician.0 -
If this is your only "problem"ksteyskal_1 wrote: »Do you have medical condition that requires you to eat low carb and low fat? If not and you think this is necessary for weight loss, its not. Eating less calories than your body uses is needed to lose weight. Doesnt matter if the calories come from carbs, fat or protein.
I need to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. Also, my cholesterol is a little high. My doctor told me to avoid starches, fat, and salt.
Then I agree with this:Your doc is an idiot. Seek a second opinion.
Set up a reasonable calorie deficit on MFP...stick to it.
Eat a variety of wholesome, nutritious foods that you enjoy. Have a treat occasionally. Get a little exercise. Get adequate rest.
PROFIT!
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If I was in your position, I would try to reduce sodium by cooking more of my own meals. At the least, I would shoot for being right around the 2300 mg MFP recommends. If you're up for it, see if you can get down to 1500 mg. A friend of mine has always had high-ish blood pressure, but she's been able to keep it under control as long as she keeps her sodium down.
If looking to reduce calories, lower amounts of sweets (which can have a lot of added sugar) as well as reduced fat dairy can be good places to start. But the dairy stuff may have more sugar - you'll have to compare tastes and see what suits you better.
Bulk up your meals with non-starchy veggies, but go ahead and have a baked potato if that's what you want!
Make one small change & stick with it for at least a week. Then, incorporate another. Consider making a list of changes you want to make and check them off as you get to them.
You've got this
~Lyssa0 -
I think "avoid" is probably the wrong term...most people who eat anything resembling the SAD (standard american diet) could stand to moderate and balance out their diets and make better choices in RE to what makes up their fats, carbs, and proteins.
a good place to start would be just trying to hit the targets for your macros on MFP. you don't have to "avoid" fat, but you can make better choices here...more good, heart healthy fats from things like nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc and less saturated animal fats. same for carbohydrates...less highly processed carbohydrates and "junk" food and more whole grains and legumes and lentils, potatoes (skin on), sweet potatoes, etc. there are also plenty of lean protein sources out there...we eat a lot of fish and chicken as well as lean cuts of pork like pork tenderloin and lean cuts of beef. eat plenty of veg and a couple servings of fruit daily.
i had many of the same issues you have and have fixed most of them by simply eating a more balanced and nutritious diet. my diet largely consists of whole, nutrient dense foods and meals made at home with scratch, whole food ingredients.
as salt goes, you will want to limit your consumption of highly processed foods and/or look for low sodium options. you will also want to moderate your take out and eating out at restaurants. processed foods and restaurant food is where you really get the sodium bomb...i still salt my own food, but not to the degree that i used to. it's interesting when you go lower sodium in that your taste buds change a lot...many of my favorite restaurants are now somewhat disappointing in that all i can taste is the salt and i'm much more keen these days on actually tasting the food.0 -
macgurlnet wrote: »If I was in your position, I would try to reduce sodium by cooking more of my own meals. At the least, I would shoot for being right around the 2300 mg MFP recommends. If you're up for it, see if you can get down to 1500 mg. A friend of mine has always had high-ish blood pressure, but she's been able to keep it under control as long as she keeps her sodium down.
If looking to reduce calories, lower amounts of sweets (which can have a lot of added sugar) as well as reduced fat dairy can be good places to start. But the dairy stuff may have more sugar - you'll have to compare tastes and see what suits you better.
Bulk up your meals with non-starchy veggies, but go ahead and have a baked potato if that's what you want!
Make one small change & stick with it for at least a week. Then, incorporate another. Consider making a list of changes you want to make and check them off as you get to them.
You've got this
~Lyssa
Thank you so much for your tips. I have started doing all those things! I always cook my own meals. My sodium level is 1500 or a little less. I use 1% milk. I limit sugars. And I allow myself a small baked potato at dinner, when it fits into my carb limit.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I think "avoid" is probably the wrong term...most people who eat anything resembling the SAD (standard american diet) could stand to moderate and balance out their diets and make better choices in RE to what makes up their fats, carbs, and proteins.
a good place to start would be just trying to hit the targets for your macros on MFP. you don't have to "avoid" fat, but you can make better choices here...more good, heart healthy fats from things like nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc and less saturated animal fats. same for carbohydrates...less highly processed carbohydrates and "junk" food and more whole grains and legumes and lentils, potatoes (skin on), sweet potatoes, etc. there are also plenty of lean protein sources out there...we eat a lot of fish and chicken as well as lean cuts of pork like pork tenderloin and lean cuts of beef. eat plenty of veg and a couple servings of fruit daily.
i had many of the same issues you have and have fixed most of them by simply eating a more balanced and nutritious diet. my diet largely consists of whole, nutrient dense foods and meals made at home with scratch, whole food ingredients.
as salt goes, you will want to limit your consumption of highly processed foods and/or look for low sodium options. you will also want to moderate your take out and eating out at restaurants. processed foods and restaurant food is where you really get the sodium bomb...i still salt my own food, but not to the degree that i used to. it's interesting when you go lower sodium in that your taste buds change a lot...many of my favorite restaurants are now somewhat disappointing in that all i can taste is the salt and i'm much more keen these days on actually tasting the food.
Eating at the 1500 calorie level of MFP is working well for me now. I'm glad that I don't eat out often. I will probably notice the salt like you do, as I keep my level at 1500. So I am happy with my new routine, which has brought about a 3.4 lb weight loss in the past week.0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »If this is your only "problem"ksteyskal_1 wrote: »Do you have medical condition that requires you to eat low carb and low fat? If not and you think this is necessary for weight loss, its not. Eating less calories than your body uses is needed to lose weight. Doesnt matter if the calories come from carbs, fat or protein.
I need to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. Also, my cholesterol is a little high. My doctor told me to avoid starches, fat, and salt.
Then I agree with this:Your doc is an idiot. Seek a second opinion.
Set up a reasonable calorie deficit on MFP...stick to it.
Eat a variety of wholesome, nutritious foods that you enjoy. Have a treat occasionally. Get a little exercise. Get adequate rest.
PROFIT!
I am following a 1500 calorie MFP diet now and am doing well. Thanks for your encouragement!0
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