Low fat & low carb possible for weight loss success?
Replies
-
Some people are trying to do activities that carbs are useful for (as should everyone losing fat). I know all about keto and low carb, that does nothing to argue the fact that 1g of carbs per lb is a decent starting point for most people. Oh, and you can eat steak, salad and carbs by the way
Carbs are optional. You pulled that ratio out of your [kitten]1 -
I've been trying the Atkins low-carb high-fat and it's just not working for me something about eating all this fat just does not seem right looking for suggestions on whether I can do low-carb and low-fat and if so what is the highest I should go in carbs. Also how much fat.
I wouldn't like that either. If both your fat and carbs are lowered, your protein intake will come up quite high.
You may not like that, either (I wouldn't).
I prefer high protein and fat, and low carb, but my carb intake is not extremely low...150g or less if I'm exercising moderately and wanting to lose fat. My fat intake is 45-50% of my calories when dieting for fat loss.
0 -
Some people are trying to do activities that carbs are useful for (as should everyone losing fat). I know all about keto and low carb, that does nothing to argue the fact that 1g of carbs per lb is a decent starting point for most people. Oh, and you can eat steak, salad and carbs by the way
Carbs are optional. You pulled that ratio out of your [kitten]
That depends on how you define optional.
They aren't an esssential nutrient but for many people, due to satiety, personal preference, and especially athletic performance they are absolutely not optional.0 -
You need to pick one or the other. Doing low carb AND low fat would leave you very hungry and unsatisfied IMO.
But before switching up macros/diets make sure your food logging is on point, you wont lose weight on any diet combination if you're not logging your food, all of it, honestly and accurately. AKA eating too much, or more than you think..0 -
I did low carb low fat by accident. Couldn't process fat after gallbladder surgery, probably wasn't getting more than 10gm/day. Didn't care for sugary or starchy food either. Wasn't tracking calories or macros as I wasn't trying to lose weight.
After 2 months of fat free Greek yogurt, whey protein isolate, egg whites, lean poached meats, raw leafy veggies (and a good bit of dry red wine & gin) - dropped from around 145 to 120.
Weight stayed off until I started eating like a normal person again. So yeah not sustainable.0 -
rosecropper wrote: »I did low carb low fat by accident. Couldn't process fat after gallbladder surgery, probably wasn't getting more than 10gm/day. Didn't care for sugary or starchy food either. Wasn't tracking calories or macros as I wasn't trying to lose weight.
After 2 months of fat free Greek yogurt, whey protein isolate, egg whites, lean poached meats, raw leafy veggies (and a good bit of dry red wine & gin) - dropped from around 145 to 120.
Weight stayed off until I started eating like a normal person again. So yeah not sustainable.
Does this mean you went back to eating the same as you were when you gained weight? Or you somehow gained weight eating at your maintenance calories?
1 -
Wasn't tracking because wasn't purposefully dieting. But being able to add fats, sugars, starches back into regular meals- that certainly increased my daily caloric intake.
A couple yogurt whey smoothies during the day, then some poached chicken breast & a bowl of plain lettuce for dinner can't add up to many calories. Even with a couple glasses of wine, probably wasn't north of 1000 calories most days.0 -
Ideal Protein is low fat and low carb. It's extremely restrictive but very effective. The amount of protein you eat is supposed to preserve lean body mass, so it seems pretty high. This also means you can't work out. There's official Ideal Protein with a clinic, coach, and access to specialty vitamins and food but it is pricey. There's also alternatives in which you follow IP's eating protocol but buy cheaper, publicly-available products. Facebook has groups for both the official program and alternatives. Even if you choose not to do it, you can still learn a lot by joining. I lost 30 lbs in 12 weeks and have been maintaining for almost a month.
Low carb, low fat is not for everyone. It requires a great deal of self-control and knowledge to do it safely. I have a friend that's a registered dietitian. For weight loss, she suggests setting your calories at your goal weight x 10 +200 for exercise unless you are more than 50 lbs overweight than it's current weight - 30lbs x 10. Strength training 2 - 4x a week makes a huge difference and I highly recommend it for EVERYONE (losing, maintaining, or gaining muscle). Your body burns more calories with more lean muscle mass and wants to store carbs as glycogen (rather than fat). Cardio is obviously good too. Don't feel like you have to be super knowledgeable and athletic to do cardio or weight training. There are ways to start of slow and steady and build up.
I, personally, eat 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight, eat no more than 150 net carbs (carbs - fiber), and eat around .3 to .5 grams of fat per lb. For me, that's a 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein macronutrient split. I've messed with my macros so much and it's what works for me. My diet consists of 3-4 servings of 3-5 oz of lean protein, 4 cups of veggies, 2-3 carb sources (whole grain), 2 fruits, 2 dairy sources (low or high fat), and 1-2 fat sources. I have some eating guidelines I use that help me stay on track and keep my weight in check. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wewYU3X3O6MYHawQplrMOPRhaSBBkcM9ko32yhA8BQU/edit?usp=sharing Sometimes, I take a "day off" and eat zero carb the next day. Sometimes, I'll sub a snack (of comparable calories) for one of my healthy food servings. I feel happy with what I'm doing and know I can keep it up for life.
So, maybe Ideal Protein or its alternative could be an option for you. Maybe not. Personally, I think cutting back and creating lifelong, healthy eating and activity habits is the best way to go.0 -
How can 40% carbs claim to be "low carb"??0
-
I've been eating 40% carbs, 30% protein and fat, which I guess is like the Zone diet. I usually come closer to 40% protein though. It's working! I've lost 9lbs in the past week. MFP doesn't set protein high enough, in my opinion.0
-
Christine_72 wrote: »How can 40% carbs claim to be "low carb"??
Exactly. 150g is NOT low carb, by low carb standards. Heck, my 75 is considered high in their world. But I guess when you consider most people probably eat well over 200 a day, 150 is lower. 75 works for me, gives me plenty of flexibility and doesn't leave me feeling cheated. I make my carbs count (veggies and fruit) and it's working.
0 -
when you are obese you need a lot of fuel.RebeccaParmenter wrote: »a good place to start is 1 carb per pound of body weight.
Maybe if I weighed 100lbs!!! But when you are obese, that's a LOT of carbs!! 1 carb per pound of IDEAL body weight might be more appropriate.
I fuel my body with protein and fats. Carbs I keep to 75g. I'm obese. Well, for now. Don't plan on being this way forever. I would never be satisfied if I ate my weight in carbs. Give me a steak and salad thank you very much!
Some people are trying to do activities that carbs are useful for (as should everyone losing fat). I know all about keto and low carb, that does nothing to argue the fact that 1g of carbs per lb is a decent starting point for most people. Oh, and you can eat steak, salad and carbs by the way
Like I said, I'm obese. I'm not out trying to run a marathon. I don't need the energy from a bunch of carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, and for me, the easiest most sustainable way to do that is to reduce my carbs. By eating higher protein, I'm staying satisfied longer, less likely to snack....and if I do, it's almost always nuts or jerky. I cut out the crap carbs that don't offer nutritional value and keep the healthy ones...veggies and some fruit. And wine. Got to keep the wine.
0 -
150 grams is my max on maintenance while working out 3 -5x a week (including weight-lifting). I never claimed 40% was low carb; however, given the typical American diet and the customary 65% it is fairly low. If you're working towards weight loss 50 - 100 grams of carbs works well. Anything below 50 grams then you're talking about ketosis which can work well for weight loss too but is difficult to maintain.0
-
Some people are trying to do activities that carbs are useful for (as should everyone losing fat). I know all about keto and low carb, that does nothing to argue the fact that 1g of carbs per lb is a decent starting point for most people. Oh, and you can eat steak, salad and carbs by the way
Carbs are optional. You pulled that ratio out of your [kitten]
First of all I never mentioned a ratio. Second I was just saying a way to estimate how many carbs to eat for someone who has no idea. Carbs are optional, unless you want to be a successful athlete. Some keto people are so black and white, and I have eaten keto myself for long stretches of time. Get over it, different diets work for different people.0 -
when you are obese you need a lot of fuel.RebeccaParmenter wrote: »a good place to start is 1 carb per pound of body weight.
Maybe if I weighed 100lbs!!! But when you are obese, that's a LOT of carbs!! 1 carb per pound of IDEAL body weight might be more appropriate.
I fuel my body with protein and fats. Carbs I keep to 75g. I'm obese. Well, for now. Don't plan on being this way forever. I would never be satisfied if I ate my weight in carbs. Give me a steak and salad thank you very much!
Some people are trying to do activities that carbs are useful for (as should everyone losing fat). I know all about keto and low carb, that does nothing to argue the fact that 1g of carbs per lb is a decent starting point for most people. Oh, and you can eat steak, salad and carbs by the way
Like I said, I'm obese. I'm not out trying to run a marathon. I don't need the energy from a bunch of carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, and for me, the easiest most sustainable way to do that is to reduce my carbs. By eating higher protein, I'm staying satisfied longer, less likely to snack....and if I do, it's almost always nuts or jerky. I cut out the crap carbs that don't offer nutritional value and keep the healthy ones...veggies and some fruit. And wine. Got to keep the wine.
OK, but this thread is not about you, and I am not trying to convince you personally to eat carbs. We were just talking about an amount that is sane for the average person.0 -
macros < calories, it is that simple.0
-
Christine_72 wrote: »How can 40% carbs claim to be "low carb"??
Exactly. 150g is NOT low carb, by low carb standards. Heck, my 75 is considered high in their world. But I guess when you consider most people probably eat well over 200 a day, 150 is lower. 75 works for me, gives me plenty of flexibility and doesn't leave me feeling cheated. I make my carbs count (veggies and fruit) and it's working.
in the low carb world, 150g and under is considered low carb. 75g might be high in terms of keto, but low carb and keto are not the same thing0 -
Your calorie intake is comprised of Carbs, Fat and Protein. If you lower one, one (or both) of the others will have to increase (if calorie intake is the same). So a Low-Fat/Low-Carb diet is a High Protein diet.0
-
when you are obese you need a lot of fuel.RebeccaParmenter wrote: »a good place to start is 1 carb per pound of body weight.
Maybe if I weighed 100lbs!!! But when you are obese, that's a LOT of carbs!! 1 carb per pound of IDEAL body weight might be more appropriate.
I fuel my body with protein and fats. Carbs I keep to 75g. I'm obese. Well, for now. Don't plan on being this way forever. I would never be satisfied if I ate my weight in carbs. Give me a steak and salad thank you very much!
Some people are trying to do activities that carbs are useful for (as should everyone losing fat). I know all about keto and low carb, that does nothing to argue the fact that 1g of carbs per lb is a decent starting point for most people. Oh, and you can eat steak, salad and carbs by the way
Like I said, I'm obese. I'm not out trying to run a marathon. I don't need the energy from a bunch of carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, and for me, the easiest most sustainable way to do that is to reduce my carbs. By eating higher protein, I'm staying satisfied longer, less likely to snack....and if I do, it's almost always nuts or jerky. I cut out the crap carbs that don't offer nutritional value and keep the healthy ones...veggies and some fruit. And wine. Got to keep the wine.
OK, but this thread is not about you, and I am not trying to convince you personally to eat carbs. We were just talking about an amount that is sane for the average person.
Then quit quoting my posts!0 -
Hit your minimum protein (.8g-1g/lb of LBM) Hit minimum fat (25g/1k calories) then play with the rest to see how you feel. I personally get major sugar cravings if my carbs get up over about 40% so I try to stick to about 30% to give some wiggle room. The rest seems irrelevant, high fat, high protein doesn't seem to have much of an effect on satiety for me..1
-
Protein fat carbs... And alcohol. The fourth macro1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions