Help! Knowledge needed! Carbs, calories and losing weight

laura17192015

Hi,
I'm trying to figure out how to lose weight in the healthiest way possible. It's really confusing! Veggies are carbs but my macros say I am going over on carbs. I don't eat bread or pasta, I rarely eat potatoes or heavy carbs. I do enjoy long grain brown rice and oatmeal. Should I be restricting my veggies to meet my 50% carbs macro? Also, I'm eating 1200 calories a day which is low for my height and weight. I heard that the minimum to stay healthy is 1200 calories NET? True? My net calories is more like 800-900. I'm so confused. I want to eat and be healthy so that I have all the energy I need as a single mom to young boys, f/t student and p/t worker.

Thanks!

janejellyroll

Provided you don't have a medical issue that requires you to limit carbohydrates, you will be fine going over on carbs as long as you're still meeting your needs for protein and fat. I went over the default for carbohydrates just about every day when I was losing weight and it was never an issue.

Yes, you will want to be netting 1,200. Going below this regularly will impact your energy and possibly your health.

angeleyes4643

Not all veggies are carb free. As long as you aren't carb loading I'm sure you are doing fine. Please try hard to net 1200 so you don't make yourself sick. Don't restrict veggies just try to choose veggies that are green and leafy. Most (or all) fruits have carbs so go easy on fruits.

kommodevaran

I don't really understand from your description how you eat to end up with mostly carbs. Are you a vegetarian? Do you avoid fat? What are heavy carbs? Why do you avoid bread and pasta? What's your height and weight/what have you set your weight loss rate to/what calorie goal did MFP give you?

LPflaum

Opening your diary might help us. I have a really hard time believing you're blowing your MFP set carb limit eating oatmeal, brown rice, and vegetables. Are you focusing only on percentage, or are you paying attention to grams? Grams are far more important than the percentage.

laura17192015

I opened up my diary. I think it might be the fruit that's doing it. Yes, I have been watching the percentage as opposed to the grams. I don't like eating bread and pasta because of how it makes me feel, heavy, tired and uncomfortable. I'm 5'5 214lbs and I set my calories myself.

janejellyroll

laura17192015 wrote: »

I opened up my diary. I think it might be the fruit that's doing it. Yes, I have been watching the percentage as opposed to the grams. I don't like eating bread and pasta because of how it makes me feel, heavy, tired and uncomfortable. I'm 5'5 214lbs and I set my calories myself.

It does look like a lot of your carbohydrates are coming from fruit (you eat a lot of bananas, which have a lot) as well as using some higher carbohydrate condiments (like BBQ sauce). If you want to eat fewer carbohydrates, you may want to consider having one serving of fruit per day.

TxTiffani

At 214 lbs I think you should be able to eat quite a bit more calories and still lose at a good pace. I net 1200 cals and I'm 5' 135 lbs looking to lose ~20lbs

SophieSmall95

Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out (eating at a calorie deficit causes weight loss). Eating 800-900 calories means you probably aren't in taking enough nutrition wise and this could lead to problems down the line. You should up it to at least 1000-1200 if not more depending on your activity level and TDEE. There really is no need to go any lower than that.

Health and nutrition on the other hand is about eating a good balance of macro and micro nutrients. As someone above said if you don't have any medical issues that deem carbs not a good idea for you I wouldn't stress about going over on your carbs.

Both are important for your overall health and well being. good luck.

TeaBea

laura17192015 wrote: »

Hi,
I'm trying to figure out how to lose weight in the healthiest way possible. It's really confusing! Veggies are carbs but my macros say I am going over on carbs. I don't eat bread or pasta, I rarely eat potatoes or heavy carbs. I do enjoy long grain brown rice and oatmeal. Should I be restricting my veggies to meet my 50% carbs macro? Also, I'm eating 1200 calories a day which is low for my height and weight. I heard that the minimum to stay healthy is 1200 calories NET? True? My net calories is more like 800-900. I'm so confused. I want to eat and be healthy so that I have all the energy I need as a single mom to young boys, f/t student and p/t worker.

Thanks!

1200 is MFP's lowest default minimum (before exercise) based on "I want to lose XX pounds per week." If 1200 is too low for you to manage....add in exercise & eat 50% of those calories back.....or lower your weekly weight loss goal. The most important thing is to stay consistent.

@SophieSmall95 is correct. It's all about calories. There are people who eat high carb and lose weight, and people who eat low carb and lose weight. It's really about what helps you stay on track the best.

Meeting protein goals, strength training and a moderate deficit will help you retain a larger % of existing lean muscle mass. This will lower your overall body fat %. In the end, managing protein is going to matter more than carbs.

Keep in mind that losing the weight is just the first step. Keeping the weight off will require life long changes. I don't eat low carb to lose weight, because I won't eat low carb to maintain it.

LPflaum

Definitely pay more attention to the grams of carbs than the macro balance, as that's really the governor as to whether or not you're eating enough.

I scanned about 3 weeks of your diary and noticed that some days you seem to be barely hitting that 1200 mark, and you're doing some cardio. It sounds counterintuitive, but try to eat all 1200 calories and about 1/2 of your exercise calories back. I can't explain why, but this made a difference for me.

You may also want to focus on shifting the balance toward more lean proteins and fresh veggies. The Bananas are a good start, but they're pretty high in sugar/carbs and can tilt the balance pretty quickly if you eat 2-3 in a day. You can buy lots of proteins pre-prepared (turkey breast, chicken breast, tuna, boiled eggs, surimi), my coworkers and I bring them in insulated lunchboxes with cold packs so we can snack on them. Carrot sticks, radishes, peas in the pod, celery sticks, cuties, and apples are also really portable!

I would also echo the advice to start strength training, if you haven't. It made a huge difference in my body in the first 90 days of my diet, which was a great motivator!

laura17192015

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate the insight and advice.