Low Carb help, please

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jennyvalentine4
jennyvalentine4 Posts: 15 Member
in Getting Started
I'm getting frustrated. I've cut out all sugar, only occasionally using stevia in my tea or coffee, I have only had a bite of bread, literally have had no bread except a bite of a soft pretzel, no grains but a few bites of a bean and rice mix from Popeyes but I didn't eat the entire thing because it was gross, in a month the only dessert I've had were two pieces of cheesecake, and strawberry milk ice from Doimo twice. I haven't been logging for a month but I've been eating low carb for a month. I did eat a couple banana chips while feeding my bunnies, but it was only one or two. WTH! ☹️ I'm starting to add significant walking to see if that will help. Aiming for 5 miles per day, split up so I don't get too tired or sore. I have lower back problems and too much walking will cause me a great deal of pain but I was able to walk 11 miles the other day, split up between 3 outings. I was sore the next two days but not as bad as usual so that was a plus. Please someone tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm so tired of being in pain and I know that losing some weight will help significantly.
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  • jennyvalentine4
    jennyvalentine4 Posts: 15 Member
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    Also, things going against me...
    I'm 35
    I had a hysterectomy 10 yrs ago
    I take Cymbalta for major depression
    I have sleep apnea
    And I currently live in a foreign country where I don't speak the language and know no one but my family.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Well for one thing, you don't necessarily need to do low carb to lose weight. To lose weight, all you need is a calorie deficit. So unless there's some medical reason to do low carb, it's completely unnecessary. I've lost about 60 pounds and I sure as heck don't always watch my carbs lol!

    Secondly, if you're newer to exercise, jumping right in and doing 5 miles a day is probably too much. Exercise is another one of those things that is unnecessary for weight loss. I mean, it's good for you and your body, but to lose weight all you need is to reduce your calories and you can ease in to exercise, especially If it's causing you pain. I would reduce it to maybe a max of maybe walking for a half hour a day for a while and see how that goes.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    Agreed that if you have medical issues/backpain to start off slowly. If you are not trained then it is so easy to overdo it. When I first started walking I had major soreness I built it up to a daily routine over 4 months.

    Furthermore Are you tracking your calories here? Weighing everything and tracking honestly? In the end it is about CICO and not about low carb.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    If you are outside of the US be careful with the food labels. I don;t know where you are, but odds are good that the fiber is already being taken out of the carb count.
    so in the US a label that says 12g carbs /11 g fiber means there is 1 g carbs. In most foreign countries I've been to that same label means there are 12g carbs (in American it would read 23g c/11 g fiber)

    All that to say, you may not be as low carb as you think you are.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    How many calories are you eating

    Start there

    Start to weigh and log everything you eat

    Weigh on a digital scale

    If eating out, look up nutritional guidelines, if you can't find them try to choose sensibly and guesstimate ...try to avoid eating out

    You need to eat at defecit

    Low carb is a way to hit your defecit but it is more than possible to low carb and put on weight if you eat more calories than you need to

    Also the moving more and gentle walking is a good thing...keep that up

    But log for 2-3 weeks ..then review ...aI'm for accuracy and double checking against other food databases

  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    Okay, so you STILL don't need to be low carb to lose weight. Are you doing this for a medical reason? Because it's only calories in/calories out to lose weight.

  • daremightythings
    daremightythings Posts: 247 Member
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    If you've been eating low carb for a month but not logging, you have no idea how many calories you're eating. Carbs or no carbs, you won't lose weight if you're not in a calorie deficit.

    Log your calories for 2-3 weeks and see where you are. Make adjustments as necessary. If you find it easier to stay in a calorie deficit by eating low carb, go for it! But carbs alone won't have any effect on your weight loss.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    daremightythings wrote: »
    If you've been eating low carb for a month but not logging, you have no idea how many calories you're eating. Carbs or no carbs, you won't lose weight if you're not in a calorie deficit.

    Log your calories for 2-3 weeks and see where you are. Make adjustments as necessary. If you find it easier to stay in a calorie deficit by eating low carb, go for it! But carbs alone won't have any effect on your weight loss.

    ^^^^ This! How do you know how many calories you are eating if you aren't logging? I do what is considered low carb, but I watch my calories first. You cannot lose weight doing low carb if you are not in a deficit. I do low carb because I have pcos and am insulin resistant, plus post menopausal and low vitamin D.
  • jennyvalentine4
    jennyvalentine4 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you all for the responses! I am going low carb for medical reasons. It was recommended by my dr. I have been fighting with my weight since I was very young and I eat healthy. I understand the CICO is a necessity. On this app it says I should eat around 1700 calories to lose 1 pound per week. It's rare that I eat that many calories let alone go over. I used to be able to walk a lot! 10+ miles per day was no problem due to my job. I think I will start a little slower tho as suggested so I don't hurt. Also I think I will buy a food scale as I estimate most of my portion sizes and I'll check multiple food databases to make sure I'm not consuming more carbs than I think. I'm not in the US right now.
    Any other tips and tricks are greatly appreciated!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    jennyvalentine4 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the responses! I am going low carb for medical reasons. It was recommended by my dr. I have been fighting with my weight since I was very young and I eat healthy. I understand the CICO is a necessity. On this app it says I should eat around 1700 calories to lose 1 pound per week. It's rare that I eat that many calories let alone go over. I used to be able to walk a lot! 10+ miles per day was no problem due to my job. I think I will start a little slower tho as suggested so I don't hurt. Also I think I will buy a food scale as I estimate most of my portion sizes and I'll check multiple food databases to make sure I'm not consuming more carbs than I think. I'm not in the US right now.
    Any other tips and tricks are greatly appreciated!

    you're eating more than you think if you're not weighing your food.
  • jennyvalentine4
    jennyvalentine4 Posts: 15 Member
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    Perhaps. I'll see when I start weighing.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    No offense, but that's a lot of slip ups for low carb. Have you done your research? Are you eating enough healthy fats?
    If you need that much dessert, perhaps low carb isn't for you?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Yep, weigh your food and you will see you are eating more than you think most likely. Don't forget to weigh/measure oils and what not.

    If you want to go low carb, have a blast...but you gotta make sure your calorie counts are on target. That is 98% of the process. The rest is minutia.
  • jennyvalentine4
    jennyvalentine4 Posts: 15 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    No offense, but that's a lot of slip ups for low carb. Have you done your research? Are you eating enough healthy fats?
    If you need that much dessert, perhaps low carb isn't for you?

    Thank you for being so positive. If you have to start your comment with "no offense"then your comment is not constructive. I asked for help not insults and yes I've done plenty of research in fact I've seen 2 dietitians and God only knows how many Drs I've seen. Due to medical issues, this is my last resort before a majorly surgery that I would rather not have. Yes I eat and use healthy fats, olive oil and coco nut oil, I even use coconut flour when needed. I sometimes will use butter but rarely and I don't own any vegetable oil. I don't crave sweets but I don't think one dessert per week is bad for someone just starting. I have been out to eat 2 times only, once was for a party, the trip to Popeyes was because we were traveling. I count calories and I count carbs.
  • shrmc
    shrmc Posts: 1 Member
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    Everyone cheats sometimes on diets so do not worry! Forgive yourself and do not make the same mistake tomorrow. That's life.

    2 things:
    1. For me it was not about how many calories I was eating, but what the actual food was. My goal is 1,200 calories a day. I used to eat things like lean cuisines, 100 calorie pack cookies, nature valley protein bars...all processed food. I changed my diet to "paleo" and saw drastic differences in my health and weight loss. I now eat the same amount of calories if not more but I am eating "real" food such as fresh fruit and vegetables and a lot of meat! I try to focus on living a paleo lifestyle instead of focusing on being on a diet. Diets do not last for most people; therefore, you must make a lifestyle change!

    2. Low carb is not necessarily the best plan for all people. Different people's bodies respond in different ways. Low carb has worked great for me, but my dad does not get the same results with low carb. He is on a low fat diet and that has helped him with weight loss. There is scientific literature on this and how different bodies respond to different diets.
    (I have a masters in public health if that makes anything I say more trustworthy)
  • BABetter1
    BABetter1 Posts: 618 Member
    edited August 2016
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    jennyvalentine4 wrote: »
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    No offense, but that's a lot of slip ups for low carb. Have you done your research? Are you eating enough healthy fats?
    If you need that much dessert, perhaps low carb isn't for you?

    Thank you for being so positive. If you have to start your comment with "no offense"then your comment is not constructive. I asked for help not insults and yes I've done plenty of research in fact I've seen 2 dietitians and God only knows how many Drs I've seen. Due to medical issues, this is my last resort before a majorly surgery that I would rather not have. Yes I eat and use healthy fats, olive oil and coco nut oil, I even use coconut flour when needed. I sometimes will use butter but rarely and I don't own any vegetable oil. I don't crave sweets but I don't think one dessert per week is bad for someone just starting. I have been out to eat 2 times only, once was for a party, the trip to Popeyes was because we were traveling. I count calories and I count carbs.

    Whoa. They said "no offense" because tone does not convey well in strictly textual form. There is no real way to "say it gently" with text. But, I was thinking the same thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you mentioned 7 different slip ups in a month, nearly twice a week. That's kind of a lot. In fact, I personally notice if I slip up, that I will have water weight regain that lasts a few days before it drops back down. So, if you are slipping up an average of twice per week, you probably are holding water weight. Refrain from all slip ups for a couple of weeks straight just to see if this is the issue. Personally, I still lose weight even with the slip ups. I just lose it very slowly, and I make that choice consciously when I eat whatever it is that isn't on plan. I also can't eat as many calories as you. I'm 5'5", 43 years old, and currently around 196lbs. I have to keep it around 1500 to lose 1 pound per week. Best of luck to you.
  • heidster123
    heidster123 Posts: 2 Member
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    My body seems to be more successful on lower carb eating..everyone is different !Some people are sensitive to too many carbs
  • jennyvalentine4
    jennyvalentine4 Posts: 15 Member
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    BABetter1... This MFP app is where I figured the 1700 calories. But I'm the same height and weight as you and it's difficult for me to eat that many calories without forcing myself to add more. Maybe I'll try to reduce my calories to around 1500 also.
    I guess I did get a little worked up but it took a lot for me to ask for advice. I appreciate your encouragement in your response. This is hard. I'm sure everyone can list a million reasons why losing weight is difficult. I am not offended by constructive criticism at all. In fact I appreciate for someone to tell me why I'm messing up, I want to be successful. I prefer advice that is helpful not hurtful, I do that enough to myself.
  • BABetter1
    BABetter1 Posts: 618 Member
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    Oh, jennyvalentine4, I am also very sedentary. It seems like you might be more active than me, which would account for the additional calories you can eat. I am just starting to exercise, literally, just yesterday I started. :blush:

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