Fear of carbs!
nichell88
Posts: 364 Member
So I just transitioned into maintenance today (yay!) and I've planned my week out fully in my diary. I met with an RD in preparation to transition, and we both agreed that adding a few more carb rich items to my daily menu wouldn't hurt. I'd been sticking to low carb (under 100g a day) during weight loss and didn't feel super deprived except that I did miss eating fruit more freely. So today, along with my usual foods, I added some grapes with breakfast and smartfood with lunch. However, I will say that every time I look at my nutrients I cringe; my stomach drops a bit. The number looks so high! I'm trying to be logical about it, but it honestly gives me anxiety to see my carbs in the 130s and 140s. Has anyone else experienced this? What helped you? I know these numbers are normal in my head, but I can't shake this fearful feeling
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Replies
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Personally I lost weight (40lbs so far)only counting calories & not macros. I eat carbs everyday but if you're worried, just add a little like the RD says & monitor1
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Would it help to up the carbs gradually over a couple of weeks?4
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I lost weight eating about 50% carbs so it's not really issue for most people, as long as you keep an eye on daily total food intake and keep an eye on your weight.
You can start slowly, keep an eye on the scale and adjust
Well done for reaching your goals!0 -
set your carb goals at 130/140 for a few weeks. You will gain a bit because of water, but that should even out. If you are still losing, up the carbs a little bit more for a few weeks.
The goal is to find the level where you maintain.1 -
@AnnPT77 that's pretty much what I'm doing. Like I said, I know logically it's not an actually problem, it just freaks me out when I see it.
@HappyGrape ya, I know a lot of people have had success eating higher level of carbs, I know it can work. Idk, I just have a lot of anxiety about it1 -
I've been adding carbs and its really making a huge difference in my energy levels. Its also been easier not to eat over my daily limit, so I'd suggest enjoying those fresh fruits you crave!0
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I eat 200-300 grams of carbs per day. It's all about the calories. Maybe just ease your carbs up slowly, rather than trying to do it all at once? 10 grams per day or something?1
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like others said - I would start slow
what is your current daily carbs? try increasing by 10-20g (which is about a serving of fruit); add in sweet potato with your dinner stuff like that0 -
Oh yes, the ebbs and flows of fear of foods as we learn to maintain. Just keep it simple and remember that your body needs all the things in balance. Trust your maintenance calories and it's okay to eat protein, carbs, and fats!!! You got this!!! You will figure it out as you go, trust your body, it has all the answers you need.0
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I never limited my carbs when losing weight (just an overall calorie limit) and still don't to maintain successfully.
Also remember the healthiest populations in the world tend to have high carb diets - they really aren't to be feared. They are just food.
What would be the net result on my weight from this high carb day excerpt from my food diary?
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@AnnPT77 that's pretty much what I'm doing. Like I said, I know logically it's not an actually problem, it just freaks me out when I see it.
@HappyGrape ya, I know a lot of people have had success eating higher level of carbs, I know it can work. Idk, I just have a lot of anxiety about it
It's natural to worry. 6 months ago I had a lot of anxiety over weight maintenance as it is new phase and require different mindset and adjustment. I regained few times before and this time it was really important for me!
Take it slow, keep an eye on the scale, set a range of at least 4 lbs and if you go above that review and adjust. You can do it
Well done for getting this far again!
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deannalfisher wrote: »like others said - I would start slow
what is your current daily carbs? try increasing by 10-20g (which is about a serving of fruit); add in sweet potato with your dinner stuff like that
@deannalfisher the issue becomes that I have to add more calories for maintenance. I'm already eating a ton of protein, so I'm finding it difficult to increase that. I guess I could eat a few more sticks of string cheese a day, but like I said, me and my nutritious did discuss how adding more carbs would be the best way to constitute that difference.0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »like others said - I would start slow
what is your current daily carbs? try increasing by 10-20g (which is about a serving of fruit); add in sweet potato with your dinner stuff like that
I agree! Slow is good!
Good Luck!
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define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs2 -
I can understand that. Adjusting to maintenance can be a bit of a mental game.
I'm one of those people who experienced various benefits from eating low carb so I plan to keep it up long term. At maintenance I've been experimenting with different carb levels to see how they affect hunger, cravings, energy level, my cycles (since I have PCOS), workouts, etc. I think since I'm still logging everything and am intentional about it, it helps.
Most people will be fine increasing their carbs but if you find it has any effects you don't like (other than an expected couple of lbs of water weight coming back on), you could always tweak your macro ratios again.
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deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily0 -
macchiatto wrote: »I can understand that. Adjusting to maintenance can be a bit of a mental game.
I'm one of those people who experienced various benefits from eating low carb so I plan to keep it up long term. At maintenance I've been experimenting with different carb levels to see how they affect hunger, cravings, energy level, my cycles (since I have PCOS), workouts, etc. I think since I'm still logging everything and am intentional about it, it helps.
Most people will be fine increasing their carbs but if you find it has any effects you don't like (other than an expected couple of lbs of water weight coming back on), you could always tweak your macro ratios again.
@macchiatto thank you! This was very helpful1 -
deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily
you shouldn't need to increase your protein though...I honestly don't understand your post (kind of like I had issues understanding your one from a couple weeks ago on a very similar topic - carb cycling and maintenance)1 -
Congrats on reaching your goal! My body also responds positively to limiting carbs - best of luck!0
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Don't be afraid of carbs.... They really are lovely! And they can be helpful and lots of fun
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deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily
Why so much protein?2 -
I've lost and maintained without limiting carbs at all, just calories. It is scary when your calories first go up at maintenance, especially if you've been on a long hard road to reach goal weight anyway. I found I actually continued to lose at first in maintenance based on MFP levels, so gradually upped the calories a little at a time as I was looking too old and scrawny! Now I use a tape measure and if anything is too tight I check my measurements, and ease the calories down a bit till everything is comfy again. But I still weigh pasta, cereal, cheese etc as I know how easy it is for those portions to creep up.0
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deannalfisher wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily
you shouldn't need to increase your protein though...I honestly don't understand your post (kind of like I had issues understanding your one from a couple weeks ago on a very similar topic - carb cycling and maintenance)
@deannalfisher So what I was trying to get at was this...you'd suggested upping my carbs by 10g or 20g to start with. The issue with that is that that would not be enough to account for the 300 calorie a day increase i need for maintenance. So to make up that difference, i could theoretically add more of the foods I'm already eating (i.e-the string cheese, which is high in protein), but I agree with my RD that it would make more sense to up the carbs more. It's just hard to see that number so "high". It's all mental1 -
So just to warn you--you might gain a few pounds of water weight when you add more carbs to your diet. Your weight will not keep climbing, though. I'm sure you can google the scientific explanation, but when you eat very low carb, you are less bloated than when you eat some carbs. So if you go up a pound or two, don't worry too much!3
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deannalfisher wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily
you shouldn't need to increase your protein though...I honestly don't understand your post (kind of like I had issues understanding your one from a couple weeks ago on a very similar topic - carb cycling and maintenance)
She's saying it's hard to increase carbs slowly because she has to raise her calories and the only place in her diet she can easily increase her calories is by increasing her carbs which is freaking her out.
OP, can you increase your calories slowly as well? Unless there is a health issue you are concerned about, increase carbs and therefore calories slowly, a little more every week until you get to maintenance. Are you able to not really look at your macro totals, just kind of gloss over them for a couple of weeks?3 -
deannalfisher wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily
you shouldn't need to increase your protein though...I honestly don't understand your post (kind of like I had issues understanding your one from a couple weeks ago on a very similar topic - carb cycling and maintenance)
She's saying that she's having issues SEEING the number of carbs she's eating on her diary. There's no issue with actually eating them.
Sorry OP, I don't have any advice other than it'll be weird until you get used to seeing those numbers popping up in your diary - but if you do it and don't gain weight eventually your brain will catch up with the plan Good luck! 0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »define a ton of protein? (because I take in 130g a day and don't sacrifice carbs
cheese isn't going to help you on carbs - that is fat and protein
if you want straight carbs - then something like fruit or potato are pretty much all carbs and you can easily adjust the amount you eat (dried apricots are my go-to)
If you are adding calories for maintenance - keep your same protein/fat amounts and then just add carbs
@deannalfisher I know the cheese is protein, that was my point. Not sure you understood my last post and what I was trying to say. I eat 180-200g of protein daily
you shouldn't need to increase your protein though...I honestly don't understand your post (kind of like I had issues understanding your one from a couple weeks ago on a very similar topic - carb cycling and maintenance)
She's saying it's hard to increase carbs slowly because she has to raise her calories and the only place in her diet she can easily increase her calories is by increasing her carbs which is freaking her out.
OP, can you increase your calories slowly as well? Unless there is a health issue you are concerned about, increase carbs and therefore calories slowly, a little more every week until you get to maintenance. Are you able to not really look at your macro totals, just kind of gloss over them for a couple of weeks?
@kimny72 omg, you've got it perfectly! Thank you, I'm so glad you understand. That's a good suggestion; I guess my concern would be is that I really don't want to lose too much more weight in the process, which I know is probable anyway, but I'm trying to avoid that. In hindsight, I should've started maintenance a bit earlier. But I do think a gradual transition like you laid out would be helpful.1 -
storyjorie wrote: »So just to warn you--you might gain a few pounds of water weight when you add more carbs to your diet. Your weight will not keep climbing, though. I'm sure you can google the scientific explanation, but when you eat very low carb, you are less bloated than when you eat some carbs. So if you go up a pound or two, don't worry too much!
@storyjorie thank you0 -
It's completely irrational...carbs are just one of three macro nutrients...there are numerous sources of highly nutritious carbohydrates and if you look at the blue zones of the world, they eat diets relatively high in carbohydrates and they are some of the healthiest populations in the world.
Carbohydrate fear mongering is out of control.
Note that as you increase carbohydrates, you will hold onto more water and will also replenish glycogen which will show up on the scale...but it's not fat, it's fluids. Also, 130-140 carbs is still technically low carb.2
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