Carbs out of whack

Kimma41
Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi,

I can't seem to do anything right!! My daily carbs are all over the place. Tonight I gave in and had spaghetti, which I haven't had in 2 weeks. I feel like a failure. Will I ever lose weight? AARGH!!

Replies

  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Weight loss is determined by calories, not carbs. Some people find that going low carb helps them feel full longer, but not everyone finds that.

    Did you log what you ate? Did you enjoy what you ate? Did you stay under your calorie goal for the day?

    If you've been sticking to low carb, you might find a bump on the scale tomorrow. That's related to water weight, not actual fat gain, so just ride that part out for now.

    Is there a reason you are restricting carbs (diabetes, PCOS, insulin resistance)? Was there something else going on that may have made your supper choices more emotional? It's good to take some notes regarding what's going on, so that you can look for patterns. If you are noticing that you have uncontrollable hunger a couple days per month right before TOM (which is fairly common), maybe consider having a couple days at maintenance calories each month.

    One meal won't make or break you. It's your reaction to it, and your patterns of behaviour over time.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    U lost 90lbs?? congrats! How did you do it? I need to lose at least 100lbs. Ive been practically starving myself x 2weeks. I don't know how to manage anything.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    No reason restricting carbs except to lose my addiction to them. I was hungry tonight Ive been so strict x 2weeks.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited December 2018
    I lost ~140 pounds while eating ~50% of my calories from carbs. Calorie intake and output are what matter for weight loss.

    I didn't starve myself. I crafted my current way of eating by starting with how I liked to eat and experimenting with reduced portions and/or satisfying substitutions.

    I suggest that you start by logging the way you like to eat for a week or two to gather data before you start making changes. You want to figure out a comfortable eating plan that leaves you at a calorie deficit. Make small changes bit by bit that you can live with forever.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    Awesome Seska422!! I wish that was me, I'm really struggling to find the right balance. Did you exercise while losing weight?
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited December 2018
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    Awesome Seska422!! I wish that was me, I'm really struggling to find the right balance. Did you exercise while losing weight?
    I didn't. I started walking when I got close to goal.

    Baby steps. Weight loss is practice for maintenance and maintenance is forever.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    How did you lose all that weight?
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    How did you lose all that weight?
    One day at a time.

    I experimented to find a calorie intake amount that made me comfortable (for me it was 1350) and ate that until I got close to goal. I didn't worry about how quickly I lost. As long as I had a downward weight trend over the months, I was good to go.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    How did you lose all that weight?
    One day at a time.

    I experimented to find a calorie intake amount that made me comfortable (for me it was 1350) and ate that until I got close to goal. I didn't worry about how quickly I lost. As long as I had a downward weight trend over the months, I was good to go.

    Did you worry about any other factors like fat, protein or carbs?

  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    You sound really overwhelmed right now, and struggling.

    I used to think I was addicted to foods. It took some time to shift my thinking around it. Once I let go of those thoughts, everything became much easier. I would start a diet, with all sorts of strict rules about what I could and couldn't eat. I would do great for a week or two (sometimes even three). Then the cravings would hit, and I would cave. I would eat something on my "forbidden" list and then berate myself for being a weak failure. At that point, I would just give up. After all, I didn't have the will power to stick with it for a couple weeks, I deserved to just stay fat. I also tied my self worth in with my weight. Looking back on those times, I was really emotionally in a bad place.

    I'm not sure exactly what happened to flip that switch, but I do credit reading the forums here for much of my change in attitude towards food. I read about people enjoying their food and not using "good" and "bad" labels on everything. They would eat well throughout the day and have a treat once in a while. They would have a burger at a restaurant and not feel guilty about it. It was such a weird concept to me, and completely against everything that the media/internet/trashy magazines in the checkout line tells us about losing weight.

    I found a lot of information here reading through the posts that are stickied at the top of each section, particularly the most helpful posts in the general forum and the getting started forum.

    I love to cook, but found it difficult to do during the work week. So I started batch cooking on the weekends. Pick several recipes and then freeze them in single servings. Quick grab and go lunches with minimal effort. I would play around with recipes. Add more vegetables than called for, to give more bulk to the meal. That kind of stuff. I also did some reading. I like Geneen Roth as an author for her approach to food. The Beck Diet solution is a good book, focusing on CBT, rather than a specific diet. There's so much information out there, it's difficult to pick what's good information and what's just garbage. The important part is finding something that you can do consistently for a long period of time. This is going to be a bit different for each of us.

    I am overwhelmed and struggling. I did a strict low carb plan for 2 weeks and then tonight the cravings hit and I had spaghetti with meatballs. Yes, I feel like a failure now and want to give up. What will keep me going?

  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I've lost 90 pounds too, and lost it by figuring out which foods gave me the most bang for my caloric buck so that eating at a deficit to lose weight wasn't a struggle.

    The foods (whether they be proteins, carbs, or fats) that satisfy one person might be different for another person.

    Be open to experimenting, and use your food diary to keep notes about what keeps you full. Start to see if you notice patterns. It's okay if this process takes a while. You don't need to do anything quickly.

    The thing to realize is that this is just one step on the way to forming a habit of being in tune with logging food, and learning to make the most of it. Weight management will be a life long thing. It's okay to take it in baby steps.

    CONGRATS! I know whats good for one isn't good for another. Ive just tried so many diets many times over and over. I want to find something that sticks. Low carb isn't it....
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    I enjoy carbs & consume them throughout the day! You don't have to totally forgo something that you enjoy. Some people love keto, some people don't. It's not for me. I like being able to have pasta or rice or bread or whatever. If you want to keep carbs in your diet, there's no reason you can't.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    I enjoy carbs & consume them throughout the day! You don't have to totally forgo something that you enjoy. Some people love keto, some people don't. It's not for me. I like being able to have pasta or rice or bread or whatever. If you want to keep carbs in your diet, there's no reason you can't.

    But how do I fit carbs into my lifestyle? I am tracking but is it that easy?
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited December 2018
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    seska422 wrote: »
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    How did you lose all that weight?
    One day at a time.

    I experimented to find a calorie intake amount that made me comfortable (for me it was 1350) and ate that until I got close to goal. I didn't worry about how quickly I lost. As long as I had a downward weight trend over the months, I was good to go.

    Did you worry about any other factors like fat, protein or carbs?
    I started with MFP's macro suggestions and found that, for satiety, I did well with at least 20% of my calories from protein and 30% from fat so I aimed for those every day. I also aimed for at least 25g fiber and less than 2400 mg sodium.

    I also drank hot tea between meals to keep my mouth and hands busy and put something warm in my stomach.

    I log everything right before I consume so that I don't forget and so that I can decide if I really want to it something and, if so, how much of it.

    If I fell off the wagon, I immediately jumped back on. Each bite is a choice, not a sin. Letting go of the guilt related to food helped immensely.

    I control what goes into my mouth. Saying "no" to others can be hard but gets easier with practice.
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    I enjoy carbs & consume them throughout the day! You don't have to totally forgo something that you enjoy. Some people love keto, some people don't. It's not for me. I like being able to have pasta or rice or bread or whatever. If you want to keep carbs in your diet, there's no reason you can't.

    But how do I fit carbs into my lifestyle? I am tracking but is it that easy?

    It really is that simple. It's not easy though. It will take some time to wrap your head around everything and find a balance that works for you. You will still have some rough days. If one of your friends came to you and told you that they had been following a strict diet for the last two weeks and then were overwhelmed with cravings and gave in tonight. What would you say to them? Would you say the things you've been saying to yourself tonight? I'd bet a pretty penny that you wouldn't. You would respond with kindness, support, and understanding.

    Thank you Nutmeg that touched me.. Your right. It definitely won't be easy but with people like you & MFP I should be ok I hope.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    I enjoy carbs & consume them throughout the day! You don't have to totally forgo something that you enjoy. Some people love keto, some people don't. It's not for me. I like being able to have pasta or rice or bread or whatever. If you want to keep carbs in your diet, there's no reason you can't.

    But how do I fit carbs into my lifestyle? I am tracking but is it that easy?

    Carbs aren't anyone's problem unless they're diabetic. Too many calories are a problem.

    Accurately tracking is all you need to do at this point.

    Here are two threads on that subject:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    U lost 90lbs?? congrats! How did you do it? I need to lose at least 100lbs. Ive been practically starving myself x 2weeks. I don't know how to manage anything.
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    No reason restricting carbs except to lose my addiction to them. I was hungry tonight Ive been so strict x 2weeks.

    You probably under-ate the past two weeks, which triggered a binge.

    I used to think there was something wrong with me and carbs, but it turned out I just needed to up my protein and fruit a little, decrease foods like baked goods and ice cream, and get into a moderate exercise program, starting with walking at lunch time, and I no longer have the cravings I used to.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited December 2018
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    U lost 90lbs?? congrats! How did you do it? I need to lose at least 100lbs. Ive been practically starving myself x 2weeks. I don't know how to manage anything.

    Yeah -- I started at 1200, and gradually increased to 1600 as I got more active. I think 1200 can be too low and don't really recommend it, but it happened to work okay for me.

    I promise you will figure it out. I find structure really helpful, do you have a set meal schedule (certain # of meals) that you know work for you? For me having an every day breakfast made it easier, then I cooked dinner and usually made enough to use as leftovers for lunch, and also sometimes just made a few days lunches when cooking dinner.

    Easy dinner template for me was meat/vegetables (I'd eat a lot, and it filled up my plate) plus starch (pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.) -- amount of starch and fat content depended on calories, but I found more fat and less carbs was easier for me personally.

    If not a preplanned lunch I usually buy a salad with protein on it, and make sure the calories are right.

    Very helpful was getting active -- when I first started I got a Fitbit and decided to walk as much as I possibly could (I am lucky since I am in a city so can walk a lot). I also went to the gym and did extra walking and easy biking and some swimming, but told myself 30 minutes and kept it easy and read fun books or listened to podcasts. Quickly I got more fit and started wanting to compete with myself, and then I planned to enter a 5K and got started running again, and so on. Exercise goals were really important to me since I'd been active in the past and they helped motivate me to eat better.

    I was a HUGE emotional eater and found that having a personal journal where I wrote about how I wanted to eat if I did and to analyze what was up was REALLY helpful. I'd also write about what I was craving and how I'd satisfy those cravings with my (low cal) dinner plans. Getting more mindful was enormously helpful, and exercise also was, as it somewhat worked off the emotions I'd been eating over.

    Early on I discovered a challenge where we posted monthly goals and then reported weekly on them. I also did that in my journal -- would identify something to work on during the week (hitting calories, meditating, exercise, easing veg, really variable), and then report daily. I think this is related to my structure comment! ;-)
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    @Kimma41, spend some time looking at the Success Stories. Very many of the women posting beautiful trim photos of themselves started just as confused as you are and hoping to lose just as much weight as you do. You are not the first to do this. You will not be the last, and soon you will be helping new noobs too!
  • Kimma41
    Kimma41 Posts: 48 Member
    Thanks everyone for your insightful and kind words. Hope I lost some lbs on the scale tomorrow..
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your insightful and kind words. Hope I lost some lbs on the scale tomorrow..

    Please keep in mind that with a high carb meal you may have a bit of water retention, especially if you've been restricting for the past two weeks. So don't be upset if the scale hasn't moved a lot or is up a bit. It's a perfectly normal water weight fluctuation that will even back out.

    And, please report back if you do have any more concerns or need some reassurance. There is great advice here. All of which helped me when I started out years ago.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    U lost 90lbs?? congrats! How did you do it? I need to lose at least 100lbs. Ive been practically starving myself x 2weeks. I don't know how to manage anything.
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    No reason restricting carbs except to lose my addiction to them. I was hungry tonight Ive been so strict x 2weeks.

    You probably under-ate the past two weeks, which triggered a binge.

    I used to think there was something wrong with me and carbs, but it turned out I just needed to up my protein and fruit a little, decrease foods like baked goods and ice cream, and get into a moderate exercise program, starting with walking at lunch time, and I no longer have the cravings I used to.

    Your so right that I under ate for 2 weeks and I binged. Not that its ok but I logged it and I'm moving on.

    It's really not "not OK", either. It's not a huge big deal, and it's now in the past, so you did the perfect thing by logging it; spending no more than a couple of minutes thinking about what you might learn from it, as you have done; then moving on with life. Perfect!
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your insightful and kind words. Hope I lost some lbs on the scale tomorrow..

    Some days the scale will be down from the day before, sometimes it will be up, sometimes it will hold steady for a bit - that's 100% normal. Water weight fluctuates from day to day for everyone, especially for premenopausal women. So do digestive system contents still in transit. Neither of those is fat gain/loss, so nothing to worry about.

    The normal pattern is for daily weight to fluctuate up and down through a range of several pounds, but if you stick to a sensible calorie deficit, that range gradually moves downward over the weeks and months, until you're fluctuating a few pounds up and down around your healthy goal weight.

    Best wishes!
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    Kimma41 wrote: »
    But how do I fit carbs into my lifestyle? I am tracking but is it that easy?

    IMO...and this is what has worked for me but I'm not saying it's the gospel.

    First and foremost, get an idea of what your daily calorie intake is now vs what it needs to be. Good place to start - track for a week or so, making NO changes to what you normally eat. You want that 10th Oreo? EAT IT! But track EVERYTHING; if it passes your lips, log it! Do that for about a week & get an average, so you can have a ballpark of your current intake. From there, reduce. You may have mentioned previously but I'm 11.5 hours into a 12-hour shift and have been up since 2am, so forgive me but I've forgotten...how much weight do you have to (reasonably) lose? Running a deficit of 500 cal/day is more than likely safe & a decent starting point, but adjust that number up or down depending on how much you have to lose & how aggressive you're going to be with your diet (other ways of determining a general calorie goal but I'm going for fairly simple here)

    Calories overall is your #1 priority and #2 priority is gonna be your macros.

    Figuring out macros - first, make sure your bases are covered for your protein consumption. For the sake of argument (and easy-to-work-with numbers), let's say you're gonna be consuming 1600 cal/day. If you want 40% of your calories to come from carbs,then, taa-daa, you get 640 cals worth of carbs per day, which is 160g. That's quite a bit to "play with" and you've got some wiggle room to consume foods that you actually WANT to eat.

    Once again, keeping this simple but it's a good starting point & get you in the mindset of you don't have to eliminate carbs if you don't want to.

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