Strength Training on 1400 calorie low carb WOE?
RKIANA2018
Posts: 10 Member
My doctor has me on a 1400 calorie diet following a low carb WOE with nutrients at 30% C, 35% P, and 35% F. He first had me on a whopping 1200 calories! I dreamt about eating food. It was horrible. I was sluggish.
Right now I feel as if I'm starving still, and I'm concerned about adding even more exercise. My form of exercise currently is housework some of it heavy such as vacuuming.
I've got bad knees so I can't do any exercise which involves the knees such as squats and cycling or the like. Oh how I loved cycling until my knees gave out.
In the past, I used the BFFM for strength training along with cycling alternating days for five days a week. I did well on that routine, losing 4 shirt sizes and 3 pants sizes over about a year and a half. I was eating about 3100 calories with clean eating 95% of the time (low glycemic) and burning between 500 and 900 calories every day. My BMR was higher than then now so that enabled me to eat that amount of calories.
I have medication controlled hypothyroidism which finally stabilized in 2017. Before it stabilized I gained back the weight I lost due to several serious medical conditions caused by hypothyroidism. I could hardly eat and couldn't exercise at all.
I want to go back to the same routine as BFFM yet my doctor has my calories restricted too much and my carbs way too low. I'm losing weight but at what cost? Am I losing muscle mass too? Can I strength train on a low carb WOE?
I'm 5' 11" tall and weigh around 368 or less. Missed my biweekly weigh-in this week due to snow. I started out at 384 in 2018 before joining MFP again in October.
Right now I feel as if I'm starving still, and I'm concerned about adding even more exercise. My form of exercise currently is housework some of it heavy such as vacuuming.
I've got bad knees so I can't do any exercise which involves the knees such as squats and cycling or the like. Oh how I loved cycling until my knees gave out.
In the past, I used the BFFM for strength training along with cycling alternating days for five days a week. I did well on that routine, losing 4 shirt sizes and 3 pants sizes over about a year and a half. I was eating about 3100 calories with clean eating 95% of the time (low glycemic) and burning between 500 and 900 calories every day. My BMR was higher than then now so that enabled me to eat that amount of calories.
I have medication controlled hypothyroidism which finally stabilized in 2017. Before it stabilized I gained back the weight I lost due to several serious medical conditions caused by hypothyroidism. I could hardly eat and couldn't exercise at all.
I want to go back to the same routine as BFFM yet my doctor has my calories restricted too much and my carbs way too low. I'm losing weight but at what cost? Am I losing muscle mass too? Can I strength train on a low carb WOE?
I'm 5' 11" tall and weigh around 368 or less. Missed my biweekly weigh-in this week due to snow. I started out at 384 in 2018 before joining MFP again in October.
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Replies
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I'm sorry, I thought I'd replied to this the other day and just realized everyone had left you hanging!
What about the cycling aggravates your knees? I've had knee surgery and doc recommended cycling. I'm honestly not a big fan but I found that adjusting the seat height and making some other tweaks made it much less stressful on the joint. Or maybe a recumbent bike?
Have you talked to your doc about STARTING on a higher calorie goal and see what happens? If you make progress, awesome, you're getting to eat more and feel better. If you don't progress as expected/desired, then you can start tightening the proverbial screws a bit on the calorie goals? I mean that's how I personally have done things and how is generally suggested in most protocols/literature I follow.
Honestly 1400 sounds low to me, but I think that's a conversation to have with your doc. FWIW, I'm currently getting 30% of daily cals from carbs too.
You absolutely can strength train on low carb tho. I have some friends who are extremely serious lifters/bodybuilders who are actually keto (they do a slightly modified "ketogenic bodybuilding" which still has them at way-low carbs but the protein is a lot higher and fat is reduced).
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My trainer has me on 1400. I’m not a big eater in the first place so there are plenty of days I never make that goal.
My protein intake.... low!!! That’s her main concern for me. I never get my goal on that one. I’m not a big meat eater... borderline vegetarian so I’ve been told. I eat Keto and I don’t have any issues working out.1
