Maintenance and Low Carb
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amckholmes
Posts: 119 Member
I hit my weight goal 4 months ago and have been trying to find the best macros for maintenance. I lost on very low carb eating (20-25 total grams daily) but my doctor is telling me she doesn’t think its a good idea to continue at such a low level. Does anyone have experience they can share with finding long term maintenance macros?
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amckholmes wrote: »I hit my weight goal 4 months ago and have been trying to find the best macros for maintenance. I lost on very low carb eating (20-25 total grams daily) but my doctor is telling me she doesn’t think its a good idea to continue at such a low level. Does anyone have experience they can share with finding long term maintenance macros?
Did your doctor explain their reasoning? I would say as long as you are getting nutrient dense food, i would think there is no reason to suggest that what you were doing was not good for your health.
But if you want, i would bump up your carb goal closer to 50g if you want to stay keto. Or if you want low carb, just go sub 100g.4 -
She said she felt that was too low for a permanent way of eating, but then we went on to discuss my protein intake (100g daily) and I didn’t circle back to ask her about the carb number. Just for reference, is that 50g suggestion total or net? Thank you!1
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amckholmes wrote: »She said she felt that was too low for a permanent way of eating, but then we went on to discuss my protein intake (100g daily) and I didn’t circle back to ask her about the carb number. Just for reference, is that 50g suggestion total or net? Thank you!
It would be up to you and how you feel. Personally, i see no reason you can't stay that low given you get adequate fiber.
What are your stats and current workout plan? And what are your goals?0 -
I am 51, excellent overall health, 5’3” and currently maintaining around 110 lbs after losing 55 lbs this year. I am back in the gym now, 2-3 times a week mainly working on weight machines and plan to add yoga in the new year. My goal is to maintain my weight and feel healthy. I live in a major city, so I typically do a lot of walking. I do not struggle with keeping my carbs low (don’t feel deprived) but I would like to add some more servings of vegetables I think. Not interested in going back to breads, pastas, rice etc. A clean low carb way of eating has remedied several minor health issues for me, most importantly it has taken away the migraines!
Thank you @psuLemon for sharing so much insight here on the boards.3 -
amckholmes wrote: »I am 51, excellent overall health, 5’3” and currently maintaining around 110 lbs after losing 55 lbs this year. I am back in the gym now, 2-3 times a week mainly working on weight machines and plan to add yoga in the new year. My goal is to maintain my weight and feel healthy. I live in a major city, so I typically do a lot of walking. I do not struggle with keeping my carbs low (don’t feel deprived) but I would like to add some more servings of vegetables I think. Not interested in going back to breads, pastas, rice etc. A clean low carb way of eating has remedied several minor health issues for me, most importantly it has taken away the migraines!
Thank you @psuLemon for sharing so much insight here on the boards.
No problem. I figured it would be worth extending my reach to the larger community.
Given your goals and activity level, you coule certainly move towards the top end of keto, especially if you are going to add a bit more fiber. Ideally, i would recommend 20-30g as a good target (net carbs around 20-35g is a good initial goal). I would also aim for protein to be between 100-120g.
It isn't mentioned, but if you also want to improve body composition, i would look into a structured lifting program, even one that is dumbbell based. While machines are ok, the really fail when it comes to working supporting/stabilizer muscles. So overall, they are suboptimal. Even if its a 2 day program, a full body routine that incorporates a variety of tools and focused on the bigger lifts (bench, OHP, deadlifts, squat, row and pull up), will yield the best results.
Having said that, if the only thing you have is machines, i would try to ensure you hit moves that are similar in nature to what i mentioned above.
And if you want a structured plan, let me know, i have a link that has a bunch if you haven't seen it already.2 -
Just to point out, there is no such thing as an essential carb. There is no reason staying at keto-levels for the rest of your life would have negative health effects. Without knowing your doctor's reasoning, it is hard to guess why they think you should increase your carbs. My doctor flat out just told me that the reason she wanted me to eat more was because of the dietary guidelines. But, I am an edge case. I don't think she was worried about carbs, directly, and more about the fact that I don't eat any fruits or veggies.
Still, if you add back in some carbs and find that it is not working for you, don't be afraid to go back to keto levels. There's nothing unhealthy about them.0 -
I've lost 60 pounds eating under 50 net grams of carbs a day, sometimes lower. I sometimes think I should lower my carbs, but I want to eat a large salad with onions, tomatoes and peppers. Sometimes I want Keto bread with peanut butter. I'm not really eating any fruit to speak of, but I would like to eat berries after I lose the remaining weight (which is still over 100 pounds). I am stuck on the idea that eating some of these higher carb fruits and vegetables would be beneficial, but I see that many people benefit on the Carnivore and/or Keto diets with low carbs in the long term. Maybe it comes down to quality of life and what is sustainable for a person. I see many people making smart diet decisions based on adherence. If eating carnivore prevents overeating, it's a healthier choice than overeating and being morbidly obese.1
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Just to point out, there is no such thing as an essential carb. There is no reason staying at keto-levels for the rest of your life would have negative health effects. Without knowing your doctor's reasoning, it is hard to guess why they think you should increase your carbs. My doctor flat out just told me that the reason she wanted me to eat more was because of the dietary guidelines. But, I am an edge case. I don't think she was worried about carbs, directly, and more about the fact that I don't eat any fruits or veggies.
Still, if you add back in some carbs and find that it is not working for you, don't be afraid to go back to keto levels. There's nothing unhealthy about them.
In all fairness, you only need like 11-20g of fat and 20-30g of protein to hit essential levels. Also, it doesn't get into the argument that while something isn't essential, doesn't mean it's not optimal. And while there is controversy over fiber, the current evidence supports 20-30g per day as optimal. The other argument is around gym performance (muscle and strength gains specifically). I know I personally lost 50 lbs off my deadlift, 30lbs off my bench and squat and 25lbs of my pendley rows and that hasn't come back.1 -
amckholmes wrote: »I hit my weight goal 4 months ago and have been trying to find the best macros for maintenance. I lost on very low carb eating (20-25 total grams daily) but my doctor is telling me she doesn’t think its a good idea to continue at such a low level. Does anyone have experience they can share with finding long term maintenance macros?
I am working on my 3rd year of maintenance. I slowly added more carbs, low GI ones back in, removing any that gave me issues like weight gain or bathroom issues. I do best around 50 carbs or less. Some days, like holidays, I do go up to 75, but mostly it is more like 30 grams. Not net, but grams. You will have to try adding things in slowly, give each item a week or so to see how it impacts you. I was able to add citrus fruits and cashews to my acceptable foods. I can eat the occasional half of a sweet potato in addition to cauliflower and broccoli. I have no issues with any of the greens really, love them and have eaten them the whole time. I eat an apple, over a couple of days about once a month now. When they are in season only, I eat a few figs over that time span.
I want to eat this way forever, I feel good and am not battling the scale all the freakin' time anymore.
Good luck sorting yourself out.4
