Just starting a low carb, low fat high protein diet
aquitteriamnot
Posts: 78 Member
I am working on creating a low carb, low fat, high protein 1200-1500 calorie plan for myself. Getting the macros the way I want them is a challenge. I started at 326lbs and I’m down to 321 in a week which is great since I am still trying to figure out what to eat for each meal. I’m looking for friends who are starting a low carb, low fat, low calorie diet.
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Replies
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Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.4 -
Low fat, low calorie, low carb... sounds like a recipe for stomach issues and deprivation. You need fat for digestion and to keep things moving. You’ll need carbs for energy. Too low calories will have you losing muscle as well as fat and likely you’ll lose too fast.
Can I ask you how you got up to 326 lbs? I would guess you have tried many extreme diets before, is this true? If so, why set yourself up for failure again? Why not find a reasonable calorie goal, eat flexibly, and reach your goal in a logical amount of time? Why not try the balanced way to lose weight without the deprivation?7 -
I disagree - this is a very typical approach for diabetics, and worked well for me. Diabetics and people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome (which is most severely obese people) don’t process carbs well. But they don’t need the extra calories and fat of a high-fat keto diet. That leaves protein. Which, when you eat a lot of it, also helps preserve muscle mass while eating at a deficit.cmriverside wrote: »Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.
OP - I lost 125 lbs with this approach, but I never needed to go hardcore on the low carb. I try to keep my net carbs between 30 - 45g per meal, while trying to eat at least 150g carbs daily because any lower than that and I start dipping in and out of ketosis, which is unpleasant. I try to get at least 1g protein per pound of lean mass, and make sure to eat some healthy fats as well.
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rheddmobile wrote: »
I disagree - this is a very typical approach for diabetics, and worked well for me. Diabetics and people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome (which is most severely obese people) don’t process carbs well. But they don’t need the extra calories and fat of a high-fat keto diet. That leaves protein. Which, when you eat a lot of it, also helps preserve muscle mass while eating at a deficit.cmriverside wrote: »Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.
OP - I lost 125 lbs with this approach, but I never needed to go hardcore on the low carb. I try to keep my net carbs between 30 - 45g per meal, while trying to eat at least 150g carbs daily because any lower than that and I start dipping in and out of ketosis, which is unpleasant. I try to get at least 1g protein per pound of lean mass, and make sure to eat some healthy fats as well.
Piggybacking on this with a question for OP...is this a diet prescribed by q doctor for a health condition like rheddmobile suggested? If so, it is worth asking for a referral to a registered dietician (US) or a nutritionist (if not in the US) for guidelines.3 -
Low carb, low fat, high protein is basically how the patients on "My 600 Pound Life" eat. They are limited to 1200 calories per day because they need to lose weight fast in order to save their lives. I'm assuming this is not the case with you, as you would be working with a medical team rather than asking questions here. So you can eat far more than 1200 calories per day and still lose weight just fine.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/my-600-lb-life-what-is-the-dr-nowzaradan-diet-plan.html/
...For breakfast, he recommends egg whites, turkey sausage, beans, oatmeal, low-fat cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or whole grain bread.
At lunch, you should bake, broil, grill lean protein or have canned tuna, deli meat, non-starchy vegetables, and salads without dressing. A portion of meat should measure 3 ounces, or about the same size as a deck of cards.
Dinner can include the same types of food as lunch.
Snacks may be a turkey or ham roll up or plain (no sugar) Greek yogurt.8 -
Unless you have some kind of medical condition that you did not disclose this is not necessary for weight loss. Eat in calorie deficit, get good mix of macros and micros and start some form of exercise regimen.2
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I've got similar situation. I've asked GP for help. Told to have lower carbs & higher protein to help with weight loss especially with age as lose muscle mass with hormonal change -so need protein for this & therefore don't need as much carbs. I didn't eat that high fat start with but been told to eat low fat diet after developing a medical condition.
Absolute pain for some meals! Dietitian appointment in 2 weeks. Thank goodness0 -
I've got similar situation. I've asked GP for help. Told to have lower carbs & higher protein to help with weight loss especially with age as lose muscle mass with hormonal change -so need protein for this & therefore don't need as much carbs. I didn't eat that high fat start with but been told to eat low fat diet after developing a medical condition.
Absolute pain for some meals! Dietitian appointment in 2 weeks. Thank goodness
Um, well. I dunno. I don't think "hormones" are the whole story on muscle mass loss, probably not even the main thing. Mostly, we (as aging women) commonly lose muscle mass because we don't challenge our muscles with exercise, to stimulate them to stick around. (I'm 65 and female, so I'm not just theorizing abstractly here. 😉 Not only that, but I went into menopause early (44), from chemotherapy, and had to take *anti*-estrogen meds for 7.5 years beyond that . . . major hormone disruption!😬)
And sure, once challenging those muscles, we're gonna need adequate protein. Many aging women have relatively lower calorie needs, so reducing carbs somewhat is a common approach to fitting in some extra protein calories, if we haven't been getting enough already. (Don't want to cut fat too far, calorie-rich though it is. We need some! I understand that your medical condition may dictate something unusual in that area, but I'm betting it won't be zero fat. I don't know what your condition is, but for me, even without a gallbladder, I still need to eat some fats.)
Of course, folks with diabetes, insulin resistance, or something like that may need to manage carbs, even beyond that "carbs can be the easy place to reduce" factor. I'm not saying otherwise.
GP's don't get much nutritional education. I hope your dietitian will be more insight-providing! That "hormones doom muscles" idea isn't entirely accurate, IMO.
Best wishes!
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rheddmobile wrote: »
I disagree - this is a very typical approach for diabetics, and worked well for me. Diabetics and people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome (which is most severely obese people) don’t process carbs well. But they don’t need the extra calories and fat of a high-fat keto diet. That leaves protein. Which, when you eat a lot of it, also helps preserve muscle mass while eating at a deficit.cmriverside wrote: »Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.
OP - I lost 125 lbs with this approach, but I never needed to go hardcore on the low carb. I try to keep my net carbs between 30 - 45g per meal, while trying to eat at least 150g carbs daily because any lower than that and I start dipping in and out of ketosis, which is unpleasant. I try to get at least 1g protein per pound of lean mass, and make sure to eat some healthy fats as well.
I'm confused -- are you saying 150 g carbs but only 30-45 g net carbs, so 105-120 g fiber? That seems difficult IME on a low carb diet. Or is the 30-45 g fat? IMO, if you mean 1 g/lb of lean mass (basically what I aim for usually). 30-45 g fat, and 150 g carbs, so about 600 cals from carbs, dunno, but say 400 cals from protein, and then 360 cals from fat, I think that's pretty low cal for maintenance, but also neither low fat nor low carb nor high protein.
My own goal regardless of anything else when losing was .8 g/lb of goal weight (120x.8=96, and so I usually aimed for 100 (DXA says lean mass is abt 95), but I never considered that high protein and at a sensible cal goal I certainly could not be both low carb and low fat.2 -
rheddmobile wrote: »
I disagree - this is a very typical approach for diabetics, and worked well for me. Diabetics and people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome (which is most severely obese people) don’t process carbs well. But they don’t need the extra calories and fat of a high-fat keto diet. That leaves protein. Which, when you eat a lot of it, also helps preserve muscle mass while eating at a deficit.cmriverside wrote: »Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.
OP - I lost 125 lbs with this approach, but I never needed to go hardcore on the low carb. I try to keep my net carbs between 30 - 45g per meal, while trying to eat at least 150g carbs daily because any lower than that and I start dipping in and out of ketosis, which is unpleasant. I try to get at least 1g protein per pound of lean mass, and make sure to eat some healthy fats as well.
I'm confused -- are you saying 150 g carbs but only 30-45 g net carbs, so 105-120 g fiber? That seems difficult IME on a low carb diet. Or is the 30-45 g fat? IMO, if you mean 1 g/lb of lean mass (basically what I aim for usually). 30-45 g fat, and 150 g carbs, so about 600 cals from carbs, dunno, but say 400 cals from protein, and then 360 cals from fat, I think that's pretty low cal for maintenance, but also neither low fat nor low carb nor high protein.
My own goal regardless of anything else when losing was .8 g/lb of goal weight (120x.8=96, and so I usually aimed for 100 (DXA says lean mass is abt 95), but I never considered that high protein and at a sensible cal goal I certainly could not be both low carb and low fat.
No, I said what I meant. 30-45 g net per meal, 150 g net daily. That is higher carb than keto diets for sure, but also much lower carb than the SAD diet.1 -
I am 44 years old with no medical conditions. I have lost over 100lbs twice in the past through exercise and calorie reduction (1500-1800 cal/high carb). I regained more weight each time because I never took control of carb cravings. Now I weigh 326 lbs, my lowest weight was 160lbs and my highest 346 lbs. Yes, kshama2001, Dr. Now’s plan from “my 600lb life” is what I have researched. I am choosing to eat this way because for me, it helps control sugar (carb) cravings and suppresses my appetite. I don’t feel deprived at all. I eat 1200-1500 cal daily, and try to keep carbs under 20g, fat under 65g and protein at or above 181g. It can be challenging to get the macros I want, but it’s worth it. I am not afraid of failure, I am always willing to try again. Thanks for all of your responses and I pray that we all reach our goals.1
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rheddmobile wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »
I disagree - this is a very typical approach for diabetics, and worked well for me. Diabetics and people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome (which is most severely obese people) don’t process carbs well. But they don’t need the extra calories and fat of a high-fat keto diet. That leaves protein. Which, when you eat a lot of it, also helps preserve muscle mass while eating at a deficit.cmriverside wrote: »Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.
OP - I lost 125 lbs with this approach, but I never needed to go hardcore on the low carb. I try to keep my net carbs between 30 - 45g per meal, while trying to eat at least 150g carbs daily because any lower than that and I start dipping in and out of ketosis, which is unpleasant. I try to get at least 1g protein per pound of lean mass, and make sure to eat some healthy fats as well.
I'm confused -- are you saying 150 g carbs but only 30-45 g net carbs, so 105-120 g fiber? That seems difficult IME on a low carb diet. Or is the 30-45 g fat? IMO, if you mean 1 g/lb of lean mass (basically what I aim for usually). 30-45 g fat, and 150 g carbs, so about 600 cals from carbs, dunno, but say 400 cals from protein, and then 360 cals from fat, I think that's pretty low cal for maintenance, but also neither low fat nor low carb nor high protein.
My own goal regardless of anything else when losing was .8 g/lb of goal weight (120x.8=96, and so I usually aimed for 100 (DXA says lean mass is abt 95), but I never considered that high protein and at a sensible cal goal I certainly could not be both low carb and low fat.
No, I said what I meant. 30-45 g net per meal, 150 g net daily. That is higher carb than keto diets for sure, but also much lower carb than the SAD diet.
Oh, sorry, somehow I read over the per meal bit. That makes way more sense!
I don't consider 150 g net in my mind to be low carb (I'd call it moderate carb), but would agree it's lower carb than what someone was likely eating before. At 1200, even 150 total carbs is 50% (the MFP default), so at 175 (assuming at least 25 g fiber), it would be more than the MFP default. Even at 1500, total carbs of 175, net of 150 g, would be around 47%, so just below the default.
I'm using those cal numbers because OP said a range of 1200-1500.
That said, nothing at all wrong with 150 g net, of course, and I get that moderate carb, watching the type of carbs and how many per meal is important for controlling T2D, but it's why when someone says low fat and low carb people think it's unusual and difficult.
It seems OP did mean what the rest of us assumed, however. Good luck, OP -- I could not personally eat that much protein on a 1200-1500 diet longer term, but at least you are eating somewhat more fat than it initially seemed. Are you under a doctor's or dietician's care?0 -
I was losing 2.5 lbs a week on 1600 when I weighed 240 or thereabouts, so went to 1700, so it’s not that high for me. I didn’t notice the combination of low calorie and current weight in the OPs post, that is not very many calories for a 300+ person.rheddmobile wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »
I disagree - this is a very typical approach for diabetics, and worked well for me. Diabetics and people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome (which is most severely obese people) don’t process carbs well. But they don’t need the extra calories and fat of a high-fat keto diet. That leaves protein. Which, when you eat a lot of it, also helps preserve muscle mass while eating at a deficit.cmriverside wrote: »Why are you attempting this? What do you mean by low-fat high protein? Can you tell us your goals for fat and protein?
It's a very unusual thing to try and not necessary for weight loss.
OP - I lost 125 lbs with this approach, but I never needed to go hardcore on the low carb. I try to keep my net carbs between 30 - 45g per meal, while trying to eat at least 150g carbs daily because any lower than that and I start dipping in and out of ketosis, which is unpleasant. I try to get at least 1g protein per pound of lean mass, and make sure to eat some healthy fats as well.
I'm confused -- are you saying 150 g carbs but only 30-45 g net carbs, so 105-120 g fiber? That seems difficult IME on a low carb diet. Or is the 30-45 g fat? IMO, if you mean 1 g/lb of lean mass (basically what I aim for usually). 30-45 g fat, and 150 g carbs, so about 600 cals from carbs, dunno, but say 400 cals from protein, and then 360 cals from fat, I think that's pretty low cal for maintenance, but also neither low fat nor low carb nor high protein.
My own goal regardless of anything else when losing was .8 g/lb of goal weight (120x.8=96, and so I usually aimed for 100 (DXA says lean mass is abt 95), but I never considered that high protein and at a sensible cal goal I certainly could not be both low carb and low fat.
No, I said what I meant. 30-45 g net per meal, 150 g net daily. That is higher carb than keto diets for sure, but also much lower carb than the SAD diet.
Oh, sorry, somehow I read over the per meal bit. That makes way more sense!
I don't consider 150 g net in my mind to be low carb (I'd call it moderate carb), but would agree it's lower carb than what someone was likely eating before. At 1200, even 150 total carbs is 50% (the MFP default), so at 175 (assuming at least 25 g fiber), it would be more than the MFP default. Even at 1500, total carbs of 175, net of 150 g, would be around 47%, so just below the default.
I'm using those cal numbers because OP said a range of 1200-1500.
That said, nothing at all wrong with 150 g net, of course, and I get that moderate carb, watching the type of carbs and how many per meal is important for controlling T2D, but it's why when someone says low fat and low carb people think it's unusual and difficult.
It seems OP did mean what the rest of us assumed, however. Good luck, OP -- I could not personally eat that much protein on a 1200-1500 diet longer term, but at least you are eating somewhat more fat than it initially seemed. Are you under a doctor's or dietician's care?
OP, losing is the easy part... it’s keeping the weight off that’s hard, as your experience shows. Are you willing to keep up this diet for the rest of your life? It seems like it would be hard never eating a sliver of cake at a birthday party, for example.
Eating LOWER carb has many of the same benefits - keeps your blood sugar from being batted around and causing cravings - without being so restrictive. Something to think about. Best of luck to you.
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That amount of calories is way too low for someone your size. Also, you don’t need to go low carb to lose weight.1
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