Typical Low-Carb Day For You?

cneshe

Hi all!

I'm new to this group and seeking feedback on what a typical diary day looks like for you. I am working with a trainer/nutritionist who (fairly recently), put me on a 20% carb/40% protein/40% fat macro plan. My typical calories per day are 1450, and my activity level is 3x per week workouts (strength/cardio), but this is counter-acted with a mostly sedentary job (a lot of driving and sitting).

My typical diary day:

Breakfast -
- homemade baked frittatas (whole eggs, veggies, greek yogurt, spices)
- coffee with stevia and sometimes black or sometimes with almond milk

Snack -
- mashed cauliflower (boiled, mashed w/spices and garlic cloves. No extra fat source)

Lunch -
- grilled chicken (4-6 oz)
- spaghetti squash (boiled, plain, sometimes with spices, no extra fat source)

Snack -
- trader joe's chili and lime nut mix - 1/4 cup
- 1 cup whole raw strawberries

Dinner -
- 4-6 oz ground turkey with taco spices
- veggies

Snack -
- protein shake (whey protein, raw cocoa, stevia, 2 tbsp peanut butter, ice, almond milk)

So all that said, that's kind of a typical day, but if I don't exercise, my macros end up looking terrible for a low-carb diet -- it shakes out at 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. I am trying to increase instances of exercise, but I do a tremendous amount of driving at least 3x per week - starting early to very late. When I first started MFP, I was at 55% carbs, and when I started having 25-30% days, I lost weight very quickly. I recently had some inconsistent days, and my trainer is increasing the rigor a bit more (my individual plan). Now I'm looking for clever ways to stay under 20% carbs without wanting to eat the refrigerator.

Any suggestions on carb substitutes or deletions/daily substitutions I can make? I am also happy to add friends who can see my diary for themselves. I appreciate your help and support!

Group hug,
~CJ

MermaidTX

My diary is open so you can have a look. I do pretty good staying under 20g net carbs daily.

Valtishia

Here is a day from my diary. Perhaps it will help some.

Breakfast - 3 pieces of bacon, 2 eggs (cooked with leftover bacon grease), 1 1/2 cups spinach

Snack - 1/2 cup of sliced almonds with 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk

Lunch - 2tbsp sour cream/3tbsp cream cheese (mixed together makes a great dip), 2 cups of brocolli, pork tenderloin

Snack - 60 g cheese

Dinner - 4oz steak with 3 nice leafs of cabbage

Snack - 1/4 cup whipping cream

calories - 1691
Sodium -1695
Net Carbs - 14
Fat - 144
Protein - 118

The almonds brought my count up a bit. I don't always eat those, but I was having one of those ravenous mornings.

Rei1988

Up the fat down the carbs!

Mines is something like:

B- uncured bacon, eggs & sometimes a veggie

L-Salad with walnuts, olive salami & homemade vinaigrette

S- nuts or small piece of fruit

D-4-8oz beef with a cup of fresh broccoli + Lots of butter

danimalkeys

somewhat typical for me:

breakfast- 2 bob evans turkey sausage patties and 3 eggs over easy cooked in a little butter
2 cups of coffee with half and half, no sweeteners
340cals 4 carbs 0 fiber 23 fat 28 protein

lunch- mixed green salad with cukes, tomato, a little onion, chicken breast, sometimes avocado, sometimes mushrooms, etc.
409cal 17 carb 9 fiber 23 fat 28 protein

dinner- oven baked sockeye salmon with a spice rub 16oz, cauliflower sautéed in oil with some soy sauce and spices, 18oz
791cal 23 carb 16 fiber 33 fat 102 protein

snax
Sargento's - Low Fat Colby Jack Cheese Stick, 1 piece 60cal 0carb 5fat 5protein 
Planters - Virginia Extra Large Peanuts , 1 oz (34 pieces) 160cal 5c 14f 7p 2 fiber 
Planters - Deluxe Mixed Nuts With Sea Salt, 1 oz. 170cal 7c 15f 5p 2fiber 
Nature Valley Protein Chewy Bars - Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate, 1 bar (40g) 190cal 14c 12f 10p 5fiber

total for day
2,120cal 70carb 125fat 185protein 34fiber, 36g net carbs.

hannahlclrk

i would be interested to have some friend from this thread, I am trying to lower my carb intake but i have a huge appetite that cannot be curbed by the kind of fullness protein rish foods provide, I feel i need to eat veggies on mass! - I have a huge plate of salad at lunch with tuna! - id like some advice on what i can eat to keep carbs down but stay full?

djthom2

My diary is open. I eat anywhere from 1200-1700 cals.. per day. The key is fat, I add olive oil or butter to my veggies. I also pick and choose my veggies by their net carbs. Which means I eat more of the spinach I love and less of some of the others

jackielou867

Are you eating enough protein? I have 6 meals a day 15-20 grams protein each time, and I cut out as much added sugar as I could. I am never hungry, and believe me I always used to be ravenous, the whole day.
I don't eat meat either so I am using a lot of cottage cheese, yogurt and fish for the protein, plus a protein shake after the gym. Seems to work for me :-)

danimalkeys

i would be interested to have some friend from this thread, I am trying to lower my carb intake but i have a huge appetite that cannot be curbed by the kind of fullness protein rish foods provide, I feel i need to eat veggies on mass! - I have a huge plate of salad at lunch with tuna! - id like some advice on what i can eat to keep carbs down but stay full?

I have a big salad for lunch too, with tuna, salmon or chicken breast on it. There is nothing wrong with salad, it's generally low in carbs. Most veggies are ok- just "root" veggies tend to have higher carbs/sugar content, so I limit myself on those. I will use a fair amount of onions but you don't need a lot in a salad, or a couple tablespoons in a sautéed veggie recipe.

There was definitely an adjustment in filling the calorie void left when I got rid of things like rice and potatoes, but adding in things like more eggs, cheeses, an extra portion of meat filled that void.

Jackielou- what kind of yogurt are you using? Most of the ones I see are pretty high in carbs- 20g in 8oz isn't worth it to me, I'd rather get the carbs from somewhere else.

sb4480

Typical day for me is:
Breakfast: 2-3 HB eggs, diet coke (bad habit, I know). If I can hold off eating until 9:30 then this keeps me full until 1:00-2:00
Lunch: 2 cups salad greens, 1/3 hot house cuke (sliced), 3-4oz grilled chicken breast, 1 tsp balsamic, 1/2 tsp olive oil (you could use MCT oil here)
Snack: colby cheddar cheese stick and 15 slices of pepperoni (Boars head is a good brand, 1g carb), jello cup if I need something sweet
Dinner: Tonight is 4oz haddock baked with a smidge of white wine (for flavor), butter and lemon with swiss chard and bacon (probably about a cup)
After dinner snack: jello cup

I drink my requisite 64+ oz of water. I know Atkins says not to count stuff like crystal light, but I do.

Extra snack on hand at my desk is Planter's Heart Healthy nut mix (almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts, but I don't eat the peanuts).

This comes out to being about 8% (1200 cal) carbs

I find that once I find a combo of food that works for me and that I like I can stick with it pretty well. So the only thing that really changes day-to-day is dinner.