weight loss advice needed

nursekirsty

hi everyone

I am doing not too bad with this weight loss plan - ie sticking to my calories but I was thinking about cutting out carbs to 20g as I have a big 6 stone to lose

so what I was wondering was - I am planning to hit the gym 5/6 times a week and I wonder if low carb will affect my performance in the gym

also do I need to cut carbs at the moment or just aim for a deficit? will it affect my losses a lot to go low carb

thanks

4legsRbetterthan2

20g of carbs a day is pretty much nothing, and if you try to do that while working out you will probably feel like poop. Carbs are not evil and they are your most immediate source of energy so they are what you use when you work out. If you want to lower your carbs then change the percentages for your daily goals - under home, change goals, set your goals manually. You should be able to change the percent of carbs in your calories, I think MFP automatically sets it at 50-55 so you can lower that but do it slowly and see how you feel. Alot of people like the 40/30/30 ratio.

nursekirsty

Thank you I have changed my macros to 40/30/30

parkscs

If you want a detailed answer, it depends on the type of gym activity you're doing and how long you've been in a state of ketosis. You can expect your athletic performance to suffer until your body is full keto-adapted, which can take up to a few months. That doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise during this time but only that you won't be 100% in the gym. Once fully adapted, you should notice your performance improve for many activities. That said, there are some athletic activities for which your body will never perform optimally on a standard low carb diet. For instance, if you're a sprinter, odds are you will not be able to perform optimally without some carbohydrate intake before your workouts. In that situation, you may decide a low carb diet isn't right for you or you could try a targeted low carb diet.

But, for the standard person wanting to lose weight and improve their fitness, you'll be fine going to the gym on a low carb diet. Again, expect to see your performance suffer a bit if you're just now starting a low carb diet, but this should improve over time.

All that said, do you NEED to cut carbs? No. You don't. If you do, though, the above applies to you.

nursekirsty

Thank you - I will stick to the 40/30/30 and hit the gym and see how things work out - I have a feeling it's a bit too early for me to start cutting out food groups - i am losing at a good pace just now

I am just keen to lose the weight :-(