Carbs, and Macros...

Aimee71B
Aimee71B Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Trying to lower my carb intake. Is the carbs in fruits and vegetables that essential to follow and count as say.. A sandwich bun, tortilla, or something of that nature? I'm trying to get my Macros rigth( been on mfp since Sept., but fairly new to the Community ). Just always counted the calories, and was cautious of carbs, but trying to up my calories which I def need to do. I have gotten better with but trying to eat the right combination to do so. Stats if needed.. Female,( 42 )SW 242.8( 9-12-13) CW 197.6 ( no loss in 2.5 weeks ) GW 160. I'm 5'5. My diary is open, but please be kind, as its a work in progress, and has changed a few times in the last 3 weeks.. Thanks in advance for the suggestions, and help, its greatly appreciated!:smile:

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    **Sits you down and looks you in eyes**

    You are netting 500 calories most days. This is not enough food.

    You might not have suffered any ill effects from doing this when you were 242 pounds. But now that you're not obese, you need to net at least your BMR every day. Please learn from my mistakes. I lost 100 lbs a few years ago, and I'm still dealing with the health issues from losing it stupidly. I'm still struggling with gaining back all the muscle I lost and the damage I did. Four surgeries and 2 bone grafts later, please heed my warning.

    Eat. More.

    Edit to add: my starting weight was 240 as well
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Eat more... not to sound rude but you are 197lbs - you need more than 94g of carbs per day. You only hinder your progress by limiting your carbs.

    And btw, my starting weight last year was your current weight - I ate atleast 1670 cals per day. You are definitely not getting enough food.
  • Aimee71B
    Aimee71B Posts: 19 Member
    I'm truly working on the eating enough food.. I was so caught up with portion control, eating all healthy this and that, that it got away from me. I'm slowly but steadily trying to get there. Ive noticed an appetite increase since ive been weight training with my trainer, so i'm hoping that continues. I'm just so confused on the proper nutrition I should be eating daily. Just count the calories? Count everything? Looking for ways to up my calories without the carbs. Thank you for the kindness of a reply.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    You are leaving a lot of protein "on the table" most days (I just went back a week or so). Not enough protein!

    As to carbs - they are a rich source of calories. If you are trying to eat more, then why would you want to cut them back? Because if you do, you'll need to eat more fat or protein anyways to make up the "missing" calories.

    Carbs will not kill you. If you have diabetes, you need to watch them, and spread them out over the day, and eat complex carbs rather than simple ones. Otherwise, eat all the foodz.

    Oh, and yes, ALL foods count, be it fruit or bread. Log everything. This isn't Weight Watchers with free foods etc.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    You have to count everything. It can be hard to eat more but think about it.. maybe instead of having a cup of strawberries, you can have 2 or 3. Maybe another glass of milk... it's actually pretty easy to fit in more healthy food, try to increase your portions.
  • Aimee71B
    Aimee71B Posts: 19 Member
    OK, on the carbs, and protien, and a definite increase to calories! Ive been counting the fruits/ vegetables. Thanks for much for the input, it's appreciated!
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Trying to lower my carb intake. Is the carbs in fruits and vegetables that essential to follow and count as say.. A sandwich bun, tortilla, or something of that nature? I'm trying to get my Macros rigth( been on mfp since Sept., but fairly new to the Community ). Just always counted the calories, and was cautious of carbs, but trying to up my calories which I def need to do. I have gotten better with but trying to eat the right combination to do so. Stats if needed.. Female,( 42 )SW 242.8( 9-12-13) CW 197.6 ( no loss in 2.5 weeks ) GW 160. I'm 5'5. My diary is open, but please be kind, as its a work in progress, and has changed a few times in the last 3 weeks.. Thanks in advance for the suggestions, and help, its greatly appreciated!:smile:

    If you want to stay low-ish carbs, go for it! Nothing wrong with doing 40% carbs 30% protein 30% fat. Or 30/40/30. Or whatever you want. But since you're losing weight over a long period, you need to make sure you're getting:

    25 grams of fiber every day
    75 calories of vegetables every day
    120 calories of fruit every day
    100 grams or so of protein every day (more if you want)
    30 grams of fat every day (more if you want) -- and make sure at least 2/3s of them are unsaturated
    100% of your calcium
    100% of your iron
    Lifting weights a couple times a week
    Taking a multivitamin
    Getting enough sleep
    Drinking enough water

    ^^Do all THIS, and I don't care how many carbs you eat.
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    All calories count - fruit, veggies, bread, meat, etc. - everything. Try 40-30-30 mix (with the 40% healthy carbs like veggies, whole grain, etc., 30% lean protein and 30% healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, omega 3, etc.) see if that helps. sorry but its trial and error since every individual is unique and the way our body processes the food is different. Simply Increasing calories does not work for me. What works is - macros. Good luck.
  • Aimee71B
    Aimee71B Posts: 19 Member
    Thank you for this info, this will definaltey help me :)

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