Healthy Low Carb? Exist?

yarwell

Anyone have some suggestions?? I would like to do a 1200 cal, low carb <30 a day, but also stay in my fat grams!

There are three macronutrients - Carbs, Protein and Fat. 30g of carbs plus 100g of protein is just over 500 cals leaving you with just under 700 cals from fat which is about 75 grams.

If you don't like the 75g but insist on the 30g of fat then you have to eat a silly amount of protein to square the circle. This is something like the Dukan Diet. 30g of fat 270 cals, 30g of carbs 120 cals leaving 203g of protein for 812 cals.

You have lots of "lean" items in your diary, you could get a lot more fat by avoiding "diet" or "lean" things like chicken breast, eat the whole egg not egg whites, etc etc,

I couldn't recommend 200g of protein for a woman looking to lose weight, especially within a 1200 calorie limit. "Rabbit starvation" springs to mind.

likitisplit

Am I missing something? I understand that a lot of processed simple carbs such as white bread, pastries etc. aren't ideal for weight loss. However, the majority of fruits and vegetables include carbs plus valuable micronutrients. In my diary this week there are raspberries, broccoli, kale, beets etc. all which contain carbs. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats form the three main macronutrients that are essential in every balanced diet. "While proteins and fats may be responsible for bodily functions such as the creation of body tissues and insulation, carbohydrates provide calories that are necessary for the production of energy. In fact, carbs provide more than 60 percent of the amount of energy required by the body. The energy is mostly used for normal body functions such as heartbeat, digestion, breathing and body movement. Carbohydrates can be classified according to their chemical structures, and under such classification, they are divided into simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates." (Fitday article)

I understand the desire to emphasize complex carbs, which have higher nutrition, but low carbs overall seems odd. Am I missing something or when people say "low carb" do they really mean "quality carb" (not that a piece of white bread will kill you .

You have missed all the posts about whether or not to eat bananas. Stick around.

GiGiBeans

If you are eating that small of a # of carbs to fuel your body in a few weeks you'll enter ketosis and become a fat burner instead of carb burner - this is why you need to eat higher fats. Avocados, nuts, olives are high fat and recommended low carb foods.

If a higher fat diet bothers you eat more carbs and stick to brown rice and whole wheat pasta, quinoa, whole grain breads.

BTW, the above foods are all on the Atkins plan in the later stages. 30 carbs is lower than the majority of people on Atkins eat - only those choosing to stay on induction for long periods of time are lower. It's not recommended to keep that low outside severe insulin resistance. If you plan on sticking to only 30 look into keto diets.

ALNoog

If you are eating that small of a # of carbs to fuel your body in a few weeks you'll enter ketosis and become a fat burner instead of carb burner - this is why you need to eat higher fats. Avocados, nuts, olives are high fat and recommended low carb foods.

If a higher fat diet bothers you eat more carbs and stick to brown rice and whole wheat pasta, quinoa, whole grain breads.

BTW, the above foods are all on the Atkins plan in the later stages. 30 carbs is lower than the majority of people on Atkins eat - only those choosing to stay on induction for long periods of time are lower. It's not recommended to keep that low outside severe insulin resistance. If you plan on sticking to only 30 look into keto diets.

She claimed she was anti Atkins.

jofjltncb6

Yikes. Alot of really snarky posts. I cap things a lot so its all good.

But seriously- nobody needs to eat white rice/flour/pasta. It is actually very BAD for you. So cutting it out is more for health reasons in general than weight loss. I think 40 grams of fat also seems like a lot as well....I like eating fresh foods without lots of preservatives, thank you all so much for the advice esp. trog's post. It was excellent.

I thought maybe people would offer meals that they use, but I guess when I said low carb people jumped all over it. I said low carb not Atkins!

You know what is scientifically proven to be worse for your health than eating white rice/flour/pasta? Being and staying overweight.

People try these restriction diets, get frustrated, give up entirely, and stay fat. Those "snarky" replies you have gotten (and will almost certainly continue to get) are from people who vehemently disagree with the basic tenets of your views on health. To be clear, I'm one of those people.

In no rational diet is 40 grams of fat "a lot". It's very little. Too little.

So if you're also doing low carb, then by necessity your diet will need to be high protein. (These are your three main options for types of calories: fat, carb, and protein.) Low fat, low carb, and high protein is generally known as a Bad Idea™. (I believe the phrase is "rabbit starvation"...not sure, but what I am sure about is the bad idea part.) It's the "low fat" part that I believe is most deleterious...er, I mean, most bad. Low fat is bad for a number of reasons.

And Atkins fits well with what you're trying to accomplish. Not sure why you're pushing back against that suggestion.

TL;DR - you do *not* want to jump into a diet that is low carb, low fat, and high protein without *really* knowing what you are doing and why you are doing it.

lemurcat12

I NEED to detox from the white stuff. I eat way too much and I am very overweight. I don't mind doing low carb but I just don't want to eat so much fat! I am not a cheese person really, but I am eating it just to make up my 1200 calories.


Anyone have some suggestions?? I would like to do a 1200 cal, low carb <30 a day, but also stay in my fat grams!

Other people have said the same thing, but this might be a way of explaining it:

(1) Your calories are going to come from fat, carbs, or protein, so by definition all together will add up to 100%.

(2) The standard MFP set up (if you just take what they give you) is 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein (for 100% total).

(3) You can customize these if you want, and make it, say, 40% carbs, 30% fats, and 30% proteins (also 100% total). But it always has to add up to 100%.

(4) If you don't customize it and just eat way under one of the amounts (here, carbs), you simply cannot then meet both of the remaining macronutrient amounts. If you want to eat significantly fewer carbs, then, you are going to have to eat more fats or protein, and if you try to get all the additional calories from protein--apart from whether that's actually the most healthy strategy--it's going to be really difficult unless you start eating a bunch of protein shakes or something. I'm just trying to get about one gram per LBM (just something I'm experimenting with) and finding it hard to do.

(5) If you really want to change the macronutrients to be low carb, it probably makes sense to customize it so you can see what your new goals are and not get frustrated that you can't make 10% plus 30% plus 20% add up to 100%. It may not make sense to complicate it so much, as you don't have to meet a particular macronutrient breakdown to lose weight.

Also, as others have said, you can reduce "white carbs" if you want to without going low carb. And there's nothing really magic about the 30% fats number, either--lots of healthy foods (like avocados or nuts or egg yolks) have lots of fat. They just tend to be higher in calories so easy to overeat.

MistressPi

I NEED to detox from the white stuff. I eat way too much and I am very overweight. I don't mind doing low carb but I just don't want to eat so much fat! I am not a cheese person really, but I am eating it just to make up my 1200 calories.


Anyone have some suggestions?? I would like to do a 1200 cal, low carb <30 a day, but also stay in my fat grams!

Yes. In a word: Atkins. Pick up a copy of New Atkins for a New You. Read it, give the diet an honest go. It's a very healthy diet. Don't be afraid of fat. Atkins is not a low fat diet. Fat is your friend.

If you want to follow The Atkins Lifestyle, the 2002 version (the last one Dr Atkins wrote before he died) is the best one. It is based on eating WHOLE foods and not the products (bars, shakes and frozen meals) that the new plan factors into the plan.

The 1972 version of Atkins is the very, very strict one that utilizes total carb counts, which I prefer to do also. Its ridiculous to me to subtract fiber. My endocrinologist agrees with me as he stated the "net" carb thing is there just so people can justify eating more because when they subtract fiber they have more carbs there to eat.

I believe in completely nourishing your body, not feeding it crap disguised as food. That is all those pre-packaged bars, shakes, frozen meals are - crap disguised to look like food.

If you stick to the basics of protein, fats and green leafy vegetables...........through in some berries for a snack and you are eating healthy.

I agree that whole foods that you cook in your own kitchen are better than meal replacement shakes. But meal replacement shakes are a good choice if you find yourself in a bind - for whatever reason - and can't have a whole foods meal.

I disagree with you on your position on net carbs. People can disregard the fiber because people cannot digest fiber. So, you CAN eat more veggies and salads than the Atkins '72 diet. Since 1999, Atkins himself thought it okay to subtract grams of fiber from your total carb count.

We will have to agree to disagree with respect to which edition of the Atkins Diet books is the "best". All of them will work if honestly applied. I like the new one because it has up-to-date info and tips to help you succeed on the diet. Dr. Atkins was continually refining and tweaking the best way to do his diet. I applaud the authors of the new book for continuing his work. The new authors don't "push" you to eat the bars and shakes, merely provide them as an option. It includes various Atkins products in sample menus. Dr. Atkins himself was hawking his own line of shakes and bake mix for many years before he died.