Need low carb help please!

skinnyontheinside27

First off, I don't really want to debate low carb's healthy vs. not healthy.... I am not following Atkins or Keto or anything. I am just eating moderate fat, low carb, high protein.


I instantly lost about ten pounds and now I am up or down the same five pounds for the last two weeks and I am FRUSTRATED. I play around with the level of fat I eat, but I eat low carb mainly because I feel better when I cut out rice/pasta/sugar. I never liked potatoes, and my stomach issues have gotten better when I stopped eating starch..

I am aim for 32 carbs, 40 g fat, 1200 calories. And so far I haven't exercised regularly....I have a ton to lose and I am so frustrated....What am I doing wrong???

monica10171

I am also doing 1200 calories but my numbers are 30 carb, 93 fat and 60 p. You could be eating too much protein that will keep you from losing. I would add more fat and cut back on the protein. Also some people do not lose if they are eating a lot of dairy or nuts. It is different for everyone. I am diabetic so I keep my carbs very low and have lost 40lbs so far using these numbers.

EvanKeel

In all seriousness, I'd re-evaluate your expectations. People frequently lose a lot of weight initially going low-carb, but they're not losing a ton of fat; a lot of it is water.

1200 calories per day is not a lot of intake if you're at all active; it's not a lot of intake even if you're not active. If you still don't see a loss over the course of 4-6 weeks, you're probably under estimating how much you're eating.

EDIT

I am also doing 1200 calories but my numbers are 30 carb, 93 fat and 60 p. You could be eating too much protein that will keep you from losing

Can't disagree more there.

skinnyontheinside27

Hmm....I am eating ALOT of protein. Like sometimes a 100 a day....I don't want to eat strachy carbs! I am not going to add back pasta, bread or rice, I don't like beans or potatoes.

I guess my numbers all mixed up, but I don't know how to fix them.

Dragonwolf

For one, you'll get better answers and less trolling by joining a group. I personally like this one - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/411-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group- - but there are probably others out there, too.

That said, is there any particular reason you're doing low carb, moderate fat, and high protein? Without a very good reason for it, that combination isn't generally recommended, because protein is not really meant to be a fuel source. Generally speaking, when you go low carb, you want to increase your fats, so your protein is used for maintaining lean mass and not used for fuel. It might be one of the reasons you're having trouble.

When protein is used for fuel, it undergoes a process called "gluconeogenisis," which creates sugar. When you don't give the body adequate dietary carbs or fat, the body uses this sugar from protein as its fuel source. Any sugar beyond what the brain uses goes to be stored as glycogen (quick-access fuel for the body for times of high intensity output, such as sprinting), and beyond that, it will be stored again as fat.

When you first go low carb, the body uses its glycogen stores, first. This is the bulk of that 10 pounds you lost in the first month. The 5 pounds that you are losing now is likely gain and loss of glycogen and other sources of water weight.

Hmm....I am eating ALOT of protein. Like sometimes a 100 a day....I don't want to eat strachy carbs! I am not going to add back pasta, bread or rice, I don't like beans or potatoes.

I guess my numbers all mixed up, but I don't know how to fix them.

You don't have to. Starch is not the only fuel source. Just increase your fats so that you're getting a good amount of fuel from them. You need fat in order to properly absorb nutrients, and for fuel (especially in a low-carb situation). Avocados, olive oil on your salad, sautee stuff in coconut oil -- these are just a couple of ways you can get the fat you need.

richardheath

Losing weight is about eating at a calorie deficit. If you are not losing weight, then you are not in a calorie deficit.

Most of the initial 10 lbs was probably water, and 5 lb fluctuations over the course of a week are not going to be fat either. It would take a 17,500 calorie deficit over a few days to lose 5 lb, and a 17,500 surplus the next few days to gain it back. Is your carb level steady throughout the week? [Carbs are converted first to glycogen, which is stored along with lots of water in your muscle. When you stop eating carbs, you lose the glycogen plus water; when you eat carbs again, you gain both back.]

If you are logging correctly, then just stick with it a bit longer, and look for a trend in the weight over the course of a month or so.

1swolpanda

well from my personal experience with the low carb diet its okay to do the low amount of carbs you are doing but u are way!!!!!! too low in fat,
after doing differant diets from losing my weight i went to a school for personal training and nutrition, i learned alot about these types of "diets", u need to increase the fat in the diet because your body instead of burning off carbs it will start burning off fat for its enitial source of energy, this takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks before it starts to do that, these weeks you will see a drop in weight yes but it will mainly be due to the loss of waterweight, and the reason it stays off is because you are stoping the intake of the molecule in the carbohydrate which allows the body to retain water, 1 molecule of carb holds 3 molecules of water, so your body doesnt just lose the weight it also stops the ability to retain the water, so u must increase the water intake as well in the diet. so u must be careful in this style of dieting!!

laurenawolf

100g of protein is not a lot. And 32g of carbs is crazy! So are you just eating an insane amount of fat?

_HeartsOnFire_

In all seriousness, I'd re-evaluate your expectations. People frequently lose a lot of weight initially going low-carb, but they're not losing a ton of fat; a lot of it is water.

1200 calories per day is not a lot of intake if you're at all active; it's not a lot of intake even if you're not active. If you still don't see a loss over the course of 4-6 weeks, you're probably under estimating how much you're eating.

EDIT

I am also doing 1200 calories but my numbers are 30 carb, 93 fat and 60 p. You could be eating too much protein that will keep you from losing

Can't disagree more there.

QFT

MelisMusing

We can't see your diary, so its hard to say if your eating a quality low carb or not. Some things that could hold you back: too much sodium, not enough healthy fats (avocado, coconut, real butter). Depending on your current weight, you might not be eating enough calories. Are you drinking enough water?

Kchloee

I currently do LCHF, it works great for me...But, oddly enough, when I started to stall, the only thing that helped was upping my calories and eating more carbs (I had lots of curry and rice).

Try upping your carbs and your calories for a day and gage if that makes a difference.

mickey9694

Maybe try increasing the amount of fat in your diet? I lost weight pretty steadily while doing low-carb high-fat moderate-protein.

Dragonwolf

100g of protein is not a lot. And 32g of carbs is crazy! So are you just eating an insane amount of fat?

The OP posted the number of grams of each, which was 40g of fat, and 1200 calories. The calorie amount is arguably too low, and the amount of fat is rather low for a low-carb diet.

laurenawolf

She gave 32g of carbs which equals = 128 calories
40g of fat = 360 calories
"Almost 100g of protein" = 400 calories

That's 888 calories.
Not 1200

Just up your carbs, and eat what you want in moderation. You will still lose weight eating in a deficit.

skinnyontheinside27

I am eating arounf 800-1000 calories a day because I am trying to keep it low fat and low carb. Its super frustrating.

kgeyser

I am eating arounf 800-1000 calories a day because I am trying to keep it low fat and low carb. Its super frustrating.

First, your calories are way too low. Second, WHY are you trying to keep it low fat and low carb? What is your reasoning for doing this, as science has shown that it is not going to have an effect on weight loss?

sarrajune

Losing weight is about eating at a calorie deficit. If you are not losing weight, then you are not in a calorie deficit.

Most of the initial 10 lbs was probably water, and 5 lb fluctuations over the course of a week are not going to be fat either. It would take a 17,500 calorie deficit over a few days to lose 5 lb, and a 17,500 surplus the next few days to gain it back.

This is quoted for total truth. It's a very common thing with low-carb diets and water weight loss at the start.

It's very simple though: stay well below your calorie limit. The only thing you're doing wrong from what I'm reading is you really shouldn't and don't have a great reason to be low fat. Some people like to argue the point or get into the details but good fats will make you full so you will want to eat even less. I suggest Salmon and Mackerel, two very fatty fish, Avocado, Almonds, and Olive Oil (it's actually really good with just salt and pepper on salads for example!)

Good luck sweetie

kingscrown

Low carb means low simple carbs. It took me a year to get use to not eating lots of just plain sugar. I love my sweets. I loved my simple carbs, bread, pasta, potatoes, cookies, cake etc. I try and keep my carbs definitely below 200 gram and closer to 125 a day. That allows for a lot of yummy things and helps keep out the things I don't need any ways.

richardheath

I am eating arounf 800-1000 calories a day because I am trying to keep it low fat and low carb. Its super frustrating.

If it is super frustrating, why do it? Don't overcomplicate it, and don't do something frustrating as you won't be able to keep to it.

Eat at a reasonable deficit (that means eat more than 800 cal per day); eat foods you enjoy (in moderation); get your protein and fats; eat veggies and fruits for the micronutrients. Exercise for fitness and health.

Sabine_Stroehm

I am eating arounf 800-1000 calories a day because I am trying to keep it low fat and low carb. Its super frustrating.

Low fat, low carb AND low calorie does NOT sound smart. If you're going to do a low carb diet, consider dragon wolf's suggestions. Higher fat, moderate protein.

Sabine_Stroehm

Low carb means low simple carbs. It took me a year to get use to not eating lots of just plain sugar. I love my sweets. I loved my simple carbs, bread, pasta, potatoes, cookies, cake etc. I try and keep my carbs definitely below 200 gram and closer to 125 a day. That allows for a lot of yummy things and helps keep out the things I don't need any ways.

Most folks don't define low carb the way you do, for one. And last time I checked bread, pasta and potatoes were complex carbs, not simple carbs.

Rainboots80

I have been doing low carb since January. I actually have started eating more carbs then I did at first. I make sure most of my carbs come from veggies though and I keep it under 100g a day. I noticed I wasnt losing if I ate too much cheese. I also try to eat between 1400-1500 calories a day.

emmanap91

I agree with people saying you need to re-evaluate your proportions of carb/fat/protein/etc.

However, I'm on about 1200 per day (though I haven't been very good about it haha) and I will always tell everyone this: if you want to fill up without eating more starch or protein, go with vegetables. Fiber is so freakin filling, and if you want to rule it out as a "carb" then you need to re-evaluate what you consider to be off-limits carbs. Most of the carbs in vegetables are good for you, fill you up, and tend to be very low cal.

When I was feeling hungry last week but knew I was going to have a high-cal dinner, I just ate an entire bunch of broccoli and I was full for hours. It was delicious (this one is just my opinion), healthy, it filled me up, and I didn't waste my allotted calories on a higher-cal snack.

MrsSausage58

I am eating arounf 800-1000 calories a day because I am trying to keep it low fat and low carb. Its super frustrating.

Not enough calories.

:flowerforyou:

Dragonwolf

I am eating arounf 800-1000 calories a day because I am trying to keep it low fat and low carb. Its super frustrating.

First, your calories are way too low. Second, WHY are you trying to keep it low fat and low carb? What is your reasoning for doing this, as science has shown that it is not going to have an effect on weight loss?

Not only does that not have an effect on weight loss, but low carb, low fat, high protein is potentially very, very dangerous and can kill you. It's called protein poisoning, or rabbit starvation. You're not only depriving your body of much-needed fuel (carbs and/or fat), but depriving your body of nutrients that can only be absorbed with fat, and putting unnecessary strain on your liver and kidneys.

The human body can live on next to no carbohydrates or a rather small amount of fat, but you can't deprive it of both. The need for them is so strong, in fact, that one of the symptoms of rabbit starvation is insatiable cravings that only carbs or fat can sate. This has been well-documented for centuries, and hunter-gatherer cultures have known long before that, that you cannot live on all or nearly all protein.

Protein is building blocks, not fuel. Carbs and fat are fuel. If you decrease one, you must increase the other. If your body is trying to use a lot of protein for fuel, you're doing something very, very wrong.