Anyone combine low calorie with low/lower carb?

kopmom

I am about 10lbs away from my goal and have seem to been here for awhile. I lost all the previous weight on Atkins which worked well for me as I felt like I had so much energy and less bloated eating less carbs.

So I am now considering trying to keep my calories low and watching my carbs too (I never counted calories on Atkins) to try to lose the rest of my weight.

So if anyone does this I am curious what amount of carbs you usually eat (net or real carbs)
How many calories do you stay at

I am just not sure what to set for my calorie and carb daily goals

motufit

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

agleckle

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

Um, don't listen to that guy. And don't eat only 800 calories a day... your body will think it is starving and hold onto your fat. Plus, that isn't even a sustainable lifestyle. You won't find support for that low of a calorie goal on this site, that is for sure.

If you want to try something lower carb, then change your percentages in your goal settings around. The default on here is kind of high on carbs, so maybe change it to 30% carbs/ 40% protein / 30% fat. This way, you will have room for some fruits but it will still be a lowER carb plan. Make sure that the great majority of the carbs you DO eat though come from whole grains, veggies and fruits.

BekJ

Losing that last 10lbs is definitely the hardest weight to lose (I know you didn't want to hear that)...
I'm on a low calorie and low carb eating plan (I refuse to call it a diet)
I try to eat very few processed carbs (bread, rice, pasta) but get most of them from fresh fruit and veg, lentils, legumes and the like...
MFP is actually pretty good at figuring out your daily average calorie, carb and protein quota.
I tend to halve my carb intake and increase my protein....

You'll find that by getting in some strength training it'll help. Lean muscle mass (I don't mean looking like a bodybuilder) can increase your daily caloric burn (even when you're sedentry) and help to melt off those few extra pounds....
But remember that 2lbs of muscle is the same size as a small jar of mustard, while 2lbs of fat is the size of a bottle of wine....

Once you get to this stage in your weightloss I tend to go by BodyFat% and clothing size.... Not a number given by the scale...
Hope this helps...

Feel free to add me if you'd like some added support reachng your goal....

PeachyKeene

I found it very hard to meet my caloric intake needs. Eating high in protein, plus I was eating low in fat, most of the time. Things like boiled chicken, grilled lean beef, tuna, etc... veggies were broccoli, cauliflower, greenbeans, etc.... I would be to full, and way to many calories left over for the day. I had to go back to eating some carbs, just to get the 1200 calories before I exercised. I struggled with it for a while, I have an enlarged spleen, that really henders how much I eat. I need little quanities with lots of calories. Peanut butter was really good for that, or any type of nuts.

I was around 20 net carbs and 1200 calories or attempted anyway.

Good Luck!

Larius

My ratios are in my sig.

KeyMasterOfGozer

I have my carbs set to 20%, protein 50%, and fat 30%, but in general, I try to keep carbs below 100g per day if I can.

agleckle is correct, 800 cals per day will probably hinder your fat loss.

BekJ

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

Um, don't listen to that guy. And don't eat only 800 calories a day... your body will think it is starving and hold onto your fat. Plus, that isn't even a sustainable lifestyle. You won't find support for that low of a calorie goal on this site, that is for sure.

If you want to try something lower carb, then change your percentages in your goal settings around. The default on here is kind of high on carbs, so maybe change it to 30% carbs/ 40% protein / 30% fat. This way, you will have room for some fruits but it will still be a lowER carb plan. Make sure that the great majority of the carbs you DO eat though come from whole grains, veggies and fruits.

Agreed!!!! 800 is way too low!!!
Around 1200 to 1500 you will still lose weight and be eating enough to keep your body nourished....
Don't jeopardise your health for a lower body weight!!!

Qarol

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

Holy shizz! I would not recommend this. You still need calories. And potentially more on a low carb diet. I aim for around 1500 a day with a ratio of 10% carbs/50% fat/40% protein.

NewVonnie

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

Are you kidding???? PANTS on you!!!!!!!! PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kopmom

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

Um, don't listen to that guy. And don't eat only 800 calories a day... your body will think it is starving and hold onto your fat. Plus, that isn't even a sustainable lifestyle. You won't find support for that low of a calorie goal on this site, that is for sure.

If you want to try something lower carb, then change your percentages in your goal settings around. The default on here is kind of high on carbs, so maybe change it to 30% carbs/ 40% protein / 30% fat. This way, you will have room for some fruits but it will still be a lowER carb plan. Make sure that the great majority of the carbs you DO eat though come from whole grains, veggies and fruits.

Thanks for the advice, hey I noticed you have done alot of R&R Half Marathons...I am doing my first R&R half next month !! Any advice for me??

jasonweinberg

i did low-cal low-carb for a long time with great results. i didn't adjust my goals on here and didn't really even have a goal. i just kept carbs to a very low number while counting calories and focusing on high protein high fiber.

agleckle

Try 800 Calories per day. Maybe around 50 grams of carbs. But 800 calories is pretty low already so I wouldn't worry about counting carbs. Just try to stay under 800. This is what I'm doing.

Um, don't listen to that guy. And don't eat only 800 calories a day... your body will think it is starving and hold onto your fat. Plus, that isn't even a sustainable lifestyle. You won't find support for that low of a calorie goal on this site, that is for sure.

If you want to try something lower carb, then change your percentages in your goal settings around. The default on here is kind of high on carbs, so maybe change it to 30% carbs/ 40% protein / 30% fat. This way, you will have room for some fruits but it will still be a lowER carb plan. Make sure that the great majority of the carbs you DO eat though come from whole grains, veggies and fruits.

Thanks for the advice, hey I noticed you have done alot of R&R Half Marathons...I am doing my first R&R half next month !! Any advice for me??

Yay! I see that there is one in Virginia Beach and one in Philadelphia next month... which one are you doing? The advice I would say to follow is make sure you train up to at least 10 miles (I know people that only trained up to 7.5 and they were HURTING afterward), make sure you stay hydrated the week before and take advantage of the Cytomax/water/GU stations! : ) (Make sure you drink a bit of water to rinse out the Cytomax or you will get a grossly sticky and dry mouth until you make it to the next water station... unfortunately, I learned this lesson with my first one haha)

worldhurdler

I also do low cal/low carb. My daily calorie goal on MFP is 1240 (set for 1.5lbs/week loss), although with all of the exercise I do it typically is pushed into the 1400-1800 range. I usually eat less than 150g carbs/day, with the number often hovering right around the 110g mark. Here's an awesome article from Mark's Daily Apple website that shows how many carbs/day you should be eating for different weight management: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/
It's a great resource!

robertf57

That is my approach and it has been very successful for me. Make sure you are doing some strength training. You don't need a lot of weight even body weight exercise will help (i.e. pushups, core exercises resistance bands See avatar which was about 10 lbs ago!

Rae6503

For the last few pounds I'm in favor of "eat more to lose more". I have my weight loss set to 0.5lbs per week but average closer to maintenance due to "cheating" a lot (really more like slacking than all and all cheating). I've lost 7lbs in 2 months and only have 7lbs left.

iwstamp

Okay - my take. There is no such thing as "starvation mode". Unles you mean the poor people that are actually starving for want of food. Study after study has shown that Low Calorie Diets, if you can stay on them, will shed pounds. Case closed. Anything else is wishful thinking by those that want to believe that you have to "eat more food" to lose weight. I have done lots of testing on myslef and have settled on a Low Carb / Low Calorie approach. I eat between 800 - 1000 calories per day and keep my carbs under 20 grams (usually less). I shun any grain, corn, dairy, etc... and have embraced the whole grass fed beef and wild caught fish thing but that's a different story. Sticking to my Low Carb and Low Calorie approach, I have lost 50 lbs since late May. I weigh myself everyday (a no no, I know) and can loosley map my weight loss (with pretty consistent exercise) to what the net result of my calorie deficiency for my size should be. Assuning that 3500 calories = a pound of fat. Bottom line, if you can do Low carb and Low Calorie.. it is an absolute sweet spot for weight loss. I have been averaging about 4 lbs of fat loss per week. I've been hungry a few times (haven't cheated yet) - but for the most part, I don't have any cravings. Good luck!

3fitme3

Been trying Atkins for about a week and half and lost about 7 lbs. but am feeling tired and sorta constipated; really want to go back to just MFP counting calories but still watch my carbs; hoping this will work. Has anyone done this before? I really miss fruits/veggies and the flexibility of food choices!

xiamjackie

Okay - my take. There is no such thing as "starvation mode". Unles you mean the poor people that are actually starving for want of food. Study after study has shown that Low Calorie Diets, if you can stay on them, will shed pounds. Case closed. Anything else is wishful thinking by those that want to believe that you have to "eat more food" to lose weight. I have done lots of testing on myslef and have settled on a Low Carb / Low Calorie approach. I eat between 800 - 1000 calories per day and keep my carbs under 20 grams (usually less). I shun any grain, corn, dairy, etc... and have embraced the whole grass fed beef and wild caught fish thing but that's a different story. Sticking to my Low Carb and Low Calorie approach, I have lost 50 lbs since late May. I weigh myself everyday (a no no, I know) and can loosley map my weight loss (with pretty consistent exercise) to what the net result of my calorie deficiency for my size should be. Assuning that 3500 calories = a pound of fat. Bottom line, if you can do Low carb and Low Calorie.. it is an absolute sweet spot for weight loss. I have been averaging about 4 lbs of fat loss per week. I've been hungry a few times (haven't cheated yet) - but for the most part, I don't have any cravings. Good luck!

Unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 4 pounds a week is not a safe bet. Neither is 800-1000 calories. That is a sure-fire way to gain the weight back when you start eating normally again. The OP said she only had 10 more pounds to lose, not 50.

AmiAlcocer

Been trying Atkins for about a week and half and lost about 7 lbs. but am feeling tired and sorta constipated; really want to go back to just MFP counting calories but still watch my carbs; hoping this will work. Has anyone done this before? I really miss fruits/veggies and the flexibility of food choices!

I'm not on Atkins, more keto, which is similar.

You are still early in the game. Wait a couple more weeks and you will feel better as your body switches over to using ketones as its primary energy source. Make sure to take a cup of broth and salt your foods with potassium salts (the no salt salts out there), since ketosis is diuretic in nature and you lose a lot of electrolytes.

Also, I found that veggies were pretty abundant on Atkins and keto, as long as you chose the lower carb ones (remember to subtract fiber from carbs to get net carbs!). A couple cups of spinach, topped with a tsp of chopped onion, half a roma tomato, a good chunk of cucumber and then meat/cheese is delish. Dinner would be meat with 1.5 c of steamed broccoli, etc. I do miss fruit, but once you are a month into it, I believe you can have some berries.

You can adjust your actual goals in MFP, in regards to protein/carb/fat ratios and calories. It's what I have done.

To answer OP's question, yes, this is what I have done on here since January. Since January I've lost almost 40lbs. To me, eating low carb suppresses my appetite enough that eating around 1200cal/day is doable. If I didn't restrict, the lowest I could go was 1600 and I would be so hungry that drywall was appealing. I still feel hunger and I'm not satisfied on 1200, but then again, when I eat so that I don't feel hungry, I plateau. For me, eating to hunger helps me maintain, not lose weight.

sewingdiscontent

Okay - my take. There is no such thing as "starvation mode". Unles you mean the poor people that are actually starving for want of food. Study after study has shown that Low Calorie Diets, if you can stay on them, will shed pounds. Case closed. Anything else is wishful thinking by those that want to believe that you have to "eat more food" to lose weight. I have done lots of testing on myslef and have settled on a Low Carb / Low Calorie approach. I eat between 800 - 1000 calories per day and keep my carbs under 20 grams (usually less). I shun any grain, corn, dairy, etc... and have embraced the whole grass fed beef and wild caught fish thing but that's a different story. Sticking to my Low Carb and Low Calorie approach, I have lost 50 lbs since late May. I weigh myself everyday (a no no, I know) and can loosley map my weight loss (with pretty consistent exercise) to what the net result of my calorie deficiency for my size should be. Assuning that 3500 calories = a pound of fat. Bottom line, if you can do Low carb and Low Calorie.. it is an absolute sweet spot for weight loss. I have been averaging about 4 lbs of fat loss per week. I've been hungry a few times (haven't cheated yet) - but for the most part, I don't have any cravings. Good luck!

For real though. I read all those calorie increase threads like "wuh what?" It is strange to see how many here hold religiously to this principle of starvation mode. If it were a thing, there would be no underweight people with eating disorders. No one chunks up from being underfed.