would any low carb dieters mind taking a look

Sharyn913

Would you mind taking a look at my diet, and maybe give a little advise on what I'm doing wrong. I monitor my keytosis. And I have been in the highest margin for about a week now. And I'm not really loosing anything, almost gaining. I have a very physical job,and work 12 hours a day, so it can't really be exercise. Thank you for any advise.

I have not read more than 2-3 replies. (I have done low carb on and off)

But based on your activity level and you are a grown man, it looks like you are NOT eating enough and fueling your body enough. Spend some time researching TDEE and see where you would be best at. My guess is you will want to NET at least 1,500-1,800 calories.

Just my two cents!

delilah47

You people are awesome, and thank you. I will definitely cut out the sodas and v8's and try and get my calories up. The sodium is something I never thought of.

Sodium does NOT affect true weight loss. It only temporarily makes you retain water, which is why weight can fluctuate from day to day.

goldfinger88

I looked at several days of your diary and it appears to me you're not getting nearly enough calories. For one thing, a man should get far more than a woman in most cases. And your goal and mine are the same. I'm sure you need more food than I do at my 5'1" frame (albiet a large frame.)

I'd check with the fat2fitradio.com site and see how many calories you "really" need. This site is way too low and many people are really under eating. You might also want to consider drinking iced tea (green is best) instead of the Mountain Dew.

delilah47

If you are truly on a low carb diet and "managing" your ketosis (which I take to mean you are attempting to remain in ketosis), you are eating WAY too many carbs. I see on Saturday and Sunday, you had close to, or over 400 carbs. In order to stay in ketosis, you should be eating, in most cases, less than 50 carbs per day. How are you managing your ketosis? The only way you can tell if you are in ketosis is to buy some keto-stix and measure them in your urine. The stick should look some hue of purple..the darker, the more ketones in your urine. If you are not staying in ketosis and seeing how many carbs you are eating, you should be gaining weight, not losing. If you are going to do "low carb" educate yourself and follow a reputable plan. So, start peeing on your keto-stix and lower your carb intake dramatically. You should start losing in less than a week. If you stick to this diet you should lose weight rather rapidly. I have been there, done that. This is one diet you can't have cheat days on. And.. if you keep your carbs very low (20-50), it doesn't matter how many calories you eat.

I'm sorry you must have Mister read my diet, this site gave me a goal of 400 carbs. I don't think I eat that many in two weeks. Yes I use keto sticks, and they have been as dark maroon as the chart goes.

You are right, I did misread your diet. If you are getting dark purple on your keto stix, you should be losing weight. However, the premise is the same. If you stay in ketosis, the calories you eat are not important in losing weight. Here is a link to the Atkins bulletin boards. Maybe someone there can help you. There are too many mixed messages here. Good luck!

Edit: Oops.. I sent you the link in an email. Posting it may be a violation.

andreanicole686

I would do more egg whites without all the yolk and maybe some carbs for beakfast instead of later in the day. Also, yeap eating more will help you. Add in healthy calories like nuts, avocado and things high in protein etc.

MommaKit79

Its 100% I just don't input all the water I drink,usually 5-6 bottles a day. I can get some snacks in. I would have just never thought I wasn't eating enough.

Sometimes we eat large meals thinking it will help with not eating so often but, actually, it isnt about how much we eat at each meal but, eating SOMETHING. If you eat a smaller breakfast, then a smal snack between breakfast and lunch, like a piece of fruit, or carrot sticks, or something like that, or even a Special K drink or something, that keeps your metabolism moving and keeps the energy there.

Sodium could be a problem...it is for some people and not others. Just like some people, like me, cant lose weight effectively if there is a slightly high sugar intake but that doesnt seem to effect others.

simplydelish2

Cals are way too low. Don't eat below your BMR - and if your job is physically strenuous eat more than that. You'll find that eating more will help you lose faster....I know it sounds crazy but it has worked for many of my MFP friends. I started the eating more routine on May 1, and after a four month plateau, have lost 9 lbs since then.

grinch031

I don't think you are eating enough green/yellow vegetables. Many people believe that burning ketones means your are burning fat...this isn't really true. What you are burning is protein. I see your breakfast is eggs and bacon, try instead of bacon (which is really high in calories) use salsa (as much as you want), a tablespoon or so shredded cheese and fat free sour cream. You should still get in at least 4 serving of vegetables each day even on a low carb diet. Broccoli and cheese is a good choice, almost any steamed vegetable with a spritz of italian dressing is delicious. Zuchinni and squash are about to be in season and they are great spritzed with olive oil, sprinkled with your favorite seasoning (I like garlic) and grilled until tender. In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight. If you stay in ketosis you will go into "starvation mode". Limiting carbs like bread is a good idea no doubt but in the end it is all about the calories.

.."In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight"..

NO NO NO. For example, and it may not be healthy, you could eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight if you keep your carbs at about 20-30 per day. If you are in ketosis (you HAVE to be in ketosis), your body does not draw energy from the food you eat. Ketosis is what happens when your body burns its fat storage. Your body does not burn fat storage because it's in ketosis. It is in ketosis BECAUSE it is burning fat in storage.

If people are not familiar with the way a *truly* low carb diet works, they are just confusing the matter by saying stuff like the above quotation.

This kind of nonsense makes us in the community look bad. You cannot eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight unless your name is Michael Phelps and/or you are doing intense exercise for 6 hours a day.

Your body does draw energy from the food you eat regardless of whether you're in ketosis. And ketosis occurs when your body does not have sufficient glucose readily available to fuel the brain, so it seeks an alternate fuel source in the form of ketones which are derived from fat.

jcpmoore

What you are eating looks good. It's what you're not eating that I find problematic. When you're eating low-carb, you need to fill that gap with more vegetables. So double up on your vegetables and see how that works. Good luck!

RachelsReboot

Just a repeat of what others said, you are not eating enough, it you can eat a good deal more and remain in ketosis by keeping your carbs low, I honestly do not know how you could be in ketosis on a consistent basis with the amount of carbs in your diet. You can change your macros around and if you are serious about doing low carb you should do that. Do you have a medical reason or do you just feel better without the carbs? I am a keto dieter (medical necessity) you can add me if you like.

SGRhapsodos

Fellow somewhat low carber here (i eat more carbs on exercise days). You're wayyyyyyy below your calorie needs, especially if you're burning so much. Try to eat back your 'exercise' calories but undereat at about a margin of about 200 to 300 calories a day, NO LESS!!!!!! This will keep your metabolism up to speed and prevent your body from going into starvation. In addition, eat some more carbs, like a couple of fruits, so your body can process the amino acids from the protein you're eating. Carbs are important for preserving muscle, especially if you're active. Just make sure that the carbs come form good sources like potatoes, brown rice, beans, quinoa, and fruits. EAT!!!! I'm actually dropping pounds without wanting it by eating a minimum of 1800 cals a day and always eating back all my exercise calories and sometimes more!!!!

grinch031

If you are truly on a low carb diet and "managing" your ketosis (which I take to mean you are attempting to remain in ketosis), you are eating WAY too many carbs. I see on Saturday and Sunday, you had close to, or over 400 carbs. In order to stay in ketosis, you should be eating, in most cases, less than 50 carbs per day. How are you managing your ketosis? The only way you can tell if you are in ketosis is to buy some keto-stix and measure them in your urine. The stick should look some hue of purple..the darker, the more ketones in your urine. If you are not staying in ketosis and seeing how many carbs you are eating, you should be gaining weight, not losing. If you are going to do "low carb" educate yourself and follow a reputable plan. So, start peeing on your keto-stix and lower your carb intake dramatically. You should start losing in less than a week. If you stick to this diet you should lose weight rather rapidly. I have been there, done that. This is one diet you can't have cheat days on. And.. if you keep your carbs very low (20-50), it doesn't matter how many calories you eat.

I'm sorry you must have Mister read my diet, this site gave me a goal of 400 carbs. I don't think I eat that many in two weeks. Yes I use keto sticks, and they have been as dark maroon as the chart goes.

You are right, I did misread your diet. If you are getting dark purple on your keto stix, you should be losing weight. However, the premise is the same. If you stay in ketosis, the calories you eat are not important in losing weight. Here is a link to the Atkins bulletin boards. Maybe someone there can help you. There are too many mixed messages here. Good luck!

Edit: Oops.. I sent you the link in an email. Posting it may be a violation.

Being in ketosis does not equate to losing weight. Being in ketosis may be helpful in managing appetite and eating behavior such that you eat less, but its not guaranteed that will happen let alone weight loss.

The calories are important in losing weight, it just so happens that manipulating both sides of the equation isn't as easy as people think.

Laceybaby1967

I was going to say something....but everyone else already has! Love this group of people...always willing to help out!

So, I give you a 'smiley' and wish you the best of luck!!! :flowerforyou:

Mubb

I was going to say something....but everyone else already has! Love this group of people...always willing to help out!

So, I give you a 'smiley' and wish you the best of luck!!! :flowerforyou:

Thank you very much. And this site rocks

3laine75

you're probably tired of hearing it - but i think you should eat more. 1000 - 1500 is low for a girl but i'd imagine yoy should be eating 2500 to 3000 as a guy. even if you could manage 2000, that'd still be a good defecit.

cydonian

Is the calisthenic exercise, actually your day job? If that is the case, I would suggest to following (IMOP)

1) change your activity to active and don't log the "work" calories as exercise. Only log workouts at home or at the gym, running, walking, etc.
2) Be careful with the sodium
3) Trash the Mountain Dew. If you need a boost try 1/2 cup of coffee or green tea
4) Eat more. Your total calories intake is too little for a man of your size
5) Incorporate more fruitt and vegetables, brown rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, yams/sweet potatoes (all good carbs) in your diet., Going low carb doesn't mean no carbs. We need them to refuel our bodies and for energy,.
6) Star lifting weights. Google exercises that you can do at home if you don't have the time to join a gym.

Good luck

This. I'm looking at your diary and not seeing a lot of actual food. You also need to eat more calories. You're eating as much as I do and I'm a small female.

delilah47

I don't think you are eating enough green/yellow vegetables. Many people believe that burning ketones means your are burning fat...this isn't really true. What you are burning is protein. I see your breakfast is eggs and bacon, try instead of bacon (which is really high in calories) use salsa (as much as you want), a tablespoon or so shredded cheese and fat free sour cream. You should still get in at least 4 serving of vegetables each day even on a low carb diet. Broccoli and cheese is a good choice, almost any steamed vegetable with a spritz of italian dressing is delicious. Zuchinni and squash are about to be in season and they are great spritzed with olive oil, sprinkled with your favorite seasoning (I like garlic) and grilled until tender. In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight. If you stay in ketosis you will go into "starvation mode". Limiting carbs like bread is a good idea no doubt but in the end it is all about the calories.

.."In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight"..

NO NO NO. For example, and it may not be healthy, you could eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight if you keep your carbs at about 20-30 per day. If you are in ketosis (you HAVE to be in ketosis), your body does not draw energy from the food you eat. Ketosis is what happens when your body burns its fat storage. Your body does not burn fat storage because it's in ketosis. It is in ketosis BECAUSE it is burning fat in storage.

If people are not familiar with the way a *truly* low carb diet works, they are just confusing the matter by saying stuff like the above quotation.

This kind of nonsense makes us in the community look bad. You cannot eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight unless your name is Michael Phelps and/or you are doing intense exercise for 6 hours a day.

Your body does draw energy from the food you eat regardless of whether you're in ketosis. And ketosis occurs when your body does not have sufficient glucose readily available to fuel the brain, so it seeks an alternate fuel source in the form of ketones which are derived from fat.

That's why I used 10,000 purely as an example and stated it wouldn't be healthy. I am not advocating eating 10,000 calories a day for any reason. And, keytones are a by-product of the body burning it's own fat. It is not fuel for the brain.

grinch031

I don't think you are eating enough green/yellow vegetables. Many people believe that burning ketones means your are burning fat...this isn't really true. What you are burning is protein. I see your breakfast is eggs and bacon, try instead of bacon (which is really high in calories) use salsa (as much as you want), a tablespoon or so shredded cheese and fat free sour cream. You should still get in at least 4 serving of vegetables each day even on a low carb diet. Broccoli and cheese is a good choice, almost any steamed vegetable with a spritz of italian dressing is delicious. Zuchinni and squash are about to be in season and they are great spritzed with olive oil, sprinkled with your favorite seasoning (I like garlic) and grilled until tender. In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight. If you stay in ketosis you will go into "starvation mode". Limiting carbs like bread is a good idea no doubt but in the end it is all about the calories.

.."In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight"..

NO NO NO. For example, and it may not be healthy, you could eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight if you keep your carbs at about 20-30 per day. If you are in ketosis (you HAVE to be in ketosis), your body does not draw energy from the food you eat. Ketosis is what happens when your body burns its fat storage. Your body does not burn fat storage because it's in ketosis. It is in ketosis BECAUSE it is burning fat in storage.

If people are not familiar with the way a *truly* low carb diet works, they are just confusing the matter by saying stuff like the above quotation.

This kind of nonsense makes us in the community look bad. You cannot eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight unless your name is Michael Phelps and/or you are doing intense exercise for 6 hours a day.

Your body does draw energy from the food you eat regardless of whether you're in ketosis. And ketosis occurs when your body does not have sufficient glucose readily available to fuel the brain, so it seeks an alternate fuel source in the form of ketones which are derived from fat.

That's why I used 10,000 purely as an example and stated it wouldn't be healthy. I am not advocating eating 10,000 calories a day for any reason. And, keytones are a by-product of the body burning it's own fat. It is not fuel for the brain.

You stated something that is completely false though. Not even theoretically could a normal person of normal activity levels eat 10,000 calories in a day without gaining weight. Restricting carbs is a tool to help manage eating through hormonal changes such that less calories are consumed. It doesn't mean you can eat massive amounts of calories.

And ketones are fuel for the brain. The brain can get as much as 75% of its energy needs from ketones.

delilah47

I don't think you are eating enough green/yellow vegetables. Many people believe that burning ketones means your are burning fat...this isn't really true. What you are burning is protein. I see your breakfast is eggs and bacon, try instead of bacon (which is really high in calories) use salsa (as much as you want), a tablespoon or so shredded cheese and fat free sour cream. You should still get in at least 4 serving of vegetables each day even on a low carb diet. Broccoli and cheese is a good choice, almost any steamed vegetable with a spritz of italian dressing is delicious. Zuchinni and squash are about to be in season and they are great spritzed with olive oil, sprinkled with your favorite seasoning (I like garlic) and grilled until tender. In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight. If you stay in ketosis you will go into "starvation mode". Limiting carbs like bread is a good idea no doubt but in the end it is all about the calories.

.."In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight"..

NO NO NO. For example, and it may not be healthy, you could eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight if you keep your carbs at about 20-30 per day. If you are in ketosis (you HAVE to be in ketosis), your body does not draw energy from the food you eat. Ketosis is what happens when your body burns its fat storage. Your body does not burn fat storage because it's in ketosis. It is in ketosis BECAUSE it is burning fat in storage.

If people are not familiar with the way a *truly* low carb diet works, they are just confusing the matter by saying stuff like the above quotation.

This kind of nonsense makes us in the community look bad. You cannot eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight unless your name is Michael Phelps and/or you are doing intense exercise for 6 hours a day.

Your body does draw energy from the food you eat regardless of whether you're in ketosis. And ketosis occurs when your body does not have sufficient glucose readily available to fuel the brain, so it seeks an alternate fuel source in the form of ketones which are derived from fat.

That's why I used 10,000 purely as an example and stated it wouldn't be healthy. I am not advocating eating 10,000 calories a day for any reason. And, keytones are a by-product of the body burning it's own fat. It is not fuel for the brain.

You stated something that is completely false though. Not even theoretically could a normal person of normal activity levels eat 10,000 calories in a day without gaining weight. Restricting carbs is a tool to help manage eating through hormonal changes such that less calories are consumed. It doesn't mean you can eat massive amounts of calories.

And ketones are fuel for the brain. The brain can get as much as 75% of its energy needs from ketones.

Notice I DID NOT use the word theoretically. I just used it as a number. And yes, you can eat massive amounts of calories. You can eat as much as you can eat. You don't count calories. You count carbs. At the time I was eating 20 or less carbs per day. As I stated in the NEW thread in which you have also stated your "off the cuff" remarks, I did it. I know HOW I did it and I know WHAT and HOW MUCH I ate. End of story for me. You are free to make any unsubstantiated comments you like.

fatforthewin

See if you can find a free version of a biochemistry textbook online and jump straight to the gluconeogenesis section and read up on it. Better yet, if you have a bookstore nearby, look for a "For Dummies" or "Demystified" version of a biochemistry textbook. Excess protein will be converted to glucose just like, fructose, sucrose and other forms of carbohydrates will be broken down into glucose by the liver. After some time in physiological ketosis, you will reduce your body's demand for protein because it has adapted to conserving it. Thus, the same 135 grams that you desperately needed simply for nitrogen BALANCE at the start of your diet later becomes a x grams of protein in EXCESS because you are adapted. That excess can be used for glucose and you stop burning fat as efficiently. As others have said, I don't think the key is reducing calories any more but I wouldn't necessary bump the level up to 2000 either. If I were you, I would shoot for 1700 calories for two weeks. These extra 200 calories could be two tablespoons of heavy cream in the morning or added to a diet dew for a cream soda (just a suggestion). I would definitely reduce protein - you would probably do just fine on 100 grams. I think if you exchanged some fat for protein and added a small amount of calories from fat you would start losing body fat again. I am tempted to think it is just a matter of too much gluconeogenesis going on.

And by way of info, ketones, glucose, and amino acides/proteins/peptides are all completely different molecules. Fatty acids are oxidized to ketones.

grinch031

I don't think you are eating enough green/yellow vegetables. Many people believe that burning ketones means your are burning fat...this isn't really true. What you are burning is protein. I see your breakfast is eggs and bacon, try instead of bacon (which is really high in calories) use salsa (as much as you want), a tablespoon or so shredded cheese and fat free sour cream. You should still get in at least 4 serving of vegetables each day even on a low carb diet. Broccoli and cheese is a good choice, almost any steamed vegetable with a spritz of italian dressing is delicious. Zuchinni and squash are about to be in season and they are great spritzed with olive oil, sprinkled with your favorite seasoning (I like garlic) and grilled until tender. In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight. If you stay in ketosis you will go into "starvation mode". Limiting carbs like bread is a good idea no doubt but in the end it is all about the calories.

.."In the end it is the lack of calories that allow you to loose weight"..

NO NO NO. For example, and it may not be healthy, you could eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight if you keep your carbs at about 20-30 per day. If you are in ketosis (you HAVE to be in ketosis), your body does not draw energy from the food you eat. Ketosis is what happens when your body burns its fat storage. Your body does not burn fat storage because it's in ketosis. It is in ketosis BECAUSE it is burning fat in storage.

If people are not familiar with the way a *truly* low carb diet works, they are just confusing the matter by saying stuff like the above quotation.

This kind of nonsense makes us in the community look bad. You cannot eat 10,000 calories a day and lose weight unless your name is Michael Phelps and/or you are doing intense exercise for 6 hours a day.

Your body does draw energy from the food you eat regardless of whether you're in ketosis. And ketosis occurs when your body does not have sufficient glucose readily available to fuel the brain, so it seeks an alternate fuel source in the form of ketones which are derived from fat.

That's why I used 10,000 purely as an example and stated it wouldn't be healthy. I am not advocating eating 10,000 calories a day for any reason. And, keytones are a by-product of the body burning it's own fat. It is not fuel for the brain.

You stated something that is completely false though. Not even theoretically could a normal person of normal activity levels eat 10,000 calories in a day without gaining weight. Restricting carbs is a tool to help manage eating through hormonal changes such that less calories are consumed. It doesn't mean you can eat massive amounts of calories.

And ketones are fuel for the brain. The brain can get as much as 75% of its energy needs from ketones.

Notice I DID NOT use the word theoretically. I just used it as a number. And yes, you can eat massive amounts of calories. You can eat as much as you can eat. You don't count calories. You count carbs. At the time I was eating 20 or less carbs per day. As I stated in the NEW thread in which you have also stated your "off the cuff" remarks, I did it. I know HOW I did it and I know WHAT and HOW MUCH I ate. End of story for me. You are free to make any unsubstantiated comments you like.

I don't care what word you used. Your claims are complete nonsense and you give low carbers a bad name. You cannot eat massive amounts of calories and still lose weight even on ZERO carbs. It doesn't work like that. The correct claim is that you can eat to satiety and lose weight, but even that doesn't work for everyone.