New & confused

Ree_Chatelain

Hi everyone.
I keep reaching a weight loss plateau getting discouraged which results in me getting off track and gaining a few pounds. Well recently a friend from work convinced me to try doing low carbs while still counting calories.
I generally don't eat rice or pasta but I do eat a lot of whole wheat bread, protein bars and a ton of fruits. On average my carbs were around 140ish.

I'm reading a lot online about the science behind how lowering carbs works for the body but I'm not finding anything that's guiding me on how many I should have per day or the ratio with carbs/protein/ fat. Can anyone recommend some reading material or send me in the right direction?

Thanks!

TheVimFuego

I'd cut out the bread completely for a start. Whole grain or not bread is simply not good for you.

As you don't eat a lot of pasta and rice this is a non-problem (I avoid these too).

Legumes can cause digestive problems in some people too, I avoid these.

"A ton of fruit" is going to stall you big time, I'd advise treating fruit like dessert and up the leafy veggies.

I'd shoot for 50g of net carbs (carbs minus fiber) and go from there.

I started on 30g but I am certifiably bonkers

Replace carbs with fat intake, but no trans fats ...

In case you didn't know eating fat will not make you fat or damage you heart.

Also, consuming cholesterol will not raise your blood cholesterol AND cholesterol isn't a problem anyway.

You obviously wanna avoid processed foods ... Goes without saying, right?

Recommended reading for the problems with wheat grains is "Wheat Belly" by William Davis.

Recommended reading generally is "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes or "The Obesity Epidemic" by Zoe Harcombe (very good).

ixchel78

You might want to try a little guidance through South Beach, Atkins, or one of the other many low carb nutrition plans. Any used book store will have a whole section of low carb diet books, and it will help give you some structure if low carb is new to you.

I follow South Beach because I need a little more variety and found Atkins too restrictive when I tried it in the past. But do some looking around to see what fits what you like to eat. The important thing is finding a plan that you can follow and be successful at.

Good luck!

cramernh

DeadVim is dead-on.

This information is exactly what is shared with patients who are on monitored LC intakes and those who are following Atkins/South Beach.

Fruit, second to the Bread/grain group - is the second offender in stalling weight loss, if anything also gaining weight.

The healthier carbohydrates should always come from vegetables. The higher the fiber content, the lower the CHO count.

The other day I consumed 4oz of eggplant. There are 6g of carbohydrates - 4g of fiber. My actual carb-yield is 2g of carbohydrates... see the equation?

When I want a "Lasagna" I will use eggplant in place of the pasta. By doing so, I have amped up the vitamins, minerals and nutrients and the fiber is so very important! I ran my recipe through the Recipe builder here, and for an extremely large quarter piece (to have the 4oz yield of eggplant), the entire meal is 20 CHO, 7g of fiber, which means Im yielding 13g of net carbs. A whole meal that sometimes I cant finish because of the fiber content, the fat from the ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan, the ground beef. I have a healthy balance of vegetables as well (eggplant, peppers, light on the onions & tomatoes)

As far as what is right for you - DeadVim suggested a very safe and reasonable calculation.. ....

Be extra diligent in meal planning. Calorieking.com is a free database of nutritional information on foods - use that to give you a better perspective on carbs and fiber content. Its easy to use and free - you cant beat free, right?

And we have quite a few threads here for recipe suggestions also!

Good luck!