does Low Carb cause Low Energy? advice needed.
espinozAgal
Posts: 160 Member
For 5 days now I've been very mindful of how many carbs I am eating. MFP puts my limit at 260g a day. I heard recently that I should be at 50 a day for fat loss. so 5 days now, working on the 50g of carbs a day and today I've just had no energy. I am usually full of energy and ready to tackle my day, but this morning I didn't want to get off the couch. I finally did but spent the day sluggish. Does this have anything to do with the carb decrease and if so will it subside after my body adjusts? Thanks everyone for your advice!
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Replies
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For 5 days now I've been very mindful of how many carbs I am eating. MFP puts my limit at 260g a day. I heard recently that I should be at 50 a day for fat loss. so 5 days now, working on the 50g of carbs a day and today I've just had no energy. I am usually full of energy and ready to tackle my day, but this morning I didn't want to get off the couch. I finally did but spent the day sluggish. Does this have anything to do with the carb decrease and if so will it subside after my body adjusts? Thanks everyone for your advice!
There is a lot of opinion on how many carbs you should eat. I'm a fan of low carb, or at least restricted carbs when on a fat cut.
One of the temporary side effects of goign low carb is withdraw. Once I was over that, my energy has been boundless. I no longer feel the need to nap. I have very good sustained energy all day until bed time, and I go to sleep much much easier now. I also sleep better and wake up easier.
Nothing bad will happen to you if you work your way past this initial symptom. You will start using fat for energy more efficiently and it really is a wonderful thing.
Edit: It's worth mentioning that dietary carbohydrate is not required. I recommend that we get our carbs from high fiber sources like leafy green veggies. Unless you have a condition, fat can and will be used as energy in its place. After-all, this IS why we store it. How low you go is up to you.0 -
Who told you to be at 50g?0
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The BRAIN only runs on CARBOHYDRATES! Low carb diet damage your brain and kidneys. If you have questions about what kind of diet to follow talk to your doctor. Any fad diet can be damaging to your body. Just because it says a doctor wrote the book does not mean they are a Medical Doctor.0
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Who told you to be at 50g?
I heard it in a podcast. They said 50g was best for maximum fat loss0 -
i eat around 20 grams a day, and once in ketosis, i have a good amount of energy. like the other poster, no need for nap and insomnia is gone.
while detoxing from carbs you might get carb flu, which sucks the first few times you enter ketosis. but now my body is so used to it, i go in and out and don't even notice.
don't listen to lunasash. the body can use fat/protein for energy. why eat your energy when you can use your own fat?0 -
The BRAIN only runs on CARBOHYDRATES! Low carb diet damage your brain and kidneys. If you have questions about what kind of diet to follow talk to your doctor. Any fad diet can be damaging to your body. Just because it says a doctor wrote the book does not mean they are a Medical Doctor.
No.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201104/your-brain-ketones
Edit: Do what ever works best for you. I like low carb over anything else I've tried. There is no reason to use scare tactics that are not true.0 -
The BRAIN only runs on CARBOHYDRATES! Low carb diet damage your brain and kidneys. If you have questions about what kind of diet to follow talk to your doctor. Any fad diet can be damaging to your body. Just because it says a doctor wrote the book does not mean they are a Medical Doctor.
I'm actually not following any fad diet, or any type of specific diet at the moment. just something I heard in a podcast.0 -
For 5 days now I've been very mindful of how many carbs I am eating. MFP puts my limit at 260g a day. I heard recently that I should be at 50 a day for fat loss. so 5 days now, working on the 50g of carbs a day and today I've just had no energy. I am usually full of energy and ready to tackle my day, but this morning I didn't want to get off the couch. I finally did but spent the day sluggish. Does this have anything to do with the carb decrease and if so will it subside after my body adjusts? Thanks everyone for your advice!
A reasonable deficit of calories in general will cause fat loss.
However, in response to the question of energy levels, someone actually doing low carb would be best to respond about the effects as it does seem to affect people differently. From an energy level perspective, it seems to work for some and not for others. It also depends on whether you are doing endurance type exercise or not. IMO, if you want to keep trying low carb I would get the imput of people that have gone to low carb regarding how long you have to wait for energy levels to get back up, if at all. If it ends up not being for you, just go back to medium/high carb and keep to a calorie deficit. To get the apparent benefits (and imo these are actually short term) you need to stay low pretty much all the time so you need to determine if this is something you can stick to all the time.
On a related point, MFP generally defaults to settings that are too low for fat and protein imo. When/if you up these, your carb threshold will have to go down.0 -
i eat around 20 grams a day, and once in ketosis, i have a good amount of energy. like the other poster, no need for nap and insomnia is gone.
while detoxing from carbs you might get carb flu, which sucks the first few times you enter ketosis. but now my body is so used to it, i go in and out and don't even notice.
don't listen to lunasash. the body can use fat/protein for energy. why eat your energy when you can use your own fat?
are you eating 20 grams total from all carb sources, or just refined carbs? I had a bunch of veggies with my dinner tonight, and I couldn't believe the amount of carbs in them. That's not the same...right??0 -
The BRAIN only runs on CARBOHYDRATES! Low carb diet damage your brain and kidneys. If you have questions about what kind of diet to follow talk to your doctor. Any fad diet can be damaging to your body. Just because it says a doctor wrote the book does not mean they are a Medical Doctor.
I am not a fan of low carb at all, but this is just not true.0 -
The BRAIN only runs on CARBOHYDRATES! Low carb diet damage your brain and kidneys. If you have questions about what kind of diet to follow talk to your doctor. Any fad diet can be damaging to your body. Just because it says a doctor wrote the book does not mean they are a Medical Doctor.
What utter nonsense.
To the OP, it can take up to 3 weeks to adjust to primarily burning fat (as opposed to glucose), some people find supplementing with sodium helps during the transition as the body naturally dumps sodium as part of the process.
If you would like more support then take a look at this MFP group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/411-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group-0 -
For 5 days now I've been very mindful of how many carbs I am eating. MFP puts my limit at 260g a day. I heard recently that I should be at 50 a day for fat loss. so 5 days now, working on the 50g of carbs a day and today I've just had no energy. I am usually full of energy and ready to tackle my day, but this morning I didn't want to get off the couch. I finally did but spent the day sluggish. Does this have anything to do with the carb decrease and if so will it subside after my body adjusts? Thanks everyone for your advice!
A reasonable deficit of calories in general will cause fat loss.
However, in response to the question of energy levels, someone actually doing low carb would be best to respond about the effects as it does seem to affect people differently. From an energy level perspective, it seems to work for some and not for others. It also depends on whether you are doing endurance type exercise or not. IMO, if you want to keep trying low carb I would get the imput of people that have gone to low carb regarding how long you have to wait for energy levels to get back up, if at all. If it ends up not being for you, just go back to medium/high carb and keep to a calorie deficit. To get the apparent benefits (and imo these are actually short term) you need to stay low pretty much all the time so you need to determine if this is something you can stick to all the time.
On a related point, MFP generally defaults to settings that are too low for fat and protein imo. When/if you up these, your carb threshold will have to go down.
I believe that if we eat moderate protein and fat while in a deficit, there is little room for high carbohydrate. Protein is important for just about everything physical about. Fat is important for hormones. Carbohydrate is important for? I really don't think it is good for much of anything outside of intense activity.
"This is my opinion. It's just advice. Do what ever the **** you wana do!" -The Hodge Twins.0 -
i eat around 20 grams a day, and once in ketosis, i have a good amount of energy. like the other poster, no need for nap and insomnia is gone.
while detoxing from carbs you might get carb flu, which sucks the first few times you enter ketosis. but now my body is so used to it, i go in and out and don't even notice.
don't listen to lunasash. the body can use fat/protein for energy. why eat your energy when you can use your own fat?
are you eating 20 grams total from all carb sources, or just refined carbs? I had a bunch of veggies with my dinner tonight, and I couldn't believe the amount of carbs in them. That's not the same...right??
i eat 10-15 grams from veg, a few from dairy (some people can't handle dairy though) and maybe some nuts. like peanut butter.. mm. PB and celery is so amazing.
only non starchy veg, so no peas, carrots, potatoes, corn and the like. fine to add them in once you're closer to goal, but not really while trying to lose weight. although i did eat 5 french fries today.. yum.0 -
For 5 days now I've been very mindful of how many carbs I am eating. MFP puts my limit at 260g a day. I heard recently that I should be at 50 a day for fat loss. so 5 days now, working on the 50g of carbs a day and today I've just had no energy. I am usually full of energy and ready to tackle my day, but this morning I didn't want to get off the couch. I finally did but spent the day sluggish. Does this have anything to do with the carb decrease and if so will it subside after my body adjusts? Thanks everyone for your advice!
A reasonable deficit of calories in general will cause fat loss.
However, in response to the question of energy levels, someone actually doing low carb would be best to respond about the effects as it does seem to affect people differently. From an energy level perspective, it seems to work for some and not for others. It also depends on whether you are doing endurance type exercise or not. IMO, if you want to keep trying low carb I would get the imput of people that have gone to low carb regarding how long you have to wait for energy levels to get back up, if at all. If it ends up not being for you, just go back to medium/high carb and keep to a calorie deficit. To get the apparent benefits (and imo these are actually short term) you need to stay low pretty much all the time so you need to determine if this is something you can stick to all the time.
On a related point, MFP generally defaults to settings that are too low for fat and protein imo. When/if you up these, your carb threshold will have to go down.
I believe that if we eat moderate protein and fat while in a deficit, there is little room for high carbohydrate. Protein is important for just about everything physical about. Fat is important for hormones. Carbohydrate is important for? I really don't think it is good for much of anything outside of intense activity.
"This is my opinion. It's just advice. Do what ever the **** you wana do!" -The Hodge Twins.
I am quite aware of what you think. I personally think carbohydrates are good for MY energy levels and for ME enjoying my food. Lets not derail the thread. I did not tell the OP what to do and in fact I suggested that if they wanted to go that route, to actually pay attention to people who had.0 -
and if it helps, most people subtract fibre from their carb count. makes eating things like avocado and flax a lot less stressful!0
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cool.. thanks for the info. i'm trying to figure out if I can really do this long term. I love veggies and I eat them a lot, so having to limit them really doesn't sit well with me. but one way or another I'll get to my goal... RIGHT???and if it helps, most people subtract fibre from their carb count. makes eating things like avocado and flax a lot less stressful!0 -
Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?0
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cool.. thanks for the info. i'm trying to figure out if I can really do this long term. I love veggies and I eat them a lot, so having to limit them really doesn't sit well with me. but one way or another I'll get to my goal... RIGHT???and if it helps, most people subtract fibre from their carb count. makes eating things like avocado and flax a lot less stressful!
i never limit veggies! i don't even log things that i eat straight from the garden.
lettuce, celery, spinach.. they're all pretty lowish. i will be careful with brussels sprouts, broc, zuch, tomatoes and onions though. they add up fast.0 -
Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
saying 20 grams is faster than saying 5 or 10% of calories eaten! haha. it's a fair point.
800 cals puts me at exactly 20 grams of carbs.0 -
Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
great question. I guess someone thought it sounded good and others followed. Including me...obviously. I put my Carb percentage at 25% of my caloric intake and it has me at 83 g a day. I think that's more my speed. My problem is not eating a bunch of bread, pastries, pasta, rice or potatoes. It's the other very healthy items that I eat a lot of, veggies, fruit, nuts, that really add up.0 -
Woah- your total cals is 800? I'm not going to derail this thread by nagging you about VLCD, but how do you know the low carb is working rather than the super low-calories?Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
saying 20 grams is faster than saying 5 or 10% of calories eaten! haha. it's a fair point.
800 cals puts me at exactly 20 grams of carbs.
P.S. There are days I eat more than 800 cals of carbs! haha.0 -
Woah- your total cals is 800? I'm not going to derail this thread by nagging you about VLCD, but how do you know the low carb is working rather than the super low-calories?Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
saying 20 grams is faster than saying 5 or 10% of calories eaten! haha. it's a fair point.
800 cals puts me at exactly 20 grams of carbs.
P.S. There are days I eat more than 800 cals of carbs! haha.
i thought the same thing too..but don't want to nag on you for eating so low calories. unless you are a tiny person, i don't believe that is very healthy. But seriously...i'm in no place to nag. As long as you are feeling good and not starving all day long.0 -
Really truly, I'm not trying to pick that fight. I've read enough of Cara's posts to know that she isn't blindly choosing VLCD unaware of potential consequences. I just want to know how you differentiate that the results are from the low-carb rather than the low-cal.
Woah- your total cals is 800? I'm not going to derail this thread by nagging you about VLCD, but how do you know the low carb is working rather than the super low-calories?Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
saying 20 grams is faster than saying 5 or 10% of calories eaten! haha. it's a fair point.
800 cals puts me at exactly 20 grams of carbs.
P.S. There are days I eat more than 800 cals of carbs! haha.
i thought the same thing too..but don't want to nag on you for eating so low calories. unless you are a tiny person, i don't believe that is very healthy. But seriously...i'm in no place to nag. As long as you are feeling good and not starving all day long.0 -
I was on low-carb not for weight-loss but for medical reasons. I did lose weight, but it also made me tired and a little foggy. And I went far beyond the 3 week-mark, I kept it up for months.
When I was better (allergies and a horrible yeast-infection sorted out) I started on a low-glycemic index diet. This worked like a wonder, and I lost a lot of weight without the issues I had on the very strict, initial low-carb diet.
I am not saying low-carb is bad - it worked after all, and I know people it worked much better for. What I am saying is: It was not the right thing for me in order to lose weight, and I feel a lot better on a diet with "slow carbs" - that is food with a low glycemic index, where the carbs are released slowly into the blood-stream. It helps me maintain a regular blood-sugar, keeps me from getting too hungry, and keeps me from craving snacks that adds up. It also gives me the energy to work out.
When that's said: 800 calories a day is not a lot. If that's what you maintain, you'll be tired just from being hungry. That's perfectly normal.0 -
Woah- your total cals is 800? I'm not going to derail this thread by nagging you about VLCD, but how do you know the low carb is working rather than the super low-calories?Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
saying 20 grams is faster than saying 5 or 10% of calories eaten! haha. it's a fair point.
800 cals puts me at exactly 20 grams of carbs.
P.S. There are days I eat more than 800 cals of carbs! haha.
i don't count calories. so the number there means nothing to me.0 -
For 5 days now I've been very mindful of how many carbs I am eating. MFP puts my limit at 260g a day. I heard recently that I should be at 50 a day for fat loss. so 5 days now, working on the 50g of carbs a day and today I've just had no energy. I am usually full of energy and ready to tackle my day, but this morning I didn't want to get off the couch. I finally did but spent the day sluggish. Does this have anything to do with the carb decrease and if so will it subside after my body adjusts? Thanks everyone for your advice!
A reasonable deficit of calories in general will cause fat loss.
However, in response to the question of energy levels, someone actually doing low carb would be best to respond about the effects as it does seem to affect people differently. From an energy level perspective, it seems to work for some and not for others. It also depends on whether you are doing endurance type exercise or not. IMO, if you want to keep trying low carb I would get the imput of people that have gone to low carb regarding how long you have to wait for energy levels to get back up, if at all. If it ends up not being for you, just go back to medium/high carb and keep to a calorie deficit. To get the apparent benefits (and imo these are actually short term) you need to stay low pretty much all the time so you need to determine if this is something you can stick to all the time.
On a related point, MFP generally defaults to settings that are too low for fat and protein imo. When/if you up these, your carb threshold will have to go down.
I believe that if we eat moderate protein and fat while in a deficit, there is little room for high carbohydrate. Protein is important for just about everything physical about. Fat is important for hormones. Carbohydrate is important for? I really don't think it is good for much of anything outside of intense activity.
"This is my opinion. It's just advice. Do what ever the **** you wana do!" -The Hodge Twins.
I am quite aware of what you think. I personally think carbohydrates are good for MY energy levels and for ME enjoying my food. Lets not derail the thread. I did not tell the OP what to do and in fact I suggested that if they wanted to go that route, to actually pay attention to people who had.
I'm one of said suggested people. Everything you and I said is relevant. I don't see how this is "derailing".
OP, low carb is hard to start but rewarding in the long run. I think "low" carb is probably 50g or less. Moderate is about 100 to 150g. High would be 150g+. That's for me at 6'1" large frame about 180lbs of LBM. I like to keep it below 100. You can probably extrapolate what works for you.0 -
Those limits are for people who are actively trying for ketosis. Cut out the starches and don't use the diet low carb products and your carbs are going to easily be under a 100g with out even trying which is great for weight loss.Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
For myself, I started out at just trying to keep my carbs under a 100g (for the health benefits) but it wasn't until I lowered them to around 50g a day that the nagging hunger, cravings and need to overeat went away. I'll eventually try and increase my carbs again to see if whatever was wrong corrected itself but it hasn't yet so a percentage wouldn't work for me. But there are people who set their carbs at 20% - 30% and do very well with it. Low carb is extremely flexible for a restrictive diet -- there's lots of different approaches that fall under the low carb umbrella.0 -
As someone on a ketogenic diet, no. I eat under 20g of carbs a day and my energy level has been better than before. I've actually found that my energy level is more stable and I don't wear out as easily.0
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OK. I get that they're for ketosis, but I still don't quite get exactly where the hard-and-fast numbers come from. Could you explain a bit further? (Assume I'm a complete dullard)
Those limits are for people who are actively trying for ketosis. Cut out the starches and don't use the diet low carb products and your carbs are going to easily be under a 100g with out even trying which is great for weight loss.Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
For myself, I started out at just trying to keep my carbs under a 100g (for the health benefits) but it wasn't until I lowered them to around 50g a day that the nagging hunger, cravings and need to overeat went away. I'll eventually try and increase my carbs again to see if whatever was wrong corrected itself but it hasn't yet so a percentage wouldn't work for me. But there are people who set their carbs at 20% - 30% and do very well with it. Low carb is extremely flexible for a restrictive diet -- there's lots of different approaches that fall under the low carb umbrella.0 -
OK. I get that they're for ketosis, but I still don't quite get exactly where the hard-and-fast numbers come from. Could you explain a bit further? (Assume I'm a complete dullard)
Those limits are for people who are actively trying for ketosis. Cut out the starches and don't use the diet low carb products and your carbs are going to easily be under a 100g with out even trying which is great for weight loss.Why does low carb have hard limits, like 50g or 20g carbs, rather than a percentage of calorie intake or a limit relative to the person's mass?
For myself, I started out at just trying to keep my carbs under a 100g (for the health benefits) but it wasn't until I lowered them to around 50g a day that the nagging hunger, cravings and need to overeat went away. I'll eventually try and increase my carbs again to see if whatever was wrong corrected itself but it hasn't yet so a percentage wouldn't work for me. But there are people who set their carbs at 20% - 30% and do very well with it. Low carb is extremely flexible for a restrictive diet -- there's lots of different approaches that fall under the low carb umbrella.
I think they are just general guidelines based on results from others. Most people stay in ketosis when below 50g. Some stay in ketosis below 100g. Each person is different.0
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