low carb

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darbarnes
darbarnes Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone eat low carb and still watch their calories? I am a diabetic with about 80 pounds to lose. I've been unable to control my blood sugar for quite a while now and tried a low carb diet. I wasn't losing much weight and thought I should also be tracking my calories. Any one out there doing low carb?

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  • bevtyndall
    bevtyndall Posts: 72 Member
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    i just started about two days ago and have already lost two pounds.The carbs that MFP tells you to eat is WAY to high for the avrage person.So i did some research on low carb and it is working great.I am also watching my calories as well.
  • cartrat
    cartrat Posts: 120 Member
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    oh yeah, i'm watching the calories too. however, as low as my carb count is, it's not that hard since my choices are very limited for now. if you're looking to low carb for weight loss, it is imperative to count your calories.
  • darbarnes
    darbarnes Posts: 5
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    I use egg whites, chicken, tuna and other lean sources of protein, but my biggest problem when tracking calories is the fat. I am use to using heavy cream, and lots of Ranch dressing. I lose the first week (probably water weight) and then I don't. I also get very depressed after a week or two. I never have problems with that unless I am trying to do low carb.

    Maybe I can up my carbs a little, which might help my depression, as long as I am tracking calories. Before I started using MFP, I never knew there was a carb in a pack of Splenda. That was a shock. Carbs in lots of things I thought of as no-carb.
  • cartrat
    cartrat Posts: 120 Member
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    don't be afraid of fat. **FAT WON'T MAKE YOU FAT** in fact, low fat foods are heavily processed to get the fat out and then they put in a bunch of sugar to make up for it. so you might as well have eaten bread. also, your body is very fat dependent, especially your brain and cells, so no wonder you've been depressed. it's super hard to do low carb AND low fat. a lot of people have gone on high fat, low carb diets happily and have had success on losing weight.

    yes, everything has carbs except for your meat, cheese and heavy cream. it'll be near impossible and boring to do zero carb in my opinion. i know it's hard at first but you can do it! just don't torture yourself.

    edit: if you'd like, you can friend me and look at my diary. my protein and fat are off the charts according to MFP and yet i've been steadily losing weight without the depression. also, my calorie count can be responsible for it too because like i said, at my carb count, it's easy to not overeat.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Initially I lost a lot of weight by low carb eating and not tracking calories, then I had to switch to monitoring calories as at the lower weight and probably upwardly drifting intake I had stopped losing.

    Lean protein sources don't really fit a low carb diet well. You only have protein and fats to eat in quantity.
  • bevtyndall
    bevtyndall Posts: 72 Member
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    I still eat lean meats such as chicken breasts and fish,turkey.
  • bevtyndall
    bevtyndall Posts: 72 Member
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    How many grams of carbs are you eating a day?
  • cartrat
    cartrat Posts: 120 Member
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    ^her diary is open.
  • vacherin
    vacherin Posts: 192
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    I am in my 4th week of low-carbing now (have been logging the calories but not bothered about trying to stay within a limit) and, although the actual lb loss has not been that great, the inch loss has been incredible. I wish I had taken my measurements before, to know how many inches I have lost! However, I, too, have experienced the depression and still don't feel fully out of it so clearly there is a balancing act which I haven't mastered yet (despite the fact that, according to MFP, last week my diet consisted of only 10% carbs and 60% fat!). If you have any answers for managing the depression then I would be very interested in hearing them - I suspect the answer is to up the carbs, but to be honest I am petrified of the weight coming back on again if I do that ...
  • cartrat
    cartrat Posts: 120 Member
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    probably just experiencing carb crash. everyone goes through it. there have been some days when i'm just like "my god, i just want a mango!" and just feel like binging. but i think we all somewhat get addicted to bread. i do believe it is an addiction because people go through actual withdrawals while detoxing from yeast lol like headaches, depression, rashes, etc. i plan to go primal after i've acheived significant weight loss and yes, it means cutting out grains and processed flour but the occasional yam, potato and wild rice is allowed.

    here's a great article for refeeding:
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-should-i-increase-carb-intake-for-weight-loss/#axzz22tDw1sUt
  • virgogirl916
    virgogirl916 Posts: 32 Member
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    I started the Dukan diet last Thursday. I have been watching my calories, too. Although, I'm worried I'm not getting enough calories. Good thing is that I really am not hungry & have no sugar cravings. So far I've lost 5.5 lbs. I don't feel bad or anything either. We'll see...
  • bevtyndall
    bevtyndall Posts: 72 Member
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    For me personally i dont see why you need to cut grains out all together.As long as you stay under your carb limit you can have your wheat bread or oatmeal or fruit.Just dont over due it.
  • rhondagraymond
    rhondagraymond Posts: 43
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    I’m not, but my father (a diabetic) is. If you are a diabetic, it a low carb diet plan (http://www.dukandiet.com/) is advisable for you. But that doesn’t mean you eat whatever you want as long as you are within the calorie limit, no. As a diabetic, it’s important for you to watch what you eat to avoid sudden spikes of blood sugar. My father eats non-starchy, non-fatty foods and lean meats for protein. He goes for an hour long walk in the evenings with my dog and I think that’s gone a long way in helping him keep his blood sugar in check.
  • TheRagnarok
    TheRagnarok Posts: 24
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    I'm mainly on here to track nutrition, but am partially interested in the calories. So long as the fat and protein are enough then I don't mind how many calories. An hours dog walking sounds quite nice - relaxing instead of worrying!
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,282 Member
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    Except for medical reasons, make sure to get your fats and protein amounts and then fill with carbs. Remember, MFP is automatically set up one way but you can change it. Especially with protein as their recommendation is quite low.

    If you have a medical reason, then you should be talking to your doctor about any changes in your diet or you need to be referred to a person who specializes in diet for your condition.

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