need more calories without carbs

Eat more protein. It doesn't matter if you go over what MFP says, it's extremely low anyway. For me it recommends 68g per day but I try to eat closer to 150g. Then again my exercise regimen includes a lot of weight lifting, but it still wouldn't hurt to eat more protein to help reduce muscle loss while losing fat.

Here's a usual day for me:

Breakfast 6am: peach
snack 9am: apple
(tictacs to nibble on)
lunch 12pm: 2 grilled chicken patties (no bun or condiments) and a small fry
snack 2pm: nectarine and some cherries
dinner 5pm: grilled chckn ceasar salad, ceasar dressing, no croutons.

then i jog at night, 2miles

That's 50g of protein there if not less. Maybe 15g fats on average if that's a typical day. That's very poor if it's not restricted because of a health condition. You can increase your protein intake and you do need unsaturated fats. Nuts, olive oil etc.

Drop to one fruit. Add a crunchy veggie w/ hummus as a side instead of the fries. Add a slice of tomato & avocado to your chicken breast.

The number for carbs and fat is a recommendation, not a maximum. Hitting your carbs and fat means eating that amount or only a few grams away from that amount.

If you're significantly below that amount then you should change your percentage goals to have more protein and then eat that higher amount of protein. The base protein on MFP is pretty low, ESPECIALLY if you're trying low carb. And for low carb you typically want to eat a bit more fat. Basically, for every gram of carbs you don't eat, you should be eating an additional gram of protein, or an additional half gram of fat.

I shared my food diary.

I definately like the idea of exchanging my morning fruit for a fuller breakfast. I dont like avacado or tomatoes. I like corn and broccoli.

Broccoli is a good choice - lots of fiber (which helps keep you full longer). Most veggies are in this category. As you log meals, MFP will help you figure things out.

Corn however, is more along the same line as potatoes = starchy carbs. I have corn OR pototoes OR bread with my meal. I'm not "low carb" .... but diets in the U.S. have become waay more carb heavy than in the past. People used to have gardens and ate waay more veggies (I think).

You are not getting enough vegetables; you should be getting ~ 5 servings of vegetables a day. I hate to say this but your daily intake is sadly lacking in nutrition.

a peach is ~ 60 calories that is not enough calories for breakfast
your lunch is even worse - again; no vegetable (fries are not a vegetable)
one salad per day does not contain enough nutrients for you to survive

Try (this is based on a ~ 1200 calorie minimum day; no one unless they are an invalid should eat fewer than 1200 calories per the American Heart Association):

Breakfast: 350-375 calories
AM snack: 75-120 calories
Lunch: 350-375 calories
PM snack: 75-120 calories
Dinner: 325-350 calories

suggested day:

Breakfast (not sure what you like to eat...but its easy enough to adjust) - since you like fruit: Fruit protein shake (1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk or skim milk, 1/2 cup filtered water, 1/2 cup berries (any kind; blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberries, or other), 1 scoop of protein powder (should be ~120 calories), 2 tsp of raw almond butter; blend until smooth. Include slice of whole wheat toast or other whole grain (I use Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted wheat bread)

AM snack - 1/4 cup of 2% cottage cheese & 1 cup of honey dew melon (or other fruit)

Lunch - chicken stuffed tomatoes with salad (4 oz chicken breast mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons of low fat mayonnaise, tablespoon of shredded carrot, 1/4 stalk of celery, chopped; put this on a bed of 2 cups of mixed salad greens (or lettuce of choice, just don't use iceberg; it has as much nutrition as water), 1/2 cup of cucumber slices, medium tomato and 2 tablespoons of low fat dressing; also add a slice of whole grain bread

PM snack - 2 tablespoons of hummus (any flavor - I like the roasted red pepper) and 10 baby carrots

Dinner - Bocca burger with Zucchini and fruit (bocca burger (~120 calories); on a slice of whole grain bread, add a slice of low fat swiss cheese or vegetarian cheese (~40 calories); sautee 1 cup (~ one small-medium sized zucchini) in a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil (or you can use spray pam); 1/4 cup of soy nuts (lightly salted or unsalted) and 1 cup of strawberries or other fruit.

BTW - I create my breakfast, two snacks and lunch every night; it's easier to stay "on plan" that way. Another tip: I eat the same thing for dinner that I'm going to eat for lunch the next day...that way there's less meal prep.

Good Luck!

I have always watched my carbs but when I do get decide to drop low (and i haven't for many months) the first thing out of my diet is fruit. Fruit is very high in natural sugar and has carbs. Lower carb would be your berries. I agree with everyone (even with personal experience) that kick the fruit and put in your veggies. Spinach, Kale, broccoli, cauliflower. How about a chicken breast topped with tomato and onion wrapped in a lettuce leaf for lunch. That way you are getting some veggies in there and still avoiding your carbs. Also with cutting carbs I would ditch the french fries. Maybe replace them with baked sweet potato fries. Just some ideas.

Here's a usual day for me:

Breakfast 6am: peach
snack 9am: apple
(tictacs to nibble on)
lunch 12pm: 2 grilled chicken patties (no bun or condiments) and a small fry
snack 2pm: nectarine and some cherries
dinner 5pm: grilled chckn ceasar salad, ceasar dressing, no croutons.

then i jog at night, 2miles

You are eating a lot of sugary fruits, swap out for green veggies - cucumbers, celery, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, peas etc and add other meats other than chicken, you can have beef and pork

There is a lot of good advice in this thread, but taking it all in could be a little overwhelming if you're new to all of this. So here are the cliff notes.


1) Start by getting your calories in check. For people eating too little, eat more. For people eating to many, eat less. This absolutely HAS to be your first step. If you're not eating the right amount, I don't care how clean or balanced or whatever else those cals are. Too much of anything will cause problems, too little will too. For most people, total cals should be based on your BMR and/or your TDEE (depending on your goals/issues). BMR and TDEE is discussed at length on this board, so I won't get into them here. If you don't know what these are, search.

2) Once you have your cals in check, then you can start paying attention to the fats, carbs and proteins. IMO, there is no reason to worry about other nutrients unless you have a heath/dietary concern that requires you to do so. Targets for fat, carbs and protein will depend on your goals and routines. Again, this is covered at length on these boards, but a good balance 30% fats, 40% carbs, 30% protein is a reasonable starting point for someone new to this. If you want to know more, search.

3) Once you do those 2 things, you need to wait. Then wait some more. During this time you can evaluate your progress. Give it at least a month before you make any conclusions about the success or lack there of, and being tweaking things as necessary.


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