newbie question

protein4me
protein4me Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
i'm on a 1650 cal diet to loose @10lbs. the carbs are set at 227 and protein at 62. i am struggling to hit the carbs and almost over my protein before dinner. i thought dieting to be low carbs,low fat and high protein to loose weight? does it hurt or slow me down if i go over the protein count?

Replies

  • wlkumpf
    wlkumpf Posts: 241 Member
    I focus more on calories and the carb calories from salads, fruits and a few whole grains. I would not worry too much going over in protein especially if you are excersizing :)
    If I work out at night I find I almost always have to have a LATE night snack or I am up thinking about it. As long as I go for protein vs carbs I still wake up with at least a small weight loss.

    I am not sure anymore what my breakdown is even supposed to be, when I used caloriecount.com it was facing me head on every time I entered anything, but now I just go by what I crave!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    I would alter the profile to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. Protein is key to preserving muscle. Also, with only 10 lbs to lose, make sure your account is set to 1/2 lb per week. Anything more is too aggressive and can lead to muscle loss as well. Although, you MIGHT be able to pull off 1 lb per week.
  • protein4me
    protein4me Posts: 6
    i'm usualy around 50/50 on carbs and protein. but the way this is set up on here, i would never get that many carbs before.it was always more protein than carbs.
  • SairahRose
    SairahRose Posts: 412 Member
    As long as the carbs are from vegetables and fruits mostly, all is well. It's' also perfectly fine to go over on protein, since I find that it's set too low, and it's key to eat a fair amount in order to lose weight effectively.

    Just keep going, and you'll be okay :)
  • heddy90
    heddy90 Posts: 144 Member
    You don't have to hit the carb goal! And you don't have to stay below your protein.

    No stress if you're under on carb, sugar, sodium and others for example. And no stress if you're over on proteins, on vitamins, iron, calcium... But of course, this for the average person, if you have any medical issues it could be different, but I'm sure you're aware of that yourself.
  • CameoDouglas
    CameoDouglas Posts: 78 Member
    I am on a 1200 calorie diet with 60 carbs, 53 fat, and 120 protein. It's not too tough for me to stay within my carbs as long as I don't have any grains (I usually treat myself to them once or twice a week) and I find the weights been flying off.

    I agree with heddy, it is perfectly fine to be under carbs, sugar and salt because once you meet the healthy amount they don't have any positive effects once you go over just like it is okay to go over on protein, vitamins etc.
  • Sugoiharris
    Sugoiharris Posts: 59 Member
    I always think of it like this: carbs are your number one energy source, followed by fats and lastly protien. You need a lot carbs if your training really hard, I tend to eat high carbs but I train pretty hard. Carbs aren't bad if you eat the right kind, complex carbs from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Keep you simple carbs low, like sugar, because they burn through your system to fast and cause you to crash. Protien gives you energy but it's main function is for recovery and rebuilding muscle. It also takes longer to break down in your system and uses more calories to break down so that's also a plus. When I make my meals, at least the good ones, half my plate is vegetables (i love bell peppers and onions) and the other half is equally split between a protien, like fish or chicken, and a carb, like brown rice or a sweet potato. if you stick to something like that for each meal (interestingly a properly made burger or taco meet these qualifications) then your probably going to be getting enough of each. Just make sure whatever you choose to eat you include tons of veggies fo all kinds.
  • akathatoneguy
    akathatoneguy Posts: 38 Member
    I definitely think it's better to go higher on the protein and lower on the carbs. A good thing to do is no carbs late at night, for instance. If you are working out, like others said, you need protein to preserve your muscle tone while you lose weight! I actually get 2x-3x what MFP says I should for protein each day, but then again I'm really trying to build muscle!

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