Am I going too low on carbs?!
katedavies1986
Posts: 25 Member
Hello Everyone,
So.....long story short, I have PCOS and am taking 1000mg of Metformin a Day - I weigh 255 (have lost 36lbs since June). My specialist/doctor has told me that I need to eat low-carb as it is good for the PCOS - I have done this, and yes, I am loosing weight and feel much better in myself...
Question is, how low is too low?! I aim for 20g per day but can eat as little as 10g - last week I raised it every day a little but didn't loose so am keen to keep it to less than 20g - unless that is going to cause more problems?!
When I started the "diet" in June I then followed to have "regular periods" for 2 months - BUT now it has stopped
I am 20 days late from when it was due - don't know if this could be because I am going too low on carbs?!
So much confusing information out there!! x
So.....long story short, I have PCOS and am taking 1000mg of Metformin a Day - I weigh 255 (have lost 36lbs since June). My specialist/doctor has told me that I need to eat low-carb as it is good for the PCOS - I have done this, and yes, I am loosing weight and feel much better in myself...
Question is, how low is too low?! I aim for 20g per day but can eat as little as 10g - last week I raised it every day a little but didn't loose so am keen to keep it to less than 20g - unless that is going to cause more problems?!
When I started the "diet" in June I then followed to have "regular periods" for 2 months - BUT now it has stopped
I am 20 days late from when it was due - don't know if this could be because I am going too low on carbs?!So much confusing information out there!! x
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Replies
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I'm am no expert...by any means. But that seems reeeeeally low to me. Are you lacking energy at all?0
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I shoot for 18 myself. Most days I go over it, but not by too much. And the carbs I eat are from fruits, veggies and whole grains. I do South Beach diet, which I don't have to count anything at all. I have lost 51 pounds so far. September will be a year since I have been working on losing my weight. It is slow, but staying off and I have had a few not so good weeks here and there. Getting it off is better than keeping it on. I will hit my goal weight eventually.0
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Maybe you're pregnant.
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It is odd, I don't feel at all tired or hungry when I eat 20 grams or less a day (normally no more than 15grams) - I feel tired on days like today when I see my family and got a KFC - LOADS of carbs and now all I want to do is nap....I will drag myself to do a work out though!!
The only reason I worry about being "too" low is becuase of the effect low carb can have on your kidneys etc?!
I wish I was pregnant, but sadly not ! One day, I hope xx 0 -
I stay under 10grams per day and it hasn't affected my cycle or my energy. In fact my energy levels have been higher than I can remember and have not needed carbs to give me energy to do my high intensity workouts. I also had non-existent cycles, often needing to take Provera in order to bring a cycle on after months of nothing. I have been doing low carb now for nearly a year and it has also not affected my kidneys, I've had blood work done often since I started eating this way and all of my results have come back good. I used to shoot between 20-30 grams per day and I stopped losing.0
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Wow, that is great to read!! How much weight have you lost since starting?? I definately think it is the right diet for me, I feel better and I am not hungry all the time!
What exersize do you do? I really struggle to enjoy exersize (apart from dog walks) so find it hard to do it - terrible attitude I know!!0 -
By looking at your food diary, I'd say you're not eating enough. I think anything under 1200 calories is too low. I'd almost wonder if that had anything to do with af being mia. Did your doctor tell you how many calories to aim for? And how are you feeling? Metformin can be dangerous if it makes your blood glucose levels too low.0
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I set my limit to 1200 because I struggle to eat over that every day - some days I do allow myself to, if I am doing exersize especially! I don't feel hungry ever really and I have much more energy and feel so much better in myself.
What does "af being mia" mean, sorry!?
I have got the doctors again soon, I will mention to him about the metformin although, I take 100mg a day and feel fine with it - I drink plenty of water too. Thanks.0 -
Have just found out with AF/MIA mean - !!
Do you think the lower calories could affect my AF then!?
It is really hard to eat under 20g Carbs a day (which I am keen to keep doing) but eat more than 1200 calories!!0 -
Wow, that is great to read!! How much weight have you lost since starting?? I definately think it is the right diet for me, I feel better and I am not hungry all the time!
What exersize do you do? I really struggle to enjoy exersize (apart from dog walks) so find it hard to do it - terrible attitude I know!!
I started eating this way and serious exercise almost a year ago and have lost almost 100lbs. Right now I am doing Insanity but before I started with Jillian Michael's workouts and is what physically prepared me for Insanity. I started with 30 Day Shred, moved onto her Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, as well as No More Trouble Zones. I then moved onto her 3 month program Body Revolution. I lost 21lbs with her 3 month program and I am 2 weeks away from finishing my first round of Insanity.
If you need to take in more calories without adding in carbs you could introduce more lean protein into your diet. Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish and certain cheeses will help. I used to have string cheese as a snack but those 1gram of carbs adds up during the day, so I switched to colby jack cheese. It has more calories, more protein, but no carbs. I also drink protein drinks to help boost my calorie and protein intake without adding in too many carbs like Premier Protein and Isopure.0 -
Wow that is really low. From my understanding, I thought low carbers weren't supposed to go under 20g/day for an extended period of time. I don't see a lot of veggies in your diary which would concern me personally and I think low carbers favor berries, so I'd also look into that.
I am no expert though as I'm in the 200 carb/day range.0 -
I think that weight loss that is too rapid can put you into an annovulatory state. I would add in more fruits and veggies ,if you're going to have the carbohydrates, then you might as well make them count by eating complex ones. You could also add in some nuts and seeds since they are so nutrient dense (just watch your portions).
I'm not a doctor by any means, but from anything I've read, 40 - 60 grams of carbohydrates a day is a happy medium, allowing for you to have balanced meals.
Talk to your doctor about what you should be eating. If he has recommended a 1200 calorie diet for you with a restriction of 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, I would seek out the opinion of a nutritionist.0 -
My endocrynologist and nutritionist recommended at least 120g a day so I would say you are eating low. Atkins and South beach will take you lower than that but the question would be how sustainable is extreme low carbing? Do you intend to eat that low for the rest of your life when you are at goal and trying to maintain?0
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Oops, when I said 18, I went back and looked today and I was looking at fiber not carbs. My carbs I stay at about 120g a day. Sorry still somewhat new to all this.0
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Do you want to be down that low? I always thought you had to be but imo i dont think it is necessary. When i did that low of carb i wasnt eating too well, i ate alot of meat, higher fat because it had no carbs and didnt eat too many veggies because they would put me over. I currently do lower carb, but i dont actually count, i just stay away from breads, pasta, grains and fruit - except apples and the occasional banana, and i have been having good success with it. I went alittle carb heavy last week to see if it would make a difference and it definitely did, i didnt lose. This week i cut those things out and im down on the scale.
I know for myself eating that low carb brought me to eat way high on the fat scale and it wasnt good fats most of the time because it came from meat. My body worked better with higher carbs from veggies and such and lean proteins. Not exactly sure how you eat but just trying to give you some options. I felt very deprived being the low carb and now i dont and im losing better then i did when i went super low. Just something to think about 0 -
I am going to try and up my carbs a little this week and go to 25grams a day max - I will add more vegetables/fruit into my daily diet and see if this still means I am loosing weight. I don't feel poorly in myself and don't have any bad side effects from going low carb.
As you can see from my diary, Monday - Friday I am low-carb but the weekends (normally just one day!!) I am naughty naughty!!
Really need to try and stop my weekend badness because maybe this is why the weight can sometimes slow!
Will up the carbs to 25grams and see how I go
Thanks for your help everyone xx0 -
Why are you eating so low on carbs? Is there a specific plan you are following?0
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My doctor has told me low carb is good for PCOS, I tried it for a few weeks and it has been great, have lost almost 3 stone and don't miss any stodgy potatoes etc and don't feel hungry. It seems low carbs works for me....everything else doesn't!!0
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Did your doctor say how many carbs? Because it was my understanding that a normal low carb diet is 100g carbs/day or less, sometimes 50g carbs/day is used as well. I've only heard the 20g carb/day as a suggestion for a very short period of time.
You don't need to eat potatoes but including more veggies and some low sugar fruits may be a good idea.0 -
He said to do trial and error and see what works for me, when i first started i did under 100grams and didn't see any pounds dropping off, when i lowered to 50grams it was very slow - some weeks nothing off and some weeks 1lb, on 20grams I am hitting 2lbs a week which is what I want !!0
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I'd just be careful not to go too low in calories.0
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Wow, that is great to read!! How much weight have you lost since starting?? I definately think it is the right diet for me, I feel better and I am not hungry all the time!
What exersize do you do? I really struggle to enjoy exersize (apart from dog walks) so find it hard to do it - terrible attitude I know!!
I started eating this way and serious exercise almost a year ago and have lost almost 100lbs. Right now I am doing Insanity but before I started with Jillian Michael's workouts and is what physically prepared me for Insanity. I started with 30 Day Shred, moved onto her Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, as well as No More Trouble Zones. I then moved onto her 3 month program Body Revolution. I lost 21lbs with her 3 month program and I am 2 weeks away from finishing my first round of Insanity.
If you need to take in more calories without adding in carbs you could introduce more lean protein into your diet. Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish and certain cheeses will help. I used to have string cheese as a snack but those 1gram of carbs adds up during the day, so I switched to colby jack cheese. It has more calories, more protein, but no carbs. I also drink protein drinks to help boost my calorie and protein intake without adding in too many carbs like Premier Protein and Isopure.
Huh.... this is very interesting. I may have to try lowering my Carbs. I generally eat around 125 grams a day. But my weight loss is very slow. Quite frustrating.
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I was just looking at my diary. I don't know how I could eat below 50 grams. I mean I eat one grapefruit and I am already at 25 grams. Was it hard at first to adjust your diet? Are you eating any fruit?0 -
The first week is HARD but then after that you sort of loose the cravings and want for carb food!! Have a look at my dairy, I am under 20 grams of carbs (Monday - Friday)- yeh, some people say that is too low but I completely believe that everyone is different - I feel amazing and so much happier than when I was living on carbs!!
I don't really eat fruit, berries maybe a couple of times a week but I don't miss it even though I used to love it! I eat vegetables and salad and meat!0 -
katie,
I looked at your diary and you are eating under 1200 calories/daily? Are you recording everything? Really, you should be eating more at 250 lbs. Eating that low can cause a stall in the long run.0 -
I try to hit 1200 calories but don't always hit it - I am not hungry one bit!
I believe that every person is different, and if I eat 1000-1200 I feel full and healthy surely it won't harm me!?
It is hard to eat more calories when I don't want to eat more carbs.....0
