Trying to increase calories but not carbs -- help!

melodyg
melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I was recently diagnosed as hypoglycemic and also finally (after years of being told I was insulin resistant but not told to change my eating to lower carb!) given a diet plan. Unfortunately, my doctor only gave me the guidelines and ZERO ideas for what to eat. She also told me to increase my calories from MFP's recommendations, which I have done some but can't seem to increase to the level she wants without going over on carbs.

According to MFP, my BMR is just under 1700. My doctor has advised me to eat just over 2000 calories a day, and limit carbs to 30/meal or 15/snack. I'm not a huge meat eater, and I'm trying to stay within limits on fat/sodium as well... and finding it almost impossible to get over 1700 calories a day (which is JUST my BMR... and a month of that has led to zero weight loss) with those restrictions.

My food diary is open (although poor menu planning this week led to A LOT of eating out, which is not supposed to be typical... so maybe look back a week or so?) and I would love suggestions on how to increase calories or do a better job of allocating the carbs I have to work with.

Would love to be friends with anyone else out there dealing with hypoglycemia too... right now I feel like most of my life is consumed with planning what to eat and making sure I always have some kind of snack on hand because I can go from a tiny bit hungry to needing food NOW in about five minutes (sigh).

Edited to add: Since someone asked... no food restrictions, basically the carb limits are just to keep blood sugar more balanced (at least that is my understanding).

Replies

  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
    So you need to increase calories, but don't want to add more carbs... can you add more fats?

    If so, maybe switch your milk to 2% instead of nonfat. Add cheese to meals. Nuts or (more) peanut butter are good ways to add more calories with natural options. I think it's very easy people to drink their calories - hence the weight gain from drinking soda or lots of juice, but those are all carbs.... so how about some protein shakes?

    Sorry if my suggestions aren't helpful. I don't know what foods you need to avoid if you have hypoglycemic.

    I looked in your calendar back a bit and you hit over 1800 on August 22-24th and were pretty close the 21st and 25th - you were also at or under your carb goal. Were those days difficult for you to eat everything? It looked to me like you were doing pretty well there.
  • Italiano7
    Italiano7 Posts: 382 Member
    TRY EATING LEAN MEATS
  • MTBrob
    MTBrob Posts: 513 Member
    .
  • LisaLouisiana
    LisaLouisiana Posts: 145 Member
    The first 80 pounds I lost, I did so using the Atkins diet. That's basically what you're talking about needing to do.

    You don't need to join the Atkins web site or anything if you don't want. You can use this PDF, linked below, that list foods and information about them. It lists each food's carbs, fiber, net carbs (which is what the Atkins diet counts -- you subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs to find your net carbs), protein, fat and calorie content. This way you can find what you do like to eat that will most closely fit the bill.

    Italiano7 did hit the nail on the head when she said lean meats. Meat is dense in calories and has no carbs (unless the preparation method added them....and that happens....so read the labels on all of them, even hams, except raw meat.)

    http://www.atkins.com/getattachment/Program/Carb-Counter/2012CarbCounterRev3_12.pdf.aspx

    Can I ask you why he would want you to eat so many calories? Unless you're exercising those excess calories away, you will gain weight eating above your BMR. Does he have a particular strategy or something?
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    I would increase natural fats - great way to add flavor and keep carbs lower.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I would increase natural fats - great way to add flavor and keep carbs lower.

    Indeed, dietary fat rocks.

    My days are at least 65% fat by calories.
  • spngebobmyhero
    spngebobmyhero Posts: 823 Member
    You are going to have to up your fat and/or intake in order to lower your carb intake and maintain your calorie intake. Try getting almost all of your carbs from veggie and fruit sources, dairy is also higher in carbs than one would expect. I used to have problems with blood sugar and would get shaky, light-headed, and clumsy. Now that I usually keep my carbs under 100g a day, I find these issues have pretty much been resolved. Feel free to take a look at my diary :)
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Eat more animals.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    I would increase natural fats - great way to add flavor and keep carbs lower.

    Ditto.

    Coconut oil, olive oil, pecans, almonds, peanut butter.
  • hello_miffy
    hello_miffy Posts: 29 Member
    You should try taking a look at reddit.com/r/keto it is all about being low carb, high fat and people there have some really good tips on how to do it. I am on a low carb diet at the moment and also struggled at first, now I just bulk my meals a bit with bacon and eggs, etc. Cheese is really good for adding a lot of fat with few carbs too.
  • runnermama81
    runnermama81 Posts: 388 Member
    Cottage cheese, olives, and avocados are some of my faves! Oh and almonds:)
  • edleim
    edleim Posts: 81 Member
    I love avocado and add it to pretty much everything, Also, if you can find a grain you like it is lower carb than pitas and other breads.

    Also eggs instead of egg whites. Last suggestions, half and half has very little sugar so is low carb compared to milk and it is better for you than creamer since it is natural. While doing low carb i would focus on limiting sweets and breads and adding whole grains and things like lentils and black beans, quinoa. Whatever you like :) Good luck!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Lean meats, cheese, and milk are tasty and (except milk) very low carbs.

    Natural, unprocessed carbs like brown rice, old fashioned oats, barley, lentils, beans etc. have carbs but are released slowly so they have a low glycemic index, which is what you need. So the carbs don't cause an insulin spike and are better for you to eat. If you look up glycemic index, you'll find foods listed.

    Anything high fat will give you calories - nuts, oil, etc. So you can fill up with good veggies and meat and add butter or oil to get your calories where you need them.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I was recently diagnosed as hypoglycemic and also finally (after years of being told I was insulin resistant but not told to change my eating to lower carb!) given a diet plan. Unfortunately, my doctor only gave me the guidelines and ZERO ideas for what to eat. She also told me to increase my calories from MFP's recommendations, which I have done some but can't seem to increase to the level she wants without going over on carbs.

    According to MFP, my BMR is just under 1700. My doctor has advised me to eat just over 2000 calories a day, and limit carbs to 30/meal or 15/snack. I'm not a huge meat eater, and I'm trying to stay within limits on fat/sodium as well... and finding it almost impossible to get over 1700 calories a day (which is JUST my BMR... and a month of that has led to zero weight loss) with those restrictions.

    My food diary is open (although poor menu planning this week led to A LOT of eating out, which is not supposed to be typical... so maybe look back a week or so?) and I would love suggestions on how to increase calories or do a better job of allocating the carbs I have to work with.

    Would love to be friends with anyone else out there dealing with hypoglycemia too... right now I feel like most of my life is consumed with planning what to eat and making sure I always have some kind of snack on hand because I can go from a tiny bit hungry to needing food NOW in about five minutes (sigh).

    Edited to add: Since someone asked... no food restrictions, basically the carb limits are just to keep blood sugar more balanced (at least that is my understanding).

    I was diagnosed as insulin resistant about 8 years ago, but not given any info other than "eat under 50g net carbs for the next 2 months". In that 2 months I lost 15-20lbs, got pregnant, and reversed my IR. I'm pretty sure it is back ( awaiting lab results from Tuesday's physical), so I have been eating ~100g net since the beginning of May.

    Some MAJOR calorie dense foods for me are nuts. I weigh out 2 oz of cashews, or an ounce each of cashews and pecans, and put them in a snack bag. I know I have one stashed in the console of my van. I also keep an emergency Met-rx bar in the bottom of my purse--they are 300+ calories, and under about 10g net ( usually about 25-30g sugar alcohols in each bar). These are for my major busy days where I have like 900 exercise calories and can't keep up my intake.

    feel free to check my diary for calorie dense, low carb foods.
  • Marquettedominos
    Marquettedominos Posts: 107 Member
    Chicken, nuts, cheese, protien powders, egg whites. Just off the top of my head.
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
    I would increase natural fats - great way to add flavor and keep carbs lower.

    Indeed, dietary fat rocks.

    My days are at least 65% fat by calories.

    This^! Same goes for me, besides on my cheat day I limit myself to under 60g carbs a day (or 10% of my daily calories). Most my nutrients come from good fats and protein. I usually eat between 1400-1800, sometimes more if I've done an intense workout.
  • Brendajo510
    Brendajo510 Posts: 153
    Increase meat and cheese for low carb. Veggies are good as well, but think green veggies. For example, I love corn but its really not as good for you as say broccoli. Avoid those delicious potatoes as they are loaded with carbs. Starches can keep your blood sugar up for longer so potatoes are really rough about that. When you go out to eat, avoid fries.

    Make sure to read the nutritional information on foods before you buy. It is surprising how some low sugar foods can actually have more carbs then their regular counterpart.

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