please help? high fat/low carb or mod fat/low carb??

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Replies

  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    I would say 2000, I PM'd Dan from the the road map thread about my numbers, and he told me to just stay around 2000, so I do my best to be around there, alittle over or under days here and there, but I would say that is my target.


    If you want to set your macros to a firm number, then it would be good to sit at a firm number for your calories while you are following Helloitsdan's suggestion. If he is considering 2000, then stick to that number. Remember - do not eat your exercise calories back while following that formula.

    Based on your previous macro post, I would stick with that for right now.

    Carbohydrates should be from fresh vegetables. If you look at fruits, aim for the low glycemic varieties that tend to fall in the berries category, also cherries as well. Dont go crazy on them even though they have a decent amount of fiber, they still have sugar...and some people may have a stall if they have alot of fruit.

    Stay away from processed food, convenience food, etc. Keep everything fresh.

    I dont know what your full intake is on average - your food diary is locked up tight.

    Keep your macros set the way they are now but, remain consistent as possible. I would not vary your calories at all because your body is not going to properly adjust itself....

    Every time you have an approximate 5lb loss, you may need to consider recalculating your caloric intake.

    You need to remember this - and this goes for everyone regardless of food-choice lifestyle(s): you have to commit to your set parameters for at least 4-6 weeks for the body to adjust and acclimate to what your targets are. If you are stalled, you need to review those 4-6 week entries in your food diary to determine where you need to improve. Some people even wait a full two months to get a better picture, and then they go from there.

    Keep it set at 2000 calories - dont vary it...
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    BTW - Dan's recommendation IS the same as the website I recommended for BMR/TDEE/TDEE-15%.... I recommended it because it gives accurate data based on formulas that current day physicians/RD's use.
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    My diary is only open to friends, but i eat pretty clean for the most part, dont really eat processed food and drink tons of water!! Lol thank you for all your input, i feel a lot better with how i have been doing now, ill just keep on going!! Thanks so much!
  • I'm wondering if you need a reality check regarding your veggie portion sizes? You say you eat "A LOT" of veggies. Is there some reason why you aren't willing to cut back on those? Even though veggies are healthy, they are not carb-free and it's still easy to eat way too many of them. For example, we all know calcium is necessary to maintain good health, but if I told you I drink a gallon of milk a day because calcium is healthy for us, would that seem sensible? Just because a little calcium is good doesn't mean that a whole lot is better. The same can be said for veggies. Yes, we need veggies every day in a variety of colors, but we don't need pounds of them to get our daily nutrients. Anything more than our body needs is wasted or stored as fat..

    If you eat reasonable amounts to meet your daily needs I don't think you'll be eating as many veggies as you might think you need. If you cut those back then the only way to get your calorie intake up to where you want it is to add more fat and/or protein.

    My numbers are 60% fat, 30% protein, and 10% carbs. I've lost 60 lbs. and have excellent triglyceride and HDL stats. I try to eat a few portions of veggies each day and vary them among leafy greens, red tomatoes, purple eggplant, green or yellow squash, all colors of peppers, orange pumpkin, white cauliflower, etc. But I limit portions to about 3 cups of salad and 2 cups of cooked vaggies each day.

    Years ago I went on the WW Core plan in which one was allowed to eat unlimited amounts of non-starchy veggies, but fat intake was limited to two tsp. of olive oil per day. I lost weight on that plan but I could not maintain the loss because the lack of fat in my diet made me hungry all the time. Low-carb has worked much better for me, but if you want to keep eating large amounts of veggies you might consider switching to the low-fat high-carb diet which some find successful. We are all made differently and what works for some does not work well for others. I think to lose weight most people have to choose one or the other - low-carb high fat, or high-carb low fat.

    Good luck, and I hope you find what works best for you.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    <snip>I think to lose weight most people have to choose one or the other - low-carb high fat, or high-carb low fat. <snip>

    Absolutely, if I am going to have a relatively high-carb day then I'll keep the fats low. Protein will remain fairly constant (and moderate).

    I will base my diet around low-carb though as this means that I am not subject to cravings/mood swings and it avoids high blood sugar/insulin levels which is a good thing for health generally.

    Regarding veggies, the leafy stuff almost isn't worth counting for me, as the starch content gets higher then it's more significant.

    I was munching carrots yesterday just to get the carb content of my day up, I've been more active than normal lately and my body was telling me that my energy wasn't where it needed to be so I responded with some 'healthy' starch ... Seemed to work OK :)
  • It's the same for me, DeadVim. Low carb keeps my cravings in check, but it never occurred to me that on those rare days when I do go significantly over it would be a good idea to limit the fats. Duh, should have been obvious. Thanks for the tip.

    When I first began Atkins induction I was astounded at how many carbs were in even small amounts of tomatoes, pumpkins, etc. As you say, most greens (except kale) are pretty insignificant, but some of the portion sizes on the higher-carb induction veggies are only 1/4 cup. I raise my own veggies and was used to serving up whatever the day's harvest happened to be without thinking about portion size. I soon discovered that the former bowl full of green beans on the table shrank to six pods on a plate in order to keep myself under my daily carb limit. I used to think I had to keep a freezer full of veggies to make it through the winter until fresh veggies came again. Now, as my DH says, "We've learned we don't have to eat nearly as much food as we thought we did." We cut the amount we plant significantly. I put up a few gallon bags of garden produce each summer and we have all we need through the winter, supplementing with salad greens from the store until the early salad garden produces again. We spend much less time growing and preparing food now, and more time taking walks or playing, or just resting our old bones. Not only are we healthier, but life is also easier and much simpler.