More calories without more carbs?

emilynw10
emilynw10 Posts: 60
in Food and Nutrition
I'm starting to get discouraged because I've been going at this for about 6 weeks and haven't lost any weight. I feel much better, so it's not like I'm tempted to go back to my old ways, but I'm just kind of confused.

When I re-started in November, I logged my food for about a week to get a feel for how much I should be eating, how many calories were in things, to see where my macros were, etc. I immediately saw that I was eating too much and a whoooole bunch of carbs. So I've cut back. I did the whole TDEE - 20% thing which gave me 1700 calories, and I'm breastfeeding so I added 300 more. So I have a goal of 2000. I also changed my macros to 40/30/30 which seems completely impossible when I look at the numbers.

My problem is, I can't seem to hit my 2000 calorie goal without going way over on carbs. If I cut my carbs, my calories go way down. I'm really at a loss for what to do. I know the obvious thing would be to eat more protein, but I can't seem to do it. I'm not a meat lover, but I try to eat a couple servings a day anyway. I also do beans/lentils for protein (but those also have a bunch of carbs) and some soy milk. I was eating soy yogurt, but then noticed it had 27g of sugar so I stopped that (I also have a pretty bad sugar addiction that I'm trying to get under control). Due to allergies, dairy, eggs, and nuts of all kinds are out.

So I guess my questions are: does anyone have any ideas on how to increase my calories without increasing my carbs? Also, is 300 g of carbs in a 2000 calorie diet THAT bad? Could it be the reason I'm not losing weight? And any ideas where to get in some more healthy fats? Are my restrictions bad enough that I should get professional help to set up a diet? They don't seem that bad, but being able to have an omelet for breakfast or nuts for a snack would make my numbers so much better...

Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Meat - steak, chicken, bacon, sausage, turkey, ground beef, jerky, venison, bison, whatever sounds good
  • dantrick
    dantrick Posts: 369 Member
    for fats - try fish oil pills, or hey eat the fish (protein and omega 3 fats), avocado's are high in healthy fats also. for more protein try a shake. note: not all carbs are created equal. google simple vs complex carbs. try to eat more complex carbs (fruits & vegetables).
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Oily fish like mackerel trout salmon and sardines, cocoa powder, avocados, olives, block creamed or unsweetened dessicated coconut, pumpkin/ squash/ watermelon/ hemp seeds. Beans and lentils are not a good source of protein, they are more like a starchy carbohydrate source, tho good for fibre and minerals so very healthy. To be honest if you have multiple allergies AND don't like meat you'd be best seeing a dietician to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need - B12, iron and calcium for example. In the mean time eat nine servings of bright and dark coloured produce in the full rainbow of colours - some of the pale stuff you are opting for (iceberg, banana) is not that nutritious. Some leafy greens are reasonable sources of minerals.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    What is 40/30/30 to you? If it is 40% carbs, you shouldn't have any problem doing this.

    So - no more than 2 servings a day from the following: Bread, cereal, crackers, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans.. More than that and your carbs will go up. Obviously, sugar falls out of favor in this plan.

    No more than two fruit servings a day, limit dairy.

    Fill the rest with protein and fats.

    I have my macros set at 45% fat/ 25% Protein/ 30%Carbs. I worry about filling protein first, then fats, then fill in with vegetables and maybe a serving from my first group above.
  • japruzze
    japruzze Posts: 453 Member
    If you do no fat products, switch to low fat. Look at eating turkey and chicken for breakfast. Can you do soy? There are lots of soy based protien supplements you could try too to keep calories in line, increase protien and keep carbs low. Good luck! It's all about finding a balance that works for you!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    You've only got one day's diary records so it's hard to give meaningful advice.

    But most of your carbs seem to be coming from sweet things - dried fruits, cookies etc.

    Replace those with protein items - cheese, eggs, ham, and that should help.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
    If your OK with soy then try tofu,

    You can make your own soy yogurt by substituting soy milk in place of dairy milk. Here is one link that talks about how to do it - I'm sure there a many more http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/01/making-soy-yogurt.html

    How about protein smoothies - you can get soy protein powders and add to your soymilk,. frozen fruit of choice and buzz in blender - adding spinach or canned pumpkin are other options for flavoring. Add a spice that balances you fruit or veggie choice.
    You can make smoothies with silken tofu as well.
  • meghanner
    meghanner Posts: 180 Member
    Check out the carbohydrate curve post on Marks Daily Apple:

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/#axzz2Ga9jDB8q
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    At 3 calories per gram, 300 g of carbs in a 2000 calorie diet means that you are getting 45% of your calories from carbohydrates. That's not only not high, that's actually relatively low. The US government recommends 15% from protein, 30% from fat, and 55% from carbs.

    Also, you may be having trouble losing weight because of the breastfeeding. Some of the women on here have found that the body likes to store a few extra lb of fat while it's producing milk.
  • emilynw10
    emilynw10 Posts: 60
    Thank you all for your advice. There were some things I hadn't thought of like seeds and "oily fish", so I really appreciate it!

    I think I'm going to give up on tracking my macros though as it's making me crazy. I can't replace carbs with protein when so many protein sources are off limits due to food allergies. I tried again today (and cut my sugar) and my day was basically meat and produce. I can't do that longterm. Not only that, but I ended up with 1200something calories (not including exercise calories, which was 700something) which definitely doesn't work for me AND I still had a lot of carbs because I ate so much fruit. I feel like I have to choose between getting enough calories and eating fewer carbs. I tried googling low-carb snacks and it was all stuff like string cheese, nuts, greek yogurt, peanut butter, etc. I can't eat any of that.

    How was that for one big pity party? ;)
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Calories are the most important. Get those Under on control and ignore the macros
  • Ampierce
    Ampierce Posts: 53 Member
    Bump :)
  • ChinniP
    ChinniP Posts: 166 Member
    Avocado, coconut water ... try protein shakes if you must.
  • nancycaregiver
    nancycaregiver Posts: 812 Member
    I eat under 30 carbs a day and my calories are about 1200 (which is my goal). But if you ate twice what I ate, you'd have 2400 calories and under 60 carbs.
  • evdenapoli
    evdenapoli Posts: 164 Member
    I used to have a High Carb count when I first started..had never realized how much I ate in carbs! Now my carbs are only the good ones... I never eat red meat. I get a ton of protein from Turkey. Breast and extra lean ground Turkey. Also I get a lot from Hummus. I eat it with my veggies at lunch. Hope that helps with the food part.
  • Bassgirl51
    Bassgirl51 Posts: 117
    Eggs and healthy fats. Nuts are a good source, avocados, full fat milk, cheese. Yogurt..have to watch the sugar tho. Try not to get the sweetened ones.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Protein powder. It's the only way I can make my protein macros. Have a big protein shake in the afternoon for a snack. It'll keep you from feeling hungry for much longer than carbs will.
  • emilynw10
    emilynw10 Posts: 60
    Does protein powder have a lot of calories in it? I'm sure I could find some soy protein powder, but if it's just increasing my protein without also increasing my calories, it won't help much. Avocado is also something I really need to try to incorporate more into my diet. Lots of calories and fats.

    Again, I really appreciate your suggestions!
  • ChelleDJM
    ChelleDJM Posts: 161
    Protein powder is about 110 calories per scoop. You could add a little fruit and some plain greek yogurt for a huge protein punch and still keep it low carb/low sugar.

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