What do you have your calories set as?

I've been doing a low calorie diet at 1200 calories, and was losing really slow, so I decided to do a low carb diet as I've had success with it in the past. Before when I did low carb I didn't count my calories just carbs and I lost weight. I started low carbing this Monday and I still have my calories set to 1200, should I raise them a little or just leave them at 1200? I need to lose over 30 pounds. I'm pretty much doing Atkins Phase 1 induction except I noticed I'm averaging about 30 carbs a day instead of the 20. Mainly because I have an apple before bootcamp. I noticed when I don't have the apple I feel really fatigued at bootcamp.

BTW I feel AMAZING! I'm really surprised at how great I feel on my first week of low carbing. I remember the 1st 3 days of low carb as being awful, with headaches and mood swings. But this time I just feel amazing. I think before I wasn't incorporating veggies, but now I'm eating vegetables and salads.

So my original question...should I raise my calories? And how many calories do you give yourself on a low carb diet?

Replies

SadKitty27

Most people will tell you that when you're doing a low carb diet, you shouldn't pay that much attention to calories because they'll naturally be low when consuming the proper macros (e.g. high fat, moderate protein, and low carb.) If you feel like you're starving, then I would up my intake if I were you

Also, as you said, 30 carbs is high for induction. Are you getting enough fat? I ask because if you're eating high fat, and moderate protein the carb count will come down.

Also, I don't think apples are induction friendly so this might be working against you as well.

Once a week or so passes you'll be past the keto/atkins flu and you'll feel much better.

Personally I do keto (my way of eating is pretty close to that of the atkins induction) and eat anywhere from 1k - 1300 calories depending on the day, and I usually keep below 15 net carbs (you get this by subtracting the fiber count from the carb count.)

Noory44

Yes apples are a no-no on induction, I started induction about 2 weeks ago and I feel great so far. And your calories will definitely be lower on low carb, just curious what should the setting on here be for it to total 20 net carbs?

loves03

What do you eat to take in more fat? I think I'm eating more protein then anything else.

AmeChops

Ive got my diary set up at 1400 cals, 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbs - thats works out to 18g of carbs per day. I dont particulary watch the calories but I tend to fall around there. Im happy so long as my carbs for the day are less than 40g but aim for 20g (ish).

Fat upping ideas: add a glug of double (heavy) cream to your coffee - or just have a couple of spoons of it! Add butter or olive/avocado/coconut oil to your veggies...heck add it to everything. Chunks of cheese are a good snack, dont be afraid to eat the fatty bits of meat like chicken legs, salami type meats are good too.

I would get a copy of the Atkins book (I used DANDR rather than NANY) and read it all - fruit is off limits for the 2 week induction.

Also, if you're in the UK the labelling is different and it will state the net carbs so no need to subtract the fibre - be careful with the foods you select on here :-))

MerlinWilliams

I don't even track my food intake anymore. I just make sure to keep my carb intake low. I tracked on MFP for the first two months. After that, I'd learned what the carb content of most foods is. As you can see LCHF is still working for me.

Math_Geek

Thanks lat100 for the percentages. I was able to readjust mine but I went 65% fat and 10% carbs, 25% protein. I am going to try this for a few weeks and adjust again if need be.

Louisa1979

I set mine at 1100 but allow 1200 when I do sport. I follow a high protein low carb diet (Dukan) which works really well for me and is lower in cholesterol. I think its very difficult to maintain 20g carbs if you do a lot of sport. I noticed that I was unable to do the high intensity exercises I had been set without some carbs before going to the gym (even if just a tablespoon of oatbran).

loves03

Thanks for the replies.

I've been staying around 1200-1250 calories and lost 6.5 pounds the first week. I've also been keeping my carbs under 20 g, except for the 3 days I did bootcamp, which I had an apple and had 30 carbs. I figured I'd burn it off working out. Weekends are usually the hardest for me and I usually cheat, but since I was doing Induction I stayed strong, but gained 2 pounds!! Its so frustrating, because I could have gained the 2 pounds cheating! I did everything the same, except I had diet soda over the weekend, which I don't normally drink. Hoping the weight loss continues...

JanetLynnJudy

Mine is set at 1,330. I exercise at least an hour every day (haven't skipped a day since before December 26th). I try to eat above 1200 and to always be under my calorie goal with exercise (meaning I will sometimes go a little above the 1,330 since I "earned" calories from exercise, but I never want to be in the red even if I have "cheat food" I will just add extra exercise). My settings are 15% Carbohydrates, 25% Protein, 60% Fat. I don't think it hurts to go higher on calories and many people have had great success not concerning themselves much with calorie counting, but I just do it this way because this is what seems to work for me. I'm not certain what my average net carb intake is, but I usually end up being between 20-40 net carbs (I subtract both fiber and sugar alcohol [if I have any]) per day. I hope this helps!

Also, Don't worry too much about small gains. I weigh myself almost every morning on the Wii and sometimes I'll sit at a few pounds above my lowest recorded weight for a couple weeks even though my diet or exercise routine hasn't changed much, but I've started to notice a pattern where after a long plateau I know a big loss is coming. It just takes time for your body to adjust sometimes! I think of it like my body really tries to stay this weight and I have to teach it the same lesson over and over until it gets it.

jsuaccounting

Right now I have mine set for 1200 but last week I went way over maintainence (1500 for me) almost every day and still dropped three pounds. I was already pretty low carb/ sometimes keto before but tried a more strict ketogenic diet last week. I didn't have a scale so I was really worried I would gain a pound at least based on eating an average of 500 calories per day over maintenance.

SOOZIE429

I would be careful eating that low. You want to burn fat, not muscle. Where your carbs are low, you want to eat a bit more. Atkins recommends 1500-1800 calories a day, closer to 1500 for women. Don't starve yourself. Slow and steady is healthier.

Once you hit maintenance, you'll want to be able to eat "normally" without gaining weight.

moss11

Mine is set 1850 cals, 65% fat, 20% protein and 15% carbs. It suits my metabolism and steadily losing weight. Hoping it continues as my extreme carb cravings/binges seem to be under control. It's very much trial and error and getting my head around eating high fat!

mrdexter1

1850 cals 66% protein 33% fat to retain muscle.

Very strict, worked a treat for weightloss but last night on a thirteenth night i had a sudden bout of chest pain and am spending the day loading carbs gently.

JisatsuHoshi

Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
1800 Calories keto days (65% fats/ 30% pro/ 5% Carbs)
4000+ Calories Carb refeed days (65% Carbs/ 25% pro/ 10% fats)