Low Carb & Calorie Counting
Najay
Posts: 273 Member
I have been watching my carb intake for the last two weeks along with calorie counting and doing my normal workouts. I have mixed reviews regarding low carb eating.
1st wk - I lost 9 lbs, which I know was mostly water and detox. I felt good and had energy to push myself in my workouts. Eating extra protein had me full for a change. But not many options for breakfast besides eggs. I made a quiche and added different low carb veggies, cheese and turkey sausage or bacon. Sounds good, but gets old quickly. For snacks I ate peanut butter, kale chips, walnuts, peanuts and turkey pepperoni. (Allergic to almonds or I would have had those instead.) For lunch and dinner I eat baked chicken or fish, veggies and salads.
2nd week - I am only down 1 lb. I was hungrier this week than last and craved water. Still worked out like normal. Sick of eating eggs and limited options of veggies and no fruits, since they are high in sugar. Starting Thursday I begin to feel like crap, no energy and just tired and sleepy. My friends freaked out, because I was literally the walking dead at work. I felt so bad that I ate more carbs than what I was accustomed to for the last two weeks just to get energy. That instantly perked me back up too, until the crash came tumbling down again. Not sure what the heck is going on, but it doesn't feel good. Last night I made myself go to bed early and get more rest. Woke up this morning feeling better but still dragging. (If you look closely you will see my butt marks dragging on the carpet. LOL) Not sure if my body is fighting off something or if the low carb eating is effecting me.
Any suggestions? Remarks?
1st wk - I lost 9 lbs, which I know was mostly water and detox. I felt good and had energy to push myself in my workouts. Eating extra protein had me full for a change. But not many options for breakfast besides eggs. I made a quiche and added different low carb veggies, cheese and turkey sausage or bacon. Sounds good, but gets old quickly. For snacks I ate peanut butter, kale chips, walnuts, peanuts and turkey pepperoni. (Allergic to almonds or I would have had those instead.) For lunch and dinner I eat baked chicken or fish, veggies and salads.
2nd week - I am only down 1 lb. I was hungrier this week than last and craved water. Still worked out like normal. Sick of eating eggs and limited options of veggies and no fruits, since they are high in sugar. Starting Thursday I begin to feel like crap, no energy and just tired and sleepy. My friends freaked out, because I was literally the walking dead at work. I felt so bad that I ate more carbs than what I was accustomed to for the last two weeks just to get energy. That instantly perked me back up too, until the crash came tumbling down again. Not sure what the heck is going on, but it doesn't feel good. Last night I made myself go to bed early and get more rest. Woke up this morning feeling better but still dragging. (If you look closely you will see my butt marks dragging on the carpet. LOL) Not sure if my body is fighting off something or if the low carb eating is effecting me.
Any suggestions? Remarks?
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Replies
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I'm just going to bump it, because I'm not really sure what to say here.0
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Ahem. Bump.
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You are feeling sluggish because of your low-carb diet. Your body uses carbs for a quick source of energy and when you don't consume enough, you start to feel tired. Limit your intake of processed foods that contain a lot of carbs, like breads, pasta, cereal etc. Those foods are what cause you to crash later when you eat them. As long as it's in your calorie goal, don't cut out fruits and veggies. They contain healthy carbs and so many nutrients that your body needs. If you eat a lot of fruits and veggies you don't get that crash later. Fruit is extremely healthy for you. The benefits your body receives from fruit far outweighs the negatives, if there are any. The more you eat fruit, the more you will start to crave it instead of other sugary processed foods. Do make sure that you don't eat too much fruit, though. They do have calories in them, so you need to watch out for that.
In summary, cut out the processed foods and continue to eat fruits and veggies moderately.
If after a few weeks you still aren't losing as much weight as you want to, then start limiting your fruit intake.
This article has some good tips about fruit: http://www.fitsugar.com/Fruit-Bad-You-218784830 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.0
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I have been watching my carb intake for the last two weeks along with calorie counting and doing my normal workouts. I have mixed reviews regarding low carb eating.
1st wk - I lost 9 lbs, which I know was mostly water and detox. I felt good and had energy to push myself in my workouts. Eating extra protein had me full for a change. But not many options for breakfast besides eggs. I made a quiche and added different low carb veggies, cheese and turkey sausage or bacon. Sounds good, but gets old quickly. For snacks I ate peanut butter, kale chips, walnuts, peanuts and turkey pepperoni. (Allergic to almonds or I would have had those instead.) For lunch and dinner I eat baked chicken or fish, veggies and salads.
2nd week - I am only down 1 lb. I was hungrier this week than last and craved water. Still worked out like normal. Sick of eating eggs and limited options of veggies and no fruits, since they are high in sugar. Starting Thursday I begin to feel like crap, no energy and just tired and sleepy. My friends freaked out, because I was literally the walking dead at work. I felt so bad that I ate more carbs than what I was accustomed to for the last two weeks just to get energy. That instantly perked me back up too, until the crash came tumbling down again. Not sure what the heck is going on, but it doesn't feel good. Last night I made myself go to bed early and get more rest. Woke up this morning feeling better but still dragging. (If you look closely you will see my butt marks dragging on the carpet. LOL) Not sure if my body is fighting off something or if the low carb eating is effecting me.
Any suggestions? Remarks?
Open your diary. I can't see what you are eating, and therefore there is no answer I can give you.
It could be the low carbs, it could be your calorie limit you have set for yourself. What are you considering low-carb? Are you doing no starches at all, or just setting a limit of total carbs and keeping within that? What is your calorie goal set at?
I eat fairly low carb (lower than I used to at least) ever since I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. I still have bread, fruit, starchy vegeteables, and such. I just limit my serving sizes each day. I don't have a problem with energy levels. Well, I do, but that's more related to my only getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night. When I wake up, I have plenty of energy. It's when I let myself get idle that I start falling asleep.
ETA: Why are you eating low carb in the first place?0 -
bump0
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there are a lot of possibilities, but for me on low carb, hydration is a huge struggle. I'm having to take in extra salt and/or potassium so I stay hydrated. Also a good multivitamin. You won't get nearly enough vitamin C on low carb and there are many others to consider.
With regard to food choices, you can eat a lot of veggies like broccoli and still be pretty low carb. Good carbs like that help a lot and have minimal effect on ketosis, insulin response, etc.0 -
For week 2 a couple of things.
1. You will see a reduction in weight loss as your body acclimates to being ketogenic and replaces the water weight lost during induction. Some people refer to it as PISS (Post Induction Stall Syndrome). Frankly I am surprised it set in so fast for you, but I really only have myself and anecdotal information so it may be normal.
2. The symptoms you are describing sound like classic keto flu. Read this: http://elowcarbfoodlist.org/the-keto-flu-symptoms-and-relief/. It is certainly possible to exercise like normal while doing keto/low carb diets but you want to take it easy while going through induction. Once you are acclimated then you can go back to normal exercise routines.
Regarding lack of food choices, check out cavemanketo.com and reddit.com/r/ketorecipes0 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.0 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.
What are you netting?0 -
For week 2 a couple of things.
1. You will see a reduction in weight loss as your body acclimates to being ketogenic and replaces the water weight lost during induction. Some people refer to it as PISS (Post Induction Stall Syndrome). Frankly I am surprised it set in so fast for you, but I really only have myself and anecdotal information so it may be normal.
2. The symptoms you are describing sound like classic keto flu. Read this: http://elowcarbfoodlist.org/the-keto-flu-symptoms-and-relief/. It is certainly possible to exercise like normal while doing keto/low carb diets but you want to take it easy while going through induction. Once you are acclimated then you can go back to normal exercise routines.
Regarding lack of food choices, check out cavemanketo.com and reddit.com/r/ketorecipes
Great info. Thanks.0 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.
What are you netting?
Between 800 to 1000. Low on days I work out.0 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.
What are you netting?
Between 800 to 1000. Low on days I work out.
You should be netting more than that, really. Did you figure out your BMR and TDEE?0 -
That'll be why you're like the walking dead, you're not eating enough
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How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.
What are you netting?
Between 800 to 1000. Low on days I work out.
not. eating. enough. food.0 -
1. There is no such thing as "detox".
2. Your body needs carbs. Unless you have a medical reason for cutting down on carbs, don't do it.
3. Uhm.... Low calories.... just no.0 -
hi
I'm on low carb but seriously, it's good to find out your TDEE- check this out
http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
you can input a low carb eating plan and it will allow you about 120g of carbs a day, meaning you CAN eat carbs such as complex carbs, I eat pretty balanced, my calorie intake is higher than before so it was no wonder I was always starving! So once you know your calorie target, you can actually be more informed as to why you're feeling blah, I was feeling even faint this past week which led me to research my true TDEE, not what MFP told me (1200 cal-- too low)
good luck, I say read a lot and do research so you eat balanced, not just low-carb!0 -
1. There is no such thing as "detox".
2. Your body needs carbs. Unless you have a medical reason for cutting down on carbs, don't do it.
3. Uhm.... Low calories.... just no.
Despite oft-heard claims to the contrary, there is no actual physiological requirement for dietary carbohydrate. Even the RDA handbook acknowledges this, right before recommending that a prudent diet should contain a lot of carbohydrates.
To understand why carbs aren’t essential, I need to discuss the concept of an essential nutrient briefly. And, in brief, an essential nutrient is defined as:
1.Any nutrient that is required for survival.
2.Can’t be made by the body.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohydrates-do-you-need.html0 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.
What are you netting?
Between 800 to 1000. Low on days I work out.
That's low. That could be a big part of your problem. Up your calorie intake on your workout days and eat back your exercise calories.0 -
How many calories are you allowing yourself? If you are underfeeding your body, that could make you feel tired all the time.
I eat between 1200 to 1750.
What are you netting?
Between 800 to 1000. Low on days I work out.
That's low. That could be a big part of your problem. Up your calorie intake on your workout days and eat back your exercise calories.
Yeah, it should be higher on the days you work out, not lower.0 -
1. There is no such thing as "detox".
2. Your body needs carbs. Unless you have a medical reason for cutting down on carbs, don't do it.
3. Uhm.... Low calories.... just no.
Despite oft-heard claims to the contrary, there is no actual physiological requirement for dietary carbohydrate. Even the RDA handbook acknowledges this, right before recommending that a prudent diet should contain a lot of carbohydrates.
To understand why carbs aren’t essential, I need to discuss the concept of an essential nutrient briefly. And, in brief, an essential nutrient is defined as:
1.Any nutrient that is required for survival.
2.Can’t be made by the body.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohydrates-do-you-need.html
True story.0 -
WOW, 9 lbs is a lot for your 1st week.
the second week seems like a more reasonable expectation.
Mostly I think this LOW-CARB thing is just an overreaction to the LOW-FAT thing.
When everyone was eliminating fat they replace it with carbs... So now carbs are the enemy...
Now let's see our macros are: CARBS - FAT - PROTEINS
Now, that means all food fall's into at least 1 of those 3 categories, many foods are a combination of at least 2 of these categories.
You are going to have a hard time if you severely restrict any category.
Rather than demonizing a whole category of the food I try and keep any eye on the types of Fat, Carbs and Proteins I eat :
Balance-
1) COMPLEX Carbs (Fiber)
2) HAPPY Fats (Mono and Poly Unsaturated fats, good for brain and nerve function, helps prevent diabetes and depression)
3) LEAN Proteins.0 -
1. There is no such thing as "detox".
2. Your body needs carbs. Unless you have a medical reason for cutting down on carbs, don't do it.
3. Uhm.... Low calories.... just no.
Despite oft-heard claims to the contrary, there is no actual physiological requirement for dietary carbohydrate. Even the RDA handbook acknowledges this, right before recommending that a prudent diet should contain a lot of carbohydrates.
To understand why carbs aren’t essential, I need to discuss the concept of an essential nutrient briefly. And, in brief, an essential nutrient is defined as:
1.Any nutrient that is required for survival.
2.Can’t be made by the body.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohydrates-do-you-need.html
She mentioned working out. It is commonly held that carbs are required for those who exercise.0 -
1. There is no such thing as "detox".
2. Your body needs carbs. Unless you have a medical reason for cutting down on carbs, don't do it.
3. Uhm.... Low calories.... just no.
Despite oft-heard claims to the contrary, there is no actual physiological requirement for dietary carbohydrate. Even the RDA handbook acknowledges this, right before recommending that a prudent diet should contain a lot of carbohydrates.
To understand why carbs aren’t essential, I need to discuss the concept of an essential nutrient briefly. And, in brief, an essential nutrient is defined as:
1.Any nutrient that is required for survival.
2.Can’t be made by the body.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohydrates-do-you-need.html
She mentioned working out. It is commonly held that carbs are required for those who exercise.
He talks about that, too, I was just addressing the general need for carbs.0 -
Not really. True ketogenic diets are full of fat. In fact, in order to properly be in ketosis you must maintain a ratio of 60% fat (and 35% protein, 5% carbs).Mostly I think this LOW-CARB thing is just an overreaction to the LOW-FAT thing.
When everyone was eliminating fat they replace it with carbs... So now carbs are the enemy...Balance-
1) COMPLEX Carbs (Fiber)
2) HAPPY Fats (Mono and Poly Unsaturated fats, good for brain and nerve function, helps prevent diabetes and depression)
3) LEAN Proteins.
Fiber carbs are encouraged in keto diets. In keto people talk about net carbs all the time. Net carbs are Fiber carbs minus sugar carbs. In keto sugar carbs are what is avoided. Completely agree about the good fats and lean protein, though.0 -
She mentioned working out. It is commonly held that carbs are required for those who exercise.
No, in fact there have been long distance runners who have done marathons while in ketosis. Your body uses glycogen for fuel and there are many ways to make glycogen. Carbs are just the easiest method and the body's preferred mechanism because deep down your body is lazy and looks for the easiest and most efficient mechanism to make fuel. I started and completed C25K while in ketosis.0 -
She mentioned working out. It is commonly held that carbs are required for those who exercise.
No, in fact there have been long distance runners who have done marathons while in ketosis. Your body uses glycogen for fuel and there are many ways to make glycogen. Carbs are just the easiest method and the body's preferred mechanism because deep down your body is lazy and looks for the easiest and most efficient mechanism to make fuel. I started and completed C25K while in ketosis.
That's interesting.0 -
Preach!She mentioned working out. It is commonly held that carbs are required for those who exercise.
No, in fact there have been long distance runners who have done marathons while in ketosis. Your body uses glycogen for fuel and there are many ways to make glycogen. Carbs are just the easiest method and the body's preferred mechanism because deep down your body is lazy and looks for the easiest and most efficient mechanism to make fuel. I started and completed C25K while in ketosis.
I am almost done with C25K and am in ketosis. Have been for a long time.
I have crazy amounts of energy.0 -
I have crazy amounts of energy.
That was one thing I really liked about the keto diet. When I first went into ketosis I suddenly had tons of energy. I ended up washing and waxing both mine and my wife's cars and still felt I needed to run a marathon. That was one of the reasons I picked up C25K. Bodies are weird.0
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