Lower Cals, Lower Carbs, Both?

Get enough protein and eat at a caloric deficit. It's not terribly complex.

What's been working for me is low carb and high fat. I've shed almost 30 lbs and my body looks so much better. PLUS I'm now in single digit sized pants!

"low carb and high fat"? The latter seems non intuitive. My opinion until now has been to minimize carbs as much as possible, and concentrate on higher protein while not worrying too much about fat, but I have not thought about raising fat.

Well I'm doing keto, which is low carb, moderate protein and high fat.

You *have* to have lower calories. There's no choice on that.

Whether you want to get there by primarily reducing carbs or fat is up to you, your lifestyle and your preferences.

But no matter what, you will have to reduce *something*....

The stuff I'm going off it out of "the triathletes training bible" where the author refers to research which say to lose weight you need to eat a calorie deficit but if you don't want to lose LBM then you need to keep your protein level at near non deficit levels. This matches advice I have seen on MFP. I tend to pin my protein at around 150 -180 (ish) grams per day. Eat a relatively high level of fat as a percentage of what is left as a base ( (pre exercise) but then eat carbs to make up the additional calories I burn during exercise. It seams that just cutting calories without taking care of protein will cause a significant weight loss to start with but this tapers off and some of the weight is lost LBM (I suppose this leads to the tapering) . I'm guessing this is why whacky diets like jucing fool their victims into thinking they have found such a great way of getting into shape when in reality they are destroying the best bits of their bodies but I'm sure thats for another thread :-)

What's been working for me is low carb and high fat. I've shed almost 30 lbs and my body looks so much better. PLUS I'm now in single digit sized pants!

"low carb and high fat"? The latter seems non intuitive. My opinion until now has been to minimize carbs as much as possible, and concentrate on higher protein while not worrying too much about fat, but I have not thought about raising fat.

Well I'm doing keto, which is low carb, moderate protein and high fat.

Same here, I do high fat, moderate protein and low carb. It's an approximate 10% carbs, 20% protein and 70% fat.

I tried low carb - high protein - low fat but that didn't work well for me. It was very hard to follow, I had massive food cravings, and I noticed my skin was drying up, and headaches galore. The fat component was too low.

I switched to low carb, moderate protein and high fat, and the cravings went away, and I started feeling and looking healthier (skin, sleep, etc), and I consistently lose more than 1 lb per week. This way of eating is something I can stick to as well, I love the food and it provides satiety.

Low carb high fat works for me. I hope you find what works for you. Good luck.

49
5' 10"
185
40 mins day/5 days bike commute to work
45 mins day/5 days strength training
2 days rest

I do post every day but not as regularly on weekends. I absolutely watch how much I eat and try to eat at a deficit of what MFP is suggesting. Since I restarted my routine 4 months ago with workouts and eating habits, at first I gained a little more than 5lbs but in the last 3 weeks have seen a little more than 5lb loss.

Personally, your stats would suggest 1800 to be a good goal. I would also set macro's around 35% carbs, 35% protein and 30% fats. This will enable you to hit 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass. I would ask though, can you open your diary? And do you use a food scale for measuring foods?

I just do calorie deficit. I have tried low carb and am unable to stick with it.

49
5' 10"
185
40 mins day/5 days bike commute to work
45 mins day/5 days strength training
2 days rest

I do post every day but not as regularly on weekends. I absolutely watch how much I eat and try to eat at a deficit of what MFP is suggesting. Since I restarted my routine 4 months ago with workouts and eating habits, at first I gained a little more than 5lbs but in the last 3 weeks have seen a little more than 5lb loss.

Personally, your stats would suggest 1800 to be a good goal. I would also set macro's around 35% carbs, 35% protein and 30% fats. This will enable you to hit 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass. I would ask though, can you open your diary? And do you use a food scale for measuring foods?

When I first started this current program I was using a food scale and measuring cups pretty regularly. Now I feel I can estimate it pretty well and I am so motivated I don't even try to cheat. If anything I aim 'heavy' on my food estimates to avoid fooling myself into thinking I am eating less.
One note. I am absolutely 100% committed to lose my 10+ pounds and building muscle. Also, with the holidays upon us, I know that making any drastic change in carbs in my house will be next to impossible.

I can open my diary and will do that now. BTW, what do you mean by "This will enable you to hit 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass."

According to various other studies, the ideal goal for protein intake is around .8 - 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass. When combined with resistance training, this will improve muscle retention. Below is a good thread on a lot of the research. Also, similar studies generally recommends about .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass. Lean body mass is everything in your body not fat (tissue, organs, bone, muscle, etc...).


Also, as good as you think you are at estimating, you are probably way off. While when you are obese, you can get away with not measuring as much, it's much more critical to be precise as you get closer to your ideal weight/body fat %. I would highly recommend starting to weigh and measure foods again to ensure success.

And I understand with the holidays it's going to be tough and I am in the same boat, but just understand that after, I would highly recommend looking to replace carbs with protein.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/823505-research-on-protien-intake

I believe I am hearing all of you so far saying keep with general calorie deficit and don't obsess over what foods to avoid.

Am I reading that right?

Yes - barring any medical issues....don't sweat carbs (too much)

Protein is important for maintaining muscle mass while eating at a calorie defict....think of the goal here as....this is my minimum number.

Fat is important for many bodily functions too.

Carbs are energy.....we all need energy. However, carbs get a bad rap because there are many (carbs) that are highly processed....and many of the nutrients are lost....or extra fat, sugar, sodium, etc. is added....and you end up with more calories & less nutrition than you thought. Keep carbs in their most natural state, if you can.

RDA recommendation is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight - roughly 0.36g per pound.

Also, for a significant percentage of dieters, resistance training actually accelerates loss of lean body mass - people need to understand that it's not a magic bullet and what happens with their LBM is mostly determined by what they eat and their genetics.

Is that a typo that resistance training accelerates loss in lean body mass? Because all the studies I have seen suggest quite the opposite that resistance training increase muscle retention.

What's been working for me is low carb and high fat. I've shed almost 30 lbs and my body looks so much better. PLUS I'm now in single digit sized pants!

all you did was create a calorie deficit by not eating carbs or low carb..

you could of achieved the same eating 25-30% carbs and eating in a calorie deficit..

Actually, before keto, I was not losing anything for months and my measurements were not changing whatsoever. I was eating 1500 calories a day. I eat about the same amount now, sometimes more if I work out more, but I'm actually losing weight AND inches. So no, I could not have achieved the same thing.

Actually, before keto, I was not losing anything for months and my measurements were not changing whatsoever. I was eating 1500 calories a day. I eat about the same amount now, sometimes more if I work out more, but I'm actually losing weight AND inches. So no, I could not have achieved the same thing.

Then there are mistakes in your logging.