Help with carb counts and calories

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thebassomatic76
thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I'm not new to MFP but I'm back for my latest round and I'm having trouble getting my calories in. I am trying and I can't figure this out. I am trying to stay low carb for weight loss, but I'm having a hard time getting enough calories without going over 50 carbs. My first question is am I counting my carbs wrong? If I am eating carbs from whole fruits/vegs, should I count all the carbs? Or should I count carbs-fiber=net carbs? I am not trying to starve myself, I just don't have this down yet.

My diary is public, feel free to take a look. Please, don't knock me for drinking vi shakes. I chose those because they taste the best and allow me to hide raw vegetables in them without too much discomfort. I bought them on ebay and I am not involved in the program in any other way. I am 206 on a 5'2 frame, and 34 years old and just recovered from my first ever bout of pneumonia--in the middle of the summer. I feel that the risks of staying this size and continuing to eat the way I was are far greater than using an aid to help me get some pounds off asap. No I don't plan on drinking them forever. I'm trying to learn. (sorry, just have seen a lot of bashing on that particular brand on the forums here.)

I have not felt hungry at all so far. In fact, I sometimes feel like I'm overfull and it's uncomfortable. Also, I had a super crappy day yesterday. I just recorded it and started again today. Moving on.

Thanks for any help.

Replies

  • magicalhall
    magicalhall Posts: 5 Member
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    Have you looked into the keto diet. High fat, medium protein and low carb?
  • thebassomatic76
    thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
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    I have not. I am tracking my fat carefully, trying to avoid sat fats and get most of them from the unsat fats. I have high cholesterol so I'm not sure about a high fat diet for me.
  • projhex
    projhex Posts: 23
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    The first two things I notice about your post are 1) you're here for a "round" and 2) you think eating less carbs will make you lose weight. Not the thoughts of someone serious about weight loss, but of someone who sees a fad diet, changes for a month and then goes back to eating boxes of Oreos.

    Why are you eating low carb? I looked at your diary and you're not really eating low carb. A 100 carb shake?

    Yes, you count all carbs assuming you're trying to do something like Keto.

    Your calories are very low. I'm not sure why you're eating 1200, but if you just want to get more calories that are fat and protein, drink whole milk instead of almond milk. Eat more meats. You ate a half can of tuna? Eat a whole can.
  • projhex
    projhex Posts: 23
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    I have not. I am tracking my fat carefully, trying to avoid sat fats and get most of them from the unsat fats. I have high cholesterol so I'm not sure about a high fat diet for me.

    Why are you avoiding saturated fats? Those are the good ones (animal fat).
  • thebassomatic76
    thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
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    The first two things I notice about your post are 1) you're here for a "round"

    Yes, I'm here for a round. When I screw up, I don't just quit. I come back and give it another go. This might be my tenth time trying, but I'm still here. And since we're on the subject, let me explain how I fall off the wagon so often. My husband has been deployed to combat zones 8 times in the last 5 years. Usually whenever there's a base attack on the base where he's staying, or a suicide bomber in the area that his convoy drives through every day to and from work, I get a little freaked out and fall off the wagon. Sometimes I fall off for one day, sometimes six months. But I keep trying.

    and 2) you think eating less carbs will make you lose weight.

    I don't think eating less carbs will make me lose weight, I know it will, and my doctor agrees. I have lost 85lbs before by eating low carb.

    Why are you eating low carb? I looked at your diary and you're not really eating low carb. A 100 carb shake?

    See above for why. As to yesterday, like I said in my OP, I had a really crappy day. The end.

    Yes, you count all carbs assuming you're trying to do something like Keto.

    No, I'm not trying to do something like keto. I'm trying to eat whole foods, limiting carbs. This is day FIVE. I apologize for daring to ask a question here before I have it all figured out.
    Your calories are very low. I'm not sure why you're eating 1200, but if you just want to get more calories that are fat and protein, drink whole milk instead of almond milk. Eat more meats. You ate a half can of tuna? Eat a whole can.

    I'm eating 1200 because that's what MFP told me I should eat, calorie wise. I ate 1/2 can of tuna because I also ate a bunch of veggies and I'M STUFFED. Again, back to my OP.

    My question for you is why did you even respond? You didn't even answer my question, all you did was cut me down as fast as possible.
  • thebassomatic76
    thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
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    Why are you avoiding saturated fats? Those are the good ones (animal fat).

    Again, my doctor doesn't agree with you. I'm going with her on this one.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    but I'm having a hard time getting enough calories without going over 50 carbs

    So you need to be more selective in picking foods with low carb content. Bacon and eggs has calories without carbs, for example. Plenty of low carb veg generally green you could eat 450g or a pound for 10g of carbs

    The Visalus shake isn't low in carbs compared to some other protein options, and you can get lower carb unsweetened soya etc milks too.

    The less said about Tuesday the better I think ;-)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Since you are reducing carbs, you need to remember to eat lots of veggies and leafy greens.
    When a person reduces a food group like carbs, they need to add something.
    Adding what your doctor considers quality oils is a good thing: nuts, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, salmon, sardines, . . .
    You are on the right track ---- just eat more avocados, nut butters, . . .
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
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    Is this something to do just to lose weight and then you go back to eating carbs? I'm guessing from your comment that you lost 85lbs this way that you've then put some or all of that back on. You need to find a ay of eating that is sustainable for you rather than a 'diet'. If cutting out carbs or fats or whatever is only temporary you are very likley to end up keep coming back here for another 'round'. This isn't having a dig at you, its based on my experience of trying every diet under the sun at somepoint in the last 20 years. Now I eat reasonably healthily most of the time but haven't cut out anything completely. I now eat in a way that I can eat for life I believe.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Don't over complicate it. There's nothing wrong with carbs I hit 300g most days and I've lost a little weight. Have a look at the link and avoid the fad diets. Just eat normal food that way you'll sustain it for the long term

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
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    I have not. I am tracking my fat carefully, trying to avoid sat fats and get most of them from the unsat fats. I have high cholesterol so I'm not sure about a high fat diet for me.

    If you want to lower your carbs without lowering calories, then you have to eat more fat and/or protein. There's no way around that, as carbs, fat, and protein are the only sources of calories.

    ETA: If you're not trying to go ketogenic, then you may not need to be so restrictive with your carbs. Perhaps you'd find it easier to get enough calories if you raised your limit to 75g or 100g?
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    I'm doing lower carb, and like it. I've usually dieted other ways before successfully, but found a lot of reasons to try the lower carb approach this time aside from just weight loss. I like this site, its fairly no-nonsense, and low-carb focussed: www.authoritynutrition.com

    I've been trying the low carb approach for almost three weeks now, and am enjoying the fruits of it. If this is the way you've decided to go too, go for it.

    Net carbs are all that really matter, as your body just flushes fibre, so if the fibre hasn't been subtracted from the carb count, subtract it yourself to get the net carb count. Just beware some products already have the fibre subtracted without saying it, so it pays to calculate whether the calorie count adds up on the back. The key here is that carbs and protein are worth 4 calories a gram, and fat is worth 8, so if you tally the the calorie count of the fat, carbs and protein in a product, and it comes to less than the calorie count they are claiming, the odds are they've subtracted the fibre count from the carb value.

    50g of net carbs isn't too hard to achieve, but it took me two weeks to get there. For example I started at about 100- 150g of carbs, and gradually reduced it bit by bit, until now I am consuming about 80g of carb a day, with about 30g of that fibre, resulting in about 50g of net carbs.

    Feel free to have a look at my diary here, if you want to see what I'm eating, and to add to that, I would say from experience that to hit the 50g mark, my main carbs will come from non-starchy vegetables, some berries, and perhaps a small amount of dairy. No starchy vegetables, or minimal amounts of them, no grains, and no fruit except a handful or two of berries. Bearing that in mind, I still manage to squeeze in some dark chocolate, as well as some veg that would be regarded as moderately high carb, like tomatoes/ onion/ etc.

    By the way, when it comes to saturated fat and a lot of other things, I would take more confidence in some informed research I've conducted myself, over that of a doctor, who in my experience tend to have big blind spots when it comes to certain things like nutrition and muscle injuries for example. In the case of saturated fat, according to the site I referenced above, it helps to convert the harmful 'bad' small dense LDL in your choletorol, to less harmful larger, less dense LDL. Don't take my word for it though, do what I did, and go out and take charge of what you put into your body like I did, and do your own homework. There's a lot of accepted and disproven dogma out there when it comes to nutrition, and you really need to educate yourself and make an informed decision :)

    Good luck with the new eating/ fitness programme, and remember if you already know why you've fallen off the wagon before, you're one step closer to addressing what is in your control when those things happen, and staying on the wagon and adopting lasting lifelong habits and changes :)

    Edit: from the above link, this is a good place to start re: low carb; http://authoritynutrition.com/low-carbohydrate-diets/

    2nd Edit: this is one of the main links I found that encouraged me to give low carb a shot: http://www.youmeworks.com/whylowcarb.html

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