Low Carb! Finding it almost impossible to get to 1200 calories.

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JessFromEngland
JessFromEngland Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My partner and I started a low carb diet on Jan 1st (so far so good for the NYR) under advice from a Dr. We are aiming for 50g/carbs a day which is too high for Keto but seems to be working. Some days we go slightly over but not too much.

The only problem is, I'm finding it almost impossible to reach 1200 calories, usually getting just past the 1000 and feel that it might be hindering the weight loss. I'm adding cheese to pretty much anything, lots of nuts/seeds, butter, plenty of protein (tofu/seitan) etc and I'm not hungry at the end of the day...and I'm losing about 1kg a week. Were also vegetarian.

Do I need to worry about this? Any tips on bulking out the calories without adding carbs?
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Replies

  • losergood2011
    losergood2011 Posts: 172 Member
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    hmmm usually cheese and nuts put me over on calories. If you are not hungry I wouldn't worry about it or you could add some healthy fats (coconut oil, nut butters, avocados etc) that should get your numbers up.
  • Abby2205
    Abby2205 Posts: 253 Member
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    Yep, add more fat. Seems surprising that you are adding cheese to everything and eating lots of nuts and butter and can't reach 1200 cal, but sure, every ounce of cheese, tablespoon of butter or peanut butter will add another hundred calories or so.
  • Canwehugnow
    Canwehugnow Posts: 218 Member
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    Spoon of peanut butter.
  • Robin1109
    Robin1109 Posts: 231 Member
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    Agree on the nut butter. I'm with you. I'm a vegetarian and I keep a lower carb lifestyle. I often find I can't hit 1200. But, I'm eating well, consistently, and nutritiously.

    If I need to get close and it's after dinner, I'll have 1 tbsp of peanut or almond butter with a 1 cup glass of unsweetened almond milk. I lick the pb slowly (which makes me super thirsty for my almond milk!).

    I also agree with adding some healthy fats to whatever you're cooking. Or, maybe add in more avocado for snacking.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Losing 1kg a week is a perfectly healthy amount of weight to lose so I wouldn't worry about it. Calorie counting is always just an estimate no matter how accurate you try and be. Don't get caught up in forcing yourself to eat more or less if your weightloss is acceptable and you feel good -- unless you have an eating disorder, of course.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Add fat. Gram for gram it has more than twice the calories of protien and carbs. Plus, it makes food taste so delicious.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    50 grams of carbs daily should permit ketosis in most people. Replacing the carbs with Fats is important to make sure you are not under eating calorie wise.
  • JessFromEngland
    JessFromEngland Posts: 30 Member
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    Thanks I'll definitely add more fat to my snacks. Nut butter is a great one I'll eat often. I use coconut oil a lot and linseeds to every meal. I'll try these tips and let you know :)
  • ratgirl11
    ratgirl11 Posts: 8
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    I do pb everyday, low carb seems to be the only thing that works for me to lose weight, Im prediabetic and cant eat many carbs. I load up menu with nuts,PB, avocadoes,cream cheese, sour cream.

    I make this super good Mexican dish, soy chorizo, eggs, avocado, cheese and sour cream and salsa. It is delicious and filling. I also do the low carb ezekial bread its 11 net carbs for one slice, I put pb on it and its delicious!!! good luck
  • klaff411
    klaff411 Posts: 169 Member
    edited January 2015
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    JessFromEngland wrote: »
    My partner and I started a low carb diet on Jan 1st (so far so good for the NYR) under advice from a Dr. We are aiming for 50g/carbs a day which is too high for Keto but seems to be working. Some days we go slightly over but not too much.

    The only problem is, I'm finding it almost impossible to reach 1200 calories, usually getting just past the 1000 and feel that it might be hindering the weight loss. I'm adding cheese to pretty much anything, lots of nuts/seeds, butter, plenty of protein (tofu/seitan) etc and I'm not hungry at the end of the day...and I'm losing about 1kg a week. Were also vegetarian.

    Do I need to worry about this? Any tips on bulking out the calories without adding carbs?

    I think ketogenic diets are okay and I have some experience with them (lost about 50lbs). But ultimately, it becomes unsustainable. The best thing, imho, is learning how to incorporate foods into your diet that are carb rich. Especially when you get to the point where your trying to build muscle rather than just lose fat. Keto sort of can create a problem when you start losing muscle due to the fact your body is quite literally eating itself. I know because I recently put back on 10lbs of muscle I lost during my diet. I've found a middle of the road approach is good enough. I can have a little pizza once in a while and still lose weight. Keto doesn't force you to confront things like portion control for example. I love bread, but I just have 1 slice, or I will have 1-2 cookies. I am not going to give up every food I enjoy forever. I've just come to that realization.

    Eventually you will need to bring carbs back into the mix if your bulking. Particularly if your doing any hard cardio. Just make sure you pick good carbs.
  • JessFromEngland
    JessFromEngland Posts: 30 Member
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    Thanks for your comments. Definitely not looking at the ketogenic diets long term (or at all, actually) but have read about low carb high fat and my body feels better eating this way, apart from the fact that I am losing weight. I'm down to the last 5(ish) kilos that I am wanting to lose but for us this is about portion control. Pasta and rice are my personal weakness and i often turn to these type of meals for ease and end up feeling yuck because I've eaten so much.

    So far I have learnt that I can eat less of a meal that is nutritious, high in good fats and still enjoying the things I love (vetta low carb, high fibre pasta) but occasionally, rather than 2/3 times a week. I have been very surprised at just how little calories these meals are

    Also, I realised that I had written 50g of carbs, I made a mistake and this is actually 60g giving us a fair scope for what we eat, saying that most of our carb content comes from veggies.

    ratgirl11 wrote: »
    I do pb everyday, low carb seems to be the only thing that works for me to lose weight, Im prediabetic and cant eat many carbs. I load up menu with nuts,PB, avocadoes,cream cheese, sour cream.

    I make this super good Mexican dish, soy chorizo, eggs, avocado, cheese and sour cream and salsa. It is delicious and filling. I also do the low carb ezekial bread its 11 net carbs for one slice, I put pb on it and its delicious!!! good luck

    I'd love your recipes for these! Especially the soy chorizo and ezekiel bread!
  • 805_blondie
    805_blondie Posts: 96 Member
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    ratgirl11 wrote: »
    I do pb everyday, low carb seems to be the only thing that works for me to lose weight, Im prediabetic and cant eat many carbs. I load up menu with nuts,PB, avocadoes,cream cheese, sour cream.

    I make this super good Mexican dish, soy chorizo, eggs, avocado, cheese and sour cream and salsa. It is delicious and filling. I also do the low carb ezekial bread its 11 net carbs for one slice, I put pb on it and its delicious!!! good luck

    That sounds amazing, it has everything I love in it. Yum! I must make that.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
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    You're not eating enough fat. Add more olive oil / nuts to your diet.
  • biggunz82
    biggunz82 Posts: 1
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    If I'm not meeting my macros by the end of the day, Macadamia nuts are my go-to filler. 1oz = 203 cals, 21g Fat and 4g Carbs.
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
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    you are not counting your calories right. cheese, butter and nuts and you are not reaching 1000 cal? weight your ingredients.
  • MamaColson
    MamaColson Posts: 1
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    Don't forget to log the oils you cook with too. I bet you are meeting your calorie goals...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    First of all, 1 Kg per week loss is good...don't know what you're worried about there. Beyond that, if you are eating cheese and nuts and whatnot, I find it hard to believe you're only hitting 1,000 calories...are you weighing or otherwise measuring this stuff out or are you eyeballing and just logging whatever? My guess is that in reality you are eating more than 1,000 calories. Make sure you're weighing and measuring everything...and don't forget about your cooking oils.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
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    I cup of avocado EASILY would fulfill 200 calories.

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  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,302 Member
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    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    Losing 1kg a week is a perfectly healthy amount of weight to lose so I wouldn't worry about it. Calorie counting is always just an estimate no matter how accurate you try and be. Don't get caught up in forcing yourself to eat more or less if your weightloss is acceptable and you feel good -- unless you have an eating disorder, of course.


    OP has a goal on her wall of a total weight loss of 9.5 kg and has lost 8 kg to date. Maybe since she is closer to her goal the weight may be more difficult to lose. Then again......
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    Losing 1kg a week is a perfectly healthy amount of weight to lose so I wouldn't worry about it. Calorie counting is always just an estimate no matter how accurate you try and be. Don't get caught up in forcing yourself to eat more or less if your weightloss is acceptable and you feel good -- unless you have an eating disorder, of course.


    OP has a goal on her wall of a total weight loss of 9.5 kg and has lost 8 kg to date. Maybe since she is closer to her goal the weight may be more difficult to lose. Then again......
    She's also just started eating a low carb diet so a good portion of that weight loss is going to be water weight. If she's really under eating it'll catch up to her and she'll eat more; if she's miscalculating her calories and actually eating more than she thinks she is that's fine too -- she's losing weight and feeling good so it doesn't matter. Just my opinion.

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