Eating clean and low carb (advice) help never done this before??

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX · February 2015

Hi everyone,

I have tried all diets under the sun inc counting calories which just isn't for me I get obsessed! But I know I will get a lot of (the only way to lose is to eat at a calorie deficit) bla bla...anyway I have a MASSIVE sugar addiction so the best plan what does suit me is eating low carb as it pretty much banishes those cravings and I just generally feel better in myself less sluggish ect....now the only low carb plan I have followed is one called terriann 123, this is low carb AND low fat and snacks inc low fat yogurts such as muller lights, fry light for cooking foods, sweeteners are unlimited, crabsticks are limited, maggi so juicy bags,fat free balsamic vinegar dressing, low fat cottage cheese is limited amounts and low fat cheddar in limited amounts....any way I don't really want to be on a diet as such I do want to lose 2st but I'm wanting to try and get as health as I can and more I read on low carb diets more I read about "healthy fats" and how the low fat options are bad for you so was wondering if anyone cal help me out as to what fats to be eating ...would I be right in thinking cook with a splash of extra virgin olive oil, full fat butter, full fat Greek yogurts and nuts small in quantities snacks? Also milk I always used skimmed should this be and go now??

In terms of what I will be eating it's pretty much, eggs all lean meats with occasional quorn sausage and bacon with fat removed, fish, tinned than in brine, shellfish, vegetables unlimited - mushrooms, spinach , onions , lettuce, cucumber, jalapeños, pickles, then not so frequent amounts of broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, swede or turnip, finally fruit which will be eaten maybe 3X a week melon, berries.

I wI'll also be having high protein low carb protein shakes as a snack after gym

Any help much appreciated...as I said I want to be healthy low carb is my preference i do not like to count calories and I want to lose 2st for my target weight loss...this is only place I could think of asking people for advise I know I will get mostly sarcy comments been on a calorie counting site but hoping there is someone who can help!?

Thanks

markjacobs1987 · February 2015

First I want to tell you to be REALLY careful with low carb diets. Carbs are important and provide fuel for your body and they are not something you want to get rid of or eat a very low amount of. Your carb percentage should be no lower than 30%. As for fats there's plenty of good options. Olive oil, meats, avocado, nuts, etc. are all good. Other than that it sounds like you have the right idea going. You should aim for losing 1-2 pounds a week. If you lose any faster than that you need to up your calories.

ndj1979 · February 2015

all you need for weight loss is a calorie deficit....low carb and clean eating are totally unnecessary for weight loss. Eat less of the foods you like and maintain your calorie deficit = weight loss.

fantasticelastic · February 2015

go to Groups..there is a fab carb low group there. Great support for all low carbers

JPW1990 · February 2015

Try these:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1494-reddit-keto

The first has a lot of answers for you in their launchpad link. The second is associated with a reddit.com subreddit that will give you even more info, and has associated subs dedicated entirely to recipes and scientific info.

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX · February 2015

Thank you

I'm aware counting caloires is the sience behind IT all but for metal health reasons I can not do I need a plan were I eat food without counting I know portion sizes for counting calories for a year for me it's the chocolate and sweet stuff that always sent me over so I need some kind of plan in place were its not allowed as soon as I have a bit within my "allowence" it sends me in to over drive!..I will check out the threads now

ana3067 · February 2015

ndj1979 wrote: »

all you need for weight loss is a calorie deficit....low carb and clean eating are totally unnecessary for weight loss. Eat less of the foods you like and maintain your calorie deficit = weight loss.

This .I did "clean eating" for 4 years. Was not sustainable, Ideveloped a poor relationship with food, and I no longer was able to eat food I loved.

Do you see yourself eating this way for LIFE? If not, then it's clearly not for you, because it's not going to teach you how to eat ALL foods within your needs. Tracking calories allows you to understand how different types of food provide more or less calories despite being the same volume. In fact, I don't think I even lost solely because I ate clean, but because I did 6hrs of cardio a week. Once I stopped that I gained a bit (like ~15lbs?) and once I stopped eating clean on top of doing minimal cardio (lifting instead) and just ate food in what I figured were reasonable portions, I gained weight until I was 188lbs.

JPW1990 · February 2015

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX wrote: »

Thank you I'm aware counting caloires is the sience behind IT all but for metal health reasons I can not do I need a plan were I eat food without counting I know portion sizes for counting calories for a year for me it's the chocolate and sweet stuff that always sent me over so I need some kind of plan in place were its not allowed as soon as I have a bit within my "allowence" it sends me in to over drive!..I will check out the threads now

You still need to count, to a point. It's very important that you get enough protein (true of however you decide to eat). General guideline is protein is the goal you absolutely must meet, carbs is the one you shouldn't exceed, and fat is your maximum for the day, but not a goal. Once you spend a few days getting your carbs from veggies, for most people, the chocolate/sweet cravings go away completely, along with being hungry altogether. Make sure you're getting enough sodium, potassium, and magnesium from the start, people who tend to go through a sick phase at the beginning end up that way due to deficiency in one or some of the 3. If you're monitoring those properly, you won't get sick at all.

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX · February 2015

Thanks I understand what your saying but surely if I'm eating very low carb then calroies are not an issue??? I know im not going over my caloire (which last time I checekd was 1750) I should be on...as my portions are the same as then I'm just not eating processed snacks or fruit like before so If anything I will be eating less...like I said for me it gets too obsessive counting caloires especially when eating cleaner takes me longer then scanning a tin of soup in my hand so I prefer the more cleaner/low carb/slimming world kind of diet were no counting is involved as too counting every little calroie.

JPW1990 · February 2015

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX wrote: »

Thanks I understand what your saying but surely if I'm eating very low carb then calroies are not an issue??? I know im not going over my caloire (which last time I checekd was 1750) I should be on...as my portions are the same as then I'm just not eating processed snacks or fruit like before so If anything I will be eating less...like I said for me it gets too obsessive counting caloires especially when eating cleaner takes me longer then scanning a tin of soup in my hand so I prefer the more cleaner/low carb/slimming world kind of diet were no counting is involved as too counting every little calroie.

They can be an issue. It's not a get out of counting free card. If you're already in the habit of staying below, then it shouldn't be an issue, but you must have fats in your diet, and you need to replace the carbs you're cutting with fats. Because that means different numbers (calories per gram), it can be easy to go over without realizing it. Something as simple as an extra tablespoon of cream or adding butter to a pan can put you over. You can still get to a place where you "know" about where you are and not need to record every little thing, but it's a transition to get there, and you'll have to keep track to start, or you may end up making yourself sick.

amusedmonkey · February 2015

It's a good thing you decided to experiment to see what works for you. Here are a few options you may not have tried:

If you don't mind following a meal plan, you can try pre-logging your week in advance. If that too is too much work for you, you can use the free version of this website: to generate a day for you, and just re-generate it every day to get new stuff.
https://www.eatthismuch.com/

The every other day diet. You count calories only every other day, and if you don't want to do that either, the book has ready pre-counted meals for fast days
http://www.eoddiet.com/

You can use of the "my plate" method, where you control portions without calorie counting, or any other portion control diet
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

If your problem is only with chocolate and sweets, be methodical about it and only buy one serving on specific days of your choice, where you go to the shop specifically to buy that one serving of chocolate. This way you will have time to think it over because each time you eat sweets you will have to make the trip. Alternatively, some people found success eliminating sweets completely, although the sustainability of that is questionable and few succeed to eliminate them long term.

The thing is, even on a low carb diet you will still need to count calories. Even though some people experience being full so they eat less calories by default, it may not work long term without calorie counting as you are likely to reach a point where your fullness level happens to be a higher maintenance level than you want, but if you feel low carb is an enjoyable method to follow, you combine that with option 1, to make sure you don't overeat.

Christine_72 · February 2015

Here's a decent article on low carbs. http://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-carbs-per-day-to-lose-weight/

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX · February 2015

Thanks everyone I really appreciate you getting back to me I really WISH I could do calorie counting again

I just got obsessed last year now even thought of it makes me feel funny! And it's the most successful diet I have ever done after years on weight watchers it finally clicked with MfP and I lost a stone pretty quickly eating healthy 1700cal a day ....i think my downfall was not allowing myself odd day off olan such as a night out I would always log and seeing stuff in the red realllllly got to me and made me feel guilty and a failure

Any how out if curiosity I have logged my food for today here is it I'm 70 cals off 1700 so just under my carbs were at 25% protein 47% and fat 28% so I think I have it good at keep my portions and caloires in check

XCHOCOLATECRAZYX · February 2015

So in grams I THINK that's ...94g of carbs and 175g protein (that's the numbers at bottom of my daily goals)

Eating clean and low carb (advice) help never done this before??

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