Low Carbing unhealthy?
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jennibean40 wrote: »@LunaKate my calories usually stay between 1000-1300 a day... i think for the weight loss stage this is completely acceptable.. once you reach or near your goal obviously it should go up with your carbs until you plateau at your desired weight. Decide to start building more muscle.. adjust accordingly. You dont want to starve your body, just manage its function! I hope you win your bet!
Maintenance depends on your low carb plan. With Atkins you increase carbs. With nutritional ketosis (keto) you keep carbs low and increase fat.0 -
Help me here people. I've stuck for weeks now going up and down with the same 2-4 pounds. I think I still don't get how our bodies burn stored fats if we keep supplying them in vast amounts. I just watched Dr Phinney's video on nutritional ketosis and he states that we need to give the chance for our bodies to use this stored fatty reserves. Does that mean that we have to eat even under our fat macros, to help our bodies compensate using fat stores (creating an even higher caloric deficit, which I believed was already factored in) or keep eating until you reach your numbers.
I'm kinda stalling for a while now. I'm 5'0" and currently 184 from 240 when I started. I'm a teacher and don't do much exercise besides walking and staying on my feet most days. I try to maintain at least a 1200 calories intake with a carbs 5% 20 gr - protein 20% 60gr - and fats 75% 100 gr distribution. I have problems with my protein intake, sometimes going lower, but I get my fats diligently... Am I doing this wrong?0 -
Help me here people. I've stuck for weeks now going up and down with the same 2-4 pounds. I think I still don't get how our bodies burn stored fats if we keep supplying them in vast amounts. I just watched Dr Phinney's video on nutritional ketosis and he states that we need to give the chance for our bodies to use this stored fatty reserves. Does that mean that we have to eat even under our fat macros, to help our bodies compensate using fat stores (creating an even higher caloric deficit, which I believed was already factored in) or keep eating until you reach your numbers.
I'm kinda stalling for a while now. I'm 5'0" and currently 184 from 240 when I started. I'm a teacher and don't do much exercise besides walking and staying on my feet most days. I try to maintain at least a 1200 calories intake with a carbs 5% 20 gr - protein 20% 60gr - and fats 75% 100 gr distribution. I have problems with my protein intake, sometimes going lower, but I get my fats diligently... Am I doing this wrong?
Not in my book. Right now, I'd ignore the scale and go by measurements. As your body burns fat, you may be dropping in inches and not pounds. My body does this. Then I'll get a whoosh of a few pounds off (body ditching stored water since it realizes it really doesn't need it....AGAIN), then a gain as I lose some more fat and it stores water again. But I'm getting smaller, even though the scale hasn't budged much and keeps playing games. I feel good energy and mentally, so I'm going to keep on while my body works out it's nonsense. Patience, I say... Seems impossible, but I'm gonna try.
P.S. Read some of the other threads. On this WOE, some types of exercise can be slowing on progress, but general basic activity is good. Lots of info on losing/WOE only.0 -
I know just uping my fats will make up the calories too. Its my head thats the problem. Im afraid eating more fat will make me gain weight.
Yes, its quite the adjustment to your thinking. I've been there done that. See that photo to the left? I grew up on raw milk, butter, cream, lard, cheese, avacados. I was strength training at the time as well, 3 days a week. I'm 5' 9" and in that photo I weighed 159 pounds with a 25" waist.
Fast forward 3 years. The new nutritional guidelines came out just as I had my first child. Fat was bad, evil. Cut fats. I put on 48 pounds by the end of my pregnancy, and I started a VERY low fat diet to lose. Over the next 20 years I followed this religiously. I remember days being proud that I had eaten LESS than 12g of fat in a day. I sort of watched my calories, but as long as I was eating by the government guidelines, I was doing it right.
In 2012 I weighed in at close to 300 pounds. I hurt too much to exercise anymore. I had fatty liver disease. I had PCOS. I was prediabetic. In 2013 I had a hysterectomy and 6 months later, was going in for my final evaluation before a breast reduction surgery. Horrible news, the surgery was cancelled because I had an A1C of 11.9! I was developing non-alcoholic cirrohsis.
That day I joined MFP, and after much research, decided to go low carb. You can read about how my bloodwork numbers changed here:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1249153/hi-fat-low-carb-lab-results#latest
I did LCHF for 6 months, dropped 50 pounds, and had the surgery. I stopped doing low carb. I regained 40 of those pounds in 6 months. My daily blood glucose runs from 150 to 225. I'm afraid to get my bloodwork done.
I'm back on LCHF and I'm going to make it stick this time. I don't want to be diabetic. I want a healthy liver again. I want to be able to ride my bike and canoe on the lake again. I want to ride horses again. That link above is hard facts that FOR ME, LCHF is -not- unhealthy.
I realize that this is a very long post, but I thought I should share my story with some people here, especially new ones that are having trouble adjusting.
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Wow, Keliandra, amazing post! I'm so glad things are going in the right direction for you now.0
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I did not know that about the liver function! Great to keep an eye on that, too.0
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Great post Keliandre! I feel like I am similar to you. Fat was evil, so I avoided it for 30 years. I love(d) fat. I love(d) carbs. So I did atleast 4 major diets prior to Keto. Everytime I did a low fat diet, I was ravenously hungry, before, during and after the diet. I would set a goal and meet it. But on the very next day, I never maintained the diet, because pschologically I couldn't stand being so hungry all the damn time. I do design work, so when I would get hungry, I couldn't work. So I brought all kinds of snack, fruits and granola bars to hold me over. I didn't realize that was feeding the "beast" (carbs).
After every major diet over 30 years, I would gain all the weight back and then add 10 or 20% to boot. I eventually got up to 330 lbs. I HATED being fat so much so, that I was going to get Bariatric surgery. The kind where they irreversably cut your stomach in half. But THANK GOD, the bariatric nurse said I had to lose 15 lbs before surgery. She showed me the MFP app and I had to log my food. She set it up for SAD macros. I did however, see on the internet a video that Peter Attia. One thing led to another, and I started reading the Phinney & Volek book: "Guide to Low Carb Living" (or something like that). It explained the Ketones stuff and I started the Ketogenic diet.
I think I will be able to maintain my weightloss with LCHF so much easier. Has my hunger gone away? NO, but it is so much less now. Its probably that of a "skinny person". Skinny people, that have never been fat before, (I think) don't understand why Fat people eat so damn much.
If anybody wants to see the inspiringly wonderful (16) minute video that got me looking and finding the LCHF diet (make sure you have some Kleenex handy) go here:
Peter Attia: What if we're wrong about diabetes?
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan0 -
I have found that I tend to bounce around a few pound range for weeks at a time, then suddenly I drop a few pounds. Then I find myself bouncing around a new (lower) few pound range for another couple weeks. Over the long range, it looks like a smooth slide down in weight. But, on a week to week basis, it is impossible to see anything.
Trust your body. Be patient. You certainly shouldn't try and eat any less than your already meager rations.0 -
Help me here people. I've stuck for weeks now going up and down with the same 2-4 pounds. I think I still don't get how our bodies burn stored fats if we keep supplying them in vast amounts. I just watched Dr Phinney's video on nutritional ketosis and he states that we need to give the chance for our bodies to use this stored fatty reserves. Does that mean that we have to eat even under our fat macros, to help our bodies compensate using fat stores (creating an even higher caloric deficit, which I believed was already factored in) or keep eating until you reach your numbers.
I'm kinda stalling for a while now. I'm 5'0" and currently 184 from 240 when I started. I'm a teacher and don't do much exercise besides walking and staying on my feet most days. I try to maintain at least a 1200 calories intake with a carbs 5% 20 gr - protein 20% 60gr - and fats 75% 100 gr distribution. I have problems with my protein intake, sometimes going lower, but I get my fats diligently... Am I doing this wrong?
Protein is a goal, carbs are a limit, fat is what you eat to satiety. You don't have to eat all your fat, nor do you have to hit all 3 numbers to the gram every day. Protein does matter, and that is the goal you want to get as close to as you can within any given 24 hr period. Everything else carries over from day to day. Too many carbs every day, you'll be out of ketosis, but if you go over by 5 just one day, you won't necessarily be knocked out at all, and if you are, but stick to your macros from that meal on, you'll most likely be back in it within a few hours. Don't go over your fat, and if you can't get it all in, it's fine, as long as your calories aren't so low it's an unhealthy deficit.
Main thing is - don't let yourself get stressed out over the numbers, whether it's percentages or grams or lbs, this is a marathon, not a sprint.0 -
Diet is for health and weight management; exercise is for strength and fitness.
You do not need to exercise to lose weight, though it does enhance how you feel and look. You do need to eat enough food to sustain your body functions and you do need to have a deficit of calories to achieve weight loss. In regards to low carb, for MOST people it does wonders for their health and weight control. Is it easy, not at first. But neither is any other diet out there, you have to change your habits and your ways of thinking. For some people, low fat and IIFYM's and HIGH or SAD carbs works fine for weight loss, and they can't see the value in LC. However, many of those people (especially the serial dieters), have tried and had success on LC, they just couldn't stick with it. The LC diet didn't fail them.
I think you've had real world success examples. You have family who get it ( in your MIL/SIL) and can offer support. You've found US here on The LC boards. Go for it!! What do you have to lose (Besides baby weight). Just know that it's a lifestyle change...if you do LC and have success, but then immediately upon hitting your goal go back to the higher carb life and increased calories, you will gain back weight.
If you want to feel stronger and change how your body looks, you can add in resistance and strength training. Sit ups, pushups, squats, planks, and many other body weight routines can be done in short bursts and are conducive to active parenting. (especially the floor work, with your kids right next to you).
AND also, sorry to say, but your husband is probably going to lose weight following his healthier eating strategy, without learning any of the new habits or giving up many of his favorite foods. Good for him, but don't let it make you doubt your own path.
Good luck!0 -
Diet is for health and weight management; exercise is for strength and fitness.
You do not need to exercise to lose weight, though it does enhance how you feel and look. You do need to eat enough food to sustain your body functions and you do need to have a deficit of calories to achieve weight loss. In regards to low carb, for MOST people it does wonders for their health and weight control. Is it easy, not at first. But neither is any other diet out there, you have to change your habits and your ways of thinking. For some people, low fat and IIFYM's and HIGH or SAD carbs works fine for weight loss, and they can't see the value in LC. However, many of those people (especially the serial dieters), have tried and had success on LC, they just couldn't stick with it. The LC diet didn't fail them.
I think you've had real world success examples. You have family who get it ( in your MIL/SIL) and can offer support. You've found US here on The LC boards. Go for it!! What do you have to lose (Besides baby weight). Just know that it's a lifestyle change...if you do LC and have success, but then immediately upon hitting your goal go back to the higher carb life and increased calories, you will gain back weight.
If you want to feel stronger and change how your body looks, you can add in resistance and strength training. Sit ups, pushups, squats, planks, and many other body weight routines can be done in short bursts and are conducive to active parenting. (especially the floor work, with your kids right next to you).
AND also, sorry to say, but your husband is probably going to lose weight following his healthier eating strategy, without learning any of the new habits or giving up many of his favorite foods. Good for him, but don't let it make you doubt your own path.
Good luck!
I simply it to this.
Eat to lose weight. Exercise to eat more
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