Calories vs Carbs

daisyverma
daisyverma Posts: 234 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
usually I go over my calorie count by about 100 calories or so (food plus exercise) but I try not to worry about that too much cause I am exercising and tweaking my diet when needed.

However carbs are a different story. I go over carbs by a lot. My diet is vegetarian so no fish or meat. I do incorporate beans, lentils and whole grains such as quinoa, however these also have (complex)carbs

I am finding the weight loss slowwwwwww..to nonexistent

is my "overloading" on carbs impeding my weight loss despite exercising and being slightly over in my daily calories? When I finish my diary for the day it does show loss of about a lb a week but I feel like it's inaccurate or maybe something is wrong with me?

Replies

  • Jgasmic
    Jgasmic Posts: 219 Member
    Going over your calories is slowing down your weight loss. Especially if your exercise calories are overestimated, which is often the case, and you are eating them all back and then some. It is eating too much in general, not carbs or any one thing specifically, that is slowing down your weight loss.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    weigh loss is down to the calorie deficit that's it. The amount of carbs you eat has no bearing on your weightloss. If it has slowed or stopped start checking the accuracy of your logging. Are you weighing all solids and measuring all liquids? Are you picking accurate entries off the database? Check all these things they are the normal culprits
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Calories are the key for weught loss. If you stay within your calories you will lose weight regardless of the number of carbs you eat.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    You're aware that you're over on calories typically by ~100/day. How accurate is your food logging? Weigh everything solid, measure only liquids? If you're not weighing solids then you could easily be over by more than 100/day.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    It's all about calories, not carbs. But if it's carbs that's driving you over your calorie count, add in more healthy fats (oils, avocados) and protein (dairy if you eat it) to keep you fuller longer.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Calories = weight management.
    Carbs = contribute to calories.

    If you go over on carbs and it results in going over on calories, then eat fewer carbs. If it doesn't then doesn't matter.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    daisyverma wrote: »
    usually I go over my calorie count by about 100 calories or so (food plus exercise) but I try not to worry about that too much cause I am exercising and tweaking my diet when needed.

    However carbs are a different story. I go over carbs by a lot. My diet is vegetarian so no fish or meat. I do incorporate beans, lentils and whole grains such as quinoa, however these also have (complex)carbs

    I am finding the weight loss slowwwwwww..to nonexistent

    is my "overloading" on carbs impeding my weight loss despite exercising and being slightly over in my daily calories? When I finish my diary for the day it does show loss of about a lb a week but I feel like it's inaccurate or maybe something is wrong with me?

    lol

    i dont even

    Going over your calories is what is deterring your weight loss, not your carbs. It's really that simple.
  • daisyverma
    daisyverma Posts: 234 Member
    I normally do the les mills classes ... Mainly step, Zumba and combat

    I know MFP overestimates calories so I drop the minutes from 60 to 25 and with that I go over about 100 calories ..I could be breaking even for all I know

    However by slow I mean barely losing a lb in 2 weeks

    Just purchased a food scale so I'll give it a go and see if maybe my logging is off
  • cherylmlane
    cherylmlane Posts: 4 Member
    daisyverma wrote: »
    I normally do the les mills classes ... Mainly step, Zumba and combat

    I know MFP overestimates calories so I drop the minutes from 60 to 25 and with that I go over about 100 calories ..I could be breaking even for all I know

    However by slow I mean barely losing a lb in 2 weeks

    Just purchased a food scale so I'll give it a go and see if maybe my logging is off

    Hi daisyverma,

    Definitely start weighting your food with your new scales. That's how I started. Once you know how many oz./g something is you can just keep using that amount for your next meal and reduce what you need to weigh. (ie. cut off a small wedge of Brie cheese which for me weighs 14g or 0.5 oz., then next time, use the same size and reduce the number of foods you have to weigh. I find weighing everything, everyday can be time consuming so hopefully this will help you.

    Also what everyone said above is true! You need to reduce your calories to loose weight. The thing about carbs that I find, the more I eat, the more I want, or the feeling of hunger comes back faster, resulting in going over my calories. Healthy fats, etc. will help you stay full longer and stay energized more than some forms of carbs! So keep that in mind and drink lots of water (not sugary drinks sports drinks)!

    I'm losing 0.8 oz to a lb a week since Jan 9th, 2015. Two weeks of those I didn't lose any but then got back on track again. Doing it slow and steady in hopes to keep it off. I've lost approx 10 lbs to date and aiming for 25-30.

    Anyone else have anything to add or can advise of additional ways to keep the weight loss going for me or anyone else?

  • jessicajepson5
    jessicajepson5 Posts: 1 Member
    Another thing to ask yourself is whether or not your exercise might be adding muscle mass to your body weight. If you're feeling the benefits of eating healthier and exercising (having more energy, clothes during more loosely, etc.), but the scale is just moving slowly it's not necessarily a bad thing. Try consulting with a trainer to have a body composition assessment done. Knowing your body fat percentage is much more valuable for gauging your overall health than trying to just base it on your weight.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    jessicajepson5 wrote: »
    Another thing to ask yourself is whether or not your exercise might be adding muscle mass to your body weight. If you're feeling the benefits of eating healthier and exercising (having more energy, clothes during more loosely, etc.), but the scale is just moving slowly it's not necessarily a bad thing. Try consulting with a trainer to have a body composition assessment done. Knowing your body fat percentage is much more valuable for gauging your overall health than trying to just base it on your weight.

    Unless OP eats at a surplus, any muscle gain would be super super minimal. This is assuming she is within her first 4-6 months of weight lifting.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    jessicajepson5 wrote: »
    Another thing to ask yourself is whether or not your exercise might be adding muscle mass to your body weight. If you're feeling the benefits of eating healthier and exercising (having more energy, clothes during more loosely, etc.), but the scale is just moving slowly it's not necessarily a bad thing. Try consulting with a trainer to have a body composition assessment done. Knowing your body fat percentage is much more valuable for gauging your overall health than trying to just base it on your weight.

    Most body composition tests done at gyms are pretty useless as they are done using impedance machines which are inaccurate and can give a myriad of false reading for many reasons such as have a full bladder. If they do calliper measurements which not many gyms seem to anymore these can be far more accurate but can vary enormously die to the skill of the person taking it.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    daisyverma wrote: »
    I normally do the les mills classes ... Mainly step, Zumba and combat

    I know MFP overestimates calories so I drop the minutes from 60 to 25 and with that I go over about 100 calories ..I could be breaking even for all I know

    However by slow I mean barely losing a lb in 2 weeks

    Just purchased a food scale so I'll give it a go and see if maybe my logging is off

    There's your problem right there. Food scales are eye openers.

    I'm veggie too, and while I do watch my carbs to some extent for medical reasons, I never worry if I go over on days I'm eating beans. (I tend to get a lot of my protein from dairy and eggs.)

    Calories matter, though. If you're in the red even with your exercise calories factored in, you're going to slow down your progress.

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