Low Carb Problem
Replies
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In my experience, carb cycling involves calorie cycling.... So your lowered carbs are creating a bigger deficit. Fat and protein remain the same. This is counterbalanced by a "high day" where carbs are increased (along with cals).
Over the week your intake is the same, but you get varying calorie intake. I don't get how your system is of any benefit....0 -
Gizmo20783 wrote: »
A modified version of it yes.
You've done what a few times? Carb cycling?Gizmo20783 wrote: »
But would you consider two low carb days a week and the rest of the week moderate carbs (150-170) a low carb diet? I've done it a few times now and I haven't had any drops in the gym and my energy has remained consistent until it's over.galgenstrick wrote: »I can tell you that you'll feel weak and lethargic on your low carb days, and even more so if your average carbs are in the low end. Your workouts will suck, and your strength will drop. Low carbs diets should only be used if there is a medical problem that requires it.
And how much did you lose those times you did it? You are 310 lbs now, how much did you weigh the times you did that?
Well I've lost about 16lbs but I can't be sure how much of that I can attrbibute to cycling.
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galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
But would you consider two low carb days a week and the rest of the week moderate carbs (150-170) a low carb diet? I've done it a few times now and I haven't had any drops in the gym and my energy has remained consistent until it's over.galgenstrick wrote: »I can tell you that you'll feel weak and lethargic on your low carb days, and even more so if your average carbs are in the low end. Your workouts will suck, and your strength will drop. Low carbs diets should only be used if there is a medical problem that requires it.
150-170 seems low to me too for a 2000 calorie diet. How much do you weigh? What is your current goal weight?
6'5 310. My goals hover around 240-250 over the next 18 months.
Do you know your TDEE? Low or moderate carbs will not help you lose weight any faster. I would try to keep carbs as high as possible while hitting your protein goal (should be around 180grams) and fat goal (about 20-25% of your calories). A lot of it is preference though, so if you feel better on low carbs, then that might help you stick to the plan. But if you feel better on low carbs, I would see a dr, maybe you have something else going on, because I can't imagine anyone without a medical concern would feel better on that low of carbs.
Honestly, I eat pretty well with 150C and it's fairly sustainable without me feeling deprived so unless it's going to help me lose weight faster I don't see a reason to increase it.
If your fats are very high, then it's possible that increasing carbs and lowering fat will help it go faster due to the higher thermic effect of carbs vs fats. It would probably not be noticeable though.
If you're feeling good at 150 carbs, then I'd say stick with that, but don't cycle them, that won't really serve any purpose.
Well I've already set it up for today and Friday so I'll just do them this time and stick with my normal routine thereafter. I use a 150C 70F 175P combination and it's sustainable which is important for me. What do you think?
How did you determine 2000 calories per day. That seems low to me. Was that what MFP gave you? Are you eating back exercise calories?
Well MFP gave me like 2250 something around that and I keep that as my maximum but I rarely ever hit it. Eating back calories is too complicated espcially when trying to determine how many I've burned so I never eat them back.
Well, since you're into experimenting, I would recommend running an experiment by trying to hit that 2250 calories by adding more carbs like pasta or bread or whatever and keeping your proteins and fats like you have them. Then you will have a direct comparison on which diet you prefer. In the end, it's really just what makes you feel the best and what you can stick to. There are certain guidelines for proteins and fats, but carbs aren't essential for survival, so you can be pretty flexible with them. The exception is If you're working on increasing strength in the gym, then I wouldn't recommend cutting them too low ever.
I wouldn't mind adding in more carbs however I just thought that the bigger the deficite the faster I would lose. I mean I'm patient but if I have a large sustainable deficite what are the benefits of making it smaller?
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Tried this low carb thing for a month or 2. But i can tell you, i am NEVER gonna do that EVER again, unless there would be medical reasons for it.
Man i felt tired and weak all the time. Where i could normally workout 2 hours i now was tired after 30-40 minuts.
Even my small cycle to work which is about 15 minuts i took 20-25 minuts to complete and felt tired afterwards
For your carbs, on 2000 i think 150-170 is indeed low. My intake on 1700 is about 170-180 carbs a day.
On 2000 that would get me another 40-50 extra carbs
Also i did not lose more weight in those 2 months then i did the months before
So my advice (please do not mistake this for critisism) is stop the moderated carb cycle and just eat the same as you do rest of the week but up your carb intake to at least 200 with 2000 a day
Thank you. I think I'm starting to see the light on it.
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Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
But would you consider two low carb days a week and the rest of the week moderate carbs (150-170) a low carb diet? I've done it a few times now and I haven't had any drops in the gym and my energy has remained consistent until it's over.galgenstrick wrote: »I can tell you that you'll feel weak and lethargic on your low carb days, and even more so if your average carbs are in the low end. Your workouts will suck, and your strength will drop. Low carbs diets should only be used if there is a medical problem that requires it.
150-170 seems low to me too for a 2000 calorie diet. How much do you weigh? What is your current goal weight?
6'5 310. My goals hover around 240-250 over the next 18 months.
Do you know your TDEE? Low or moderate carbs will not help you lose weight any faster. I would try to keep carbs as high as possible while hitting your protein goal (should be around 180grams) and fat goal (about 20-25% of your calories). A lot of it is preference though, so if you feel better on low carbs, then that might help you stick to the plan. But if you feel better on low carbs, I would see a dr, maybe you have something else going on, because I can't imagine anyone without a medical concern would feel better on that low of carbs.
Honestly, I eat pretty well with 150C and it's fairly sustainable without me feeling deprived so unless it's going to help me lose weight faster I don't see a reason to increase it.
If your fats are very high, then it's possible that increasing carbs and lowering fat will help it go faster due to the higher thermic effect of carbs vs fats. It would probably not be noticeable though.
If you're feeling good at 150 carbs, then I'd say stick with that, but don't cycle them, that won't really serve any purpose.
Well I've already set it up for today and Friday so I'll just do them this time and stick with my normal routine thereafter. I use a 150C 70F 175P combination and it's sustainable which is important for me. What do you think?
How did you determine 2000 calories per day. That seems low to me. Was that what MFP gave you? Are you eating back exercise calories?
Well MFP gave me like 2250 something around that and I keep that as my maximum but I rarely ever hit it. Eating back calories is too complicated espcially when trying to determine how many I've burned so I never eat them back.
Well, since you're into experimenting, I would recommend running an experiment by trying to hit that 2250 calories by adding more carbs like pasta or bread or whatever and keeping your proteins and fats like you have them. Then you will have a direct comparison on which diet you prefer. In the end, it's really just what makes you feel the best and what you can stick to. There are certain guidelines for proteins and fats, but carbs aren't essential for survival, so you can be pretty flexible with them. The exception is If you're working on increasing strength in the gym, then I wouldn't recommend cutting them too low ever.
I wouldn't mind adding in more carbs however I just thought that the bigger the deficite the faster I would lose. I mean I'm patient but if I have a large sustainable deficite what are the benefits of making it smaller?
If you make your deficit too large it will be difficult maintain your current muscle mass. In other words, you will lose a lot of fat and a lot of muscle if you're not eating enough and training properly. So when you get to your goal weight, you'll still just look fat, and weak.
You can probably get away with 2lbs a week of weight loss, and maybe even 3lbs a week since you have a lot to lose still. But you'll want to slow that down a bit once you get closer to your goal.0 -
galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
But would you consider two low carb days a week and the rest of the week moderate carbs (150-170) a low carb diet? I've done it a few times now and I haven't had any drops in the gym and my energy has remained consistent until it's over.galgenstrick wrote: »I can tell you that you'll feel weak and lethargic on your low carb days, and even more so if your average carbs are in the low end. Your workouts will suck, and your strength will drop. Low carbs diets should only be used if there is a medical problem that requires it.
150-170 seems low to me too for a 2000 calorie diet. How much do you weigh? What is your current goal weight?
6'5 310. My goals hover around 240-250 over the next 18 months.
Do you know your TDEE? Low or moderate carbs will not help you lose weight any faster. I would try to keep carbs as high as possible while hitting your protein goal (should be around 180grams) and fat goal (about 20-25% of your calories). A lot of it is preference though, so if you feel better on low carbs, then that might help you stick to the plan. But if you feel better on low carbs, I would see a dr, maybe you have something else going on, because I can't imagine anyone without a medical concern would feel better on that low of carbs.
Honestly, I eat pretty well with 150C and it's fairly sustainable without me feeling deprived so unless it's going to help me lose weight faster I don't see a reason to increase it.
If your fats are very high, then it's possible that increasing carbs and lowering fat will help it go faster due to the higher thermic effect of carbs vs fats. It would probably not be noticeable though.
If you're feeling good at 150 carbs, then I'd say stick with that, but don't cycle them, that won't really serve any purpose.
Well I've already set it up for today and Friday so I'll just do them this time and stick with my normal routine thereafter. I use a 150C 70F 175P combination and it's sustainable which is important for me. What do you think?
How did you determine 2000 calories per day. That seems low to me. Was that what MFP gave you? Are you eating back exercise calories?
Well MFP gave me like 2250 something around that and I keep that as my maximum but I rarely ever hit it. Eating back calories is too complicated espcially when trying to determine how many I've burned so I never eat them back.
Well, since you're into experimenting, I would recommend running an experiment by trying to hit that 2250 calories by adding more carbs like pasta or bread or whatever and keeping your proteins and fats like you have them. Then you will have a direct comparison on which diet you prefer. In the end, it's really just what makes you feel the best and what you can stick to. There are certain guidelines for proteins and fats, but carbs aren't essential for survival, so you can be pretty flexible with them. The exception is If you're working on increasing strength in the gym, then I wouldn't recommend cutting them too low ever.
I wouldn't mind adding in more carbs however I just thought that the bigger the deficite the faster I would lose. I mean I'm patient but if I have a large sustainable deficite what are the benefits of making it smaller?
If you make your deficit too large it will be difficult maintain your current muscle mass. In other words, you will lose a lot of fat and a lot of muscle if you're not eating enough and training properly. So when you get to your goal weight, you'll still just look fat, and weak.
You can probably get away with 2lbs a week of weight loss, and maybe even 3lbs a week since you have a lot to lose still. But you'll want to slow that down a bit once you get closer to your goal.
Knew there had to be a downside. Well okay I'll start hitting my caloric goals and will increase my carbs incrementally .
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Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
But would you consider two low carb days a week and the rest of the week moderate carbs (150-170) a low carb diet? I've done it a few times now and I haven't had any drops in the gym and my energy has remained consistent until it's over.galgenstrick wrote: »I can tell you that you'll feel weak and lethargic on your low carb days, and even more so if your average carbs are in the low end. Your workouts will suck, and your strength will drop. Low carbs diets should only be used if there is a medical problem that requires it.
150-170 seems low to me too for a 2000 calorie diet. How much do you weigh? What is your current goal weight?
6'5 310. My goals hover around 240-250 over the next 18 months.
Do you know your TDEE? Low or moderate carbs will not help you lose weight any faster. I would try to keep carbs as high as possible while hitting your protein goal (should be around 180grams) and fat goal (about 20-25% of your calories). A lot of it is preference though, so if you feel better on low carbs, then that might help you stick to the plan. But if you feel better on low carbs, I would see a dr, maybe you have something else going on, because I can't imagine anyone without a medical concern would feel better on that low of carbs.
Honestly, I eat pretty well with 150C and it's fairly sustainable without me feeling deprived so unless it's going to help me lose weight faster I don't see a reason to increase it.
If your fats are very high, then it's possible that increasing carbs and lowering fat will help it go faster due to the higher thermic effect of carbs vs fats. It would probably not be noticeable though.
If you're feeling good at 150 carbs, then I'd say stick with that, but don't cycle them, that won't really serve any purpose.
Well I've already set it up for today and Friday so I'll just do them this time and stick with my normal routine thereafter. I use a 150C 70F 175P combination and it's sustainable which is important for me. What do you think?
How did you determine 2000 calories per day. That seems low to me. Was that what MFP gave you? Are you eating back exercise calories?
Well MFP gave me like 2250 something around that and I keep that as my maximum but I rarely ever hit it. Eating back calories is too complicated espcially when trying to determine how many I've burned so I never eat them back.
Well, since you're into experimenting, I would recommend running an experiment by trying to hit that 2250 calories by adding more carbs like pasta or bread or whatever and keeping your proteins and fats like you have them. Then you will have a direct comparison on which diet you prefer. In the end, it's really just what makes you feel the best and what you can stick to. There are certain guidelines for proteins and fats, but carbs aren't essential for survival, so you can be pretty flexible with them. The exception is If you're working on increasing strength in the gym, then I wouldn't recommend cutting them too low ever.
I wouldn't mind adding in more carbs however I just thought that the bigger the deficite the faster I would lose. I mean I'm patient but if I have a large sustainable deficite what are the benefits of making it smaller?
If you make your deficit too large it will be difficult maintain your current muscle mass. In other words, you will lose a lot of fat and a lot of muscle if you're not eating enough and training properly. So when you get to your goal weight, you'll still just look fat, and weak.
You can probably get away with 2lbs a week of weight loss, and maybe even 3lbs a week since you have a lot to lose still. But you'll want to slow that down a bit once you get closer to your goal.
Knew there had to be a downside. Well okay I'll start hitting my caloric goals and will increase my carbs incrementally .
You're gonna do great, keep at it0 -
2000 cals with 200 from carbs leaves 1800.
150g of protein gives you 600.
Leaving 1200 from fats and oils. 133 grams. Entirely achievable, eat nuts for fat, add mayo or oil dressings to veg / salads etc. Fat is your friend. Stop eating lean meat and reduced fat options.
PS If you're over 250 lbs you don't need to be pushing yourself to eat 2000 calories.0 -
galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »galgenstrick wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
But would you consider two low carb days a week and the rest of the week moderate carbs (150-170) a low carb diet? I've done it a few times now and I haven't had any drops in the gym and my energy has remained consistent until it's over.galgenstrick wrote: »I can tell you that you'll feel weak and lethargic on your low carb days, and even more so if your average carbs are in the low end. Your workouts will suck, and your strength will drop. Low carbs diets should only be used if there is a medical problem that requires it.
150-170 seems low to me too for a 2000 calorie diet. How much do you weigh? What is your current goal weight?
6'5 310. My goals hover around 240-250 over the next 18 months.
Do you know your TDEE? Low or moderate carbs will not help you lose weight any faster. I would try to keep carbs as high as possible while hitting your protein goal (should be around 180grams) and fat goal (about 20-25% of your calories). A lot of it is preference though, so if you feel better on low carbs, then that might help you stick to the plan. But if you feel better on low carbs, I would see a dr, maybe you have something else going on, because I can't imagine anyone without a medical concern would feel better on that low of carbs.
Honestly, I eat pretty well with 150C and it's fairly sustainable without me feeling deprived so unless it's going to help me lose weight faster I don't see a reason to increase it.
If your fats are very high, then it's possible that increasing carbs and lowering fat will help it go faster due to the higher thermic effect of carbs vs fats. It would probably not be noticeable though.
If you're feeling good at 150 carbs, then I'd say stick with that, but don't cycle them, that won't really serve any purpose.
Well I've already set it up for today and Friday so I'll just do them this time and stick with my normal routine thereafter. I use a 150C 70F 175P combination and it's sustainable which is important for me. What do you think?
How did you determine 2000 calories per day. That seems low to me. Was that what MFP gave you? Are you eating back exercise calories?
Well MFP gave me like 2250 something around that and I keep that as my maximum but I rarely ever hit it. Eating back calories is too complicated espcially when trying to determine how many I've burned so I never eat them back.
Well, since you're into experimenting, I would recommend running an experiment by trying to hit that 2250 calories by adding more carbs like pasta or bread or whatever and keeping your proteins and fats like you have them. Then you will have a direct comparison on which diet you prefer. In the end, it's really just what makes you feel the best and what you can stick to. There are certain guidelines for proteins and fats, but carbs aren't essential for survival, so you can be pretty flexible with them. The exception is If you're working on increasing strength in the gym, then I wouldn't recommend cutting them too low ever.
I wouldn't mind adding in more carbs however I just thought that the bigger the deficite the faster I would lose. I mean I'm patient but if I have a large sustainable deficite what are the benefits of making it smaller?
If you make your deficit too large it will be difficult maintain your current muscle mass. In other words, you will lose a lot of fat and a lot of muscle if you're not eating enough and training properly. So when you get to your goal weight, you'll still just look fat, and weak.
You can probably get away with 2lbs a week of weight loss, and maybe even 3lbs a week since you have a lot to lose still. But you'll want to slow that down a bit once you get closer to your goal.
Knew there had to be a downside. Well okay I'll start hitting my caloric goals and will increase my carbs incrementally .
You're gonna do great, keep at it
Thanks man.
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2000 cals with 200 from carbs leaves 1800.
150g of protein gives you 600.
Leaving 1200 from fats and oils. 133 grams. Entirely achievable, eat nuts for fat, add mayo or oil dressings to veg / salads etc. Fat is your friend. Stop eating lean meat and reduced fat options.
PS If you're over 250 lbs you don't need to be pushing yourself to eat 2000 calories.
Just for clarrification; are you saying that I shouldn't strive for 2,000? I should go below?
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Gizmo20783 wrote: »
Just for clarrification; are you saying that I shouldn't strive for 2,000? I should go below?
Indeed, if you're over 30 BMI (36 at least I think ?) then don't put effort into eating 300 extra calories to get to 2000 when you could use 300 cals of fat off your body instead.
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Gizmo20783 wrote: »
Just for clarrification; are you saying that I shouldn't strive for 2,000? I should go below?
Indeed, if you're over 30 BMI (36 at least I think ?) then don't put effort into eating 300 extra calories to get to 2000 when you could use 300 cals of fat off your body instead.
You do have a point however as someone else mentioned I don't want to lose any muscle gains espcially because I lift.
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Depends how patient you are and your priorities. There isn't a linear relationship between calorie intake and muscle loss especially if you have a good protein intake and resistance train.0
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Gizmo20783 wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
Just for clarrification; are you saying that I shouldn't strive for 2,000? I should go below?
Indeed, if you're over 30 BMI (36 at least I think ?) then don't put effort into eating 300 extra calories to get to 2000 when you could use 300 cals of fat off your body instead.
You do have a point however as someone else mentioned I don't want to lose any muscle gains espcially because I lift.
If you don't want to see muscle loss while dieting there are a couple of strategies:
- Keep deficits small - the larger the deficit the larger the catabolic effect - Losing 1-1.5% of bodyweight per week seems to be a reasonable upper limit. Some people suffer even at those rates.
- Protein sparing effect of dietary protein and carbs. The body needs protein to function, if it isn't in your diet it is going to borrow it from the local storage, your muscle. That's kind of obvious - less so, is the reason why carbs are protein sparing - if you low carb - you body still needs carbs, albeit less if you are in ketosis (which in your 2 day cycling and at 150 g, you likely aren't) those carbs are taken from diet, from glucagon storage in muscle and liver, and also made by the liver in a process called gluconeogenesis which uses amino acids from protein sources (and lactate). Those protein sources can either be dietary or... your body. Not enough carbs, protein is used to make them.
- Keep lifting - obviously has positive impact during weight loss. No need to go into details. Monitor your energy levels. Adjust.
My concern with low cals is finding the right balance for the haul (both in terms of macros but also general nutrition) that doesn't create issues in performance (exercise, life, bed) - big cuts increase risks of keeping at it (sometimes people find the too hard), gallstones, mood, energy, hormonal issues, etc. At 2K calories the risk are very small but if you are eating (really well logged and certain) at significantly less, it's something to consider. Make sure your nutrition is dialed.0 -
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Gizmo20783 wrote: »Gizmo20783 wrote: »
Just for clarrification; are you saying that I shouldn't strive for 2,000? I should go below?
Indeed, if you're over 30 BMI (36 at least I think ?) then don't put effort into eating 300 extra calories to get to 2000 when you could use 300 cals of fat off your body instead.
You do have a point however as someone else mentioned I don't want to lose any muscle gains espcially because I lift.
You might want to go read this:
http://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index
Doing LC only 2 of 7 days isn't really going to do much aside from up the chances of you getting LC flu once a week, unless you're being careful to follow all the LC rules those 2 days, too. Since you're having trouble hitting 2k on those days, it sounds like you're not following the rules that closely. Generally speaking, the split on CKD is 5 days on, 2 days off, not 5 off, 2 on.0 -
increase good fats0
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