Trying to change for the better

alittlelife14
alittlelife14 Posts: 339 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
"]Hi there. I am 5 foot 5 and currently 119lbs. I used to weigh 138lb about a year or so ago, and over time I have been slowly but surely changing my diet and exercise habits. Over the last half a year things got more intense. I started to track my meals religiously on here and really just obsess over good and carbs. I have/had the idea that carbs are horrible and I tried all ways I could to stay under around 50 grams a day and I went nuts and was eating about 140 grams of protein a day and very little fat. This wasn't working for me. I also started to take Hydroxycut too... for about a week until I forcefully stopped because I got very sick. Anyway, now this week I feel burnt out with counting calories AND carbs and am going to just start counting calories and not worrying about carbs but still plan to try to be relatively mindful of them but stay under 150 grams a day rather than 50 grams. In the back of my mind I am worried this will deter my weight loss, which I want to continue with, but just on a more healthier and less stressful tract thay doesn't involve binge eating either because I had episodes of that too when I was limiting carbs 20 to 50 grams a day. What are your thoughts and advice?

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    unless you are diabetic, there is no reason to limit carbs in excess
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited September 2015
    At 5'5 you have maybe 6lb you could lose before being underweight, but your goal says 10lb. Check your BF%. Odds are that soon the only thing you are going to lose is LBM. Building muscle seems like a much more reasonable goal.
  • mousie1973
    mousie1973 Posts: 438 Member
    edited September 2015
    i agree with the above poster (callsitlikeiseeit), also, you are already in the healthy range for your height if you lose what you are trying to lose according to your profile, you will be underweight...
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I don't understand the low-carbers. I've tried to ask about it, but it don't understand how it works, so I cannot really advise anyone on that. There is a low-carb group here and I bet they could help.

    Personally, I eat a high-carb diet. Loads of fruits, many veggies, some whole grain bread and pastas. I have a low-fat diet and just don't like a lot of protein foods, so high carb it is. I've lost 92 pounds. The Weight loss Registry people say that many of their people eat high-carb diets, too. So it is possible to lose weight without restricting carbs.

    If you need or even WANT to go low-carb, you should! But if it's a battle you're fighting for the sake of weight loss, just quit fighting. It's not a necessary thing. For most people, it's not even healthier than normal carbs.
  • Dan_Runs_In_Sandals
    Dan_Runs_In_Sandals Posts: 6 Member
    I think that grouping carbs into a single group might be part of the problem. Separate it out into refined carbs and sugars and whole grains and starches/fruits. If it doesn't have any fiber or nutrients (not including added nutrients), it's probably a carb to avoid. Many people have lost and maintained on what could be considered "high-carb" diets, but those diets usually always include mostly whole foods and whole grains. You can see John McDougall's "The Starch Solution" book for more info. https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/starch-solution/
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
    nordlead2005 wrote: »
    At 5'5 you have maybe 6lb you could lose before being underweight, but your goal says 10lb. Check your BF%. Odds are that soon the only thing you are going to lose is LBM. Building muscle seems like a much more reasonable goal.

    DITO
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    You are a perfect weight.

    Cutting carbs is unnecessary for those that even 'NEED' to lose weight. You are putting yourself under absolutely un-needed pressure. Forget the carb counting. I'm not going to say 'Forget calorie counting' because it's important to stay on track and maintain your goals but... You are very near to underweight, is that a NEW goal?

    Please be careful and mindful of losing more. Don't buy into the 'cut out carb' advice, it's utter rubbish.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Your behaviour borders on eating disorder. You are at a healthy weight and all the signs point to your body burning out. Can you ease up on the counting and aim to maintain instead of lose? Surely you want health and energy more than a point on the scale.

    Can you talk to an interested third party, a counsellor, dietitian or a doctor about your health goals?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    sarsather wrote: »
    "]Hi there. I am 5 foot 5 and currently 119lbs. I used to weigh 138lb about a year or so ago, and over time I have been slowly but surely changing my diet and exercise habits. Over the last half a year things got more intense. I started to track my meals religiously on here and really just obsess over good and carbs. I have/had the idea that carbs are horrible and I tried all ways I could to stay under around 50 grams a day and I went nuts and was eating about 140 grams of protein a day and very little fat. This wasn't working for me. I also started to take Hydroxycut too... for about a week until I forcefully stopped because I got very sick. Anyway, now this week I feel burnt out with counting calories AND carbs and am going to just start counting calories and not worrying about carbs but still plan to try to be relatively mindful of them but stay under 150 grams a day rather than 50 grams. In the back of my mind I am worried this will deter my weight loss, which I want to continue with, but just on a more healthier and less stressful tract thay doesn't involve binge eating either because I had episodes of that too when I was limiting carbs 20 to 50 grams a day. What are your thoughts and advice?

    Cutting carbs low (to 20-50g per day) can usually end up eliminating carb cravings after a few weeks, but it take about 2 weeks (sometimes less, sometimes more) for your body to adjust to fat burning (ketosis) rather than glucose burning (as in a moderate to high carb diet). If you bounce up and down in your carb intake, you won't actually get stay in ketosis, but will probably feel continuously poorly (off and on) as you spend a lot of time going through fat adaption.

    If that was the problem, staying strictly low carb for two weeks can help.

    Low carb diets are typically not high protein. The majority of people who eat low carb increase their fat consumption and leave their protein at a moderate level. For instance, I eat very low carb (under 40g usually) but I eat between 80-90 g of protein and well over a 100g of fat. I'm eating at a deficit and losing consistently, and I have very few carb cravings. My macros are 5% carbs, 20-25% protein, and 70-75% fat. My fats are usually coconut cream, cheese, bacon and other meats, and nuts.

    You may want to up your fat intake. That is a major part of eating low carb successfully. I would up your fat intake if you continue at very low carb, or if you up carbs to 150g. Fat helps many with satiety, and will not cause you to gain weight unless you eat way too much of it.

    If you raise your carbs to 150g, you should still lose weight as long as you are eating at a deficit. If you have insulin resistance, the higher levels of insulin may hinder your fat loss a bit (and possibly you blood glucose levels), but if you are healthy, you should be fine.

    Many low carbers that I talk to around here tend to avoid the 50-100g zone of carbs because they are bouncing in and out of ketosis at that level, and feeling poorly makes it harder to lose weight (affects will power and energy levels). If you feel good at 150g, then that's a good level for you.

    The Low Carber Daily group can offer more info than I. Check them out.

    Good luck. :)

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