Low Carb Help Please.

Hello there and welcome. I suggest you go to the following group and re-post your questions there. Here is a link to the main low-carber forum group in MFP. It's where most low carbers hang out:

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

Sounds like you have some good questions to ask your doctor or PA. Why such low carb recommendation? How many total calories?

KyHymon14 wrote: »

ladipoet wrote: »

Hello there and welcome. I suggest you go to the following group and re-post your questions there. Here is a link to the main low-carber forum group in MFP. It's where most low carbers hang out:

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

Thank You Definitely will!

It is a good group. They definitely have helped me. There are many of us there who eat a very low carb, ketogenic diet like you have described.

A macro calculator might be of help. This one is pretty good. http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/. Most LCHF people keep protein moderate between 15-25% with some going higher and some lower. Fat fills in most of the diet with 80-60% coming from fat ( in a ketogenic diet).

My diet is set around 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fat. When I was losing fast I ate around 1500kcal per day. I now eat closer to 2000 and am losing much slower now.

Best wishes!

Roeder1122 wrote: »

KyHymon14 wrote: »

The doctor gave me some papers to read about the low carb. I guess I'm not understanding where my protein & fat should be. He just told me that my carbs should be between 20 grams no more than 50 grams. So I decided to stick with 20 grams of carbs. I'm supposed to eat 3x a day & I'm only supposed to be snacking if necessary?? (I don't know how true that is)

I'm not sure if its true or not but also my cal count is low. Im not sure if calories is supposed to be mattered or not. It says I'm supposed to eat 1100 cals a day but I'm not sure if that right or not. I ate 1300 cals today. No where in the papers did I ever read anything about calories, so at first I was thinking it didn't matter. But right now I'm just so uncertain.

I have diabetes and my carbs are a lot more than yours... I am on a 232 day carb diet, set out by my nutritionists. Not saying you will, but most people who have that low of a carb allowance, usually gain the weight back. Are you taking Phentermine?

Plenty of people don´t gain the weight back, so that´s silly to say.
232g of carbs a day?? wow, with diabetes too.

PeculiarLou wrote: »

Roeder1122 wrote: »

KyHymon14 wrote: »

The doctor gave me some papers to read about the low carb. I guess I'm not understanding where my protein & fat should be. He just told me that my carbs should be between 20 grams no more than 50 grams. So I decided to stick with 20 grams of carbs. I'm supposed to eat 3x a day & I'm only supposed to be snacking if necessary?? (I don't know how true that is)

I'm not sure if its true or not but also my cal count is low. Im not sure if calories is supposed to be mattered or not. It says I'm supposed to eat 1100 cals a day but I'm not sure if that right or not. I ate 1300 cals today. No where in the papers did I ever read anything about calories, so at first I was thinking it didn't matter. But right now I'm just so uncertain.

I have diabetes and my carbs are a lot more than yours... I am on a 232 day carb diet, set out by my nutritionists. Not saying you will, but most people who have that low of a carb allowance, usually gain the weight back. Are you taking Phentermine?

Plenty of people don´t gain the weight back, so that´s silly to say.
232g of carbs a day?? wow, with diabetes too.

True, plenty don't gain the weight back but how many of those people are sticking to 20 carbs a day?? Everyone I know who has done that low, as soon as they started increasing their carbs boom they start gaining weight.

KyHymon14 wrote: »

The doctor gave me some papers to read about the low carb. I guess I'm not understanding where my protein & fat should be. He just told me that my carbs should be between 20 grams no more than 50 grams. So I decided to stick with 20 grams of carbs. I'm supposed to eat 3x a day & I'm only supposed to be snacking if necessary?? (I don't know how true that is)

I'm not sure if its true or not but also my cal count is low. Im not sure if calories is supposed to be mattered or not. It says I'm supposed to eat 1100 cals a day but I'm not sure if that right or not. I ate 1300 cals today. No where in the papers did I ever read anything about calories, so at first I was thinking it didn't matter. But right now I'm just so uncertain.

Ok, breathe! 1100 seems VERY low. What is your weight, height etc?

Check out this handy tool: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

This will calculate a low carb diet for you that's specific to your height and weight. You can snack, just make sure it fits in your diet. A low carb snack can be almonds, beef jerky (careful of any sugar added), a cheese string, sugar free jello, celery with PB, anything that is low/no carbs.

If you need meal ideas check out the many keto blogs and youtube videos, just do a google search for keto (which is low carb). There's also plenty of people on instagram who post their LCHF recipes on there too.

Roeder1122 wrote: »

PeculiarLou wrote: »

Roeder1122 wrote: »

KyHymon14 wrote: »

The doctor gave me some papers to read about the low carb. I guess I'm not understanding where my protein & fat should be. He just told me that my carbs should be between 20 grams no more than 50 grams. So I decided to stick with 20 grams of carbs. I'm supposed to eat 3x a day & I'm only supposed to be snacking if necessary?? (I don't know how true that is)

I'm not sure if its true or not but also my cal count is low. Im not sure if calories is supposed to be mattered or not. It says I'm supposed to eat 1100 cals a day but I'm not sure if that right or not. I ate 1300 cals today. No where in the papers did I ever read anything about calories, so at first I was thinking it didn't matter. But right now I'm just so uncertain.

I have diabetes and my carbs are a lot more than yours... I am on a 232 day carb diet, set out by my nutritionists. Not saying you will, but most people who have that low of a carb allowance, usually gain the weight back. Are you taking Phentermine?

Plenty of people don´t gain the weight back, so that´s silly to say.
232g of carbs a day?? wow, with diabetes too.

True, plenty don't gain the weight back but how many of those people are sticking to 20 carbs a day?? Everyone I know who has done that low, as soon as they started increasing their carbs boom they start gaining weight.

It's curious that "plenty of people" is apparently hardly any according to some researchers I've heard speak. One even said that anyone who doesn't regain is an outlier and shouldn't be considered in the data (a real head scratcher there). So it's going to be tough no matter what you do. As for regaining as soon as you start eating carbs there are two main reasons, one they have reverted to old habits so are eating at a higher calorie intake then during the low-carb diet and two they are gaining back a lot of weight just based on water and glycogen.

PeculiarLou wrote: »

Roeder1122 wrote: »

KyHymon14 wrote: »

The doctor gave me some papers to read about the low carb. I guess I'm not understanding where my protein & fat should be. He just told me that my carbs should be between 20 grams no more than 50 grams. So I decided to stick with 20 grams of carbs. I'm supposed to eat 3x a day & I'm only supposed to be snacking if necessary?? (I don't know how true that is)

I'm not sure if its true or not but also my cal count is low. Im not sure if calories is supposed to be mattered or not. It says I'm supposed to eat 1100 cals a day but I'm not sure if that right or not. I ate 1300 cals today. No where in the papers did I ever read anything about calories, so at first I was thinking it didn't matter. But right now I'm just so uncertain.

I have diabetes and my carbs are a lot more than yours... I am on a 232 day carb diet, set out by my nutritionists. Not saying you will, but most people who have that low of a carb allowance, usually gain the weight back. Are you taking Phentermine?

Plenty of people don´t gain the weight back, so that´s silly to say.
232g of carbs a day?? wow, with diabetes too.

Only about 5% of people who lose weight with any methodology actually keep it off long term so I'd hesitate to say that plenty of people don't gain the weight back.

Also, having diabetes doesn't mean one has to default to a low carb diet...my dad was type II and never once did his dietitian propose a low carb or keto diet. He actually ate quite a bit in carbs...things like oats, brown rice, sweat potatoes, beans, lentils, fruit, veggies, etc. If you look at a diabetic food pyramid you will see that it's actually pretty carby (but minimal "junk"). He was able to successfully keep his diabetes in check eating this way...I know it's all the rage to do low carb to fix everything under the sun, but it's not always necessary either.

ndj1979 wrote: »

amandaallison wrote: »

Sounds like your doctor wants you to keep your blood sugar levels at a consistent level. Eating low carb helps you do that. It will also help with inflammation in your body which will help to improve everything like joints, skin, water retention and bowel health. It can also make diabetes and autoimmune syndromes more manageable. In order to achieve this low carb diet, you will need to stay away from added sugars, grains (like wheat, rice and corn) and limit your fruit consumption. It's a very sustainable diet. Think of it as a lifestyle change. A way of eating that will allow you to achieve good health for the rest of your life. If you eat a high carb diet now, it may take a week or more for your body to adjust to the new way of eating. But you will feel better. Make sure to drink plenty of water and eat plenty of fats. Shop on the perimeter of the grocery store. Fresh produce and meat is where you'll find most of what you need. And I have found Pinterest to be a great source for meal ideas and recipes so you don't get bored with your food. Good luck!

no where did OP say that she has a medical condition, so that is not in play.

OP can lose weight eating in a moderate calorie deficit, getting adequate nutrition, and meeting macro goals and that would be healthy.

I would be curious as to the science that says that Low Carb helps with inflammation and makes autoimmune syndromes more manageable...

I can state for a fact it does not manage autoimmune issues at all. Woo

I was on a very strict low carb diet early last year... over the course of four months, I knocked off the odd 30pounds of weight, and more important than weight, I reduced my body fat from 24% to 11%, and my trousers numbers dropped from 36 to 30.
After that, I slowly introduced carbs back into my diet until I was at a 40% Carb / 25% fat / 35% protein.
I've gained weight as expected, but it has all been lean weight, as I have managed to cut down my body fat down to 8%.
Remember... weight is only one variant when you are looking at getting healthy. There is no point in losing 50pounds if half of that is lean mass...
What I found:
Workout - it's better to go for 20min a day than 140mins on a single day.
Low carb stimulates fat loss, but it is hard to keep the energy levels up... training on a low carb diet is kind of a bummer.
High carb gives you more energy, but also makes you tend to be hungrier during the day. Keep you eyes on portion sizing and total intake.

Finally... after sometime, remember to adjust your settings on your apps... if you were a couch potato who ate snacks and cheesy pops all day, after a couple of months, you should adjust your settings to moderate exercise to compensate for the physical activities your are now including in your daily routine.