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New to LCHF and looking for advice

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jamiescot9
jamiescot9 Posts: 4 Member
in Social Groups
Hi everyone,

I've started LCHF today and have a concern moving forward.

Right now my plan is to eat 20 and under g/day until I reach my weight loss goal and then gradually move up to eating around 50 g/ day in order to maintain my weight. Is this a good idea or will this wreak havoc on my body and cause weight gain?

I don't think staying under 20 g would be an issue but I'm concerned if I stay under 20 grams after reaching my goal weight that I'll continue to lose weight. On the flip side, I'm also concerned that if I start out under 20 grams and then increase my carbs during maintenance that I'll rapidly gain weight back due to my body having become accustomed to eating under 20 grams.

So basically my question is what is the best approach to losing weight and maintaining the weight loss?

Also, I'm sure this has been discussed before but I couldn't find the thread search button. Therefore, links to other threads will also be much appreciated.


Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    Everybody has a different threshold for upper carb limit.

    You can keep it at 20g until you get to your goal and then start by increasing your intake by 5g at a time. So the next week, you would do 25g. Still doing okay? Up it to 30g the next. So on and so forth. Do this until you start to gain. Then you would scale back to the amount you had before.

    But remember that the body fluctuates a lot and just because you increased by 5g and gained, there could be a lot of other factors such as water retention from exercise.

    Good luck!
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I can promise you that you're overthinking it.
    I doubt you'll have any problem maintaining on 20g long term. The body will settle into a weight at some point with hunger adjusting for maintenance. I'm about 8 pounds to goal, but these last 8 pounds will likely take the next year to lose because unless I gain some muscle through training, I think I've achieved maintenance for my current metabolism. I haven't changed anything with carbs except maybe I'm actually a bit lower than I had been previously but it's not affected my ability to lose at this point.
    My advice, get there first... Then decide how to proceed. You'll likely change things up 20 different ways between now and then.
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
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    Here's something to keep in mind: it may work better for you to ease your way down to the 20g/carbs per day goal instead of going cold turkey. Can it be done cold turkey? Sure. But for some people this would amount to shooting themselves in the foot and causing them to give up or fall off the wagon before the really give the way of eating they've chosen to try a chance. So if you find 20g/carbs per day difficult to meet in the beginning, be patient with yourself and perhaps try a different tact. For example, I started at 100g/carbs per day for the first month. 2nd month = 75g/carbs per day. 3rd month = 50/g carbs per day, etc. It worked for me and I (unintentionally) completely avoided the Keto Flu that way too. I don't think I could have gone 20/g carbs per day cold turkey AND successfully stuck with this WOE long-term fwiw.
  • momnom27
    momnom27 Posts: 25 Member
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    I try to stick to 50g carb & about 20g sugar from my veggies & pumpkin seeds. Wanted to do something I could stick with for life. I'm dropping weight fast. I got really dizzy on my long bike rides this weekend. I may have to eat more carbs to function better on days I have long workouts. Adjusting & figuring out how to fuel your body based on activity levels is challenging, but kind of fun. I just love being free from all those cravings that have plagued me for nearly two decades. NEVER going back to my old way of eating; I feel way too amazing & I'm only at the beginning. Enjoy this adventure!
  • Melmade
    Melmade Posts: 349 Member
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    I just started a couple days ago--had muscle cramps & Keto flu, but not terrible. I drank pickle juice (on suggestion) which helped. Sodium levels should be kept up--it will help your electrolytes immensely. Read about Magnesium & Potassium levels in Keto if you haven't already.

    For me, staying below 20g carbs isn't too hard, but I used to do general low carb. Everyone is different!
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    momnom27 wrote: »
    I try to stick to 50g carb & about 20g sugar from my veggies & pumpkin seeds. Wanted to do something I could stick with for life. I'm dropping weight fast. I got really dizzy on my long bike rides this weekend. I may have to eat more carbs to function better on days I have long workouts. Adjusting & figuring out how to fuel your body based on activity levels is challenging, but kind of fun. I just love being free from all those cravings that have plagued me for nearly two decades. NEVER going back to my old way of eating; I feel way too amazing & I'm only at the beginning. Enjoy this adventure!

    Check out the sticky on the launchpad about this symptom. It's more likely a result of sodium loss than a need for carbs.

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