Am I low carb enough?
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ForbiddenFruit
Posts: 62 Member
I've only just found this forum so please be gentle with me and I'm sorry if this has been asked a million times 
I've started a body transformation programme at a local gym. 12 weeks of 4 times a week classes with weight training and HIIT. I'm now on week 4. It started with a 10 day low carb phase (no wheat, no fruit, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol) with the idea that they'd adjust your calorie intake and macros after that when they saw how your body responded. I started on 1200 calories. Day 13 was a planned 'refeed', which allowed for higher carb and calorie count. I'm now on 1350 calories with the idea that I should add those in with 'healthy' fats (coconut or olive oil, nuts).
I lost 7lbs in the first week (water weight?). Since then, I've put on a pound/lost it again/put it back on again/lost it again and, halfway through week 4, my total is still 7lbs down. I'm really committed to this. I'm logging everything meticulously and I'm the only one who started the programme who has attended all the fitness classes - no mean feat when they're at 6am! Even my trainer is slightly puzzled I think. He has plenty of people on the same programme who have lost 28lbs during the 12 weeks. It's not looking good for me unless my body suddenly decides to let go of a whole load of the fat (46% of my body on their high tech scales) it's carrying.
As a positive, I'm enjoying low carb, aside from a bit of a craving for blueberries and strawberries. It makes me feel good, no bloating, no stomach issues, more energy etc. As an aside, my psoriasis has all but cleared over the 4 weeks, which is slightly odd, as it's autoimmune. I had this happen before though when we spent some time in Scandinavia, where it was oily fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner
. I'm eating a lot of oily fish now, so I can only think that has something to do with it.
Would anyone be able to help a newbie with any tweaks I might be able to make further to what I'm already doing that might kickstart the weight loss?
My diary is open and, if it helps, I'm a 50 year old female, 5ft 7 and weigh 14st 7 now. I was 15 stone when I started the programme (210 lbs for those who don't work in stones
)
TIA
I've started a body transformation programme at a local gym. 12 weeks of 4 times a week classes with weight training and HIIT. I'm now on week 4. It started with a 10 day low carb phase (no wheat, no fruit, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol) with the idea that they'd adjust your calorie intake and macros after that when they saw how your body responded. I started on 1200 calories. Day 13 was a planned 'refeed', which allowed for higher carb and calorie count. I'm now on 1350 calories with the idea that I should add those in with 'healthy' fats (coconut or olive oil, nuts).
I lost 7lbs in the first week (water weight?). Since then, I've put on a pound/lost it again/put it back on again/lost it again and, halfway through week 4, my total is still 7lbs down. I'm really committed to this. I'm logging everything meticulously and I'm the only one who started the programme who has attended all the fitness classes - no mean feat when they're at 6am! Even my trainer is slightly puzzled I think. He has plenty of people on the same programme who have lost 28lbs during the 12 weeks. It's not looking good for me unless my body suddenly decides to let go of a whole load of the fat (46% of my body on their high tech scales) it's carrying.
As a positive, I'm enjoying low carb, aside from a bit of a craving for blueberries and strawberries. It makes me feel good, no bloating, no stomach issues, more energy etc. As an aside, my psoriasis has all but cleared over the 4 weeks, which is slightly odd, as it's autoimmune. I had this happen before though when we spent some time in Scandinavia, where it was oily fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner
. I'm eating a lot of oily fish now, so I can only think that has something to do with it.Would anyone be able to help a newbie with any tweaks I might be able to make further to what I'm already doing that might kickstart the weight loss?
My diary is open and, if it helps, I'm a 50 year old female, 5ft 7 and weigh 14st 7 now. I was 15 stone when I started the programme (210 lbs for those who don't work in stones
)TIA
2
Replies
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To me it looks like your carbs are on the high side and fat is on the lower side. I can't see your fiber to get your net carbs so maybe that's why they seem so high. I'm pretty new at this....I do my best to stay around 25 net carbs and try to get in all my protein and fat. Did you go to the pinned post and see what your grams/percentages should be for protein and fat? It probably wouldn't hurt to get in closer to 1500 calories a day BC of your workouts.
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I've amended my settings now to show fibre (or fiber
) so that might help? I'll go see if I can find the pinned post. Thank you. 0 -
Ok. I found the link and worked out my figures. My initial thought was that the fat looked scary, but actually my diary shows I've been in the 80s and 90s so maybe it's not so difficult
Here are your personal macros:
1385 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
25 g Carbs (7%, 100 kcal)
88 g Protein (25%, 352 kcal)
104 g Fat (68%, 933 kcal)2 -
Well done for your resolve and dedication.
Without checking your diary (busy now):
Suggest you measure your body it may be changing shape even if the scale hates you. You may be gaining muscle and that is a good but heavy thing.
Are you weighing your food accurately? Digital scales help folk from adding 10 to 20% more than they thought through using measuring cups. Will check diary later!
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Thank you! Yes, I weigh everything on digital scales. We're not big on using cup measurements here in the UK anyway and I know they can cause issues depending on how much you pack them0
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Your diary looks disciplined. Couple of low fat (higher sugar) treats in there and some nuts but nothing jumps out. My only other ideas are you may not be eating enough (body rebelling) or you may have a food intollerance causing some inflamation. Call in the experts @wabmester, @baconslave, @sunny_bunny, @dittodan, @Fit_goat and other usual suspects, any ideas??0
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Ps love your labrador photo @ForbiddenFruit
What are your macros or % or #grams fat vs protein vs carb daily??
Check the launch pad for some great discussions on low carb and finding the level that works best for you.0 -
Thank you. She's our beautiful rescue girl
I've not really settled on macros. I did just work them out using the link @morrowsarah suggested, so maybe I need to do some tweaking. I do have a few auto immune things going on (psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and I've been tested for coeliac disease, which came back negative, so they've suggested just a wheat intolerance) so inflammation is a possibility.
Thank you again x
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I have a lot of inflammation as well. I'm pretty sure that I have a carb/gluten intolerance. I've known for years that my system didn't like something I ate....always thought it was fried foods. But now that I have gotten rid of gluten, don't eat much fried food, and eat few carbs my system feels much better. I still have a lot of joint pain, don't sleep, and have inflammation so I'll be glad when all that works itself out! I'm also trying to adjust my macros and finding my best fit.0
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Quick peek and skim says to me the following:
You're likely not eating enough. 1300 calories for an active 5'7" woman isn't enough food, even at 50. Bump up your intake by a couple hundred calories (check out http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ for a guide), and bump up your fat a bit. Your protein is on the high side, but that shouldn't be much of an issue unless you're super sensitive to its effects on glucose/insulin, though you can afford to drop it down some in order to get more fat (which opens up your food choices to fattier meats, too).
Since you have an auto-immune condition, it may take a while before the body starts dropping the weight. The body prioritizes health over weight (since weight, in and of itself, isn't particularly unhealthy in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the other things that might be going on), so it's going to focus on healing before it lets of weight once you've stopped poisoning yourself. It doesn't surprise me that your psoriasis cleared up, to be honest, because odds are good that you removed the trigger(s) when you went low carb.
Also, for women especially, movement on the scale can be cyclical, and in longer cycles than men often see. There are still various hormone cycles going on, even after menopause, and they can be enough to be reflected on the scale. Give it another couple of weeks, at least. I wouldn't be surprised if your body "let go" of 5 or more pounds all of a sudden.1 -
Thank you @dragonwolf. I have a reassessment session with my trainer on Thursday and I think he did mention actually taking my calories up, which sounds really counterintuitive but you're saying it as well.
Your thoughts on the autoimmune stuff make sense as well. It's not just the psoriasis that's been helped but also my joints so I can see that I've been dealing with that. The hormonal stuff does too. Unfortunately, although I'm 50, I'm not menopausal yet.
Fingers crossed for the 'letting go' 0 -
ForbiddenFruit wrote: »Thank you @dragonwolf. I have a reassessment session with my trainer on Thursday and I think he did mention actually taking my calories up, which sounds really counterintuitive but you're saying it as well.
Your thoughts on the autoimmune stuff make sense as well. It's not just the psoriasis that's been helped but also my joints so I can see that I've been dealing with that. The hormonal stuff does too. Unfortunately, although I'm 50, I'm not menopausal yet.
Fingers crossed for the 'letting go'
I agree with everything @dragonwolf said.
I know increasing calories seems counterintuitive but consider that such low calories with your sudden and significant increase in activity is a stressor to your body. Your body that is already dealing with stressing health issues... Even though you are asking a lot of your body while under feeding it, it has responded by showing you improved health and some weight loss.
Your initial loss was no doubt a lot of water, but then the refeed, which I don't even understand the purpose of honestly, probably added water weight... But you didn't see it on the scale so much because fat loss countered it. Make sense?
The lack of further scale weight loss since then is probably related to water retention in the muscles (sore muscles?) from your intense exercise, hormonal cycling, gut contents and the body focusing on healing long term health conditions now that it finds itself able to. Even while you're stressing your body in new ways.
It's really a lot to ask.
Additionally, I know you haven't seen scale weight loss, but you mentioned they measure body fat too. Has that also not changed?
Have you taken measurements and photos? These will show you so much more than your scale weight can. How are your clothes fitting? Even if they fit the same, doesn't mean fat isn't disappearing from places other than the waist line. Take measurements in many places. Not just the waist. I lost several inches from around my ribs before I ever noticed my pants fitting differently.
Take photos. It's an absolute must.
Hang in there. You're on the right track. Keep on keeping on. It will pay off!0 -
I agree with upping the calories. I am 49 yrs old, 5'2" and I eat 1650 calories a day and am losing at that level. I don't think you are eating enough for your height and your activity level.
I also have autoimmine issues (history of ulcerative colitis, which I had surgery for, arthritis, and now psoriasis). My psoriasis seems to be clearing up and my skin looks great, and my joint pain has decreased.0 -
@BUZZIEST it's really interesting to hear that you've also found this way of eating has helped your psoriasis and joints too. I'm delighted as my next stop was methotrexate and I really, really didn't want to.
I have my reassessment tonight so I'll see if my inches and body fat have changed even if my weight has stalled. I'll also see about adding more calories.
Thank you all. You've been really helpful and lovely.2 -
So. I had my assessment this evening and, although my ordinary weighing scales aren't showing any downward movement, as was suggested my fat weight has gone down by 2.2kg and my muscle weight has increased by 2kg (I'm guessing the missing .2 is water)
My trainer will revise my eating plan in the morning. It'll still be low carb but he wants to look at my macros and will probably up my calorie recommendation to 1500 (it's 1350 at the moment, up from the 1200 of the first 10 days).
I'm still hoping the scales will show some downward movement soon though7 -
You've lost fat and increased muscle. That's awesome!3
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samanthaluangphixay wrote: »You've lost fat and increased muscle. That's awesome!
That's more than awesome! It's better than simply losing weight because more muscle means higher metabolism. Better for long term success!
Way to go!3 -
Oh the stress! Especially if you are prone to auto immune issues which it sounds like you are , the added stress will send your body into defense mode real quick. Good news is you probably get to eat more! Woohoo! Also make sure you're getting good restorative sleep. 8 hours at least. Rest is so so important when you're doing an intense program like that. And everything else everyone else said0
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Thank you all. It's just the best support here 1
