Going over carbs and not getting enough calories
Replies
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Never mind. Too tired for reading comp.1
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nutmegoreo wrote: »billglitch wrote: »rankinsect wrote: »I think you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.
I always recommend paying attention to not more than three to four numbers, and you can be successful even if you just track one:
1. To lose weight, you only need to worry about one single number - total calories.
2. To help preserve muscle mass (in conjunction with resistance training), you might want to add a second number - make sure you get enough protein.
3. Beyond that, optionally choose other targets with consideration to your overall health:
* Are you prone to any kind of nutrient deficiency? If so, that should probably be a target.
* Are you hypertensive? Sodium and/or potassium might be a good choice for a target.
* Do you have gastrointestinal problems? Maybe track fiber.
* Do you have medical reasons to reduce sugar or carbohydrates? Those could be goals, too.
Don't eat food that "they say" is healthy. "They" are known idiots. Eat in a way that you not only tolerate but enjoy.rankinsect wrote: »I think you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.
I always recommend paying attention to not more than three to four numbers, and you can be successful even if you just track one:
1. To lose weight, you only need to worry about one single number - total calories.
2. To help preserve muscle mass (in conjunction with resistance training), you might want to add a second number - make sure you get enough protein.
3. Beyond that, optionally choose other targets with consideration to your overall health:
* Are you prone to any kind of nutrient deficiency? If so, that should probably be a target.
* Are you hypertensive? Sodium and/or potassium might be a good choice for a target.
* Do you have gastrointestinal problems? Maybe track fiber.
* Do you have medical reasons to reduce sugar or carbohydrates? Those could be goals, too.
Don't eat food that "they say" is healthy. "They" are known idiots. Eat in a way that you not only tolerate but enjoy.
I am not disagreeing with you but he LCHF is an easy way to cut back on cals and not feel hungry
That's individual preference though. There are many people for whom LCHF doesn't work. OP, didn't have the intention of going LCHF, she was using the IIFYM macro calculator and this is what it gave her. If LCHF works for her, then great, but it doesn't sound like that's the case here.
Quite.
The default mfp carb % turned out to be higher than suits the way I eat to feel satisfied, but a simple removal of 10% from carbs and adding it onto fats did the trick. I left protein alone, as it was impossible to increase without eating more meat than I like or more dairy or eggs than I can tolerate.
Low carb all the time just leaves me with gut cramps. It doesn't suit everyone.0 -
You asked..so I am going to pick, what you described as, your regular diet apart. I am not trying to be mean, this is just to let you know a few alternatives. My husband is a type 1.5 diabetic so we understand carbs a little bit. The reason for eating fewer carbs is that your body will take the path of least resistance when burning calories. It is much easier to burn carbs for energy than fat or heaven forbid protein. So by limiting the number of carbs the body has access to it starts to use fat for fuel. (This is where we cheer because burning fat is the goal.) Your body needs carbs...just not as many as in the processed diets that most people have.
Oatmeal...Steel cut oats has fiber but not enough fiber to offset the carbs when trying to eat lower carb diet and you cannot add sugar to anything and make it healthier. Eat protein packed omelets for breakfast. You will have to be careful here...as you add more protein, you will naturally start adding calories. Count everything.
Raisins, Craisins - manufacturers dehydrate grapes and cranberries to condense the sugars...limit/lose them from your diet...might as well add candy to your breakfast. Literally, one little box of raisins 25g sugar, 1 pkg twix 28g sugar (34g/37g carbs respectively). Use hard nuts as filler/snack for protein and fiber. See more calories...count them.
Brown sugar and cinnamon - ok sugar is sugar no need to tell you to get rid of that, it is obvious. As I said, we do not advocate a sugar free diet but we try to reserve our grams of sugar for natural sugars from the source. i.e. fructose from eating the actual piece of fruit. (You can keep the cinnamon) For a healthier option try slicing an apple and sprinkling cinnamon on the slices and eating with a tsp of peanut butter. Adds fiber, natural sugar, protein and keeps the cinnamon for a treat.
Your coffee is your coffee...skim, whole, half-half...as long as you do not add sugar you should be fine unless you are drinking 3 pots a day.
Your protein smoothy...you didn't say what type of smoothy you are having, but with carbs like that, it has added sugar of some form (probably fruit or fruit juice). There are very good protein meal replacement shakes (not just added protein but look for one that also has vitamins and minerals that are very high in protein. The one we use has 25 g of protein and only 17 grams of carbs)
Your chicken is probably fine if grilled with herbs. Get creative with seasoning...that way you don't get ho-hum and resort to adding other...bad for you things. (avoid salts to prevent water retention).
Barley soup - bad soup choice for low carbs. Barley is high in carbs even if they claim to be "carb steady"... carbs are carbs and picking apart what type they are in general is a waste of time. Every type of carb reacts differently every time you eat it because not all variables can be taken into account. Simply read the label and look for total carbs. If your soup is from a can it can also have malts, gluten, and sugars added...all three can lead to spikes in blood sugar. The sodium levels in canned soup are through the roof and you can be undoing any good fat loss with water retention. If you need a can soup, because you are in a rush, look at the labels...study and compare them, soup is sneaky...ones that sound healthy are usually the worst for you if you read the label. (A brand named chicken and stars individual serving can seems to be the lowest carb). Read the label if you are using a low fat one because that is where they often replace fat with sugar and that can cause some problems.
Birds Eye Protein Blends - These meals use legumes and beans to up their protein content and fill the bag with cheap ingredients...unfortunately these foods come packed with carbs. You would be better off grilling a 6 oz steak and having a huge leafy green salad on the side.
You will have to very strictly read labels. Splash banners that say high protein, low sodium, healthy, low fat, all natural are just that, splash banners that try and get you to buy their product. Light and Lowfat are often keywords for "we added sugar so this doesn't taste like crap". Make sure you are comparing serving size to serving size. To maximize what looks like lower sugar content (or calorie content)...they also cut the serving size. Make sure you are comparing two tbls to two tbls of two dressings. Also ouryve is correct have the real stuff just lower the amount if you are having trouble with caloric intake.
Also know that while a report will give you numbers, your body doesn't read. You will have to adjust things, try things out and find what works for YOUR body. They tell me I can eat 100 carbs a day. If I ate that I would never lose weight. My report says I can eat 1500 calories, if I did that I would pack on the pounds. I eat 1050 calories a day and limit my carbs to a max of 50 per day. I cannot have any carbs after a certain time because I won't burn fat overnight. Those are just little nuances that I have found for me...I also find that I have to fluctuate my calories about once a month (feast/famine) to remind my body to process the fat. You will find yours too.
What often happens to someone who has been eating a carb heavy diet, that drops their carb intake to these low levels is something called the carb flu. It is the body adjusting to burning fats and kind of a withdrawal from sugar. If you start to feel like you have the flu and your doctor rules out actual flu, push through, it only lasts a couple of days and you will feel better in the end.
I hope this helps. I completely understand how all of the labels and lists of what is healthy and not healthy can be super frustrating. My husband, when he first was diagnosed with diabetes, had to eat low fat, low carb, no vit k diet. Try that one on for size, little to no meat, little to no carbs, few if any vegetables, no fruit. At that point I had to have the dietitian try and create a meal plan with those stipulations. When she couldn't I knew I would have to research what really worked for him.
Good luck on your weight loss.5 -
Wow! Thanks for all the helpful replies. I really appreciate it. I can't figure out how to respond to individual posts, but someone asked what I'm doing for exercise. I have mild spastic cerebral palsy and walk with a slight limp, so I'm trying to figure out what exercises will help and not hurt. If I walk a great deal at one time - like at a zoo or amusement park - my unaffected hip gets very sore and it takes a couple of days to recover. So right now I'm going to increase my walking....I did 5,000 steps yesterday.
When I was in college I was 110 pounds. I think that was a combination of a fast metabolism, an active lifestyle - I was doing Irish step dancing - and the fact that my body has to expend more energy just to move me around. When I hit my mid-20s I started to gain even though I was still pretty active - horseback riding, walking to and from work. According to the few studies that have been done, people with CP start to show the affects of aging sooner, so I speculate this was when my metabolism began to slow down and the aches started to appear.
Last fall, I used what's called the Dip Diet - the book is "Dr. Jen's Dip Diet" and lost 16 pounds without any additional exercise, just by basically going vegetarian plus cutting out bread and all sweets. I'm going to re-read the book so I can remember what sort of foods I was eating. I stopped because it got too expensive. I was spending $200 a pop at Wal-Mart just buying "healthy" food which was frustrating.
All that said, I want to get healthy not just to lose weight, but so I don't end up with a hip replacement and in a wheelchair by the time I'm 50. I'm hesitant to hire a personal trainer because very few studies have been done on older adults with CP. I don't expect they would know how to deal with all my unique challenges (I also have eye problems which prohibit me from lifting more than 10 pounds).
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Having a physical disability does tend to complicate matters, doesn't it?
Mine is eds/HMS which limits the exercise I can do safely. I can walk a reasonable distance but struggle with core strength and upper body strength due to joint instability and damage. I've looked at bodyweight exercises and there's very few I can do without hurting myself - I can't even lean up on my side in bed without days of shoulder and rib pain, for example. I've ordered some light resistance bands with the intention of using them to work on upper body strength - might be worth a shot for you.0 -
It sure does! And it's even more frustrating considering how active I used to be. I rode horses from middle school until after college when an eye hemorrhage made it too dangerous to continue in case of a head injury. Then, I discovered Irish step dancing - think "Riverdance". In three years my balance, posture and endurance improved so much it was amazing to everyone who knew me. I would dearly love to go back to it, but there are no classes nearby.
Thanks for the idea of resistance bands. I think they used those when I received PT as a toddler/child to attempt to stretch my tight leg muscles. I've found a gym in my town that offers a "free evaluation" and a trial seven-day membership. I *might* visit them and see what one of their personal trainers thinks. If I can get up the courage.
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billglitch wrote: »rankinsect wrote: »I think you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.
I always recommend paying attention to not more than three to four numbers, and you can be successful even if you just track one:
1. To lose weight, you only need to worry about one single number - total calories.
2. To help preserve muscle mass (in conjunction with resistance training), you might want to add a second number - make sure you get enough protein.
3. Beyond that, optionally choose other targets with consideration to your overall health:
* Are you prone to any kind of nutrient deficiency? If so, that should probably be a target.
* Are you hypertensive? Sodium and/or potassium might be a good choice for a target.
* Do you have gastrointestinal problems? Maybe track fiber.
* Do you have medical reasons to reduce sugar or carbohydrates? Those could be goals, too.
Don't eat food that "they say" is healthy. "They" are known idiots. Eat in a way that you not only tolerate but enjoy.rankinsect wrote: »I think you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.
I always recommend paying attention to not more than three to four numbers, and you can be successful even if you just track one:
1. To lose weight, you only need to worry about one single number - total calories.
2. To help preserve muscle mass (in conjunction with resistance training), you might want to add a second number - make sure you get enough protein.
3. Beyond that, optionally choose other targets with consideration to your overall health:
* Are you prone to any kind of nutrient deficiency? If so, that should probably be a target.
* Are you hypertensive? Sodium and/or potassium might be a good choice for a target.
* Do you have gastrointestinal problems? Maybe track fiber.
* Do you have medical reasons to reduce sugar or carbohydrates? Those could be goals, too.
Don't eat food that "they say" is healthy. "They" are known idiots. Eat in a way that you not only tolerate but enjoy.
I am not disagreeing with you but he LCHF is an easy way to cut back on cals and not feel hungry
Depends on the person. Doesn't work well for me at all - mainly because I can eat sausage and cheese in almost limitless quantities.
I find high protein foods to be filling, but I've never really found carbs less filling than fats. In fact pasta, baked potatoes, etc. are all very filling meals for me. I find a mix of all macronutrients with some emphasis on protein works best for me.
I also think hunger is only a portion of the drive to eat - cravings, preferences, and social events play a huge role, too. If we ate purely to satisfy hunger, we should be satisfied eating the same thing every day, but most people find that very undesirable. Changing the way one eats forever means needing to find a way of eating that meets all of our needs, not just addresses our hunger. Some people do great staying on LCHF for a lifetime. I couldn't make it more than about a month before I hated it.1 -
If you're over on carbs and under on calories, then you have to be low on at least one of your other macros. Eat more of that.0
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A couple of little tweaks I would suggest:
1) if you like having oatmeal everyday, but want more of your carbs for later, leave out the sugar and switch to a fruit with less sugar, for example, some blueberries. You can keep a bag in the freezer, and they'll thaw just fine with a rinse off and then in the hot oatmeal.
2) You can up the protein of your oatmeal by mixing in some whey protein powder. Experiment with the amount, because it does effect both consistency and taste. I find with the brand I use, that one scant scoop works (the normal serving to make a smoothie is 2 scoops)
3)If you're not particularly keen on oatmeal everyday (I have it 2-3 times per week) you can get more protein in other days with various egg things. Make ahead muffin fritattas are a good way to do this and retain the ease of oatmeal. I always add some Greek yogurt to my eggs: started it to add protein, but found I much prefer the flavor that way, too.
4) Oatmeal pancakes are a great way to have some change up and pack in more protein. I make a version that includes egg and pumpkin with a quarter cup oatmeal. I eat it with ham on the side and blueberries + sugar free syrup, and it makes an incredibly filling and "indulgent" sort of breakfast, though fewer carbs than a bowl of oatmeal + fruit. I could freeze the pancakes to make it a quicker deal, but instead, I just save it for weekends: for me, it's so perfectly balanced in carbs and protein that it carries me from a late breakfast to dinner with no problems, setting up a great weekend of eating right.
I know I'm not directly answering your question, but I hope it gives you some ideas of new things to try.0 -
Just keep your calories in check and eat the food that you like. You will lose weight, and you won't lose your mind.0
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OP, if you want to do low carb, most people who do low carb eat high fat. There are Low Carb groups somewhere on the MFP forums that might be able to give you a better idea of what a typical day looks like. Low carb works great for some people, because it makes it easier for them to hit their calorie goal.
Having said that, low-carb is not necessary to lose weight. You can lose weight eating any food, as long as you hit your calorie goal. The trick is finding a way of eating that is convenient and keeps you satisfied at the correct amount of calories. For me it's pretty balanced macros - I don't do well on low or high anything
And as someone else mentioned, 2 lbs per week is pretty aggressive, especially if you are limited on exercise. Change to 1 lb per week to give yourself a little more wiggle room. Good luck!1
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