Low carb- more protein...help
jnwisniewski22
Posts: 22 Member
So ive started this low carb diet and mostly protein, somewhat like Atkins... the doctor put me on... I feel lately that I'm watching everything I eat which is good but I'm having a hard time meeting my calorie goal. Mfp won't let me add my food diary if it is under. . But I just feel like I'm truly eating enough. I feel full on this protein diet quicker. So confused. Need help. Does anyone else have a hard time meeting their calorie goal when they are trying to follow a strict diet? I think to myself constantly through out the day I can't eat this or that, then end up not eating enough. ....idk what to do.
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Replies
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Are you getting sufficient good fats? If not, increase them.1
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What would be some examples?0
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I do meal replacement with protein shake usually my lunch and have a snack like cheese with it. Them breakfast I'll eat a meat and eggs. Dinner I eat meat and vegetable. And snack on protein bars, cheese, nuts. I drink more water than a fish lol. I feel healthy but mfp says I need to eat more.
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I have five things to say.
Ordinary doctors don't know a lot about nutrition.
Low carb is high fat, not high protein.
Strict diets are hard to follow, and if your goal is to lose weight, you have to eat at a calorie deficit for a long time, and the fewer the additional restrictions, the better chance of success.
Too much protein can be hard on the kidneys, and it's certainly hard on the wallet.
If you count calories, you have to log correctly, because it's easy to underestimate intake.4 -
If MFP says you need to eat more, then as a general rule you do need to eat more and what you are doing is not healthy long term, carrying the risk of things like gallstones, malnutrition and hormone imbalances. Have larger quantities of cheese and nuts and add butter/oil to your meat. Fry some of your vegetables if needed. It's easy to add calories if you want to.4
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Thank you. It just seemed to be confusing to me. Clearer now.0
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Have a look at the Blood Sugar diet - https://thebloodsugardiet.com It's been peer reviewed and is recommended by some doctors as a way to reverse type 2 diabetes (and has been very successful in a number of cases). It is also low carb, low calorie and high protein. It also guides you through intake and the website has vigorous forums to discuss all aspects of this particular diet.
Good luck!-2 -
The only reason I started this diet was because I was told it would help me watch what I eat more and it definitely has. He also said it will keep me fuller longer and stop random cravings, then eventually my body will burn fat much quicker, instead of holding onto it. But I also know if I don't eat enough my body will still hold onto that fat...0
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Think I'll try it for a month or so and see how it goes.0
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With Low Carb Higher Protein diets you do feel fuller and satisfied and that's why you lose weight easier on this diet. Your appetite will stabilise in a while. Once in a while if you don't eat your calories for the day it's fine but not on a regular basis. You do need to eat your protein so that you can maintain your muscle mass. Do not increase you fat too much or you will put on weight. You can check out Ketogenic Dieters on Facebook. They are very supportive and will help you with and questions.1
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Thank you!!! So helpful.0
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Awareness of what you eat will almost always lead you to better choices. Getting in better nutrition will always make you feel fuller and reduce cravings, up to a point - when you eat unbalaced, you can feel "full", but you aren't nourished, and when you eat unsatisfactory, your cravings will come back, later, and stronger.jnwisniewski22 wrote: »The only reason I started this diet was because I was told it would help me watch what I eat more and it definitely has. He also said it will keep me fuller longer and stop random cravings,
You lose weight by eating at a calorie deficit. The larger the deficit, the faster you lose, until the point where your body can't metabolize fat any faster. You want to stay within that "sweet spot" where you lose mostly fat and not muscles and your sanity.then eventually my body will burn fat much quicker, instead of holding onto it.
This is not true. You will be hungry and crave and cave if you eat too little for too long, but your body burns fat as long as fat is available, and the larger the deficit, the faster you lose.But I also know if I don't eat enough my body will still hold onto that fat...1 -
I don't want to go against a doctor, but imo you could always try just raising protein rather than cutting carbs and trying to fill the gap with it. Increasing your protein:carb ratio is effective (albeit not as quick/drastic as cutting carbs entirely)1
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I follow a no/low carb diet. I went into My Home and Goals and tweaked the settings to fit into this kind of diet more. I am trying to limit myself to 1000 calories per day, 15% carbs, 35% fats, 50% protein. It's not a science and I do get red sometimes, but I have to limit myself because I am in a wheelchair so exercise is not easy outside of my weekly physio. I tend to eat a protein shake or flavoured Skyr for breakfast plus a glass of skimmed milk, eggs for lunch, and meat/vegetables/salad of some sort for dinner (drinking water at other times). Hope this helps you.2
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Dieting is so tricky. I feel like everyone's body is different and there are so many different ways to lose weight but why is it so dang hard sometimes..haha...your all absolutely right. Thanks for all of the advice!!! I'm also doing cardio 3x week. And starting lifting weight to build my muscles starting tomorrow.0
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Losing weight is simple, but not necessarily easy. The trickyness is because lots of people want to confuse you, so they can take your money. Bodies aren't that different - we lose weight by the same principle: a sustained calorie deficit. Food preferences, habits and environments are different, though, so you need to find a method that suits you.jnwisniewski22 wrote: »Dieting is so tricky. I feel like everyone's body is different and there are so many different ways to lose weight but why is it so dang hard sometimes..haha...your all absolutely right. Thanks for all of the advice!!! I'm also doing cardio 3x week. And starting lifting weight to build my muscles starting tomorrow.2 -
I follow a no/low carb diet. I went into My Home and Goals and tweaked the settings to fit into this kind of diet more. I am trying to limit myself to 1000 calories per day, 15% carbs, 35% fats, 50% protein. It's not a science and I do get red sometimes, but I have to limit myself because I am in a wheelchair so exercise is not easy outside of my weekly physio. I tend to eat a protein shake or flavoured Skyr for breakfast plus a glass of skimmed milk, eggs for lunch, and meat/vegetables/salad of some sort for dinner (drinking water at other times). Hope this helps you.
This was extremely helpful! I just did that to my settings.0 -
If anyone's reading stinkypunks link and honestly thinking it's a good idea, I wouldn't follow it unless you were seeing your GP and they were monitoring you.
Eating 800calories per day is a bad idea without medical supervision. I tried something a while back similar to this and ended up with anemia which I still have. Iron transfusions are not fun and eating under 1200calories is no joke, unless you like the idea of losing hair and many other side effects.
Best to speak to your GP and ask if they can recommend someone who specializes in nutrition if you do plan to do anything that drastic.
All the best!3 -
jnwisniewski22 wrote: »I follow a no/low carb diet. I went into My Home and Goals and tweaked the settings to fit into this kind of diet more. I am trying to limit myself to 1000 calories per day, 15% carbs, 35% fats, 50% protein. It's not a science and I do get red sometimes, but I have to limit myself because I am in a wheelchair so exercise is not easy outside of my weekly physio. I tend to eat a protein shake or flavoured Skyr for breakfast plus a glass of skimmed milk, eggs for lunch, and meat/vegetables/salad of some sort for dinner (drinking water at other times). Hope this helps you.
This was extremely helpful! I just did that to my settings.
For your own good, please undo that and eat normal, healthy food.1 -
Loss of appetite is really common when starting a low carb diet. Join the Low Carber Daily group and you'll find topics on this often. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Most of us go with the rules that your carb limit is a hard limit. A ceiling you don't want to hit.
Protein is a goal that you want get to.
Fat goals are there but if you're not hungry, this is the macro to not fill since we all have large sources of body fat to draw from.
All that being said, go with your hunger, within reason. If you are only wanting 1000 kcal per day for a few days, only eat that. If you then want 2000kcals, eat it. If you want to fast for a day or two and skip food entirely, go for it. You'll be fine. The problem comes when people are fighting hunger and forcing themselves to eat 1000 kcal per day for weeks on end. That isn't good for you. For a few days? No problem.
When I was losing, my average caloies were 1500. Some days were 1000, or 500, or 1500, or 2500. It still averaged out to 1500 per day and a loss of at least 2 lbs per week.
I would add that most people do not need high amounts of protein unless you are exercising very intensely and long. If that isn't you, a moderate protein diet should be fine. Not many women need more that 80-90 g of protein per day. For me, that's about 20% of my total intake with carbs being 5-10% and fats being around 70%.
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Peanut Butter is great along with oils, like Flax seed oil, olive oil, etc...Good fats! Fat has 9 cal per gram as opposed to carbs and protein which has 4 cal per gram0
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kommodevaran wrote: »jnwisniewski22 wrote: »I follow a no/low carb diet. I went into My Home and Goals and tweaked the settings to fit into this kind of diet more. I am trying to limit myself to 1000 calories per day, 15% carbs, 35% fats, 50% protein. It's not a science and I do get red sometimes, but I have to limit myself because I am in a wheelchair so exercise is not easy outside of my weekly physio. I tend to eat a protein shake or flavoured Skyr for breakfast plus a glass of skimmed milk, eggs for lunch, and meat/vegetables/salad of some sort for dinner (drinking water at other times). Hope this helps you.
This was extremely helpful! I just did that to my settings.
For your own good, please undo that and eat normal, healthy food.
This^
OP - You are following the advice of someone with ONE post. Someone who is also in a wheelchair......
If you are under the impression that all weight loss = fat loss, you are mistaken. Very low calorie diets don't support existing lean muscle mass efficiently. So fast weight loss doesn't lower your body fat % as well as moderate paced weight loss does.
This is why MFP expects you to eat more. Healthy weight loss helps you lower your body fat %, not just your weight.
15% carbs is not necessary to lose weight (unless you have medical issues). Keep in mind after you are "done" with low carb, you need to figure out how to keep the weight off. Low carb teaches me nothing, so I don't do it.
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If you are feeling satisfied, then I would stick with what you are doing. I didn't read through all the comments, so I am not sure if you went into more detail about your exact macros your are trying to achieve. I do think that when a lot of people see the words low-carb/Atkins, it automatically denotes a picture of bacon galore and drooling over pictures of bread. I consider myself a low-carb eater, but I don't eat bacon!
It is the source of your carbs that are most important. If you are getting your carbs from mostly veggies then don't worry about it! If you are satisfied with the way you are eating, and you are inching toward your physique goals, have energy to get through your day, your cravings are at bay, and you are not starving hungry between meals I think you are good to go! If you any of these things start to get out of balance, then up your protein and veggies a bit. If that doesn't work, add a bit of healthy fat like olive oils, coconut oil, avocado, grass-fed butter or ghee. If that doesn't work, add a bit of brown rice, oats, or quinoa to one of your meals. It can be some trial and error to see what works for you. We are all different, and we all will react to different "healthy" foods.
When I eat like this, I feel amazing, like I do now. Unfortunately I revert back to old patterns too often and don't maintain my progress! I am not tracking everything in MFP, but I am playing around with different macro levels to see where I am comfortable. And, have options for adjustments when my hunger, energy, and cravings begin to become unbalanced.
It is good that you are doing cardio, but keep it moderate. For weight training lifting lift heavy! It will do your body good. There are a lot of great women centered fitness blogs that freely give beginner-advanced workouts. Check out Nia Shanks (Lift like a Girl), Jill Coleman (JillFit), Lori Harder, Jen Sinkler. These are the main women I have been connecting with over the last several months. Yes, they all have stuff to buy, and they also have a ton of free stuff on nutrition and weight training. I check in with at least one of their social media outlets daily for advice and inspiration. These are some truly seriously fit women, at first I was intimidated and comparing, but now I find them so inspirational and uplifting. My goal is not to be like them, my goal is to learn from them and be the best me I can be.
Good luck on your journey!!!1 -
Thank you all for the advice!! And understanding that I'm not starving myself I am just trying to change up my diet a little and it has taken my appetite away which is a wonderful thing for me because before this I could eat and eat at dinner and then have a hurt tummy, since I've monitored my intake, dropped carbs I no longer have bloating in my tummy after I eat. It honestly feels great. I have been diagnosed with ibs so this type of diet has helped me incredibly.2
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If you are feeling satisfied, then I would stick with what you are doing. I didn't read through all the comments, so I am not sure if you went into more detail about your exact macros your are trying to achieve. I do think that when a lot of people see the words low-carb/Atkins, it automatically denotes a picture of bacon galore and drooling over pictures of bread. I consider myself a low-carb eater, but I don't eat bacon!
I like bacon but I can only eat so much of it. I don't drool over it like my husband does lol. Right now I'm setting myself at 1100 calories, but instead of focusing more so on calories, I'm going to focus on what I'm eating, and how I feel.1 -
jnwisniewski22 wrote: »If you are feeling satisfied, then I would stick with what you are doing. I didn't read through all the comments, so I am not sure if you went into more detail about your exact macros your are trying to achieve. I do think that when a lot of people see the words low-carb/Atkins, it automatically denotes a picture of bacon galore and drooling over pictures of bread. I consider myself a low-carb eater, but I don't eat bacon!
I like bacon but I can only eat so much of it. I don't drool over it like my husband does lol. Right now I'm setting myself at 1100 calories, but instead of focusing more so on calories, I'm going to focus on what I'm eating, and how I feel.
If MFP is refusing to let you close your diary then you are netting under 1000, which is even lower than your set goal of 1100 (which is still too low If you are not under 5 feet tall and/or in a wheelchair/bedbound). You are essentially starving yourself even if it doesn't feel like it. How you feel is not relevant. You felt fine when you were eating to sustain an overweight weight, so feelings are not a reliable measure. It's okay to focus on what you are eating, but you also need to understand that your body needs nutrients and energy. You may feel fine now, but how would you feel down the line when your hair starts falling and you start experiencing dizzy spells? How would you feel when you've had it and attack the fridge like there is no tomorrow? You do need to focus on calories at least a little bit, to avoid both overeating and undereating.5 -
I'm 4ft11.And I'm not saying I'm starving myself. I'm saying I'm adjusting to this new diet and I feel 100% better already. Before I started this diet I was eating the right healthy foods, as in carbs, but I have ibs and it wasn't working. The low carb method has actually helped my ibs. I was more so in the post trying to figure out how to add more calories that are not carbs. And not all protein. Sorry if you were confused I'm not trying to set myself low on calories. But it's just new to me because carbs added so much calories to my diet before now I'm just trying to find things that I can eat.
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jnwisniewski22 wrote: »If you are feeling satisfied, then I would stick with what you are doing. I didn't read through all the comments, so I am not sure if you went into more detail about your exact macros your are trying to achieve. I do think that when a lot of people see the words low-carb/Atkins, it automatically denotes a picture of bacon galore and drooling over pictures of bread. I consider myself a low-carb eater, but I don't eat bacon!
I like bacon but I can only eat so much of it. I don't drool over it like my husband does lol. Right now I'm setting myself at 1100 calories, but instead of focusing more so on calories, I'm going to focus on what I'm eating, and how I feel.
I would set your caloric goal to whatever intake is appropriate for your weight loss goals. Figure out what it should be for 0.5 or 1.5 or however many pounds per week you want to lose and set it. If you don't hit it, then fine. Just skip closing your diary. I skipped doing that 95% of the time when I was logging anyways. It never helped me with anything.
I wouldn't set your calories low though. There really is no help in that. Set it normal. Stay under on carbs, meet your protein goal, and then hit your fat goal on hungrier days.0 -
why not add more veggies?
the carb count in veggies are not all out crazy, and you may find that you'll appreciate more variety than just meat and eggs for a long-haul meal plan.
I never have a problem getting more than enough calories - but, I don't like to count them daily. It's more to keep making positive choices. Keep your sugar intake low, and the starches, low. Other than that - enjoy a varied diet.
Pay attention to what your body likes, or what causes you difficulties with either digestion, or bloating. - other than that - the daily ritual of eating should be enjoyable (in a healthy way).
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the occasional fruit isn't going to hurt too much either. An apple is 14 carbs. I have my go-to fruits whenever I crave sweets. - my breakfast, 2 hardboiled eggs and an apple. Coffee with heavy cream. today's lunch - take-out at a mediteranian place. a greek salad, with a small side of Moussakka and humus. (yum). Dinner tonight - pasture raised chicken qtr (leg/thigh), cooked with some sort of veggie (need to shop for veggies tonight). And, a clementine orange for an evening snack.
the calories will add up - but, it's all nutritious and flavorful.0
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