High protein diet low carb diet
AmeliaFerdaws
Posts: 9 Member
For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds. I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strick with the diet and have not cheated at all. I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
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Replies
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The amount of protein/fat/carbs you eat is irrelevant to weight loss. Figure out how many calories you should be eating, and eat that many. If you don't lose, adjust your calories downward. If you lose too quickly, adjust your calories upward.5
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Add some fat and oils to balance out the low carb and high protein.
Eat according to your calories.1 -
Well you're eating around 312 calories fewer than your average TDEE daily
If you want to lose weight you need to eat less not more
It isn't about struggling with what to eat and "not eating enough" ..you're clearly eating more than your desired rate of loss
Start weighing and accurately logging your food consumption0 -
AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
After 8 weeks and now struggling, it might be time to take a little diet break. By that I mean calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and eat close to that for a little while to confirm your maintenance calorie level. Eat at maintenance so you can keep off your well earned 5 pounds. (5 pounds in 8 weeks is great IMO). Then when your weight has stabilized at maintenance subtract 500 calories a day, for example, to lose 1 pound a week. (250 calorie a day deficit for 0.5).
I'm concerned because it seems like you have diet fatigue and need to regroup. If you don't think diet fatigue is the case, then recalculate your TDEE at your current weight https://tdeecalculator.net/ and cut appropriate calories from that. The only thing I would advise you is not to be overly aggressive with your calorie deficit for your weight.
As mentioned, high protein, low carb is difficult to do if you are eating low fat. You might have to play around with your macros to find where you are satisfied. You will get all kinds of advice on MFP forums, but the one that works for you is the one that will be sustainable. It sounds like the one you are on is not. You don't have to suffer to lose weight. Eat nutritious foods you prefer in the calorie level you need to lose weight.
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AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
It might be time to take a little diet break. By that I mean figure out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and eat close to that for a little while to confirm your maintenance calorie level. Eat at maintenance so you can keep off your well earned 5 pounds. (5 pounds in 8 weeks is great IMO). Then when your weight has stabilized at maintenance subtract 500 calories a day, for example, to lose 1 pound a week. (250 calorie a day deficit for 0.5).
I'm concerned because it seems like you have diet fatigue and need to regroup. If you don't think diet fatigue is the case, then recalculate your TDEE at your current weight and keep cutting calories. The only thing I would advise you is not to be overly aggressive with your calorie deficit for your weight.
As mentioned, high protein, low carb is difficult to do if you are eating low fat. You might have to play around with your macros to find where you are satisfied. You will get all kinds of advice on MFP forums, but the one that works for you is the one that will be sustainable. It sounds like the one you are on is not. You don't have to suffer to lose weight. Eat nutritious foods you prefer in the calorie level you need to lose weight.
8 weeks of not doing it right is not diet fatigue. She doesn't need to figure out her TDEE she has sufficient evidence if logging..if not she just needs to log for 4-6 weeks and then add on the calories in the weight lost
Diet fatigue is a real thing, but it's not this.
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AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
It might be time to take a little diet break. By that I mean figure out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and eat close to that for a little while to confirm your maintenance calorie level. Eat at maintenance so you can keep off your well earned 5 pounds. (5 pounds in 8 weeks is great IMO). Then when your weight has stabilized at maintenance subtract 500 calories a day, for example, to lose 1 pound a week. (250 calorie a day deficit for 0.5).
I'm concerned because it seems like you have diet fatigue and need to regroup. If you don't think diet fatigue is the case, then recalculate your TDEE at your current weight and keep cutting calories. The only thing I would advise you is not to be overly aggressive with your calorie deficit for your weight.
As mentioned, high protein, low carb is difficult to do if you are eating low fat. You might have to play around with your macros to find where you are satisfied. You will get all kinds of advice on MFP forums, but the one that works for you is the one that will be sustainable. It sounds like the one you are on is not. You don't have to suffer to lose weight. Eat nutritious foods you prefer in the calorie level you need to lose weight.
8 weeks of not doing it right is not diet fatigue. She doesn't need to figure out her TDEE she has sufficient evidence if logging..if not she just needs to log for 4-6 weeks and then add on the calories in the weight lost
Diet fatigue is a real thing, but it's not this.
Only she knows if she is burned out. If not, she can keep cutting and learn how to do it properly. We don't know how much she wants to lose in total either.1 -
Sue, my logic for having her calculate her TDEE is that she might not know what it is. MFP goes by NEAT. For instance, it told me I could go down to 1200 calories to lose 2 pounds a week. But I didn't know that 1200 was MFP's default. I was eating too low! I had to bump up my calories to 1500 so I wasn't fatigued and hungry all of the time. She might have been dieting before MFP for a long time for all we know.0
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Thank you all for your feedback, greatly appreciated. I have been burned out eating eggs and chicken pretty much for every meal. I'm also keeping tract of my ketones and seem to be in state of ketosis so the strip says...in all honesty I haven't been working out or drinking enough water. Can't get myself motivated and I'm not a fan of water. I'm 5'-3" and 155 lbs. Giving myself a couple of days to readjust my diet plan. Did fast Tuesday and will fast Thursday as well. Have had results with this in the past. As of Monday I will start a 1400 calorie diet. Hopefully this will give me some results.0
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AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
After 8 weeks and now struggling, it might be time to take a little diet break.
Only 5lbs and 8 weeks dieting and you recommend a diet break? Unless the OP is down to the "lean realms", she just needs to keep going. That aside I do agree with your advice on macros and actually eatin fat/carbs.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
After 8 weeks and now struggling, it might be time to take a little diet break.
Only 5lbs and 8 weeks dieting and you recommend a diet break? Unless the OP is down to the "lean realms", she just needs to keep going. That aside I do agree with your advice on macros and actually eatin fat/carbs.
She is getting frustrated. OP is free to keep doing the same thing or choose to change things up. My body responds to changes. Just a week or two at maintenance might help. I find an occasional break to be helpful to regroup. But I do realize that there are many who do not need any such breaks.
Edited typo0 -
Calories do matter. But macros matter too for many of us. Breads and simple carbs cause me to have food cravings, so I have to cut them. There are some good books out there. I really like Dr. Mark Hyman's Eat Fat Lose Weight. You can find the guidelines on line. Make some adjustments. You can do this!0
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AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »Thank you all for your feedback, greatly appreciated. I have been burned out eating eggs and chicken pretty much for every meal. I'm also keeping tract of my ketones and seem to be in state of ketosis so the strip says...in all honesty I haven't been working out or drinking enough water. Can't get myself motivated and I'm not a fan of water. I'm 5'-3" and 155 lbs. Giving myself a couple of days to readjust my diet plan. Did fast Tuesday and will fast Thursday as well. Have had results with this in the past. As of Monday I will start a 1400 calorie diet. Hopefully this will give me some results.
If you are trying to get in ketosis, you need low carb high FAT. Excessive protein converts to glucose. And in all honestly, if you are exceeding 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, then it's just a bit expensive.
But like others say, calories matter most. Macros are about addressing your goals outside of weight loss, satiety, and to address any medical issues (like PCOS). Also, if you don't like water, drink tea or use water enhancers. The latter is how i drink 150oz a day. And if you are going to use fasting as a technique, than on your non fasting days, you should be around maintenance.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
After 8 weeks and now struggling, it might be time to take a little diet break.
Only 5lbs and 8 weeks dieting and you recommend a diet break? Unless the OP is down to the "lean realms", she just needs to keep going. That aside I do agree with your advice on macros and actually eatin fat/carbs.
She is getting frustrated. OP is free to keep doing the same thing or choose to change things up. My body responds to changes. Just a week or two at maintenance might help. I find an occasional break to be helpful to regroup. But I do realize that there are many who do not need any such breaks.
Edited typo
I am a massive advocate of diet breaks as well and think they serve a physiological and pschological purpose.
My points regarding the OP are;
1) she has only lost 5lbs over 8 weeks
2) she has only been dietting for 8 weeks
She is neither in a severe deficit nor has she been dieting for a prolonged period. If a week at maintenance helps her in the long run thats great however if she wants to lose weight quicker, she needs to increase her caloric deficit.0 -
OP is there a reason you chose low carb (and did you say high protein or high fat?). Was it for medical reasons, weight loss, or because you enjoy eating this way?
If you don't have a medical reason to eat this way, have you tried setting a reasonable calorie goal (you can start with using MFP goals based on your stats and a realistic rate of loss), logging accurately, weighing all your foods, and eating a variety of foods you enjoy, with adequate nutrient balance being a primary goal?0 -
trigden1991 wrote: »AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
After 8 weeks and now struggling, it might be time to take a little diet break.
Only 5lbs and 8 weeks dieting and you recommend a diet break? Unless the OP is down to the "lean realms", she just needs to keep going. That aside I do agree with your advice on macros and actually eatin fat/carbs.
She is getting frustrated. OP is free to keep doing the same thing or choose to change things up. My body responds to changes. Just a week or two at maintenance might help. I find an occasional break to be helpful to regroup. But I do realize that there are many who do not need any such breaks.
Edited typo
If what OP is doing isn't working for her I agree she needs to change things up. I don't agree that eating at maintenance and then getting back to exactly what she was doing is the right recommendation. I think focusing on the calorie consumption needed to achieve her weight loss goal will probably be a more impactful change, unless there is a medical reason she needs to continue eating the way she has been, but even then I think checking to make sure the foods she is eating ultimately result in a deficit.0 -
I think she is getting burned out on the types of food she is able to eat. I would not last 8 weeks on a diet I hate.
OP, you may want to look into the ketogenic diet, which involves eating low carb, high fat and moderate protein (if you wish to continue doing low carb that is). There are plenty of recipes out there for variety to suit many tastes. If all you want is to lose weight and hate being on a low carb diet, but think this is the only way to achieve weight loss, then you need to reconsider. All you need for weight loss is to eat within calories and tweak your macros to your own preferences and satiety without having to torture yourself with a plan that isn't pleasant to you.
How many calories are you currently eating by the way? If you are inactive, 5 lbs in 8 weeks might actually be a good loss for you.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »For the past 8 weeks I've been on a high protein low carb diet, and I've only lost 5 pounds.I'm struggling with what to eat therefore I'm not eating enough. I've been really strict with the diet and have not cheated at all.I'm getting very frustrated and disappointed. Can anyone give me advice.
After 8 weeks and now struggling, it might be time to take a little diet break.
Only 5lbs and 8 weeks dieting and you recommend a diet break? Unless the OP is down to the "lean realms", she just needs to keep going. That aside I do agree with your advice on macros and actually eatin fat/carbs.
She is getting frustrated. OP is free to keep doing the same thing or choose to change things up. My body responds to changes. Just a week or two at maintenance might help. I find an occasional break to be helpful to regroup. But I do realize that there are many who do not need any such breaks.
Edited typo
If what OP is doing isn't working for her I agree she needs to change things up. I don't agree that eating at maintenance and then getting back to exactly what she was doing is the right recommendation. I think focusing on the calorie consumption needed to achieve her weight loss goal will probably be a more impactful change, unless there is a medical reason she needs to continue eating the way she has been, but even then I think checking to make sure the foods she is eating ultimately result in a deficit.
OP needs to look at suggestions and make up her own mind. I didn't say "get back to what she was doing" afterward and don't care if she takes my idea.
I suggested she find her actual TDEE and then adjust down 250 calories to see if she can lose weight at a more sustainable number. I suspect she will be less frustrated with a smaller deficit.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »OP is there a reason you chose low carb (and did you say high protein or high fat?). Was it for medical reasons, weight loss, or because you enjoy eating this way?
If you don't have a medical reason to eat this way, have you tried setting a reasonable calorie goal (you can start with using MFP goals based on your stats and a realistic rate of loss), logging accurately, weighing all your foods, and eating a variety of foods you enjoy, with adequate nutrient balance being a primary goal?
Yes! Thank you. This is what I was trying to communicate ^
That is the bottom line.0 -
My son lost 20 pounds on a low carb high protein diet in 4months. He suggested I try the diet myself. I'm not doing this diet for medical reasons. My goal is to lose 15+ pounds for myself and well being. He did very well on it therefore I decided to try it. Unfortunately I haven't had the same results. I am now fasting two days a week and 1400 calories in take the days that I'm not fasting. Just started this week.0
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AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »My son lost 20 pounds on a low carb high protein diet in 4months. He suggested I try the diet myself. I'm not doing this diet for medical reasons. My goal is to lose 15+ pounds for myself and well being. He did very well on it therefore I decided to try it. Unfortunately I haven't had the same results. I am now fasting two days a week and 1400 calories in take the days that I'm not fasting. Just started this week.
It's good that you learned that low carb doesn't suit you, it didn't suit me long term either
You seem to have jumped into intermittent fasting without understanding how that programme works though, unless 1400 calories is your daily maintenance level ...you are supposed to eating at maintenance on non fast days and 500 calories on fast days
Although there are other IF routes none I am aware of have you eating in defecit during non fast days / time periods0 -
AmeliaFerdaws wrote: »My son lost 20 pounds on a low carb high protein diet in 4months. He suggested I try the diet myself. I'm not doing this diet for medical reasons. My goal is to lose 15+ pounds for myself and well being. He did very well on it therefore I decided to try it. Unfortunately I haven't had the same results. I am now fasting two days a week and 1400 calories in take the days that I'm not fasting. Just started this week.
OP the fasting days are your deficit days. The remainder of the week (5 alternate days) you are supposed to eat maintenance, eating at your 1400 calorie goal, increases your deficit to aggressively..0 -
OP I'm not that familiar with Fasting approaches but from what I do know it doesn't sound like you are doing it correctly as the posters before me indicated, need to alternate between Fasting days and eating at or above maintenance so that your weekly deficit is a moderate one.
Have you tried using MFP as it was designed? Entering your stats, your goal (lose 15 lbs), and a reasonable rate of loss (0.5 lb/wk)? Then eat a variety of foods that provide you nutrition (macro and micronutrients), satiety (fill you up) and enjoyment ( treats as you can work them in)? Log everything you eat consistently and accurately (ideally using a food scale) and exercise if you like, eating back a portion of those calories?0 -
Some folks thrive on that sort of diet. Some don't. I don't.
In any healthy diet you DO need a good amount of protein but it's not a magic macro.
Carbs are fuel and there are a million different kinds. Veggies contain carbs. Whole grains. Even sugar in moderation.
Right now low carb is the in thing but that doesn't mwant it's the right thing for you.0 -
OP, I also suggest you check out the following main low carber daily forum group herein MFP. It's where most of us Ketophiles tend to hang out:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
The sticky note / launch pad area of this group also has links to tons of LCHF friendly recipe websites.0
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