Calorie Balance Help

stargazerscribe
stargazerscribe Posts: 44 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
Hello all,

I am jumping back on the diet and exercise regime again, but my exercise has been minimal (rain and thunderstorms daily, and I live in a small town without a good gym). So I've dropped my max calorie goal daily to 1330, with 50% being protein, 35% being fat, and 15% being carbs (50g or less).
I find this extremely difficult to maintain. To avoid carbs, I drop a lot of food from my meals and can't find anything as filling to replace them, so my calories drop and I'm eating 800-1000 a day max. I'm hungry, and I have difficulty finding anything to eat to keep my body from entering starvation mode. Dairy products add protein ANd carbs, and all that's really left is just meat. Is that just what I'm gonna have to eat, or is there an alternative to my eating habit?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Starvation mode isn't real. And unless you have a medical reason to avoid carbs, there's nothing wrong with eating them. Your body needs fuel, and eating too low will cause muscle loss and a host of other health issues in the long run.

    Also if your calorie goal comes from MFP, that doesn't include exercise.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I think that 40-50% protein sounds about right - probably 15% fat would be plenty, why are you going keto? If it's just for weight loss, then feel free to up your carbs to the 100g - 150g/day range. You will still be low carb and likely still getting the appetite suppressing benefits of low carb and yet have much more available variety of food. If you are going keto for other health reasons (diabetic, autoimmune issues, etc) then you can try increasing carbs to 75g/day and possibly still stay in ketosis if you are active.

    Obviously what you are doing is not going to be sustainable if you don't like it.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    How did you come up with that macro split? Of course it's hard to find foods to fit in with that.

    Start with MFP's default, follow that for at least a month, and THEN come back and ask for help if you aren't satisfied.

    And starvation mode doesn't exist, so don't worry about that.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    Op your macro split is a bit odd-are you trying to do low carb? If so, then your fat intake should be higher. Also, different macros have different satiety levels for people. I do much better on a high carb eating plan because things like vegetables, beans, whole grains etc go a long way to keeping me full for longer. Protein comes in at a distant second and fat does absolutely nothing for me, hunger wise.

    For weight loss though it doesn't matter what macro ratios you do, only that you're hitting the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals.

  • Mschmitt1119
    Mschmitt1119 Posts: 65 Member
    edited August 2017
    What olivegirl said is right. As long as you are in a calorie deficit and are getting a decent amount of protein you should still lose weight, stay full, and not lose muscle tone. The last medical page I was reading was like 1.6g of protein/kg of body weight to still be able to maintain muscle growth in a deficit.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I suggest you use the MFP default macro split until you get a better idea of what works for you. 50% protein is unnecessary
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Protein seems really high...my 140g a day is 25% of my daily (and I do avg 2600)
  • stargazerscribe
    stargazerscribe Posts: 44 Member
    The macronutrient split comes from a diet study I volunteered in in college. It was 20% carb, 30% fat, and 50% protein. Along with exercise, I was able to lose 22lbs in 6 months. Now that I'm trying to do this again, I can't seem to eat the right balance and get enough calories.

    100-150 seems more achievable to me, because I struggle to get it down to even 70. The carb avoidance is purely for weight loss help, though it seems like it's been more of a challenge this time around.

    I agree with the protein thing. Eating that much protein tends to make my stomach queasy. Maybe I can cut that back if the calorie count doesn't have a "too little" bar.

    So I should be focusing more on calorie deficit? And healthy carb intake? I want to make sure I do this right this time around.

    I'm trying to fit into some size 6/7 jeans that a friend gave me, and they've just been sitting there for 3 years.

    As a bonus question, even when dieting with a calorie deficit, I seem to sit at a standstill until I start exercising. And not just any normal exercising, I'm talking running and aerobics. Walking and bike riding does nothing. I can't decide if this is just my metabolism, or if that's how it has to be even with a daily deficit?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    stargazerscribe wrote: »
    The macronutrient split comes from a diet study I volunteered in in college. It was 20% carb, 30% fat, and 50% protein. Along with exercise, I was able to lose 22lbs in 6 months. Now that I'm trying to do this again, I can't seem to eat the right balance and get enough calories.

    100-150 seems more achievable to me, because I struggle to get it down to even 70. The carb avoidance is purely for weight loss help, though it seems like it's been more of a challenge this time around.

    I agree with the protein thing. Eating that much protein tends to make my stomach queasy. Maybe I can cut that back if the calorie count doesn't have a "too little" bar.

    So I should be focusing more on calorie deficit? And healthy carb intake? I want to make sure I do this right this time around.

    I'm trying to fit into some size 6/7 jeans that a friend gave me, and they've just been sitting there for 3 years.

    As a bonus question, even when dieting with a calorie deficit, I seem to sit at a standstill until I start exercising. And not just any normal exercising, I'm talking running and aerobics. Walking and bike riding does nothing. I can't decide if this is just my metabolism, or if that's how it has to be even with a daily deficit?

    Your weight loss will be created by a calorie deficit. Some people find that limiting carbohydrates helps them stay in a deficit (either because it eliminates some foods they're tempted to overeat or they feel less hungry when their diet has more protein and fat). But it's optional to limit carbohydrates -- many people successfully lose weight while eating moderate or even high carbohydrate diets.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    edited August 2017
    After years of experimentation and taking into consideration other women's experiences, I prefer to aim for a minimum of 100 grams carbs, regardless of macro percentages. Going below that tends to mess up my hormones if I do it for any length of time. I would suggest that if you are having difficulty with such a low carb plan, you increase your carbs. I believe 100 grams still falls within the range of "low carb".

    I do think that when your calories are so low, it does not make sense to follow the standard macros for protein. It doesn't give you enough grams. Aiming for 165ish grams may be too much, though. Perhaps lower that down to the 30-35% range. It should give you a healthy amount of protein that will be satiating and still give you some room in those macros for the increased carbs and some healthy fat.

    So something like 30-35% carbs, 30-35% protein and 35% fat might be more sustainable and easier to create a menu. It might also be more filling and satiating.

    The 1330 calories a day should be more than enough calorie deficit to lose weight at a healthy rate. And depending on your weight and how much activity you get, you may even want to increase that.

    I am not a person who finds any low carb diet satiating. My body needs the carbs.

    JMO
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