Very low carb

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  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    elizjen7 wrote: »
    Wondering what a good carb to protein ratio is? I've been told to stick to very low carbs and eat protein. I've tried Paleo, WW and now trying to stick with a 1200 calorie a day but I'm not losing weight.....HELP!

    Low carb is under 100-150g of carbs per day. Very low carb is a ketogenic diet and is usually under 20-50g of carbs per day.

    When carbs are dropped they are typically replaced by fat. Protein is usually kept moderate, so above the minimum needs. Typically between 70 and 150g. Approximately.

    Very low carb is often 0-10% carbs, 15-30% protein, and 60-80% fat. I used 0-5% carbs, 20-25% protein and 70-75% fat.

    If you do want to go higher protein, the book Protein Power might suit you. Atkins phase 1 might work for you too (the old book)
  • drbeanie2000
    drbeanie2000 Posts: 81 Member
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    SecularVegan wrote: »
    Hi there!
    I'm just a humble comment writer, but I would like to suggest something if I may.
    I feel you should watch the movie 'what the health' on Netflix. Or read "the Starch solution". It'll change your current views on nutrition.
    Carbs are wonderful for the human body. The more the merrier!
    Carbs were labeled as the bad guys a while back when some people tried selling a joke diet and scamming peeps out of their hard earned cash.
    Protein is also just a new fad people are obsessed with since the 60s. In reality, there has never been a single case of protein deficiency in anyone who was eating enough calories. Meaning: Unless you're starving to death, forget about protein.
    Every food you eat besides processed fake foods, will have plenty protein. Even strawberries are 5% protein, which is about half as much as a sirloin steak, but without the heart stopping cholesterol and fat. Protein is a fad and I wish people would erase it from their memories, lol.
    It's really important for your body, but you will never be deficient in it. Ever.
    <3
    Plant based diets have been studied for years and years, all coming to one conclusion. It's healthy, more sustainable, kinder, and easier on the planet. :)

    "The more, the merrier" is just not true for everyone. Carbs of certain kinds hurt my husband's blood sugar. That's just factual. I'm not going into philosophical reasoning about protein, good & bad fats, keto, & other diets. Grain/bean. Carbs. Raise. My. Husband's. Blood. Sugar. Even when he's training for a marathon. I'm a scientist and know when to acknowledge reality.

    (Plus, it's absurd to talk about strawberries and steak with respect to protein. I'd gladly eat a steak's worth of protein via strawberries except it would be about a barrelful of strawberries.)

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
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    elizjen7 wrote: »
    Wondering what a good carb to protein ratio is? I've been told to stick to very low carbs and eat protein. I've tried Paleo, WW and now trying to stick with a 1200 calorie a day but I'm not losing weight.....HELP!

    What are your stats? Are you using a food scale? Are you exercising?
  • Iamnotasenior
    Iamnotasenior Posts: 234 Member
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    If you use strawberries as a main source of protein, based on one small strawberry having .05 grams of protein, you would have to eat a crate of them every day. I'm a semi-vegetarian and I really struggle to meet my minimum protein macro each day. For example, my macro is 60 grams of protein per day. To meet that with strawberries, I would have to eat 1,200 strawberries each day. If you truly follow a vegan or vegetarian diet as a lifestyle over a period of years, you know that without adequate protein intake, you will start to be less energetic, lose muscle mass, etc. and you have to supplement your diet with vitamins, especially, B-12 which can only be found naturally in animal products. As for carbs, I always go over my macros, but I don't have any issues with my blood sugar (yet). My husband, on the other hand, who is not overweight, is a type II diabetic and carbs are a HUGE issue for him. Anonymous internet posters can offer advice or their own experiences, but your doctor and/or a licensed nutritionist are the best sources of information for what will be best for you.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
    edited August 2017
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    Iamnotasenior wrote: »
    If you use strawberries as a main source of protein, based on one small strawberry having .05 grams of protein, you would have to eat a crate of them every day. I'm a semi-vegetarian and I really struggle to meet my minimum protein macro each day. For example, my macro is 60 grams of protein per day. To meet that with strawberries, I would have to eat 1,200 strawberries each day. If you truly follow a vegan or vegetarian diet as a lifestyle over a period of years, you know that without adequate protein intake, you will start to be less energetic, lose muscle mass, etc. and you have to supplement your diet with vitamins, especially, B-12 which can only be found naturally in animal products. As for carbs, I always go over my macros, but I don't have any issues with my blood sugar (yet). My husband, on the other hand, who is not overweight, is a type II diabetic and carbs are a HUGE issue for him. Anonymous internet posters can offer advice or their own experiences, but your doctor and/or a licensed nutritionist are the best sources of information for what will be best for you.

    60g may be what MFP is telling you (because it's 20% of calories) but even that is probably largely inadequate while losing weight if you are working to maintain muscle. Most studies suggest 1.5 to 2.2g/kg of protein (higher if you are lean or exercise a fair amount).

    And if someone is vegetarian, fruit should not be the choice of protein.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    elizjen7 wrote: »
    Wondering what a good carb to protein ratio is? I've been told to stick to very low carbs and eat protein. I've tried Paleo, WW and now trying to stick with a 1200 calorie a day but I'm not losing weight.....HELP!

    You've been told by whom to stick to very low carbs and eat protein? As is evidenced in this thread, there's a lot of misinformation and propaganda out there about how to lose weight. In order to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. My standard advice for frustrated new members on MFP:

    Enter your stats, goal weight, activity level and reasonable rate of loss in MFP
    MFP will calculate a calorie goal for you with a deficit built in. The goal assumes no exercise, just your activity level
    Eat a variety of foods to hit that calorie target, focusing on those which provide nutrition (macro and micro nutrients), satiety (fill you up) and enjoyment (keeps you motivated to lose when you enjoy the foods you eat).
    Log everything you eat as accurately and honestly as possible, ideally using a food scale.
    Exercise if you enjoy it, logging and eating back a portion of those calories (since the MFP goal has no exercise built into it)
    Be patient, monitor and adjust after 4-6 weeks when you determine a pattern of weight loss.


    Also, read the stickies, in particular:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260499/i-like-old-posts-and-i-cannot-lie/p1

    and
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1

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