Experimenting with a Low Carb Diet?

juliannmkeating
juliannmkeating Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

Real quick - I am 5’2, 112 pounds. I’m hoping to get to 105 by the end of May. A little aggressive but I’ve been trying since February and nothing has worked!

So I’m switching up my diet to High Fat Low Calorie type of diet.

~50 NET grams of carbs or less
~50 grams of protein
~100 grams of fat
Under 5 grams of sugar
~1200 calories

Also burning around 200 calories a day with cardio and weights - sedentary job.

Anyone have similar experience with a diet like this? Did you lose a bunch of muscle on such a low calorie diet?

Thanks!!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    When you say nothing has worked, have you been logging all of your foods on here as accurately as possible, including using a food scale?

    Or a better option since you have little to lose, have you considered a recomp? https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat It will take much longer than six weeks, but you'll look better in the long run.
  • juliannmkeating
    juliannmkeating Posts: 2 Member
    I’ve been lifting weights (along with cardio) since February and “watching what I eat” - not actually using this app or counting calories. I just avoided process foods and wheat, sugar, dairy (for the most part). I actually gained weight, and a couple inches on my waist. ha. Not what I wanted.

    I’m hoping that actually logging in what I eat will help me stay accountable..
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,486 Member
    edited April 2018
    juliannmkeating wrote: »
    I’ve been lifting weights (along with cardio) since February and “watching what I eat” - not actually using this app or counting calories. I just avoided process foods and wheat, sugar, dairy (for the most part). I actually gained weight, and a couple inches on my waist. ha. Not what I wanted.

    I’m hoping that actually logging in what I eat will help me stay accountable..

    You can do this without reverting to lchf. Low carb will deplete glycogen and effect your lifting/ exercise. I would recomp and not put myself in a deficit. You can do this eating maintenance.

    That said 1200 at your stats will only allow you lose around .5 per week, so keep strength training the fat loss will eventually come off, just not as fast as you like in that time frame, which is better for minimizing muscle loss anyways.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    "Watching what you eat" won't help you lose weight. ALL weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. Eating fewer calories than you burn. You don't need to avoid processed foods, or carbs, or sugar.....because it's about calories.

    However, processed foods may not be as filling. I eat some processed food everyday, but I also meet protien and fiber goals.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    This thread is really helpful

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    Hello and welcome. I suggest you check out the following low carber daily forum group. It's a very large, very active group here in MFP where most of us Ketophiles tend to hang out:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    Also, just fyi, low-CARB diets, are not necessarily low-CALORIE diets.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    If you have been lifting to maintain muscle, it seems you should eat more protein for the same reason.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    ladipoet wrote: »
    Hello and welcome. I suggest you check out the following low carber daily forum group. It's a very large, very active group here in MFP where most of us Ketophiles tend to hang out:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    Also, just fyi, low-CARB diets, are not necessarily low-CALORIE diets.

    That is a good group. Do try there.

    I wanted to mention that 50g of protein is quite low, especially if you are losing and active. I would consider lowering your fat, since you want to burn body fat instead of just dietary fat, and use those calories for protein. I would try to get it above 70g. Above 80-90 would be even better for preserving lean tissue.

    You may want to increase sodium too. When carbs are lowered people lose electrolytes with water weight. If you don't replace it you'll end up feeling poorly. Most need about 2tsp of salt a day.

    Good luck!
  • PokeyBug
    PokeyBug Posts: 482 Member
    Are you sure that you actually need to lose? I'm middle aged now, but I weighed 118# my senior year of high school at your height. I was very active back then (track, dance team), so I was pretty muscular, but 112# seems a pretty normal weight. Do you need to lose weight or do you need to work on your body composition, which it appears you're doing with the weights? Here's an example of women who worked on body recomposition, rather than weight loss. https://popsugar.com.au/fitness/Body-Fat-Weight-Loss-44675969 I'm not trying to discourage you, but I just want you to consider that, perhaps, weight loss isn't what you need to get the look you want.

    Good luck!
  • dangerousdashie
    dangerousdashie Posts: 119 Member
    I’m around your stats and I’m following the ketogains calculator and set it to a 20% deficit and .8g protein per lb. I’m not sure if 50g is too low, but you can play around with the calculator to see.

    I’m currently doing like 1084 calories as the calculator said to do but my workout burns way less calories than yours so it will probably tell you to do around 1200. Though, I don’t know what your bf% is and the lower that is the more calories it tells you to eat. Mine is around 27%.

    https://ketogains.com/ketogains-calculator/
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2018
    Low carb is fine, if you want to try it, try it.

    I also think 50 g of protein is super low when on a deficit such as 1200. Good rule of thumb is .65-.85 g per a healthy body weight in lb, and 112 is toward the lower end of the BMI already, so I'd aim for at least 75, maybe more.

    I also will point out that under 5 grams of sugar suggests you aren't really having many vegetables. Under 50 g net for carbs is fine, but I'd make sure most of my carbs were non starchy veg (and some nuts and seeds and maybe some dairy).
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