Carbs, Carbs, Carbs?

clairec230787 wrote: »

So I am eating at a deficit to lose 2 pounds a week but it is coming off slower and slower!
Each day, my macros are suggesting I am eating way above the recommended amount of carbs. Finding it tricky to get the required amount of protein and fat in as I eat a plant based diet.

If I drink a protein shake, it basically is substituting a meal and as my daily calorie intake is 1200 (I'm really short and have a really slow metabolism).

Should i try to decrease carbs and increase protein to speed up loss? Or does the only thing that matters that I am eating at a calorie deficit?

It's pretty normal for plant-based eaters to get relatively more carbs with their protein sources, but it's still a good plan to get enough protein and enough healthy fats. (I'm vegetarian, but not fully plant based: rather, ovo-lacto for 45+ years now.)

Protein shakes are fine, if they work for you. I don't like them (don't find them tasty or satisfying, nothing against them in the abstract). If you want more protein-dense non-animal foods, soy products (tempeh, tofu, natto, edamame pasta) are going to be among your more calorie-efficient choices, along with seitan. Legumes and other legume pastas have decent protein to calorie ratios, but do have relatively more carbs. Some people like fake meat products, and some of those are higher in protein (and some aren't). I can't advise you about those, because generally I don't find those tasty or satisfying either).

It's very unlikely that you have a "slow metabolism". Muscle mass makes a small difference, but most humans have metabolic activity in quite a narrow band. Body size and activity level are much bigger players in calorie expenditure.

As you get lighter, you'll burn fewer calories doing the same things, just because moving a smaller body around is less work, in the physics sense of work. Less work requires less energy and calories are energy. If you keep eating the same amount, you'll lose weight more slowly, the lighter you get.

Here's the thing: As others have said, unless you enjoy intentionally increasing health risks, you should lose more slowly as you have less to lose. Otherwise (among other bad possibilities), you're likely to lose more than minimum muscle mass alongside fat loss, a risk that is increased by not getting enough protein. For someone worried about their "metabolism", that's really counter-productive.

How close are you to goal? A good plan would be to slow down loss rates as recommended above. If you aren't already, daily weights put into a weight-trending app will help you be reassured that slow loss is actually happening (once you get a month or so of data in there). Examples of free weight-trending apps are Happy Scale for iOS, Libra for Android, Trendweight with a free Fitbit account (don't need a device), Weightgrapher, and others. They're not a magical crystal ball, they just do statistical projections from your recent weigh-ins, to sort of dampen out the effects of random weight fluctuations.

As a bonus, slowing down loss when close to goal is good practice for dialing in how to eat permanently, to stay at a healthy goal weight long-term.

Best wishes!