Low Carb Considerations

Yes, protein is important, especially in our demographic. (I'm 69, F.)

This is a good source, IMO, for the whats/whys, and some about how much:

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

Whether to limit fruits is situational. Personally, I don't limit carbs explicitly. I strive to get certain daily minimums of protein and fats, and ideally exceed those. Wherever carbs end up, that's fine with me, as long as calories balance on average over a reasonable time period. Personally, taking into account a number of personal factors, my protein minimum is 100g, fats minimum 50g. I also eat a lot of veggies and fruits. But I'm in long term weight maintenance now, and have a higher than typical calorie goal than most women our age besides, so that's a factor as well.

Most cheese and nuts aren't really super-good protein sources. Generally, they're higher in fat than protein. For me, when I was initially losing weight, I looked for foods I liked with the best protein to calorie ratio. That was in part because I'm vegetarian and many of my protein sources inherently have carbs, and some of the very calorie-efficient protein sources (meats, fish, other seafood) simply aren't on my menu.

In case you haven't seen it, there's a thread here that links a spreadsheet of many, many foods in order by most protein for fewest calories. If you can find foods you like high on that list that you haven't been eating much, getting those in your regular rotation may help you. It's here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

The other thing I did as a vegetarian on reduced calories, a strategy that may help omnivores, too, is to look for sides, veggies, grains, snacks, beverages, even fruits that have at least a little protein. Those may be somewhat lower quality in terms of essential amino acid composition, but eating a variety of them tends to compensate for that to some extent, and the small bits add up through the day. If actually vegetarian or fully plant-based, protein planning is more nuanced than that, but if the issue is augmenting an omnivore eating style, it may help at that level of simplicity.

The process that helped me was to review my diary, looking for things that had relatively many calories for the amount of protein, and find ones that I felt I could reduce in portion size or frequency (maybe even eliminate) without sacrificing other important nutrition or general happiness. That would free up calories to allocate to something with more protein. I'd also look for some with similar substitutes that offered more protein. Chipping away at that process, and focusing on changing routine eating patterns, I was able to evolve toward a higher protein intake gradually, and stay happy with my routine. YMMV.

Some things I might suggest you could consider instead of cheese or nuts, assuming you like these foods, would be cottage cheese, Greek yogurt (there are brands with minimal sugar, or ways to eat it plain that don't dramatically add calories), dry-roasted edamame, crispy chickpeas/broad beans/lentils.

I'm also wondering where you get your "more than 100g" target. Maybe that's right, if you're taller or more muscular than I am, but sometimes people here who have some excess weight are basing protein estimates on current bodyweight, when basing it on a healthy goal weight would be fine, and more achievable.

If you haven't run across it, there's a science-based protein estimator here:

https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

Last I read the full guide there, they, too, said it was fine to use a lower weight in the calculator if materially overweight. BTW, I don't work for that site, and am not compensated in any way for linking it. I'm just a user/fan.

Maybe you've already tried all of that, but that's what I can think of to suggest. Best wishes!

I agree with Ann about (everything, really, but especially) nuts and cheese being a better fat source than protein source.

I find it helpful to reduce carbs that don’t fill me up, like bread and baked goods. If I eat more protein, fiber, and fruit, I feel fuller less calories, and my sweet tooth is satisfied for way less calories.

For example, I have smaller servings of pizza, with a large salad, with cottage cheese for a protein boost.

I find foods like rice and beans, with a little animal protein, extremely filling. I like Cuban rice and beans, red beans and rice, Hoppin’ John, Lebanese rice and beans, and the list goes on 😀

There's no specific benefit to limiting carbs unless you have a medical condition due to which you should. Some people feel full and happy on carbs. Others strive on a high fat diet or need lots of protein. Personally, I'd gnaw the wallpaper off the walls if I had to limit carbs. If, however there are foods that trigger you to eat too much of something then you should consider whether trying to reduce works for you, or avoiding them completely.

And yes, you will have noticed that weightloss is not a project for a few weeks, but requires longer-term commitment. Thus my advice is to make it as simple and comfortable for you as possible. Eat food you enjoy and that keeps you full. Eat food you see yourself eating after you've lost your weight because weightloss is also a moment to learn how to eat afterwards so you won't regain the weight. It's also a good time to experiment and try new things. Remain accountable to yourself. But forgive yourself. No food is inherently bad. No day with too much food will make everything undone.

lisajorudy wrote: »

I LOVE rice and beans, chick peas, whole grains... but they are so high in carbs! Is there any benefit in reducing carbs at all? Or is it ONLY about white and refined carbs and sweets?

There may be benefits in limiting (not necessarily eliminating) highly processed, refined foods that are calorie-dense and nutrient sparse. They're not evil, but like I said, don't deliver as much nutrition, satiety, or fiber for their calories.

Sometimes people call foods like baked goods or even pizza "carbs". They have carbs, sure, but more often they have more calories from fats than from carbs. The problem - if there is one for some of us - is mainly that they have lots of calories, relatively little nutrition, aren't very filling so easy to eat lots, are very craveable for many people, and when high in sugars with little/no substance like protein or fiber can cause blood sugar spikes followed by blood sugar drops that create more cravings.

But sweet potatoes are also high in carbs, but nutrient dense and for many, filling. Even white potatoes, when not dressed up with high-fat toppings or fried, have decent nutrients for their calories, and many people find them filling. Ditto beans, a lot of other veggies and fruits.

If a person has diabetes, insulin resistance, or some other relevant health condition, they likely need to manage carbs carefully. That's not necessarily just "don't eat them", but choose which ones, how much, and how often carefully, and think about whether protein and fiber in the meal are helping moderate how fast they're absorbed. Even exercise is in the picture there, especially a bit right after eating, like a little walk.

Also, like yirara said, some people have individualized responses to carbs . . . sometimes really to specific foods that happen to be high carb, not every and all nutrient-dense carb-containing food.

Outside of the health condition or personal responses kind of thing, calories from carbs are pretty much just calories, when it comes to weight loss. Many generally healthy people get good results - even in a weight loss context - by choosing nutrient-dense carb sources, watching one's appetite response to them, and not letting them drive out other necessary nutrition to stay within calories.

I ate 150g or more of carbs most days, all through weight loss, and lost weight fine. I made it a point to get enough protein and fats within calories, too, because those contain essential nutrients. At the time, I ate very little added sugar, and most of the carbs were from veggies, fruits, no-sugar-added dairy foods, and some whole grains.

If you need to limit or manage carbs because of a health condition, definitely do that. For most people, minimizing nutrient-sparse, non-filling foods will help a weight loss effort for obvious reasons, but those may be high in fats or high in carbs, whatever. The weight loss is about the calories. The carb content or nutrient density has an indirect effect through things like energy level or feeling full, if it has an affect on weight loss.