Question about carbs...

emtess123
emtess123 Posts: 26
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not really noticing a huge difference in my weight (been eating around 1200 cal since July) so am thinking of experimenting and trying lowering my carb intake to see if that has any effect. Currently i think i eat around 150-160g a day sometimes more, sometimes less (but a lot of that comes from fruit and veg) what should i lower this too? I love my carbs so i am not willing to lower too much as i know i wont stick to it and will give up after a few days...

Any ideas on low-carb snacks would also be appreciated, at the moment im snacking on things like bananas etc which are fairly high for what they are!

I'll open up my food diary so you can have a look if that helps with suggestions...:smile:

(oh and i do drink water, i just always forget to log it, maybe dont drink as much as i should though and some days of a weekend i dont log, hence the really low amount of food... )

Thanks in advance! :happy:

ETS - i weigh about 170 pounds and am 5,6 22 years old

Replies

  • ladyphoto
    ladyphoto Posts: 192 Member
    Low carb snacks: low fat cheese (in moderation!), celery with low fat cream cheese, nuts (but only a few- they are packed with calories), jello (sugar free) with cool whip, pickles (but loaded with sodium), any kind of meats- lean is best- chicken, turkey and any kind of fish (almost)
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Start with 3 days straight of 50-80g of carbs, then do a 200g refeed day. Rinse/Repeat
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I lowered mine to under 100 per day and started having some good results finally. I'd been struggling to lose pounds by simply cutting calories and exercising. Here are a few of my favorites:

    hard boiled eggs
    string cheese
    celery with almond or peanut butter
    almonds
    sunflower seeds
    pistachios
    pumpkin seeds (but not the kind coated with a layer of salt)
    sugar free popsicles
    raspberries/blackberries (only 2 g carbs per 10 berries)
    beef jerky
  • lockef
    lockef Posts: 466
    I'm not really noticing a huge difference in my weight (been eating around 1200 cal since July)

    If you are truly consuming 1200 calories, you should be losing weight. There has to be some calories that you're not recording/counting.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    Your probably is more likely due to the fact you're eating too little. With your stats and choosing losing 1lb a week/sedentary -- you should be eating 1430/day ---- thats with the weight loss deficit built in. Eating even less and exercising and not eating those is is just putting your body in panic mode -- it needs more fuel.

    That said, I changed my settings to 40% protein, 30% carb, 30% fat

    You also burn more calories when fueled by protein vs. carbs.

    Greek Yogurt (the good stuff -- read the label, if it has more sugar than protein or equal sugar to protein its not worth buying)
    Quinoa (low glycemic grain, higher protein)
    Nuts - almonds, walnuts, pistacchio
    Turkey Jerky
    Avocado (good fats)
    Cheese (but read labels again - tons of sodium in most - even cottage cheese)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    It is interesting, some people respond to low-carb and others low-fat diets.Here are a few things that I have found:
    - A lot of high protein stuff has a lot of sodium.
    - A lot of natural high fiber stuff like fruit and veggies moves the carbs up.
    - There are number of veggies that take more calories to digest then you ingest. IE: Mushrooms, lettuce, onions, celery and carrots. They are better choices and the carbs aren't as bad for most of them.
    - I have a friend that is a scientist and he is convinced that you cannot have a low-fat-low carb diet. YOu need to choose one for significant weigh loss. Mine is low-carb.
    - Skip all the processed junk low-cal foods. IE: Jello, soda and the like.
    - Skip the complex carbs like white bread, pizza and that sort of thing. If you are going to go carbs, get something with a good does of fiber which moves things through more quickly with less absorption.
    - Shake up your caloric intake. I found that after a few months of losing 3-4 pounds a month I hit a plateau for 2 months and lost almost nothing. The nutritionist bumped it up a few hundred calories and it is slowly getting better (and all this with 7 days a week cardio!) Sometimes up is better than down.
    - I try only eat half of my cardio calories and I have a few fiends that is working for.

    In the end got the high protein stuff that is lowest in sodium, fat and carbs. There are not too many foods that meet those criteria. Try nuts, chicken, avocados, low fat and low sodium cheese. Cook your own beans, black kidney etc.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    MFP sets carbs to 55%, change that to 40 or 45% and work from there. Try to keep bread-items to 1x a day so if you have brown rice at dinner, avoid a sandwich or bagel for lunch and breakfast.
  • TenLaws
    TenLaws Posts: 273
    There's a difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Bread, pasta, pastries - bad. Fruit, veggies, legumes - good. Try consuming more protein. Try a 40-40-20 (carbs, protein, fat) ratio.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    Your probably is more likely due to the fact you're eating too little. With your stats and choosing losing 1lb a week/sedentary -- you should be eating 1430/day ---- thats with the weight loss deficit built in. Eating even less and exercising and not eating those is is just putting your body in panic mode -- it needs more fuel.

    That said, I changed my settings to 40% protein, 30% carb, 30% fat

    You also burn more calories when fueled by protein vs. carbs.

    Greek Yogurt (the good stuff -- read the label, if it has more sugar than protein or equal sugar to protein its not worth buying)
    Quinoa (low glycemic grain, higher protein)
    Nuts - almonds, walnuts, pistacchio
    Turkey Jerky
    Avocado (good fats)
    Cheese (but read labels again - tons of sodium in most - even cottage cheese)

    Totally agree and congrats on weight loss!
  • emtess123
    emtess123 Posts: 26
    I'm not really noticing a huge difference in my weight (been eating around 1200 cal since July)

    If you are truly consuming 1200 calories, you should be losing weight. There has to be some calories that you're not recording/counting.

    Obviously i do have days where i go over, mainly weekends (but not every weekend) but yes, through the week i am very strict and if i do go over 1200 its only because i have exercised so eat back some of my calories, even with cheat days included (say one a week on average, but i never go over 2000... ever!) i still would have thought id loose weight, my clothes fit a little better but no where near the weight id imagined id be by now :grumble:
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    I'm not really noticing a huge difference in my weight (been eating around 1200 cal since July)

    If you are truly consuming 1200 calories, you should be losing weight. There has to be some calories that you're not recording/counting.

    Obviously i do have days where i go over, mainly weekends (but not every weekend) but yes, through the week i am very strict and if i do go over 1200 its only because i have exercised so eat back some of my calories, even with cheat days included (say one a week on average, but i never go over 2000... ever!) i still would have thought id loose weight, my clothes fit a little better but no where near the weight id imagined id be by now :grumble:

    Wait so you eat 1200 each weekday but then you go over on the weekends? Do you track your foods accurately even on the weekends?
  • alleyag
    alleyag Posts: 142
    I'm not really noticing a huge difference in my weight (been eating around 1200 cal since July)

    If you are truly consuming 1200 calories, you should be losing weight. There has to be some calories that you're not recording/counting.

    Agreed. 9 times out of 10 a stall in weight loss is due to a miscalculation in cals in/out. Either over estimating tdee or improper measurements of foods. I've been using a scale to measure food for a long time and I have tried to eye it out and see how close I get.. up to 20% error margin. And I weigh everything everyday. See where your error could be.? Weigh your food...
  • lockef
    lockef Posts: 466
    Obviously i do have days where i go over, mainly weekends (but not every weekend) but yes, through the week i am very strict and if i do go over 1200 its only because i have exercised so eat back some of my calories, even with cheat days included (say one a week on average, but i never go over 2000... ever!) i still would have thought id loose weight, my clothes fit a little better but no where near the weight id imagined id be by now :grumble:

    My guess is that there are hidden calories somewhere that you're not catching, or you're not recording accurately. Cutting carbs isn't going to help with that.

    IMO... cutting carbs (for some) helps keeps caloric intake lower as most carbs are calorie dense, and also with suppressed appetite (if going into keto).
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    Start with 3 days straight of 50-80g of carbs, then do a 200g refeed day. Rinse/Repeat

    Can you suggest a few meals that meet this criteria?
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
    It is interesting, some people respond to low-carb and others low-fat diets.Here are a few things that I have found:
    - A lot of high protein stuff has a lot of sodium.

    Actually, a lot of unprocessed, high protein foods have extremely favorable sodium/potassium ratios. And isn't that the key? Not just sodium, but the sodium potassium balance? Unprocessed cuts of beef, fish, chicken, pork, greek yogurt, milk are all loaded with potassium.

    Supplement those unprocessed, high protein items with a crapload of veggies, plenty of fruit, moderate amount of nuts and seeds or other natural sources of EFA's for your low carb days. Have brown rice or potatoes or any other starchy food for your refeed days. Simple as that...
  • lockef
    lockef Posts: 466
    Actually, a lot of unprocessed, high protein foods have extremely favorable sodium/potassium ratios. And isn't that the key?

    Stop spewing stuff you don't hear about unless you do research on the topic.

    The only stuff allowed on the forums is second hand information (heard from a guy who's third cousin's barbers sister is a nutritionist), un-supported theories, and broscience.

    You've been warned.
  • emtess123
    emtess123 Posts: 26
    Thanks for the replies guys, i admit i do tend to go over on weekends yes, but compared to the way i was eating before (probably around 2500 a day without even realising) i thought i would've lost a hell of a lot more than i have! Even if i have been over estimating exercise and under estimating cal consumption (which it is likely i have done a little, im fairly accurate though so it cant be much) im still never eating over 1500 at a push so thats still about 1000 less than i was :laugh:

    Its been a complete turn around for me, i eat 'clean' now, lots of fruit and veg, smaller portion sizes, healthy snacks, very little junk, i may go over from time to time yes, but i eat nowhere near as much as i used to! I think i may just have the case of the 'slow metabolism' :laugh:

    A lot of the carbs i eat are 'good' carbs, i rarely eat bread, rice, pasta etc so ill try to keep that up, try some of the low carb snacks that have been suggested here (thanks everyone) and up the exercise a little to see if that makes a difference!

    From advice given on here i tend to start over estimating my cal consumption even more and under-estimating my exercise to make sure im as near as possible to reality!
  • cpldjski
    cpldjski Posts: 64 Member
    I have been working at my weight loss since December 2010. I went to my doctor in July and was weighed with one of those scales that tell you the water weight, muscle weight, fat weight and so on. When she noticed that most of my excess weight was water weight she suggested I lower my carbs. I wasn't really interested because I LOVE my white rice and pasta and the like, so I just kept what I was doing and was losing a few pounds. I went back for another check up and still hadn't lost any of the water weight. So she gently suggested again that I watch my carbs. She suggested between 40 -50 net carbs a day, which is tons better than the Induction phase of Atkins which limits you to 20. I seriously started to watch my carbs last week, and managed to lose 4 pounds from last Wednesday to this Wednesday. It's worth a shot to try it and see if it works for you. One food they push on Atkins is eggs. I made an omelet with ham, cheese, and fresh mushrooms this morning and it kept me satisfied until lunch.

    Good luck.
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