Going low carb.. for sure.

Destiny424
Destiny424 Posts: 52 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
hi, so i am only 6 lbs away to my goal weight and i've decided to go low carb, it's been about 2 days for me and so far so good.. but i have a question for any low carbers out there......

how low carb do u go and is there such thing as eating too much protein? for example, if i am eating under 50g carbs a day but my protein is at least 130g.. is that too much? will eating alot of protein everyday make me bigger due to muscle gain?

Replies

  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    I honestly haven't paid too much attention to the actual measurements, as my diet was drawn up by my trainer. BUT I can tell you, EVERY meal I have been given contains protein and fruits or veggies. I only have carbs for 1 or maybe 2 meals a day, and when I do have carbs I have the least processed I can have. I eat sprouted wheat tortillas and occasional sprouted wheat bagels and I have corn tortillas on my menu as well. It would make sense that if you ate ALL protein that probably wouldn't be great. For me, the "easy" trick has been to make sure I have some protein in every meal and generally only carbs in one or two (based on eating 6 small meals a day).
  • madisons_mummy
    madisons_mummy Posts: 169 Member
    Doing low carb (I eat approx 20-30grams a day) you need to up your fat intake. I doubt eating more protein will make your muscles grow bigger lol (in the body builder kind of way). I don't have a set amount of protein to eat a day but I'm sure someone can help you with that. I just eat alot of different meats, cheese, eggs, cream and cauliflower mmm love cauliflower with grated cheese on it and some crackers with tuna or pate. Also doing low carb gives a yucky taste in your mouth and makes your breath stink lol
  • TranceGirl
    TranceGirl Posts: 121 Member
    I've been low carb on and off for about 7 months now and let me tell you, when I am low carb, I feel so much better! Physically, I feel lighter, mentally I feel more energetic, and when I have carbs I feel like absolute crap because it slows me down so much.

    Being low carb will naturally up your fat and protein and that's not a problem. You don't put on muscle but you definitely wont lose any muscle either.

    Good luck!! :)
  • GailC17
    GailC17 Posts: 2
    You might check out the Atkins website - atkins.com
  • GailC17
    GailC17 Posts: 2
    I totally agree with TranceGirl. When I was on Atkins, I felt fantastic. Lots of energy and no aches or pains. Makes me wonder why I'm not on it now . . .
  • theecatt
    theecatt Posts: 31 Member
    Eat more protein won't do anything for your muscles, unless you are weight-lifting. I do a reduced carb diet (around 100g of carbs/day). Every time I try a low (<30g carbs/day) it goes horribly (headaches, low energy, stomach issues, even when trying to stick with it for a month). But 100g is fewer calories than I burn exercising, and keeps me going. Many people do 0.4g to 1.0g of protein per pound of body weight.

    There is such a thing as too much protein, but it's generally when you eat almost no fat and no carbs and have other issues (google rabbit starvation / protein poisoning).

    Anyways, congrats on being so close to goal, and good luck!
  • ashielovesdashie88
    ashielovesdashie88 Posts: 63
    i'm not quite sure about the protein intake though i'm sure there is such a thing as too much. As long as you're not "over doing it" i think you should be fine. Personally when i need to lose weight with a low carb diet (i'm doing atkins) i do what previous posters have said and just up my fat intake it helps me shed about 2-3lbs overnight. Obviously, this is just what happens to me and your results may vary but it's generally recommended to add more fat, which in turn causes more burn. Great choice with a low carb diet BTW, i know it's not for everyone but i'm glad to hear you're giving it a shot! Good luck!
  • sweetoblivion314
    sweetoblivion314 Posts: 55
    You won't gain tons of muscle just from eating lots of protein. Unless you subscribe to lifting extremely heavy weights (I'm talking iron that weighs more then your body weight) and constantly stuffing your face with food you probably won't gain any muscle. That's the body builder prescription. Some body builders eat so much that they set alarms to wake up in the middle of the night and eat.
    I would worry more about constipation from all of that protein then about muscle gain.
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
    I eat between 20-40 carbs per day. I count FULL carbs and not NET carbs. So a carb is a carb.

    My personal trainer told me I needed to eat my weight in protein grams. Right now that 's roughly 149 grams of protein.

    Best of luck to you!

    Low carbing has worked for me for 13 years, expect when I've had a stupid holiday season where I felt self-entitled.
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