Can you have high calories, low carb and sugar?

onikonor
onikonor Posts: 473 Member
edited December 20 in Food and Nutrition
I'm not sure how this would be possible to consumer adequate amount of calories i.e. 1600 and eat less than 120 g of carbs and 15g of sugars. I know cutting down carbs and sugar promotes weight loss but is it even possible to get adequate calories while reducing carbs and sugar?

Does anyone have any ideas?

Replies

  • quixoteQ
    quixoteQ Posts: 484
    You're describing a high protein diet, which can be achieved by eating eggs/egg whites, lean meats, fish, cottage cheese, yogurt, vegetables and carefully managed servings of complex carbohydrates. Supplements such as whey protein powder can help you drink the protein calories you can't get from whole foods in your normal diet.

    In general, it isn't strictly-speaking necessary to limit carbs in your diet to lose weight; you simply need to consume at a calorie deficit. However, there is plenty of debate concerning the way that habitual binging on simple carbs can effect the way you digest other carbohydrates as you age. Also, if you exercise, there may be some benefits to understanding how the different types of calories are digested.

    I recommend trying a high protein diet for at least a month w/regular exercise at the beginning of a new weight loss plan, if only to learn how your body reacts to different caloric ratios. But for many people. high protein diets are too difficult to maintain over a long period of time.

    For example: try eating a ratio of 50/30/20 Protein/Carbs/Fats for about a month. On day 1, take photos, body measurements and weigh yourself; then don't bother measuring or weighing yourself again until day 30. If you like what you see on day 30 and feel like the diet is sustainable, keep going. If not, change your ratios to 40/40/20 or 40/30/30 Protein/carbs/fats. After a couple months of eating at a deficit, you will lose weight regardless of the ratio, but you will be wiser in regard to how your body reacts, and what kind of foods you can handle eating over the course of a life time . . . not just a few weeks.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    bumping for later
  • carolann_22
    carolann_22 Posts: 364 Member
    If you lower the sugar/carbs you would most likely want to replace it with fat, to get the calories in. Nuts, avocados, etc.
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
    Protein and fat. It's really not hard to do if you eat some fat.

    Cheese is my weakness, and I'm not suggesting you do this, but just as an example I had 3 cups of shredded cheese yesterday. That's 990 calories, and only 9 carbs and no sugar.

    So yes, it can totally be done.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
    Wow thanks for the advise. It was very informative.

    I have read somewhere that high protein diets are hard on your liver. Is this true?
  • carolann_22
    carolann_22 Posts: 364 Member
    I think it can be hard on your kidneys. I am on a low carb diet per my Repro. Endocrinologist, and my macros are set to 5/35/60 (Carbs/protein/fat). So not super high protein, but lots of good fats.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
    I've also been on low calories, higher protein, low carb low sugar diet but I'm finding I don't have energy to exercise with lower caloric intake (which I don't like).

    The ratio I've been consuming is about 35% carb, 20% fat, 45% protein. I've also been craving peanut butter which I'm guessing is because I'm not eating enough fat. The biggest thing I noticed with low carb low sugar is trimming in the stomach which was the hardest place for me to lose fat.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
    You're describing a high protein diet, which can be achieved by eating eggs/egg whites, lean meats, fish, cottage cheese, yogurt, vegetables and carefully managed servings of complex carbohydrates. Supplements such as whey protein powder can help you drink the protein calories you can't get from whole foods in your normal diet.

    In general, it isn't strictly-speaking necessary to limit carbs in your diet to lose weight; you simply need to consume at a calorie deficit. However, there is plenty of debate concerning the way that habitual binging on simple carbs can effect the way you digest other carbohydrates as you age. Also, if you exercise, there may be some benefits to understanding how the different types of calories are digested.

    I recommend trying a high protein diet for at least a month w/regular exercise at the beginning of a new weight loss plan, if only to learn how your body reacts to different caloric ratios. But for many people. high protein diets are too difficult to maintain over a long period of time.

    For example: try eating a ratio of 50/30/20 Protein/Carbs/Fats for about a month. On day 1, take photos, body measurements and weigh yourself; then don't bother measuring or weighing yourself again until day 30. If you like what you see on day 30 and feel like the diet is sustainable, keep going. If not, change your ratios to 40/40/20 or 40/30/30 Protein/carbs/fats. After a couple months of eating at a deficit, you will lose weight regardless of the ratio, but you will be wiser in regard to how your body reacts, and what kind of foods you can handle eating over the course of a life time . . . not just a few weeks.

    What is the difference between simple and complex carbs?
  • quixoteQ
    quixoteQ Posts: 484
    Wow thanks for the advise. It was very informative.

    I have read somewhere that high protein diets are hard on your liver. Is this true?

    Calling a diet "high in protein" can mean anything from 40% protein to 90% protein, depending on the new diet fad of the day. I recommended 50% as a max, not only because your body is going to initially react strangely to a diet with any calorie type maxing out at 70% or higher, but also because there aren't too many people out there that will enjoy eating that much of a single calorie type.

    Your body will react to any significant change in your diet. You will be retaining water, digesting food differently. eliminating waste at different times. It takes a while for your body to understand what you're doing. This is the main reason I recommend, for new dieters especially, beginning with one month of the 50/30/20 ratio (protein, carbs, fat), and also not looking at the scale for at least 30 days. The scale will do nothing but lie to you during the early stages of a new diet. Your scale will be measuring muscle, water retention and waste product for a while. But after a month or so, the scale will start to go down, and more noticeably your body measurements will be much more trim.

    After a month, you can edit the ratios. Don't micromanage your diet every day based on doubts or fluctuations in water weight. Exercise regularly, but don't stress your body or your mind out so far that you forget you are trying to change your life, not just a few weeks of your life.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    You're describing a high protein diet, which can be achieved by eating eggs/egg whites, lean meats, fish, cottage cheese, yogurt, vegetables and carefully managed servings of complex carbohydrates. Supplements such as whey protein powder can help you drink the protein calories you can't get from whole foods in your normal diet.

    In general, it isn't strictly-speaking necessary to limit carbs in your diet to lose weight; you simply need to consume at a calorie deficit. However, there is plenty of debate concerning the way that habitual binging on simple carbs can effect the way you digest other carbohydrates as you age. Also, if you exercise, there may be some benefits to understanding how the different types of calories are digested.

    I recommend trying a high protein diet for at least a month w/regular exercise at the beginning of a new weight loss plan, if only to learn how your body reacts to different caloric ratios. But for many people. high protein diets are too difficult to maintain over a long period of time.

    For example: try eating a ratio of 50/30/20 Protein/Carbs/Fats for about a month. On day 1, take photos, body measurements and weigh yourself; then don't bother measuring or weighing yourself again until day 30. If you like what you see on day 30 and feel like the diet is sustainable, keep going. If not, change your ratios to 40/40/20 or 40/30/30 Protein/carbs/fats. After a couple months of eating at a deficit, you will lose weight regardless of the ratio, but you will be wiser in regard to how your body reacts, and what kind of foods you can handle eating over the course of a life time . . . not just a few weeks.

    What is the difference between simple and complex carbs?

    I took this simple explanation from a website

    "Simple carbohydrates are also called simple sugars and are chemically made of one or two sugars. A simple sugar can be just what the name implies, the sugar in your sugar bowl. Things like candy, syrups, and soda pop are also straightforward examples of simple carbs. They are absorbed quickly -- just think how fast sugar-based candy melts in your mouth.

    Simple carbs also include foods such as fruit and milk. These are better sources of simple carbs because they contain vitamins and fiber, and also important nutrients that your body needs, like calcium.

    Complex carbohydrates are also known as starches and are made of three or more linked sugars. Grains such as bread, pasta, oatmeal and rice are complex carbs, as well as some vegetables like broccoli, corn legumes such as kidney beans and chick peas. They take the longest to digest."
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    Protein and fat. It's really not hard to do if you eat some fat.

    Cheese is my weakness, and I'm not suggesting you do this, but just as an example I had 3 cups of shredded cheese yesterday. That's 990 calories, and only 9 carbs and no sugar.

    So yes, it can totally be done.

    OMG! that is an obscene amount of cheese, but I assume you do not do that daily. I may have to see about eating more cheese. I am afraid that I am stalling my weight loss by not hitting my net of 1200 calories most days ( I really DO try, but it is a struggle to eat more than 1500 calories, and I burn like 700 several times a week)
  • quixoteQ
    quixoteQ Posts: 484
    What is the difference between simple and complex carbs?

    The difference is a matter of chemistry, whether a carbohydrate is made up of one or two sugars, or three or more sugars. What is important for you to understand is that simple carbs are processed much more quickly by your body, which releases insulin to manage your blood sugar levels.

    Simple carbs are easy to identify. Your mouth can taste how simple they are. Sugar, honey, fruit. It doesn't matter how natural or processed these are, your mouth knows if it is a simple carb. Whole grains--wheat, oats, rice--are complex carbs, as are the carbs found in most legumes and most vegetables (though you can taste it when a vegetable has simple carbs in it - carrots, for example).

    Just because a food has simple carbs doesn't make it bad for you. Fruits have plenty of essential nutrients in them, and many of them also have fiber. You just need to manage how much of these you eat. Eating a diet filled with oranges, mangoes, bananas may sound healthy, but you have to be aware of how much simple sugar is going into your body.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
    What is the difference between simple and complex carbs?

    The difference is a matter of chemistry, whether a carbohydrate is made up of one or two sugars, or three or more sugars. What is important for you to understand is that simple carbs are processed much more quickly by your body, which releases insulin to manage your blood sugar levels.

    Simple carbs are easy to identify. Your mouth can taste how simple they are. Sugar, honey, fruit. It doesn't matter how natural or processed these are, your mouth knows if it is a simple carb. Whole grains--wheat, oats, rice--are complex carbs, as are the carbs found in most legumes and most vegetables (though you can taste it when a vegetable has simple carbs in it - carrots, for example).

    Just because a food has simple carbs doesn't make it bad for you. Fruits have plenty of essential nutrients in them, and many of them also have fiber. You just need to manage how much of these you eat. Eating a diet filled with oranges, mangoes, bananas may sound healthy, but you have to be aware of how much simple sugar is going into your body.

    What an eye opener. Thanks for the tip. Basically anything that tastes sweet even if it's a vegetable is a simple carb - that's very helpful.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
    Protein and fat. It's really not hard to do if you eat some fat.

    Cheese is my weakness, and I'm not suggesting you do this, but just as an example I had 3 cups of shredded cheese yesterday. That's 990 calories, and only 9 carbs and no sugar.

    So yes, it can totally be done.

    OMG! that is an obscene amount of cheese, but I assume you do not do that daily. I may have to see about eating more cheese. I am afraid that I am stalling my weight loss by not hitting my net of 1200 calories most days ( I really DO try, but it is a struggle to eat more than 1500 calories, and I burn like 700 several times a week)

    Yeah that does seem low. I don't know how you have the energy to do that much exercise with only eating less than 1500! So you are netting like 800 some days of the week.
  • quixoteQ
    quixoteQ Posts: 484

    What an eye opener. Thanks for the tip. Basically anything that tastes sweet even if it's a vegetable is a simple carb - that's very helpful.

    No problem. Those are the basics. Once you get started on your diet and feel comfortable with how your body works, you'll want to learn more and more about how your body handles the different foods you eat. If you're interested, spend a few minutes researching "glycemic index." If understanding "calorie deficit" is the first step in dieting and "calorie type" is the second, I guess you could call "glycemic index" the third step in understanding carbohydrates and foods in general.

    Then it's time to get some exercise! :)

    Good luck.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member

    OMG! that is an obscene amount of cheese, but I assume you do not do that daily. I may have to see about eating more cheese. I am afraid that I am stalling my weight loss by not hitting my net of 1200 calories most days ( I really DO try, but it is a struggle to eat more than 1500 calories, and I burn like 700 several times a week)

    Yeah that does seem low. I don't know how you have the energy to do that much exercise with only eating less than 1500! So you are netting like 800 some days of the week.
    [/quote]

    yeah, there are days that I net 800 or so, but it isn't for lack of trying! I'm eating like 450 calories for breakfast, then I go to the gym and spend an hour on the treadmill, and another 20-25 minutes doing strength training. I feel good! than I come home and make a huge salad ( in a bowl, that holds 7 cups!) with mushrooms, cucumber, cheese, and one or two kinds of protein (another 400 calories or so). If I want an afternoon snack, I have one...then I have a normal dinner with the family ( last night was brisket and veggies). I have been keeping a stash of Atkins meal bars on hand to have for additional snacks/dessert. Last night I had a 100 calorie klondike bar AND an atkins mudslide bar for dessert, yet with my fitbit adjustment, I still barely netted 1000 calories yesterday :(
  • Jeanniesb
    Jeanniesb Posts: 14 Member
    I was told we need good fat in our diet for our brain and our muscles to funtion as well as they can. I make sure to have 2T flax seed oil every day. I also have avacato in place of 1T. But I find being aware of the intake is what counts. When I don't I notice my energy level and brain fog too. I'm abe to loos weight doing this and making other healthy veggie and fruit choices. If you don't like flax seed oil try olive oil and put them on your veggies (1T) doing that is supposte to bring out the nutrients in them.

    I cut out all refind sugar from my diet. Nothing man made, frenkenstine foods with preservitives or additive of any kind. I'm doing as much raw foods as I can. I read that you gain more energy from foods that are alive (90%). Try it. It's really easy to do. It opens another whole world of eating new things or creating some of the old things in diffrent ways (like nuts soaked overnight and made into a burger).
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I'm not sure how this would be possible to consumer adequate amount of calories i.e. 1600 and eat less than 120 g of carbs and 15g of sugars. I know cutting down carbs and sugar promotes weight loss but is it even possible to get adequate calories while reducing carbs and sugar?

    120g carbs = 480 calories (not really low carb)
    100g protein = 400 calories

    leaves 720 calories from fats and oils, which is 80g. So step away from the diet foods and lean proteins and embrace oily fish, cheese, eggs, juicy steaks, olive oil, butter etc etc.
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