Am I missing something?

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IHeartNewMe
IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
In the last year and 1/2, I've lost 110 lbs.. Only 10 lbs. since January of 2012. The way I lost it was by an extreme low carb diet (under 25 grams) of incidental carbs only. I don't eat bread, pasta, rice, chips, potatoes or starchy veggies. My carbs come from veggies and other foods like coffee creamer, yogert, almonds, etc. I have a hard time keeping my carbs under 25 grams day, but I try. Also, I try to keep my fat grams that low. But again, I struggle. I haven't been exercising a whole lot lately, but probably do about 30 min. to 1 hour of walking per week (give or take) and about 20 to 30 minutes of resistance per week. My calories are about 800 to 1,600/day. I find the lower calorie intake for me, the more I lose. It seems like the higher calories I eat, the tendency is to gain or maintain. I feel like the scale hardly moves. I also feel hungry all the time. What am I doing wrong? I feel like my body is rebelling. I feel good and like what I see in the mirror and continue to receive compliments. But, when I tell people I have about 30 more to lose, they don't believe me. If, and I stress IF, I tell them I weigh about 195, I am told I don't look like it. But, I am not quite happy with my clothing size and/or weight and appearance yet. I still want to lose about 30 lbs.. I'm at a loss. Any constructive advice??

Replies

  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    Wait! You eat only 25 carbs AND only 25 grams of fat!? So how much protein are you eating then? I'm new at LC, so I can't give advice, but I know that your body is probably converting your protein to some form of sugar so it can run... which I thought would stall LC? I thought we were supposed to be high fat, moderate protein.
  • ZipperJJ
    ZipperJJ Posts: 209 Member
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    She doesn't say anywhere that she eats only 25g of fat.

    I don't have any advice for you, IHeartNewMe....you're a long way away from where I am, but you are where I want to be, so I can't tell you what did or didn't work for me.

    I guess I can throw out the old "mix it up" advice - see what DOES happen when you eat more calories, or more carbs, or exercise more. Could it be that with super low cal and not enough exercise, a lot of your remaining weight is skin? Perhaps it's time to start being more serious about exercise and get a weight routine going, to fill in any muscle loss you've experienced in that 125 lbs.

    Congrats on the first 125 lbs, by the way. Serious, serious hard work I'm sure. Seems like everyone struggles to get that last bit off - it's hard for a former fat person to know how to feed and care for a thinner person! (that thinner person is you!)
  • gomisskellygo
    gomisskellygo Posts: 635 Member
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    She doesn't say anywhere that she eats only 25g of fat.

    She does. She said she keeps her carbs around 25 and her fat about the same.
  • debbiestine
    debbiestine Posts: 265 Member
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    yeah, you are missing something- healthy fats! Eat the eggland's best eggs, almond butter, avacados, nuts etc.

    I'm a fan of Mark's Daily Apple website or the primal blueprint. It says to stay 50carbs or under to lose weight- so add a little more carbs in.
    But your protein also needs to be 1.1x your lean body mass. So if you weigh 150 and have 30% body fat, you would multiply 150x.30=45lbs of fat 150-45=105 You need to eat 105grams of protein/day.

    Look at the skinny bodybuilder women's diaries- that's what they do- they eat more than they weigh in protein.
    If you eat less than 1200 calories you will slow down your metabolism- sounds like that's what happened?

    congrats on your success so far...
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    She doesn't say anywhere that she eats only 25g of fat.

    She does. She said she keeps her carbs around 25 and her fat about the same.

    Thank you :)
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    Wait! You eat only 25 carbs AND only 25 grams of fat!? So how much protein are you eating then? I'm new at LC, so I can't give advice, but I know that your body is probably converting your protein to some form of sugar so it can run... which I thought would stall LC? I thought we were supposed to be high fat, moderate protein.

    Yes, I try to, but I'm not perfect at it. These are incidental carbs only. Every now and then I'll eat a LC wrap or LC pita. I wasn't aware that protein is converted as sugar and how that works in the body (positive or negative). Thanks for the info. I need to do some more reading on this.
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    She doesn't say anywhere that she eats only 25g of fat.

    I don't have any advice for you, IHeartNewMe....you're a long way away from where I am, but you are where I want to be, so I can't tell you what did or didn't work for me.

    I guess I can throw out the old "mix it up" advice - see what DOES happen when you eat more calories, or more carbs, or exercise more. Could it be that with super low cal and not enough exercise, a lot of your remaining weight is skin? Perhaps it's time to start being more serious about exercise and get a weight routine going, to fill in any muscle loss you've experienced in that 125 lbs.

    Congrats on the first 125 lbs, by the way. Serious, serious hard work I'm sure. Seems like everyone struggles to get that last bit off - it's hard for a former fat person to know how to feed and care for a thinner person! (that thinner person is you!)

    To finally lose my weight, I had to get radical so I joined a weight loss center and was under Dr's supervision. Now, I'm flying on my own...still motivated, but will always have to work at this. My husband and I joined a gym. Been tricky getting there over the last few weeks, because we both work a lot during the summer and are simply exhausted by the time we get home. Hopefully that will change come Aug.. Because I've never been very athletic before, this is an area that will definitely be a challenge. I find the more I exercise, the more I want to exercise and watch what I eat. I also have found that the more I slack off, the more I want to slack off and snack. Funny how those all go hand in hand. :wink: This body of ours is amazing. I learn more about it every day where as for so long I just neglected it and my health.

    ZipperJJ, anything I can do to help you in your journey, I'd be happy to. Thanks for the congrats!
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    yeah, you are missing something- healthy fats! Eat the eggland's best eggs, almond butter, avacados, nuts etc.

    I'm a fan of Mark's Daily Apple website or the primal blueprint. It says to stay 50carbs or under to lose weight- so add a little more carbs in.
    But your protein also needs to be 1.1x your lean body mass. So if you weigh 150 and have 30% body fat, you would multiply 150x.30=45lbs of fat 150-45=105 You need to eat 105grams of protein/day.

    Look at the skinny bodybuilder women's diaries- that's what they do- they eat more than they weigh in protein.
    If you eat less than 1200 calories you will slow down your metabolism- sounds like that's what happened?

    congrats on your success so far...

    Actually, I do eat healthy fats. I eat a lot of eggs (good thing I like them) and switch between egg beaters and eggs, Smart Balance peanut butter, and almonds (which I tend to over indulge in:blushing: ). I need to eat more avacados, but forget to buy them. Love salmon, but it's been very expensive to buy lately. I need to cut down on the extras like Breyers Carb Smart ice cream. It's delicious, but hard to eat 1/2 cup serving. Also, cheese and coffee creamer are two things I don't think I could do without. These things might be the culprit. When my calories exceed 1,200/day, I feel that's when I stall or show a weight gain.

    I've been to the website, "Mark's Daily Apple", it's good. I found an awesome article on pumpkin. What kinds of carbs does he recommend? I am afraid of eating pasta, rice, chips, crackers, breads (except for LC pita or wraps), potatoes of any kind because I don't want to risk gaining weight and also because of my history with diabetes (which was reversed b-t-w within the first few months of eating this way and I remain within normal ranges).

    Thanks for the formula. I need to sit down and calculate exactly what I should be eating. I need to change something, but not sure what. You guys have given me a lot to think about and some homework to do. I know that I am still in the dangerous zone for my BMI and want to get that down so that I am not at risk for cardiac issues. I'll check out the websites.

    Thank you for the advice! :smile:
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    I find the more I exercise, the more I want to exercise and watch what I eat. I also have found that the more I slack off, the more I want to slack off and snack. Funny how those all go hand in hand. :wink: This body of ours is amazing. I learn more about it every day where as for so long I just neglected it and my health.

    YES! The more I watch, the easier it gets and the more I enjoy it... if I slack I just keep slackin'! I am right there with you!
  • DebbieMc3
    DebbieMc3 Posts: 289 Member
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    After looking a bit at your diary, i would say you should increasse your calories.
    I know it's hard to do sometimes but I think after a few weeks, it will start the losing process again.

    Debbie
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    After looking a bit at your diary, i would say you should increasse your calories.
    I know it's hard to do sometimes but I think after a few weeks, it will start the losing process again.

    Debbie

    Wow! If I go over 1,200 I feel like I ate way too many calories. Shouldn't you increase your exercise when you do this?
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    After looking a bit at your diary, i would say you should increasse your calories.
    I know it's hard to do sometimes but I think after a few weeks, it will start the losing process again.

    Debbie

    Wow! If I go over 1,200 I feel like I ate way too many calories. Shouldn't you increase your exercise when you do this?

    you'd think so, but sometime your body thinks it's staring and your metabolism slows. if you have one day of eating more calories, sometimes it makes your body wake up as if you just restarted a diet. :) one day i ate 2500 calories and lost... the human body is so weird! try it for a day and stay within your carbs with some high fat, moderate protein and see what happens.
  • DebbieMc3
    DebbieMc3 Posts: 289 Member
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    It's hard to figure out but trust me..... Do it! It may take a bit for your body to adjust but I'm sure it's wanting more calories.
    After looking a bit at your diary, i would say you should increasse your calories.
    I know it's hard to do sometimes but I think after a few weeks, it will start the losing process again.

    Debbie

    Wow! If I go over 1,200 I feel like I ate way too many calories. Shouldn't you increase your exercise when you do this?
  • PrincessShay135
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    I have been told that if you drop below 1200 cal per day your body goes into "starvation mode" and then clings on to all the calories you eat and does not let them go. Thus, I would suggest eating at least 1200 cal per day. And, if you are watching your carbs there is no need to be so stringent about the fat, which keeps you fuller. Eat plenty of meat. Drink plenty of water. Do something to get your body moving every day, even if it is only for 10 minutes. When I have a hard time getting motivated to exercise I tell myself that I only need to do it for 10 minutes then I find that once I start I am motivated to keep going. I would suggest reading the Atkins book to learn about the science behind the diet for inspiration and motivation. Good luck and I am so proud of the weight you have lost so far!
  • busywaterbending
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
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    I eat between 1700 and 3000 calories a day, stay under 50 g. carbs. Most calories come from fat.

    Still dropping body fat. 15% and getting leaner.

    make sure you are doing weight bearing, body fat burning exercise. That's the ticket. Happy training.
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm starting Atkins Induction this week to get me disciplined and on track again. I know that what I have read about it, it's the best way to lose weight and keep it off.
  • robynlynn815
    robynlynn815 Posts: 26 Member
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    Congratulations on your weight loss!! :bigsmile:

    Please, eat more fat!! Keep moving ;)

    Add me if you'd like, my diary is open if it might help you to see what others eat? Again, congrats on your loss :)