matrips Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I just started a diet. I just want to lose weight and eat healthy. I wasn't particularly trying for low carbs or super low calories. What I read online is so conflicting about what to eat or not eat. But after two days, I'm struggling with where and how to add carbs and calories. I was only at 8 carbs by dinner time, and still needing 700 more calories for the day. so I had a cup of whole wheat pasta just to up my amounts and a large salad, grilled zucchini, and two meatballs as well. I could have not eaten the pasta and felt perfectly full as well. So should I or shouldn't I stress about needing more carbs? My fats (good fats) and proteins are much higher than my carbs. is there a good percentage that has worked for you? I have the my fitness app which tracks it all for me. Non diet, carbs are never a problem! I usually love bread, bagels and cookies of all kind! But I don't feel deprived and I'm not craving them. Do I need to force them? I am eating fruits and veggies, eggs, chicken etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) I would not force them but do make sure you are getting enough calories. You can add a little fat to stuff to help. What you are talking about is a ketogenic diet. We have a doc that says you can't go to low on carbs. Most veggies do have some carbs in them so make sure you are counting those. If you do a very low carb diet make sure you take a multivitamin, magnesium, and potassium. Edited December 30, 2015 by Mama Geek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 That sounds like you didn't eat any veggies all day. Even when my only carbs are broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, etc I still have way more carbs than that. In other words, although there is nothing wrong or bad about being very low carb, it may be an indication you aren't getting enough vegetables. There are people who have survived on meat alone, but those people also at a lot of organ meat, etc for vitamins. Unless you are a native Inuit person living on seal liver and fat I'd say up your veggies :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I don't feel so great with less than 25% carbs and usually look for 30-40%, but everyone's different. I do think vegetables and fruit are essential, and they should be bumping the carbs up well above 8 to get adequate vitamins and minerals, plus fiber. As far as actual calories, divvying them up more evenly throughout the day is a lot easier than contemplating whether or not to eat 700 calories before bed. I'm getting heart burn just thinking about that, lol. I don't believe in forcing (or drastically restricting) calories way beyond what the body is saying it needs, but every body does have a relative set point for the calories it needs to function decently. If you're 700 calories below what you've already calculated for weight loss (I'm unclear on that) I would be a bit concerned. Assuming the weight loss numbers are 500 cal below maintenance, you're talking a total 1200 cal deficit. That's as much as some people need to eat all day to function in a coma! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I'm curious if your food counter is accurate. To be at only 8 carbs al day would be extremely difficult, I'd think. Did you have no fruit? No veggies? I think if I were finding myself that "off" ( calorie and nutrition wise) I would be evaluating 1. What my goals are and how realistic they are, and 2. the accuracy of measurements. I have found that when especially motivated, I can go with relatively few calories for a few days. However, it will inevitably catch up and I'll need to make up for the extreme loss eventually. Healthy, sustainable weight loss is generally between 1-2 lbs per week. Perhaps more at first, although often that's water weight. With so few calories, your body will start to use energy from your muscles, something totally prohibitive to real weight loss ( used muscles burn calories) and destructive in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I just started a diet. I just want to lose weight and eat healthy. I wasn't particularly trying for low carbs or super low calories. What I read online is so conflicting about what to eat or not eat. But after two days, I'm struggling with where and how to add carbs and calories. I was only at 8 carbs by dinner time, and still needing 700 more calories for the day. so I had a cup of whole wheat pasta just to up my amounts and a large salad, grilled zucchini, and two meatballs as well. I could have not eaten the pasta and felt perfectly full as well. So should I or shouldn't I stress about needing more carbs? My fats (good fats) and proteins are much higher than my carbs. is there a good percentage that has worked for you? I have the my fitness app which tracks it all for me. Non diet, carbs are never a problem! I usually love bread, bagels and cookies of all kind! But I don't feel deprived and I'm not craving them. Do I need to force them? I am eating fruits and veggies, eggs, chicken etc. I don't count carbs or calories. I just don't eat foods that I know are high in carbs, such as anything made with *any* grains, starchy vegetables such as potatoes, fruits other than berries and melons. I eat as much as I want of everything else. If you are doing low-carb, then you should also be doing high protein and high fat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Don't stress over eating "enough" carbs or calories. Make good food choices and eat until satisfied (which is a little bit less than "full"). There are essential proteins and essential fats. There are no essential carbs. Even with a NO CARB diet, your body will make the glucose that your brain needs. That said, if you are eating plenty of vegetables, you are getting the nutrition and fiber that your body needs. You do not need to add in grains or other high starch foods. Eat moderate protein, get your veggies in, and allow plenty of fat to satisfy your appetite. Fruit should be included modestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 If you are feeling fine then I would not worry about it. Plus, even if something is listed as zero carbs, it might not actually be zero. So you may be getting slightly more than you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I just started a diet. I just want to lose weight and eat healthy. I wasn't particularly trying for low carbs or super low calories. What I read online is so conflicting about what to eat or not eat. But after two days, I'm struggling with where and how to add carbs and calories. I was only at 8 carbs by dinner time, and still needing 700 more calories for the day. so I had a cup of whole wheat pasta just to up my amounts and a large salad, grilled zucchini, and two meatballs as well. I could have not eaten the pasta and felt perfectly full as well. So should I or shouldn't I stress about needing more carbs? My fats (good fats) and proteins are much higher than my carbs. is there a good percentage that has worked for you? I have the my fitness app which tracks it all for me. Non diet, carbs are never a problem! I usually love bread, bagels and cookies of all kind! But I don't feel deprived and I'm not craving them. Do I need to force them? I am eating fruits and veggies, eggs, chicken etc. Nobody "needs" carbs, so if you felt fine on that you didn't have to force down the pasta. My .02 is eat when you are hungry and only when hungry. I eat very low carb, moderate protein, high fat and not only have I lost 104 pounds - I am fat adapted - meaning I burn fat for fuel not glucose. I feel and look better than I ever have. I have reversed my Type 2 Diabetes (meaning I control it without meds), I brought my blood pressure back to normal, I haven't been sick with a cold, sniffle or anything for 22 months, my sleep apnea is gone, I no longer snore and I have no more acid reflux. Life without excess carbs is good for me! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 One can comfortably eat very low carb without issue - get adequate fat and make your vegetable matter count with high quality food. Creamed spinach and roasted beets are favorites of mine, along with sautéed cabbage salads :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) Like everyone else has said up the veg and some fruits and you'll be ok. My daily amounts are something like 1/2 c berries at breakfast, a giant salad at lunch, a meat and say broccoli and zuchinni for dinner. MFP lists that as 20 g carbs. If you added a sweet potato or an apple you'd be even higher. Eat enough! When we're all gang ho we sometimes overshoot the mark. Edited December 30, 2015 by joyofsix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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