Proteins, carbs, need to lose weight and I need help!
11-03-2010, 01:40 PM
#11
FitDay Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Arizona
Posts: 188
There is a big difference between 1500 calories from donuts and 1500 calories from complex carbs in vegetables and fruit. I was watching calories for a year previous with next to nothing for results but as soon as i got rid of the junk, i started losing big time! Maybe everyone is not that way but for me it sure was.
11-03-2010, 05:01 PM
#12
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 687
Saying carbs are bad is a huge oversimplification. I'd suggest you look into the glycemic index, which is a way of measuring a food's impact on blood sugar. The lower this number, the less a food will raise your blood sugar. Having big spikes in blood sugar is usually follwed by big dips that set off cravings for more of what caused the spike in the first place. Getting your blood sugar stable is key for many people to lose weight
There's a huge difference between "carbs" and "simple carbohydrates". Basically anything processed or "white" is a simple carb (white rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta). This stuff is so easily converted to pure sugar, the process starts happening in your mouth. Chew a piece of white bread, then hold it in your mouth for a minute or so-you can taste it getting sweeter just from the saliva breaking it down! Whole-grain breads and pastas take longer to break down, because your body has to deal with the fiber to get to the sugar.
Same thing with fruits vs. fruit juices. Yeah juice is going to have the vitamins still, but all the fiber is taken away, so fruit juice is going to jack up your blood sugar just as fast as mountain dew.
Raw or whole foods, because they're in an unprocessed state, tend to be much higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index. Low GI foods tend to take longer to digest, so they tend to satisfy hunger better. A whole apple will fill you up longer than applesauce, and whole grain bread will stick with you longer than white bread.
There's a huge difference between "carbs" and "simple carbohydrates". Basically anything processed or "white" is a simple carb (white rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta). This stuff is so easily converted to pure sugar, the process starts happening in your mouth. Chew a piece of white bread, then hold it in your mouth for a minute or so-you can taste it getting sweeter just from the saliva breaking it down! Whole-grain breads and pastas take longer to break down, because your body has to deal with the fiber to get to the sugar.
Same thing with fruits vs. fruit juices. Yeah juice is going to have the vitamins still, but all the fiber is taken away, so fruit juice is going to jack up your blood sugar just as fast as mountain dew.
Raw or whole foods, because they're in an unprocessed state, tend to be much higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index. Low GI foods tend to take longer to digest, so they tend to satisfy hunger better. A whole apple will fill you up longer than applesauce, and whole grain bread will stick with you longer than white bread.
11-04-2010, 10:09 AM
#13
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 6
I am another... i quit eating bread, pasta, rice, white flour products, any restaurant food, and any processed or premade foods. Meat portions for dinner are the size of my palm (4 oz) and lots and lots of vegetables and fruit. I have never been hungry or miss my old foodie ways.
This is what I have been doing recently...
Early morning:
Grapefruit
Apple
Banana
( I might also have 1/4 cup of egg whites )
Lunch:
Brown rice and either turkey, chicken breast, veggies, or salmon. Sometimes I only have veggies and a piece of meat.
Dinner: I usually have salad or some fruit
I usually have sprouts, black beans or fresh turkey as a snack...
I do try to eat at least 5-6 times a day and I drink about 10 glasses of water a day...
I also stay under my BMR calories...
Am I doing something wrong here?
11-04-2010, 10:12 AM
#14
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 6
Saying carbs are bad is a huge oversimplification. I'd suggest you look into the glycemic index, which is a way of measuring a food's impact on blood sugar. The lower this number, the less a food will raise your blood sugar. Having big spikes in blood sugar is usually follwed by big dips that set off cravings for more of what caused the spike in the first place. Getting your blood sugar stable is key for many people to lose weight
There's a huge difference between "carbs" and "simple carbohydrates". Basically anything processed or "white" is a simple carb (white rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta). This stuff is so easily converted to pure sugar, the process starts happening in your mouth. Chew a piece of white bread, then hold it in your mouth for a minute or so-you can taste it getting sweeter just from the saliva breaking it down! Whole-grain breads and pastas take longer to break down, because your body has to deal with the fiber to get to the sugar.
Same thing with fruits vs. fruit juices. Yeah juice is going to have the vitamins still, but all the fiber is taken away, so fruit juice is going to jack up your blood sugar just as fast as mountain dew.
Raw or whole foods, because they're in an unprocessed state, tend to be much higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index. Low GI foods tend to take longer to digest, so they tend to satisfy hunger better. A whole apple will fill you up longer than applesauce, and whole grain bread will stick with you longer than white bread.
There's a huge difference between "carbs" and "simple carbohydrates". Basically anything processed or "white" is a simple carb (white rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta). This stuff is so easily converted to pure sugar, the process starts happening in your mouth. Chew a piece of white bread, then hold it in your mouth for a minute or so-you can taste it getting sweeter just from the saliva breaking it down! Whole-grain breads and pastas take longer to break down, because your body has to deal with the fiber to get to the sugar.
Same thing with fruits vs. fruit juices. Yeah juice is going to have the vitamins still, but all the fiber is taken away, so fruit juice is going to jack up your blood sugar just as fast as mountain dew.
Raw or whole foods, because they're in an unprocessed state, tend to be much higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index. Low GI foods tend to take longer to digest, so they tend to satisfy hunger better. A whole apple will fill you up longer than applesauce, and whole grain bread will stick with you longer than white bread.
11-06-2010, 05:21 AM
#15
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,225
You have absolutely everything you need in the fitday food diary to help you lose weight. If you log all the foods with the exact correct quantities you eat for the day and do that every single day of the week, you will have an idea of how many calories you take in.
If you see the calories are all over the place, run the fitday report that will tell you the fat, carbs, protein and calories AVERAGE for the week.
Do that for a few weeks and don't do anything else. Are you losing weight? Sometimes (often) the very act of carefully recording all you eat makes you think twice about what you eat and you lose weight. Without planning a whole lot, without overthinking a plan. But the important thing is that even if you give in to some guilty 'extra' food or 'forbidden' food, you log it in your food list with the exact quantity.
At the end of a few weeks, where are you? Have you stayed the same or are you losing weight? Or even gaining weight? From the number that you see and where you are, aim to subtract some calories and come up with a goal number. As you log your food, do more planning and aim for that goal. When you have met that goal (on average if not every day) for a few weeks, have you lost weight? At the pace you want? If not, then tweak that number again and do the same logging for another couple of weeks.
At some point, you will see the number you need to aim at to lose the weight you need to lose at the pace you want. Then maintain that number, aim for that number. Watch the number every day on fitday as you log. This is the most powerful tool you can use. It's calories in (forget emphasizing calories out, it's a less-exact science on fitday) that you want to watch - and tweak and reduce. Nothing new there. There is NEVER anything new there, not when you mention carbs, protein, fats, anything. Fat has lots more calories than carbs or protein (more than twice as much). 1 gm of fat is going to be twice as fattening as 1 gm of carbs or protein. So the only thing that matters about protein is that it will satisfy longer - this has been observed in studies. But if carbs work that way for you, then there is nothing in the world to tell you differently; in fact, millions of vegetarians load up on carbs every day and stay slim. They don't load up on protein-dense steaks. They are not the fattest people on the planet. Just make a protein/carb mix that works for you.
If you see the calories are all over the place, run the fitday report that will tell you the fat, carbs, protein and calories AVERAGE for the week.
Do that for a few weeks and don't do anything else. Are you losing weight? Sometimes (often) the very act of carefully recording all you eat makes you think twice about what you eat and you lose weight. Without planning a whole lot, without overthinking a plan. But the important thing is that even if you give in to some guilty 'extra' food or 'forbidden' food, you log it in your food list with the exact quantity.
At the end of a few weeks, where are you? Have you stayed the same or are you losing weight? Or even gaining weight? From the number that you see and where you are, aim to subtract some calories and come up with a goal number. As you log your food, do more planning and aim for that goal. When you have met that goal (on average if not every day) for a few weeks, have you lost weight? At the pace you want? If not, then tweak that number again and do the same logging for another couple of weeks.
At some point, you will see the number you need to aim at to lose the weight you need to lose at the pace you want. Then maintain that number, aim for that number. Watch the number every day on fitday as you log. This is the most powerful tool you can use. It's calories in (forget emphasizing calories out, it's a less-exact science on fitday) that you want to watch - and tweak and reduce. Nothing new there. There is NEVER anything new there, not when you mention carbs, protein, fats, anything. Fat has lots more calories than carbs or protein (more than twice as much). 1 gm of fat is going to be twice as fattening as 1 gm of carbs or protein. So the only thing that matters about protein is that it will satisfy longer - this has been observed in studies. But if carbs work that way for you, then there is nothing in the world to tell you differently; in fact, millions of vegetarians load up on carbs every day and stay slim. They don't load up on protein-dense steaks. They are not the fattest people on the planet. Just make a protein/carb mix that works for you.
11-06-2010, 05:02 PM
#17
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 687
The only things I've done is log what I eat, keeping protein up as high as possible and carbs not over 50%, not worrying about fat since I eat lean meat and fried foods are very rare. I'm not anti-carb, it's just the easiest place for me to cut calories and not feel like I'm "missing out" on foods I like. I either weigh or measure everything. I know how much all my cups, bowls and mugs hold to make the measuring easier. Most of my calories are healthy ones, but not all. I do allow myself 150-250 "junk" calories, a good portion of that is my daily coffee. The rest is a small dessert (2 oreos, Fudgesicle, mini ice cream sandwich, stuff like that). I exercise when I can, ideally this would be 1 hour 3x a week, I was doing well at that and need to get back on that horse. Medical issues have been setting me back lately, I haven't gained any weight back, but haven't lost either and I feel bigger around the middle without the gym time. It's OK though, at this point I feel comfortable in my clothes. 135 would be bikini time, and if I end up staying where I'm at, I think that would be all right too. It's certainly better than where I was, and I feel like myself again for the first time in yers.
Last edited by Lizzycritter; 11-06-2010 at 05:06 PM.
11-09-2010, 05:52 AM
#18
FitDay Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 7
I would suggest adding a physical activity that you really like - that will bring you your feeling of having fun - whilie you reduce your carbs. For me it is dancing. I was dancing yesterday, about 2 hours. I did not think about being hungry, and I was sooo happy that I did not need any chocolate 
For you it might be not dancing, but something else. Try to have fun!
For you it might be not dancing, but something else. Try to have fun!
11-15-2010, 11:36 AM
#20
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 6
I would suggest adding a physical activity that you really like - that will bring you your feeling of having fun - whilie you reduce your carbs. For me it is dancing. I was dancing yesterday, about 2 hours. I did not think about being hungry, and I was sooo happy that I did not need any chocolate
For you it might be not dancing, but something else. Try to have fun!
For you it might be not dancing, but something else. Try to have fun!
