FitDay Discussion Boards

FitDay Discussion Boards (https://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums/)
-   Weight Loss Tips (https://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums/weight-loss-tips/)
-   -   Carbs or fat? (https://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums/weight-loss-tips/5337-carbs-fat.html)

jen39376 09-26-2011 02:40 PM

Carbs or fat?
 
Hello…I recently put myself back on a strict diet to lose the 75 lbs I have gained over the past 4 years. I am determined to lose at least 60 lbs before Christmas. I have been doing great so far averaging about a pound per day, it’s only been 7 days but we all start somewhere, right? I know most of it is water weight and the next week or so will be the real weight loss. I have started exercising daily by walking (only at one mile in 20 min, need to work my way up), rowing machine and trying to figure out how to use that dame ball without falling off, I have no time for the gym so I have to make due while I am at home. But I am really confused which better to take in more of carbs or fat? Which burns faster? Right now I average an intake of roughly 800 calories depending on the day sometimes more sometimes less, around 70 – 75 grams carbs (which is little compared to old behavior, but still too many) , and fat between 20 – 27 grams depending on the day. Should I be taking in more fat then carbs to burn off the weight? I am not looking for a slow process diet, I want it over!! I know it’s not the “healthy” way but I am not starving myself or fasting so how unhealthy can it be? So if anyone can help me out with the carb to fat ratio, I would be so grateful, I have gone on so many websites researching that I am more confused then ever.

AbideInHim 09-26-2011 03:37 PM

You seem to be doing well, so I think it's up to you on how to proceed. For me, I do best on a low carb diet. My appetite stays better satisfied with protein and fat, I feel better and have more energy. And with any diet, sticking to it is the most important thing for sucess.

If later on you decide to do the low carb way of eating, I suggest that you do a bit of reading up on it, either over at Atkins.com or the Low Carb Friends forum. Both of those sites will help you get on the right track with a low carb way of eating. There's lots of misinformation about how those diets work, or how they affect you, and the right or wrong way of doing them. Even from well meaning folks.

Good luck with your chosen way of eating.

Best regards,
AIH

Right now, I'm on the induction phase of Atkins, and my ratio's are around:

Fat: 51%

Carbs: 4%

Protein: 37%

On Atkins, you slowly up your carb intake until you find that you are no longer loosing. Then, if you still need to loose a bit more weight, you back off a bit on carbs until you start loosing again. Or if you are in the maitenence phase of the diet you try to keep your carb intake at that point.

I've lost about 25 lbs in a little over 2 months.

jen39376 09-26-2011 03:41 PM

thank you...I am going to figure out how to lower the carbs and bring up the fat and protien some, without adding more caloires...I will go on the sites you mentioned for help...your reply was helpful, thank you very much

sjd01 09-29-2011 02:24 AM

Response to carbs or fat
 
Hello. My husband and I just started a diet that is supervised by a doctor (endocrinologist) at the Barnes/Center for Advanced Medicine in St. louis. (I lost 11.6 pounds in the first week.) The average weight loss of this medically supervised diet is suppose to be 4 to 6 pounds.

Our diet consists of

80 g of protein a day (you should have .8 - 1 gram per kg of your ideal body weight per day.) The protein is important so that you do not lose muscle!

35 g of carbs

0 g of fat

Extra vitamins and a prescription for potassium. Don't forget the potassium! Your muscles will waste if you don't get enough potassium. You need like 4000 units of potassium per day and you cannot get it all with a one a day vitamin. If you are going to cut your calories low go to your doctor and ask for a script

timshel01 09-29-2011 03:45 AM

Jen, personally I would ditch the calorie counting method. I follow Dr. Richard K Bernstein's WOE AKA low carb similar to Atkins. You limit your carbs to no more than 30 per day. By limiting your carbs you limit your glucose and prevent insulin spike responses. Insulin is a fat building hormone. Fat is your friend (not the hydrogenated kind) . I find an almost sure method that works for me is to log the foods I eat in a little spiral note book. Carbs for the morning should be 6, lunch 12, dinner 12.
That's it a nutshell.
Not sure if your goal is a little to lofty ; 60 lbs by Christmas?
S.M.A.R.T
Specific , you got that.
Method , you might need to work on that.
Action , ....
Realistic , ?
Time , You only have 2 months to lose 60 lbs.

briarbowl 09-29-2011 06:45 AM

@sjd01: ZERO grams of fat? Really? None at all? That sounds horribly dangerous. You need fat in your diet, maybe not a lot, but something. As far as potassium goes, not enough terrible but too much can be just as bad.

You have to do what works for you and keeps you sane throughout. There's no point in being miserable while you lose weight because it won't last. For me, low carb works the best but "your mileage may vary."

briarbowl 09-29-2011 07:21 AM

SOME carbs are necessary. Unless they've changed it, the USRDA used to be 300g/day. That's crazy, IMO. If you have 50-70g/day, that should be enough to allow you large-ish amounts of veggies. LC diets have a tendency to restrict those too much, I think.

jackdup 09-29-2011 03:51 PM

I can see why you are confused!

First of all, how can someone say they took in zero fat, that is impossible, even tuna has fat in it.

Then, the person that said zero carbs, but eats fruit; fruit is ONLY carbs.

The truth be told you need both.

20 to 30 percent protein, 40 to 50 percent carbs, and 20 to 25 per cent fats.

Ever see a body builder?

Google body building cutting cycle.

jackdup 09-29-2011 04:01 PM

3 Attachment(s)
I just re read your post.

If you lose weight too fast, it will probably just come back, anyway.

The experts reccomend a pound per week for long lasting results.

Also, I am willing to post my pics with my answer to your question with past and current pics of myself, anyone else?

sjd01 09-30-2011 02:16 AM

Yes -- zero grams of fat.

There are risks to be sure. The doctor talked about problems with gallbladder and pancreas and said that you can't cheat on this diet and that when you go back to real food that I will have to slowly phase it in. Luckily I don't have a gallbladder!.

The shakes we drink are from the doctor's office. Pretty nasty tasting. And we have to drink at least three quarts of water a day to help flush out all the wastes that are going through the kidneys.

I have tried so many diets over the years. With a bmi of 41.8 I was seriously considering weight loss surgery. I thought I would give this a shot. We are 8 days in and I have lost 12.2 pounds and my husband 14.

Pros: Losing weight. Not hungry

Cons: Low energy, insomnia, restless legs [doctor says body will get used to program 2 weeks in and fatigue will diminish]

We have a friend that went to this doctor. She has diabetes and had an insulin pump. After 4 weeks on the diet she was able to get rid of the pump. After 2 months on the diet she gave up the insulin.

Th3velourfog 10-14-2011 02:39 AM


Originally Posted by sjd01 (Post 58137)
Hello. My husband and I just started a diet that is supervised by a doctor (endocrinologist) at the Barnes/Center for Advanced Medicine in St. louis. (I lost 11.6 pounds in the first week.) The average weight loss of this medically supervised diet is suppose to be 4 to 6 pounds.

Our diet consists of

80 g of protein a day (you should have .8 - 1 gram per kg of your ideal body weight per day.) The protein is important so that you do not lose muscle!

35 g of carbs

0 g of fat

Extra vitamins and a prescription for potassium. Don't forget the potassium! Your muscles will waste if you don't get enough potassium. You need like 4000 units of potassium per day and you cannot get it all with a one a day vitamin. If you are going to cut your calories low go to your doctor and ask for a script

So your eating 460 calories a day? :confused: sorry to say but what ever "Doctor" your seeing should have his/her license pulled. This is advise is wrong on so many levels.

dysonsphere 10-17-2011 12:06 AM


Originally Posted by jackdup (Post 58236)
I just re read your post.

If you lose weight too fast, it will probably just come back, anyway.

The experts reccomend a pound per week for long lasting results.

Also, I am willing to post my pics with my answer to your question with past and current pics of myself, anyone else?

I am. Saying that though there is little need as it looks like whatever advice you give will be sound as you are an achiever as opposed to just a talker. You have been there and done it and irrelevant of your approach being better or worse than someone else it is proven to work and that is incredibly important.

dysonsphere 10-17-2011 12:06 AM


Originally Posted by Th3velourfog (Post 59471)
So your eating 460 calories a day? :confused: sorry to say but what ever "Doctor" your seeing should have his/her license pulled. This is advise is wrong on so many levels.

Seconded. This is almost lethal advice.

dysonsphere 10-17-2011 12:11 AM


Originally Posted by sjd01 (Post 58266)
Yes -- zero grams of fat.

There are risks to be sure. The doctor talked about problems with gallbladder and pancreas and said that you can't cheat on this diet and that when you go back to real food that I will have to slowly phase it in. Luckily I don't have a gallbladder!.

The shakes we drink are from the doctor's office. Pretty nasty tasting. And we have to drink at least three quarts of water a day to help flush out all the wastes that are going through the kidneys.

I have tried so many diets over the years. With a bmi of 41.8 I was seriously considering weight loss surgery. I thought I would give this a shot. We are 8 days in and I have lost 12.2 pounds and my husband 14.

Pros: Losing weight. Not hungry

Cons: Low energy, insomnia, restless legs [doctor says body will get used to program 2 weeks in and fatigue will diminish]

We have a friend that went to this doctor. She has diabetes and had an insulin pump. After 4 weeks on the diet she was able to get rid of the pump. After 2 months on the diet she gave up the insulin.

Do not listen to this person's 'advice'. Sorry but this is ridiculous in the extreme.

Keep it simple.

Calorie deficit is a solid way to lose weight.

Reduced carb diets are successful and have been shown to have health benefits.

Read up, learn, understand and be able to manage your diet in the future.

I would suggest the Paleo diet would be a good place for you to find the information you need. I typically diet based on the anabolic diet but this is a more specific type for weight lifters so I would not recommend this for you.

hel503aur 10-24-2011 05:54 AM

You've got a very good insight and interesting scenario there sjd01.

We are a family of diabetic so I am really interested to learn more about how I can prevent it while I am still young.

juliedealer 10-27-2011 12:43 PM

1 Attachment(s)
800 calories is not enough. The body will always try to adjust to what it is given, (homeostasis) if you won't give it enough food it will respond by lowering your metabolism. At that point you will be starving (and tired) and not losing weight. It (your body) will hold onto your fat for dear life! This will happen at some point; sooner for some, later for others.

I went thru this and my trainer explained to me why I had stopped losing weight despite dropping my calories. I know it seems almost intuitive to us, less calories = more weight loss, not always the case. As soon as I raised my calories to 1200 I started losing again.

I strive to get at least 120 gm protein, 20 to 30 gms fat and the rest in carbs. I choose low glycemic carb sources like whole grains, beans and fruit.

Rubystars 10-28-2011 11:34 PM


Originally Posted by jen39376 (Post 57875)
I am not looking for a slow process diet, I want it over!!

[

It will never be over, you have to maintain for the rest of your life, which will always mean watching calories to some degree. You can eat a bit more on maintenance than when you're actively trying to lose, but only a bit. The sooner you accept this the sooner you can work on lifestyle changes you can live with for as long as you live.


I know it’s not the “healthy” way
You admit this and yet you still want to do it? The minimum for women is usually 1200 calories, for men 1500 calories, and if you have an active lifestyle you may need more. Personally I tend to average around 1400 but I have days when I go higher and I've lost 60 lbs. already since last summer.

If you're not willing to do the work and wait for it then you will regain the weight later. You can't just go back to eating 'normal' and expect not to be at the size you were before. Then all that strain was put on your body for no good reason.


but I am not starving myself or fasting so how unhealthy can it be?
Really? Does your body know that?


So if anyone can help me out with the carb to fat ratio, I would be so grateful, I have gone on so many websites researching that I am more confused then ever.
Go eat an avocado for goodness sakes.

volleyballgranny 12-02-2011 02:49 AM

jen...Go buy an Atkins book! The latest one, The New Atkins for a New You (NANY), gives a lot of information on the types of carbs we need and how much fat/protein we should get for a healthy body. I've forgotten what else I was going to say, but you need to educate yourself and then use what works for your body. If you can't buy the book, go to the Atkins website and take some of their web classes. You'll love the information and the Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA) is research-based and very easy to follow.


All times are GMT -12. The time now is 11:07 AM.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.