[Kim_in_TN]

I'm sure this has been discussed many times but I don't want to search and search for the threads!

I have been restricting my carbs first and also my calories. In fact I have found when I do the numbers that I am staying quite a bit under 1000 calories per day. I am a bit concerned about the "starvation" mode with weight loss. I have lost 14 lbs. this first 8 weeks of this plan but I don't want to cause a standstill by not getting enough calories!

In addition, I really haven't been keeping up with my total carbs per day ... only making sure that each food I eat is low-carb. My BG readings have been excellent doing this. So this brings me to my question. Should I be concerned with my total daily carbs even though my BG is good, or should I consider the daily total in order to continue weight loss. Also, is staying under 1000 calories a day going to slow my weight loss? I'm so confused as to which I should be most concerned about as far as daily totals. Am I just thinking too much?

[shutterbug]

Originally Posted by Kim_in_TN

Am I just thinking too much?

Yes


Kim, I lost 7 pounds in 30 days on low carb I didn’t count my calories accurately but stayed around 1000-1100/day. I just had a appt with my nutrionist today. She tell me not to worry too much about sugars or calories in food and concentrate on Carbs. I'm pretty sure you know how to calculate carbs by looking at the nutritional information.
I just learned today that you can subtract the total grams of fiber from total cabs.

For example:
If your food has the following:

Total carbs : 20 grams
Fiber : 5 grams
Sugars : 7 grams (this is included in the total carbs already so don’t need to add this)

So your effective carbs is 20 – 5 = 15 grams

Here’s her advice:

For breakfast = < 42 gram of carbs
For lunch/dinner = 45-60 grams of carbs
Snacks should be 12-20 grams of carbs

So, if your daily calorie intake is under 1000, I’m hoping you are very low on carbs.

Good work Kim.

[Kim_in_TN]

Originally Posted by shutterbug

Yes


Kim, I lost 7 pounds in 30 days on low carb I didn’t count my calories accurately but stayed around 1000-1100/day. I just had a appt with my nutrionist today. She tell me not to worry too much about sugars or calories in food and concentrate on Carbs. I'm pretty sure you know how to calculate carbs by looking at the nutritional information.
I just learned today that you can subtract the total grams of fiber from total cabs.

For example:
If your food has the following:

Total carbs : 20 grams
Fiber : 5 grams
Sugars : 7 grams (this is included in the total carbs already so don’t need to add this)

So your effective carbs is 20 – 5 = 15 grams

Here’s her advice:

For breakfast = < 42 gram of carbs
For lunch/dinner = 45-60 grams of carbs
Snacks should be 12-20 grams of carbs

So, if your daily calorie intake is under 1000, I’m hoping you are very low on carbs.

Good work Kim.

Thank you for answering! I don't really know the total carbs I've been eating but I eat things that have very low carbs per serving. I have been mostly looking at the carb amounts on everything I buy instead of calories or fat grams. I guess I will have to start jotting down the total carbs per day as well so I'll have something to compare if I stop losing or (God forbid) regain any weight.

[Kim_in_TN]

OK.... I just totaled my carbs and calories for today. I was really munch hungry today .... PMS (I think) and I had oatmeal for the first time in forever because of a fiber need! Anyway I have had approx. 1100 calories and 98 carbs for the day. I had two "new" and pretty high carb foods today that I haven't had since I really started my "plan". That was the low-sugar oatmeal (20 carbs) and some yams (35 carbs) . If not for them, my total carbs would have been 43 ... so that is a significant difference.

Any comments on my totals and which if either I should lower? I will update in about an hour when I see the effect the yams had on my BG tonight!

[Kim_in_TN]

Ok, just in case anyone other than shutterbug (thank you) decides to answer my questions, I checked my BG. Apparently the yams were a bad idea. My BG was 123 which isn't horrible but it is quite a bit higher than I have had in quite some time. So .... I won't be doing that again!

[davef]

Kim,

I too find getting the balance between BG and weight loss is the biggest thing. I have gone low carb and to be honest I could not tell you either how many calories or the total carbs I'm eating in a day!

I did not want to go down the route of counting calories as I wanted to work on the basis of "I'm not on a diet". So I have been using my meter to decide if I'm eating too many carbs or food that does not work for me. I also know that by cutting out all the junk I was eating, cutting back on the carbs (especially white bread, which I was a demon for) that I have also reduced my calorie intake.

For me, mentally, I find it important to work on the basis of living a new lifestyle but a "normal" life instead of being on a diet. I have lost over 45lbs this way and it works for me, my Doctor is very happy with me and I did run through a typical day (food wise) with him and he was satisfied. When it comes to the carbs, I just try to keep the number I eat each meal (if I can keep it under 20-30 that works) but I'm not obsessing with counting them, I'm 5 months in now and have already built up a sufficient menu of meals/foods that work for me that I can now just go ahead and prepare my meals without having to check packages for carb numbers. That said, I do (1) still test before and after every meal to ensure nothing has changed in how I'm tolerating the food I'm eating (2) When I'm out (in a friends house or restaurant) I'm generally careful to avoid "carby" food, if I am having a few drinks with the meal I'll allow myself some extra carbs.

Remember that losing about 1-2lbs (for women normally 1-1.5lbs) a week is a good way to lose weight and it is more likely that you will be able to maintain your weight loss and avoid the good old "yo-yo", lose lots, gain more than you lost!

You are right to expect to plateau at some stage, it generally happens to us all when losing weight and can happen at different stages. Now for the hard part, I know you have been avoiding weighing yourself between Doctor visits, unfortunately without weighing you will not know when you plateau. To my knowledge, when you plateau what essentially happens is that you body "catches up" with you, in that it learns to survive on the calories it is getting and can slow you metabolism to cope with this, so you don't lose weight (but don't gain either).

If you are weighing once a week, you will see when (or if) this happens and can then take steps to kick start your metabolism again, changing the foods you are eating, alternating days with higher calories on some days (until metabolism starts up faster), do different exercises.

In relation to weighing, if you don't want to have a scale in the house for fear of weighing too often (once a week is recommended) perhaps you could use the scale in a friends or family members house.

I'm sorry for rambling on, there are probably some people who would not agree with my approach, I'm always willing to be correct and to learn that said, I know what I'm doing is working for me, that's not to say it is the right way or the best way for others.

You are doing really well, try not to stress out, I would talk through your average day with your doctor to get his/her agreement.

Please don't get me wrong, if you are happy to counting calories etc, then go for it, what ever works for you, the one thing you may need to do is weigh yourself each week.

[shutterbug]

Originally Posted by Kim_in_TN

OK.... I just totaled my carbs and calories for today. I was really munch hungry today .... PMS (I think) and I had oatmeal for the first time in forever because of a fiber need! Anyway I have had approx. 1100 calories and 98 carbs for the day. I had two "new" and pretty high carb foods today that I haven't had since I really started my "plan". That was the low-sugar oatmeal (20 carbs) and some yams (35 carbs) . If not for them, my total carbs would have been 43 ... so that is a significant difference.

Any comments on my totals and which if either I should lower? I will update in about an hour when I see the effect the yams had on my BG tonight!

Kim,
My nutritionist stressed the importance of carbs than calories. For instance she said we need not count carbs for chicken, meat, cheese (although, shouldn’t be taken in large quantities)

Also, one other thing to keep in mind is the fiber. You can always reduce the fiber content from total carbs and hence a moderate carb meal can become a low-carb (when taken with more fiber).

Here’s what I’ve been following before seeing the nutritionist (and still lost weight).

Breakfast – 1 cup low-carb Cerials with 8oz skim milk or 2 slices of wheat bread with egg whites or substitues (egg substitute is 0 carb – according to the nutritionist)

Lunch – Salad with chicken or brown rice with chicken or 6 inch sub (wheat bread)

Dinner – same as lunch (or a variant)

I have 1 low-fat (dannon lite) yogurt mid-morning.
1 small apple or pears mid afternoon

Again, all depends on your current weight and how much you want to loose. Please don’t starve yourself.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Emm]

How active are you, Kim?
And are you feeling ok eating so little?

If you're still healthy and happy then I don't see it as a big deal (So long as you let yourself have more on the days when you need it - it is energy for the body first & foremost)

I think you're onto something with the lower carb idea. As far as I can see, that's the most successful method of both balancing BGs and weight.

Congrats to you - just make sure you're looking after you

[Kim_in_TN]

Shutterbug, thank you for sharing your "menu" with me! That is very similar to what I have been doing except I am still afraid of cereal and milk and avoiding any type of bread. I use the low-carb tortillas in place of any bread.

Emm .... I have been walking regularly except the last several days we have had rain every day .... grrr! I feel more tired lately but I think it's just because I am not able to get my walks in and also I tend to get very depressed on dark, gloomy days. I need some SUNSHINE!

Dave .... I thought I could count on you to post! Basically what you have said is exactly what I was doing up to my weigh-in. I didn't think / obsess about anything except my BG and carbs. It worked. The thing that put a thorn in my thoughts was my DE himself!

I was so excited for him to come into the room and congratulate my 14 lb. loss! He came in and barely said, "someone's lost some weight". To which I said, "yea, quite a bit ... 14 pounds" Well, his reply was, "must have been the medicine" !!!!!!! Talk about knocking the wind out of someone's sails! I thought I would die right there! Luckily I was so pumped at that point that I said, "no, I've been working my butt off!" Maybe the first 3-5 lbs. was water weight (lost from getting OFF the Actos) but the rest was all my hard work, thank you very much! I told him that I honestly felt that it was psychological on my part when he had said that I should lose some water weight from changing meds. I did almost immediately so THAT boosted my confidence that I could do this now without any resistance from a medication! I know that my new way of eating and my exercising is what made me lose weight. He further went on to back his theory by saying again that Actos causes water weight gain. Well, I quit being "swollen" by the end of the first week!

Now, I just can't get past what he said to me. I don't know what has changed in him. He is a young guy and 4 years ago (when he was new) he was so delightful. The first good A1c I had after my initial diagnosis, he was so excited and called me his "poster child". Through the years he has lost some of his personality and zeal for what he is doing. He has also had 2 children ... maybe he is more stressed at home now? I don't know but that comment about it being the medicine (whether he was kidding or not) REALLY hurt and is still stuck in my head.

I still plan to buy a doctor's scale, so I guess I'll start saving pennies for that now.

Thanks for listening.

[Keezheekoni]

Kim,

According to most sources, this calculator will give you the correct amount of calories to maintain your current weight. From that, subtract 200-300 calories for a 2 pound per week weight loss. I go to 24 Hour Fitness and use their "bodybug"/Apex system, and this is the formula they use. So far it's worked for me (since I'm on Weight Watcher, it amounts to about the same amount of calories for the Points I use, basically it's an average of 60 calories per 1 Point).

I also exercise 5 days per week (weekends off) and do 45 minutes on a recumbent bike, then three days I alternate between upper, lower, total body workouts.

I think your doctor was having a bad day for not being more congratulatory about your weight loss thus far. Smack him for me the next time you see him!

Oh, go see my weight loss blog if you want an idea of my meals... I log them all! It's here. I average between 1500 and 1700 calories per day... okay, don't look at Tuesday's journal, that was my 10th Anniversary and we went out to eat and didn't order off the WW menu at Applebee's!

[Kim_in_TN]

Thank you, Rikki. I'll check out your blog later. I think it is about my pity-party time of the month anyway. *rollseyes* It's hard to know anymore since I had my ablation last summer.

[Lulika]

Hi Kim, you might remember a post I made a day or so ago about hitting a wall? My scales had not moved this week and it bugged me! I am exercising and watching my diet, yet nothing was happening...grrrr!
Then Dave todl me to eat more instead of the usual safe foods I had been eating and I also changed my exercise routine. I had been doing an hour on the treadmill every other day but it had gotten easy...so I upped the speed!
These two simple measures have resulted in a loss of 2lbs this week...yay!!
I eat a little more than I think I ought to one day, then cut back the day after. This way you will jump start your metabolism and lose weight...sounds silly but it works!