Sorry to ask this but i've tried and am seriously math challenged i am thinking this is relatively lower carb.

B- 1 whole egg fried topped with 1/4 cheddar cheese rolled into low carb (3) tortilla

L- 1/2 carton non fat unsweetened Greek Yogurt, big handful of either strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Scant 1/4 cup slivered almonds

D- HUGE salad bowl portion (at least 1 1/2 of those bagged salads) of mixed leafy greens and Romaine, 1/4 Large Avocado, 2 T. regular Salsa, 1/4 cup mushrooms, large handful of home grown broccoli and sunflower SPROUTS, 1 grilled chicken breast

Snack: 1 T almond butter. Hot chocolate consisting of 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 heaping T. dark cocoa powder, 2 T. Irish creamer and the rest water, sweetened w/stevia. Makes a rich hot cocoa

I'm am thinking this's relatively lower carb especially compared to the SAD but i am also wondering if i added in something like boiled mashed sweet potato or some other complex slow digesting lower calorie carb that i might have more energy to workout??

Thanks for any help. Wish i could pay someone who actually does the math on this Doesn't have to be absolutely precise in the carb count

I plugged your numbers into sparkpeople and this is what I came up with:

Breakfast
1 egg, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar, 1 La Tortilla Smart & Delicious Tortilla*

Calories: 236 Carbs: 11 Fat: 16 Protein 18

*this tortilla has 3 grams NET carbs as you indicated but 10 grams total

Lunch
6 oz. Chobani plain Greek yogurt*, 1 C. whole strawberries, 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Calories: 303 Carbs: 21 Fat: 15 Protein 27

*I didn't know what you meant by "half a carton" so I went with the 6 oz. single-serving container

Dinner
2 C. leaf lettuce, 2 C. romaine lettuce, 1 C. raw broccoli, 1/2 C. sunflower sprouts, 1/4 C. mushrooms, 1/4 of an avocado, 2 T. salsa, 4 oz. grilled chicken

Calories: 292 Carbs: 15 Fat: 13 Protein 32

Snack
1 T. almond butter, 4 oz. unsweetened almond milk, 3 T. cocoa powder, 2 T. International Delight Irish Creme coffee creamer*

*I couldn't find any brand that made this flavor sugar-free so I assume it is not.

Calories: 235 Carbs: 27 Fat: 16 Protein 6

DAILY TOTALS
Calories: 1066 Carbs: 74 Fat: 60 Protein 84

Your carb amount is certainly below what many people consume and it's below the 100 grams that some consider low carbing. But it's definitely not Atkins low.

The problem seems to be your calories. If my numbers are accurate you're barely eating 1,000 calories which is far too low. I doubt there's 500-800 calories hiding somewhere in misunderstanding what you ate or bad math. If you don't have energy, I suspect it's because you're not fueling your body.

Try adding some more protein and fat. Maybe make lunch more of a meal (meat, veggies, fruit) rather than the snacky foods it consists of now. Perhaps consider a lower carb, higher protein snack in place of the cocoa.

HTH!

Wow TY Novus,

Well i just repurchased my usual yogurt and got the carton out and no, i eat half a SIXTEEN ounce carton, LOL which is 260 calories and then add in the heaping cup at least of strawberries, and then the almonds. hmm it says carbs per serving are 13g in the yogurt. Protein is 19 g's per serving so that's definitely a decent amt of protein and some fat and antioxidants in the berries.

Also the dinner, i eat twice the amount of lettuce you stated although that's probably still not saying much and the avocado is a LARGE one and sometimes i eat half of it instead of 1/4.

Also the chicken may be higher than 4 oz, let's say double that.

The thing is, i eat like this 6 days out of the week and it's certainly doable for me, if i'm hungrier i'll eat more almond butter or an egg, or... i may just add in a boiled sweet potato w/a bit of butter (for antiox absorption) as sweet potatoes nutritional value is very high and it does have complex carbs, maybe it'll help me in my workouts but what i'm getting at is fridays are my free day and i am serious i literally eat about hmmm, 6,000 calories? An incredible amount of food and carbs. Yes i know this isn't for most people but it's the way i lost 100 lbs and stick to my plan and healthy eating and relatively lower carb (from what it seems like, the #'s you came up with seem def. lower in comparison to Standard American Diet)

So thank you so much

You are eating a relatively low carb diet, especially if you add things like more avocado, more almond butter, etc.

Sweet potatoes are not a complex carb, IMO. They are technically, but so are potatoes and corn. They digest super quickly and easily and do raise sugar levels in diabetics. However.... That isn't to say you can't have it! You ar still eating relatively low carb even with adding it and as you said, it' slacked nutritiously.

As far as your calorie count goes - if it works for you, then stick to it. This whole notion of 1200 calories being a floor is hogwash. However, yes, if you are too tired for exercise, you need to do something to boost your energy and that might be adding carbs, or just adding more calories overall. Fiddle around with things tunic you find the right mix.

Lettuce has no nutrition to speak of. Try spinach or kale or argula to get some. I don't consider you diet low carb, but that's only because my doc told me to always have twice as much protein as carbs and I am for 50 grams of net carbs and at least 100 grams of protein. Try adding more vegetables, besides salad.

Ok, so, the yogurt was definitely a pretty significant math error. The 6 ounce container of Chobani plain yogurt is only 100 calories and 7 carbs. I'm not sure how 8 ounces (half a 16 ounce container) has 260 calories and 13 carbs unless it's not non-fat unsweetened as you said.

But anyway that's an additional 160 calories, and if you're really eating 8 ounces of chicken in the salad (that's a lot of chicken!) that's another 140 calories, so that puts your daily total closer to 1300, which is probably still a bit low but not scary low.

I do think you need a greater variety of protein, veggies, and fruit in your diet. I also really think you should tweak your lunch so it's more of a meal, and trade out the cocoa for a lower carb, higher protein snack.

But if it's working for you, that's all that really matters. And to answer your original question, your carb count seems to be just sneaking in below the 100 grams a day that some people consider low carbing.

Hi QuilterinVA, thanks for weighing in!

Actually all leafy greens including lettuce except for iceberg are packed with nutrition, i eat Romaine and a lot of Organic "Baby Spring Mix" which has all sorts of greens like baby kale, baby chard, baby spinach, baby romaine, argula, mustard, raddicchio, green leaf, mazuna, etc. etc. so that is a lot of green leafy nutrition plus the sunflower and broccoli home grown *SPROUTS* are far more nutritious ounce for ounce than their full grown plant counterparts so i think i'm getting a pretty good bang for my buck in that salad plus i do add in broccoli, cauliflower, beets, mushrooms some days.

i DO think this diet is low carb in relation to the average American diet which can be cereal and toast or muffins for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. for dinner and a dessert!

Yep, Novus, it's Lucerne non fat unsweetened Greek Yogurt and that's what i read off the label and i pack it w/fresh berries and the almonds which i think is a pretty nutritious meal, with the fats, antioxidants and lots of protein but i was thinking of adding in another snack before workout, reason i say boiled mashed sweet potato is it might have the additional energy that i need (i'll put a small pat of butter on it for antioxidant absorption, etc.) and if you google sweet potato, its nutrition esp Vitamin A is right up there w/the most nutritious vegetables and the glycemic index of boiled is a lot lower than baked which i don't like anyway but....

yea i think i do eat a full chicken breast which can be big because i think i need the additional protein. But like i said, fridays i probably make up for everything in the sheer variety and volume of food i allow myself.

i am so appreciative of your input and doing the numbers for me (Thank You!), it does make me feel a little bit better of how i eat (i feel i eat very healthily in comparison to a lot of Americans) although the variety could be a little better and it would be if i didn't have Free Fridays!