I have been struggling mucho these last few months- I am at a lower weight than I've ever been, BUT, I tend to loose like 4 lbs in 2 weeks, then have my period & gain back 3 (I just want to/ & lately I DO just eat SOO much when I'm on my period- I really need a game plan for that), then loose a couple more lbs, so at the end of the month, I only actually loose 2-3 lbs which totally sucks for me since I've got so much more to go!
So far calorie counting has worked for me, I love it because you can eat whatever if you stay within the calories- or so I thought, thats not really working for me anymore, cause I say "Ok I'm going to go to the movies & eat Chipotle & get a diet soda before" but then that turns into desserts, candy, popcorn & just overeating in general- SO I think I really need to not only count my calories but use them WISELY- No more cheap carbs- I do believe its healthier in my opinion to eat a higher protein/fat content, increasing satiety and decreasing vegetable oils, trans fats, etc. (of course by eating food like chipotle or at restaurants, do I really do this?!?!)
I need to learn to eat with more of a schedule and have bigger meals (I tend to "graze" like constantly eat very small <100cals things nonstop) - so I think 3 larger meals & 2 smaller snacks is going to have to work for me.
OK SO MY POINT!
I see all these people doing very low carb diets to speed up their weight loss- and I want a change, I DO want to speed up my weight loss, and I think to a point that is pretty healthy, and I DO want to decrease my carbs, esp the bad ones ... So I'm wondering- should I just stick with counting my calories & actually stick with it, or try something new like a very low carb diet?!? hmm..
WOW I just woke up, I'm rambling... Thank you if you made it even halfway through & thanks for the advice!
Well, I never recommend that anyone do anything, diet wise, that you cannot maintain on a long term basis. And eating next to no carbs usually doesn't work out for a long term eating plan. At least not for many people!
However, I think you are onto something when you say that you're thinking about spending your calories better on healthier foods. That in general is a good idea. After I'd lost about 70ish pounds, I stalled a lot and I lowered my carbs and added more protein into my diet than I'd had before and that helped un-stall me. I'm still eating between 2 to 4 servings of carbs a day though.
When it comes to the amount of weight you're losing, I really don't think you should worry about that. You're losing a good amount, at a healthy rate. In the long run, it might just help you keep it off if you do it that way. People who tend to drop the weight like hot stones are usually the first ones to gain it back plus some!
Remember that this isn't so much a diet.... as it is a re-vamping of your lifetime way of eating. This is something you're doing for LIFE, not just to lose weight. To be HEALTHY, not just to be skinny.
I do a mixture of Low carb/ CC / & a odd day of IF thrown in.
Why not do two weeks of NO carb? see if you like it.
Then introduce some good carbs. I do eat a odd carb here & there now, but do not mix with protien, EXCEPT after a 24hr IF.
What i like about low carb is that you really dont get that hungrey!
I cant graze, just is my down fall. So i either stick to a IF day or Breakfast, Small lunch, Protien/veg/salad type of dinner.
IF i do have a craving, i will have a lowfat yoghurt (mullerlight!) Or a diet cupasoup(carb) depending on the craving, or a diet hot choc if the choc phase kicks in
I AGREE 100% with starfishkitty! I think you've done GREAT so far! But this IS going to be for life...right? So...trust me...I understand about wanting to get somewhere in a hurry...but when you look at it in that way, it's ok to lose a couple pounds a month...at least you know there FAT lbs and not MUSCLE lbs.
Personally, I could NOT or would not want to live without my pancakes or muffins...this journey just wouldn't be fun anymore. I'd rather lose 1 lb/month and still eat my favorite foods than lose 10lbs/month in total deprivation. I guess it comes down to what's most important to you. For me...it's food...I love food.
True stuff ladies!!!
Yea I guess you're right, I DO want this to be forever, & I dont want to live off of ONLY salad & meat for forever (& Mishflynn I know you didnt mean forever, I'm exaggerating), I do want carbs still- but I DO need to stick with my calories & replace my white sugary carbs for something healthier....
Hi DOTK... I do low carb and calorie counting. Most all of my carbs come from veggies. It is working for me. I did the induction phase on South Beach and it really does work to stop sugar/carb cravings. For me, that makes it easier to stick to lower calories because my body isn't craving junk. Also, when you are counting calories it is better to choose healthier foods so that you get enough food. lol That is what makes the difference to me... no way am I wasting my whole 1200-1300 calories on a junk food meal.
You are doing really well...... just do what you are comfortable and what you can maintain.
I also calorie count and count my carbs as well. I figured out a while back that I just can't reduce calories and eat whatever carbs I want. Probably why weight watchers never worked in the long run for me. The more carbs I eat the more carbs I want.
My last go around in October of last year I was doing decent just counting my calories, at 3 or 4 weeks I only lost 1lb, and then the next few weeks I didn't lose much more. I looked at my info on fitday and decided I was probably getting too many carbs. The next week I made sure I got under 100 net carbs every day, that week I lost 3.5lbs. I felt like I had a breakthrough. =) I also eat on an IF schedule. Which basically means I eat larger meals in a shorter period of time. For me it's 2-8pm. Love it. I always hated eating 6 small meals a day, but that's what you always hear you should do for your metabolism.
In March I ate 1200-1600 calories and less then 100 net carbs per day. I lost 14.4lbs, which is more weight then I've ever lost in a month before.
Anywho, right now I eat 3 large meals a day. My calorie range is 1200-1600. My net carb range is 50-75. I don't pay attention to fat or protein on a daily bases, but my average is around 65g of fat and 123g of protein per day. I eat 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies everyday. Most of my fat comes from nuts and dairy (eggs and no more then 3oz of cheese per day.)
It works really well for me with losing weight, and it also fills me up and I have no desire to snack on junk. Avoiding pasta, bread and simple carbs in all the snack foods really makes a difference for me.
I also calorie count and count my carbs as well. I figured out a while back that I just can't reduce calories and eat whatever carbs I want. Probably why weight watchers never worked in the long run for me. The more carbs I eat the more carbs I want.
My last go around in October of last year I was doing decent just counting my calories, at 3 or 4 weeks I only lost 1lb, and then the next few weeks I didn't lose much more. I looked at my info on fitday and decided I was probably getting too many carbs. The next week I made sure I got under 100 net carbs every day, that week I lost 3.5lbs. I felt like I had a breakthrough. =) I also eat on an IF schedule. Which basically means I eat larger meals in a shorter period of time. For me it's 2-8pm. Love it. I always hated eating 6 small meals a day, but that's what you always hear you should do for your metabolism.
In March I ate 1200-1600 calories and less then 100 net carbs per day. I lost 14.4lbs, which is more weight then I've ever lost in a month before.
Anywho, right now I eat 3 large meals a day. My calorie range is 1200-1600. My net carb range is 50-75. I don't pay attention to fat or protein on a daily bases, but my average is around 65g of fat and 123g of protein per day. I eat 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies everyday. Most of my fat comes from nuts and dairy (eggs and no more then 3oz of cheese per day.)
It works really well for me with losing weight, and it also fills me up and I have no desire to snack on junk. Avoiding pasta, bread and simple carbs in all the snack foods really makes a difference for me.
Personally, I think speed is one of the worst reasons for choosing to reduce carb intake (I'm not saying it wasn't one of my reasons, just that it wasn't a very good one).
I don't lose much faster on low-carb than on high-carb, but the hunger difference is amazing. Low-carb does speed weight loss slightly for me, but the biggest difference is in allowing me to diet more comfortably, because it reduces what I call "rabid hunger." When I eat high-carb, I feel absolutely starved. I'm less hungry on 1800 calories of low-carb than on 3000 calories of high carb.
Personally I love exchange plans, probably because I'm most familiar with them. Most of the diets I've succeeded at in the past, have been exchange plans - which I learned in Weight Watchers (I joined the first time when I was 8 years old, in 1972. Before 1997, WW was always an exchange plan).
Compared to a classic exchange plan, my low-carb exchange plan has more protein and vegetable exchanges and fewer bread exchanges.
In an exchange plan 3 veggie exchanges = 1 bread exchange (as both contain about the same calorie/carb content).
You could apply the same to calorie counting, choosing more protein and non-starcy vegetables and fewer bread/grain/starches.
I think it may be more important to work on the discipline of staying on a plan than change it up. Low carb works, calories counting works....all diets work, but only when we follow them correctly.
I calorie count and follow a very low carb (ketogenic diet). It is easy to do and I love how I feel on it. It's up to you to find the right combination of things that help you lose weight, but it has to be sustainable and make you feel healthy and motivated.
I have been struggling mucho these last few months- I am at a lower weight than I've ever been, BUT, I tend to loose like 4 lbs in 2 weeks, then have my period & gain back 3 (I just want to/ & lately I DO just eat SOO much when I'm on my period- I really need a game plan for that), then loose a couple more lbs, so at the end of the month, I only actually loose 2-3 lbs which totally sucks for me since I've got so much more to go
From the age of 9 or 10 (in fourth grade when I started my period), this was the story of my life. Just to maintain my weight, I'd have to diet diligently all month, because I would be so hungry during PMS/TOM that I'd undo all the progress I'd made the other two to three weeks. Having a net loss for the month was a miracle and required 30 days of diligence. If I slacked off for even a few days, I'd barely maintain or would even gain weight.
I always thought it was a willpower problem (of course you can choose to always define it as a willpower problem).
I found that birth control helped amazingly. Ironically, I avoided birth control for years, despite severe PMDD, because I was concerned about potential weight gain. Instead, I found my appetite drastically reduced.
The best method of bc (for hunger control) for me was constant all-month bc (that is no placebo week most months - like YAZ for example). Norplant or bc patches probably would have the same effect.
Also, low-carb overall helps, but I eat try to eat lowest carb during PMS/TOM hunger weeks. This is tough, because I crave carbs the most when they're worst for me. During my PMS/TOM I crave red meat and sugar. I indulge the beef cravings without guilt (because I don't eat much red meat the rest of the month), but I have to constantly crave the sugar and chocolate cravings (oddly I don't care for chocolate any other time of month).
I also found that lower carb I eat the 10 days before TOM is due, along with the birth control, the fewer PMDD symptoms I have. Less cramping, less water weight gain, less severe mood swings... (hubby rarely calls me werewolf anymore), and a shorter lighter period to boot (WIN/WIN).
I was doing low carb but got stuck for THREE MONTHS with that last 10 pounds. A few years ago I lost like 50 pounds doing calorie counting. Gained it back due to stress. This time I tried low carb because my man was and I got annoyed having to make 2 dinners. Now I am doing lower carb (no junk carbs just fruit, veggies & whole grains... except for my special K problem). No clue if it will work but I am hoping so. Can't give up carbs all together as I LOVE berries, grapefruit & peaches way too much. I try to keep my carbs under 100g and have closer to 70g of protein. I am also lifting weights to try and tone up as much as I can for my age.
ANYWAY, don't know if this is going to work. I lost about 30 pounds this year and just have that last 10, more or less, to go. I am hoping I can get under 135 which has been where I hit a wall this year.
Calorie Counters- Low Carb Advice!
I think you've done GREAT so far! But this IS going to be for life...right? So...trust me...I understand about wanting to get somewhere in a hurry...but when you look at it in that way, it's ok to lose a couple pounds a month...at least you know there FAT lbs and not MUSCLE lbs.
I'd rather lose 1 lb/month and still eat my favorite foods than lose 10lbs/month in total deprivation. I guess it comes down to what's most important to you. For me...it's food...I love food.
