redgirl1974's Journal, 03 August 2016

Can you check with your doctor and get a meeting with a nutritionist? Mine is great for questions like that. I am still tweaking the plan but the overall goal is 125 grams of carbs, 125 grams of protein, and no more than 20 grams of fat. Which is 1200 calories, I am only 5 foot 3 so that is a good amount for me while I am losing weight. 

Red, there are lots of folks here who lose weight on other plans. If LCHF isn't working, try something else. I lost 70 lbs on Weight Watchers years ago. The same advice holds true for everyone; you've got to do what works best for you. Look around at some of the stats of people who've been doing well on other diets, pick one and try it for a month. LCHF works fantastically well, as you know; but you also know that you have to be very strict with it. Whatever you do, don't let yourself gain back your losses! You've made fabulous progress; hang on to it! Maybe your body needs something different for now. I wish you well with your explorations. Keep us posted! 

Red, I follow high fat, moderate protein low carb but not extreme low carb. I have two fruits daily and two slices of 100% rye toast ..no potatoes, rice, white stuff....I can do this easily.! 

I use the following tool to set my calorie limit depending on what my goals are www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html . It's primarily design for weight loss but it gives a fairly accurate estimate. You should also use the activity factor, being honest about your activity, and not try to track every little thing you do during the day. The activity factor already includes those things so you're only giving yourself a false impression of what you actual burn during a day if you include them. The key to is to not "got off the rails" and binge on the foods. You'll probably find foods you like that you'll still need to avoid due to triggering overeating. Restrictive diets do cause people to abandon them so being more flexible has advantages. It also has pitfalls so be careful not to over indulge. Good luck! 

(I hate FS comment squish! Give us line breaks!) I count both calories and carbs - as well as macros in general - but I aim for a moderate carb range, not low. It's worked well for me, whereas low carb never did...or else it did, but the weight came right back or I fell of the wagon at some point months in. I find moderate carb, while watching my intake of cal/prot/fat/vit/min/water and eating 5-?? servings of veg/fruit per day (generally 2-3 fruits) while avoiding junk carbs - sugar, white rice, wheat in my case too - works well for me. But of course, it might not be your body's thing. So I can only comment based on my own experience. Here are some links I used to help find my carb sweet spot - lots of useful info/also a bunch of blah-blah-blah/even some conflicting info, as with most health articles. Hopefully, you'll find some use in them, too: - http://chriskresser.com/the-3-step-process-to-determining-your-ideal-carbohydrate-intake/ - http://www.mynetdiary.com/choosing-a-diet.html - https://weightmaven.org/2011/09/04/why-i-eat-moderate-carb/ - http://exceednutrition.com/how-many-carbohydrates-to-lose-weight/ 

Rats. The FS system truncated my links. Here are the same links as my previous post, run through tinyurl...hopefully this will work. - The 3-step Process to Determining Your Ideal Carb Intake - http://tinyurl.com/hrugpgg - Diets: Which one is best for you? (re: carbs) - http://tinyurl.com/zckvhwh - How Many Carbs to Lose Weight? (covers the whole range of options) - http://tinyurl.com/jx8pobs - Why I Eat Moderate Carb - http://tinyurl.com/hdmzzut *crosses fingers that they post properly* 

I really like that tool @CatHearder! 

Low carb works great, whether Atkins or otherwise...super good at maintaining a calorie deficit as well as allowing the body to self regulate blood sugar while burning fat. Moving to a maintenance or calorie counting weight loss plan can work but as many here can attest to, success is very dependant on personal honesty and accuracy when logging intake and also finding what calorie deficit works for you personally to consistently lose weight or maintain. Also, even on these plans most respected sources still say to be careful with calorie dense items (sugars & fats) and hidden calories. Good luck finding a plan that resonates with your lifestyle...lots of good information on this site and others to work with...wishing you great success going forward Red!! 

Once you find a pattern for yourself that works for consistent fat loss, things do get easier 

Red, my pitfall coming off LCHF is that once you start adding in carbs, you've got to remember that you're now giving up the high fats, Because , Honey, you cain't do both! I got used to the cream, butter and bacon, then decided I'd let a few carbs back in, but forgot to balance out the fats. ........ OOPS! Had to fix that. So just be careful! 

I can really relate to your post! I lost quite a bit of weight on Low-carb, but never actually lost all the weight I needed to, then it just started coming back on no matter what I did, so I gave up. I also have kept my low-carb habits, and want to continue eating good foods, non-processed foods, but have renewed my love of pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes. Mostly bread. Am going to try calorie counting and see how it goes. I am interested in how your journey will go as well! 

You've done great thus far. Just vigilantly tracking my food seems to keep me relatively reasonable with my calorie intake. Carbs or not. I know when I "fall off the wagon" there is usually a 3 month lapse in tracking and I am back to where I started, or worse. I am sure any reasonable diet plan (followed relatively honestly) will keep you making the progress you want. Especially with as much progress that you have made so far. 

Lots of good advice here. I think your plan is reasonable, to maintain for a while till you get used to your new regime. My understanding is, if you come off LCHF, you will gain a few pounds, BUT it is mostly water weight and some glycogen, and not fat. So don't panic if that happens, it's just your body adjusting to different kinds of food. I don't think you're going to find it so very difficult to make the transition, you are clever and resourceful and diligent and persistent, you'll do fine. Just know that LCHF is not the only way, the evidence is all around you, and other methods will work for you as they do for others. 

GOOGLE the Katch Mcardle Formula which will help you calculate your BMR and TDEE to help you figure out calories - if you gain, reduce the calories by 100 calories a week until you are losing again.  

Makes perfect sense, I've watched you struggle to restart since the first of the year, you might never find the desire to really commit to low-carb again, and that's ok. You probably should forget diet at all for a while and just enjoy life without the stress and pressure, intrinsic or extrinsic, of recommitting to a lifestyle you don't really want to follow.  

I support your decision. Your work offers healthy food. That's pretty rare.  

Do what you feel is right for your body and eat in a way that's sustainable. Calorie counting has always been extremely reliable for me no matter how many carbs I'm eating. Some days I eat around 70 which is still high compared to low carb eating and some days I've eaten almost 200 but if I stay under calories I will always see the ultimate trend downwards.  

Oh, Philmck - your comments are awesome! So understanding and supportive  

Actually, I opened all the comments and wow - this is a very supportive group of people! Lots of good advice in the comments  

Red, your words were my words once. Many others here have echoed what happened to me with my past low carb adventures. Don't be misled by people like me who are losing weight on 5:2 and 16:8. I want for you whatever works for you. The IF solution that's working for me could have been anything my first month in so I don't really point to that as an IF victory. I lose like that. The first 20 is always fast and easy. I read profiles of people trying to lose 20 and I can't relate to that. I didn't have success until 6 or 8 weeks in that I can truly attribute to the IF choice I've made. In my opinion, if you tried IF for a couple weeks and it didn't work, you haven't really tried IF. I think it takes longer than that to adjust. Once you do, it's great but it's not easy in the beginning. You'll be hungry on the "2", but the "5" is wonderful and the pattern is sustainable.