Carbs? Proteins?

[Anonymous]

I need to lose 35 pounds. My plan was to go a little heavy on the protein and light on the carbs for the first couple weeks to wean me off carbs. I am a carb addict - particularly sugar. I am trying to figure out though what percentage of each would be best. I have heard that one can drop weight at first by hiking up the protein - but goes that mean going almost no carbs?

So far today I have had...

Breakfast: Tea with skim milk, an English muffin, 2 scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Club soda, 1 can of white tuna in water with a bit of low fat mayo and an apple
Dinner...not eaten yet but will be pan cooked fish, some quinoa mixed with salsa and some veggies.

So I realize that actually I haven't really gone low carb as I have carbs at every meal! But i have increased my protein - partly to keep me fuller longer so I don't crave the crakers, fruit, candy, cookies, pop that I normally turn to to snack on. I haven't snacked yet today...but usually snack late in the day, not sure what to have.

Is what I am doing ineffective? higher protein but still eating decent amount of carbs?

According to myfitness pal breakfast and lunch today so far is Calories: 592 Carbs: 54 Fat: 20 Protein: 52

Any advice?

[Anonymous]

My Fitness Pal App. It will dummy it all down for youi. I'm having amazing results.

[Anonymous]

huh. I am for 85 carbs a day, so the quinoa and such for lunch will probably bump you up. Get more protein and less grains, get your carbs from veggies. Quinoa is not good for you.....it is just another grain. Use veggies.

[Anonymous]

nix english muffin and maybe subb greek yogurt and/or add spinach/tomatoes in the eggs to fill it out. lunch sounds very light either add snack or something to it like cucumbers/carrrots. you chugging that water?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:huh. I am for 85 carbs a day, so the quinoa and such for lunch will probably bump you up. Get more protein and less grains, get your carbs from veggies. Quinoa is not good for you.....it is just another grain. Use veggies.

Quinoa is not just another grain--it's a mineral-packed perfect protein.

Op, unless you are willing to go low/ no carb forever, the jump start you hope for will be mostly water weight. Any at loss will it,I truly be regained to larger percentage. Change your diet to reflect how you want to live the rest of your life.


I agree you have to kill the sugar habit, as well as white, processed flour. Instead of a white English muffin, try a 100% whole wheat with no added sugars or HFCS. Definitely bump up the veggie content for satiety and health. You can limit grainy carbs, but I wouldn't eliminate them. Get high quality, complex, low sugar carbs in there. The bonus is that these types of carbs have higher protein, higher fiber, and lower sugar counts, so you get a lot of value.

[Anonymous]

For the month of January I made a commitment to cut out all flour--bread, pasta, crackers, pretzels, cookies, etc. I knew I couldn't do the sugar AND flour at the same time. And that's not how I want to live. So far, it's been great. I'm down 6lbs of the 17 I want to lose. I love my nonfat Greek yogurt with fruit in the morning. I'm also a fan of quinoa. As a treat, I have a small square of good dark chocolate.

I thought I was pretty active--workout several days at the gym. I got a Fitbit Zip for Christmas, and now I am much more active, especially on the days I don't go to the gym. Like with the food, I was over estimating my activity level. The instant feedback has been the jumpstart I have needed.

Good luck OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:huh. I am for 85 carbs a day, so the quinoa and such for lunch will probably bump you up. Get more protein and less grains, get your carbs from veggies. Quinoa is not good for you.....it is just another grain. Use veggies.

Quinoa's good for you. It's not really a carb or grain, more of a seed and it's full of fiber and protein. Getting carbs from veggies is good too, but there's nothing wrong with quinoa.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need more vegetables.

Not all carbs are bad. Quinoa =/= white flour.

[Anonymous]

I'd focus on cutting white carbs. Whole grains are okay. Increase vegetables. Your protein looks okay. I've lost 30 lbs by mostly cutting the white carbs out of my diet and controlling portions.

[Anonymous]

I don't think the issue is that you need to go low/no carb. It is more an issue of where the carbs are coming from. You should be getting equal percentages of protein, fats and carbs. However, the carbs should be coming from things like fruits, vegetables, sweet potato, brown rice/quinoa or a piece of Ezekiel bread, not an English muffin.

I also agree that you need more vegetables. You can never go wrong with lean protein and some veggies roasted with olive oil.

So at every meal have a protein, fruit or vegetable and a complex carb (the fruit counts as a carb).

I aim for at least 100-125 g of protein a day. It is not easy and requires really thinking about what I will eat, but I have found that a high protein diet keeps me full longer and really curbs my bad carb/sugar cravings.

I would also look at it as something you can maintain long terms. 2 weeks of eating this way will reduce carb cravings, but if you then go back to eating whatever, you will go back to craving sugar and to where you were.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks all. My totals for yesterday were

Calories: 1,245 Carbs 123g Fats 34g Proteins: 104g

I felt horrible yesterday - headache and achy. I think this was mostly from the lack of caffeine (I normally drink 3 cans of diet pop a day) and that I had almost no refined sugar. I did forget at one point and grab a handful of dried cranberries - bad idea.

On the good side. I ate dinner at 7 and then didn't really feel the need to snack and didn't have anything more other than a glass of club soda with a splash of orange juice in it.

I spent most of my life healthy and fit without trying to hard but I have been very unhealthy for a while now and my late 30s body doesn't respond the same. I do want to eat in a way that is sustainable, but I know that I need a couple weeks with very little sugar/simple carbs for my body to stop craving them so much.

I have eaten an English muffin for breakfast almost every day for the last probably 15 years of my life! I have it either with peanut butter and banana or with an egg or two. I am not sure if that is something I want to give up as it is part of my routine.

I will up the veggies. Not sure if I had too much protein yesterday? I wasn't hungry at any point in the day. I also had an afternoon snack of 4 pieces of 12 grain melba toast and a bit of hummus.

I think if I focus on no more pop, and minimal white carbs / sugars hopefully that will help.

[Anonymous]

I still drink a can of diet coke every day (of course diet coke refers to all diet soda varieties since I am from the east, I am guessing you are from MN or WI with the pop reference?). I also have coffee every morning. I figure losing weight and limiting processed food and white carbs is more important than forgoing caffeine.

[Anonymous]

Be sure and drink a ton of water. If you like unsweetened iced tea drink a little of that for variety and to wean yourself off caffeine. I don't think cutting out sugar gives headaches.

If you keep the English muffins, either just have half or switch to whole wheat.

[Anonymous]

Look at a primal or paleo way of eating for longterm health and sustainability.

I'm doing the Whole 30 challenge right now to kick my addiction to cupcakes.

[Anonymous]

Primal/paleo, and quinoa isn't all that good for you. Full of antinutrients, carbs and not all that much protein. Eat fish, beef, chicken, pork....Greek yogurt is yummy but watch the carbs they dump into the flavored ones! Mostly sugar. Try chobani or fage plain and add fruit.
1 G protein for each lb lean body weight. Then add fat and carbs from veggies. No grains or beans. They're useless and most people really don't digest them well.
Then go lift heavy things.