The taboo calorie question
 

Hey I know we aren't supposed to talk about calories or fat grams, but i really need to know here. Is the guideline eight to ten times bodyweight or ten to twelve times bodyweight or what?? Also what percentage should be from fat and what protein?
But the main question is the calorie question! Thanks??

Basal Metabolic Functions
 

The "guideline" is 10 - 12 times your body weight in calories a day to satisfy basal metabolic funtions (things like cell division, cell respiration, breaking down of proteins into amino acids, etc). This does not include any activities you do (like lifting weights or using a stairmaster) nor does it include your lifestyle (active, sedentary, desk job, etc). If you are eating below your BMR you run the risk of putting your body under stress which will eventually lead to it shutting down to conserve fat stores - you will lose weight at first, but you will be losing more lean body weight than fat and eventually you'll be losing only LBM.

Fat grams comes into play because you've taken the carbs out of the scenario. You must satisfy your minimum protein requirement first (which is a minimum .6g of protein per lb of LBM and should not be less than 60g of protein for women). The remainder is made up of a few carbs (20 - 50g) and fat. Because fat is metabolically inert eating it in the absence of carbs will not cause it to be stored as fat. You cannot store fat in the absense of insulin. Glucose (carbs) causes a release of insulin. Fat will not have the effect on your body.

Think ratios or percentages and you'll do fine. If 5% of your intake is carbs, and 25-30% is protein that leaves you 60-70% for fat. I generally eat over 100g of fat a day and have lost 60 lbs in 20 weeks. I found eating more made me lose faster; eating less brought my loss down to 1-2 lbs a week. I'm not saying you will lose 3 lbs a week, but whatever your loss it will be more steady and sustained if you're eating enough.

People actually break stalls or plateaus by eating more; eating more fat. Because fat is 9 calories per gram it is easier to get the calories up there; 1 tbsp of butter has 120 calories and no carbs. The same holds for 1 tbsp of olive oil. Eating 300 - 400 calories extra of protein can be difficult; meat is very filling. Because ketosis decreases appetite eating more is often difficult. This is why we say "fat is your friend" :)

In the past powerful posts forum (off the daily low carb support forum) you'll find a thread called "Where's the fat" - it's a good read for information about BMR and eating enough.

HTH
Nat

Fattiegirl, thanks for asking the question.

Nat, thanks for the definitive answer. I've been wondering for a while if I've been eating enough protein. I'm eating about 200 calories/day, and breaking it down to 4% carbs, 26% protein and 70% fat, so that sounds about right. I've been on that for almost 2 months now, still in the induction phase, and just don't seem to be losing weight. I did get down to 179 on 12/11, but since then I've bounced back & forth between 180-182!

I have to say I feel great, generally. Fewer headaches and mood swings, and my hair and skin are healthier than they've ever been since I moved from the coast to the desert. But I sure would like to lose some weight before all my clothes wear out. I don't want to buy new stuff and then "ingrow" it! :p

The only thing I can think of to do is try to drink more water and wait 'til I can get started exercising again (in Jan.).

Any other suggestions?

Coquina

Thank you so much Nat!
 

That is a great answer. Sometimes you say the best things!

Coquina, drinking more water might definitely help; how much are you drinking now? It could also be a factor of what you're eating to make up those 2000 calories. Some have problems with dairy, others with cheese alone. I noticed a difference when I took flaxoil daily with a shake.

Exercise will help things along as well; specially weight training - losing fat is easier when you have more muscle mass which burns more calories while you go about your everyday life; and LCing is a great environment in which to build muscle.

Cos :) Thanks! Not too shabby considering it was 3:30 a.m.! Happy Holidays!

Nat

[QUOTE]Because fat is metabolically inert eating it in the absence of carbs will not cause it to be stored as fat. You cannot store fat in the absense of insulin.[/ QUOTE]


Nat,
Thanks for this explanation of why eating more fat is good. I have a cousin who followed a low carb plan about a year ago. I cannot think of the name of the book right now, but she always basis anything she does on fact. She actually got her family to all follow the plan, and they all lost. Unfortunately none of them continue to follow it, most have gained back their weight. But since September when I started, I have been trying to tell her the basic theories behind some of the low carb rules. She understands most of them, but I had never been able to get the "fat is your friend" theory to be believed by her. This will help me explain it much better.
Thanks
Merry Christmas
Cindy

Thanks... you must be right!!
 

Hey, thanks so much Natrushka for the explanation. I guess my answer is I'm not eating too much!! Today is my fourth day and i weighed in this morning... 4 lbs lost!! woohoo!
I guess most of it is water though? By the way what are your thoughts about sweet imitations. Last night I made some low carb no bake cheesecake that is sooo good! It has cream cheese and butter and gelatin and just a tiny bit of equal...I bet every recipe for yummy stuff could be tweaked into low carb!

Nat's utterly right...though I'd have to say, not for me. A decade of very low calorie dieting permanently lowered my basal metabolic rate, and I can only lose (and darned slowly!) with a multiplier of 8-9, and maintaining will probably limit me to 10 x final weight (which is why my goal is 150 and not a more fasionable 140!). And exercising loads doesn't seem to help that number for me as it 'should' according to the charts you see on calories burned during exercise. Luckily, with LC eating, it's not a strain to eat 1500 calories. But very few other people spent ten years eating 500 calories a day...so I'm sure we're in the minority! Conversely, most people who exercise two hours a day, six days a week can easily eat much more than 12 x their weight.

Raz, exercising loads will actually hurt you. Aerobic exercise if done for more than 45 minutes will cause your body to start canabalizing its own muscle; in this instance less is better, and weight training is best. Nothing burns fat like muscle. Have you tried that? It might be what you need to jump start things.



A lot will be water, yes. However, it was excess water attracted by carbs and you really didnt need it ;) Enjoy the loss but keep in mind that losing more than 2 lbs of fat a week for a woman really isnt realistic.

AS (artificial sweeteners) are one of those "Your Milage May Vary" things. Many people find they experience cravings for the real thing when they indulge; others feel no adverse effects. You have to test the waters to find out. Be careful though, the idea of LC is to kick the sweets - if you truly are a carb addict replacing one addiction with another wont solve anything. Also keep in mind that over the course of the next few weeks your tastes will change - what you used to perceive as sweet and 'yummy' will most likely not be the same. I used to love diet gingerale; now I can't tell the difference between real or diet - I simply don't like either of them, too sweet.

Nat

thanks, nat, and I've been lifting for eight years now. I love it, even it weren't supposed to be "good for me!" lol. And I lifted and walked even at 200 pounds body weight. Luckily, those are both things I totally enjoy at any weight.

The only aerobic exercise I ever do over 45 minutes is walking/hiking the dog, and that's not a regular occurrence in the winters, lemme tell ya! Even in the summer, I only do a long hike once a week or so.

I've gotten into overdoing exercise, as well (can't tell how obsessive I was, can ya?....500 calorie/day diets, then later exercising 3.5 hours a day...sheesh!) and learned all that happens as a result is I eventually injure myself, then it takes a year to heal fully, and that pain is no fun.
I think I'm optimizing the loss I can get...I just can't get a lot. But that's fine now...if I stay off the scale and don't fixate on weight loss as my main goal, but on health gain. :)

The great part about adopting LC as a WOL, Razzle, is that the weight loss becomes a byproduct of eating and living well. I know what you mean about a ruined metabolism; I did pretty much the same thing 10 years ago on the very first "diet" I ever went on - 600 calories a day and 2 hours of exercise a day for over a year. I starved myself down to 150 lbs, which is a size 7/8 on me, and have spent the last 10 years dealing with the consequences. LCing has been a godsend. I believe that perseverance will win out; keep with the calories and the weight training and let your body heal itself, and of course enjoy the other byproducts of this fantastic WOL.

Nat

Just an observation
 

I don' t think artificial sweetened things are that good of an idea after. You want to keep eating them just like ya would real sugar plus they make everything else look way more tempting!!
That's probably why I've been eating (lc food at least) like a dinosaur the last four days and haven't lost any more :(

Im glad my cheesecakees are gone~~!!