Jeanette401
New member
Hi guys,
I've been on a low-carb diet for the last 5 years, and I've managed to keep off 60 lbs with it. However, for a number of reasons I'd like to switch to a more 'normal' eating plan and increasing my exercise and still get in some more fat loss.
In early December I started on this path, mostly by making the following changes:
1) Eat smaller portions - the 7 oz rather than 9 oz steak, etc.
2) Allow slightly more bread/pasta.
3) Increased activity - Wii Fit, standing while watching TV, or vigorous housecleaning etc. especially if I felt like I ate a lot that day.
I managed to pretty much hold steady throughout the holidays despite the attempts of friends and family to feed me up, and have even seen some minor weight loss now that things are more 'normal'. Having taken the first few baby steps and confirming that this is not going to skyrocket my weight up, I'm trying to see where to go next.
Friday I started keeping track of my calories on fitday to see if I could get a baseline for what I'm doing. But it's also left some questions for me which I hope you guys can help with
First - I noticed that there's a fairly wide variance in my calories from one day to the next. I've had a 1300 calorie day and a nearly 3000 calorie day, but how long do I need to get a good average? Right now my average is around 2000, with 2370 as my calculated maintenance. But is there a significant difference in what happens to your metabolism if you eat closer to the average on all days as compared to a wild swing? Or is the weekly average more important than over or under-eating in a single day?
Second - protein. I thought it would be pretty easy to hit the target of 1g per body weight, but it's proving more difficult than I thought. Although I'm working at doing better on cooking ahead, my snacks generally involve one of the following - Fiber One, pistachios or almonds. I'm also a big cheese lover, but that tends to rack up the fat more than protein. I did see reference to getting sugar free protein shakes - but when I went to the store to see what was available, I was somewhat lost. I have no problem with the idea of making up a shake with protein powder and maybe some skim milk and frozen strawberries, but I have no idea what to look for. So - is this something I can get at an average grocery store, or do I need to visit a vitamin store or a gym, and what exactly should I be looking for?
Third - Fish oil! I have been reading the forums here and I saw that it's actually highly recommended. However, there definitely seems to be some quality variance in what you get. I noticed that out of the 1200mg in the capsules, only about 360mg were actually the combined EPA and DHA. And the rest was filler oils. Is there a recommended amount of the EPA and DHA to get?
Fourth, presumably as my weight goes down, my maintenance will also go down, so I will want to taper off my calories. The average of 2000 is probably higher than I was eating before the holidays, but it seems to be okay for now. But what will be the best way to taper down my calories as I get closer to my goal? Or will I have to worry about it, since my goal is around 135, which would work out to be around 2000 calories to maintain anyway?
Anyway, thanks!
I've been on a low-carb diet for the last 5 years, and I've managed to keep off 60 lbs with it. However, for a number of reasons I'd like to switch to a more 'normal' eating plan and increasing my exercise and still get in some more fat loss.
In early December I started on this path, mostly by making the following changes:
1) Eat smaller portions - the 7 oz rather than 9 oz steak, etc.
2) Allow slightly more bread/pasta.
3) Increased activity - Wii Fit, standing while watching TV, or vigorous housecleaning etc. especially if I felt like I ate a lot that day.
I managed to pretty much hold steady throughout the holidays despite the attempts of friends and family to feed me up, and have even seen some minor weight loss now that things are more 'normal'. Having taken the first few baby steps and confirming that this is not going to skyrocket my weight up, I'm trying to see where to go next.
Friday I started keeping track of my calories on fitday to see if I could get a baseline for what I'm doing. But it's also left some questions for me which I hope you guys can help with
First - I noticed that there's a fairly wide variance in my calories from one day to the next. I've had a 1300 calorie day and a nearly 3000 calorie day, but how long do I need to get a good average? Right now my average is around 2000, with 2370 as my calculated maintenance. But is there a significant difference in what happens to your metabolism if you eat closer to the average on all days as compared to a wild swing? Or is the weekly average more important than over or under-eating in a single day?
Second - protein. I thought it would be pretty easy to hit the target of 1g per body weight, but it's proving more difficult than I thought. Although I'm working at doing better on cooking ahead, my snacks generally involve one of the following - Fiber One, pistachios or almonds. I'm also a big cheese lover, but that tends to rack up the fat more than protein. I did see reference to getting sugar free protein shakes - but when I went to the store to see what was available, I was somewhat lost. I have no problem with the idea of making up a shake with protein powder and maybe some skim milk and frozen strawberries, but I have no idea what to look for. So - is this something I can get at an average grocery store, or do I need to visit a vitamin store or a gym, and what exactly should I be looking for?
Third - Fish oil! I have been reading the forums here and I saw that it's actually highly recommended. However, there definitely seems to be some quality variance in what you get. I noticed that out of the 1200mg in the capsules, only about 360mg were actually the combined EPA and DHA. And the rest was filler oils. Is there a recommended amount of the EPA and DHA to get?
Fourth, presumably as my weight goes down, my maintenance will also go down, so I will want to taper off my calories. The average of 2000 is probably higher than I was eating before the holidays, but it seems to be okay for now. But what will be the best way to taper down my calories as I get closer to my goal? Or will I have to worry about it, since my goal is around 135, which would work out to be around 2000 calories to maintain anyway?
Anyway, thanks!