Newbie

[Bobbi6]

Hi I’ve been lurking here awhile. I am trying to lose 77 lbs. i has a fitness coach helping me do calorie counting and low fat everything. I stopped losing now and I’m missing fats. I admit I’ve been eating potatoes, rice, corn and beans this past month and I’m convinced those carbs stalled my weightloss. I want to know how to do LCHF. I read some info on here and I think I’m suppose to eat 20-30g of the right carbs, 37g of protein and unsure about fats. Am I on the right track. Can someone point me in the right direction?

[MikePollard]

dietdoctor.com/explore

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

Well, first off, congratulations on realising that low-fat calorie-counting doesn't work, and welcome to pariah's corner

Don't get too obsessed with the details. A lot of people here didn't bother counting anything. It's probably good to count carbs initially - just so that you get to understand which foods are "carby" and which aren't, but if you follow the guides on the dietdoctor site, you'll quickly figure this out. The dietdoctor site also has loads of good recipes. Half the battle is learning new recipes - it's not as simple as just taking carbs off the plate.

Eat non-starchy vegetables, eggs, meat, and dairy (in approximately that order of priority). Don't remove the fat from anything, don't buy low-fat products, and add extra fat where you feel it's appropriate. Stick to natural, minimally-processed fats - butter, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, meat fat. Avoid chemically-refined oils (ie., most vegetable oils) and margarine.

There's no need to count protein. The acceptable range is very wide.

Add salt to taste. Under no circumstances attempt to reduce salt: you will feel awful and blame it on 'lack of carbs'.

In short: as few carbs as possible, as much fat as you feel happy with, and whatever protein comes along with it. Basing your meals on veg tends to ensure the correct macro profile, and veg cooked with fat are usually a lot nicer than boiled ones. LCHF eating is just healthy eating, and because it's healthy your body stops doing weird things with bodyfat. There's no magic here.

Just curious: what explanation does your coach offer for your failure to lose weight?

[Bobbi6 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thanks for all that encouraging info Awful Toad. My coach says I’m not eating enough calories to lose weight. But I really believe it’s the daily serving of pasta or potAtoes/ carbs. She had me using artificial butter too and I miss real fat. I use to always use full fat butter just in small amounts, much more satisfying. My meals were mostly veggies with my health coach and very little protein. I recently discovered protein keeps me full. I’m excited to start this new journey. I’ll try not to over think it

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Bobbi6]

Well .. she's right in that, if you're exercising, you need to eat enough. It's very important on LCHF to eat until you're full - don't attempt to limit calories. But you're also right in that the pasta and potatoes are the most likely culprit here!

As you've already noticed, adequate protein and fat makes your meals satisfying and filling. You can keep the veggies of course.

From your breakfast post, sounds like you're on the right track. Let us know how it goes.

[Bobbi6 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you Awful Toad I’ll probably struggle not counting calories. It’s been drilled in my head to eat fewer calories to lose weight so I’ll have to really take a leap of faith here. I’ll definitely keep you posted. Thanks again.