what to fight kcals or carbs!!!

Hi All!!

I am quiet new to this site, and joined it since i recently got back to watching my weight and going to the gym. I currently stand at 190lbs and my goal is to get to 115-120. This is my second week on the calorie counting and gyming. I go to the gym 6 days a week and do a variation of cardio and weights, Although i can do more weights but sadly i am a more cardio person, mainly eliptical machines with a bit of fast walking and rowing as well. so all in all i spend about 45 mins per day 6 days a week. I calorie count and i think i consume less then 1000 calories. Have breakfast of a cup of tea and 1 toast of jam with butter and am not really hungry at lunch time so i skip to dinner of any lean meat with veggies etc with 2-3 cups of tea a day with low cal sweetner. However my big question is, what i must look out for I,ve read that having more carbs is not good as they turn into fat, but often foods that are low in cal are high in carbs and i end up with a very limited choice of foods to consume. So what to look out for Calories or Carbs. Also tip on how to achieve my goal soon are highly welcomed. Btw i have lost around 4lbs in these 2 weeks but i thought i'd loose more.

Many Thanks for reading, do share if you've achieved success in the similar kind of weight situation.

OMG, you have to eat more!  If you consume less than 1000 calories a day, your body's metabolism will shut down and start hanging onto every calorie you consume.  If you aren't getting enough to keep your body functioning, it will start burning your muscle instead of the fat.  Carbs aren't necessarily bad.  They give you energy and you need a certain number of carbs every day.  Same with fat.  You just have to be careful about what TYPE of carbs you're eating.  Stick with fruits and veggies, whole grains, brown rice, and other unprocessed carbs.  These are the ones that are good for you.  White bread, sugar, etc is more likely to turn to fat after it's consumed.  Good luck!

thanks for yo reply!! I do eat lots of fruits and greens, and am looking into increasing my cal intake to 1200.

Original Post by konaine:

thanks for yo reply!! I do eat lots of fruits and greens, and am looking into increasing my cal intake to 1200.

 1200 calories per day is the recommended minimum for someone who's sitting on their butt all day, not for someone who's physically active.

In your case, you should figure out how many calories per day you burn, and then take off at most 1000 calories from that number.  So if you burn 2500 calories in a day just by being alive, working, and exercising, then you should eat at least 1500 calories per day.  That would give you a 2 pound per week weight loss, which would be the suggested safe maximum.

Personally, I keep my carbs/protein/fat ratio's at 50/30/20.  I have greatly reduced the quantity of "refined" carbs and sugar ("If it's white, it's not right!"), and stick with whole wheat, brown rice, etc.

Clint

i want to achieve the results soon, hence the 1200 cal mark. I do eat brown bread and a low cal aspartame based sweetner for my tea. And i dont like rice so thats a good thing, However i do eat whole wheat tortilla wraps.

I do have a sweet tooth but i try to control it very much and have an odd apple or a pear.

You may want to achieve results soon, but you may find your body has other ideas.  If you don't eat enough, your body may decide to start conserving fat, and your weight loss will die off.  As well, you risk the loss of muscle tissue as your body looks for additional energy sources.

Carbs are not bad for you in moderation.  Fruit is not bad for you in moderation.  Get your servings of fruit and vegetables in.

That's just my personal opinion.  Others may vary, and what works for me may not work for you.  But I think you should be prepared for a whole lot of comments like "eat more".  A lot more.

Clint

Why is not eating rice a good thing again? Brown rice is very good for you.

Also, you can rush and lose all the weight you want but you are almost 100% guaranteed to gain it back. Slow and steady wins the race :)

I meant that i am not a big fan of rice, so its kind of good for me to avoid the extra carbs. But if i liked it i would definatly eat it :)

There's nothing wrong with carbs. Vegetables are carbs too, and I'm sure you're not avoiding those.

And yes, you really do need to be eating A LOT more caloried throughout the day.

Personally, I think it is almost easier to count carbs than it is to count calories. But it is useful to count both. That way, you are automatically choosing foods that are higher in protein and will fill you up. You can eat 1500 cal worth of mostly carbs (even if they are "good" carbs) and still be starving. But eat the same amount of high protein foods with moderate fat and moderate carbs and you will feel much fuller.

Also I have to second the opinion that you need to eat more. People who just want to "lose it and lose it fast" do not have the mentality to keep it off for the long run. Even if your metabolism doesn't slow down because you are only eating 1200 cal/day then once you hit your goal weight you are very very likely to gain it all back.

Do what you want, but as someone who has been through this already, I'd recommend that you eat more.