Low calorie, Hi carbs not working out well

[Fay48]

I have noticed that even though I have a 1000 calorie daily deficit, I am not losing weight when my carb count is really high. Has anyone had the same issue? I am older and have a slowing metabolism.

[wegirl]

It depends on what kind of carbs you are eating.  Basically cut out anything white out of your diet and you should be good to go.  In other words, instead of white rice, have quinoa or brown rice, only eat whole grain breads (they should say 100% whole grain on the label).  One of my favorite whole grains is wheat berry.  It takes forever to cook, but you can cook up a big batch and freeze it.  A little olive oil and some fresh herbs and you've got a great, healthy side dish.  One last thing, when you are having any kind of carb, even the good ones, watch your portion size and don't eat more than 1 to 2 portions a day.  

[thelovelyliz]

Are you eating enough? If you have too severe of a decicit, you body is going to resist losing weight. I know that sounds counter intuitive, but sometimes eating more, and eating more of the right kind of food is actually the key to losing weight. Carbs aren't the enemy, especially if you're really active. The only other thing I can think is that maybe it's time to incorperate some weight training into your workout routine if you haven't already. Once I hit a certain point, my weight loss stalled until I started building muscle. 

[SimoneP]

1000 calories deficit sounds very big, please try to make sure you eat enough. Your body will start to work against you if you try to keep this up for a long time.

[emili]

So I actually don't subscribe to the too low deficit point of view- unless you are doing it for an incredibly long time. That is "starvation mode" where your body hangs on to fat (calories) because it is fighting to not starve. For that to actually happen, you would need to reduce your calorie intake for months on end (there are thousands of studies to support this- I didn't just make it up). The real question becomes what kind of carbs are you eating? If you have glucose imbalances, your body might be converting more of the carb to sugar and that is what's preventing a better weight loss. Try carbs that have a low glycemic index for two or three days. See what happens. If you see weight loss without experiencing a very low blood sugar- you know what changes you need to make. You can even experiment further by adding moderate glycemic foods back in and see what happens. Generally, slow burning carbs are the ones you want. Veg, fruit, grain, dairy, etc. All good carbs.

[divedragon · Accepted solution]

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@Fay48 wrote:

I have noticed that even though I have a 1000 calorie daily deficit, I am not losing weight when my carb count is really high. Has anyone had the same issue? I am older and have a slowing metabolism.

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As I continue to research dieting and exercise, I continue to learn.  Most recently I have learned that calories may react differently once digested.  It seems some calories like Carbs (and the simplier the greater the effect) stimulate more insulin to be produced than carbs comprised of protien or fat.  It is this extra insulin that prevents fat burning and even adds to fat stores and decreases insulin senitivity.  Insulin is a double agent.  It helps move fat in and out of storage, but if there is too much of it, it is the cause of obesity.   This is why low carb diets work.  If anyone has done Atkins, the diet talks and talks about foods that cause insulin spikes, but he never really explained it.  In the intermittent fasting thread, a link was posted for a Dr Fung in Toronto who has been focusing on diet and nutrition and especially as it pertains to diabetics.  He is a Kidney specilist and a strong proponent of IF.   Even if you don't want to practice IF, his articles are very informative:

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/author/jfung/

[divedragon · Accepted solution]

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@emili wrote:

So I actually don't subscribe to the too low deficit point of view- unless you are doing it for an incredibly long time. That is "starvation mode" where your body hangs on to fat (calories) because it is fighting to not starve.

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Starvaton mode is a myth.  Fasting has disproven this hypothisis over and over again.  Having said that, it seems that idea of eating where insulin is produced combined with calorie restriction has a similar effect to over eating because it reduces the sensitivity of cells to the insulin.  This is why fasting works and calorie restriction causes plateaus.  The real key to dieting is increasing insulin senstitivty which is accomplished by fasting.  As posted above, Dr Fung has a lot of good information about this:

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/author/jfung/

[Fay48]

Divedragon, ever since I read Diane Schwarzbein's books, I have eaten a low carb diet for several years. This is how I have managed my weight.(I am slightly overweight right now due to splurging on holiday baked goods and also just want to get in shape.) Only recently, since I have gotten a fitbit, have I counted calories. I noticed that when I eat low calorie, low carb I lose fairly steadily, but when I eat low calorie, high carb (especially, bad carbs) I gain weight. I am testing the idea that a calorie deficit works and am finding that this is not necessarily true. So I am trying to decide right now if I should just count carbs (avoiding bad carbs) and forget about counting calories. Your information is very helpful and confirms what I have been suspecting.

I appreciate everyone who took the time to respond to my query!

[Fay48]

This is interesting. I lose the most weight when I fast and then count carbs. I will look into your link.

[9v9z9f]

My carbs count on my Charge 6 are saying different numbers too, today it's saying  -141. Should it be saying that can anyone tell me?