After 10 weeks on the paleo/low-carb diet

Czerka

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I have lost about 20 pounds with light exercise. I am now at 176 (6'2). My question is what do I do next. Is it unhealthy for me to stay on it? I don't want to keep losing weight but I kind of like how I feel on this diet. right now im focused on maintenance. I don't really miss carbs that much. Also, if I want to start cutting, do I need to go back on carbs?
 
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Intense exercise and weight lifting will benefit from adding back in carbs, but nothing is necessary

If you like what you are doing, stick as close to it as possible because what is most important is adherence to diet/lifestyle

If you dont want to lose any more weight you are just going to have to eat more. No other way around it. Maybe do what you are doing but add in 1 carb focused meal...maybe something as simple as adding a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast

Be aware that if you do add back in some carbs, you will probably gain a few pounds due to water retention. This is not a bad thing, your muscles will actually likely take on a more appealing shape during the process.

Long story short....find out how many calories you are averaging daily. Add back in 200-300 calories and give it a week. If you are still losig weight, add some more. If you are maintaining, then keep that calorie level going.

Congrats
 

Czerka

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Intense exercise and weight lifting will benefit from adding back in carbs, but nothing is necessary

If you like what you are doing, stick as close to it as possible because what is most important is adherence to diet/lifestyle

If you dont want to lose any more weight you are just going to have to eat more. No other way around it. Maybe do what you are doing but add in 1 carb focused meal...maybe something as simple as adding a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast

Be aware that if you do add back in some carbs, you will probably gain a few pounds due to water retention. This is not a bad thing, your muscles will actually likely take on a more appealing shape during the process.

Long story short....find out how many calories you are averaging daily. Add back in 200-300 calories and give it a week. If you are still losig weight, add some more. If you are maintaining, then keep that calorie level going.

Congrats
thanks. how many carbs should i be doing a day for maintenance? other sites Ive looked at say 100-150. right now im at around 50-70 typically.

one thing thats made this diet easy is that i stilll mess with dairy.... was thinking of trying what that other thread recommends and drinking a ton of milk :yeshrug:
 

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We would need more specifics on your diet and weight loss rate to say how much more carbs you need.......

2lbs a week though, if all you cut was carbs, factoring in water weight I would say like another 125-150g/day. That's 500-600 extra calories.

Thing is, you don't have to replace those calories with all carbs. You can do a mix of carbs, fat and protein at your leisure. You just have to figure out how many calories you need to stop losing weight.
 
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thanks. how many carbs should i be doing a day for maintenance? other sites Ive looked at say 100-150. right now im at around 50-70 typically.

one thing thats made this diet easy is that i stilll mess with dairy.... was thinking of trying what that other thread recommends and drinking a ton of milk :yeshrug:

There is no set value for anything. Total calories will be what matters for weight maintenance. Carbs are only 1/4 of that total alongside fat, protein, and alcohol. I cant give you a value that is ideal. 150 does sound like a fine number for a mostly sedentary person though.

Remember though, if you keep everything else the same and just increase 100g carbs, that will be a 400 calorie per day increase. At your current rate of weight loss, that is a reasonable starting point.

Give it a week at 150g, let yourself gain a bit of water weight, then give it another week. If you keep gaining weight past that first week, either cut back a bit on food again or preferably add in some exercise.

A bodyweight routine for 20 minutes at home 3 times per week is a great starting point. Something to consider.
 

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thanks. how many carbs should i be doing a day for maintenance? other sites Ive looked at say 100-150. right now im at around 50-70 typically.

one thing thats made this diet easy is that i stilll mess with dairy.... was thinking of trying what that other thread recommends and drinking a ton of milk :yeshrug:
If you had success being in 50-75 grams and you don't feel like you are lacking anything I would only increase based on what you need to fuel your workouts. That could be mean higher and lower days but if consistency is a concern you could go the route the others are suggesting.
 
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When I did low carb I lost mostly fat but I lost muscle too. I'm 6'2 and went from 260 to 202. I averaged about 2 lbs a week. I'm ave 100 to 150 carbs a day. At this point I eat with a specific purpose of having energy to work out. I stopped focusing on the scale and only judge my progress by how I feel, my strength gains and how my physique.
 

Czerka

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When I did low carb I lost mostly fat but I lost muscle too. I'm 6'2 and went from 260 to 202. I averaged about 2 lbs a week. I'm ave 100 to 150 carbs a day. At this point I eat with a specific purpose of having energy to work out. I stopped focusing on the scale and only judge my progress by how I feel, my strength gains and how my physique.

when you were on low carb were you at 100-150 or much lower than that?
 
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