Advice please?

[auditqueen]

I've got a lot of weight to lose. Not sure how much but I'm 5 foot and a size 22. I also suffer from PCOS and I'm pretty sure my thyroid is buggered.

I've started tracking my calories on an app called nutracheck amd there's an option for a low carb diet. I'm below the target for low carb every day (started a month ago) but I struggle to keep within the daily calorie count. My question is, how much do the calories matter? Should I just concentrate on keeping the carbs under control at the moment, or do I need to look at both?

Depends how low the carbs are. Truly low carb (usually less than 30g a day), as in enough to put you in to ketosis, means you are not getting the insulin response which converts extra calories into fat. So in theory you can eat way over calorie requirements and not put on weight.

However to lose weight you need to be in deficit, and the way that works with low carb is again the reduction in insulin spikes (and other hormones) which prompt hunger pangs - in ketosis, eating high fat (which makes you feel satisfied) and moderate protein (which again promotes satiety) and low carb, you can naturally be in calorie deficit without feeling hungry.

This website explains it well (much better than me!) and has lots of recipes.

No, no where near that low. God. Shit.

Well not to worry! You're getting a good idea of what you're eating so that's a great start. Anything under 50g is still classed as low carb. Under 100-150g is moderate carb. You don't have to be in ketosis to lose weight, and reducing carbs by however much is a step in the right direction.

If you're interested in LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) and I'm not saying you should be, but it does work a treat if it suits and you stick to it, take a look at the Bootcamp threads in this topic, there's a spreadsheet with resources, shopping lists, recipes and links in it. Bootcamp is designed (by a Mumsnetter called BIWI) so you don't have to count anything - follow the rules and you'll likely be in ketosis, and will certainly lose weight.

Good luck! :)

At this stage, I'd focus on your carbs. A low carb diet is supposed to be very good for PCOS, so definitely investigate that further.

Calories do matter, ultimately, but it's more important to get your carbs under control.

Good luck!