main reason here is that you're essentially putting your body in "starvation mode". with gear, the anabolic rates increase. as a result, the dietary considerations become more pronounced, especially protein intake. outside of gear, the FDA's recommendations are 0.8g per pound of body weight, in addition to carb and fat intakes.

if you're in a "cutting phase" without running gear, your dietary focus will not be as pronounced as while running it. but your numbers are off... 180g for you equals just barely over 1g per pound of body weight (before you lost your 8 lbs). when you cut out the carbs but don't supplement them with another nutrient, your body becomes deprived of the energy substrate to synthesize glucose. the amounts of protein you're ingesting are sufficient only for regular protein synthesis outside of being an athlete or weight lifter.

since proteins are the next desired source of energy when carbs are insufficient, carbs should be supplemented with protein gram for gram. if you don't do this, body proteins will be broken down for the synthesis of glucose in order to meet energy demands. body proteins include blood cells, muscle tissue, organ tissue, etc.

by not supplementing (replacing) your carbs with dietary proteins, you are simply losing weight via a calorie deficit. yes, you will burn fat when in a calorie deprived state, but you will also be breaking down muscle tissue and other body proteins.

bottom line: if you want to preserve lean tissue while cutting, you need to supplement your carbs with protein. be sure to increase water intake when increasing protein intake beyond 1g/lb. when proteins are converted into glucose, the by-product produced is highly toxic and must be detoxified by the liver then excreted via the kidneys and urinary tract.