Low calories or low carb, which is safer for quick results?

DerekVTX

Here is the best advice your gonna get. Eat whatever you want, but keep it within your goals and you will lose weight. If you wanna have a denny's grand slam breakfast then by all means go ahead, but that's all you are eating that day. Find foods you like that are reasonable in the calories department (I like fish and lean skinless chicken breast because they are basically 1 calorie per gram). Tomatoes, Zuccinni, Cucumber, Canned Tuna, certain campbells soups (The ones with 200 to 240 calories per can), mushrooms, spinach, apples, etc. You can also use air popped corn for a snack without butter. Just weigh/measure your food for the best accuracy as that's one of the keys to success.

DerekVTX

GaleHawkins wrote: »

segovm wrote: »

It really doesn't matter where the calories come from, the key is just consistently eating less of them. I found that for me, eating around 2000 calories a day and getting lots of exercise was the fastest way for me to drop weight at about a half a pound a day loss over the course of four months.

In general, you'll have an easier time of it if you drop out a lot of the carbs just because for most of us those are the easiest foods to eat lots of without really being all that filling. I can have half a pound of chicken and half a pound of broccoli for the same calories as two pieces of toast with jam.

It's not all that surprising that a pound of food is more filling than two pieces of bread.

Personally, I work on keeping my sodium down to a reasonably consistent level (2500mgs or so) just because I retain lots of water weight after high salt days and it makes it more difficult to see the weight loss if the scale keeps going up and down as my salt intake fluctuates.

I wouldn't get too caught up in the specifics though... just eat less and move more and you'll lose weight. Everything else is just a distraction and potential excuse.

segovm I once thought like you but after doing a lot of reading I now realize my fat came from eating carbs mainly. Eating fat and protein so now I do not plan to anything for the sake of the carbs. It did take about two months for the carb craving to drop for the most part..

You dropped the carbs and naturally your calories were reduced as well. By the way, I save room for a few beers every night...........there are some on here that say it is impossible to lose weight while drinking alcohol but I'm living proof that that is not the case.

yarwell

At your BMI you can do pretty much what you want for a couple of months at least, just get enough protein in to help retain muscle mass (the heart is a muscle).

If you're going to take 400 - 1000 calories out of your diet then taking out 100 - 250 grams of carbohydrate would be the way I would go. There's protein and fat you need.

Most "very low carb" dieters eat around 1400 calories voluntarily.

kendalslimmer

I have an under-active thyroid (I take 150) and I'm calorie counting - it's working just fine for me so far. I haven't cut anything out, I've just started to eat more 'low calorie' things and watched my portions. I have set a limit of about 1250, because I'm sedentary (desk work) and a woman - sedentary men are supposed to eat more e.g. 1,500+ - but there are other women on my timeline who eat 1,500/1,600 and lose really well too! Plus, whenever I exercise I earn more calories to eat... so I'm never hungry.

I would advise you to get an UP24 or something similar to monitor your activity levels with and maybe an exercise bike for the home if running didn't work for you? (I watch TV while I spend time on mine!) You'll discover that exercise and dieting go hand in hand, but dieting is 80% of weight loss so if you get too discouraged by the former don't worry about it for now. Two things that will definitely help your motivation are an EXCELLENT scale (get a digital one) and enlisting friends on MFP. Also remember to take your measurements - often they'll show progress when the scale won't!

I lost a lot of weight to start with because I was suddenly drinking a lot of water - 8/12 cups a day! (So I lost tons of water weight.) Now its 2+ pounds a week which is a much healthier number. Don't take short cuts, you don't need to!

segovm

GaleHawkins wrote: »

segovm wrote: »

It really doesn't matter where the calories come from, the key is just consistently eating less of them. I found that for me, eating around 2000 calories a day and getting lots of exercise was the fastest way for me to drop weight at about a half a pound a day loss over the course of four months.

In general, you'll have an easier time of it if you drop out a lot of the carbs just because for most of us those are the easiest foods to eat lots of without really being all that filling. I can have half a pound of chicken and half a pound of broccoli for the same calories as two pieces of toast with jam.

It's not all that surprising that a pound of food is more filling than two pieces of bread.

Personally, I work on keeping my sodium down to a reasonably consistent level (2500mgs or so) just because I retain lots of water weight after high salt days and it makes it more difficult to see the weight loss if the scale keeps going up and down as my salt intake fluctuates.

I wouldn't get too caught up in the specifics though... just eat less and move more and you'll lose weight. Everything else is just a distraction and potential excuse.

segovm I once thought like you but after doing a lot of reading I now realize my fat came from eating carbs mainly. Eating fat and protein so now I do not plan to anything for the sake of the carbs. It did take about two months for the carb craving to drop for the most part..

I don't doubt people lose weight lowering carbs since most diets are made up of mostly carbs.

From my personal experience, I'm eating about 300+ grams of carbs a day and still managing to lose half a pound every 24 hours for the 83 pounds I've dropped so far. For me, eating carbs doesn't effect weight lose at all which I guess puts me in the "calorie is a calorie" camp.

suzynam

low carb/high protein helps mostly because it reduces hunger and allows you to eat fewer calories without feeling miserable or being likelier to cheat. it also *might* help preserve muscle while losing weight, tho that is not proven. so, if you are having trouble sticking to a low calorie diet, try upping the protein and lowering carbs and see if you feel more satisfied after a week or so.

SnuggleSmacks

TheMoebius wrote: »

Hi guys, I am new here, please be gentle.

I am a 30 year old guy, 5'10", 288lbs. My thyroid is underactive and my doctor has me on 100 micrograms of Levothyroxine per day to compensate. Over the last 5 years I have put on a lot of weight, I have stretch marks on my lower belly and my sides. I feel really unhealthy, and I need to lose some weight fast.

I know that crash dieting is dangerous if done for a long period, but I need to just kickstart my weight loss to give me some motivation, as everything I have tried before hasn't yielded any results (cutting out junkfood doesn't seem to make a difference, and running wrecked my ankle).

I have been reading about people consuming 1200 calories per day, but then I have heard people saying that this method can cause heart trouble in the future. This is really putting me off. Would I be better doing a low carb/high protein diet instead?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The thing is that you can eat very low carbs, but if you eat too many calories you will still gain weight. On the other hand, if you eat at a calorie deficit, and eat nothing but carbs, you will still lose weight. Neither option is particularly healthy, but it does demonstrate that calorie is king.

For weight loss, calories are absolutely what matters. For general health and reaching specific goals, macro and micronutrients make a difference, so paying attention to protein, carbs, fats, fiber, etc. is important...but for weight loss, none of them are as important as calories.

shortnsassy1981

I have thyroid issues and low carb works for me. I keep my carbs below 100g and my calories around 1700 and I'm a 5ft woman 207lbs. When I strictly count calories at around 1700 it is very hard for me to drop weight, but it does come off. My body personally responds better to low carb. I would not recommend 1200 calories. You are in this for the long haul. If your weight loss slows at 1200 you don't have a lot of room to drop. The best advice I ever got from this board was to eat as many calories as possible while still being able to lose weight.

TheMoebius

Guys, thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it. Gonna get an exercise bike and try around 100 carbs and 1700 calories per day.

I will keep you all updated.

Just hope I can do it, as my morale is really low and the temptation to just say '*kitten* it' is overwhelming most of the time.

Edie30

You can do it!!! I think 1700 cals is a fabulous plan. Consistency is the key I reckon. Don't give up you are going to be so proud of yourself :-)

jrline

low calories I had no problem sticking with low carbs is setting yourself up for failure because of food cravings I am starting my 8th month 100lbs down from my max weight.