If you don't count calories and/or carbs

macchiatto

but are trying to lose weight on low carb (especially keto/lower carb), what guidelines do you follow to make sure you stay on track?

And if you count only carbs but don't track calories/fat/protein, what's the easiest way to do so? Is there a good app for just tracking carbs/net carbs or do you use MFP only for foods containing carbs? I don't trust myself to keep a running tally in my head.

CMYKRGB

I eat very low carb (15 grams or less). I use only MFP to track everything. Mostly, it's the carbs I track, but I also track protein and fat to stay within a desired range.

MFP has the largest catalog of food and nutrition that I've seen. I research foods before eating, and avoid most processed foods. I don't eat anything with grains, and avoid everything with sugar, both of which make this WOE super easy to do.

Sunny_Bunny_

I personally have to track calories. Even eating around 1350-1400, seems to stop weight loss for me. I also have periods of increased hunger that seems to correspond to creeping over use of artificial sweeteners.
I think those that are able to maintain or lose without tracking must have a better grip on identifying real hunger and therefore are able to naturally eat the proper amounts for it without keeping track. So I don't think they tend to even mentally tally the counts. Just guessing...
Hopefully at some point I'll gain that kind of balance, but I will probably have to keep a watch on my weight and track a few months each year to bring down any creeping up weight.

macchiatto

Thanks for the replies.

Other than some success with Weight Watchers about 8 years ago, I realized that most of the times I successfully lost weight it was something like the Zone or the Dukan Diet where I have guidelines to follow but am not counting. I also realized that although I've been on MFP off and on for 4 or 5 years, I've never successfully lost weight for more than 2 or 3 weeks at a time through tracking/logging. I'm not sure why, but I've seen other keto'ers on here mentioning they don't count calories so I'm wondering if that might actually work better for me based on previous experiences.

Christine_72

I think I would struggle to lose weight without counting calories. I count everything, calories and macros.

KarlaYP

In the beginning I logged everything, and tracked carbs, fat, protein, and calories. Once I felt I had a handle on my food choices I stopped logging daily. I do log a day periodically to keep myself in check, but I'm never over my set macros. I don't try to mentally tabulate since I know what I can, and want, to eat. When I am faced with a new food option I will check the macro count on mfp before eating it. I haven't logged daily since June, but have lost weight, and lots of inches, since then!

I do credit the support I have received here on mfp (this WONDERFUL GROUP) for a lot of my success! All of you have helped me in ways you will never know!

Dragonwolf

macchiatto wrote: »

but are trying to lose weight on low carb (especially keto/lower carb), what guidelines do you follow to make sure you stay on track?

And if you count only carbs but don't track calories/fat/protein, what's the easiest way to do so? Is there a good app for just tracking carbs/net carbs or do you use MFP only for foods containing carbs? I don't trust myself to keep a running tally in my head.

I think most people on this way of eating do still kind of count carbs, at least, even if they don't all log them or tally the actual number. The only exception, I think, are those of us who eat only meat, since the carbs are pretty much moot at that point, and that way of eating seems to have a weight normalizing effect over the long term.

With practice, you start to understand what foods have how many carbs and how that food affects you, personally. Even if you're thinking about it in terms of servings, you've based those servings on the amount of carbs they contain. After a while, you don't have to spend so much conscious energy keeping track of the details, but you're still keeping a certain tally to ensure you're staying on track (and arguably, even us carnivores do it, but ours is simple and black and white enough that it amounts to "is it animal-sourced? No? Not food").

nvmomketo

The past few months is the first time I have counted calories. I am not a watching them closely though. My days fluctuate between 1000 and 2000 kcals with most days being around 1500, and an occasional 500kcal fast day. I watch calories mainly to make sure the calories aren't creeping up on me.

I watch carbs too. I try to keep it under 20g but I go lower or a bit higher.

I usually log still but I let some stuff slide. For example, I I know I was under for the day I may not fill all my food in.

GaleHawkins

@macchiatto I was already eating this way before I found MFP and made a promise to myself i would only lose weight in a manner that can I can do for life without math requiring a computer or pencil and paper since I am an old man now.

I use a $15 breath analyzer of eBay daily to make sure I am blowing some level of acetone and I weigh my body daily. If I am blowing any level of acetone I am in some level of nutritional ketosis. My weight will reflect the net results of my Way Of Eating.

Eating for better health/longer life is my only objective at this point in life. This is the reason why I refuse to use exercise to lose weight but do walk for better health/longer life only. This way if I wind up in a wheelchair again weight management skills will not have to be relearned.

People should use any approach that works for them.

deksgrl

I counted calories and carbs for awhile but then I stopped. But I am not trying to stay in keto, you may need to track carefully if you want to get into and stay in Keto. Most days I eat the same things so I know how much I am eating, and I am still losing weight and inches.

ndvoice

I count calories, carbs, fat & protein. I mainly try to stay lower on the carbs, & in a "range" for calories. The protein & fats are more for awareness, but not really a firm goal for me. By keeping carbs down, the protein & fat % should go up. If I'm particularly hungry on a given day, it's helpful to be able to look and see if my protein or fat was too low.

DittoDan

Let me finish your sentence:

If you don't count calories and/or carbs, then you shouldn't expect to lose any weight...

Should You Use a Kitchen Scale to Weigh Your Food?
Should a Person Have a Food Diary for the Keto Diet?

Dan the Man from Michigan

macchiatto

DittoDan wrote: »

Let me finish your sentence:

If you don't count calories and/or carbs, then you shouldn't expect to lose any weight...

Should You Use a Kitchen Scale to Weigh Your Food?
Should a Person Have a Food Diary for the Keto Diet?

Dan the Man from Michigan

Thanks for your response and the links. I really like how you explain things in your letter to your friend.

The reason I asked is because I've seen several people on here mention that they don't count; it sounded like they ate from a list of keto-friendly foods but I was curious what exactly they do and how it works for them.

Like I said in my second post in this thread, when I did the Zone or the Dukan Diet (or for those who do something like the WW core plan), there were guidelines to follow but zero counting of calories and carbs, and I did lose weight. (Low carb but not in or trying to be in ketosis.) Actually, I lost an almost identical amount of weight in my first 6 weeks of keto (weighing and logging faithfully, 1350 cals/day and staying under 20-30 gm net carbs) as I did on my first 6 weeks of Dukan several years ago (no weighing or logging). That's why I asked what guidelines the non-counters follow instead (imagining it's probably something like "eat to satiety from a list of keto/LCHF-friendly foods" or "2 servings a day of high-fiber veggies, 1 serving of nuts, 2 servings of dairy and the rest meats and fats"), but it doesn't seem like many of them have seen and replied to this thread!

Now that I've done more research, I do want to stick with LCHF/keto rather than going back to Dukan. I was just curious if there are guidelines people can follow to stay in ketosis without necessarily counting calories. I think it's like you talked about in your letter; once you've been doing it for a while, you have a pretty good idea without having to log everything. I've gotten that way with weighing certain foods. I still weigh everything but I'm often impressed at my finely honed ability to eyeball.

KarlaYP

I haven't logged regularly since June. I eat keto friendly food, when I eat. I begin my day with coffee that's got hwc in it. Don't usually eat lunch, then supper is meat with a lc veggie a couple of times a week. If I want dark chocolate I will have a bit maybe once a week. It got to where logging meat, hwc, and cheese seemed like a waste of time after a while since I had learned the woe.

Have lost right at 5 pounds since I stopped logging. I'm happy with that!

macchiatto

Thanks, @Karlottap! That's helpful. I'm hoping to get to that point once I've been at maintenance for a little while. (I don't know that I want to do keto long-term but maybe I'll aim to stay under 50 net long-term? I'm really not sure yet. I started this just for weight loss but am intrigued by all the mentions on here of other benefits. I need to do more research. 6 lbs from my goal weight now! )