Lowcarb and counting calories

Hairhacker

Hello all,
Just wondering how many of you do lowcarb and don't count calories? I am thinking of trying it for awhile and just curious to see who does lowcarb and does or does not count calories and had success. I have some stomach issues among other things going on and have heard from friends that lowcarb helps alot of other things too. I am 6 pounds from goal and have lost and gained the last 5 pounds for a few months now and also thought I might reach goal by going that route too. Thanks in advance for any advice

ngyoung

Hello all,
Just wondering how many of you do lowcarb and don't count calories? I am thinking of trying it for awhile and just curious to see who does lowcarb and does or does not count calories and had success. I have some stomach issues among other things going on and have heard from friends that lowcarb helps alot of other things too. I am 6 pounds from goal and have lost and gained the last 5 pounds for a few months now and also thought I might reach goal by going that route too. Thanks in advance for any advice

Most people that I know that are trying to find cause with stomachs issues try going gluten free, not just low carb. They try going GF for a month and see how they feel then maybe introduce it back a little to see how their body reacts. Same as most elimination diets for trying to find tricky food allergies.

I am pretty low carb >50g goal. I mostly track my macros and try to get close to my calorie goal. If I end up going way over it doesn't seem to effect my weight as long as I kept my cabs in check. I feel it is more forgiving then the standard American diet. Many times though I am listening to my stomach and am full but don't seem to blow out my calorie goal, most times I am 100-200 under. Being low carb for many people helps them curb hunger between meals so they don't have to pay too much attention to calories. There are still some that may have to with their appetite.

Brassteacher

I started low carb in 2004. No calorie counting. I'm down 50lbs and healthier than ever. I'm basically off all grains as of now and as close to zero carb as possible while still eating salads and veggies, but sometimes not even that. My wife now realizes that her stomach problems were from grains. Also she gets puffy, especially around the eyes anytime she has a grain heavy meal. Me? I usually have to take a nap if I eat a carbby meal. Nice energy huh! Without the carbs I have more energy than ever and no naps! I just go go go.

I'd try going grain free for a couple weeks and see how you feel.

tonytoo

Just be careful as low carb usually means high fat (your body needs one or the other for energy).

It's easy to eat a lot of calories from fat without realising if you're not counting.

tomcornhole

I'm a low carber who did not count calories and lost 50 lbs that way. I started counting calories in Feb and discovered why I was in a 6 month stall: I was not eating enough. I was at TDEE - 33% left to my own devices. Since I was maintaining weight at TDEE - 33%, I can only conclude that my body decided I was an idiot and slowed my metabolism way down. So now I count calories to make sure I get enough calories. I have stayed low carb and dropped another 20 lbs by eating more. I am now at my goal weight and maintaining at 2,700 cal / day net. Great example of eat more to lose more.

To summarize (my calculated TDEE is 2,700 cal/day):

Low carbing before calorie counting: 205 lbs, 1,800 cal / day net at maintenance (stalled)
Low carbing after calorie counting: 185 lbs, 2,700 cal / day net at maintenance

I will reiterate that I lost 50 lbs low carbing before my body caught on and shut me down.

Tom

highervibes

Just be careful as low carb usually means high fat (your body needs one or the other for energy).

It's easy to eat a lot of calories from fat without realising if you're not counting.

^ this. I eat low carb and I can easily demo a 700 calorie salad some days. Logging is essential for me personally. Some days I'm way under too because the meals are pretty satisfying and sometimes I don't get calories in. I would have to report that I'm probably over more often than under so I wouldn't suggest this for the last 5lbs. Maybe the first 5

shawnamichelle80

I eat about 70-80 grams of carbs per day. It's not really low carb, but it's lower than my norm. I also make sure I stay at about 20-25 grams of fat per day and around 80 grams of protein. I don't count calories at all. I started this at the beginning of march and have lost 40 pounds. I do have one meal a week where I eat an additional 50-60 grams of carbs. That seems to keep me from hitting a plateau for the most part. I average about a 2 pound loss per week pretty consistently.

SanteMulberry

I would agree with Tom. The reason why I count calories, in addition to counting carbs, is that I want to make sure that I net 1,200 calories on most days. I also will pursue a bit more carbs on my heavier exercise days (but I never go over 120 grams). I usually stay between 70-100 grams of carbs per day. If I have several days when my exercise brings my net calories down to 1,000 or so, I will up my calories to 1,300 or so for a couple of days. I lost a lot faster at first and now I am happy if I lose 2 pounds per month (I don't really want to lose any faster than that anyway--for various reasons).

mumtoonegirl

I have to now push myself to go higher carb because I am training for a mini-marathon so I had to bump up my carbs but before that I was always easily low on my carbs and no I never went high on fats or sugars.

I am celiac so no gluten for me, what I did not seek out was gluten subs, I simply do not eat bread, pasta, pastries, baked goods.

Now that I need to have my carbs up I have put back in some more rice, quinoa and certain root veggies.

It is absolutely possible to do lower carb without going high on the fats.

My macros currently are set at 40/20/40 (carbs/fat/protein) which I typically stay within other than the occasional extra avocado that puts my fats slightly over.

Also I am recently moving to maintenance since I have lost all the weight I want, but when I was set at 1lbs a week I still stayed under all my macros.

You can do it!

highervibes

I have to now push myself to go higher carb because I am training for a mini-marathon so I had to bump up my carbs but before that I was always easily low on my carbs and no I never went high on fats or sugars.

I am celiac so no gluten for me, what I did not seek out was gluten subs, I simply do not eat bread, pasta, pastries, baked goods.

Now that I need to have my carbs up I have put back in some more rice, quinoa and certain root veggies.

It is absolutely possible to do lower carb without going high on the fats.

My macros currently are set at 40/20/40 (carbs/fat/protein) which I typically stay within other than the occasional extra avocado that puts my fats slightly over.

Also I am recently moving to maintenance since I have lost all the weight I want, but when I was set at 1lbs a week I still stayed under all my macros.

You can do it!

40% carbs is not low carb, sorry. You're gluten free but it doesn't sound like you're low carb at all... not with those macros. If you are low carb your other macros MUST be higher, either protein of fat... it's basic math.

ayalowich

I eat about 70-80 grams of carbs per day. It's not really low carb, but it's lower than my norm. I also make sure I stay at about 20-25 grams of fat per day and around 80 grams of protein. I don't count calories at all. I started this at the beginning of march and have lost 40 pounds. I do have one meal a week where I eat an additional 50-60 grams of carbs. That seems to keep me from hitting a plateau for the most part. I average about a 2 pound loss per week pretty consistently.

Actually, 70-80 carbs per day is really really low. Congratulations if you can do that, but I enjoy fruit too much and find it too essential to stay below even 100 and seem to be around 120-150 most days. That is still less than half what I used to take in.

Getting back to the original post, Going low carb will definitely work, but also pay attention to glycemic index and differentiating between bad carbs and others that are not so bad. The issue that many have had with Atkins and similar diet approaches is what happens when you go off it. It almost has to become a lifestyle choice and if you enjoy pasta, fruits and bread it is really tough and borderline punishing yourself. I couldn't sustain it long term myself.

SanteMulberry

I have to now push myself to go higher carb because I am training for a mini-marathon so I had to bump up my carbs but before that I was always easily low on my carbs and no I never went high on fats or sugars.

I am celiac so no gluten for me, what I did not seek out was gluten subs, I simply do not eat bread, pasta, pastries, baked goods.

Now that I need to have my carbs up I have put back in some more rice, quinoa and certain root veggies.

It is absolutely possible to do lower carb without going high on the fats.

My macros currently are set at 40/20/40 (carbs/fat/protein) which I typically stay within other than the occasional extra avocado that puts my fats slightly over.

Also I am recently moving to maintenance since I have lost all the weight I want, but when I was set at 1lbs a week I still stayed under all my macros.

You can do it!

40% carbs is not low carb, sorry. You're gluten free but it doesn't sound like you're low carb at all... not with those macros. If you are low carb your other macros MUST be higher, either protein of fat... it's basic math.

I agree. Although the standard diet is typically around 55% carbs (and is very high, primarily because of eating sugar and grain), 40% would not be considered to be a low-carb plan--unless you were eating very low in total calories. In that case, I would be concerned about getting enough fat--you need, AT LEAST, 35 grams of fat per day to stay healthy in the long term--and they need to be healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, sesame oil, nuts and seeds, organic butter, etc.). Very low fat diets will get you sick. I am also not a fan of long-term very low carb eating. It is okay for a few months to get your fat-loss kick-started, but for the longer term, it can interfere with fitness goals--one of which would be muscle-building. A number of studies have suggested that, with very low carb eating, you lose the "muscle sparing effect" that eating carbohydrates yields. But, again, they should be good carbohydrates, vegetables--especially starchy ones, fruits and limited amounts of grain. Eating a lot of grain tends to be problematic for a lot of reasons--one of which is that the high phytic acid content in them tends to block mineral uptake--another is the lectin content--too many lectins mess up the digestion. The ancients learned to deal with both issues by soaking, sprouting and fermenting grain and long-cooking them. I only eat the occasional piece of organic,100% whole rye, sourdough bread (the sourdough process cuts down on some of the grain issues) and, on my cardio days, I eat organic steel cut oats, which I prepare by soaking them overnight (cuts down the phytic acid), rinsing them in the morning before adding the cooking water, and then, slow-cooking them for at least an hour (breaks down a lot of the lectins). All plants have some phytic acid and lectins and it is likely that we need some. But the highly refined diets devoid of fruits (sweets have bumped whole fruits out of the standard diet) and vegetables, mean that most people are getting their carbohydrates from grain and are thus, often mineral-deficient. Magnesium is ESSENTIAL for getting the fat off and keeping it off. About 2/3 of the population are mildly to severely magnesium-deficient from a lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet.

I have my macros set at 20/55/25 (carbs/fat/protein) and I find that I maintain more consistent blood glucose levels that way. Too many carbs and I get sleepy after meals, too few carbs and total calories, night wakefulness and fatigue is a problem.

QuilterInVA

You do not have to be high fat for low carb. Fat has nothing to do with energy. Your body burns glycogen for energy and that is converted from the foods you eat and stored in your cells. I do low carb and lower fat (less than 40 grams a day) and it works just fine and I have tons of energy.

QuilterInVA

Ayalowich, you only eat very low carb on Atkins for 2 weeks if you do it properly and then you start adding 5 grams of carbs a week until you find the amount that gives a healthy 1-2 pound a week weight loss. You add in fruits and grains. Atkins is a 4 step process. You need to be informed before commenting on Atkins.