Do I need to count calories on Keto / LCHF?

LucyJones195

Struggling to keep below 1,200 cals which I have set on my app to lose 2lb a week. I am female, 5ft 6in and c. 170lbs .... Eating lots of fat which feels so wrong so feeling tempted to keep a lid on it ....

Gallowmere1984

You will have to maintain a caloric deficit in order to lose weight, regardless of what you eat. This includes LCHF, beyond the initial glycogen/water flush.

As a fellow keto eater, it's worked fine for me, both through loss (1450 kcal/day) and current maintenance (1700).

kommodevaran

First make sure 1200 calories is appropriate for you. Trying to lose too fast will just make you hungry, hangry, and quit. Aiming to lose 1% of your weight per week is a good goal. Eating 1400 calories instead of 1200 can make a lot of difference to fill you up and thus stay on plan. You will still lose, and what you lose will be fat and not muscles, and you will be able to stick to it, which is kinda very important.

What you eat will not influence weight loss - it's all about calories. As long as you don't exceed your calorie allowance, you will lose weight, no matter what you eat. But you have to log everything. Eating lots of fat will NOT make you lose weight. Eating an appropriate amount of fat, as part of a balanced diet, where "balance" also means eating the appropriate amount of calories, and doing that consistently, for weeks and months, WILL make you lose weight.

kommodevaran

To answer your title question "Do I need to count calories on Keto / LCHF?":

You can lose weight without calorie counting, even without eating keto/LCHF, as long as you have good eating habits/good portion control. Trouble is that most people who need to lose weight, DON'T have good eating habits, and DON'T manage portion control very well, so a bit of self-education is needed. Counting calories can be educational. Eating a lot of fat and a good amount of protein CAN make you so full and satisfied that you don't FEEL the NEED to overeat anymore, but you still have to NOT overeat, to make it work. Counting calories will make you aware of how much you really are eating and this awareness CAN make it easier for you to stop overeating.

minniemoo1972

You shouldn't be eating LESS than 1200 calories unless MEDICALLY SUPERVISED. Asking about vlcd is against mfp guidelines.

msemotan

I have only done atkins, no other keto diet, but they advise that you can't go nuts on calories but you don't need to count them super strictly like you would on a traditional diet. Basically, when you are low carb eating, you are able to eat more (not tons..) calories than other food plans. For example, I was eating roughly 1800 cals pers day staying in a 20-25 net carb range and would lose 2 lbs per week, when MFP would say I should be at like 1400 or so.

I don't know if you are doing a certain keto program or not, but the atkins website has a lot of information on low carb eating. Low carb eating is kind of its own beast and is a little different than just calories in calories out. I am not saying calories don't matter, but they are a bit more flexible on a low carb diet, especially if it is pretty low like the 25 net carb range.

https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-blogs/colette-heimowitz/the-calorie-conundrum

WinoGelato

2 lbs a week is likely too aggressive of a goal for you. If you have less than 50 lbs to lose, 1 lb/ week would be the recommended rate of loss.

As far as losing via keto/LCHF - many people have success with it. Some people do it because of medical reasons, others really enjoy it and see it as something they could stick with forever. If that fits you, then it may be a good fit. If you are doing keto/LCHF as a temporary solution to lose weight and then plan to go back to more moderate carbs, you may find it too restrictive and difficult to adhere to and may want to try just setting an appropriate calorie goal and eating a balanced diet within that goal to achieve your weight loss.

Either way, it's the calorie deficit that makes you lose the weight, keto is just a way of eating that creates that calorie deficit.

arditarose

First of all, why are you eating less than 1200? It's Keto, not PSMF.
I think you should count calories. If you're not going to keep up ketosis for life (do people do that?), you need to understand how many calories is on your plate in order to maintain weight.

Answer: Eat more-do both.

yarwell

Counting isn't necessary if your appetite is appropriate and if you lose weight you had a calorie deficit.

MelaniaTrump

Eating less than 1,200 daily leads me to bingeing the next day. Every single time. I don't know how anyone does it.
"Weight lost slowly, is weight you can lose for life".

ktekc

You don't "have" to count but you do have to eat less than you burn and counting is the best way to make sure you do that.

nvmomketo

yarwell wrote: »

Counting isn't necessary if your appetite is appropriate and if you lose weight you had a calorie deficit.

This is true. Many on a ketogenic diet find their appetites are reduced and suddenly regulated so there is no need to count calories. Others do it because they need to, and yet others follow their calories so they can follow their macros better - Switching to 5-10% carbs often needs some attention at first.

I agree that your calries may be too low. I doubt you need to go so low. I was losing more than my expected 1.5lbs/week when my calories were at 1500 and I am only an inch taller than you and inactive. Weight loss did slow once I was within that normal BMI range though. You may be able to lose 2lbs per week, but so close to goal, you may not.

Join the Low Carber Daily group for more info. There are many of us ketofiles over there.

llaurenmarie

I would recommend definitely upping your calories. I'm 5'5 and 175, still have a little hungry feeling at 1300(not too much exercise). But it's not out of control. I will up my calories when my body becomes more used to LCHF and I really start weight training.
I'm on day 3 of LCHF and I feel amazing, so much more in control of when and what to eat. I was eating 1600 calories(with exercise) before with about 40% carbs and eventually over eating every night to about 1900 being so hungry. Luckily that's probably about maintenance for me so I just haven't really lost in July. Better than gaining!