Calories in/Calories out vs. low carb

neohdiver

I lose (substantial amounts of) weight equally well purely counting calories v. low carb.

I am currently restricted to low carb because of diabetes. It is not my preferred diet, but if I want to avoid rotting my body from the inside out (as my doctor describes the effect of diabetes), it's what I'm stuck with. I've lost 74 lbs on it (also counting calories). The rate at which I lost the 74 pounds is no different from the rate at which I have lost weight in the past when I was purely counting calories.

Need2Exerc1se

I've lost a little over 30 lbs without giving my carb intake much thought. Fat is what I tend to overeat most so that's the macro I keep a closer eye on. But mostly I just focus on activity level and total calories.

kgirlhart

I lost 65 pounds and I never paid attention to my carbs. I am Team Moderation all the way. I do try to hit my protien goal, but other than that I only pay attention to calories. I am now at maintenance and it is working well for me. If you want to go low carb and that works for you then that is certainly one way to reduce your calories. But if you can't sustain that long term (I know I could not) then you will eventually gain back any weight lost. I did low fat years ago and lost weight. I actually ate tons of carbs when I was doing low fat. But a restrictive diet was not sustainable for me. I felt hungry and deprived. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I could not eat. Now that I just count calories I do not feel deprived and I only feel hungry when I should feel hungry. I enjoy eating more, because I only eat things I like and I don't waste calories on stuff that I don't like. I found that after a few weeks I started to know what foods kept me full longer and then those were the foods I wanted. I still eat sweets daily and there is nothing that I cannot eat. But a lot of the time when I look at the calorie count of something I will decide against it. If you want to go low carb then do it, but if you don't and there is no medical reason to go low carb then don't do it just because others say you should. You just do you and don't worry about what others are doing. If you stick to your calorie goal then you will lose weight whether you do low carb, low fat, moderation, etc. all of that is personal preference.

spiriteagle99

I have had good luck with low carb eating in the past and found that I wasn't hungry all the time with the higher protein and fat. After a week or so, my sugar cravings pretty much went away. It made for very simple cooking, which I like. OTOH, I did have a hard time with the monotony of the diet. Meat and veg is as simple as it gets, but I found I craved fruit and milk and baked potatoes. I got extremely tired of eggs. I also found myself eating food that I knew wasn't healthy but was allowed on the diet, like hotdogs. In the long run, it wasn't sustainable for me, because I just couldn't stand the limits. I also learned that going back to the diet a couple of years later, my results were not as quick and easy. First time on Adkins, I lost 14 lbs in 2 weeks. Second time I lost 5.

So this time around I'm not doing super low carb, but I will try to include a lot of protein (because it's filling) and complex carbs and eliminate as much as possible sugars and simple carbs (pasta especially). I know that if I can stick to the calorie limits, I will lose weight.

Most of us know why we're overweight. We make choices every day that we know contribute to the problem: the donut at coffee hour, the ice cream or cookie after dinner, the beer during a ball game, the restaurant meals that we know are too large, the second helpings so there won't be leftovers, etc. Some things are easy to eliminate, some harder. The hardest part is not allowing calorie creep - where the cup of cereal becomes a cup and a half, when I put cream in my coffee instead of milk, when I cut a large slice of cheese instead of a small one, etc. You also want to make smart choices. Although ultimately it's about calories in vs. calories out, the source of calories does matter. A cookie will not keep you as full as a bowl of vegetable soup. Whole grain bread is better for you than white bread. Foods with a lot of sugar leave you craving more. Choosing simple foods over highly processed foods is usually more satisfying in the end. It also makes it easier to keep track of what we're eating.

RoxieDawn

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

Skip low carb- counting calories is all you need. What you actually need to focus on is getting enough PROTEIN. Then fill in the rest of your calories with carbs or fats in whatever proportion you want. Eating low carb is actually counterproductive to weight loss in the long term because it causes a reduction in weight loss hormones and slows the metabolism. People just do it as a way to cut calories but if you track all your calories it's not necessary.

I wouldn't go high carb though, because eating a lot of carbs increases appetite and will make sticking to your calories more difficult.

Just eat what you want in correct portions & proportions and make sure you get enough protein (this is important for maintaining muscle and prioritizing fat loss)

There is a lot wrong with this post..

katandwaves

I wasn't implying that I wanted to do low carb. I know that's not sustainable for me. I was more interested in peoples' successes with CICO. I'm team Moderation, I suppose. Thanks for the replies!

fitoverfortymom

I have done both and I prefer counting calories. Low carb is a quick fix, but I feel like counting calories teaches me the lifelong skills to manage food with all the options on the table. I've done the South Beach Diet before with minimal success, but the lists of can and can't eat foods gets hard to sustain and manage. I like counting because I feel like I know exactly what I'm getting and when I've reached the limit of what I can have. As long as I manage to that calorie number each day, I know I'll see results. I can do it eating anything I want to eat. Now, I have a small calorie target (only 1250), so naturally my diet is a lot of natural/clean foods. But, I do eat fast food and eat out a bit in general and have so far been really successful with it. It's a lot of planning, but I feel like the first time in my life that if I put the work in to manage my calories, I will see (and am seeing!) results on the scale.

GottaBurnEmAll

PixelPuff wrote: »

WinoGelato wrote: »

Well, whether you choose to do ultra low carb or flexible dieting (eating foods in moderation) or any other specific plan, it is the calorie deficit that results in weight loss.

For me personally, I'm on Team Moderation. In fact, my approach to this was to add things to my diet, rather than cutting things out. More vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise. In doing that, and focusing only on cutting calories, I found I could accommodate my favorite things as treats and not dietary staples. I have wine and something sweet pretty much every day, pizza or Mexican with my family maybe once a week. More indulgent foods only in limited quantities or on less frequent occasions.

I lost >30 lbs this way and am successfully maintaining. If you can't see yourself adopting a LC diet forever, I don't think it is a good short term choice for you to lose the weight.

Preach!~ For me, I've discovered massive amounts of fruit that I love [all of which just went out of season, time to find new fruit]. I've even rediscovered something we thought me to be allergic to for over a decade now. No more reactions, I've been stuffing my face with pineapple every chance I get. Great snack.

I've found the things I considered before [Little Debbie cakes] nowhere near as sweet as actual, fresh fruit.

I'm a fruit lover too. As I down to the last few vanity pounds, I found fruit more filling than cookies, so I switched over to fruit for snacking.

This isn't to say that I still don't have cookies. And I'll likely have them when I'm maintaining. It's just that fruit gives me more bang for my buck right now. I miss summer fruit season badly, though. Especially cherries.

Anyway, OP, the important thing about whatever way you choose to eat is that it's always going to come down to calories. The foods you eat matter in terms of how filling they are to you. Some people find low carb keeps them so full and free from hunger, they don't mind the restriction of it. For others, that isn't the case. I don't particularly find that way of eating to be filling, I need starch and fiber with my protein to feel full, and I didn't want to live a life without things like cookies, ice cream, and Snickers bars. So I went with moderation and calorie counting have lost 92 pounds so far.

No matter what foods you eat, you'll have to achieve a calorie deficit to lose weight. That's the bottom line.

cwolfman13

katandwaves wrote: »

Everyone around me tells me that ultra low carb is the way to go. I'd love to hear success stories of people who counted calories - enjoying the foods you love in moderation. I need to get past this mindset that I'm doing it wrong and won't see results if I eat cereal, sandwiches, etc.

Thanks!
Katrina

CICO is just the math...it's not a "diet"...it's just the math and is applicable to any and all diets. Low carb is just one of many ways to put you into a deficit (meaning your CI<CO). Calorie counting isn't CICO...calorie counting is calorie counting and another one of many ways to help you achieve a calorie deficit.

I lost about 20 Lbs just watching what I ate and exercising on the regular and another 20 Lbs counting calories. I'm personally not a fan of elimination diets in general.

jennifer_417

Low carb has been great for me in terms of satiety (feeling full) and lowering cravings. HOWEVER, I would never attempt it without also counting calories! At the end of the day, a calorie deficit is absolutely all you need to lose weight.

lemurcat12

I lost 95 lbs just focusing on eating a delicious, satisfying and generally health conscious diet with room for my favorite not so nutritious foods too. I did not cut carbs, and mostly ignored how much fat or carbs I ate (I focused on calories and at first watched protein to make sure I was getting the amount I wanted, and also focus on eating a good amount of vegetables at all meals).

Like others have said, I love lots of nutrient-dense foods that happen to be largely carbs (like fruit), and I also like to eat lots of plant sources of foods and seasonally (it's one thing that makes eating healthfully extra enjoyable to me), and that means eating what is available now, even if carb dense. I get a lot of my produce from a subscription to a local farm, and it would be a bummer to have to give away all the local in-season corn (back in the summer -- I'm in IL, so there was lots and it was GOOD) or the potatoes and other root veg now, so on. I'm also a pasta lover and find pasta one of the easiest bases for a super healthy and delicious meal based on lean meat and vegetables.

I think low carb is fine for those who want to do it and who think that eating in other ways (like how I eat) would be unsatisfying, but I would not enjoy it and don't see why anyone would force themselves to do it. You certainly don't have to to lose weight, so the people telling you that don't know what they are talking about.

Oh, and if anyone claims that "fats are more filling" as if it was a general rule, you've learned that you can ignore them. What is filling depends on the person, and if you aren't struggling with hunger it's not an issue anyway (and if you are on average most respond to protein and fiber, although I'd also try cutting down on refined carbs and see what more fat does). I don't have hunger issues, so eat as much fat as I want (usually around 30% of my calories, although I don't really track it so that's a rough estimate), but from experimenting fat is completely non satiating to me and one of the few meals I will find non-satisfying is something high fat and lower protein (and low fiber). I'm way less likely to get hungry soon on a higher carb meal with some fiber and protein too.

ashjongfit

I have lost 145+ lbs eating largely a 60 carb/ 20 protein/ 20 fat split. I love bread, pizza, pasta, all the carbs. I eat more of a 40/30/30 split now as I have less calories to work with then before but I still love carbs the best and lose weight just fine.

seska422

I've lost about 110 pounds in the last 20 months while eating the MFP default macro split of 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fat. That macro split worked well with my preferred way of eating.

IMO, the easiest way to sustain a calorie deficit is to stay as close to your normal way of eating as possible. Create the deficit with reduced portions and/or by substituting calorie-dense foods with similar foods that you like.

SezxyStef

I have counted calories since 2013...and lost 50+lbs and kept it off continuing to count...

it works...

savithny

cwolfman13 wrote: »

CICO is just the math...it's not a "diet"...it's just the math and is applicable to any and all diets. Low carb is just one of many ways to put you into a deficit (meaning your CI<CO). Calorie counting isn't CICO...calorie counting is calorie counting and another one of many ways to help you achieve a calorie deficit.

I lost about 20 Lbs just watching what I ate and exercising on the regular and another 20 Lbs counting calories. I'm personally not a fan of elimination diets in general.

Yep. I have a relative whose success on Atkins ended the day he discovered low-carb snack bars at Cosco. He managed to eat more calories than he expended, even doing low carb.

PaulaWallaDingDong

If I went low carb without tracking calories, I'd just overeat fatty salty treats like I was doing in the first place.

cerise_noir

Low carb is a way to CICO.

Wynterbourne

First and foremost, find what you enjoy and you can stick to. That being said, I've lost 115 pounds since last July doing 50-60% of my calories as carbs... because that's what works for me.

Bonny132

I do low carbs and I count calories.

If you want to loose weight you simply need to find a way of eating that is sustainable for you in the long term.

For some this is LCHF, some do well on weight watchers, some simply count calories. You'll find the common denominator for everyone who has lost weight and kept it off, has found a way to eat that agrees with them and their chosen lifestyle.

courtneyfabulous

For those wondering about my post - look up the effects of low carb diets and prolonged caloric deficit on leptin and the metabolism.