Low Carb Vs Calorie counting
BelloAmore
Posts: 20 Member
I decided I want to do a low carb diet.. I eat a lot of food that starchy and sugary. so when I go to log my food, my carb and sugar intake are on the high side. Anyone following a Low Crab High Fat Diet? Any tips would be appreciated.
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There are a couple of dedicated groups for this. Keto and LCD group.
But, yes a bunch!1 -
I'm deathly allergic to shellfish, so me!11
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Just to address the title of your post:
Regardless of which eating style you choose (low-carb, vegetarian, Paleo, high-carb, IIFYM, etc.) it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out. You can't escape that - tracking your calories accurately will always give you the best results, regardless of what kind of food you're eating.
With that said, I do follow a low-carb diet and find that fat and protein are much more filling than carbs, so I'm able to naturally eat less and not feel as hungry.14 -
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BelloAmore wrote: »I decided I want to do a low carb diet.. I eat a lot of food that starchy and sugary. so when I go to log my food, my carb and sugar intake are on the high side. Anyone following a Low Crab High Fat Diet? Any tips would be appreciated.
Not me, no more. But I have been there, done that. I used low carb for weight loss......and then gained all the weight back. So whatever method you choose.....have a maintenance strategy. Losing weight is just the first step.4 -
Depending on which foods tend to put you over your calories, low carb could mean not having to calorie count to stay in a deficit. (basically- if you normally binge on Debbie cakes, then yes it could work; if you love cheese, not so much).1
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(success with intuitive eating pretty much flies out the window with calorie-dense food items...so if low carb cuts those out of your diet then you might successfully lost weight without keeping track of calories).1
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BelloAmore wrote: »I decided I want to do a low carb diet.. I eat a lot of food that starchy and sugary. so when I go to log my food, my carb and sugar intake are on the high side. Anyone following a Low Crab High Fat Diet? Any tips would be appreciated.
I am currently doing LCHF, lots of people around here are, here's a group where people share information, etc.: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
That said, I am doing LCHF mostly because my preferences run to more fat and because I don't care about bread, prefer savory to sweet, and tend not to find a meal feels less complete with just protein and vegetables (with some fat as accent and for cooking). I found I was naturally eating around 150 g of carbs or less and found it easier to cut calories if I just cut down to around 100, without even feeling like I was eating less (although of course I was). Based on that, I decided to experiment with going even lower.
Given that your issue seems to be HIGH carb/sugar, which suggests you really like those foods, I'm not sure I'd recommend switching straight to LCHF (not that you should care what I recommend). Why not just try lowering carbs and eating more protein and fat for a while -- maybe something like 40-30-30, or even the MFP default macros if you aren't currently meeting them.
If you are thinking that you don't have to worry about calories if you cut carbs, that's not true. Calories are still what determine weight loss. It's just that some find cutting carbs an easy way to cut calories (like me), and some find that it helps with their appetite so they don't tend to eat as much without even counting.5 -
BelloAmore wrote: »I decided I want to do a low carb diet.. I eat a lot of food that starchy and sugary. so when I go to log my food, my carb and sugar intake are on the high side. Anyone following a Low Crab High Fat Diet? Any tips would be appreciated.
i am on a low carb diet and i usually dont go over 80g of carbs. I am down 5 stone in 5 months and every morning i eat a decent size fruit sald, although, its mainly berries, i use 70g of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and 30g of cherrys, i pour over a low fat yogurt, their is hardly any shgar in my salad and fills you up for ages, most berries are low carb and low sugar so stick to berries over likes of apples and bananas or oranges. It will keep you under your target and all th1 -
If you are losing weight on low carb then you are also losing weight on low calories.
I personally cant do low carb. I get horrible brain fog and my breath gets rancid.
Counting calories is so much easier and i get to eat pizza and french fries and lose weoght at the same time.2 -
Thanks everyone I think I get it. I was thinking when you do low carb you don't count calories that's why I put the title that way.1
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BelloAmore wrote: »Thanks everyone I think I get it. I was thinking when you do low carb you don't count calories that's why I put the title that way.
Being in a calorie deficit is required to lose weight.
Eating low carb is a way of eating, that some people enjoy, and find helps them to create that calorie deficit.
Calorie counting is a way of measuring that you are actually in the calorie deficit, regardless of the foods you eat.
Put another way...
You can count calories and lose, maintain, or gain weight.
You can eat low carb and lose, maintain, or gain weight.
You can do neither, and lose, maintain, or gain weight.
I think you will find that many of the successful Low Carbers on here still track calories to ensure they are in a deficit and that their results are predictable.3 -
BelloAmore wrote: »Thanks everyone I think I get it. I was thinking when you do low carb you don't count calories that's why I put the title that way.
There are plenty of people who lose weight doing low carb who don't count calories...for many people, cutting carbs and substantially eliminating an entire macro will produce a calorie deficit by default. Counting calories just helps ensure that that is actually the case as if you eat low carb and eat maintenance calories or above, you're not going to lose weight.
All diets work on the same premise...less calories coming in and more calories going out.
I personally don't calorie count (at least physically) or do low carb and have no issue maintaining or losing weight as necessary...if I'm losing weight though, I've put myself in a calorie deficit.1 -
I'm about 10 days into lowcarb dieting. I don't count calories. I'm losing weight - about 3lbs so far. It's the first time I've ever dieted and genuinely not felt hunger. I'm suffering a bit from feeling weak a lot of the time but hopefully that will clear itself soon as it's been the only downside for me.0
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As others said, LCHF and calorie counting can be combined or separate. Some find their appetite goes down enough that they do not need to count calories while others prefer to count. It's a personal choice.
Good luck. If you do decide to try LCHF, check out the group linked above. They are a helpful bunch.1 -
BelloAmore wrote: »Thanks everyone I think I get it. I was thinking when you do low carb you don't count calories that's why I put the title that way.
You may or may not have to count calories. Low carb diets tend to diminish hunger which leads to eating less over time so in that sense, you may not have to count calories to succeed. That said, you very much still have to maintain a caloric deficit to lose weight.
Occasionally, tracking your calories is a good idea to see what an appropriate amount of food feels like...0 -
It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups).0
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Why temprarily? Most long term low carbers I know of do not not continue to calorie count. Many never did.
I counted for about 4 months. Now? I don't bother.0 -
raquele3394 wrote: »It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups).
who makes up these rules?2 -
raquele3394 wrote: »It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups).
who makes up these rules?
US government.
Although the PP substituted more veggies in place of fruits.
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raquele3394 wrote: »It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups) so I would eat in a manner that was in line with my goals and preferences and try not to overthink it too much...
fixed...
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raquele3394 wrote: »It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups).
who makes up these rules?
US government.
Although the PP substituted more veggies in place of fruits.
the same ones that told us fats were bad in the 80's???2 -
raquele3394 wrote: »It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups).
Says who?
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raquele3394 wrote: »It comes down to calories, but I would feel up on veggies. Half of the plate should be veggies(salad, sautéed kale, spinach, and other veggies) a quarter of plate should be protein( whatever fits in the palm of hands) the other quarter should be carbs( I would limit that to 1/2 cup to 3/4 of cup and eat carbs like Ezekiel bread, whole wheat past, brown rice, quinoa, Farro). For snack in between meals ( a fruit with nuts, yogurt with fruit, popcorn(3cups).
who makes up these rules?
US government.
Although the PP substituted more veggies in place of fruits.
the same ones that told us fats were bad in the 80's???
Yep. The same.
I do my best to not take government dietary recommendations too seriously.3 -
I have been on calorie restriction with anything goes. Very slow to lose. Now lately on low carb high fat I consume more calories (+200 versus MFP suggested) and seem to lose weight faster. Maybe it's temporary. But I have also done a genetic test which showed I am borderline insulin resistant, so low carb makes sense for me0
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