Which has worked better for you? Watching Calories/fat or Keto
kimjschroeder
Posts: 35 Member
Have you tried multiple ways to lose weight? Calorie counting watching fat/ Weight Watchers/ Keto? What has worked for you and why?
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Replies
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For me, it's been minimizing bad carbs. It just works for me.4
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All diets only work by taking in less calories than you burn.11
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Every way of eating relies on consuming less calories than you burn. I just eat foods I like that make me feel good physically and mentally, logging my intake to know I'm eating the appropriate amount to achieve whatever goal I have at the time
Being consistent makes it work. For me, continuing to log even when I've reached my goal weight helps me maintain.9 -
I got a food scale and it made this place a loosing weight scientific lab that worked. If you don't have one, get one. I'm high carb and losing. I love plain sweet potatoes too much. I also love beans and brown rice.
It's all about keeping within your calories no matter what way you eat. I'm choosing a combination of DASH diet and Mediterenian diet, just so I can learn healthier ways of eating (I will not diet, since diets DO NOT work).5 -
Cutting down on bad carbs was key for me... mainly bread and pasta. I walk the dog and then get in regular indoor exercise each morning before my better half wakes, and fill up on a good healthy porridge breakfast that keeps me full until lunchtime. I have followed the Supreme 90 Day routines and find that they fit in nicely under an hour each morning. That said... I just returned from 3 weeks holiday in Italy, where I drank beer and/or wine each day and ate mainly pizza... but had lower body fat than before I left. It must have been all of the walking in the heat!5
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I was on paleo/keto for two years, I lost 20lbs but didn't keep it off. That way of eating just didn't work for me. The strict rules and religious-like bearing on life that outlook on food created for me was unsustainable.
What has worked is creating a reasonable caloric deficit, focusing on protein intake, and allowing myself to eat anything I feel like as long as I follow the guiderails of checks and balances that calorie/macro counting provides.
I am now lighter and my body comp is better than it was when I was on a "diet".6 -
Eating as much as I can of what I want at a calorie deficit.9
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I used to classify foods as good or bad, but really there are no bad foods (unless its expired or you are allergic). I have found that sticking within a reasonable calorie deficit, weighing my food and eating more protein and healthy fats has worked best for me. Substituting heathier options is also best (edemame noodles, zoodles or spaghetti squash in place of regular wheat pasta for one example). Everyone has their own way of doing things and only you will know what is best for your lifestyle. What ever you decide to do just make sure it is sustainable in the long term.2
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Not only removing sugar, but anything that turns to sugar in my blood. For instance bread actually raised my blood sugar high that 1/2 tsp of sugar. So for me and my DH, Keto has been what worked. The ONLY reason I even count calories is because my Dr. wants me to chart all food. But pretty much I eat healthier fats, moderate protein, very low carb. I eat until I am satiated. (not stuffed). Keto keeps me from being hungry so typically I have 1 meal a day, and a few keto friendly snacks if I feel the need. Macadamia nuts are a favorite.9
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As was also pointed out above, all "diet's", be it keto or anything else operate on the same basic principle of calories in vs. calories out. Many supporters of these diets like to claim magical properties for these regimens, but at the end of the day they only work if they adhere to this principle. Eat too many calories on Keto, and you will get just as fat as if you would of ate nachos and fried chicken.
When I first started my weight loss journey, I played the carb game for a couple of months. I was just like lots of people who first start out in that I did not know what they hell I was doing and was desperate and grasping at straws. It made me miserable, and there was no way in hell I would of been able to stay on it for life as a permanent lifestyle change.
The ultimate conclusion I came to is that Keto is simply unnecessary to achieve my goals, so why in the hell would I want to intentionally punish myself with their restrictions when I don't have to? Many other people come to this same conclusion eventually.14 -
nothing has ever worked as well as CICO. Simple is always best.2
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I pay attention to calories in and calories out. I pretty much eat the same way I always have, just less of it. I usually avoid simple carbs because they seem to spike my appetite (which isn't true for everyone). I exercise in ways that I enjoy, mostly endurance sports which increase my "calories out" in the short term, but increasingly adding resistance training, which should do the same in the long term.
For overall health (but not weight loss), I also am slowly improving the nutrient density of my food intake. For me, this means paying attention to (but not freaking out about) sodium, fiber, total carb intake, and types of fat.
SW 248
CW 182
GW 1683 -
While I agree that the basics for weight loss is calories in vs calories out, when I stalled in my weight loss journey going keto got me back to losing weight again. I feel satisfied by the meals I eat: I plan them carefully, use a scale most of the time and sometimes can't even finish my food for the day because I find what I like to be so satisfying. I have more energy than I had previously, my workouts feel better, and it's challenged my creativity with planning meals that are in the diet but enjoyable. However, it's not something I will stick with forever but I will not yoyo when I hit my goal and go off keto. I will definitely up my intake of carbs (currently 30g or less a day) and even out my diet again still favoring better fats and protein and well as whole grains, but almost two months on this diet has really changed my perception of how and what I eat. My biggest issue when diet in is still feeling hungry after or shortly after I eat, and this diet curbed those cravings. However some negatives are that it is very restrictive, no such thing as a cheat day or cheat meal, eating out is hard/almost impossible, you will cook a lot, and there is an adjustment period the does few days as you are making your body enter a ketogenic state where your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.
TL;DR on a keto diet I lost weight, felt satisfied by my meals, learned how to cook better ones, my skin cleared up, and I feel i have more energy throughout the day. However it is restrictive and requires a good bit of effort and will power.2 -
I've tried many different diets throughout my life including weight watchers (hated it), low carb (double ugh) and even silly things like the Miracle Soup diet (tasty but boring as h3ll). The only thing that has worked to keep my yo-yo-ing in check has been to count calories and increase my exercise. Eating at a deficit and moving more. That's the no-brainer solution.
I've now maintained my current weight for nearly 2 years and that's a first for me!4 -
What worked was eating the right amount of calories.
Food was the same good food that I ate when I was slim, fat, average sized or gaining, losing or maintaining weight.
Tried exclusion and meal replacement diets back in the dark ages (kids - that's before the internet was invented....). Temporary loss followed by regain was the result.3 -
Sorry, I should have noted that besides the calories in vs calories out, what worked? I always look at calories, but is there anything else that helped increase your loss?0
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kimjschroeder wrote: »Sorry, I should have noted that besides the calories in vs calories out, what worked? I always look at calories, but is there anything else that helped increase your loss?
Finding an eating style that gelled with my strengths and weaknesses - I'm very determined short term but bored by long term restriction. I followed the 5:2 diet for my weight loss phase so my weekly calorie deficit was done in two days a week with five days eating normally.
I didn't seek to increase my loss, just sustain a sensible rate of loss.3 -
Nothing is going to help you increase your loss. You need to eat to feed your body. Cardio is good for your heart. Weights are good for preserving muscle while you lose. You need to eat back at least some of your exercise calories. Eat less than you burn and you'll lose. There's no magic to it. Just good ol' science.6
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kimjschroeder wrote: »Sorry, I should have noted that besides the calories in vs calories out, what worked? I always look at calories, but is there anything else that helped increase your loss?
I have been in the game long enough now that I have self experimented with different macros based approaches I read about here and elsewhere and none of them seemed to make any difference in terms of weight loss. My body does not seem to care much about rhetoric from fitness industry talking heads apparently. If my calories are under my TDEE it rewards me with weight loss, with almost zero discrimination as to what form those calories come in. This is what ultimately convinced me to abandon these structured or percentage based approaches to macros.
Interestingly enough, the New England Journal of Medicine also published a study where they similarly played around with macros to study it's effects on weight loss: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0804748#t=articleBackground
To make a long story short, it does not seem to make any long term difference whatsoever. Essentially any calorie restricted diet will produce clinically significant weight loss. I think part of the problem is that we humans inherently seem to have the need to try to make things more complicated than they need to be.3 -
kimjschroeder wrote: »Sorry, I should have noted that besides the calories in vs calories out, what worked? I always look at calories, but is there anything else that helped increase your loss?
You shouldn't be focusing on how to increase your loss. You should be focused on finding an appropriate calorie deficit to achieve your weight loss goal, logging accurately to ensure you really are eating at that calorie target, exercising to improve overall fitness - and then finding a way of eating that you enjoy that enables you to adhere to that calorie target until you reach your goals and then transition into maintenance.
The best diet is the one you can stick with - for many of us that means a focus on foods that provide nutrition, satiety, and enjoyment within the context of the right number of calories for our weight management goals.
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Both. Keto keeps the craving and hunger away, and calorie restriction is what makes you slim down, so if you're thinking keto, you have to do both.0
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I could lose small amounts of weight (~10lbs) by just cutting back on calories but I I could not maintain lweight loss through moderation. I just got too hungry.
I have lost 30-40lbs twice in my life. The first time I followed (sort of) Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet and did P90x. I ate whole foods that I could recognize as an organism: veggies, meat, seafood, eggs, fruit. I ate no flours or sugars. I even tended to mostly skip natural sugars like honey because those tend to go best on processed carbs. It was moderate to higher protein diet and ended up being low to moderate carb. I did not count any calories or macros and lost 0-8 pounds in a week, with most weeeks being 1-2 lbs.
Once I got to maintenance I allowed myself some baked goods again. Then some sugars came back. I had a severe injury and had to stop all exercise. I gained my weight back within a couple of years.
A couple of years ago I went very low carb, ketogenic, with primal types of food. It was mainly to I lost 40 lbs within about 5 months. I lost 2-3 lbs per week while counting calories (1500 kcal). Weight came off fairly easily but I still needed to count calories most of the time to lose if I included nuts or cheese in my diet. During maintenance I did not count calories. I maintain very easily though if I keep carbs below 20g. If I let carbs creep up it usually means I will be overeating or getting into refined carbs - not good for weight maintenace or for my insulin resistance.
I have maintained a 30lb loss with ease but the last 10 lbs tend to fluctate up and down over a few months -due to health issues or carb and calorie creep.
LCHF primal whole foods tends to be the healthiest and best way for me to eat. I'll continue it for the foreseeable future.1 -
I've tried every diet known to man. In the mid 1990's I tried Jenny Craig which worked great for 2 years (lost 70 lbs) but once I stopped eating the frozen foods I gained it all back plus another 50lbs! I've counted calories which has always helped. Not too long ago my doctor diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes, so I started restricting processed foods and sugary things. I started paying more attention to my fiber intake and limited my alcohol intake. Now if I go out to dinner I try to stick to salads and meat or fish and I drink maybe 1 or 2 mich ultras. My A1c went from a 9.1 all the way down to a 5.4 in 4 months. And I have lost about 30 pounds. I started on this website just about a month ago and am trying to lose about a pound a week by limiting processed foods and drinking lots of water. My next goal is to actually start some type of exercise routine. Sorry I think I'm rambling .....6
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Calorie counting is the first and only diet plan I've tried. My physical activity has always exceeded by caloric intake and I never had an issue with weight management. Since using MFP I have been able to drill down to key data points and meet and/or exceed my fitness goals.0
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I've tried every diet known to man. In the mid 1990's I tried Jenny Craig which worked great for 2 years (lost 70 lbs) but once I stopped eating the frozen foods I gained it all back plus another 50lbs! I've counted calories which has always helped. Not too long ago my doctor diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes, so I started restricting processed foods and sugary things. I started paying more attention to my fiber intake and limited my alcohol intake. Now if I go out to dinner I try to stick to salads and meat or fish and I drink maybe 1 or 2 mich ultras. My A1c went from a 9.1 all the way down to a 5.4 in 4 months. And I have lost about 30 pounds. I started on this website just about a month ago and am trying to lose about a pound a week by limiting processed foods and drinking lots of water. My next goal is to actually start some type of exercise routine. Sorry I think I'm rambling .....
Congrats on both the weight loss and A1C. Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. One of the reasons for this weight loss push. I put on 80 lbs in about 18 months due to depression. Finally had a wake up call that I can't continue on this road and realizing I'm about the same age as my mom's diagnosis. I killed 3 generations of women on my mom's side and I dont want to be the next.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »kimjschroeder wrote: »Sorry, I should have noted that besides the calories in vs calories out, what worked? I always look at calories, but is there anything else that helped increase your loss?
You shouldn't be focusing on how to increase your loss. You should be focused on finding an appropriate calorie deficit to achieve your weight loss goal, logging accurately to ensure you really are eating at that calorie target, exercising to improve overall fitness - and then finding a way of eating that you enjoy that enables you to adhere to that calorie target until you reach your goals and then transition into maintenance.
The best diet is the one you can stick with - for many of us that means a focus on foods that provide nutrition, satiety, and enjoyment within the context of the right number of calories for our weight management goals.
This. So much this.
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kimjschroeder wrote: »Sorry, I should have noted that besides the calories in vs calories out, what worked? I always look at calories, but is there anything else that helped increase your loss?
Moving more, whether intentional exercise or just parking further away from the grocery store (as an example), will allow you to eat more while in a deficit. If you're talking about losing faster, then increase the deficit (without going overboard) or increase your calorie burn. Frankly, I think a slow and steady rate of loss is best for keeping it off long term. I took a year to lose 25 pounds, so that's only 1/2 pound a week, but I've been able to keep it off.0 -
Actually, what's helping me stick to weight loss (so over time an increased loss) has been not demonizing foods I like. I check the calories, decide whether I want them, and log them if I do. No guilt, no anxiety, no worries about going off the rails, since I fit them into my day alongside more nutrient-dense fare. So I'm much more relaxed this time out.
Which is kinda good when you're a stress-eater...3 -
What worked best for me was to just not eat the foods that tend to lead to overeating. The "no brakes" foods. Except on very special occasions. And never have them in the house.
For me, focusing on nutrient dense plant foods, proteins, fats, and if I have grains they are nearly always whole/intact grains.
So for me that means: no sodas, no juice, no candies and pastries, and no tortilla chips in the house. Tortilla chips I will eat, OUT.
I've been happily eating this way for about 15 years now.4 -
What worked best for me was calorie counting, not aiming for 2 pounds/week, and working hard to hit 100 grams of protein a day. That way I could eat the foods I wanted but not nearly as often as I wanted or I'd miss hitting my macro goals.
The calorie deficit equation works for everyone, but the psychology of weight loss -- the hunger cues, the feelings of satiation or deprivation, the social aspect of eating with friends or family -- those all change from person to person. Protein and a bit of fat help me feel satisfied throughout the day but another person might feel like gnawing off their own arm if they at the same way as me. Having a deadline or a goal event works really well for some people but it drives me a little batty. It's important to play around and see what works well for you instead of sticking to someone else's routine because it worked well for them.7
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