Calories Counting or Low Carb?
BeSummerShine
Posts: 59 Member
Just getting back into my fitness and putting my health first. I walk about 17,000 steps a day and am pretty active. I’m losing my butt so I will start doing the stair master at the gym next week LOL.
However I need to lose my stomach. I know I can’t pick and choose where I lose it from but I think what I’m eating has a pretty large impact (I consume a ton of sugar, it’s my weakness).
Which route is more beneficial for wait loss; low carb or calorie counting?!
However I need to lose my stomach. I know I can’t pick and choose where I lose it from but I think what I’m eating has a pretty large impact (I consume a ton of sugar, it’s my weakness).
Which route is more beneficial for wait loss; low carb or calorie counting?!
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Replies
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What you eat doesnt have an impact on where you gain fat, that's up to genetics and unfortunately many women tend to carry more weight in their stomach. What consuming a ton of sugar can do is put you in a calorie surplus, thus causing you to gain weight overall. Neither calorie counting or low carb is more beneficial in terms of weight loss. You just need to make sure you're in a calorie deficit, how you do that is up to you.11
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The only thing that matters for weight loss is creating a calorie deficit. Once you track your calorie intake accurately, you can play around with different amounts of macros to see which combination makes you feel fullest the longest. I personally only pay attention to protein as I am working on building muscle. I've lost 50 pounds and I have been in maintenance for a year and a half, eating carbs the whole way. I eat chocolate almost every day. I just track it. Because of the chocolate and protein powder, I tend to have higher protein and carbs and lower fat than is suggested on the app, but this is just how I choose to eat.7
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Well you can lose weight without being low carb and you can lose weight without calorie counting but you cannot lose weight without being in a caloric deficit.
So my vote goes for calorie deficit, however you choose to do that. Also low carb isn't magic and isn't always sustainable. I do count calories and I eat high carb. It's all about eating less than you burn for weight loss.12 -
You can't spot reduce fat off your stomach by what you eat, it just doesn't work like that. If you're at a lower weight already, reducing carb intake may diminish the appearance of bloating due to water retention. But that's not fat loss and it will come back when you up your carb intake again.
Weight loss comes down to being a the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. Macros ratios comes in a distant second and is what helps with satiety levels and then people with certain medical conditions may also have to follow certain ratios.
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BeSummerShine wrote: »Just getting back into my fitness and putting my health first. I walk about 17,000 steps a day and am pretty active. I’m losing my butt so I will start doing the stair master at the gym next week LOL.
However I need to lose my stomach. I know I can’t pick and choose where I lose it from but I think what I’m eating has a pretty large impact (I consume a ton of sugar, it’s my weakness).
Which route is more beneficial for wait loss; low carb or calorie counting?!
Calories are what matter for weight loss and weight management in general, whether you are low carb or not. If you're low carb and you consume excess calories, you're not going to lose weight. Low carb diets are just one of many ways people can achieve a calorie deficit.
I personally don't do either low carb or calorie count.9 -
I gain weight when I try to eat low carb along with a host of other health problems that crop up.
I now eat high carb and low fat but in a calorie deficit. I am also exercising a lot. I have only lost five pounds on the scale but I am dropping inches like crazy and I am down from a size 14 to a 12.
That's just me. You will need to figure out what macro balance works best for you. The important thing is to be in a calorie deficit.7 -
stair master won't do much to build or stop you losing your butt, maybe more so than most other cardio, but you should incorporate strength training (deadlifts, squats, hip thrusts, etc.) check out the program strong curves.8
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They aren't mutually exclusive. You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Some people, like myself, find calorie restriction easier by eating a low carb diet. Some people find simply restricting their calories works for them. At the end of the day, you need to learn what will work best for you and what you will be able to stick with for the long haul.
As for losing your butt, just adding more cardio won't help, I strongly suggest that you look in to Strength Training. The New Rules of Lifting Weights for Women is a great book and can definitely help get you started if you aren't already familiar with it.3 -
It’s all about input vs output. You simply have to eat a surplus of calories to gain weight and a deficit to lose weight.
From my experience though, the most success I have is when I also prioritize my calories within that intentional deficit to be low carb. I find that a high carb diet leaves me hungry all the time, craving High calorie foods with sugar and I end up sabotagging my own success by succumbing to the hunger pains and high calorie sugar cravings. If you eat restricted calories and simultaneously keep your carbs low, you won’t feel AS hungry and your cravings will be reduced.1 -
I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry. In fact, many times my wife will remind me to eat something to make sure I get enough calories for the day. I don't count calories or log my food because I don't have to. I just watch the scale to make sure I'm still losing and not gaining.
What I will warn you about though is if you are a sugarholic like I am, you shouldn't just jump in to a low carb or keto type diet. I failed many times in the past for that reason. Just start cutting things out over a few months time. It will give your body the time it needs to adjust to eating less sugar. Once I did that it was easy to move to a low carb way of eating. I no longer crave those delicious starburst jelly beans I love so much
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Joie_de_vivre17 wrote: »It’s all about input vs output. You simply have to eat a surplus of calories to gain weight and a deficit to lose weight.
From my experience though, the most success I have is when I also prioritize my calories within that intentional deficit to be low carb. I find that a high carb diet leaves me hungry all the time, craving High calorie foods with sugar and I end up sabotagging my own success by succumbing to the hunger pains and high calorie sugar cravings. If you eat restricted calories and simultaneously keep your carbs low, you won’t feel AS hungry and your cravings will be reduced.
Just as far as the bolded, this is not true for everyone. Some folks (like me!) find fats such as nuts, cheese, and some meats very easy to overeat, and find carbs (especially starchy or fibrous carbs) quite satiating. But some folks are like you finding fats filling and carbs not so much 9 -
And as far as losing your stomach, consider this thread as food for thought:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat
Fully flat stomach in women is mostly only achievable via photoshop and careful posing. A slight rise in the belly shape is normal for anyone with a uterus, and will vary from woman to woman.
That said, most of us do lose some belly fat toward the end of the weight loss process, so patience is also a factor!
I agree with others that what you need in order to lose that weight is calorie intake less than calorie expenditure. If you're one of the people whose appetite is less with low carb, you might be able to get a calorie deficit that way, without counting. If not, or if you simply enjoy carbs and want to eat them, then counting works well. I ate 150g+ carbs most days while losing 50ish pounds, by calorie counting, so carbs in themselves don't prevent weight loss.
Best wishes!6 -
Joie_de_vivre17 wrote: »It’s all about input vs output. You simply have to eat a surplus of calories to gain weight and a deficit to lose weight.
From my experience though, the most success I have is when I also prioritize my calories within that intentional deficit to be low carb. I find that a high carb diet leaves me hungry all the time, craving High calorie foods with sugar and I end up sabotagging my own success by succumbing to the hunger pains and high calorie sugar cravings. If you eat restricted calories and simultaneously keep your carbs low, you won’t feel AS hungry and your cravings will be reduced.
Just as far as the bolded, this is not true for everyone. Some folks (like me!) find fats such as nuts, cheese, and some meats very easy to overeat, and find carbs (especially starchy or fibrous carbs) quite satiating. But some folks are like you finding fats filling and carbs not so much
Yup! A piece of fruit will hold me over better than fatty things ever will. It is all personal preference.
As far as the OPs question, calorie counting and low carb aren't mutually exclusive. You could do both, but there isn't any special weight lost benefit to low carb. As mentioned for some people, it will help them feel fuller. For others, that's not the case. But outside of that, you lose weight by being in a calorie deficit, regardless of how you achieve it.3 -
Joie_de_vivre17 wrote: »It’s all about input vs output. You simply have to eat a surplus of calories to gain weight and a deficit to lose weight.
From my experience though, the most success I have is when I also prioritize my calories within that intentional deficit to be low carb. I find that a high carb diet leaves me hungry all the time, craving High calorie foods with sugar and I end up sabotagging my own success by succumbing to the hunger pains and high calorie sugar cravings. If you eat restricted calories and simultaneously keep your carbs low, you won’t feel AS hungry and your cravings will be reduced.
Just as far as the bolded, this is not true for everyone. Some folks (like me!) find fats such as nuts, cheese, and some meats very easy to overeat, and find carbs (especially starchy or fibrous carbs) quite satiating. But some folks are like you finding fats filling and carbs not so much
Good point! I think it is important to figure out what keeps you feeling full so you can stay within the calories you have allotted yourself. I guess it is subjective what makes one person feel full versus another. Good luck on your journey!0 -
I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry.
Being never hungry is problematic in and of itself, just fyi. 60lbs in 3 months works out to 20lbs a month, and that's not safe for a lot of people.
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MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry.
Being never hungry is problematic in and of itself, just fyi. 60lbs in 3 months works out to 20lbs a month, and that's not safe for a lot of people.
This is exactly what I'm dealing with right now. I recently switched to a lower carb woe, and while I'm really enjoying this style of eating, it's been acting as an appetite suppressant and I can't get my weight to stabilize/stop losing. I'm in maintenance and already at a lower BMI, not looking to lose weight. It's becoming a pain in the bum and I'm forcing myself to eat more, just to get in enough calories.0 -
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I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy.
Because appetite and satiation are both very individual and not everyone is like you. I do tend to eat lowish carbs, but not everyday, because I love things like pizza, rice, and potatoes and I would not feel my best with a good balance of all macros.
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Joie_de_vivre17 wrote: »It’s all about input vs output. You simply have to eat a surplus of calories to gain weight and a deficit to lose weight.
From my experience though, the most success I have is when I also prioritize my calories within that intentional deficit to be low carb. I find that a high carb diet leaves me hungry all the time, craving High calorie foods with sugar and I end up sabotagging my own success by succumbing to the hunger pains and high calorie sugar cravings. If you eat restricted calories and simultaneously keep your carbs low, you won’t feel AS hungry and your cravings will be reduced.
Carbs aren't just sugary stuff. Things like oats, lentils, beans, potatoes, etc are what keep me from feeling hungry...all carbohydrates and none of them are sugary but rather high fiber starches and not particularly high in calories.I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry. In fact, many times my wife will remind me to eat something to make sure I get enough calories for the day. I don't count calories or log my food because I don't have to. I just watch the scale to make sure I'm still losing and not gaining.
What I will warn you about though is if you are a sugarholic like I am, you shouldn't just jump in to a low carb or keto type diet. I failed many times in the past for that reason. Just start cutting things out over a few months time. It will give your body the time it needs to adjust to eating less sugar. Once I did that it was easy to move to a low carb way of eating. I no longer crave those delicious starburst jelly beans I love so much
Sustainable would be highly subjective. There's no way I could sustain a low carb diet, especially not a keto diet. Most people I know in real life have failed miserably with keto because they're essentially giving up an entire macro and for a lot of people, that's way too restrictive.
I could never do it as things like oats, lentils, beans, potatoes, and other starchy fiber rich carbohydrates are what keep me from feeling hungry...and while I do eat meat, my diet consists of a *kitten* ton of plants. I personally couldn't imagine just eating a bunch of fat everyday and a little protein.14 -
I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry. In fact, many times my wife will remind me to eat something to make sure I get enough calories for the day. I don't count calories or log my food because I don't have to. I just watch the scale to make sure I'm still losing and not gaining.
What I will warn you about though is if you are a sugarholic like I am, you shouldn't just jump in to a low carb or keto type diet. I failed many times in the past for that reason. Just start cutting things out over a few months time. It will give your body the time it needs to adjust to eating less sugar. Once I did that it was easy to move to a low carb way of eating. I no longer crave those delicious starburst jelly beans I love so much
Low carb for me would be like a living hell. Great that works for you, but not everyone wants to eat that way.
Also, sad that you feel you can't ever have starburst jelly beans ever again.9 -
I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy.
For me, it isn't about thinking it's sustainable. I tried it and I have tried eating high carb low fat. When I switched to high carb low fat, my depression went into remission after almost 40 years of struggle including one hospitalization. My insomnia went away. My menopause issues went away. My cholesterol dropped from 210-220 down to 132. My fasting glucose and A1C went from prediabetic to well within the healthy range. My CRP (which is regularly monitored due to an autoimmune disease) dropped significantly. My blood pressure dropped from 110/70 (already health) to 90/60.
Somebody else may have the same results eating low carb. I'm not hear to preach HCLF for everyone. I simply found the macros that my body clearly prefers. In the current diet culture, keto is in and carbs are considered poison. It's just not true.9 -
Calorie deficit is how you lose weight no matter which diet you follow.7
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TrishSeren wrote: »I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry. In fact, many times my wife will remind me to eat something to make sure I get enough calories for the day. I don't count calories or log my food because I don't have to. I just watch the scale to make sure I'm still losing and not gaining.
What I will warn you about though is if you are a sugarholic like I am, you shouldn't just jump in to a low carb or keto type diet. I failed many times in the past for that reason. Just start cutting things out over a few months time. It will give your body the time it needs to adjust to eating less sugar. Once I did that it was easy to move to a low carb way of eating. I no longer crave those delicious starburst jelly beans I love so much
Low carb for me would be like a living hell. Great that works for you, but not everyone wants to eat that way.
Also, sad that you feel you can't ever have starburst jelly beans ever again.
This is how I thought too and I was always quick to jump into threads and be pretty critical about low carbing. I was definitely a HCLF kind of gal That all changed though, after I decided to try a lower carb way of eating recently. I was frustrated with where my weight was at, (I'm in maintenance but was dealing with some creep that I couldn't shake), and decided to try something completely new for me.
Come to find out eating lower carb has been a really good fit for me. I've lost the creep plus some, have had significant appetite reduction, I no longer think about food all the time and I no longer have that vague hunger feeling all day. It also took care of the bloating/gassiness I was experiencing with a higher carb woe. I'm actually losing too much weight now so I'm working on tweaking things a bit to get my weight stabilized. The whole thing has been a humbling exeprience and I've had to really adjust my views on some things.
Maybe you've actually tried low carb in the past and know from experience that it's not a good fit for you. But if you haven't, then you may be surprised at your experience with it if you ever gave it a go.4 -
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I don't know why people think a low carb diet isn't sustainable. I've been in ketosis for 3 months and it's actually quite easy. I've lost around 60 lbs so far eating this way and I'm never hungry. In fact, many times my wife will remind me to eat something to make sure I get enough calories for the day. I don't count calories or log my food because I don't have to. I just watch the scale to make sure I'm still losing and not gaining.
I stated that eating a keto diet isn't always sustainable meaning that it isn't sustainable for everyone, not that it isn't sustainable for anyone.
I did lose weight on a keto diet. I lost a good bit the first 2 weeks, which was water weight then I lost weight due to the caloric restriction of being on a diet. During this time I could not stop thinking of the carby foods. I'm not talking about brownies but about potatoes and bread. The restriction was awful for me. Finally I gave in and ate the carbs.
I then regained the water weight I had lost and then regained the weight I had lost. The keto diet was not sustainable for me and I've heard many others say it wasn't sustainable for them either. So, it isn't always sustainable.
And again, weight loss happens when a person ingests less calories than they burn. A person can get there thru calorie counting or thru many other diets. The one that works best is the one you can stick to long-term.
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I do low carb. But I am also diabetic. So, foods look pasta, rice, bread, and soda do not digest as easily. I would also note that bodybuilders before a competition limit their carbs. But that's hard to maintain on a long term basis. So honestly if you are looking for the abs, I would cut out the pasta, rice and of course soda.4
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