Confused: Calories or Carbs or Combination for weight loss..
QueenofCaffeine4Life
Posts: 88 Member
I was trying to find a thread regarding calories counted verses carb restriction for weight loss. I am just too lazy to go through the 1000+ discussions. So I thought I would start my own.
So...help me out. Do you watch calories and carbs? Count calories only? Or do you simply cut out carbs?
I had been watching my calories and carbs and fat. I am tired of counting it all. I would really like to find a balance in this weight loss journey. So far I have lost about 26lbs since May 1.
I have about 50 more to go until I am done.
So...help me out. Do you watch calories and carbs? Count calories only? Or do you simply cut out carbs?
I had been watching my calories and carbs and fat. I am tired of counting it all. I would really like to find a balance in this weight loss journey. So far I have lost about 26lbs since May 1.
I have about 50 more to go until I am done.
1
Replies
-
Calories are what actually determine whether you lose weight or not, so if I were only going to track one thing, it would be calories.
Macros can affect satiety and compliance, and minimums are required for health and some fitness goals. Regardless they are just guidelines, it's not like you are expected or need to hit them on the head.
Having said that, I'm not sure what extra effort is required in tracking your macros? I guess if you are trying to get them exactly right? If that's the case, then don't worry about that. I look at my calorie goal as my primary goal, to stay at or under. I look at protein and fiber as minimums I try to exceed, but I don't sweat it. The rest I rarely look at, other than for curiosity's sake.
I eat around 50% carbs, so cutting them out isn't an option for me, and eating this way hasn't hindered me at all.
7 -
Calories are what matter for weight loss. Some people find that if they cut carbs very low they will naturally eat fewer cals, at least in the short term. Many who cut carbs also count calories and find lower carbs help them stick to those calories.
What I did, back when I started, was pick a calorie goal (using MFP) and a protein goal, and then I adjusted my other macros to make sense with the protein goal (it was basically 40-30-30). But I didn't worry about the other macros, I just focused on protein, calories, and eating an overall healthful diet (I watched fiber until I was confident I was generally at or over my goal). Pretty quickly I just naturally knew how to eat to hit my protein goal, so it wasn't like I was worrying about it daily, and similarly, I fell into a pattern where I knew what to eat for my calorie goal.4 -
The only thing that matters for weight loss is cutting calories. Cutting carbs in and of itself doesn't anything if you are not eating at a calorie deficit. If you cut out carbs, and that causes you to eat less calories than your body burns, then you will lose weight. But the same is true for however you make a calorie deficit.6
-
Ok.... Here is the deal. Low Carb Diets work. So do high carb diets. Modified Keto diets do several things. First, they increase protein. Protein fills people up and keeps them fuller. Second, there does seem to be s slight appetite blunting effect on Ketosis. Third, and the biggest issue I believe, is it eliminates many of the energy dense, hyper palatable foods from the your diet. We can go to the other extreme. Look at whole food vegans. Many of them are super slim. Again, it eliminates a macro and reward value. I mean unless you are eating a lot of nuts or dried nuts, its hard NOT to lose weight on the food they eat! JMHO.....15
-
You want to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
There's no need to restrict carbs or anything else from your diet unless it's medically necessary.
Good luck!3 -
psychod787 wrote: »Ok.... Here is the deal. Low Carb Diets work. So do high carb diets. Modified Keto diets do several things. First, they increase protein. Protein fills people up and keeps them fuller. Second, there does seem to be s slight appetite blunting effect on Ketosis. Third, and the biggest issue I believe, is it eliminates many of the energy dense, hyper palatable foods from the your diet. We can go to the other extreme. Look at whole food vegans. Many of them are super slim. Again, it eliminates a macro and reward value. I mean unless you are eating a lot of nuts or dried nuts, its hard NOT to lose weight on the food they eat! JMHO.....
I'm not sure I entirely agree with this. There are fat vegans and fat Ketoers. At the end of the day, it all comes down to calorie deficit. Some people will find the type of foods that those people eat to be more filling and make it easier to control their appetites. But for others, it doesn't work that way. That's why we see a lot of "Keto didn't work for me" and "Vegan here, need to lose X pounds" posts.10 -
psychod787 wrote: »Ok.... Here is the deal. Low Carb Diets work. So do high carb diets. Modified Keto diets do several things. First, they increase protein. Protein fills people up and keeps them fuller. Second, there does seem to be s slight appetite blunting effect on Ketosis. Third, and the biggest issue I believe, is it eliminates many of the energy dense, hyper palatable foods from the your diet. We can go to the other extreme. Look at whole food vegans. Many of them are super slim. Again, it eliminates a macro and reward value. I mean unless you are eating a lot of nuts or dried nuts, its hard NOT to lose weight on the food they eat! JMHO.....
I am not a whole food vegan, but I've definitely been a fat vegan before. Just throwing that out there.0 -
Some diets can help some people control their hunger to avoid going over their calorie limits, though it's whatever works for you.
11 -
Yesterday I ate a big carby breakfast and for the next 5hrs ate 60 - 90g of carbs an hour.
After I finished my bike ride I recovered with more carbs.
For dinner I had quite a lot more carbs.
OP - have a guess why I would have had a net loss of bodyfat despite all those carbs and the answer to your question will become apparent as to what is important for weight loss.
How/what you intend to eat when you get to goal weight and want to maintain that weight long term is well worth considering while you are losing.1 -
That's why I used the phrase "whole foods". Not saying that hyper processed foods make you gain weight, but there are several studies that tend to show this.5
-
psychod787 wrote: »Ok.... Here is the deal. Low Carb Diets work. So do high carb diets. Modified Keto diets do several things. First, they increase protein. Protein fills people up and keeps them fuller. Second, there does seem to be s slight appetite blunting effect on Ketosis. Third, and the biggest issue I believe, is it eliminates many of the energy dense, hyper palatable foods from the your diet. We can go to the other extreme. Look at whole food vegans. Many of them are super slim. Again, it eliminates a macro and reward value. I mean unless you are eating a lot of nuts or dried nuts, its hard NOT to lose weight on the food they eat! JMHO.....
I'm not sure I entirely agree with this. There are fat vegans and fat Ketoers. At the end of the day, it all comes down to calorie deficit. Some people will find the type of foods that those people eat to be more filling and make it easier to control their appetites. But for others, it doesn't work that way. That's why we see a lot of "Keto didn't work for me" and "Vegan here, need to lose X pounds" posts.
There are outliers inside anything in life, but if you look at the TRENDS, they TEND to be effective for MANY people.7 -
psychod787 wrote: »Ok.... Here is the deal. Low Carb Diets work. So do high carb diets. Modified Keto diets do several things. First, they increase protein. Protein fills people up and keeps them fuller. Second, there does seem to be s slight appetite blunting effect on Ketosis. Third, and the biggest issue I believe, is it eliminates many of the energy dense, hyper palatable foods from the your diet. We can go to the other extreme. Look at whole food vegans. Many of them are super slim. Again, it eliminates a macro and reward value. I mean unless you are eating a lot of nuts or dried nuts, its hard NOT to lose weight on the food they eat! JMHO.....
I always thought that’s why food combining works, too. Can’t have meat and pasta or bread within 4 hours of each other. So no quick drive thru burgers. You have to really think about what you’ll be having, and while you’re thinking, hopefully you’ll think of low calorie options. That could work.
7 -
Calories are what actually determine whether you lose weight or not, so if I were only going to track one thing, it would be calories.
Macros can affect satiety and compliance, and minimums are required for health and some fitness goals. Regardless they are just guidelines, it's not like you are expected or need to hit them on the head.
Having said that, I'm not sure what extra effort is required in tracking your macros? I guess if you are trying to get them exactly right? If that's the case, then don't worry about that. I look at my calorie goal as my primary goal, to stay at or under. I look at protein and fiber as minimums I try to exceed, but I don't sweat it. The rest I rarely look at, other than for curiosity's sake.
I eat around 50% carbs, so cutting them out isn't an option for me, and eating this way hasn't hindered me at all.
I was doing Medi Weight Loss. We were only required to track protein in calories. The diet limited fats and other micronutrients to very bare minimums. When I said I was tired of tracking, that is what I meant. Having to worry about only have two tiny fats a day- such as a thumb size serving of nuts, or a teaspoon of olive oil, etc... I really would like to have a caloric goal and then hit that or stay under, ya know?3 -
Calories are what actually determine whether you lose weight or not, so if I were only going to track one thing, it would be calories.
Macros can affect satiety and compliance, and minimums are required for health and some fitness goals. Regardless they are just guidelines, it's not like you are expected or need to hit them on the head.
Having said that, I'm not sure what extra effort is required in tracking your macros? I guess if you are trying to get them exactly right? If that's the case, then don't worry about that. I look at my calorie goal as my primary goal, to stay at or under. I look at protein and fiber as minimums I try to exceed, but I don't sweat it. The rest I rarely look at, other than for curiosity's sake.
I eat around 50% carbs, so cutting them out isn't an option for me, and eating this way hasn't hindered me at all.
I was doing Medi Weight Loss. We were only required to track protein in calories. The diet limited fats and other micronutrients to very bare minimums. When I said I was tired of tracking, that is what I meant. Having to worry about only have two tiny fats a day- such as a thumb size serving of nuts, or a teaspoon of olive oil, etc... I really would like to have a caloric goal and then hit that or stay under, ya know?
Sure! So you don't have to be that specific to lose weight, you don't even have to be that specific to track a bunch of different things. You certainly don't need to set anything to a "bare minimum" if you don't want to. Maybe use the MFP settings, and if the protein goal MFP gives you is lower than you're accustomed to, change the percentages a little to get them where you want them. Then just use them as a loose guide, that you pay attention to but don't really stress about. Or ignore them all entirely and just look at calories. Or just calories and protein. You get the point
The calories are the key. 4 -
psychod787 wrote: »Ok.... Here is the deal. Low Carb Diets work. So do high carb diets. Modified Keto diets do several things. First, they increase protein. Protein fills people up and keeps them fuller. Second, there does seem to be s slight appetite blunting effect on Ketosis. Third, and the biggest issue I believe, is it eliminates many of the energy dense, hyper palatable foods from the your diet. We can go to the other extreme. Look at whole food vegans. Many of them are super slim. Again, it eliminates a macro and reward value. I mean unless you are eating a lot of nuts or dried nuts, its hard NOT to lose weight on the food they eat! JMHO.....
I'm not sure I entirely agree with this. There are fat vegans and fat Ketoers. At the end of the day, it all comes down to calorie deficit. Some people will find the type of foods that those people eat to be more filling and make it easier to control their appetites. But for others, it doesn't work that way. That's why we see a lot of "Keto didn't work for me" and "Vegan here, need to lose X pounds" posts.
I also want to mention dietary adherence.... It tends to be poor in the long term. I have people I work with, purely observational data mind you, that swear, "I CANT LOSE WEIGHT ON X DIET!" Well, if they are Keto, seems to be the trend at my work these days, you see them go head first into a pie or "insert high energy density/ high reward food here" To quote a hero of mine, James Krieger, " A flexible dietary approach that trends for lower calorie dense/ lower reward food tends to be a good dietary approach for long term loss and maintenance. High energy dense/ reward foods should be limited."2 -
Energy balance.
Energy in > Energy out = Weight Gain
Energy in = Energy out = Maintenance
Energy in < Energy out = Weight Loss
I substituted calories for energy. I find often using the word calories confuses people...2 -
How/what you intend to eat when you get to goal weight and want to maintain that weight long term is well worth considering while you are losing.
I personally want to be able to eat anything in moderation and with thought. I want to be healthy. I would like to get to a point in my life where food isn't the enemy nor is it a crutch. That I can enjoy any food group, within moderation, and not feel guilt for eating. I do believe there has to be a line where good nutrition takes over and all the crap food gets reduced to a minimum. However, if we are going out for Mexican I want chips and dip. Or if it is a bday party I want to be able to eat the cake without shame. In the same respect I also want to make healthy and sustainable choices on a more regular basis. Cutting out sugar or bread forever is not even feasible for me. I will always wind up "cheating".
Even though I have sworn off all carbs for many weeks I know that I always fail when doing that long term.
5 -
How/what you intend to eat when you get to goal weight and want to maintain that weight long term is well worth considering while you are losing.
I personally want to be able to eat anything in moderation and with thought. I want to be healthy. I would like to get to a point in my life where food isn't the enemy nor is it a crutch. That I can enjoy any food group, within moderation, and not feel guilt for eating. I do believe there has to be a line where good nutrition takes over and all the crap food gets reduced to a minimum. However, if we are going out for Mexican I want chips and dip. Or if it is a bday party I want to be able to eat the cake without shame. In the same respect I also want to make healthy and sustainable choices on a more regular basis. Cutting out sugar or bread forever is not even feasible for me. I will always wind up "cheating".
Even though I have sworn off all carbs for many weeks I know that I always fail when doing that long term.
Your first two sentences: tack that up in your kitchen, your bedroom mirror, above your computer.
That is your new Goal.
The chips and dip and birthday cake? There is absolutely a place for those in a healthy life. HOWEVER, not every day, in my experience. Birthday cake I don't even like so it's easy for me to turn that down. If I did like it I'd have some on My birthday, My immediate family's (the ones who live with me) birthdays. Not my coworkers, not a friend at a bar, not my second cousin twice removed. Special Occasions. Not everyones' birthday cake has to be eaten. On my birthday I'm having peach pie and vanilla ice cream because Pie > Cake.
BUT as much as I love peach pie I'm not buying it every month.
The chips and dip? I don't find them worth the calories very often. If Mexican is once a month, okay. If it's every Friday, probably not. However, many people find things like chips and dip to be worth it and they'll either save a hundred calories per day throughout the week so they can go "out" on the weekend or they'll skip breakfast or lunch on that day or they'll get in an extra long exercise session to make up for it. It's all a trade-off. Nothing needs to be cut out, just managed.
5 -
How/what you intend to eat when you get to goal weight and want to maintain that weight long term is well worth considering while you are losing.
I personally want to be able to eat anything in moderation and with thought. I want to be healthy. I would like to get to a point in my life where food isn't the enemy nor is it a crutch. That I can enjoy any food group, within moderation, and not feel guilt for eating. I do believe there has to be a line where good nutrition takes over and all the crap food gets reduced to a minimum. However, if we are going out for Mexican I want chips and dip. Or if it is a bday party I want to be able to eat the cake without shame. In the same respect I also want to make healthy and sustainable choices on a more regular basis. Cutting out sugar or bread forever is not even feasible for me. I will always wind up "cheating".
Even though I have sworn off all carbs for many weeks I know that I always fail when doing that long term.
This would indicate to me that a low carb or keto diet is not right for you. There is a large body of evidence that shows a couple of things:
1) Keto or low carb is not more effective than any other form of calorie restriction for weight loss. Actually high protein and low fat has a slight advantage but not enough to write home about.
2) For people that struggle with cravings and hunger signalling, lowering carbs can blunt hunger and cravings. Works for some people and not for others but it works often enough that if someone has trouble with hunger and cravings, it's worth a try.
As for what I do personally, my focus is one 1. Calories 2. protein. That's it. When I check my fat consumption is always in a healthy range. So, I don't spend any time focusing in it. My carbs tend to be lower, between 100 and 150 grams most days, sometimes higher. Over time and experimentation, I have found that a lower carb, higher protein diet is satiating for me. The carbs I do eat are mostly high fiber veggies and fruits although I eat tortillas, bread, rice and potatoes regularly. Just not in large amounts. I don't intentionally restrict carbs in any way.
I hope this is helpful. I am of the school that thinks if you have to restrict or track too many things it becomes more complicated than it is worth. I definitely believe in the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) method and that is what works best of me.6 -
How/what you intend to eat when you get to goal weight and want to maintain that weight long term is well worth considering while you are losing.
I personally want to be able to eat anything in moderation and with thought. I want to be healthy. I would like to get to a point in my life where food isn't the enemy nor is it a crutch. That I can enjoy any food group, within moderation, and not feel guilt for eating. I do believe there has to be a line where good nutrition takes over and all the crap food gets reduced to a minimum. However, if we are going out for Mexican I want chips and dip. Or if it is a bday party I want to be able to eat the cake without shame. In the same respect I also want to make healthy and sustainable choices on a more regular basis. Cutting out sugar or bread forever is not even feasible for me. I will always wind up "cheating".
Even though I have sworn off all carbs for many weeks I know that I always fail when doing that long term.
So that experiment has at least taught you what fails for you. Choosing being miserable isn't sustainable.
For me a big thing is to look at my diet in its entirity over an extended period of time - does it give me good nutrition? Do I enjoy it? Can I eat that diet in the correct amounts for the long term?
5 -
I really do appreciate all of your input. It has been very helpful. Sometimes just talking it all out helps.2
-
@becklorik: hallelujah for you have cracked it.
The key is sustainability. Who hand on heart believes they want to spend the rest of their days weighing foods, counting carbs, logging on MFP. I know I sure as *kitten* dont.
I found it liberating to just cut out all all this complications and focus only on eating "healthy" most of the time and then still having cake / beer / whatever when it presents itself. Never actively seeking it out really.
For healthy eating I make sure I eat a lot of veg at meals with some source of protein and snack only on fruits / nuts. No weighing - no guilt. Nobody ever got fat and blamed the almonds or blamed the watermelon!!!!!!
When I enjoy cake I simply make sure I go back to my clean diet straight after. No day long / week long / month long binges.
Whats the catch: Well. You just need to be prepared to wait longer for your results. No massive drops in weight. Just a slow, steady, sustainable journey to the body I want.
I fully believe we are over complicating things, and @becklorik I felt compelled to share with you where I am at as it sounds so similar to what you were describing above.
Best of luck to you
10 -
oh and don't drink your calories unless that is your indulgence (like a flavoured latter or something). 1
-
@pontious11349
I love this....
When I enjoy cake I simply make sure I go back to my clean diet straight after. No day long / week long / month long binges.
Whats the catch: Well. You just need to be prepared to wait longer for your results. No massive drops in weight. Just a slow, steady, sustainable journey to the body I want
You are so right! I have finally come to terms with not wanting to lose ALL THE WEIGHT in a few months. Rather just lose as I make the right choices and do the right things. It will make my life a lot easier!!!
4 -
pontious11349 wrote: »@becklorik: hallelujah for you have cracked it.
The key is sustainability. Who hand on heart believes they want to spend the rest of their days weighing foods, counting carbs, logging on MFP. I know I sure as *kitten* dont.
I found it liberating to just cut out all all this complications and focus only on eating "healthy" most of the time and then still having cake / beer / whatever when it presents itself. Never actively seeking it out really.
For healthy eating I make sure I eat a lot of veg at meals with some source of protein and snack only on fruits / nuts. No weighing - no guilt. Nobody ever got fat and blamed the almonds or blamed the watermelon!!!!!!
When I enjoy cake I simply make sure I go back to my clean diet straight after. No day long / week long / month long binges.
Whats the catch: Well. You just need to be prepared to wait longer for your results. No massive drops in weight. Just a slow, steady, sustainable journey to the body I want.
I fully believe we are over complicating things, and @becklorik I felt compelled to share with you where I am at as it sounds so similar to what you were describing above.
Best of luck to you
Love this post!0 -
@pontious11349
Rather just lose as I make the right choices and do the right things. It will make my life a lot easier!!!
yip simple. and change will come. there is 6.5 months between the 2 photos in my profile pic which isnt a great deal of time in the grand scheme of things.
also my wider family friends don't see me weighing stuff or refusing cakes at party or any other habits which they find weird. its all so much easier when you just eat clean most of the time.
I think the industry makes money over complicating things.1 -
pontious11349 wrote: »
TRUTH!!! Absolute truth! I have said so many times that ANY and EVERY DIET works as long as you work it. So best not to diet and just eat in moderation.0 -
Striving to eat clean is also over complicating things though.
There is no need to do that unless you like that way of eating.
Bottom line for weight loss : just calories.
Of course you can focus on nutrition too and satiety etc - but bottom line: just calories.
3
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 430 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions