Low carb diet versus Low calorie
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By cutting out carbs you are cutting out a part of your diet and thus automatically cut out calories. The same thing would happen if you cut out protein or cut out fat. The best way to do it is to have your carbs and eat them, but along with other food groups
People eating low carb diets will generally loose more to begin with as carbs are the bodies favoured source of fuel and so they will begin to burn their bodies stores of carbs, which are stored in solutions of water and more easily accessed by the body than fat. So they can kid themselves when the scales go down, but the fat will still be there
Besides, some low carb diets, such as atkins, are totally counter productive and you have to keep consuming viatmins to help your bodys upkeep. Since when was a fried egg a healthier weight loss food than a carbolicious apple?
Also expect to feel more drained and tired. Carbs are much better fuel in general.
Lower your calories, yes, of course, it is calories that keep your body weight up, not carbs. You will feel much better for having your carbs though, both in terms of eating what you love and in terms of energy levels
Do you speak from any personal experience at all? Because if you ask a lot of low carb members on here, almost ALL of us will say that we have more energy than we ever thought possible!
Clearly you didn't read what lioness had to say about how Atkins works-you don't eat fried eggs, bacon and sausage every day. You also do add fruit back into the eating plan. I fuel my body on protein, fiber and good, healthy sources of carbs.
And the scale has gone down down DOWN...and what fat? I definitely don't see any fat hanging around on my body from eating a low carb diet. :flowerforyou:
I have found no matter what we post it falls on deaf ears and blind eyes.
And I am supposing we had like 100 pounds of water weight to lose also........... :laugh: :laugh:0 -
Thanks Lioness, I'm glad to see some good stuff about atkins for once lol. I've always done better on low carb than anything else. I think it works for me because of sugar, and doing low-carb you cut out a lot of sugar. I have diabeties in my family (which I'm lucky I don't have), so when I gained almost 100lbs after high school, I figured being that overweight, plus having it in my genes couldn't be good. I've actually took receipes from my family members w/ diabeties and used it towards my low-carb meals because most of them end up being low-carb lol. I definetly have to say, I think it all depends on the person though. My friend did low-carb with me for a while, and was actually gaining weight on it, while I was losing. As you can guess...after about a month, she was not going to stick with it...and I don't blame her. So she switched to eating all low-fat & low-calorie and has lost weight really well on that.
So honestly, I think if low-carb doesn't seem like a good idea (since you like your carbs! lol), I would try low-calorie first. It might work out for you. But if you don't feel like its helping, then you can always try low-carb. But definetly give it a while before you give up on the idea. lol Good luck! 0 -
I have nothing bad to say about the folks who choose to do the low-carb thing, but it's not my thing. I don't wish bad results for anyone who engages in that way of eating, and I don't feel the need to convert anyone who believes that is what's right for them. I also don't want anyone to try to convert me or tell me carbs are unnatural or you can't lose fat without cutting back on carbs. (Maybe some can't, but I do.) Before anyone suggests I need to learn more about it, I'll just state that I'm not interested in exploring a method that is so much different from what is working well for me and makes me feel great. I think it would be nice if all of us could discuss the positives of what we believe in without putting down other points of view. I'm sure we're all mostly really nice people in person. I'm beginning to think there are three things that should never be discussed: politics, religion, and carbs. :laugh:
Learning about different things doesn't mean you have to try it. It means reading and researching to understand the science behind it so there aren't closed minded thinking.
Also, I am not trying to convert anyone, that is a personal choice one needs to make for themselves.
I will, however, continue to educate people to the low carb lifestyle because there are too many ignorant and closed minded things said that is negative and outright lies regarding the lifestyle.
I eat far more natural and organic than the MAJORITY of members of this site, yet people are encouraged to have an occasional piece of pie or cake, aww that candy bar won't hurt you -
Yet those of us that eat the low carb way are continuously put down, people saying we are losing umpteen hundreds of pounds of water weight, which is outright ridiculous.
And, I am not saying you.............. :flowerforyou:0 -
Haha while the idea's sound, I'd have to start my day by giving BACK carbs if I cut out 3500, my total is nowhere near that LOL
Here's a basic easy plan. Google BMR (not to be confused with BMI) and calculate your base metabolic rate, that's how much your body burns while at rest. Then add in how much you burn working out in a day. Those added together is your total daily burn.
Take 15-20% of that, subtract it from the total, and that is how many calories you should aim for to LOSE weight. Once you've hit your ideal weight, pull back from the 15-20%, closer to the total burn number, and you'll stabilize.
As for carbs, no matter WHAT you do, try to stick to healthy complex carbs, such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc....there are certain diets like the Primal Blueprint that call for upping healthy fats and lowering carbs, and they work really well, but it's not required, it's totally up to you. Sticking to healthy complex carbs is the most important thing.0 -
It IS simple. And yet so hard to do, eh?
) 0 -
By cutting out carbs you are cutting out a part of your diet and thus automatically cut out calories. The same thing would happen if you cut out protein or cut out fat. The best way to do it is to have your carbs and eat them, but along with other food groups
People eating low carb diets will generally loose more to begin with as carbs are the bodies favoured source of fuel and so they will begin to burn their bodies stores of carbs, which are stored in solutions of water and more easily accessed by the body than fat. So they can kid themselves when the scales go down, but the fat will still be there
Besides, some low carb diets, such as atkins, are totally counter productive and you have to keep consuming viatmins to help your bodys upkeep. Since when was a fried egg a healthier weight loss food than a carbolicious apple?
Also expect to feel more drained and tired. Carbs are much better fuel in general.
Lower your calories, yes, of course, it is calories that keep your body weight up, not carbs. You will feel much better for having your carbs though, both in terms of eating what you love and in terms of energy levels
Do you speak from any personal experience at all? Because if you ask a lot of low carb members on here, almost ALL of us will say that we have more energy than we ever thought possible!
Clearly you didn't read what lioness had to say about how Atkins works-you don't eat fried eggs, bacon and sausage every day. You also do add fruit back into the eating plan. I fuel my body on protein, fiber and good, healthy sources of carbs.
And the scale has gone down down DOWN...and what fat? I definitely don't see any fat hanging around on my body from eating a low carb diet. :flowerforyou:
I have found no matter what we post it falls on deaf ears and blind eyes.
And I am supposing we had like 100 pounds of water weight to lose also........... :laugh: :laugh:
Yep, the 71 pounds I've lost is ALL water weight. :laugh:
Seriously though, I have done nothing but consistently go down with every monthly weigh in, yeah I lost weight fast at first, but I think that's almost universally the way it happens when you have a good amount of weight to shed! Some months I lose 2lbs. other months upwards of 7lbs.
I just give up on trying to talk sense into anyone. Believe the media hype people! It's ALL TRUE! Those of us on here following a low carb eating plan are full of it! 0 -
I don't do low-carb OR low-cal, unless you consider 1,800 low calories. I'm sure it's fewer than I was eating before, but it doesn't leave me famished or anything.So honestly, I think if low-carb doesn't seem like a good idea (since you like your carbs! lol), I would try low-calorie first. It might work out for you. But if you don't feel like its helping, then you can always try low-carb. But definetly give it a while before you give up on the idea. lol Good luck!0 -
I actually have read quite a bit, both pro and con, so I understand the logic of where both sides are coming from. I work in communications, so I understand that just become something is written doesn't necessarily mean it's accurate. (It also doesn't mean it isn't, so I'm not trying to argue one side or the other.)Learning about different things doesn't mean you have to try it. It means reading and researching to understand the science behind it so there aren't closed minded thinking.
Also, I am not trying to convert anyone, that is a personal choice one needs to make for themselves.
I will, however, continue to educate people to the low carb lifestyle because there are too many ignorant and closed minded things said that is negative and outright lies regarding the lifestyle.
I eat far more natural and organic than the MAJORITY of members of this site, yet people are encouraged to have an occasional piece of pie or cake, aww that candy bar won't hurt you -
Yet those of us that eat the low carb way are continuously put down, people saying we are losing umpteen hundreds of pounds of water weight, which is outright ridiculous.
And, I am not saying you.............. :flowerforyou:
I'm really comfortable with what I'm doing, and it sounds like you are too, so that seems pretty darned awesome to me! :flowerforyou:0 -
I admit I am a fan of low-carb. I've been on MyFitnessPal 12 days. On every day except one day, I have come in BELOW budget on my daily calories. But on days my carbs are down, my weight drops after a day or two. And on days my carbs zoom up, I promptly put back on weight. I know all the calorie diet fans will say it is all water weight, and possibly that is true. But I believe it is VERY important to get positive feedback (weight-wise) on a diet plan, especially in the first several weeks, that's when most people abandon their diets. I know many people who have lost weight and kept off long-term staying with a low carb plan. I also prefer the foods on a low-carb plan. What's wrong with delicious meats and fish, heeses, eggs, great vegetables, and an occaisional piece of fruit? I much prefer these foods to breads, pastas, etc. Just my opinion. (That's not my real picture, by the way. Just joking with that picture. I weigh 169 lbs and want to get to 145-150.)0
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For all the Naysayers that want to say that Low Carb is not a sustainable Lifestyle change................
Check out Jimmy Moore and this lady, Christina Adler.
http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/2300/christina-adler-gets-her-mommy-groove-back-with-low-carb-episode-392/0 -
Late to the post so this may have been covered but of course you're going to lose weight if you eliminate an entire food "group". But your body wasn't meant to function that way.
Like one person said, less calories in than out. Plain, simple.0 -
Late to the post so this may have been covered but of course you're going to lose weight if you eliminate an entire food "group". But your body wasn't meant to function that way.
Like one person said, less calories in than out. Plain, simple.
No one doing a low carb plan is cutting out an entire food group. No one has said NO carb, but LOW carb, major difference.
And its not as simple as calories in, calories out..............If it were that simple for a lot of us, I would still be thin as a rail.0 -
Have a deficit of 3500 calories, lose a pound. Fact. Be it by low carb, high carb, low fat, high fat, only eat when standing on a chair, just eat in direct bright sunlight, only use a fork with two prongs ... 3500 calories is 3500 calories.0
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Have a deficit of 3500 calories, lose a pound. Fact. Be it by low carb, high carb, low fat, high fat, only eat when standing on a chair, just eat in direct bright sunlight, only use a fork with two prongs ... 3500 calories is 3500 calories.
I no longer believe that............There is a difference in the type of foods we eat and how you gain or lose weight. It's not as simple as calories in / calories out.
I used to believe that Conventional Wisdom and then my eyes were opened and I see the bigger picture.........
With doing a very low carb eating plan I was eating upwards of 2,200 calories per day and the weight was dropping off me........
Eating 1,200 - 1,400 calories, low fat I didn't lose weight like that and in fact started gaining.0 -
Interestingly, I've been losing weight easily eating 1,800 to 1,900 calories composed of 45 to 50 percent carbs.0
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Unfortunately, 3500 is not always 3500 calories, because our bodies metabolize different nutrients in different ways. I don't know much about low-carb diets, so my comment is not specific to those, but eating very few carbohydrates can be harmful if done without proper guidance from a specialist.
The problem is that the main 'fuel' our body uses is glucose (our brain uses it almost exclusively), and if it is not available in sufficient quantity, say in a very low-carb diet, our body has to metabolize the stored fat in a way that it can be used to 'replace' glucose: it forms ketone bodies, from which the brain can also get energy. When these are formed, most of the energy from the stored fat is not used, so calories basically go down the drain - that is why the weight loss is so fast. Small amounts of these ketone bodies don't do much harm, but too much and they make the blood acidic, and this can be *very* dangerous.
I am not a specialist in the subject, but I hope I was able to explain some points and highlight the importance of proper guidance when attempting a low-carb diet. As I said, I am not aware of how Atkins, for example, works, and it probably incorporates enough carbs as to not be dangerous, but I still thought the explanation could be useful. And just to conclude, if you eat less calories that you spend while maintaining the usual nutrient proportions, you *will* lose weight, maybe not as fast, but probably in a safer way
Sorry for the huge post,
Just a medical student passing by ;D0 -
Interestingly, I've been losing weight easily eating 1,800 to 1,900 calories composed of 45 to 50 percent carbs.
I am willing to bet that if you were to compare our food diaries that they would be similar.............
If you are a clean eater, then you are pretty much eating a controlled carb eating plan without it being dubbed a particular plan.
The whole point is for the clean eaters - it is still pretty low / controlled carb due to eating natural foods.
The problem is, no one wants to admit that in the grand scheme of things that when we get to maintenance we are pretty much eating the same...........no one wants the "low carb" stigma attached to them.0 -
Bump0
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I get the vast majority of my carbs from oats, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta — occasionally from wild/brown rice or potatoes. I just changed my ratios this morning from 45/30/25 to 55/25/20. I'm so close to having my body fat percentage where I want it to be (20% or lower) that it's interesting to see what changes happen from small adjustments. I had lowered my carbs to 45 a few months ago, against the recommendation of my favorite health and fitness expert. Since then, I have lost some lean. I met with him yesterday, and I agreed to try his suggestion of increasing carbs to see what happens. He believes I wasn't eating enough to provide the energy to fuel my workouts. It's not a huge adjustment, and I'll be able to tell before long if it's a good change or a bad change, but the truth is I was getting better fat-loss results at the higher carb ratio. I was just trying to get those results even faster by increasing protein and lowering carbs, but that seemed to backfire on me (nothing drastic — I lost 4 pounds total, 2 of which were fat, and 2 of which were not). I'm not worried about any stigma being attached to me and don't care what label someone wants to put on my diet, but I'm pretty sure no one would call what I'm doing low-carb. (My diary is public.) I'm just interested in fine-tuning the eating plan that works best for me, which is much more about how fit and healthy I feel than what I weigh, but getting my weight to a healthy place sure has made me feel better.Interestingly, I've been losing weight easily eating 1,800 to 1,900 calories composed of 45 to 50 percent carbs.
I am willing to bet that if you were to compare our food diaries that they would be similar.............
If you are a clean eater, then you are pretty much eating a controlled carb eating plan without it being dubbed a particular plan.
The whole point is for the clean eaters - it is still pretty low / controlled carb due to eating natural foods.
The problem is, no one wants to admit that in the grand scheme of things that when we get to maintenance we are pretty much eating the same...........no one wants the "low carb" stigma attached to them.0
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