Low carb or calories, which is best? which will work?

jamiesokd

You've already got good advice. But weighing is really important so I'll say it again! I found that a tablespoon of peanut butter was actually closer to 30g so double the calories I thought. Oats were another eye opener, too. It doesn't take much to really put your intake out of whack.

If you're not losing, chances are you are eating more than you think. The way to solve this is to weigh and log every little thing. Some people might say not weighing works for them but it is clearly not working for you, so you need to weigh your food. Yes it seems like a pain but you get used to it very quickly and it works. Tbh it's also not much of a pain, it takes about 5 seconds. How much do you want this?

I'm confused as to how you are eating low carb yet mainly vegetables, too. Yes a few extra non starchy veg are unlikely to put you over but you must also be eating other things.

Personally I hate low carb but everyone is different. However even if you like it you need to count calories, it's not a way to magically sidestep the laws of thermodynamics

Eta having looked at your food diary I think you ate eating more than you think. High cal foods like mayo and butter just can't be measured by tablespoons accurately, or cheese by cubic inches! 50g of beef is suspiciously small for a meal (most would have 100+ for a small portion) 3 large eggs is probably more like 300 cal than 200 and so on.

I was following Aktins inductions rules -20 carbs a day, approximately 12 of which come from veggies.the majority of the time I only ate the approved induction veggies so lots of lettuce, mushrooms, etc. Moderate protein (I tried to only eat one portion size, I didn't eat as much as I wanted) and then fat to satiety.

Yes, I had a lot of high cal foods, because the general consensus was I wasn't loosing because I wasn't eating enough fat - so I started adding it in all over. That's another reason why I'd rather go to calories, eating all that fat made me feel pretty gross sometimes. As for the small amounts of beef, that was if it was included in something that was premade like a casserole and I had to eat a very small portion to keep within my carb limits for the other food/veggies/seasonings included in it.

I also never said I wasn't counting my calories, obviously I have been since I have been logging my food here. I know I can't eat over my limits and still lose - but as you can see, many days I was under without having to even think about it.

If I am ditching the low carb, I will also be ditching a lot of extra fat - I certainly don't need to be adding butter and coconut oil to my coffee! LOL (and if I'm just counting calories I can hopefully add something to make it taste good again!)

tracydr

I have an AWS scale from Amazon. $25, does all units and is digital. I use it all the time, especially for baking bread.

jamiesokd

Add exercise to your routine. I know you're busy. If you don't have time for a complete workout, break it up... Use the stairs wherever you go. Try 2sets of squats at morning tea/lunch and press ups after work. A lunch time walk, 10-15mins. It all adds up.
I am also experimenting with a low carb diet. Have found that I need to plan ahead to keep on track.

I know this is definitely a part I need to add in. I will be starting a new job soon, but until then I am quite restricted at my current job. I am not allowed to leave for lunch for a walk (24 hour supervision facility, I get paid for my lunch in lieu of the "break") A few years ago I started going to Zumba twice a week and changed nothing else...and I lost 30lbs over the year. I'm hoping once I can get back to that exercise level that it will help with the weight loss.

jamiesokd

I don't have time to read this whole thread but I just wanted to offer a couple if points. Weighing your food will seem like a big pain at first but it will get easier and you'll be so glad you did. I've been weighing my food to to the gram and it makes such a difference. In some cases you'll be pleasantly surprised. I recently found out that 50g of feta is a lot more than I thought, and so is 50g of avocado -- two of my favorites for salads!

I had been losing and gaining the same 2-4 lbs since December -- exasperating! Every morning I'd grit my teeth and get on the scale and just spend the rest of the day cranky and stressing about food and my weight. On April 1 my dietitian made me promise not to weigh myself for month. At first I thought she was nuts but it's been such a relief not to have to worry about it! I put all of my energy into planning and weighing my meals and I don't give a thought to my weight. My clothes are looser and I *think* I look better. I admit I'm looking forward to May 1 so I can get on the scale, but I'm definitely going to keep it down to once a month

Hang in there. Above all, DON'T GIVE UP!!!

thank you for sharing your story and the encouragement!!!

jamiesokd

I took the liberty of looking at the OP's salt, sugar and fibre intake over two weeks. Please do not be offended because I consider both your fat and salt intake is often way above your recommended levels. Salt encourages water retention. Higher than recommended fat consumption will give you more readily available fat to convert rather than take it from your reserves. All the time you are under your calorific allocation. Please try to bring down the daily salt and fat levels and I think you will see a real difference. I would prefer to see a higher fibre regime though this is possibly more of a personal choice but it helps me.

Also if you have lost 15 or so lb from January this looks like about I lb a week which is the recommended weekly loss many medics like to see.

If after all this there is no real difference then I would have my metabolism looked into. There are many different issues which cause weight gain and weight loss being more difficult.

All the best

yes, the sodium is high, I will agree. As for the fat, that was within my macros for low carb - 5 carb, 15-20 protein, 75-80 fat. I very much struggled with adding that much fat, but that was what "the diet" said I had to do, you know? That's another reason I would rather just count calories, I think I can make my diet much more balanced that way. Add some healthy whole grains, cut some fat, etc.

jamiesokd

OP to summarize..

get a food scale
weight, log, measure everything
log consistently
set your macro % to 40 protein/30 carbs/ 30 fats
work out/move more ..whehter it is walking, running, or getting on a heavy lifting program…
eat in a moderate 500 per calorie day deficit …

Why a 40/30/30 macro? Is there a special reason for this? I only ask because I have zero idea of where my macro should be or how to determine it.

jamiesokd

I may be too late as well, but here it goes. There is NO correct answer to everyone's optimum, this thread surely demonstrates that. I do use a scale and all measuring tools, but that is a personal choice, not a rule. One thing I do to reduce cleaning of the scale tray is to set the scale and use a paper plate. That way, I throw it away and I do not have to clean the tray over and over.

Low carb- or any different diet, can produce amazing results in a fast time, but they to will level to a more reasonable weight loss.

I also read an article about it, a medical study, tracking low carb dieters vs. people tracking on a moderate diet, with typical restrictions of calorie, % of fat, % of Carb, etc.

Also, i would like to note- you look great! It is very difficult to have large weight loss when you have a small amount to lose.

Look at his as a life plan, and not a calendar with a due date. If you keep logging and tracking, barring any medical problems, you will find in time, the choice of a balanced diet will work.

I also find it more effective to use complex carbs in place of simple ones, as they metabolize slower, they use more calories to digest and sustain energy longer. I keep gluten free bread in the freezer and take out a slice as needed. I have found gluten free to be helpful.

Using the recommended settings of this site will probably work for you. If after 30 days you see nothing, change the percents of carb, to fat and protein. Reduce the carb and the system will increase other categories, and you can look and see where they are.

I am positive of one thing. If you had a magic pill you could take for 30 days and on day 31, your eyes would open and you would never have to diet again to lose a pound, you would do it. So, give yourself a break here. You are figuring out a plan to help you for your life, not a few weeks or even months.

I do a balanced diet, I do keep my carb count higher and fats lower, but that is due to a medical problem. I have to keep carbs in the cage as much as possible as I do find them hard to burn off too. If I do not have enough carbs, I go into severe symptoms that can kill me and are horribly painful. It was not always like this. I used to be able to low carb and crash diet all of the time, in my younger days. Now the excruciating pain along with impending death, changed that. But no matter.

For me, I set it where it works for me, with this medical problem. That is basically my suggestion. Pick a plan and follow thorough for a month. Then see what happens. Weight problems do not appear in month and are not going to end in a month.

This is a journey, not a marathon. But you will reach your goal. All good things in time. Best Wishes to you.

thank you! and Thank you for the compliment! I assure you though I have a fair bit to lose, I am currently over 200lbs on a 5'3 frame, lol

snowflake954

bump

kuolo

You've already got good advice. But weighing is really important so I'll say it again! I found that a tablespoon of peanut butter was actually closer to 30g so double the calories I thought. Oats were another eye opener, too. It doesn't take much to really put your intake out of whack.

If you're not losing, chances are you are eating more than you think. The way to solve this is to weigh and log every little thing. Some people might say not weighing works for them but it is clearly not working for you, so you need to weigh your food. Yes it seems like a pain but you get used to it very quickly and it works. Tbh it's also not much of a pain, it takes about 5 seconds. How much do you want this?

I'm confused as to how you are eating low carb yet mainly vegetables, too. Yes a few extra non starchy veg are unlikely to put you over but you must also be eating other things.

Personally I hate low carb but everyone is different. However even if you like it you need to count calories, it's not a way to magically sidestep the laws of thermodynamics

Eta having looked at your food diary I think you ate eating more than you think. High cal foods like mayo and butter just can't be measured by tablespoons accurately, or cheese by cubic inches! 50g of beef is suspiciously small for a meal (most would have 100+ for a small portion) 3 large eggs is probably more like 300 cal than 200 and so on.

I was following Aktins inductions rules -20 carbs a day, approximately 12 of which come from veggies.the majority of the time I only ate the approved induction veggies so lots of lettuce, mushrooms, etc. Moderate protein (I tried to only eat one portion size, I didn't eat as much as I wanted) and then fat to satiety.

Yes, I had a lot of high cal foods, because the general consensus was I wasn't loosing because I wasn't eating enough fat - so I started adding it in all over. That's another reason why I'd rather go to calories, eating all that fat made me feel pretty gross sometimes. As for the small amounts of beef, that was if it was included in something that was premade like a casserole and I had to eat a very small portion to keep within my carb limits for the other food/veggies/seasonings included in it.

I also never said I wasn't counting my calories, obviously I have been since I have been logging my food here. I know I can't eat over my limits and still lose - but as you can see, many days I was under without having to even think about it.

If I am ditching the low carb, I will also be ditching a lot of extra fat - I certainly don't need to be adding butter and coconut oil to my coffee! LOL (and if I'm just counting calories I can hopefully add something to make it taste good again!)

It sounds like you weren't enjoying it much! Honestly weighing becomes second nature very quick and isn't as much hassle as it sounds.

40 carbs 30 protein 30 fat macros is in my opinion quite a good one. Some research shows that less than 40% carbs can lower your mood, and less than 30% fat can reduce your stress tolerance. 30% protein is good to retain lean body mass, although some people like to go higher. You will get lots of opinions on this.

See what works best for you though, because we are all different. You might find one of these is more important to you than the others, and work around that. Don't be afraid to play around, although beat in mind that you'll need to stick to one thing for a while to see how it's working. Good luck!

Edited for random autocorrect.

SideSteel

Higher than recommended fat consumption will give you more readily available fat to convert rather than take it from your reserves. All the time you are under your calorific allocation.

If total calories are below energy needs she will still lose fat even with high dietary fat intake.

nilbogger

I don't understand the intimidation with food scales. In many parts of the world they ARE standard kitchen tools. They're not just good for weight loss, but for baking and making sure your dealer didn't stiff you.

You don't need to whip out a scale at, say, The Olive Garden, but weighing even a portion of your food will help.

arewethereyet

Not sure if this helps, or how it will, and I didn't read all the bluster before my comment:

My experience has been when I counted my calories-measuring cups, spoons, scales- I lost steadily 1-2 lb a month. On the months I didn't lose, it was inches instead because I was also working out and weight training at the time.

I counted all calories, didn't change anything really except more protein because I was lifting.

NOW............I became Ill a few years ago. After struggling to fix said illness, with drugs, tests and many MANY doctors..........my son said "Mom how about you try Gluten Free. See if your body reacts well to not having this one source of food in your body" I agreed to try, as I was very close to disability for migraines or the medications for seizure they were giving me.

I went off gluten and within 2 weeks lost about 7 pounds. Why? Because I was eating 300-400 calories a day. I was sick, the medicine took my appetite away. Friends said "OH glory be!! We have the answer, we stop eating bread and our tummies will go away!!" NO

I wanted food......as a matter of fact MFP saved me from damaging my body by having the logging program (thanks Mike!) and my MFP friends kept an eye on my diary.

I have been gluten free for a year. No bread, pasta, soy. Also no MSG or Nitrates so no sausage, lunch meats, etc. This has been a year and I have lost MAYbe 5 pounds? Maybe.

Why? My carb intake was miniscule in comparison to before, my protein and fats higher by design, but guess what???? I wasn't in calorie deficit!

I finally started weighing again-every morsel- after hoping to get into a program. (now I am again needing to do so to ensure I am eating but that is a different story) It was a good thing for me, because now I am losing body fat. I am working on the strength training again.

Thru all of the past 5-6 years the ONLY thing that made me lose poundage was calorie deficit (I say this because at times I was with a trainer not in deficit I lost inches)

parkscs

yes, the sodium is high, I will agree. As for the fat, that was within my macros for low carb - 5 carb, 15-20 protein, 75-80 fat. I very much struggled with adding that much fat, but that was what "the diet" said I had to do, you know? That's another reason I would rather just count calories, I think I can make my diet much more balanced that way. Add some healthy whole grains, cut some fat, etc.

The reason the "diet" says to eat high fat is because you don't want to go too low on your calories. Since you weren't losing any weight, it's much more likely that you were just logging inaccurately and going too low wasn't an issue, but rather going too high was. But the idea behind it is not that eating more fat leads to more weight loss. Rather, if you're keeping carbs low and eating only the protein your body needs and no more, you need something to provide energy for your body and fat is all that's left, and thus the higher fat macro.

If low carb works for you to achieve a caloric deficit, go for it, but it sounds like it's not your thing. Use that food scale you bought on everything you eat and I suspect you'll see some results in the near future.

lemurcat12

That's correct a benefit for some is they can eat low carb (in a deficit obviously) without the hassle of weighting and logging food.

That's a big difference from claiming you can eat in a surplus and loss weight! I'm not sure I have every been told that.

As far as how it works and whether it makes it easy for a lot of people to stay in a deficit without feeling like they are trying to or logging, I agree with you. But if you pay attention to a good bit of the propaganda, like all the paleo and low carb podcasts, it's claimed over and over that calories don't matter, that your metabolism changes a lot based on what you eat, etc. So it's not that you can eat in a surplus (since your burn is supposedly increasing), but that your calories can be higher than if you are just calorie counting.

lemurcat12

Why a 40/30/30 macro? Is there a special reason for this? I only ask because I have zero idea of where my macro should be or how to determine it.

Hi. I'm not as experienced with this stuff as a lot of people here, but figured I'd add my two cents anyway, since I'm someone who has a tendency to try and figure everything out at once and then get overwhelmed. It sounds like you are feeling better and I think the plan to use a scale is a good one. IME, you can definitely lose without it, but it was actually more work and stress trying to get the entries right by measuring or estimating than just by using the scale (which is actually pretty interesting--still feels like a game to me, rather than work). But since you were feeling like this is overly complicated, I don't think you need to start messing with your macros yet. A lot of people (including me) do tend to feel better with more protein and fewer carbs than MFP's default macros recommend--I do 35-35-30--but that's going to depend on the person, and it probably makes sense to just keep logging and make sure you have your calorie count right and what you want to be eating to lose before overcomplicating it with this. You aren't going to lose differently because you are eating less fat or fewer carbs or whatever.

I'm around your size--5'3, started at about 220, at 185 now, long way to go still. I'm sure I'm older than you (I forgot to check your age), but MFP tells me 1200 for 1.2 lbs/week at sedentary (I have learned I'm not actually sedentary even before exercise and neither are you if you are on your feet all day, so I'm certainly not saying to lower calories to that level or at all), but this makes me wonder if the 1750 calorie estimate is based on a low lb per week goal. If so, that's perfectly sensible, but for a not particularly tall woman it might make your margin of error pretty slight, which is how even small logging issues could get you to maintainence. So likely getting that sorted out will fix the issue and if not you can lower the calories a little.

lygillette

Hi..I eat higher protein than carbs. I do not eat No carbs, just more protein. I also count the calories. When it gets to 1000-1200 that's it for the day. Sometimes I plan my meals out for the day on MFP, that way I can juggle things around and add and subtract food items too. I found the recipes and some meal plan suggestions from South Beach Diet very helpful too. Mostly Phase one and Phase two. I don't follow SBD per se, but I do use the meal plan and recipes sometimes to plan out things.
Good Luck!!
PS-I also stopped drinking.
Lynn

jmv7117

So I've been working on losing weight for a few months now. I started just watching calories and lost 4 lbs slowly over a few months, then went to low carb.I lost great my first 2 weeks - 13 lbs. Then for the last 6 weeks, I've consistently lost one more pound and have gone up and down between another 2. 1 lb in 6 weeks does not seem good to me??

I am also finding low carb very restrictive. I would like to go back to counting calories, but I'm afraid it won't work. Now the thing is, by going low carb I have also managed to cut calories. I am usually under what MFP tells me should lose me about a pound a week. So how have I only lost 1 lb in 6 weeks??

Low carb isn't working. Low calorie isn't working. How do I get one of these methods to work?

Essentially, you are not creating a calorie deficit to lose weight. Cutting back on calories is all that is needed as long as the total consumed daily is lower than your TDEE. A larger deficit can be created via exercising and increased general activity. Lowering your carbs may or may not make a difference. MFP's default is 50:30:20 (carbs:fat:protein). I was losing nicely on that but hit a 5 day stretch of no scale movement so changed to 40:30:30 and saw continued loss since then. My settings are by no means considered low carb though. Some folks do better on lower carb and since it does no harm to try, you could set your macros and try that to see if it makes a difference. The difference may be improved weight loss or simply just feeling a bit better. I personally don't like low carb for a lot of reasons so won't recommend you do low carb. At any rate, unless you have that calorie deficit, the weight is not going to come off.

ncl1313

I'm 5'3 and over 200 lbs as well. My body fat is 42%. I have my macros set at 30p/30c/40f and that's been working for me. I think of my protein number as a goal to be exceeded, my fat as a number to stay right on, and my carbs as a number to come in under, but I focus most of my efforts on my total calories. I have found that by focusing on getting a high level of protein, I'm more satiated and the other macros seem to fall pretty well in line. And I still get to eat cookies and ice cream and the other things I like (in moderation).

It doesn't sound like you are sedentary based on your job. My job is truly sedentary in that I sit on my butt at a desk all day with very few opportunities to get up and walk around or get a couple sets of air squats in. I do have a toddler though, so most evenings are spent chasing him around. I consider myself somewhere between sedentary and lightly active, in that I also try to get a good walk in at least 2-3 nights per week and I do a lot of body weight stuff like pushups, squats, lunges, and planks.

I went onto the Scooby website and figured my TDEE, which based on sedentary is 2000-2200 calories, lightly active is 2200-2400, depending on the method used. I shoot for a calorie goal of 20% less than that, which works out to be roughly 1600-1900 depending on my activity level. I have MFP set at 1600 and aim to get right at or slightly above that every day. I try not to exceed 1900 total calories, which is usually right around 1600 net.

TL;DR answer to your questions: The best method is an accurate caloric deficit, and an eating/exercise/health plan you can maintain and stick to for the long run.

eddiesmith1

Low carb isn't working. Low calorie isn't working. How do I get one of these methods to work?

then you're left with very few options.
1. you're eating more than you think.
2. you're eating more than what you need to lose
3. there could be medical issues at play (thyroid, etc)

if you're accurately weighing all of your food, logging EVERYTHING, and have done so for 6 weeks.. and not lost, the amount that you're eating is going to likely be your maintenance level.

from there, take another 6 weeks at 100 calories less net per day. reassess from that point.

your diary isn't public, so it's not really easy to give much more than generic/blanket advice.

ETA: just saw that you don't weigh your food. do that. get a food scale. weigh everything. it doesn't matter if you're eating fruits and veggies if it's enough to dissolve whatever deficit you think you had in play.

this is pretty much the accurate answer from one who has experienced this whole thing. I struggle with low carb but i go back every once in a while for a couple of weeks because it seems to kick start things for me
A scale will open your eyes on how inaccurate measuring cups are for solids (fine for liquids for the most part)
the thing that really needs careful monitoring in my experience is any fats (needed but very high calorie) and any nuts/nut butters they are great but holy mother of god they add up so fast so multiple small errors can completely end up derailing you
And watch the sodium - I found on low carb my sodium tended much higher and I needed more water to flush it or I retained water weight

mikeybsgrl

while you are restricting carbs I'm hoping you're increasing your protein. I'm sure you're building muscle mass. I too have done the low carb thing. I lost 45lbs before over the course of 3 1/2 months. I also incorporated exercise. restricting carbs works better for me than do calories. don't give up! just keep at it!!