low carb and calorie counting

Sabine_Stroehm

Many of you know me. I'm not low carb (but I do focus on eating SLOW carb). But, I respect low carb eaters.

I do have a question, however, for my own edification.

How many of you are low carb AND do calorie counting?

thanks for indulging me. Cheers.

Dragonwolf

I did it for a while. I think its valuable to do it, especially when first starting LCHF, because it can take a little bit to re-calibrate what "enough" and "too much" feels like. It is as much for making sure you're eating enough food as it is about making sure you're not eating too much, though, but I think both are important.

I don't particularly do it now, but I will log for short periods of time to make sure I'm still eating about what I'm supposed to be eating. I generally do it if I'm dealing with drastic changes in activity level or feel like I'm not getting anywhere or start seeing an upward trend in the scale.

baconslave

I began doing keto (20g/daily) last year and did not count calories. I lost the water weight and nothing else. It was very frustrating and the siren carbs called me, and since I am weak in that regard, I gave up. This go-around, I try to keep it at 20g but don't get too upset if spinach or some veggie sets me as far as 30g). It worked for the first few weeks, but then I had to start counting calories. I have lost very steadily since I began tracking on here again.

My calorie level is supposed to be 1480, but if I exercise that day, I can go as high as 1550 before getting in a snit. That said, some days I'm full on 1300-1350. Or even have to push to make it there.

HTH. I love curiosity.

mrsfancyab

I'm a newbie to LCHF I've been strict for 2 weeks now. I do count my calories. I try to stay @ 1400 a day.

17JayR

When I was actively working on losing weight I did try to keep my calories slightly below the amount of my estimated TDEE most days. Nowhere as low as what MFP said I should be at but 200-400 calories below. Now that I'm staying at about 5 pounds above what BMI says would be a healthy weight and smaller then I've been since junior high, I'm not all that worried at how many calories I eat, but track to check what I end up eating, as I like the data.

kkimpel

I do count calories.. but I think it messes with my carb count. Like if I have so many calories left.. maybe I can have (fill in the blank with a carb) This week I want to concentrate on my carb intake. I think slow carbs is a very good idea, and will want to hear more about that in a few weeks when I finally reach my goal and want to add carbs.

PatchEFog

Me. Bigtime calorie counting.

farmers_daughter

I watch them, but I don't focus on them. I focus more on keeping my carb count where I want it.
I have found that my calories average out at the end of the week. some days are 1100 or so and some are 2000 cals.
I lost 5lbs doing it I think!!!!!

JennyToy

I do, thanks to PatchEFog's help figuring out where I should be. I stalled and I knew I'd be stuck counting calories again (not just carbs). But, thanks to following LCHF it's not the struggle it used to be with hunger. It's more like someone else said, just a record of things so I know where I am at. I haven't stayed as low in the calorie department as I would like, but I monitor my macro's and just try to stay as close as everything as possible. It's getting easier but there is definitely a learning curve (for me anyway).

I lost 5.5 in atkins induction and then stalled which I guess is fairly normal. After I reworked my calories and macros I lost about four more pounds. So that means I had a successful 1 month of induction / keto. I am keeping on this path!!!

PatchEFog

I do, thanks to PatchEFog's help figuring out where I should be. I stalled and I knew I'd be stuck counting calories again (not just carbs). But, thanks to following LCHF it's not the struggle it used to be with hunger. It's more like someone else said, just a record of things so I know where I am at. I haven't stayed as low in the calorie department as I would like, but I monitor my macro's and just try to stay as close as everything as possible. It's getting easier but there is definitely a learning curve (for me anyway).

I lost 5.5 in atkins induction and then stalled which I guess is fairly normal. After I reworked my calories and macros I lost about four more pounds. So that means I had a successful 1 month of induction / keto. I am keeping on this path!!!

JennyToy

thanks

Sabine_Stroehm

Thanks for the replies ladies and gentlemen!

cindytw

I have come to realize that at my age now, and my lack of fitness, I have to count calories and watch macros. I can over eat on any plan and am not as active as I need to be. When I was younger (20's) I didn't have to count anything but net carbs and drop weight easily.

shai74

I track in MFP everthing I eat so I don't go over 20g Carbs, 85g protein, 142g fat. I don't worry about the calories though, they take care of themselves if the macros are right.

FIT_Goat

Used to count. I didn't find it hugely beneficial for me. That is, I didn't change my behavior based on the amount of calories--even when way over. Since I stopped counting, I have continued to lose weight at roughly the same pace as before (around 0.25 kg/week or 0.5 lbs/week). The rate is slow, but only because I have less to lose than when I started and I am getting close to my goal weight. I am also actively working on improving strength, so I don't want to push the loss to quickly.

sljohnson1207

Yeah, I have to count calories as well, just as much for coming in under my goal as in coming close to it. I mostly look at a 7 day average of calories and carbs rather than daily fluctuations. Some days I'm more hungry than others. Some days I really struggle to even get in 1200 cals.

tennisdude2004

No from the beginning of the year I have just eaten by instinct and it seems to have worked well. I have hit several plateaus along the way but that has been more down to weak will than the actual eating strategy.

nancytyc

I have friends engaged in all kinds of lifestyles....from Low Carb High Fat to Low Fat High Carb......it is all really a preference of the types of foods you prefer to eat and whether there are any health considerations (for example, I am T2 Diabetic).

I think, though, when it really comes right down to the brass tax.....no matter the kind of food lifestyle you have chosen, it all equates to factoring the amount of calories in against the amount of calories out (if you are trying to lose weight).

I would think that no matter your eating style, you have to count the calories. I count them religiously. I weigh and measure every morsel of food that goes in my mouth. (Well, except if I have a bite of my hubby's ice cream and the bite is less than a TBSP)

FIT_Goat

I would think that no matter your eating style, you have to count the calories.

You would think this. It seems like common sense. But, there are several people in this thread (myself included) who are able to have success without counting calories. I'm not saying everyone could have success without counting, but not everyone has to count to be successful.

shai74

I think, though, when it really comes right down to the brass tax.....

Lol brass tax. I think you mean brass tacks.

cindytw

I agree! Not everyone has to and not everyone has to in different stages of health and life. Things change as we change as people and our health changes. I am healthier now, but I am also fatter, after having made major changes in my life. I used to live on coffee and cigarettes quite happily, ate poorly, went out every night. Never exercised. And I was about at my goal weight now (150#). Was that healthy, no.

rmhyre

I keep it under 20g of net carbs per day and don't specifically care about calories. Eating low carb curbs your appetite where it's kinda hard to overeat for most people. With that said, I do log my food and keep an eye on calories. They always end up within the same range and I've had a lot of success. Today is my 8 month anniversary and I haven't wavered at all from it.

Alliwan

i do low carb and count calories. I often can eat because I'm bored or lonely or craving things, etc even if I;m not hungry or even if I am very full. So i have to count calories to keep myself from over eating.

deansdad101

<snip>
, thanks to following LCHF it's not the struggle it used to be with hunger. It's more like someone else said, just a record of things so I know where I am at.

<snip> but I monitor my macro's and just try to stay as close as everything as possible. It's getting easier but there is definitely a learning curve (for me anyway).

<snip>. After I reworked my calories and macros I lost about four more pounds. So that means I had a successful 1 month of induction / keto. I am keeping on this path!!!

Jenny;

As frequently as this question comes around you'd think I would be able to figure out why it does and more importantly, exactly what folks mean by "counting" cals vs carbs - I just don't get it.

Assuming most here are using MFP to TRACK daily intake, and specifically macro percentages, how is it possible to NOT track cals? (macro percentages are a function of total kcal intake).

"Counting cals" is not only absolutely necessary for, as you say, "...keeping a record of things..." but it provides yet another data point for reference and it's pretty much a "no brainer" since it happens automatically (using MFP) when entering meals.

"Reworking calories and macros.." (something everyone should be doing on a monthly basis), is the key - "counting" isn't, TRACKING IS.

If by "counting" folks actually mean "tracking" (as opposed to "focusing on") it makes more sense to me - it's all about where one places their priorities. For us (many of us) it's about carbs/macros first, cals secondarily.

Substantial evidence exists showing that most (if not ALL) of the various calorie counting apps (MFP, LoseIT, etc) are AT BEST accurate only to about a 16% + or - margin of error. Said another way, the 1500 kcals MFP says you "should" be eating (or are eating daily) MIGHT actually be 1740 or 1260 - and that's the BEST of them, others have demonstrated significantly higher margins of error.

Read most of the other, more "mainstream" forums/posts on MFP and you'll see an almost maniacal focus on cals in/cals out - people arguing about whether 30 minutes of walking, biking, running (whatever) means they can eat 25 or 500 more cals that day.

The most frequently repeated phrase is "as long as I'm in cal deficit, my fat intake is low and protein high enough, the carbs will take care of themselves" - second only to "I exercise so I HAVE TO keep my carbs UP".

It's understandable, but sad that so many just plain don't 'git it". LCHF is NOT "first and foremost" a DIET (as in weight loss diet) - it IS a major lifestyle change focused on overall HEALTH and WELLNESS - weight loss is just one of many of its highly beneficial "side effects".

Cals do matter but macros matter more - and as many have found, one of the primary benefits of LCHF is that after adapting to the lifestyle, cal intake really does "take care of itself" as satiety is reached with significantly lower cal intake levels.

Yes, it's a major lifestyle change and challenging in the beginning to find the "balance" between carbs/fats/protein, but as time goes on it becomes second nature and many find the need to focus on cals at all pretty much disappears.

"Tracking" for most is still important, if only to stay "in the range" for macros but for others, that too runs almost on automatic pilot - one learns by experience which are the "good" foods and which to avoid as well as what a "good/healthy" portion size of each is.

In short, counting, tracking, focusing on - whatever one chooses to call it, DOES matter - at least at first. Once experience and knowledge replaces what "somebody told me" or "I read on another group that...." it might or might not be necessary at all.

For some, tracking is motivational and a necessary component - for others it's not.

To each his/her own.

JennyToy

DeansDad,

Yes, for me, this sums it up:

<if by "counting" folks actually mean "tracking" (as opposed to "focusing on") it makes more sense to me - it's all about where one places their priorities. For us (many of us) it's about carbs/macros first, cals secondarily. >

Because I am new to...having energy...having a normal appetite...i don't have a good mental picture of where i am with macro's (or calories) during the day, although only a month in I can see I am learning and really making progress.

<Read most of the other, more "mainstream" forums/posts on MFP and you'll see an almost maniacal focus on cals in/cals out - people arguing about whether 30 minutes of walking, biking, running (whatever) means they can eat 25 or 500 more cals that day. >

I not only don't understand this, i don't believe the ridiculous level of anti LCHF on the main boards. No respect that for works for one person may not work for another. It's craziness. I know CICO works for many people, and it even worked for me for a long time.

I personally find it motivational and necessary. But i have been pursuing weight loss for almost 3 years now. So it's quite second nature. I am not bothered in the least that i may track even after i meet my goal. Thanks to smart phones we all carry around with us-it's not really very difficult

CARoberts73

This is actually just the topic I'm struggling with this morning. I did low carb (25-35 or 40 daily) a few weeks ago, before vacation, and lost 9 lbs in 2 weeks. Gained some back over vacation, got right back on the wagon......and haven't lost a pound in the last 3 weeks. I keep bandying about the same 2 lbs. I'm getting frustrated, and I worry about my cholesterol which is always very high, and has been since my 20's, for genetic reasons. I'm starting to think maybe I need to track calories, just out of curiosity, and see if that may be contributing to the problem.

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

I
I think, though, when it really comes right down to the brass tax.....no matter the kind of food lifestyle you have chosen, it all equates to factoring the amount of calories in against the amount of calories out (if you are trying to lose weight).

I would think that no matter your eating style, you have to count the calories. I count them religiously. I weigh and measure every morsel of food that goes in my mouth. (Well, except if I have a bite of my hubby's ice cream and the bite is less than a TBSP)

No. I stop tracking when I want to lose weight. I eat more to lose weight while keeping protein around 80-100 gms. It depends on individual basis and calorie in calorie out theory doesn't work on a daily basis as metabolism is not constant. Human metabolism is very complex and not a simple math, if it was basic calorie in calorie out, every one with a deficit would have lost weight easily.

deansdad101

DeansDad,

Yes, for me, this sums it up:

<snipped>

<Read most of the other, more "mainstream" forums/posts on MFP and you'll see an almost maniacal focus on cals in/cals out - people arguing about whether 30 minutes of walking, biking, running (whatever) means they can eat 25 or 500 more cals that day. >

I not only don't understand this, i don't believe the ridiculous level of anti LCHF on the main boards. No respect that for works for one person may not work for another. It's craziness. I know CICO works for many people, and it even worked for me for a long time.

I personally find it motivational and necessary. But i have been pursuing weight loss for almost 3 years now. So it's quite second nature. I am not bothered in the least that i may track even after i meet my goal. Thanks to smart phones we all carry around with us-it's not really very difficult

Jenny;

Slightly off track and not meant to be critical but I do have to take issue with your statement that "I know CICO works for many people....".

I do realize what you were saying, indeed it did "work" for me (for a while), much the same as it did for you.

But if we define "works for..." in a broader (and longer time frame) context (which CICO monomaniacs refuse to do) - it's simply not possible to perpetuate the ruse that it "works".

The results of the 40+ year "experiment" in CICO, low-fat, junk laden, HFCS, high carb "diet" imposed on us by the USDA and medical "professionals" - speak volumes.

Skyrocketing rates of Type 2 Diabetes;
Obesity and overweight proportions of the population rising to levels never before seen in history;
Failure to control rates of heart disease (which was the "reasoning" behind no eggs, no dietary fat, etc in the first place)
Continually increasing rates of Alzheimer's, a plethora of cancers, and on and on.
Not to mention childhood emotional and learning disorders;
Or that 95% of low cal, low fatters FAIL after a year and "yo-yo";
Or that the "exercise" contingent IGNORES the data which shows that "exercise" (especially to extremes) INCREASES caloric intake and undermines weight loss in a large majority of cases. (yet the "eat back exercise cals?" debate persists and folks spend countless dollars purchasing gizmos to calculate to the gram how many "extra" cals they can "eat back" - what a hoot!)

We, as a nation, did what we were told (CICO, low-fat) by those we SHOULD have been able to trust.

That they (docs, usda, the "experts" and the cico-lites REFUSE to recognize, and more importantly ACKNOWLEDGE their mistakes is, at the very least, morally reprehensible.

Yet, every day, over and over the sheeple repeat the mantra - "your doc knows best - just keep on keeping on and drink the koolaid"

Sorry for the rant - it gets frustrating....but...

....the "good" news is - it really does seem like the "word" IS getting out there, little by little.

I think I'm seeing (or maybe dreaming) that the monomaniacs seem somewhat less willing to put their ignorance on public display lately - wishful thinking????

deansdad101

No. I stop tracking when I want to lose weight. I eat more to lose weight while keeping protein around 80-100 gms. It depends on individual basis and calorie in calorie out theory doesn't work on a daily basis as metabolism is not constant. Human metabolism is very complex and not a simple math, if it was basic calorie in calorie out, every one with a deficit would have lost weight easily.

Leon;

Why is something so simple so difficult for so many to comprehend?

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

No. I stop tracking when I want to lose weight. I eat more to lose weight while keeping protein around 80-100 gms. It depends on individual basis and calorie in calorie out theory doesn't work on a daily basis as metabolism is not constant. Human metabolism is very complex and not a simple math, if it was basic calorie in calorie out, every one with a deficit would have lost weight easily.

Leon;

Why is something so simple so difficult for so many to comprehend?

Belief in the system and what they read online or books. Which is sad in a way because there are lot of folks who eat at deficit and give up because of lack of progress. Your body doesn't know calories, but your hormones sure know how to react when you eat protein, carbs and fat.

CARoberts73

I think I am going to have to look into my macros and / or try lower or higher numbers. I'm stalled after only a few weeks and getting frustrated. But this is how I truly prefer to eat, and I do NOT want to go back to calorie counting, so I will have to find a way to make it work.