Low Calories, or Low Carbs? What is better.....

firedragon064

Low carb is good for me. Because I like to eat sweet, chips.
If I eat low carb, stay in my calorie is no problem.
But I use low cal, I eat more junk.. It's harder to me to stay in my calorie range.
Also eat low carb, I have less cravings.

It's down to your reference and what is your believe in.
Diet is a mind game. Any diet will work as long as you stick to it.

danmoffett

Don't worry about or count calories.
You can't over eat on good food.
Eat lots of good fats, lots of protein, lots of green leafy vegetables.
No sugars, No wheat, No starches.
I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months.
The only thing I count is carbs.
I feel great.
FREEDOM!
Read my blog for my story.

tigersword

Really? You certainly can overeat and gain weight on any food. It's all about calories in vs calories out.

kvreeken

I'm adverse to processed white carbs.

Lozze

What is low carb? I thought I wasn't eating low carbs, then read on here that under 100g is low carb, which I'm doing.

Do what works for you. I choose low GI foods and that works for me. So no white grains, I'll choose sweet potato over potato (though will still have a small one!) and try to make better choices.

Low calorie will always lose weight wheras low carb will not necessarily lose weight. Generally if you're looking at low carb, you end up low calorie anyways.

DaveKinnear

Good book I just finished. It makes sense to me. "Why we get fat" by Gary Taubes.

Acg67

I disagree with the above posts saying watching calories is better for a multitude of reasons. I suggest reading the book "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" by science journalist Gary Taubes to understand why. Amazing book that really opened my eyes and has helped me to lose 47 pounds in 6 months so far.

^ only read the above book if you want your head to be filled with nonsense (other then the section on the lipid hypothesis)

DaveKinnear

Actually, the problem with calories in versus calories out (in my opinion) is that people do not understand what calories out means. For the biology as opposed to the physics, we have to consider calories out to include what the body stores as fat instead of burning. Which means, reduce the carbohydrates we eat because our body tends to store that quickly.

I agree with the post suggesting reading Taubes' book. I too highly recommend it.

tigersword

I believe the actual science says you need to eat about 700 grams of carbs a day, every day, for the body to automatically start storing it as fat.

Most of the carbs you eat are stored as glycogen, very little of it gets converted to fat, only when your glycogen stores are completely full. That's where the "low carb Taliban" (as Martin from Leangains calls them) get their ammo. See, when you reduce your carb intake, your body stores less glycogen, which leads to less water, which leads to weight loss. Notice, I didn't say anything about fat loss, because it has nothing to do with losing fat. Fat loss is strictly eating less total calories than your body burns.

Also, glycogen is your muscles' fuel source. That's what carbs are for. Energy to move. While yes, protein and dietary fat can both be converted to energy for the muscles to use, it's a much more difficult, slow process, and besides, fats and proteins have many more important functions than providing energy.

danmoffett

WRONG!
You CAN'T overeat on good food. It's NOT about calories in and calories out. You've bought into the lie. Educate yourself and life is SO much simpler. I was a FAT unhealthy man at age 56. When my wife of 37 years died of diet related causes I decided to educate myself on diet, nutrition, and health. I found that we have been lied to. I've put a lot of information down in a blog. Take a look, the science is there. It can't be argued with, it can't be broken, truth is truth. I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months, and kept it off.
No diet, No calorie counting, No pills, No exercise to lose weight. I eat all I want, I'm never hungry. I know you can't overeat on good food, it can't be done.

tigersword

You can overeat on any food. It's all about portion control and energy balance. Basic thermodynamics.

Of course, I'd love for you to produce these peer reviewed scientific studies that you've found that show that the human body can ignore the laws of physics.

danmoffett

Really? You certainly can overeat and gain weight on any food. It's all about calories in vs calories out.

I eat a very low carb diet. 700 grams a day is way too much. You can't lose weight on that much carbs.
I've put what I've learned down on a blog. I hope you will take the time to look.

danmoffett

You can overeat on any food. It's all about portion control and energy balance. Basic thermodynamics.

Of course, I'd love for you to produce these peer reviewed scientific studies that you've found that show that the human body can ignore the laws of physics.

I' have the info you seek on my blog. I am living proof of what I say. Me and thousands more have found the truth. Including many doctors. The proof is there for those who take the time to learn.

FREEDOM!

Elizabeth_C34

You CAN'T overeat on good food. It's NOT about calories in and calories out. You've bought into the lie. Educate yourself and life is SO much simpler. I was a FAT unhealthy man at age 56. When my wife of 37 years died of diet related causes I decided to educate myself on diet, nutrition, and health. I found that we have been lied to. I've put a lot of information down in a blog. Take a look, the science is there. It can't be argued with, it can't be broken, truth is truth. I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months, and kept it off.
No diet, No calorie counting, No pills, No exercise to lose weight. I eat all I want, I'm never hungry. I know you can't overeat on good food, it can't be done.

Twinkie diet:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

Debbe2

Watch what you eat by keeping the calories in less than the calories out. Eat foods you enjoy under your calorie limit and move and exercise like crazy. Lift heavy things and be active. Be mindful of your goals and observe what makes you feel best to eat and to do. This is the best way to lose and the healthiest way to live, IMO :-)

bcattoes

WRONG!
You CAN'T overeat on good food. It's NOT about calories in and calories out. You've bought into the lie. Educate yourself and life is SO much simpler. I was a FAT unhealthy man at age 56. When my wife of 37 years died of diet related causes I decided to educate myself on diet, nutrition, and health. I found that we have been lied to. I've put a lot of information down in a blog. Take a look, the science is there. It can't be argued with, it can't be broken, truth is truth. I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months, and kept it off.
No diet, No calorie counting, No pills, No exercise to lose weight. I eat all I want, I'm never hungry. I know you can't overeat on good food, it can't be done.

That is the silliest thing I've ever heard. And no matter how healthy your diet is, without exercise you raise your risk of disease.

Larius

You can overeat on any food. It's all about portion control and energy balance. Basic thermodynamics.

Of course, I'd love for you to produce these peer reviewed scientific studies that you've found that show that the human body can ignore the laws of physics.

I' have the info you seek on my blog. I am living proof of what I say. Me and thousands more have found the truth. Including many doctors. The proof is there for those who take the time to learn.

FREEDOM!

Do you mean this blog: http://danmoffett.blogspot.com/ ? I can't seem to find a single study there, let alone one that's been peer-reviewed.

grinch031

I believe the actual science says you need to eat about 700 grams of carbs a day, every day, for the body to automatically start storing it as fat.

Most of the carbs you eat are stored as glycogen, very little of it gets converted to fat, only when your glycogen stores are completely full. That's where the "low carb Taliban" (as Martin from Leangains calls them) get their ammo. See, when you reduce your carb intake, your body stores less glycogen, which leads to less water, which leads to weight loss. Notice, I didn't say anything about fat loss, because it has nothing to do with losing fat. Fat loss is strictly eating less total calories than your body burns.

Also, glycogen is your muscles' fuel source. That's what carbs are for. Energy to move. While yes, protein and dietary fat can both be converted to energy for the muscles to use, it's a much more difficult, slow process, and besides, fats and proteins have many more important functions than providing energy.

Actually secretion of insulin inhibits the burning of fat, and is necessary for most of the storage of dietary fat. That is why the worst thing you can do is eat foods that are BOTH high in fat and high in carbs. So it's not the conversion and storage of carbs as fat that is the problem, but its the storage of dietary fat as a result of insulin.

Without insulin secretion, you can eat 5000 calories or more of fat each day and not gain any weight because the fat cannot easily be stored (you won't lose much weight either).

grinch031

I would say for someone who is addicted to food, the most effective way to lose weight is to eat a low carb diet. Carbohydrates are highly addictive and the subsequent bodily response to ingesting them will CAUSE your body to overeat each and every meal thereafter. Sure calories matter, but if you are starving all the time because you eat smaller portions of high carb meals, then that is a battle you will surely lose in the long run. If you can tolerate the food choices associated with a low carb diet, you can have a lifetime of satisfying food that doesn't make you go hungry, and you will not gain weight. Plus it is MUCH easier to count carbs than calories because the math is just easier, and if you cut carbs, you are almost guaranteed to cut calories as well because low carb foods are more satiating.

I discovered low carb dieting after 4 years of running and gaining nearly 10 lbs of fat every time I train for a half or full marathon (the weight would slowly drop as my hunger lowered between events). I'm currently a 6'1 187 lb male who fluctuates from 185-200 and used to eat probably a 70-80% carbohydrate diet. Because I was what you call a 'sugar burner', my body burned almost exclusively glucose during training and so I would have ungodly amounts of hunger after a workout. I would hit the wall in training sometimes because my body was totally unable to burn fat when it needed to. Despite all this, I finished half marathons in the top 10% in a big race (1:38 is my best half time), so I'm far from sedentary.

grinch031

Low carb is an effective way for obese people to drop the weight fast. It is a rubbish way to live life as a person of healthy or slightly low weight. You need energy and carbs are the most efficient form. There's a reason the vast majority of scientifically backed sports recovery drinks are 3/4 carbs to 1/4 protein in composition.

I have plenty of energy on a low carb diet. It only takes about 3-6 weeks to adjust to the diet as far as your energy goes. Look up the work of 'Stephen Phinney' who talks about the benefits of a low-carb diet on exercise.