Protein:Carb:Fat ratios - losing weight

Yogi_Carl

Can someone explain to me why dropping Carbs and increasing Proteins, but keeping the calorie count the same, would cause a person to lose weight faster? Surely it is a matter of calories in:out that determines weight loss or not?

I can understand if the body needed an increased amount of protein to make repairs or growth in answer to resistance training and so you would lower your carbs that day to keep the calories in maintenance or deficit, but I can't see that playing with the ratios but keeping the calories the same would make any difference to weight reduction?

I know there are loads of person stories that go, "I ate less carbs and upped my protein and lost loads etc", but - why?

Any ideas please?

NRBreit

The way I understand it is that increased protein during a calorie deficit allows you to retain more muscle during weight loss. The more muscle you retain, the more calories you burn.

Yogi_Carl

The way I understand it is that increased protein during a calorie deficit allows you to retain more muscle during weight loss. The more muscle you retain, the more calories you burn.

OK - that makes sense up to where your muscles are demanding protein for repair, maintenance and growth if any. That makes sense but it doesn't uphold the idea of reducing carbs causing weight reduction - unless the total calories are reduced as well, which would just make it a calorie controlled diet. What I am looking at is why a low carb diet (but keeping calories the same) would cause weight loss? I don't believe it can.

myofibril

Can someone explain to me why dropping Carbs and increasing Proteins, but keeping the calorie count the same, would cause a person to lose weight faster? Surely it is a matter of calories in:out that determines weight loss or not?

Increased protein is muscle sparing and therefore more of the weight loss will come from fat as opposed to LBM.

In addition, dropping carbs means usually dropping more water weight. That can have a psychological effect which then promotes greater dietary adherence which then has a physiological effect.

In my opinion if you are eating reasonable amounts of protein, carbs and fats then you don't really have to be overly concerned about macros unless you have specific sporting or high level physique goals. It's a much of a muchness for the normal dieter.

Yogi_Carl

Can someone explain to me why dropping Carbs and increasing Proteins, but keeping the calorie count the same, would cause a person to lose weight faster? Surely it is a matter of calories in:out that determines weight loss or not?

Increased protein is muscle sparing and therefore more of the weight loss will come from fat as opposed to LBM.

In addition, dropping carbs means usually dropping more water weight. That can have a psychological effect which then promotes greater dietary adherence which then has a physiological effect.

In my opinion if you are eating reasonable amounts of protein, carbs and fats then you don't really have to be overly concerned about macros unless you have specific sporting or high level physique goals. It's a much of a muchness for the normal dieter.

got it - thanks

time4changexx

Your body uses carbs as its main (not only) source of energy. When you eat less carbs your body starts to burn fat for energry. Also keeping your carbs low throughout the day reduces insulin spikes and insulin spikes keep your body from losing weight. This is why with diets like atkins people lose so much weight to start. With atkins you only eat 20g of carbs per day (which is very low). Everyone has different beliefs. If you eat few carbs that ultimatley means less things like bread and pasta and rice and cookies and sugar.

fab50G

Check out the blog Mark's Daily Apple or read the book the Primal Blueprint. It's all about the insulin baby!