If its really about calories then explain to me why.....

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  • Mr_Excitement
    Mr_Excitement Posts: 833 Member
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    Your friend who lost weight counting carbs instead of calories may have also been eating low calories as a side effect of cutting out most carbs.

    Great point. It's damned hard to eat 2000 calories worth of vegetables and meat.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    All I want to know is WHY they (low carbers) lose at such a faster rate than calorie counters? That's it! Not opinions (with all due respect)
    Have you tried to eat less than 20 carbs a day? How easy is it to get tons of calories with that restriction? In other words, are they losing weight strictly because they lowered carbs, or because they are eating a caloric deficit.

    The other questions is, why are you so obsessed with weight loss? What is the goal? To change a number on a scale with absolutely no consideration for any side-effects? Why? If it's that important why not just get liposuction or get a limb amputated?

    Isn't the whole purpose to get healthier and feel better and live longer? Isn't that goal best accomplished via FAT loss, not WEIGHT (fat + water + muscle) loss?
  • amyschicos
    amyschicos Posts: 30 Member
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    Why ask the question if you always dismiss people's responses?

    Because it was a curiosity on the science/reason behind it and the responses were telling the OP either what others had done or what conventional wisdom tells you to do. It was a simple *general* question, not reflective upon the own poster's desire to follow that plan, per say. They just wanted to know *why* and were NOT getting a real WHY answer.

    Yes!! Thank you!! :)
  • jack3Dav3
    jack3Dav3 Posts: 39 Member
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    Why is it that sooo many people lose weight so much quicker when they eat less than 20 grams of carbs per day? I see soooo many success stories where people lose 50-60 lb in 5 months (for example) these are people who are not extremely obese either..whereas counting calories you rarely see where they lose that much in that short period of time? So is it really the deficit in your daily calories that count? All these numerous stories I read & see lose so much so quick eating low carb!!

    Fat loss is insignificantly different holding cals and protein constant. Fat loss > weight loss

    The thread did not need to continue beyond this response. The obsession with how quickly a number on the scale moves is ill-founded. Who cares how "fast" your losing weight if you aren't losing fat and/or improving muscularity?
  • chellebublz
    chellebublz Posts: 568 Member
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    No. Eating clean does not equate to eating low carb or low fat.

    Like I said I"m not really scientifically informed on all that. I just assumed clean eating is eating mostly fruits, veggie, meats and staying away from processed and starches (which is mostly carbs right?) I do still eat carbs but only brown rice and wheat bread/wraps, or in the form of fruits/veggies. I just assumed if you ate clean like that it would eat up being low carb naturally.
  • Guitar1969
    Guitar1969 Posts: 33 Member
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    Because low carb limits insulin release which then forces fat loss. As others have said, not all calories are equal. A hundred calories of sugar is different than 100 calories of vegetables. By limiting carb intake to better quality carbs (low glycemic index) you are forcing your metabolism to burn fat as fuel rather than glucose in your bloodstream. I see alot of posts on here with people bad mouthing low carb but what they don't realize is they are eating low carb whether they know it or not, unless they are eating candy bars and white bread and white rice as part of their weight loss diet.The argument for low carb is if you are eating good carbs and enough protein and good fats then your body will tell you when its full and will be well below your daily caloric ceiling and lose weight.
  • amyschicos
    amyschicos Posts: 30 Member
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    All I want to know is WHY they (low carbers) lose at such a faster rate than calorie counters? That's it! Not opinions (with all due respect)

    My understanding is that eating a low carb/high protein diet keeps your body in a state of ketosis (using fat for energy). Hope this helps :D

    It did! Thank you!!
  • amyschicos
    amyschicos Posts: 30 Member
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    Because low carb limits insulin release which then forces fat loss. As others have said, not all calories are equal. A hundred calories of sugar is different than 100 calories of vegetables. By limiting carb intake to better quality carbs (low glycemic index) you are forcing your metabolism to burn fat as fuel rather than glucose in your bloodstream. I see alot of posts on here with people bad mouthing low carb but what they don't realize is they are eating low carb whether they know it or not, unless they are eating candy bars and white bread and white rice as part of their weight loss diet.The argument for low carb is if you are eating good carbs and enough protein and good fats then your body will tell you when its full and will be well below your daily caloric ceiling and lose weight.

    Thanks!!
  • rawhidenadz
    rawhidenadz Posts: 254 Member
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    Your friend who lost weight counting carbs instead of calories may have also been eating low calories as a side effect of cutting out most carbs.

    Great point. It's damned hard to eat 2000 calories worth of vegetables and meat.

    This. Physical hunger all but disappears when you are in ketosis and people who are eating very low carb just don't get as hungry, so they end up eating a lot less calories. It's still about calories in vs calories out.
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
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    Twice I've lost 80 pounds in 6 months eating lots of carbs! I always have carbs with my meal....always....and I lose. I've regained both times but that's not from eating carbs. I am losing again now, and that is with eating carbs. So I don't know if you observation about losing weight faster on the Atkin's is even all that accurate.
  • 13suzie
    13suzie Posts: 349 Member
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    I really think it has to do with inflammation on the cellular level. And, there's some relationship between inflammation and metabolic rate. Most carbs are inflammatory. It's more than water weight, clearly. When I go low carb, the weight melts off day after day. I need to not be extreme, however, since I wish to maintain the low weight I am hoping to achieve. I'll go very low carb for a stretch and then incorporate some carbs.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    When you eat low carb your body doesn't have enough carbs to use as fuel so it starts to burn your FAT for fuel. If you eat 100grams of carbs a day and stay under a certain calorie limit, your body is still storing those unused carbs as FAT. Low carb is more about fat loss then it is weight loss.

    completely wrong...
  • The1iceQueen
    The1iceQueen Posts: 119
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    Because low carb limits insulin release which then forces fat loss. As others have said, not all calories are equal. A hundred calories of sugar is different than 100 calories of vegetables. By limiting carb intake to better quality carbs (low glycemic index) you are forcing your metabolism to burn fat as fuel rather than glucose in your bloodstream. I see alot of posts on here with people bad mouthing low carb but what they don't realize is they are eating low carb whether they know it or not, unless they are eating candy bars and white bread and white rice as part of their weight loss diet.The argument for low carb is if you are eating good carbs and enough protein and good fats then your body will tell you when its full and will be well below your daily caloric ceiling and lose weight.

    ^^This^^
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    Most people eat a lot of crappy snack foods which are carb and fat heavy. Eliminate those and you are already cutting out a ton of calories. Water weight is also an issue.
  • eillamarie
    eillamarie Posts: 862 Member
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    The majority of the North American diet comes from carbs in the form of breads, pastas, pastries etc. Cut those out & your are going to drastically cut down your calories as well. Also, a lot of people have intollerances to wheat and/or gluten & just don't realize it. Cut that out & ppl tend to lose a lot of weight just from reduced bloating & inflamation.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    Because what ninerbuff told you is true, most of the initial weight loss on low carb diets that you seem to be asking about is WATER and not fat. There is *very* little difference when you are comparing the rate of fat loss between low and moderate/high carb. But, low carbers will gain weight afterwards, not necessarily fat, but definitely water, when they reintroduce carbs to their life.

    It's not the scale that matters. It's your body composition and amount of body fat. Reduced calories lower BODY FAT. Who gives a crap about the water anyway? Technically, your body's water level is part of lean mass (which is everything that is not fat).

    Also, low carbers typically eat the same amount as high carbers...the calorie deficit causes the fat loss, not the carb deficit...protein is very filling, so they eat less at meals naturally.
  • Sunny_fit4life
    Sunny_fit4life Posts: 157 Member
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    If your primary goal in losing weight is improving your health (in my opinion it should be, but I know that isn't true for everyone), then it only makes sense to eat in a way that makes you feel good and that you can live with for the rest of your life.

    In my personal experience and from what I have seen in friends and family who have tried it, low carb does not make you feel good at all.
    Also, I see a lot of people lose weight very fast with it and then gain it right back.

    Weight lost slowly with a calorie controlled, *balanced* diet & exercise is much easier to maintain. Personally, I'd just rather eat what makes me feel good and have a better chance of keeping it off.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Why ask the question if you always dismiss people's responses?

    Because it was a curiosity on the science/reason behind it and the responses were telling the OP either what others had done or what conventional wisdom tells you to do. It was a simple *general* question, not reflective upon the own poster's desire to follow that plan, per say. They just wanted to know *why* and were NOT getting a real WHY answer.

    It was answered immediately, but she chose to dismiss it. If fat loss is not significantly different, what is causing the weight loss, hmmmm
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
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    yes yes. i know. it works. but can u do it for the rest of your life??
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    To the OP. I recommend you watch the documentary "Fat Head" (it's on Netflix also).
    Really, this will explain much more precisely how insulin and carbohydrates plays a role in the process of gaining weight/loosing weight. I could explain, but it's long and I'm sure I will do it wrong.

    But basically, all carbs are transformed into sugar in your body, which is stored as glycogen, then as fat.
    Let's not forget that in the first weeks, people on a low carbs diet loose a lot of water weight, wich contributes to the rapid weight loss.

    Only watch fat head for the laughs at how ridiculously wrong it gets things

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