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

RMNPHike

Low-carb diets are known for yielding fast weight loss. Shedding up to 15 pounds in two weeks on Atkins, for example, isn't out of the ordinary. However, much of what's initially lost on low-carb diets is water, not fat, because these diets have what's known as a diuretic effect. That's true of many other diets, too, and is a major reason researchers don't judge diets based on a few weeks of results.

HOWEVER....you're going to get an opinion anyway, now that I've answered your question. If you really need to lose some weight that fast, then go for it. But if you want to sustain the loss and build a healthier diet, I wouldn't stay on low-carb for long. You will rapidly find yourself fatigued, for one thing.
I am a bit biased, I'm a runner so I NEED my carbs! Carbs are fuel!

This. From my experience, you lose a lot of water on low carb/no carb. When I did it, I lost weight fast at first but as soon as my weight loss caught up with my calorie deficit, I stopped losing weight. I am petite and the most I ever had to lose was 25 lbs., so I don't know how it works with really heavy people, but I do know that everyone I know who tried this approach lost weight and then gained it all back. When you cut out a whole food group, you initially cut calories automatically. When you eat high protein, you lose a lot of retained water (anyone who has had edema while pregnant is usually told to increase protein to lose the water - so it's likely the increased protein that causes one to de-bloat). I also know people who were gluten intolerant who lost a lot of bloat when they cut out gluten grains. They could eat rice and other grains, but usually they ended up cutting calories significantly too because they did not find a substitute for ALL of the carbs they had been eating. Anyway, I think these are reasons why. I love my oatmeal any my whole grain English muffins too much to eat low-carb, and I'm losing weight at a healthy rate anyway.

ninerbuff

So the message is...........................water has weight with no calories.:laugh:

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

liberty338

A little searching on the web for the way the body uses carbs, fat and protein for energy and what it does with them when not needed would do more to inform than reading this thread. :yawn:

cheryl3660

Because it is not always true that only calories matter. Below is a very good scientific study which explains what is going on. These low carbers are on a ketogenic diet which forces your body into burning fat instead of carbs for fuel. Although a lot of people have lost a lot of weight quickly eating this way, how much weight still depends on each individual. Some people will lose a lot without having to count calories. Some of the other lucky ones (like myself) still need to count calories in order to see a steady weight loss.

There is nothing wrong or unhealthy with this way of eating and it's not about losing weight fast, it's about healthy eating in a way that works for your body. I have Type 2 Diabetes. If I eat low fat/low calories, I gain weight and my blood sugar goes through the roof. It can often be hard to maintain a low carb diet with so much misinformation and low fat still being touted as the healthy way of eating and so many carbohydrates being shoved down our throats every where you look, but lots of people are doing this everyday and maintaining a low carb/ketogenic lifestyle, not using it as a "diet" to lose weight.

"Effect of Low-Calorie Versus Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet in Type 2 Diabetes" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22673594

amyschicos

Not answered immediately at all!! Did not "dismiss" anything..just wanted a clear understanding to a question that I have been trying to understand! Your answer nor any of your other responses helped but THANKSSS for attempting! However so far I have gotten several helpful responses soooo yea

amyschicos

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

Forgot to quote you stupid iPad

kountryedge

Wow.. sat here and watched how many people were not even paying attention to you and just wanted to hear themselves speak, per-say...

liberty338

Not answered immediately at all!! Did not "dismiss" anything..just wanted a clear understanding to a question that I have been trying to understand! Your answer nor any of your other responses helped but THANKSSS for attempting! However so far I have gotten several helpful responses soooo yea

Asking questions on forums like this will always garner a hundred responses and every responder will disagree with the other 99. And many responses will seem like they did not comprehend your query.
If I ask something(which I would not) I would respond only to those that satisfied my question.
A good research session on the web I find saves me a lot of frustration.

meshashesha2012

i would think it's because not everything lost with weight is fat.

for instance, carbs can lead to water retention and some people are more effected by that than others.

karenhray7

Still wondering WHY if its calories in calories out that matter!! Why they are able to lose soo much faster??

It has to do with how your body metabolizes sugar, which is what net carbohydrates (total carbs-fiber) are. Put simply, insulin is responsible for moving sugar from the blood to the appropriate storage facility. Too much sugar means too much insulin which can result in a cellular inability to use that sugar for energy. That excess sugar is then stored as fat. If you control your carb intake, you control your sugar, which results in less insulin, less triglycerides (that's the fat storage), and a more efficient cellular metabolism which can then start to use the existing triglycerides for energy.

c2111

Hi Amy this study came out and i thought id look it up for you, anyway found an article relating to it today.

Follow the link, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-27/calories-low-carb-weight-loss/55843134/1

Basically the low carb diet showed that participants burned 300 cals more than the other 2 study groups, low cal, low fat and 150 more than the low GI diet daily. Why the scientists arent really too sure. It does go on to say about heart health etc anyway read the article maybe you will find it interesting, maybe it'll just mean more questions.

Hey 300 cals thats a Burn!

Interesting read. Im a clean eater and naturally low carb as have issues with refined grains however I get plrenty of carbs in my diet from vegies fruit, quinoa.

essaryswife73

Here is a link to an article that may answer your question. I am in no way saying that I think it's a good diet to follow, but it should answer your question.

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/news_features/lowcarbdiet.htm

SideSteel

http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319

Scott15Fit

Here is a meta- study (generally considered more accurate than a single one off study):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16476868

The gist is that low-carb diets are more effective short term but long term low-fat diets are just as effective.

liberty338

Still wondering WHY if its calories in calories out that matter!! Why they are able to lose soo much faster??

It has to do with how your body metabolizes sugar, which is what net carbohydrates (total carbs-fiber) are. Put simply, insulin is responsible for moving sugar from the blood to the appropriate storage facility. Too much sugar means too much insulin which can result in a cellular inability to use that sugar for energy. That excess sugar is then stored as fat. If you control your carb intake, you control your sugar, which results in less insulin, less triglycerides (that's the fat storage), and a more efficient cellular metabolism which can then start to use the existing triglycerides for energy.

EUGEPAE! :drinker:

mudmonkeyonwheels

I think it could really be more simple than most people are thinking. Most people tend to eat more carbs than they need. Therefore, when people become aware of what they are eating, and actively reduce carbs, they tend to eat less calories without actively trying leading to weight loss. Of course that is probably only part of it and everyone elses explanations play a role as well.

kyliehearnden

I don't know if this will help....

Carbohydrates are required by our bodies at a cellular level for our muscles to function. Excluding carbohydrates forces our metabolism to resort to Ketosis (as previously discussed) to break down fat and muscle as an energy source. One of the major negatives of this type of eating pattern is that it forces the byproducts of this into the kidneys (ketones) which can have a negative effect on the kidney function if it is followed long term (many years) (particularly if the person has altered renal function or they are at risk to start with). And as others have said low/no carbohydrate diets are very difficult to stick with long term and tend to result in rebound weight gain.

Some research conducted in Australia by the CSIRO (national research organisation) looked at all of these different diets a couple of years ago and found that high protein (300g/day) and reduced carbs per day (105g/day of wholegrain breads/cereals) resulted in greater and more sustained weight loss when compared to high carbohydrate diets and was easily modified for maintenance of weight loss afterwards. More info can be found here

http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Health-and-Wellbeing/Prevention/Total-Wellbeing-Diet.aspx

I don't think they know why, on a cellular level these diets are more effective than others (exact amount of carbohydrate intake that is most effective; but many theories are around). I have used this diet and have found it easier to stick to than others, but that is only my personal opinion. For me, that has helped me stay on track for longer periods of time which has resulted in more sustained weight loss as well as not gaining as much weight back when i am "off track". I do still use other diet programs when I am finding it hard to restrict my carbs to 105g (although I don't lose as much weight during those times).

I hope this helps answer some of your questions without too much unwanted info.

clpf243795

Reason it works is your body has to break down fats for your daily energy since you do not have enough carbs to do so. Caribs are metabolized for energy first. If absent fat and proteins are ne t.is next. It puts your body in a state of ketosis. Plus the high protein intake is osmotic and will take more water out of your system which leads to water weight loss.

VeggieKelli

Still wondering WHY if its calories in calories out that matter!! Why they are able to lose soo much faster??

I don't really see how they are losing any faster than anyone else. Last year I lost 38 lbs in 3 months by restricting calories and working out pretty hard on a daily basis. No restriction on carbs, whatsoever.

Are the people you talking about only restricting carbs and not counting calories? Even then, a diet low on carbs isn't necessarily healthy, and isn't health the aim vs. the number on a scale?

neanderthin

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.

Adreed. Ketosis doesn't need to happen for this effect, but lowering carbs is a good way to suppress appetitie and not sugar binge, then lie to yourself....yes I've done that.

KathrynCatlady

I love how so many people are bashing low-carb diets/dieters by saying "when they go back to eating carbs, it all comes back." Who's to say that low-carbers all go back to gorging on carbs once they've reached their goal? I think just like people using other eating plans/methods to reach their goals, many low carbers plan to eat this way for life. I know I am one of those people. I drastically cut my carbs and keep them below 100g/day, and it's very manageable for me. I don't crave carbs. I view this the same as many of the people who are simply watching their calories and fats. When you reach goal, you find a level a maintenance and the idea is you'll stick to it.

Ketosis, baby! :drinker:

JoshuaL86

Still wondering WHY if its calories in calories out that matter!! Why they are able to lose soo much faster??

It has to do with how your body metabolizes sugar, which is what net carbohydrates (total carbs-fiber) are. Put simply, insulin is responsible for moving sugar from the blood to the appropriate storage facility. Too much sugar means too much insulin which can result in a cellular inability to use that sugar for energy. That excess sugar is then stored as fat. If you control your carb intake, you control your sugar, which results in less insulin, less triglycerides (that's the fat storage), and a more efficient cellular metabolism which can then start to use the existing triglycerides for energy.

Excess fat and protein are also stored as fat, this is why it is simply calories in being less than calories out.

kingofcrunk

I lost over 60 lbs in about 5 months by counting calories. Not by restricting carbs. It works both ways.

Nissi51

But im asking WHY do low carvers lose so much faster than calorie counters if its the calories that matter so much!

Do You want it fast or do you want it permanent?

vjohn04

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.

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.

^this, IMO.

mfstew2007

carbs turn into sugar. when losing weight our bodies first burn all those carbs that have turned to sugar then you burn fats. if you cut your carbs then you get to burning fat faster. you should have no more than 45 gr. carbs per meal but not all those being in one item. no one item should be over 15. so you can have 3 items of 15 carbs. they are absolutely right, if you cut carbs that low, you will certainly gain back when you start eating more normal. but if you cut your carbs as i was told to do, that's liveable. i have tried to lose weight for years. knowing that i had sugar problems, i cut out sugar but continued to gain. after being diagnosed diabetic and a nutritionist giving me the carb information i have now lost 19 lbs easily and have no doubts i can continue eating this way because i am not starving!!~

WendyTerry420

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!!

I'm on 200g of carbs per day, and I've lost almost 60 pounds in seven months. I don't know why anyone would go as low as 20g of carbs. Even diabetics can eat more carbs than that.

tigersword

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!!

It's because carbs require 3 grams of water per gram of carb for storage in your body. You cut out carbs, your body stops storing them. Carb storage goes down, and you lose water and carb weight.

Incidentally, I lost 60 pounds in 5 months eating 200-300 grams of carbs a day. It's all about the calorie deficit.

Delicate

I've recently reduced carbs (within the past 2 weeks to 80p/d or less and only from 1 serv fruit, rest veg) to go with my pcos/prediabetic, im curious about the ketosis though!

But have increased my protein/fat (Hey i exercise and lift ) but to be honest, I feel fantastic, not bloated, not tired and not as upsey or downsey as I would of been from eating pasta/rice/etc (sugar spike/fall)

I'll be going by measurements of -2 inches so far.

For alot of people it is a perm change, as if some of us dont sort out the diet, properly, we wont be around to enjoy it. And basicaly i dont wanna get diebeties type 2.

WendyTerry420

But im asking WHY do low carvers lose so much faster than calorie counters if its the calories that matter so much!

Do You want it fast or do you want it permanent?

^^ This too

Personally, I want to create a permanent diet that allows me to enjoy my meals *and* weigh a healthy weight for the rest of my life. I increased my calories to lose only one pound per week.