Low Carb Vs Calorie Counting

BrandyD77

Hi! I am just trying to figure out which is better? Low Carb or Calorie Counting? Or does anyone have some hints of an eating plan. I am restarting on April 1st and need some advice as to what a good eating plan. Thanks in Advance!:happy:

seena511

calorie counting is the simplest. if you want to lose weight, what really counts is your net intake. limiting carbs can help you to limit your overall calories, but it doesn't magically make you lose weight. my mother had great success with atkins. but, she also ate a deficit, exercised, and intends to continue eating this way for the rest of her life. if you don't think you could give up french fries and bread for the rest of your life, i would recommend just eating at a reasonable deficit.

BrandyD77

What is a deficit? And I had success with Low Carb for a little while but I cannot give up some things. I get bored too easily!

SanteMulberry

Hi! I am just trying to figure out which is better? Low Carb or Calorie Counting? Or does anyone have some hints of an eating plan. I am restarting on April 1st and need some advice as to what a good eating plan. Thanks in Advance!:happy:

Well, there are a lot of factors that enter in. If you are seriously obese, restricting total carbs and especially sugar and grain make a lot of sense bio-chemically because those who are very obese usually have both leptin resistance and insulin-resistance. The very obese will lose faster on a lower-carb diet for a lot of reasons (one of the main ones is the appetite suppression that you get with carbohydrate restriction). But, once they lose all that they want to lose, they will need to be very careful when they add carbohydrates back in to avoid gaining. They will likely never be able to go back to unrestrained eating of carbohydrates.

If you just have say, twenty pounds to lose, you might want to look at simple calorie restriction and set your macros to lose a half-pound a week. This will allow you a bit more freedom in food choices, but to stay healthy, you would want to limit "junk food" to 10% of your calories while losing and no more than 20% of your calories when you are trying to maintain.

Exercise is a vital part of any weight loss program so I hope you are planning to do some cardio and strength training?

slfordstthomas

Why not try both? Calorie counting will help you recognize portion sizes better and keep yourself accountable. And cutting back on white carbs and subbing them for good complex carbs (like raw fruits and vegetables) will help you drop the unwanted pounds.

SanteMulberry

What is a deficit? And I had success with Low Carb for a little while but I cannot give up some things. I get bored too easily!

A deficit is eating less than your body requires to maintain your weight. You must first calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and then, to lose one pound a week, you will need to subtract 500 calories a day from that figure. Then, you will be able to add to that by exercising. For, example, if your TDEE is 2,400 and you want to lose one pound a week, your calorie goal would be 1,900 calories. Then if you do 350 calorie's worth of exercise in a day, you can eat up to another 350 calories that day (2,250) and still be within your calorie goal and still lose your one pound a week. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you can safely lose 2 pounds a week. If you have a moderate amount to lose (say 30-50 pounds) 1 pound a week is a better idea. And if you have 20 pounds or less to lose, it is healthiest to plan on a half-pound per week.

albertabeefy

Why not try both? Calorie counting will help you recognize portion sizes better and keep yourself accountable. And cutting back on white carbs and subbing them for good complex carbs (like raw fruits and vegetables) will help you drop the unwanted pounds.

^ This.

I eat low-carb simply because I'm diabetic, and it is the diet that best-controls my blood glucose. However I also calorie-count whenever I change my diet, for the first few weeks (until I'm used to all the new portions, etc.) I change my diet 2-3x a year depending on if I'm in a mass-gaining, dieting back down or maintenance phase. Counting is important for me to hit my goals.