Do people on low carb diets count their calories?

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  • almostatgoalweight
    almostatgoalweight Posts: 234 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.
    So you are hoping to be hungry at the end of the day?

    What I meant was I eat when I'm at a certain level of hunger, rather than at a certain time.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    However, in either case if the caloric inputs are the same. The energy consumed versus expended is the same...but it all breaks down to calories in versus calories out.

    Wrong. When you have insulin resistance like I, and many overweight people do, it's not just calories in, calories out. The body doesn't use carbs for energy like it's supposed to. Many of the carbs get stored because the body isn't responding to the insulin the body is producing.
  • LaJaunaF
    LaJaunaF Posts: 112 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.

    just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?
    I am a low carb lifestyler (making it back on track) who isn't interested in calories as a marker. I am on this site because I don't want to do it alone. I need encouragement and a "high five" every once in a while. We are all on different journeys and arrive here on MFP for a variety of reasons. Why be such a putz?
  • LaJaunaF
    LaJaunaF Posts: 112 Member
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    However, in either case if the caloric inputs are the same. The energy consumed versus expended is the same...but it all breaks down to calories in versus calories out.

    Wrong. When you have insulin resistance like I, and many overweight people do, it's not just calories in, calories out. The body doesn't use carbs for energy like it's supposed to. Many of the carbs get stored because the body isn't responding to the insulin the body is producing.

    Well said.
  • almostatgoalweight
    almostatgoalweight Posts: 234 Member
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    [ just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?

    I'm only here for the group challenges / messageboard, since it seems to be the largest there is online. Other websites seem to have a dearth of people actually losing weight (one website went months without anyone reaching goal weight, whereas here it happens every few days).
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i look at my cals, but i don't count them (or obsess over them)

    ketosis > counting calories

    but. for some people, by default when you eat low carb items you naturally eat less calories.

    i usually don't have much of an appetite, so its easy to not eat more than 1200 cals.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.

    just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?
    I am a low carb lifestyler (making it back on track) who isn't interested in calories as a marker. I am on this site because I don't want to do it alone. I need encouragement and a "high five" every once in a while. We are all on different journeys and arrive here on MFP for a variety of reasons. Why be such a putz?

    was just curious...sorry for putzing on your parade
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.

    just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?

    This ^^^^^^^^^^^^
    That is a rude and mean thing to say to her. :grumble:
    Wrong Mr. :noway: MFP is not just for tracking calories but tracking all nutritients in the form of Calories, Carbs,Protein,Fat, etc. plus keeping record of what we eat, and socializing encouraging each other. Were you just born mean? :devil: Or did it take practice? Never mind do not answer I really do not care. The point is you needlessly insulted the woman,now lets see if you man up and apologize.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    [ just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?

    I'm only here for the group challenges / messageboard, since it seems to be the largest there is online. Other websites seem to have a dearth of people actually losing weight (one website went months without anyone reaching goal weight, whereas here it happens every few days).

    This ^^^^^^^^
    I apologize when I defended you, I called you a "Her" I looked at your profile and whoops your a "He". Still sorry you were replied to rudely, your answer makes sense. As for me I still count calories plus carbs.:smile:
  • Moretakitty
    Moretakitty Posts: 168 Member
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    I count both. And protein too.

    Well, the calories is the most imprtant goal, but I also aim for 100g protein and under 100g carbs. Some diets (such as Atkins) dont bother with counting the calories, but they are VERY low carb approachs.

    This^^
    Pretty much me as prescribed by the doctor. I maintain a 10 cal to 1g protein and I try to keep my carbs between 80-100.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    I just started atkins a few weeks ago and count calories daily. It's very helpful as far as making sure that not only are my carbs low, but that I am getting enough lean protein and healthy fats in. Interesting, to me at least, on my failed low fat low cal attempts I struggled to stay within calorie goals but now I struggle to eat them all. My carbs are very restricted at this point but tracking them also gives me an idea of which veggies I need to include down the line to get maximum vitamins in.
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
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    I do. I'm kind of obsessive about tracking macros and calories.
  • LaJaunaF
    LaJaunaF Posts: 112 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.

    just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?
    I am a low carb lifestyler (making it back on track) who isn't interested in calories as a marker. I am on this site because I don't want to do it alone. I need encouragement and a "high five" every once in a while. We are all on different journeys and arrive here on MFP for a variety of reasons. Why be such a putz?

    was just curious...sorry for putzing on your parade

    Your curious way of asking a question was a bit "nasty" or condescending in tone. That is why I reacted the way I did.
  • Tkwild
    Tkwild Posts: 116 Member
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    I stay under about 35g carb per day, and I count calories to make sure I get enough. My natural net calorie intake (after exercise) can be between 300-800 if I don't pay attention, which stops me losing weight.
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    So to circle all the way back to your question; yes of course you f*cking count calories still. This isn't witchcraft. If you eat less carbs, yes you will retain less water, your "fat" loss will progress more smoothly in a visible sense on the scale and in general fluctuations in weight a person goes through just in a day, but it all breaks down to calories in versus calories out.

    Doesn't it feel GOOD when people ask questions and then people are totally flippin' rude when they answer? As if you are a complete idiot for asking? I mean HOW DARE YOU!? I also like how he refers to your HIPPY friend. WTF!?

    Anyway, I do low carb and although Atkins does say you don't have to count calories, it's because if you eat a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet you will not WANT to overeat your calories. You will feel full.... at least I do... for the most part.

    I will say I am eating more calories than I did on my diet where I just counted calories and I am losing weight. That's right: I am eating MORE calories and LOSING weight and I wasn't before. So that jackassery that I just quoted... it goes against what he said. Therefore, it is quit OK to ask such a question since with some low carb people - they eat more calories and lose more weight. (Explanation would take a bit more to write.)

    Wonder what crawled into his butt before posting. SHEESH!!!
  • darlenevile
    darlenevile Posts: 1
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    Please folks, stop saying that all calories are the same. That's NOT TRUE. Different kinds of calories do different things for the body, and are stored and burned DIFFERENTLY. The '3500 extra calories = a pound of fat' dieting rule is horribly inaccurate, and here's why:

    Carb calories have one purpose in our body: to be used as fuel to move around. They don't get burned up by internal processes like cell repair, immune function, etc., like other calories do. If you don't burn those carb calories by movement within a fairly short amount of time of consumption, they are transported to your liver which carries out the carb-to-fat process, and stores them away. Meaning they become stored fat, kept there to keep us alive in case of a future famine. This is why carbs are so restricted in the most successful diets. They are BAD calories for dieters. Burn them quickly, or accumulate fat.

    Protein calories, on the other hand, are used up by our body for many internal processes, including muscle tissue growth and repair. They don't sit around waiting to be burnt off by exercise, and then stored as fat. They are GOOD calories. They also keep your body in a comfortable non-famine state, as your body thinks the abundant supply of protein means we're not in danger of starving any time soon, thus allowing more stored calories to be burnt up.

    This is why the whole "calories in must be smaller than calories out" doesn't work. You can cut your 2000 bad calories to 1500 bad calories each day, but your body will not burn up those stored fat calories in reaction. And even more of the carb calories you do eat will be stored as your body gently adjusts to the deficit. I read a good metaphor the other day: if you were given a pay-cut at work, would you keep spending money the same way? No, you would adjust your budget, cut back on unecessary expenses. Your body is smart and reacts the same way. Take out 500 calories, and it will easily cut back on unecessary internal maintenance & slow your metabolism a bit. It won't have to dip into those emergency stored calories at all. It adjusts to make sure you maintain your current weight, which is what your body really wants to do.

    This same bodily behavior is why so many people can eat huge amounts of food, way more than their maintenance needs, and still maintain the same weight for years. Before dieting, I ate a staggering 5000-6000 calories a day on average, but stayed at a steady 185 pounds for an entire decade, during which I was pretty sedentary. Maintenance calories for a person of my height & weight is only 2300 a day. If the 3500 calorie rule were true, I should have stored away the extra 3000 calories a day as fat, gaining a monstrous 6 lbs a week, which is 312 lbs a year! But of course I didn't, because my body adjusted to my calorie level by seriously raising my metabolism, keeping me at a steady weight.

    On the other hand, this same bad logic also dictates that a person will lose an amazing 52 lbs in a single year just by cutting out 3500 calories a week, regardless of exercise! Does that sound like reality at all? No it doesn't. In fact, a recent study of Weight Watchers clients had a few hundred or so of them eat 500 less calories a day than their normal diet with no other interventions. After a year, the average weight loss was only 11 lbs. Not one lost anywhere near 50 lbs.

    I keep seeing people online saying things like, 'you can't argue with physics', and 'the 3500 calorie rule is a mathematical certainty'. Its not. It is bad science that doesn't account for a huge number of variables. You have to eat the RIGHT calories, with lots of protein, and only a small amount of carbs that you can easily burn off each day.

    This is extremely long, I know. Its just so frustrating when bad information is spread around to so many people. People whose health is at stake.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.

    just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?

    Not everyone follows a calorie count and it is not required to do so in order to be on MFP.

    I currently have patients from various areas of medicine from where I am employed who are given very specific medical advise on what they need to focus on given the circumstances surrounding their current medical care.

    The calorie rule can differ from one healthcare expert to another based on their scientific data and research. As each study and scientific explanation will differ from one expert to another, just like the effects will differ from person to person because we are all different and present with various health/medical problematic backgrounds. This isnt a one-rule-applies-to-all concept.

    The primary function of MFP is to allow all reasonable medically accepted practices of weight loss methods to come here and to utilize MFP in the manner to which best suits them. MFP is also a recognize web resource for patients who are monitoring their intake in regards to eating-related disorders as well, who need to gain weight. MFP also has a large member-base of healthcare providers, personal trainers, lifters, athletes, etc who also use MFP to maintain their fitness levels as well.

    Is there any reason why we cant keep things civil?
  • veganfoodie
    veganfoodie Posts: 10 Member
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    My carbs are quite low (less than 30g a day) so I don't bother with counting calories as well. I generally aim for a certain level of hunger.

    just curious, since the primary function of this site is to count calories, why are you on this site? did you switch to not counting calories after you found this site?

    This ^^^^^^^^^^^^
    That is a rude and mean thing to say to her. :grumble:
    Wrong Mr. :noway: MFP is not just for tracking calories but tracking all nutritients in the form of Calories, Carbs,Protein,Fat, etc. plus keeping record of what we eat, and socializing encouraging each other. Were you just born mean? :devil: Or did it take practice? Never mind do not answer I really do not care. The point is you needlessly insulted the woman,now lets see if you man up and apologize.

    oh brother... some people are so sensitive. this person's inquiry as to why another dieter is on the site was a valid question and was stated matter-of-factly. i did not interpret as being rude.
  • LaJaunaF
    LaJaunaF Posts: 112 Member
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    If calories in vs calories out isn't everything, do people on low carb diets still consider how many calories they've eaten?

    I've been eating relatively low carb (70-80g per day) and on a calorie deficit for a few weeks, and I'm losing nicely and feel good on the low carb diet, but my hubby tells me I'm too obsessed with the calories, and that the calories don't matter ... I should just count the carbs.

    Any thoughts?

    It depends. If you're losing we'll and feel full and satisfied, don't stress about the calories. If you start to plateau, then considering your calorie intake over the past few days/weeks is a good resource. I find that having the freedom to eat satisfying, tasty foods over-rides my obsession with calorie intake.
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    However, in either case if the caloric inputs are the same. The energy consumed versus expended is the same...but it all breaks down to calories in versus calories out.

    Wrong. When you have insulin resistance like I, and many overweight people do, it's not just calories in, calories out. The body doesn't use carbs for energy like it's supposed to. Many of the carbs get stored because the body isn't responding to the insulin the body is producing.

    THANK YOU. If I eat 2000 calories with carbs, I bloat up and gain weight. if I eat 2000 calories with low carbs, I gain nothing (maybe some muscle at the gym!) and maintain or lose weight. I've read far too much and know that calories in and out does not apply to everyone. Note: Everyone is different and your level of resistance will determine if calories in and out applies to you.

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