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

Options
1…34689…16

Replies

  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    Options
    But im asking WHY do low carvers lose so much faster than calorie counters if its the calories that matter so much!

    I wouldn't say they do, tbh. I've lost 30 pounds in 2 months by watching my calorie content and exercising. At the beginning, the first 10 lbs I'd say at least, was water weight but I've been steadily losing 2 lbs a week since then by doing this. I'm adding weight training to my regimen now as well to keep my LBM as steady as I possibly can...can't count on the boxes I lift at work every day to do everything! :D
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    Options
    Everyone I know who's done Atkins (OK, its not THAT many so perhaps not statistically valid:ohwell: ) put back all the weight and more. Carbs are part of a healthy diet - but some carbs (veggies in particular) are lower in calories so "better" than bread, pasta etc. Rather than limit your carbs change the type of carbs, you will still feel full but also lose weight.
  • sbbhbm
    sbbhbm Posts: 1,312 Member
    Options
    I lost 70pounds in about 6 months low carbing, I stopped and gained 90. It is not sustainable. plus I am convinced I did serious harm to my body and metabolism during that time. I have lost 111 pounds in a little over a year eatting healthy sensable calorie deficit and I can do this for the rest of my life. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE,

    Hmmm.... that's interesting. Because I lost 140 pounds in less than a year doing low carb, and have managed to keep it off for almost 6 years now. My body healed in a lot of ways because carbs are poison to me. I now eat a very moderate carb diet, but would have absolutely no problem living a totally low carb life. I have friends who have sustained a low carb life for over a decade now. No reason to say it isn't sustainable. Perhaps the fact that people are different "IS THE DIFFERENCE". :grumble:
  • JamieM8168
    JamieM8168 Posts: 248 Member
    Options
    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:

    I'm with ya :happy:
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Options
    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

    This is correct. A couple of studies have shown faster weight loss (read: water) with a low carb diet but that's about it.

    If some people lose weight faster using a low carb strategy (although this is by no means universally true) I suspect it boils down to:

    a) a higher starting weight meaning higher loss in pure numbers alone (a better measure would be % of total body weight loss if you were going down that route or % of fat loss would be even better)
    b) greater loss of water
    c) leading to psychological reinforcement
    d) leading to belief
    e) leading to great adherence rates
    f) leading to success
  • frasergentles
    frasergentles Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    1g of carbogydrate = 4 calories

    Consume 20g of carbohydrate = 80 calories

    For me, my recommended intake of carbohydrate is 275g = 1100 calories from carbs

    Thereforce by cutting my carbs down to 20g I would have a calorie deficit of 1020 calories, okay so I may replace the carbs with more protein, but protien is very filling and harder to eat loads of.

    It is still calorie counting only instead of counting calories you are counting carbs.... amounts to the same thing.

    I have lost 50lbs in 5 months by simply eating 500 calories less per day and doing lots of cardio; i typically burn an extra 1000 - 1200 calories per day by cycling to and from work. I woudl always replace most of this so a typical day will see me start with 2150 calories, burn 1200 cycling which gives me 3350 for the day. I will normally eat 2700 to 2800 on a day like this which gives me a deficit of up to 650 calories.
  • jamieeas
    jamieeas Posts: 21
    Options

    Hmmm.... that's interesting. Because I lost 140 pounds in less than a year doing low carb, and have managed to keep it off for almost 6 years now. My body healed in a lot of ways because carbs are poison to me. I now eat a very moderate carb diet, but would have absolutely no problem living a totally low carb life. I have friends who have sustained a low carb life for over a decade now. No reason to say it isn't sustainable. Perhaps the fact that people are different "IS THE DIFFERENCE". :grumble:

    I have to agree with this. I have recently gone Primal, and I get a moderate amount of carbs (still less than 100g a day) from fruit and veggies (more than you would think, really), but I have NO carbs from processed grains and sugar. Can I eat this way the rest of my life? ABSOLUTELY. I feel 100X better than I did before, and I'm dropping about 5 lbs a week. There's a lot of people (uninformed) who would call this unhealthy, but I feel the best I have in years. My blood work and my endocrinologist (I'm diabetic, type 2, caused by my years of poor eating habits and lack of exercise) agree. We do monitor keytones because I eat much more protein than before. (I'm having a greek yogurt/fruit/almond parfait as I write this.) The fact is, evolutionary and genetically speaking, our bodies were not meant to process large amounts of processed grains and refined sugars. I hate when people say that, "You'll just gain it all back when you go back to normal." UMMM, this is a lifestyle change. It doesn't stop when I reach my goal weight. Those people who gain everything back do so because they believe that once they've reached their goal, they've reached the finish line, and can go back to shoveling whatever they want to in their mouth. I also am no supporter of Atkins. All it does is have you go low/no carb. There is really no focus on the quality of food you put into your body. To answer your original question: It is NOT just about calories in vs. calories out. The quality of those calories makes a HUGE difference. Sure, you follow calories in - calories out, create a deficit, you'll lose weight. You'll lose some fat, some water, but you'll lose some lean muscle mass too. You have to find a plan that focuses on quality of nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle change. Something you can maintain. Not just a quick fix. Yes, I eat low(er) carb, I love it, and I will eat this way forever. BAH to the critics who spout off things they've heard but have never done their research or tried anything for themselves.
  • lpina2mi
    lpina2mi Posts: 425 Member
    Options
    But im asking WHY do low carvers lose so much faster than calorie counters if its the calories that matter so much!

    There are at least 2 sources for you to begin reading. One are site of people doing a keto diet, a super low carb intake. A second is low-glycemic diets (diabetic diets) where carbs less restricted, but also managed with fat and protein intake.

    The idea behind both is that carbs are readily turned into sugar and burned for energy--and sugar cannot be left to travel around in one's bloodstream waiting to be needed. To protect your organs, the pancreas secretes insulin (one of its secretions) to carry excess sugar into FAT STORAGE.

    It is handy that carbs can provide quick energy. It is amazing that carbs span so many different food groups: grains, legumes/beans, vegetables, fruits, and of course many junk foods. Hence, it is easy to eat more than is needed at any one point in time--which leads to fat storage.

    SO BEYOND a calories is a calorie--is DIGESTION. Come to understand digestion (from mouth to colon) better and you can maximize your nutrition.

    The foods within carbs offer many vitamins and minerals, so I do not severely restrict them. I manage carbs, by eating more vegetables and legumes than I do fruit or grain. And I minimize any direct sugar intake.

    Fats and proteins are digested slower and thus do not trigger the pancreas to secrete insulin at the same intensity or level as do carbs. Yet any excess food not needed for energy will go eventually to fat storage.

    ?Better
  • little_miss_panda
    little_miss_panda Posts: 79
    Options
    Carbs are part of a healthy diet - but some carbs (veggies in particular) are lower in calories so "better" than bread, pasta etc. Rather than limit your carbs change the type of carbs, you will still feel full but also lose weight.

    This.

    For me, grains and sugar = weight gain and digestive upset. I can get my carbs from fruit, veg, root veg, sweet potatoes, potatoes etc.

    Grains and sugar also promote carb cravings for me, making me more likely to want sweet stuff. I don't think it's that way for everyone though - depends on your genetics, metabolism, how active you are, your insulin levels, your immune system, your digestion, stress, food intolerance....a myriad of things. I am very "apple shaped" as well which means weight always packs on round my middle. For people who have a tendency to store abdominal fat, a lower or specific carb diet works better in general, particularly watching sugar intake. I'm also coeliac and my digestion isn't what it should be, therefore very high fibre foods like grains are harder for me to digest, and nutritionally not the best choices to get the best from my food.

    I can without a doubt eat more calories and worry less about weight when being mindful of my carbohydrate intake, but I do have to balance this with fuelling right to train as well.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    But im asking WHY do low carvers lose so much faster than calorie counters if its the calories that matter so much!

    There are at least 2 sources for you to begin reading. One are site of people doing a keto diet, a super low carb intake. A second is low-glycemic diets (diabetic diets) where carbs less restricted, but also managed with fat and protein intake.

    The idea behind both is that carbs are readily turned into sugar and burned for energy--and sugar cannot be left to travel around in one's bloodstream waiting to be needed. To protect your organs, the pancreas secretes insulin (one of its secretions) to carry excess sugar into FAT STORAGE.

    It is handy that carbs can provide quick energy. It is amazing that carbs span so many different food groups: grains, legumes/beans, vegetables, fruits, and of course many junk foods. Hence, it is easy to eat more than is needed at any one point in time--which leads to fat storage.

    SO BEYOND a calories is a calorie--is DIGESTION. Come to understand digestion (from mouth to colon) better and you can maximize your nutrition.

    The foods within carbs offer many vitamins and minerals, so I do not severely restrict them. I manage carbs, by eating more vegetables and legumes than I do fruit or grain. And I minimize any direct sugar intake.

    Fats and proteins are digested slower and thus do not trigger the pancreas to secrete insulin at the same intensity or level as do carbs. Yet any excess food not needed for energy will go eventually to fat storage.

    ?Better
    Not better. Insulin transports sugar to the liver and muscles, not to fat depots. Contrary to what the low carbers trumpet, the majority of the fat in fat cells is actually fatty acids, or dietary fat. Now, that's not to say that fat makes you fat, because it isn't the fat (or the carbs, or the protein,) it's the caloric surplus that does it.
  • sherisse69
    sherisse69 Posts: 795 Member
    Options
    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)

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets

    Here you go, check out this link. It may help to explain. :)
  • marybethmiesemer
    marybethmiesemer Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    ask your doctor or a nutritionist......unless we are one of those two, we can only give you what has worked (or not worked) for us or someone we know.
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
    Options
    ETA - You have to eat SOME carbs or your body will pull energy from your muscle tissue instead.

    Not true at all. You don't need carbs if your diet contains adequate fat. The ketogenic diet is a diet used to reduce, and occasionally cure epilepsy in children. It is used when traditional anti-convulsant drugs are ineffective or when the side effects of the drugs are not tolerable. It is effective in about half the patients, and extremely effective in about a third. Johns Hopkins pediatric neurology team has done quite a bit of work with the diet and it is prescribed and monitored extremely carefully. Before anti-convulsant use became common, this diet was regularly used as a treatment for epilepsy.
    The diet has just enough protein to support growth, high fat and extremely low carbohydrates. The Johns Hopkins book describes a case where the amount of carbohydrates absorbed through the skin from sucralose in sunscreen was enough to trigger seizures. Parents have to know what medications, supplements, lotions, etc contain any amount of carbs.
    When carbohydrates are reduced the brain has to change energy sources. Usually the brain depends on glucose from carbohydrates. On the ketogenic diet, the liver breaks fat down into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The brain uses the ketone bodies as an energy source.
    After a few years, the child is slowly weaned off the diet. In many cases, seizures are permanently reduced and in some cases, seizures are cured. In some cases, severely disabled kids are kept on the diet permanently. If the child has a feeding tube, caretakers find the diet just as easy as any other and stay with it. Other kids and families find the diet difficult and want to get off it as soon as it is safe. There has been no evidence of excess weight gain as long as calorie intake is monitored.
    The diet is not easy at all. It is difficult and restrictive and not fun for the child or the family. However, if anti-convulsants are ineffective or turn your child into a zombie, it is a viable alternative. Some kids experience dozens or even hundreds of seizures a day. To be able to greatly reduce or eliminate seizures through diet alone is worth the trouble.
  • lpina2mi
    lpina2mi Posts: 425 Member
    Options
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20031111/low-carb-high-fat-diet-drops-weight

    Please note that not all lower carb/higher fat diets are Atkins (which is also high protein). There are many "officially named ones and even more unofficial. Personally, a version of this one http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/the-mediterranean-diet suits me and my family best.

    Here is something about glycemic index and carbs. http://www.fao.org/docrep/W8079E/w8079e0k.htm

    Yep, the liver and kidneys are part of cycle too. See carbs there too. ww.livestrong.com/article/488801-how-are-carbohydrates-digested-absorbed-eliminated/

    From the same site, here are fats. http://www.livestrong.com/article/439814-how-is-fat-digested-in-your-body/ But this one is includes animation. http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp50/5002001.html

    And just a reminder that excess sugars (carbs) get turned into fatty acids for storage. http://www.livestrong.com/article/442981-what-is-fat-metabolism/

    Excess consumption of any food group will result in FAT STORAGE--my point is that it is easier to overeat carbs--especially the grain and sugars subgroups in the S.A.D. (standard american diet).
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    Options
    1. It's not all about calories, it's all about macros. That will make the difference between "weight loss" and "fat loss".

    2. You can lose very quickly on low carb because you aren't storing as much glycogen. I can easily drop 5-10 pounds in a week just by manipulating carbs and water. Doesn't mean I lost any fat, I just made the scale look better.
  • lorib75
    lorib75 Posts: 490 Member
    Options
    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)

    if you google Atkins New Diet Revolution you will get all the answers you need.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    Options
    My understanding is that with very low carb diet, at first much of what you lose is glycogen and water. so MORE WEIGHT is lost, but not necessarily more FAT.

    I'm not knocking low carb.. I'm low carb and being in ketosis helps curb my hunger and stick within my calorie limit, but I haven't seen any studies that prove that low carb means greater fat loss.
  • babydiego87
    babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
    Options
    20g of carbs? so what exactly was she eating, dust?
  • lsecula
    lsecula Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    I'm not sure that's accurate anyway. My friend started a 20 carb/day diet on 1/1. I started a low-cal diet on the same day. She has lost 8 lbs. and I've lost 22 lbs. Maybe I'm just better at sticking to my diet? Not sure, but I thought until I read this post that I just chose a better diet.
  • lilmissymoo90
    lilmissymoo90 Posts: 324 Member
    Options
    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.

    i did low carb and lost 50 lb rather fast ive struggled with low cal for a while now and its been really slow im now low carbing and loggin my calories i find i can get soo much more and the food im eating is soo much better ie more veg more protein . so thinking back to the first time i did low carb and lost 50lb ( i wasnt log gin) I've realised i wasnt eating very many calories ....

Categories