Low Carb VS Low Calorie - Help?

Options
2»

Replies

  • kgoodman0108
    Options
    I do both. When I eat plenty of fat and protein, I have a hard time going over on calories. They are much more filling compared to carbs.
  • lvpthemvp
    lvpthemvp Posts: 266 Member
    Options
    A week? Is that enough time to wage a difference in lifestyle?
  • fatdcolville
    Options
    carbs are related to insulin. Consuming lots of carbs will cause the insulin to flow and burn up the food you just ate, quickly. Insulin also put your body in storage mode, fat. Proteins are harder to break down and take longer to disburse and provide a full factor longer. I have done the very low carb diet and lost 1 lb a day and dropped 30 lbs in about 35 days. This is very hard to sustain though and is not a life program. I think a good balance between protein and carbs is a good idea. everyone will need to find their own balance based on their ability to tollerate it. Unfortunatly....all programs require sacrifice. I can talk a good game and have done allot of research....and have found a lot of things that work....but, in the end, I'm a yo yo and go up and down consistently 30 lbs. I've read, that is not good.
  • matthewcorb
    Options
    Because if you really take it seriously, extra work wouldn't have to bother you. You should actually be glad instead because there is more that you can do to make sure that you lose weight and keep healthy.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Options
    This topic doesn't even make sense.
  • fatdcolville
    Options
    I want to change my default carbs on my daily plan. Does anyone know how to do this?
  • dirtyd89
    dirtyd89 Posts: 170
    Options
    It depends what your goals are.

    If your body building you need to eat more calories.

    Example:
    I eat between 1,200-1,300 per day.
    (In order to put on mass I would need to eat 1,500-1,600 calories with most of those extra calories eating protein.)

    If your trying to get lean and toned then eating low calories is good but don't go too low because you don't want to starve yourself that will make it even harder to lose weight.
    (Anything lower then 1,100 is way too low.)

    Also people get it mixed up with Carbohydrates.

    (2) types:

    -Complex:
    ex.) Fruit, Vegetables, Grains, Sweet Potatoes, etc.
    (Limit the fruit as much as possible because it contains lots of sugar that will store as fat. Eat more vegetables. No more then 2 servings of fruit per day. One serving of fruit is plenty.)

    -Simple:
    ex.) White bread, white pasta, white potatoes, etc.

    I'd go with a median between the two.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    It depends what your goals are.

    If your body building you need to eat more calories.

    Example:
    I eat between 1,200-1,300 per day.
    (In order to put on mass I would need to eat 1,500-1,600 calories with most of those extra calories eating protein.)

    If your trying to get lean and toned then eating low calories is good but don't go too low because you don't want to starve yourself that will make it even harder to lose weight.
    (Anything lower then 1,100 is way too low.)

    Also people get it mixed up with Carbohydrates.

    (2) types:

    -Complex:
    ex.) Fruit, Vegetables, Grains, Sweet Potatoes, etc.
    (Limit the fruit as much as possible because it contains lots of sugar that will store as fat. Eat more vegetables. No more then 2 servings of fruit per day. One serving of fruit is plenty.)

    -Simple:
    ex.) White bread, white pasta, white potatoes, etc.

    I'd go with a median between the two.

    Wut?

    You are very small and inactive if you bulk at 1500-1600 calories.

    And your "simple" carbohydrates are actually all complex. Many fruit are not complex (I didn't bother to verify if all were)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    I want to change my default carbs on my daily plan. Does anyone know how to do this?

    Go to My Home > Goals > Change goals > custom
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Options
    It depends what your goals are.

    If your body building you need to eat more calories.

    Example:
    I eat between 1,200-1,300 per day.
    (In order to put on mass I would need to eat 1,500-1,600 calories with most of those extra calories eating protein.)

    If your trying to get lean and toned then eating low calories is good but don't go too low because you don't want to starve yourself that will make it even harder to lose weight.
    (Anything lower then 1,100 is way too low.)

    Also people get it mixed up with Carbohydrates.

    (2) types:

    -Complex:
    ex.) Fruit, Vegetables, Grains, Sweet Potatoes, etc.
    (Limit the fruit as much as possible because it contains lots of sugar that will store as fat. Eat more vegetables. No more then 2 servings of fruit per day. One serving of fruit is plenty.)

    -Simple:
    ex.) White bread, white pasta, white potatoes, etc.

    I'd go with a median between the two.

    Wut?

    You are very small and inactive if you bulk at 1500-1600 calories.

    And your "simple" carbohydrates are actually all complex. Many fruit are not complex (I didn't bother to verify if all were)

    Maybe he's 1.68 centimeters. Would pretty much have to be to bulk at that calorie level.
  • KaraAlste
    KaraAlste Posts: 168 Member
    Options
    Good Question.

    It sounds like you chose the Low Carb diet. Definately have a book on hand with recipes and inspiration. If you are not losing weight, then your carbohydrates are too high. Most of the effective weight loss stategies start off with no or very low carbs in order to put your body into a ketosis mode. Again, these are two very different methods (Low carb vs. Low calorie), not to be combined because they are unaffective together.

    Low calorie puts your body into an energy deficit. A lot of people choose to fill up on fruit and vegtables and whole grains and can easily accomplish this. Again, choose the one that you think is easiest to maintain untill you reach your desired weight. Best of Luck to you.:wink:
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Options
    This topic doesn't even make sense.

    :laugh:
  • fatdcolville
    Options
    That worked..fantastic.
  • LeonorMG
    LeonorMG Posts: 93
    Options
    This topic doesn't even make sense.

    :laugh:



    It does to me. I think that this is a very common question among those who are doing a low carb diet.
    I needed an opinion and I learned a lot! Especially when it comes to how tall I am, haha.


    Thanks everyone for answering so far! :)
  • jaynalawayna
    jaynalawayna Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    Everyone is giveing you really good advice. I have to count carbs because I am a diabetic and need to maintain a steady release of sugar into my system. If you do not suffer from any endocrine issues eat what makes you feel good to eat and keep a balance - I never had success just reducing calories though, I need the exercise too.
  • rae_32
    rae_32 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    Hi there,

    You might have better luck with your question on the low carber group forum as I'm sure many members there watch both carbs and their calories (at least I do in a general sense- though I'm more of a Primal Eater)... I don't care to debate the merits of low carb on this thread but as someone with a working knowledge of LC I will try my best to answer your original post... I'm not an expert but in my view "low carb" and "low calorie" are not necessarily mutually exclusive- while Atkins tended to minimize calories in his plan he didn't discount them completely; really I think if you are following a low carb diet with nutritious, natural foods, I have found that staying under a calorie limit becomes quite easy... I don't follow Atkins myself but he is often the go-to reference for LC and has some interesting readings.

    I'm curious, how many calories are you considering as "low calorie"? Doing "low carb" properly means that you will be obtaining the majority of your nutrients from fat (healthy oils, nuts, seeds, etc.) as well as protein in an effort to switch your body over to naturally burning fat at its primary fuel source. Fat is naturally more dense in calories; so you should expect higher calories than you would in a HCLF diet. In other words- I wouldn't stress too much if your calories are over and above what you're used to in a conventional diet! I also agree with what someone earlier wrote that fat and protein tend to be more filling so you'll find yourself naturally feeling hungry less often. I think that a common mistake early on with people who want to do low carb is that they do low carb AND low fat because of their own misconceptions about fat, and that really won't help you at all...

    That said, the other posters have a good point here that at the end of the day you do want to aim for a calorie deficit in order for your body to burn excess fat for energy. With respect to not losing anything in a week- I'm curious are you following any specific plan or have you done any readings about how to go about doing LC? Sometimes having the working knowledge about the science behind it is a good starting off point... Make sure it's something you understand and can find reasons why you believe in it. I know it's frustrating just starting and not seeing results, but try and recognize this as a lifestyle shift for yourself and you might find it less stressful... I would recommend Why We Get Fat or even the first few chapters of New Atkins For a New You... There are also some decent blogs out there if you don't mind doing some research...

    Good luck!
  • xstarxdustx
    xstarxdustx Posts: 591 Member
    Options
    bump.