Low Carb VS Low Calorie - Help?

This topic doesn't even make sense.

:laugh:

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!