going from low carb back to calorie counting

My daughter and son-in-law started out for a few months on a very low carb diet and then switched to MFP and they are doing great! I did Atkins a few years ago and lost 125 pounds, but gradually gained over half of it back. This time I am learning to eat right and feel confident I can keep it off. I just couldn't sustain a lc diet forever, and I know I can eat this way forever. I love it! Best of luck to you!

As long as you maintain a calorie deficit to lose or eat your maintainence calories to stay the same your fine. You may gain a few pounds in water weight at first, but the only reason you will gain the majority of weight back from adkins is the same reason you would gain your weight back from any diet.....regularly eating more calories than you burn.

No it is never too late, you will have to understand that you will gain weight the first week. It is not fat, it is water and your glycogen stores being restored.

Hi, I joined mfp almost one month ago after doing Atkins induction for a month and I didn't lose anything! I transitioned over here..and did low carb/ counting 1200 calories a day. It is working for me..and I am learning that a calorie is a calorie and I'm eating carbs again. I also have seen the light..that I can have variety if I just learn how to fuel my body.

However..I did maintain my weight on low carb...but don't know if I'll do that after I reach goal. I think all these years..I've tried "diets" that really are different versions of calorie restriction. I think for very overweight people, low carb works..just because they are really eating fewer calories than they were when they ate everything. I noticed on the low carb forum that most of them stall and hit plateaus and the same stuff you see here and on any other diet forum.

I was successful 5 years ago losing 40 pounds on The South Beach Diet. I am insulin resistance and found it was a way to keep the blood sugars in check. I have since gained it all back, and then some. I find it very restrictive, although I have altered my eating ever since. No white anything and I am much more aware now of healthy oils etc, so it wasn't all for nothing.

Hoping with MFP I will be able to lose while eating ALL types of foods. Interested in reading the other responses too.

To me, after finishing a diet, any diet, the weight comes back if you do not exercise (implies more calories in than out). However, I do not think that counting calories is the best way to do this. Please let me explain.

Have you seen (in the wild and not in captivity), a bird so fat it cannot fly? or any overweight, wild animal? I never have. Do they count calories? (this is from D. Lisle, Pleasure Trap) Do you think animals in the wild, when faced with a lot of food, overeats? No, they procreate, they do not overeat, their body tells them to move on. I thought that was very interesting.

Why do humans overeat? I believe because, as Lisle puts it, we have concentrated artificial foods that are packed with macro-nutrients never found in the wild and that bang our pleasure circuits (sugar, fat, salt). e.g. french fries: a thin sliced potato that is saturated with fat and then salted and then ketchup that has sugar before you eat it. We must then, count calories.

Lisle suggests that if you eat as natural as you can, your body has the ability to figure out when you have eaten enough for the meal/day.

A non-food example is chronic fatigue: we have artificial light that robs us from sleeping, so we rely on alarm clocks to wake us up, coffee to pick us up, and we are constantly tired. This is not natural and we must learn to listen to our bodies.

Now, I did count calories initially, but tried Lisle's approach. I am still on that journey!

I think you have a wonderful opportunity now that you have lost the weight to listen to your body, it does take time for your body to adjust but I think it is worth it. PM me if you are interested in learning more.

Bingo

Just Eat Real Food.

I would go slow returning to a diet that includes carbs, add them back in slowly and make sure they are healthy carbs, not white carbs like breads and pastas. If you go slow and stay on a healthy track you should be able to increase without a bunch of issues. You will need to log religiously though and watch your calories carefully. It is easy with calorie laden carbs to not realize you are going over really easily. I would say if you want something with carbs then pre log it and see what the calories are first, then adjust your intake correspondlingly.

absolutely, I lost most of my weight on Atkins, now I'm on a whole foods high fiber life style. It all comes down to calories and activity. make your changes gradual and keep track. Good Luck

To me, after finishing a diet, any diet, the weight comes back if you do not exercise (implies more calories in than out). However, I do not think that counting calories is the best way to do this. Please let me explain.

Have you seen (in the wild and not in captivity), a bird so fat it cannot fly? or any overweight, wild animal? I never have. Do they count calories? (this is from D. Lisle, Pleasure Trap) Do you think animals in the wild, when faced with a lot of food, overeats? No, they procreate, they do not overeat, their body tells them to move on. I thought that was very interesting.

Why do humans overeat? I believe because, as Lisle puts it, we have concentrated artificial foods that are packed with macro-nutrients never found in the wild and that bang our pleasure circuits (sugar, fat, salt). e.g. french fries: a thin sliced potato that is saturated with fat and then salted and then ketchup that has sugar before you eat it. We must then, count calories.

Lisle suggests that if you eat as natural as you can, your body has the ability to figure out when you have eaten enough for the meal/day.

A non-food example is chronic fatigue: we have artificial light that robs us from sleeping, so we rely on alarm clocks to wake us up, coffee to pick us up, and we are constantly tired. This is not natural and we must learn to listen to our bodies.

Now, I did count calories initially, but tried Lisle's approach. I am still on that journey!

I think you have a wonderful opportunity now that you have lost the weight to listen to your body, it does take time for your body to adjust but I think it is worth it. PM me if you are interested in learning more.

Exactly.

Counting calories is one way to relate to food on a temporary basis but if you are managing your food with a scale and calculator its time to take a critical look as to why.

When eating whole foods it almost become unneeded to manage these things. Your body naturally regulates you.

I don't get it, you should still have been counting calories even on a low carb diet.

Just because you are low carb doesn't mean you can eat as little or as much as you want of other foods and expect results, despite what low-carbers would like you to believe.

Those doing low carb tend to not count calories because they're eating such calorie dense foods, it's theoretically easy to maintain a deficit through a diet of foods that keep you satiated. Not me.

I've been using MFP habitually since I've entered ketosis just so I could keep track of my carbs, but I quickly learned how useful it was to track my fat/protein/carb ratios. I don't think I'll ever go back to not logging now!

To the OP: But that's what works for me! Sorry low carb didn't work for you, assuming everything was done right.

id like to know this answer

Lost 30, quit and came back for the last 10, so I get re joining. Trust your body but don't get obsessed with going to low or cutting out all carbs. If hunger is taking away from friends/family then add enough so you are loosing, feel good and are fully engaged in life. I have seen people go too low and the scale/numbers take over too much brain power. You want this to be manageable. I went from a size 14 at my highest to a solid size 2/26 now and have found a balance right around 1,400 to 1,600 with working out is where I need to be. I am 5'7 and am told I could eat more but I needed to trust my body. It really helps me to keep a log of calories. Good luck!!

Lisle suggests that if you eat as natural as you can, your body has the ability to figure out when you have eaten enough for the meal/day.

Sorry, just trying to wrap my head around this.

So is this suggesting that we can eat as much or as little as we want, as long as it's natural, with no effect on weight loss or gain?

Low Carb diets suck. Many people including myself have had success with them, however most people also gain back. Truth is, you have to have carbs. Your body cannot work without them. Most low carb diets preach 20 to 60 carbs a day. Truthfully I eat around 50 carbs per meal. You just have to keep your caloric intake below your TDEE and you will lose weight. Low carb diets zap you of energy and most of the time, the only thing that can keep you from eating carbs is iron will. I remember drinking protein shakes so my muscles wouldn't go away and being hungry because I had to eat only protein rich low carb foods. Low carb means low fiber. Low fiber means hungry. That's about as plain as it gets. You can eat what you want and when you want it counting calories. Yes I am saying you can eat below your tdee in nothing but chips and Twinkie and lose weight, however you will lose muscle be tired, and always be hungry. Complex carbs for energy fiber to feel full, protein for muscle health and amino acids, and fats for your cholesterol and to keep your organs healthy.

Sorry... I just saw this reply.

There are a few things that I find not true. Your body can work just fine on a low carb diet. I have some friends who are doing keto (20 or less net a day, which means you subtract the fiber from the carbs, debunking the low fiber diet you speak of) who are very active in marathons, weight lifting, and life in general.

I agree with your comment about calories, though. I lost weight just fine using the MFP guidelines, however I was constantly hungry, tired, and obsessed with checking labels to see if I could eat more for less calories (low fat, reduced calorie snacks just add "other" ingredients anyway).

Now that I'm fat adapted (meaning my body burns the fat I eat/store instead of glycogen), I've never felt more energetic. I don't have to think about food anymore since I eat high fat foods that keep me satisfied longer. Yes, I still have to watch calories, but I find that I'm less obsessed about when I can eat next which is PERFECT for me since I'm a teacher and my schedule varies daily.

I also used to be a chronic napper. I'd get home, crash, wake up, eat, and then crash again. Not anymore. I also go over my fiber every day (I ignore the MFP fiber amount, and just eat what I want like veggies, flax, nuts, etc.) and drink plenty of water.

Will I stay keto forever? I don't know. I might switch to a primal/paleo approach, time will tell. I feel too good right now to want to go back to eating tons of breads and sweets. Maybe I'll allow for sweet potatoes and brown rice (and fruits other than the berries I eat), but for now, I'm good where I'm at.

Low carb might not work for everyone, but it works for me. I took a break from it before the summer (Feb-May) and I didn't feel any better. I didn't go too crazy on carbs, but I ate more than what my body needed, and I feel that my body optimally works with a high fat, low carb, moderate protein diet.

Whether low carb, high protein, low fat, IIFYM, etc., if it's not sustainable, you'll likely fail. Just gotta find something that works for you!