Carbs vs. Calories

Fewer carbs makes me feel fuller and generally lighter (less bloating), but gosh... If it doesn't make you feel great, don't do it. You can't stick with something that makes you feel like crap. Either way requires a calorie deficit to lose weight. Both work.

I count both...and with Myfitnesspal it's very easy to do. I was counting calories before I went low carb, so it was easy for me to just continue...all I did was change what I ate. I know that there's got to be a deficit to lose weight, so for me I like to make sure I'm at a deficit. Although I do know people who lost weight counting just carbs.

What low carb does for me is it makes it easier for me to stay at that deficit. This is the closest I've been to my goal weight in a decade and a half. When I was just tracking calories and eating anything I wanted, I struggled with staying under my calories. It seems like if I have carbs, I want more carbs. And I was always hungry. And eventually I would give up and gain all the weight back and more after a month or two.

That's my experience with losing weight both with carbs and counting calories. Lowering my carbs has been the only thing that has worked for me longer than two months. I haven't gotten to the maintenance part yet, so I'm not sure yet of how maintaining my ideal weight is going to work or how well it's going to work. I do know that after all this effort, I'm going to do my best not to gain it all back.

I do agree that if something is making you feel bad, you're less likely to keep with it. Whichever way you pick, good luck!

I count both...

Thanks! I've always heard that you have to pick one or the other, carbs or calories. Obviously, if you go low-carb you can't just completely forget about calories and eat tons of things that have no to low carb count. And the other way around. But tracking both was a bad idea. I never asked why.

My problem with low-cal is that I always felt really restricted. When I was on my low carb, I felt like I could eat a lot more and worry less. I just ate a lot of meats (bunless burger, ham spinach wrap, grilled chicken salad, turkey bacon & sausage, etc.) and eggs (scrambled, deviled, sunny side up, etc.). They don't have any carbs, so I ate them without even thinking about numbers. Most of the carbs that I did eat were vegetable-based soups or milk (as a short-term help for acid reflux). The main reason I didn't go through with it was because of the dizziness and burning esophagus as my stomach went into overdrive producing more acid for the sudden increase of proteins. Also, the quick loss spooked me a little. Everyone's heard the "quick to lose, quick to gain" thing.

Do you put a limit to both? If so, what are they? Before, I stuck with a calorite limit of 1250 with my low-cal diet. And then a carb limit of 25 for my low-carb diet. If I were tracking both, would I need to increase both limits? Or just one?

The reason you felt fuller on low-carb is that it tends to be higher in fat and protein. Both of those help you feel more satisfied, so you get hungry less frequently.

I suggest you use MFP to set your calorie goal. Enter in your statistics and how much you want to lose per week. If you have less than 40 lbs to lose than 1.5 lb or 2 lb per week is to aggressive. If you have less than 10lb to lose then you should probably aim for .5 lb per week. Remember that the MFP calorie target is before exercise, so you will want to log your exercise and eat a portion of your exercise calories back. You might find that your calorie target is higher than the 1250 you have used in the past so you will not feel as restricted. I still have a long way to go and lose about 2lbs per week on 1600-1700 per day.

As for carbs if you are wanting to go into ketosis, then you need to have very low carbs. The keto groups could tell you how low as that is a biochemical reaction that you need to initiate. Otherwise you can set a carb target to whatever you want it to be. For example my calories are about 40% protein, 30% fat and 30% carb. That works out to target of 127g of carbs per day, and I use that as a high water mark. I don't go over that. By low-carb standards that is not low, but compared to the standard updated standards from the US government that recommend 45% to 65% of calories come from carbohydrates, my intake is low.

You need to find a balance that works for you. You need to count calories to have a deficit and lose weight. But you don't want to be so restrictive that you are always hungry or feel deprived. You will see people on MFP that have lost weight using a variety of macro combinations. Find one that works for you that lets you enjoy foods you like so you don't feel deprived. For example, I like pizza and I'd rather have a slice of real pizza with real crust than a low-carb crust alternative. So occasionally I work a slice of pizza into my calorie and macro goals for the day. I don't feel guilty, or as if I've cheated because I'm still within my calorie goals for the day.

If you eat at a calorie deficit you will lose weight. There is no single answer on what you should eat to meet that calorie goal. You need to discover what works for your body and lifestyle.

Counting calories is a must. You can lose weight counting carbs, but that's only because you've reduced your calories.

To recap:

You must count calories

You can choose to count/reduce carbs

This !^ Losing weight is all about calorie deficit.

Maintaining weight lost is another matter.............this is about CHANGE....some form of permanent change.

Do you expect to be low carb for life? Will you have at least some low carb days a week forever? I don't do low carb (although the water weight lost in the beginning is nice motivation) because it doesn't give me the tools I need to keep weight off.

I need to manage those calorie dense portions for the rest of my life.

For me, as a 38 year old, 5'3, 153 pound female, I do 1200 - 1300 calories with 10% carbs, 70% fat, 23% protein. When I first started this, I was around 178 pounds and lost anywhere from 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. Sometimes I'll still hit the 1.5 pound weight loss, but as I get closer to my goal, most of the time I lose just a little under a pound a week. Some people will say that my numbers are too aggressive, but it's working for me, and it's making me happy.

Also when I first started this, my numbers were different. I started out on a strict 1200 calorie diet with 70 grams coming from carbs. Now it's usually about 30 grams of carbs a day.

So if you're going to do this, I would say play with the numbers a bit and figure out where you're comfortable at, and what works for you. You have to find something you'll actually be able to do so you can stick with it. I'm not sure I could have gone from eating 200 carbs a day down to 30 grams a day instantly...the gradual decline of carbs really helped. There's some things I still need to learn. Still not getting enough fruits and vegetables, but that was a problem before the low carb diet...just don't like many of them

Counting calories is a must. You can lose weight counting carbs, but that's only because you've reduced your calories.

To recap:

You must count calories

You can choose to count/reduce carbs

This !^ Losing weight is all about calorie deficit.

Maintaining weight lost is another matter.............this is about CHANGE....some form of permanent change.

Do you expect to be low carb for life? Will you have at least some low carb days a week forever? I don't do low carb (although the water weight lost in the beginning is nice motivation) because it doesn't give me the tools I need to keep weight off.

I need to manage those calorie dense portions for the rest of my life.

OP, all of the above.

Counting calories - but its important to make sure your calorie target is appropriate.

Maybe count both?

I gained weight on a low carb diet, foolishly thinking it was OK to be a greedy little scoffer. You can still gain weight eating low carb if you consume too many cals. Butter & coconut oil in my coffee wasn't a good plan.

I don't get on with high carb diets. Wheat especially makes me feel crappy. Low GI carbs such as quinoa and pulses have helped me loose weight. They are satisfying, relatively low in calories and keep you going for longer. They also give me enough energy. My workouts suffer after a couple of days on a low carb diet.

Can you live without carbs for the rest of your life? If not, then you should just count calories.