Any Former Low-Carbers Succeeding with Calorie Counting?

I hope some people respond to your question. I am wondering something similar. Have been an impatient yo yo for years and the only thing that "works" is very low carb for me. Unfortunately, it "works" to get the weight off but when I slide-- for whatever reason-- I go right back and up and over. Been that way for years...

This time around I am trying carb cycling and mixing low carb days with moderate carb days (still the good kind of carbs) -- I am maintaining an overall weekly calorie deficit. So far so good as the weight is coming down (again), but this is the easy weight. Will let you know in about 2 months how it really "works." Carb cycling seems like a friendly lifestyle approach.

So I've been a low carb kinda guy for a long time now. But I am burnt out on it and want more variety in my diet.

I'm curious if any of you were low-carbers who switched to a more "macro-nutrient agnostic" healthy diet? Using calorie counting as your primary tool to control calorie intake, rather than LC.

Personally LC no longer seems to control my hunger as well as it used to, which was the main reason I followed it.

But I do now have a bit of carb-phobia I guess, and fear I may balloon up like a whale if I start eating carbs again. I'm also prone to hypoglycemic episodes, so I know I'll never go HIGH carb...but I feel like a moderate carb diet based on slowly digesting carbs could work for me.

But it would be nice to hear from others who've been down this road. Especially any of you who were long-term low-carbers, who made the switch.

Thanks!

I lost my 1st "spare tire" of 20 pounds doing LC. Maintained most of the loss for a decade, but couldn't really get rid of the skinny fat syndrome. Went to CICO (calories in vs. calories out) using MFP beginning January 6 of this year and shed 21 pounds (about a pound a week). I eat the gamut of what is out there, but focus on counting calories - and eating a lot of cholesterol lowering/improving foods.

Just really need more flexibility in my diet, which of course is one of the main advantages of calorie tracking vs some kind of rigid 'diet"...

This is the whole reason I don't do low-carb. I tried it years ago when it was hip (Atkins) and was not pleased with the way it made me feel, especially how it manipulated my relationship with food, and how I felt I was being denied food all the time. I don't like the feeling of denial.

Calorie counting works, but you MUST be honest about the calories at all times. The vast majority of people who have problems losing weight do so because they are miscounting calories and not reporting correctly (https://gokaleo.com/2014/09/05/the-real-issue/)

Be honest, count accurately, and you will see results. Add exercise and strength training to the equation and you'll see even better results.

Good luck.

I've been a low carber for about 11 years. I lost 100lbs with Atkins 10 years ago, and another 30 over the past 3 years w/ lower carb, lower cal etc. I'm trying now to build/maintain muscle and strength while lowering body fat.

I've been working on a calorie deficit 20-25%, which most experts recommend. Ive kept my carbs around 40%, which is higher than i used to eat, but still much lower than most people do.

I've been working out pretty hard for 7+ weeks, weight training pretty heavy 3x/week and HIIT or Zumba cardio 2-3 times a week. I have not lost anything . In fact, I took a break last week for a trip to MN and ate higher cals (mostly around maintenance, maybe a bit over a few days) and gained 3 lbs!

My body fat has been going down a bit which is nice, but not very quickly, which is fine. But, I've recently decided to lower my calories a bit more, and lower my carbs a bit more too. I'm hoping to get the scale moving again.

So, to answer your question-not really. I've been able to maintain on higher carbs, but not able to lose thorough the higher carb levels and counting calories alone. I may be insulin resistant and lower carbs, no sugar, works best for me personally. Many, if not most, here on MFP lose well with just a calorie deficit and seem to be able to eat whatever they want if they hit their calorie and macros. I haven't experienced that personally though .

I just started my own weight loss plan for the third time in my life. I'm seventy so that's not much. Until I was fifty I never put a lb. on. But I got very sick, was in bed for months with my mother cooking for me and then went on meds that cause weight gain. I went to WW because that's what people did in those days. They were using the point system that actually limited carbs more than anyone realized. Obviously it wasn't Atkins; it limited them even more. Lost the weight but had no concept of maintenance and put most back on.

Went back a few years later. Same point system. Basically low fat, high fiber and you can't eat a lot of carbs and stay in points which are actually calories. Lost the weight. Kept it off for ten years just by watching and eating healthily. Added healthy fats to diet.

Started "my own diet" the day the NYT's and other media said now we should eat MORE FAT and less carbs. So I'm trying to do it. I'm staying well within my 1200 calorie count but attempts to lower carbs are tricky because of fruit. I love fruit and in the northeast this is the best (and one of the few times of year) when fruit was so wonderful. I am not giving up fruit. I suspect if I did I'd want chocolate, etc.

I have Crohn's disease in remission so I don't fool around with real junk food but I like jasmine brown rice, rice noodles and good pasta. I measure carefully which is the most important thing I learned in WW.

I'm sorry if I shouldn't have responded to this thread but it's only my third day here and I spent six hours yesterday reading the new research on carbs and fats. One of my docs faxed the original article to me and said it was good research. He also told me to tailor my diet around my specific problems. The three hundred responses to the NYT's article ran the gamut.

I suspect it's the next "new" thing because I bought "When Pigs Fly" low carb whole wheat bread yesterday! Prominent display!

Yes. I lost a lot of weight with low-carb but it didn't stay off (entirely my own fault). Having a sensible balance suits me a lot better now.