Which works best counting carbs or counting calories

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angelaquiggins
angelaquiggins Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im new here and confused on which to count? Any advise is appriciated.
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  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    Unless you have some type of medical condition, calories. Foods high in carbs are often calorie-dense, so cutting those will cut calories. If you can just cut back, instead of eliminate, that's great. Start with CICO.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    You gain weight from excess calories, not excess carbs.
  • angelaquiggins
    angelaquiggins Posts: 2 Member
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    What is CICO?
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Regardless if you have a medical condition or not, calories is what weight loss is about. Some people tend to eat fewer calories when they are on a low carb diet and end up losing weight, but some are unaware they are overeating even on a low carb diet and end up not losing weight because they eat too many calories.
  • ultrahoon
    ultrahoon Posts: 467 Member
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    Calories. Watching carbs is only needed with a medical condition. You lose weight by making sure your calories in are less than your calories out (CICO).
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    CICO = calories in, calories out

    Basically, if you eat eat less calories (in) than you burn (out) you lose weight.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    Eating less carbs and more protein helps me stay in a calorie deficit. I just reduced baked goods and added sugar and focus on total calories.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    Calories in/Calories out = CICO
  • XavierNusum
    XavierNusum Posts: 720 Member
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    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    Im new here and confused on which to count? Any advise is appriciated.

    The best one is the one you can do forever. Low carb works for lots of people, but most cannot stick to it causing them to gain back the weight. You need to pick the one that you an stick with.
    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    Calories In vs. Calories Out
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    Calories in - Calories out

    For me this is about lifestyle changes - If I make a temporary change (low carb) to lose weight - then when I want to maintain that weight loss....how do I do that?
  • YoungIronG
    YoungIronG Posts: 125 Member
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    calories for me,

    and only eating 1 serving of each food group. and if still hungry, only 1 serving more at a time, with a glass of water between
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    Calories In Calories Out
  • ffwang82
    ffwang82 Posts: 20 Member
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    Counting calorie. But don't be so crazy of logging everything in an extreme way. I only logged my food for 1 month and let go after. Logging is a strategy to learn the knowledge of what the current diet structure is how much are you eating. After all, you should know what to eat to lose, maintain or bulk.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
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    XavierNusum wrote: »
    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    Im new here and confused on which to count? Any advise is appriciated.

    The best one is the one you can do forever. Low carb works for lots of people, but most cannot stick to it causing them to gain back the weight. You need to pick the one that you an stick with.
    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    Calories In vs. Calories Out

    With regard to the bolded, I would restate that as "low carb works for lots of people as a way of maintaining a caloric deficit". Picking the one you can stick with doesn't matter if CI is not less than CO.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Start with counting calories.

    You may find it helps you stay in a deficit to change your diet a bit and the guidelines for protein, carbs, and fat (which you can change) help with that. It's not uncommon for people to find they are less hungry if they up their protein a bit, for example, and many women seem to find that they are way low on protein compared even with the default MFP numbers (although this was not the case for me).

    As you log you will be able to compare days where you are hungrier and days when you are not and also just generally look over your diet and see what easy places to cut are. Personally, I cut carbs some because I was eating some (rice, sandwiches, larger portions of pasta) that I didn't much care about, just because they were there or convenient. Decreasing my serving of pasta and leaving the sauce (made from lean meat and veggies) that I like best anyway was an entirely painless way for me to cut calories. But others, with different preferences, will find it easier to focus on other things. (And I also cut my fat some, as I had to cut across the board to get down to a calorie deficit.)
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    As the others have said.

    It's a false dichotomy...it's not carbs OR calories.

    It's calories. Period.

    HOW you get to the appropriate number of calories is up to your personal preference...low-carb, low-fat, plant-based, IIFYM, etc are all simply different ways of eating. But none work if calories are not set correctly.
  • XavierNusum
    XavierNusum Posts: 720 Member
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    mantium999 wrote: »
    XavierNusum wrote: »
    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    Im new here and confused on which to count? Any advise is appriciated.

    The best one is the one you can do forever. Low carb works for lots of people, but most cannot stick to it causing them to gain back the weight. You need to pick the one that you an stick with.
    angelaquiggins wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    Calories In vs. Calories Out

    With regard to the bolded, I would restate that as "low carb works for lots of people as a way of maintaining a caloric deficit". Picking the one you can stick with doesn't matter if CI is not less than CO.

    Fair enough
  • chaoticdreams
    chaoticdreams Posts: 447 Member
    edited August 2015
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    XavierNusum wrote: »

    The best one is the one you can do forever. Low carb works for lots of people, but most cannot stick to it causing them to gain back the weight. You need to pick the one that you can stick with.

    This ^

    I'm doing low carb because my husband and I have medical reasons and it was suggested by a Doctor. I however am finding low carb to be very easy to stick too and really don't miss them. To each his own however and if cutting out sugar and starches isn't sustainable to you for life, then stick with CICO. CICO works just as well.

    Edit: And yes, both ways still lead to a calorie deficit which leads to weight loss.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I have quit counting but I did well when I reduced or cut carbs like potatoes & breads AND counted calories. Not to say its better or right, it just worked for me. Even without counting any more I continue with limiting my pasta, potato, bread carbs but its a free for all when it involves fruits and veggies.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2015
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    chaoticdreams wrote: »
    I'm doing low carb because my husband and I have medical reasons and it was suggested by a Doctor. I however am finding low carb to be very easy to stick too and really don't miss them. To each his own however and if cutting out sugar and starches isn't sustainable to you for life, then stick with CICO. CICO works just as well.

    Just to clarify, low carb is not different from CICO, as you seem to be saying. It's simply one of many possible ways to get a calorie deficit (or in maintenance, to stick at maintenance, etc.).

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