To lose weight is it really just a matter of calories in vs calories out?
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amystev41
Posts: 16 Member
If it really a matter of taking in less calories in order to lose weight then why is it that most people who count carbs and not calories lose at such a quicker rate than those who count calories?
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Replies
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People who go low carb have higher initial weight loss due to glycogen depletion and dropping water weight...it all evens out in the end.
All diets work on the same premise...you take in less energy than you are expending.
ETA: cutting out or significantly mitigating an entire macro-nutrient is likely to create a substantial deficit...if they aren't calorie counting, they don't know how big that deficit is. Someone calorie counting might have a goal of 1 Lb per week which would be a 500 calorie per day deficit...someone low carbing may simply have a bigger, but unknown energy deficiency.7 -
Yes, it's calories in vs calories out
People who count carbs only and lose quicker is mostly because they lose more water weight from depleting their glycogen stores...but they still need a calorie deficit, and they're creating it without counting calories.6 -
I guess I would need a source for the "most people" claim before I could address that.
But if it is true it's either water weight loss (which happens on a low carb diet) or the fact that their deficit is higher than those counting calories.4 -
Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?0
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Also some people find low carb food more filling, so they eat less without realising it.
The problem with making this into a general rule is that it doesn't apply to everyone. To lose weight, you only have to eat less. The best way of doing that varies from person to person.8 -
Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?
I would say that drawing conclusions based just on the people you happen to run into can be really risky.
Some people have really good success with a low carbohydrate diet (based on the reasons listed above and the fact that it fits how they enjoy eating), but others don't. But no matter which option you choose, it's the calorie deficit that will create the weight loss. How quickly one loses weight is a relatively minor thing compared to how sustainable it is to keep off and that is what some people struggle with on a low carbohydrate plan (although it does work well for some people long term).7 -
Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?
Honestly, I don't personally know anyone in my real world circles who've ever calorie counted...I'd say for the vast majority, it's very tedious and requires a particular personality IMO...it also requires a fairly high degree of accuracy and many people simply fail to be all that accurate in logging and counting calories.
I'd say the vast majority of people find it easier to just follow a structured plan or low carb or whatever...but they all work on the premise of energy deficiency.1 -
Most people are terrible at counting calories accurately (there are studies to back this up). When they cut carbs, they are more effectively cutting calories and therefore getting better results.
Actual long term monitored studies show little difference between any form of dieting, as long as calories are reduced.
The way you chose to reduce calories is down to personal preference.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?
Honestly, I don't personally know anyone in my real world circles who've ever calorie counted...I'd say for the vast majority, it's very tedious and requires a particular personality IMO...it also requires a fairly high degree of accuracy and many people simply fail to be all that accurate in logging and counting calories.
I'd say the vast majority of people find it easier to just follow a structured plan or low carb or whatever...but they all work on the premise of energy deficiency.
The converse issue is that long term, many people find low carbohydrate diets just as tedious. So you have the issue of maintaining the weight loss if you're just going to add the carbohydrates back without developing strategies to balance energy intake with activity.4 -
I know for me, anytime I tried low carb in the past I would have a massive drop (like everyone else has said) in the first couple of weeks and then it evens out to about 1 lb a week. So I was like, "why am I killing myself trying to do low carb when I'm going to lose the same amount." So I came to MFP, started counting calories, and never looked back! I do understand that it definitely may help you feel more satisfied (maybe) so you can possibly eat less over the course of the day...just leading to a bigger deficit. But it's technically not the lack of carbs making you lose weight, it's the calorie deficit at the end of the day. To each their own I guess!8
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janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?
Honestly, I don't personally know anyone in my real world circles who've ever calorie counted...I'd say for the vast majority, it's very tedious and requires a particular personality IMO...it also requires a fairly high degree of accuracy and many people simply fail to be all that accurate in logging and counting calories.
I'd say the vast majority of people find it easier to just follow a structured plan or low carb or whatever...but they all work on the premise of energy deficiency.
The converse issue is that long term, many people find low carbohydrate diets just as tedious. So you have the issue of maintaining the weight loss if you're just going to add the carbohydrates back without developing strategies to balance energy intake with activity.
Pretty sure I'd rip someone's face off after about a week of low carb...actually, I did it once with my wife years ago and I made it two weeks and then felt it was in everyone's best safety interest if I resumed carb consumption. Much to my wife's chagrin, I still managed to lose weight, but mostly because I gave up soda and beer for that time but kept eating my potatoes. She was just pissed that I was losing more steadily than she was...she has a much better grasp of why that is these days.5 -
Yes, google Minnesota Starvation Study.0
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I've lost 7kgs in 7 weeks on just taking in 1300 calories daily. This has been through controlling calories and not strictly monitoring the nutrients.1
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Calories control rate of weight loss. Macros control the composition of the weight loss and proportion of fat/muscle.2
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cwolfman13 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?
Honestly, I don't personally know anyone in my real world circles who've ever calorie counted...I'd say for the vast majority, it's very tedious and requires a particular personality IMO...it also requires a fairly high degree of accuracy and many people simply fail to be all that accurate in logging and counting calories.
I'd say the vast majority of people find it easier to just follow a structured plan or low carb or whatever...but they all work on the premise of energy deficiency.
The converse issue is that long term, many people find low carbohydrate diets just as tedious. So you have the issue of maintaining the weight loss if you're just going to add the carbohydrates back without developing strategies to balance energy intake with activity.
Pretty sure I'd rip someone's face off after about a week of low carb...actually, I did it once with my wife years ago and I made it two weeks and then felt it was in everyone's best safety interest if I resumed carb consumption. Much to my wife's chagrin, I still managed to lose weight, but mostly because I gave up soda and beer for that time but kept eating my potatoes. She was just pissed that I was losing more steadily than she was...she has a much better grasp of why that is these days.
I made it three days on Atkin's before my hubby threw a cookie to me and ordered me to eat it. No low carb for me, provided I want to stay married.
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Think I'm sick of the sight of this topic now.
Eat mainly nutritionally dense foods and anything else of your desire while staying in a caloric deficit. Case closed.6 -
Yes, it's calories in vs calories out
People who count carbs only and lose quicker is mostly because they lose more water weight from depleting their glycogen stores...but they still need a calorie deficit, and they're creating it without counting calories.
While I agree with the above that it is all about CICO...remember it is not linear.2 -
I'm going to guess:
1) most people don't count calories correctly, making weight loss slower for many people who are calorie counters.
2) most people who lose quickly on low-carb probably gained their weight due to a high-carb lifestyle (ie, most of their calories were those carbs)
Just guesses, though. CICO is it, and it is as simple as yin/yang, ebb/flow, push/pull.
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Thank you for the positive responses...when I say "most people" I guess I should clarify and say most that I run into...more people than not...is that better janejellyroll?
Are the "people you run into" very educated about weight loss though? I know people who swear by (ugh) meal replacement shakes. Then they proceed to lose the same weight over & over every year. "But it really works!"
I hear these kinds of comments "I can't have pizza because I'm low carbing"........pizza is way more than just carbs. Low carb can be a very low calorie diet for some people.....so much food is potentially eliminated.
The MAIN thing (for me) is how am I going to maintain? It's not going to be low carb. It's not going to be eliminating anything (I like). I need to MANAGE my serving sizes. Everything in moderation teaches me so much about MY eating habits.2 -
I'm actually pretty optimistic about these responses! OP, can we consider weight loss as only the pathway to healthy weight maintenance, forever and ever? If so, then rate of weight loss is so indescribably unimportant in relation to if weight loss was achieved in a level headed non-crash diety manner. If it takes you 1 year to lose 20 pounds, but you can keep that 20 pounds off forever because within that year you've built healthy non impulsive habits, I would prefer that to helping you lose 20 pounds in a month with nothing learned. Embrace the new normal!1
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