Keto vs Calorie Counting

kimjschroeder
kimjschroeder Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been recently looking into the Keto diet. I need a boost to kickstart the weight loss and have a couple friends who have had great success the first few weeks of doing it.

I'm so confused by it though. My whole life its been about calorie counting and low fat. The Keto seems to go against all I know.

I wonder how you can stay under 25 g of carbs and still stay within 1300 calories. 4 ounce of steak is like 300 calories in itself. 6 oz of broccoli is like 6 g of carbs. It just seems so hard to do so I ask for you advise on how it worked for you and if you had a calorie you stayed under. Did you not care that you had 2 brats even though fat was high and so were calories?

Any advise really would be helpful.

Replies

  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited August 2017
    Calories. All you need to track. Theres no comparing keto vs calorie counting when it comes to weight loss their one in the same. Keto is just a way some people manage to get calorie deficits. Like intermittent fasting. Vegetables and fruits are carbs...Personally id be miserable never eating fruits and veg. Its just not necessary.

    Its not magical -calorie deficit is still key whether they come from carbs fat proteins ...cookies veggies or meat.

    CICO

    Edit- Nothing wrong with fat. I actively seek it out. Low fat products tend to have excess sugars and additives to try and mimic the flavors. Your body needs fat. Just a side note. Fat doesn't make you fat. Its just as important to your body as every other macro
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    All plans come down to creating a calorie deficit, that's how weight loss occurs. You can do straight calorie counting /tracking, or you may find that a structured plans helps you achieve your needed deficit. If keto appeals to you then no harm in giving it a try, but realize that you still need to be at a calorie deficit to lose weight.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    what gave me the best boost was a food scale and makign sure I logged accurate and consistently by grams for solids.

    I used to guestimate and would lose weight but not the 1lb a week I should have been losing...got a food scale and bam...1lb a week easy. And you will be surprised at how much food you can eat...

    For example 1/2 cup of cottage cheese is way less than 125 grams of it...

    but

    3/4 cup of cereal is way more than 85 grams of it...
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Many folks who are able to stick with keto long-term find that way of eating very satiating and satisfying and may eat less than they did before to feel full. Thus, some folks on keto may feel they don't need to count calories to lose weight. Whether they count calories or not, if they're losing weight, they are in a calorie deficit.

    However, with 9 calories per gram of fat (vs 4 for carb or protein), you can have less margin for error and precisely weighing solid food and measuring liquids with cups and spoons can be important.

    Many ketoers have an initial high loss of water weight due to depleting glycogen stores. If you go off keto, the water weight will come back. But it's not "weight."

    A calorie deficit is needed to lose weight. How you get there is up to you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    kimjschroeder wrote: »
    I have been recently looking into the Keto diet. I need a boost to kickstart the weight loss and have a couple friends who have had great success the first few weeks of doing it.

    I'm so confused by it though. My whole life its been about calorie counting and low fat. The Keto seems to go against all I know.

    I wonder how you can stay under 25 g of carbs and still stay within 1300 calories. 4 ounce of steak is like 300 calories in itself. 6 oz of broccoli is like 6 g of carbs. It just seems so hard to do so I ask for you advise on how it worked for you and if you had a calorie you stayed under. Did you not care that you had 2 brats even though fat was high and so were calories?

    Any advise really would be helpful.

    It's still about calories...keto is just a really restrictive way of achieving a calorie deficit...you're essentially eliminating an entire macro-nutrient and thus cutting calories.

    Keto adherents eat high fat, very low carbs, and moderate protein...so you would need to get over your fat fear. Also, the 25 grams of carbs thing seems like it's some new "how low can you go" approach...most people will be in ketosis under 50 grams. Most keto adherents don't get the recommended servings of veg or fruit which I think is one of the major draw backs, but they seem to believe that it doesn't matter and that veg and fruit aren't really necessary for your health.
  • jackiegwaters
    jackiegwaters Posts: 3 Member
    No matter what diet plan you stick to, keto or other, it comes down to calorie counting. I was successful with a keto diet for 3 months, but because of my job it became impossible for me to stick to. A lot of meal planning and preparation came into play and for my personal plan I stuck to less than 50 grams of net carbs a day and still maintained 80+ mg/dL on test strips. Yes this plan is a lot of fat, but with 50 grams of net carbs I was still able to eat lots of vegetables at every meal and a piece of fruit most days. I also rounded my protein with poultry, fish, and red meat complimenting proteins lighter in fat (dark meat chicken/turkey and some fish) with things like homemade nut-free pesto. I also incorporated lentils occasionally for a vegetarian option, but on those days I had to really watch my carb count.
    I stuck to about 1400-1500 calories a day with around 90-110 grams of fat, 60-80 grams of protein, and total carbs 35-75 grams (net was around 25-50 most days).
    I personally followed this diet because my sister has epilepsy, this diet was recommended to her, and she wanted a buddy during her first few months back in January. Unfortunately as I said before, it became unrealistic because of my job and inability to meal prep, but really help me drop stubborn body fat, feel more energized, and reduce inflammation.
    ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING A DIET LIKE KETO****
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Volume eaters do tend to have less success with the diet. I've eaten keto for a couple of years, and I rarely use a dinner plate. The salad plate fits my food easily, but I do eat fewer veggies than the average keto'er (I feel better that way and know veggies are not needed for good health as long as you eat other quality foods).

    When I was losing I ate about 1500 kcal per day and kept carbs under 20g. When I wanted veggies and fruit I went with low carb ones like greens, cucs, celery, avocado, olives, nuts, etc. If you choose low GI foods, you can eat a lot of veggies if you wish.

    I did loosely count calories while losing. Half the time it wa just out of curiousity. Most days were between 1000-2000 calories. I lost 2-3 lbs per week without exercise.

    Many keto'ers use IF too, simply because they are not as hungry. That leaves you with 500-1000 calories for two meals. A meal for me could be snap peas with asiago cheese dip, burger patty with cheese and mayo, pickles, and one of the kids' smokies. Bacon and eggs is another easy common meal.
  • Catawampous
    Catawampous Posts: 447 Member
    There is no Keto vs Calorie Counting. You still have to do that. Fat is high calorie and you have to watch it. For SOME people the Keto way of eating helps curb hunger so they don't have to count and can lose weight. I have to count because even though I am full I know myself and don't trust my own signals! I didn't log for a good while and did fine but I am back to logging to check myself. It has to be a life long thing for me and I know this.

    Know yourself and understand it isn't a miracle. Do your reasearch! It is a good way for a lot of people and not a good way for a lot of others.
  • Catawampous
    Catawampous Posts: 447 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    The difference? I get to eat ICE CREAM on calorie counting. Can't do that on keto. Which is why I don't bother with keto.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    HAHA! ... there is that!

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