Help guys! Low carb or low calorie?

the question is, do you have the correct goal set?

you have 12 lbs to lose, I assume that means your BMI is at or close to the normal range of 25. If that is the case, your calorie deficit should be around 250 per day or 1/2 lb per week. given that fact, unless you are an EXTREMELY small person (frame, and height wise) and your maintenance calories is between 1450 and 1500, then you are probably eating too few calories. Check your BMI, check your body fat, and also examine your goal weight, ask yourself why you set that goal? And ask if it is a realistic goal.

and read the link in my signature (and all the links in that one), it should give you some good insight into the metabolism, caloric deficit, and eating exercise calories.

-Banks

The problem is that you will gain it back quicker on low carb if you have a slip up and it is really hard to maintain low carb in the long run. Of course, it is still advisable to avoid high sugar foods even on a low calorie diet. But don't eliminate things like fruits from your diet. I try to follow a "lower" carb diet because I notice a difference in my hunger pangs and cravings if I stay away from processed, sugary foods. But remember that slow and steady wins the race, and if you eat low cal AND healthy for the most part, you will feel better AND lose weight.

For those of you that don't know anything about low carb, please do not discount it or bash it.............

You are still eating carbs........................in the form of fresh veggies, nuts, seed, dairy and YES fruit.

It is a temporary elimination to remove fruit to cure the sugar cravings..............................

It is a conscious lifestyle change....................of course, any eating plan you start, you must follow it through from start to finish, change your lifestyle.

I am doing Atkins by the book.....................I bet I can compare a typical menu for myself up against the majority of people on this site and it is far healthier than most others.........................

The human body does not require rice, pasta, or bread. Even the most natural of those items are still processed to a certain degree.

I prefer to get as close to an all natural, organic eating plan as I possibly can (what I can afford) and Atkins is the way to go.........................

I make almost everything from scratch, that includes mayonnaise, salad dressings, etc................

There is too much sugar added to everything in the grocery stores.

I know that low carb works, but...I work out hard and my body needs a steady stream of carbs for fuel. I was on Atkins a few years ago, and by day 3, I completely bonked. No energy for workouts, felt like crap. I ate some oatmeal and felt much better in a very short period. I know people who do well on low carb, I'm not one of them.

I'm like this too. My body needs whole grains for fuel or else I bonk out without them. I also stopped losing weight and plateaued big time on a high protein carbs only from fruits and veggies thing.
Different things work for different people, most important finding what works for yourself and not push your own agenda on others.

This is completely my opinion....

Of course you will lose weight fast doing low carb. It's a shock to your body. But carbs are an essential part of building muscle, and for your brain to function. I know it takes longer, but always better to do it the right way. It will stay off longer if you do.

What an excellent response...took the words right outta my mouth:drinker: :bigsmile:

you're so right...to keep up our workouts we SO need those valuable healthy carbs, but by eating the good ones more than the simple or processed ones we can keep our cals down but still continue to have TONS of energy and drop those lbs. we so want to continue dropping as we become healthier on our journey:flowerforyou:

FC

There is too much sugar added to everything in the grocery stores.

Oh how VERY true! ugh and the sodium added to our store bought foods...:noway: not to mention the fat that is added when we purchase no sugar products...hey they gotta add back that flavor somehow...so many times it's by means of fat & sodium!:noway: :flowerforyou:

FC