Keto or low carb?

You can lose weight doing low carb, keto, moderate carbs or high carbs. Carbs/macro ratios don't matter for weight loss-being at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals is what matters.

How you go about creating that deficit is an individual thing-what works with your eating preferences, schedule, lifestyle, satiety levels etc.

Figure out how to create your needed calorie balance in a way that's enjoyable and sustainable for you.

I have been keto for close to 4 years. I started with low carb but found the lower my carbs were the better I felt and the easier it was for me to lose weight.

TBH, I stay with keto because of how it makes me feel. The improvements I get in my joints, headaches BG control, mood and energy stability are almost shocking. Even if I lost no weight, I'd stay with it.

In terms of weight loss, I lose weight easier the lower carb I am. Right now, my carbs are basically zero, and i am proceeding like I am in maintenance without any concern for calorie intake, but I am still slowly losing. When my carbs are very low, I naturally eat less (perhaps it has some something to do with Naiman's protein to energy ratio). Because of this, I dont think about food much, I rarely get hungry, and my stomach doesn't gurgle unless I eat carbs. Combine that with steadier energy and it pushes food way down on my priority list.

I also seem to lose weight a bit faster, calorie for calorie, when I eat a whole foods ketogenic diet. There is some evidence that there is a very slight calorie benefit to keto diets as seen by Ludwig (up to 300 kcal benefit) and Hall (although he interpreted his possible 100 kcal benefit as not a benefit, which I still find odd). The are numerous n=1 experiments, like Sam Feltham who ate 5000 kcal of keto, SAD and vegetarian diets for a month, which show that for many (especially those with some form of IR or hyperinsulinemua) that weightloss is easier.

My n=1 had calories set at 1420 to lose about 1.5 lbs a week (I was 190, 5'8" and inactive). Instead my food intake averaged 1500 kcal a day, and by the end of three months I was about 165 - that's about 2-3 lbs a week. That would imply that I was eating with a 1000-1250 kcal deficit, or that at maintenance I can eat 2500-2750 a day. When I ate a higher carb diet, I would gain at that level. Now, with almost no carbs? I am not sure.

Yesterday I ate coffee with whipping cream (about 1/4-1/3 c) and a scoop of protein powder, 3 slices bacon, 4 (200kcal each) smoked beer pepperoni, a can of mussels, about 2 oz cheese, meatloaf (maybe 1/3-1/2 lb. This would be not too unusual, and I am losing 1/2-1lb a week right now, but i also ate a dozen sweet potato chips, some lentil crackers and a small scoop of scalloped potatoes and cauliflower when at someone's home; I normally skip plant based foods because I feel less well with them. Today my stomach is gurgling, my hips are aching, and my knee is burning.

Foods from plants taste wonderful, and some are healthy, but they just dont agree with me. I could lose or maintain weight while eating plants but I would be hungry, less energetic, and not feel as well, which would make it harder for me, so my choice is an obvious one. But as you said, it varies between people.

I do low carb/keto and it worked wonders on me. You might want to read this article which is not about low carb but rather "Death of a calorie" : https://www.1843magazine.com/features/death-of-the-calorie

People are more fanatical about the calorie topic just a heads up.

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

cmriverside wrote: »

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

Below 100 to150 g of carbs is low carb, and it helped you with compulsive carb eating, and the OP asked about low carb or keto, but you suggest moderate carb. Do you mean low carb?

cmriverside wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

Below 100 to150 g of carbs is low carb, and it helped you with compulsive carb eating, and the OP asked about low carb or keto, but you suggest moderate carb. Do you mean low carb?

Not interested in a semantics argument. If I had said "low carb" someone would have argued that 150g is "moderate."

Nothing to see here.

Just trying to clarify.

So you recommend starting at 100-150g of carbs, which is low carb by most standards, but prefer to call it moderate carb...