Keto or just low to moderate carbs
leeskinner43
Posts: 1 Member
Ok so 3 years ago I lost a lot of body fat on Keto and going to the gym mostly doing strength sessions. Then 2 years ago I decided I wasn’t putting any size on enough so added carbs. Then as you guessed the fat started to pile on again. Although I have a lot more muscle I now believe I looked better leaner but back then didn’t believe I did. Any way I decide to go back to very low carb but I am struggling. The scales don’t change and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Also my carb cravings are real bad. Does anyone have any tips on how to beat these cravings or shal I just give in and eat some carbs and calorie count
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Replies
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I personally eat high carb low fat. I find it much easier to stay in a calorie deficit that way, I have tons of energy, my blood pressure is lower, my fasting glucose is lower, and my cholesterol is lower. I know low carb is trendy right now but it's not necessary to lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit.5
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During the majority of my weight loss, I did high protein, moderate fat and moderate carb (around 150 g oc carbs). Lost 50 pounds in 6 mo. In maintenance I have increased carbs to around 200-250 and find that this level keeps me energized and on track.1
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For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.19 -
For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
This.
If you don't count calories while doing keto it works by being an exclusion diet. If you exclude enough carbs from your day that it creates a caloric deficit you lose weight. The problem with exclusion diets is that in time you may begin to adjust to them and eat enough calories of the foods you are allowed to eat to end up at maintenance or higher. This is often why a diet like keto works the first time better than it works the second time for some people.9 -
For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
^^ This.
That said, I personally seem to do better, as in fewer cravings, better satiety etc when I limit carbs to 75>120ishg. I don't know why.
I would suggest simply tracking calories rigorously for a couple of weeks at least, then begin to play with macros and see how it affects your hunger, energy levels and all. I get the impression from your pic you're a big guy, so maybe lower carbs a bit, up protein. Give yourself time to find what works best for you.6 -
For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
^^ This.
That said, I personally seem to do better, as in fewer cravings, better satiety etc when I limit carbs to 75>120ishg. I don't know why.
I would suggest simply tracking calories rigorously for a couple of weeks at least, then begin to play with macros and see how it affects your hunger, energy levels and all. I get the impression from your pic you're a big guy, so maybe lower carbs a bit, up protein. Give yourself time to find what works best for you.
I do better in this range too. I am actually running a little lower 60-90 right now but I just don't want carbs as much when it is hot outside.2 -
For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
^^ This.
That said, I personally seem to do better, as in fewer cravings, better satiety etc when I limit carbs to 75>120ishg. I don't know why.
I would suggest simply tracking calories rigorously for a couple of weeks at least, then begin to play with macros and see how it affects your hunger, energy levels and all. I get the impression from your pic you're a big guy, so maybe lower carbs a bit, up protein. Give yourself time to find what works best for you.
I do better in this range too. I am actually running a little lower 60-90 right now but I just don't want carbs as much when it is hot outside.
60-90 is getting into my "It hurts and I need my carbs" range
That seems to be a sweet spot for a few folks I've chatted with. Then again some are taking in >150g a day and doing just fine. OP will have to experiment a bit to find what works best for him. 5 -
For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
^^ This.
That said, I personally seem to do better, as in fewer cravings, better satiety etc when I limit carbs to 75>120ishg. I don't know why.
I would suggest simply tracking calories rigorously for a couple of weeks at least, then begin to play with macros and see how it affects your hunger, energy levels and all. I get the impression from your pic you're a big guy, so maybe lower carbs a bit, up protein. Give yourself time to find what works best for you.
I do better in this range too. I am actually running a little lower 60-90 right now but I just don't want carbs as much when it is hot outside.
60-90 is getting into my "It hurts and I need my carbs" range That seems to be a sweet spot for a few folks I've chatted with. Then again some are taking in >150g a day and doing just fine. OP will have to experiment a bit to find what works best for him.
I think a lot of people would benefit from putting an emphasis on experimenting and figuring yourself out over wanting quick bathroom scale results. That small change in thinking started me on my first really sustainable weight loss path.6 -
For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
Let me be the 3rd to QFT.2 -
@NovusDies - I just cannot agree with that bold hard enough. We aren't 'locked' into any way of eating or macro percentages at all. Spend some time finding what works best for your body and peace of mind.For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
^^ This.
That said, I personally seem to do better, as in fewer cravings, better satiety etc when I limit carbs to 75>120ishg. I don't know why.
I would suggest simply tracking calories rigorously for a couple of weeks at least, then begin to play with macros and see how it affects your hunger, energy levels and all. I get the impression from your pic you're a big guy, so maybe lower carbs a bit, up protein. Give yourself time to find what works best for you.
I do better in this range too. I am actually running a little lower 60-90 right now but I just don't want carbs as much when it is hot outside.
60-90 is getting into my "It hurts and I need my carbs" range That seems to be a sweet spot for a few folks I've chatted with. Then again some are taking in >150g a day and doing just fine. OP will have to experiment a bit to find what works best for him.
I think a lot of people would benefit from putting an emphasis on experimenting and figuring yourself out over wanting quick bathroom scale results. That small change in thinking started me on my first really sustainable weight loss path.
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For clarity's sake, you didn't regain fat because of carbs. You regained because you were eating more calories than you burned. If you are not losing now, it is because you are eating at maintenance. To lose fat you have to be in a calorie deficit whether that is through keto or any other method of eating.
For some people, keto helps moderate hunger but, beyond that, it has no metabolic advantage for losing weight. If it your prefered way to eat, fine. But is doesn't magically cause weight loss. It's all about CI<CO.
All of this. You can go keto, low carb, medium carb, high carb, whichever you want and feel like you enjoy the most and helps you most control your appetite. You will lose weight if you are eating in a deficit and gain weight if you are eating in a surplus. So it all comes down to calorie control.5 -
You might also look at what kind of carbs you are eating. I find if I eat a lot of sugar, I want more and more. If I eat a lot of veggies or whole grains, I am satisfied with what I have. For me, the main advantage of low carb eating was that I eliminated foods with a lot of sugar. In the long run, it wasn't sustainable, but it did teach me how to get along without as much. One of the problems I have with a lot of the so-called diet foods that Atkins etc. put out is you don't learn to live without sweets, you just replace one with sugar with one without, that has just as many calories.3
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Hello OP - to answer your actual question which is about what you want to do, which is your choice....
I would start with the carb cravings - my suggestion is to taper carbs down over a number of weeks depending on your starting point. Making a big leap into very low carb (below 50g in my book) can bring on those bad boy cravings.
While you are tapering down, I would monitor calories and exercise here and make sure you are in deficit - this should give you a while to work out what level of carbs and calorie deficit fit in with your lifestyle as it is today. Its easy to get misty eyed about how much better / more different it was last time
My other tips would be to drink a lot of water, keep your carbs wholegrain and high in fibre as poss and eat lots of above ground / dark green leafy vegs to keep the whole engine moving......
And if this doesnt work - try something else
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It really depends on what works best for you. I find keto very easy to stick to and I enjoy what I eat, but some people find it very difficult to limit carbs that much.1
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