Low Calories, or Low Carbs? What is better.....

Low carb is an effective way for obese people to drop the weight fast. It is a rubbish way to live life as a person of healthy or slightly low weight. You need energy and carbs are the most efficient form. There's a reason the vast majority of scientifically backed sports recovery drinks are 3/4 carbs to 1/4 protein in composition.

The media has also been used to demonize low carb and has twisted the view of the diet quite a bit. For example I have told a co-worker in the past the way I've been eating, since they are very curious about my weight loss progress. Below is a typical (and true reaction)

Co-Worker:How are you loosing your weight?
Me: Diet and exercise, mostly diet though, that seems to make the most difference.
Co-Worker: Oh really? So what are you eating?
Me: Well I switched to mostly whole natural foods, no processed junk, no sugar, lots of vegtables and meat, fruit occasionally.
Co-Worker: Oh that's great to be eating natural, so you feel better too I bet!
Me: Yeah, my body really responds well to a low carb diet, I feel better than I have in years.
Co-Worker: Low Carb?! You know that'll kill you right?! It's horrible for you....

Insert the buzzword "low-carb" and you get these kinds of reacations, but nodoby will typically dispute the idea of eating less processed crap, less sugar, more vegtables than you ever have and good quality cuts of meat...

^This!^ So true, great that you're eating less processed junk. Oh, no, it's low-carb. Well, isn't most processed junk full of carbs? It's so confusing. Anyway, thanks for the laugh, it cracked me up.

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To the OP:

Quite frankly, both low-carb and anti-low-carb zealots drive me a bit crazy as we are all different and there is always a middle-ground. So I think we all have to experiment and find out what works the best for us. I'll detail below what I do and how I feel just to give the OP some food-for-thought but I do want to emphasize that what works for me might not work for you. It works for me because I'm insulin resistant so someone who does not have this issue may be successful on higher carbs.

For me, I eat moderately low-carb combined with watching my calories. I try to keep my carbs to about 80grams/day but will occasionally go over without experiencing any real problems as long as I don't go over all the time.

If I eat too many carbs on a regular basis (100grams plus/day):
* get sleepy, sluggish, and need an afternoon or early evening nap
* lose energy for exercise, not only is it harder to get out the door to exercise but I also have diminished performance while exercising
* get constipated, bloated, and retain too much water to the point where my shoes will get tight
* headaches
* mood swings which increases my feelings of depression to the point where I need anti-depressant medication
* get brain-fog, forgetful, more easily confused while reading or taking part in complex discussions
* have strange aches and pains, particularly in my joints, and itchy skin
* have a hard time losing weight as my feelings of hunger increase dramatically making it harder to feel satisfied on a calorie deficit

If I keep my carbs around 80-100 grams/day:
* never need a nap and sleep less hours at night but still wake up feeling rested
* am energetic all day and have increased performance during exercise sessions
* great regularity with the bowels, don't retain water, and don't feel bloated even if I've splurged on a big meal
* rarely have a headache
* stable moods, no more depression and can go off anti-depressants
* clear-headed, improved memory, and able to do more complex thinking without feeling confused
* the only aches I might get are from straining muscles during intense exercise so no strange pains in joints and no itchy skin
* lose weight slowly but steadily
* rarely feel hungry and find it easy to feel satiated on 5-6 small meals daily although I do have to remind myself to eat quite often

Personally, I think this totally debunks the claim that more carbohydrates are needed for energy among other claims.

I lost 40# doing low-carb and limited exercise (just walking) over 5 years ago and have kept it off even though I started eating higher carbs. In fact, I'm one of the few people in this country that qualifies to be included in the National Weight Loss Registry for having kept a more than 30# weight loss off for over 5 years. So, no, you don't necessarily gain all the weight back when you go off a low-carb diet like some people claim. Of course, you can gain weight back if you go off of any weight loss eating plan but it's not automatic.

The reason why my weight loss stopped was due to a serious back injury that left me virtually immobilized for about a year and then another year to just learn to walk and move normal again. It took another two years after that to get my back strong enough to be able to do any exercise more intense than walking. I couldn't even run because of jarring of the spine, ride a bike due to not being able to lean over the handle-bars (and I have upright handle-bars), and even swimming bothered me for quite awhile. Anyway, now that I am able to exercise intensely again, I am working on the rest of the weight.

Because I'm exercising more intensely I can eat a bit higher-carb than I could during my previous low-carb weight loss. I don't have to. I feel just fine and am energetic, able to exercise intensely, and have all the other positive feelings, both physical and mental, that I had when eating lower carb. However, I happen to like a slice of whole-grain bread a few times a week. Or a small serving of rice on other days. Whatever. So I've experimented until I've found a carb level that works for me, allows me a little bit more variety, yet doesn't trigger any of the negative feelings, both physical and mental, I posted above.

I generally zig-zag my calories a bit to allow for a splurge meal or two on the weekends. These are controlled splurges meaning that I don't pig out but I do eat what I what. It's more about portion control. So, I might have pizza and cheesy bread. Or lasagna. Or cake and ice cream. Whatever. Higher carb treats that I do enjoy eating once in awhile. When I limit this to only once or twice a week AND keep the portions relatively small, i.e. maybe 2 slices of pizza, not half the pie, and fill up on vegetables or protein if I'm still hungry, I still lose just fine.

However, if I overdid it, I will definitely get some of those negative feelings I posted. Usually the first negative thing I notice is random aches, especially throbbing joints, and maybe a very low-grade headache. If I do some exercise shortly after eating this, I might be able to negate some of this bad side-effects but usually not enough to make them go away. The only way they will go away is if I plan an intense workout a couple hours after splurging...because I just can't exercise intensely on a fuller stomach.

Anyway, that's me. You're you. I know some people who are entirely the opposite of what I am. I mean, they feel a lot of the negative things I feel when they don't eat enough carbs that I feel when I eat too many. And better when they eat more while I feel worse.

The only way to know for sure is to experiment, keep a diary tracking more than just your food intake and your weight. Write down how you feel physically, emotionally, and note any strange feelings. After doing this for awhile, go back through your diary and see if you can spot a trend. Find out what works best for you and do it.

It's also good to ensure that your eating plan not only helps you lose the weight you want to lose while giving you the nutrition you need to be energetic, but that it also doesn't have hidden negative effects. So I would suggest getting a good blood panel work-up done to see where your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, triglycerides, blood sugar levels, etc., are and then having another done no longer than a year after finding your preferred eating plan. If you have problems from it, you want to know so that you can make adjustments.

Just don't listen to the zealots from either side. I used to be a low-carb zealot myself but I now see that we're not all alike so I might suggest trying low-carb to someone who is struggling but I don't believe it's the only way.

. I suggest reading the book "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" by science journalist Gary Taubes to understand why. Amazing book that really opened my eyes and has helped me to lose 47 pounds in 6 months so far.

In my personal opinion, the above book will provide you with a lot of misinformation about insulin that has been readily disproven by science.

http://garytaubes.com/lectures-2/

If you wanted to get a preview of his message, I suggest going to his website and watching his lectures for free via the above link. Also, a more in-depth, highly scientific book with tons of references is his first book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" which was his original work on this topic. Basically he went through all the science that was already there and did the research for himself vs just listening to the conventional wisdom (that continues to make us all sick) and explains why WHAT we eat is so much more important than the concept of calories in, calories out (does your body react the same to 200 calories of bread vs 200 cal of fat? Nope, and this book breaks down why and how one may be helping to make you healthy vs why one may be helping to make you sick, diabetic and overweight).

Even if you watch or read and don't agree with it, at least you will have taken the time to judge for yourself vs assuming anyone else is right or wrong.

Again, Gary Taubes has no education in nutrition at all. He's just a writer who read studies and wrote his own interpretation of them, with absolutely no training or education in the field to back them up. It's really no different than any random person on this forum reading a bunch of studies and talking about them. I've read a lot of the studies that Taubes has looked at, my conclusions are different. I've also read studies that he ignored. Why should you believe him over me? We both have the exact same level of formal education in nutrition.

Remember, Taubes has a JOURNALISM degree. That means he is trained to write in a way to make what he says seem true, regardless of the actual facts. That's what journalists do, they spin things. That's their job.

My mom lost weight with a Low Carb diet... that said, I am starting to think it was more because she was making better food choices all around then because they were low carb. When you do any sort of "diet", you are really looking at what you are eating and making different, healthier choices when you were before. As such, you lose weight!

I have done low carb in the past and am now just watching calories (and eating better as a whole). I have lost the SAME amount of weight in the same amount of time. The biggest difference? I think I can actually keep doing what I am doing now!

Don't worry about or count calories.
You can't over eat on good food.
Eat lots of good fats, lots of protein, lots of green leafy vegetables.
No sugars, No wheat, No starches.
I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months.
The only thing I count is carbs.
I feel great.
FREEDOM!
Read my blog for my story.

I'm adverse to processed white carbs.

Good book I just finished. It makes sense to me. "Why we get fat" by Gary Taubes.

Actually, the problem with calories in versus calories out (in my opinion) is that people do not understand what calories out means. For the biology as opposed to the physics, we have to consider calories out to include what the body stores as fat instead of burning. Which means, reduce the carbohydrates we eat because our body tends to store that quickly.

I agree with the post suggesting reading Taubes' book. I too highly recommend it.

WRONG!
You CAN'T overeat on good food. It's NOT about calories in and calories out. You've bought into the lie. Educate yourself and life is SO much simpler. I was a FAT unhealthy man at age 56. When my wife of 37 years died of diet related causes I decided to educate myself on diet, nutrition, and health. I found that we have been lied to. I've put a lot of information down in a blog. Take a look, the science is there. It can't be argued with, it can't be broken, truth is truth. I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months, and kept it off.
No diet, No calorie counting, No pills, No exercise to lose weight. I eat all I want, I'm never hungry. I know you can't overeat on good food, it can't be done.

Really? You certainly can overeat and gain weight on any food. It's all about calories in vs calories out.

I eat a very low carb diet. 700 grams a day is way too much. You can't lose weight on that much carbs.
I've put what I've learned down on a blog. I hope you will take the time to look.

You CAN'T overeat on good food. It's NOT about calories in and calories out. You've bought into the lie. Educate yourself and life is SO much simpler. I was a FAT unhealthy man at age 56. When my wife of 37 years died of diet related causes I decided to educate myself on diet, nutrition, and health. I found that we have been lied to. I've put a lot of information down in a blog. Take a look, the science is there. It can't be argued with, it can't be broken, truth is truth. I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months, and kept it off.
No diet, No calorie counting, No pills, No exercise to lose weight. I eat all I want, I'm never hungry. I know you can't overeat on good food, it can't be done.

Twinkie diet:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

WRONG!
You CAN'T overeat on good food. It's NOT about calories in and calories out. You've bought into the lie. Educate yourself and life is SO much simpler. I was a FAT unhealthy man at age 56. When my wife of 37 years died of diet related causes I decided to educate myself on diet, nutrition, and health. I found that we have been lied to. I've put a lot of information down in a blog. Take a look, the science is there. It can't be argued with, it can't be broken, truth is truth. I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months, and kept it off.
No diet, No calorie counting, No pills, No exercise to lose weight. I eat all I want, I'm never hungry. I know you can't overeat on good food, it can't be done.

That is the silliest thing I've ever heard. And no matter how healthy your diet is, without exercise you raise your risk of disease.

I believe the actual science says you need to eat about 700 grams of carbs a day, every day, for the body to automatically start storing it as fat.

Most of the carbs you eat are stored as glycogen, very little of it gets converted to fat, only when your glycogen stores are completely full. That's where the "low carb Taliban" (as Martin from Leangains calls them) get their ammo. See, when you reduce your carb intake, your body stores less glycogen, which leads to less water, which leads to weight loss. Notice, I didn't say anything about fat loss, because it has nothing to do with losing fat. Fat loss is strictly eating less total calories than your body burns.

Also, glycogen is your muscles' fuel source. That's what carbs are for. Energy to move. While yes, protein and dietary fat can both be converted to energy for the muscles to use, it's a much more difficult, slow process, and besides, fats and proteins have many more important functions than providing energy.

Actually secretion of insulin inhibits the burning of fat, and is necessary for most of the storage of dietary fat. That is why the worst thing you can do is eat foods that are BOTH high in fat and high in carbs. So it's not the conversion and storage of carbs as fat that is the problem, but its the storage of dietary fat as a result of insulin.

Without insulin secretion, you can eat 5000 calories or more of fat each day and not gain any weight because the fat cannot easily be stored (you won't lose much weight either).

Low carb is an effective way for obese people to drop the weight fast. It is a rubbish way to live life as a person of healthy or slightly low weight. You need energy and carbs are the most efficient form. There's a reason the vast majority of scientifically backed sports recovery drinks are 3/4 carbs to 1/4 protein in composition.

I have plenty of energy on a low carb diet. It only takes about 3-6 weeks to adjust to the diet as far as your energy goes. Look up the work of 'Stephen Phinney' who talks about the benefits of a low-carb diet on exercise.