low carb calories query

[Woolpaul]

howdy

Im doing low carb diet. Do people just eat as they wish amount/cal wise once low carb or do you tend to cut 500 to 1000 calories off your daily calories allowance to speed up weight loss?. I appreciate not everyone needs to loose weight just lower the blood sugars.

Thanks

 

[Goonergal]

Mostly people count the carbs and not calories.

If you want to speed weight loss on low carb, a combination of as few carbs as possible, time restricted eating or intermittent fasting (eating in as short a time frame as possible so that you have a long period in the fasted state) and prioritising protein over fats should work. A common eating / fasting pattern recommended at the start is 18/6 - i.e. consuming the day’s food within a 6 hour period and fasting for the remainder.

You may be interested in the work of Dr Jason Fung - check out his YouTube channel or read either the obesity code or the diabetes code.

 

[DisneyGuy]

I'm finding my calories are low on low carb diet anyway.
I stick to max 130g carbs a day
30g natural sugars only

 

[MrsA2]

Cutting calories results in a corresponding lowering of basal metabolic rate, in other words you burn fewer calories.
By eating more fats and protein and cutting carbs your body works better and starts burning the fat it has been storing, and you don't need to feel hungry while doing it

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You don't need to think about Calories at all. Just set a level of Carbs that you find suits you and then have enough Fats & Proteins to keep you feeling full. Lowering Carbs will help reduce both BS and weight. The weight should stabilise after a while but adjust the Carbs if needed. There are several reasons to forget Calories including the figures recommended for Men and Women are too high and plucked from the air. It's best to manage the three main food groups as Calories are just a measure of energy. and the body handles each food group in different ways.

 

[Andydragon]

Hi. You don't need to think about Calories at all. Just set a level of Carbs that you find suits you and then have enough Fats & Proteins to keep you feeling full. Lowering Carbs will help reduce both BS and weight. The weight should stabilise after a while but adjust the Carbs if needed. There are several reasons to forget Calories including the figures recommended for Men and Women are too high and plucked from the air. It's best to manage the three main food groups as Calories are just a measure of energy. and the body handles each food group in different ways.

This is something I still do get confused by. I understand there are BMR rates that change depending on age, sex that then can be changed via exercise level and there are calculators to do this

but not counting calories at all... I just wonder that eating huge amounts of, say, cheese or nuts... low carb bur lots of calories. Is the fact that you feel full before taking in too much energy?

just really curious.

 

[Goonergal]

but not counting calories at all... I just wonder that eating huge amounts of, say, cheese or nuts... low carb bur lots of calories. Is the fact that you feel full before taking in too much energy?

just really curious.

It is definitely possible to put weight on using low carb foods. I have personal experience of it. However, simply counting calories to avoid it doesn’t take account of the different ways in which carbs, fats and proteins interact with the body. So, in my case if I eat lots of nuts, nut butters, double cream and high percentage cocoa chocolate, my blood sugars may behave (at least in the short term), but I put weight on pretty quickly. And not just because of the offending foods, but also because they trigger over eating in general.

I have now ditched the nut butters (3 months ago), dark chocolate (since 1 Feb) and have limited nuts (first portion in 2 weeks today) and cream (just using it in hot drinks in the morning). This has led to dropping some of the weight that had come back on during lockdown.

For the past 2 weeks I’ve also made an effort to eat meats and fish that are higher in protein than fat. I have not placed limits on the amounts. My weight has barely moved (down 0.2kg) but I’ve lost 2 cms from my waist and 1.5 from my hips. I have no idea of the relative calorie intake, although I suspect it’s lower. The point is though, that the foods are so intrinsically satiating (unlike the nuts/choc/cream) that I have felt far less hungry.

There has been some discussion of this on Twitter - Dr Andreas Eenfeldt (founder of Diet Doctor) and Dr Tim Noakes have both been following this protocol recently, with some success. It’s based on Ted Naiman’s PE diet theory. Whatever you think of the theory/approach, his book and various YouTube interviews on the topic are worth a read/view as they relate to the question you’re asking. There’s one very useful graphic in particular where he lays out what 1,600 calories in nutrient dense foods looks like compared to the same in doughnuts. It’s an extreme example, but makes the point very clearly. I’ll try and find it.

Editing to add the picture.

 

[Andydragon]

It is definitely possible to put weight on using low carb foods. I have personal experience of it. However, simply counting calories to avoid it doesn’t take account of the different ways in which carbs, fats and proteins interact with the body. So, in my case if I eat lots of nuts, nut butters, double cream and high percentage cocoa chocolate, my blood sugars may behave (at least in the short term), but I put weight on pretty quickly. And not just because of the offending foods, but also because they trigger over eating in general.

I have now ditched the nut butters (3 months ago), dark chocolate (since 1 Feb) and have limited nuts (first portion in 2 weeks today) and cream (just using it in hot drinks in the morning). This has led to dropping some of the weight that had come back on during lockdown.

For the past 2 weeks I’ve also made an effort to eat meats and fish that are higher in protein than fat. I have not placed limits on the amounts. My weight has barely moved (down 0.2kg) but I’ve lost 2 cms from my waist and 1.5 from my hips. I have no idea of the relative calorie intake, although I suspect it’s lower. The point is though, that the foods are so intrinsically satiating (unlike the nuts/choc/cream) that I have felt far less hungry.

There has been some discussion of this on Twitter - Dr Andreas Eenfeldt (founder of Diet Doctor) and Dr Tim Noakes have both been following this protocol recently, with some success. It’s based on Ted Naiman’s PE diet theory. Whatever you think of the theory/approach, his book and various YouTube interviews on the topic are worth a read/view as they relate to the question you’re asking. There’s one very useful graphic in particular where he lays out what 1,600 calories in nutrient dense foods looks like compared to the same in doughnuts. It’s an extreme example, but makes the point very clearly. I’ll try and find it.

Editing to add the picture.

View attachment 47916

Thanks so much. That helps me understand a lot more.
It’s interesting and I “think” I have found my own path through and know which foods do (or don’t) make me feel fuller. But I do a blend of carb and calorie counting. It works for me, that’s all it needs to work for really

only problem is that my weight is still dropping. It’s still in the “healthy” BMI but I want it to stabilise. Will have to see how to carefully do that without going too far the other way

 

[Woolpaul]

WOW id prefer top one anytime super useful thanks

 

[KennyA]

howdy

Im doing low carb diet. Do people just eat as they wish amount/cal wise once low carb or do you tend to cut 500 to 1000 calories off your daily calories allowance to speed up weight loss?. I appreciate not everyone needs to loose weight just lower the blood sugars.

Thanks

I don't count calories at all. I have been eating around 20g carbs/day and eating only when hungry. In 14 months I've lost some weight (maybe 10kg total?) but a great deal of size - six inches plus off my waist, for example. If this continues, at some point in the next 1-3 years I'm going to have to think about how to stop losing any more, while keeping my BG in normal range....

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welcome,

I pretty much agree with @Goonergal . Initially I didn't count calories at all and still lost weight. Now I'm having to be a bit more careful. I think the answer is what Goonergal said- some very low carbs are also of a nature that it is easy to overeat. For me the list is again similar. I'm not likely to overeat fish or meat. Possible overeat pork crackling (actually is that possible?) more likely to overeat nut butters or chocolate. So while my blood sugars are okay I can put on weight. What I have found helps is intermittent fasting. One or two meals a day helps. Also keeping away from some of my temptations.

In my personal view starting off just focusing on blood sugars worked for me as I moved away from a carb heavy diet I needed what comforts I could find in thin gs like dark chocolate and double cream. Even now when particularly stressed or upset I have some. The thing it took my emotions some time to get around d is that this is for life it is not a diet. For me I found that having some low carb substitutes helped me while I processed it emotionally.

Good luck and welcome.