Calorie counting on low carb??

Hello all,

I believe this is actually my first ever post on a forum....anywhere! I'm more of a sit and read in the background kind of gal.... So please be patient!

I have PCOS which is closely linked to T2 diabetes in the sense of how my body deals with any form of carbohydrate/insulin etc etc

My husband and I are going through fertility treatment and it’s been recommended that I start a low carbohydrate diet to which I should be aiming towards 20 g to 50 g of carbohydrates a day. I’ve looked into this online and came across the keto diet which I don’t want to strictly follow but use more as a guideline which is what I've been doing now for the past 48hrs.

The problem I have is up until this point I’ve been very very strict on Logging everything I eat on my fitness pal and counting calories. I have lost around 2 stone using this menthod, but this has taken a ridiculous amount of time and at a very slow rate for my calorie intake/exercise, hence the low carb recommendation.

Because I’ve become so used to calorie counting and logging everything, to switch to a low carb high-fat diet has put me in a predicament where I feel like I’m exceeding my calorie intake massively to be able to lose weight and even worse the potential of gaining weight because of this.

So my question is to those that are following a low carb high-fat diet do you calorie count and if so what allowance do you give yourself??!!

xfieldok said:

Never counted calories only carbs. Never did the macro thing either. My goal was to get my numbers back to normal, the weight loss was a byproduct.

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I'm literally doing the same thing. Counting carbs for each meal but not calories or macros. How did you find the weightloss by just counting the carbs? Successful?

xfieldok said:

I was weighing myself once a week. Nothing happened for about 3 weeks, I was getting to grips with the diet. Then the weight just seemed to melt away. It did stall a couple of times, but again, I was concentrating on my numbers.

Husband is against fad diets but after seeing the changes, he quietly doing his own low ish carb thing.

We are both delighted.

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That's great. I'm definitely sticking below 50g a day but as old habits die hard and I enter what I'm eating on fitness pal, the calorie content worries me. I'll give it a couple of weeks myself and see what happens.i just can't afford to gain anything at the moment so it's a huge concern given that it goes against everything g you're ever told about what you should/shouldn't eat!

xfieldok said:

I was weighing myself once a week. Nothing happened for about 3 weeks, I was getting to grips with the diet. Then the weight just seemed to melt away. It did stall a couple of times, but again, I was concentrating on my numbers.

Husband is against fad diets but after seeing the changes, he quietly doing his own low ish carb thing.

We are both delighted.

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xfieldok said:

Are you testing with a glucose meter before and after eating?

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Nope. Not diabetic. Would it make a difference?

Hotpepper20000 said:

I too have PCOS and it is difficult to lose weight with the traditional “healthy“ diet.
I never counted calories. Just ate meat, above ground vegetables, cream in my coffee and various cheeses.
After researching PCOS, I found out that grains and for some dairy can be inflammatory. I haven’t cut out dairy but I don’t eat grains, like wheat, barley, rice oats and such. Also out legumes has helped cut down on my joint pain and increased my energy level.
Get a meter and anything that spikes you BG stop eating.
It might take a little longer then some but you will loose weight. I lost 60 pound with out counting a single calorie and never being hungry.
This way of eating is not just about fertility or loosing weight, it’s a life long commitment to your health.

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Wow! How long did it take you to loose 60lb?
Ive been eating omelettes with olive oil and meats. Made some keto bagels with mozzarella (bit weird but tasted OK) and tonight I've got smoked haddock with broad beans and broccoli.

Having never tested my BG... What should it be before/after and at what times should I take it??

Daibell said:

Hi. I hate to say this but why count calories at all? It's not based on any solid science. The body uses the different food groups in different ways so counting calories in will not give a particularly useful answer as it doesn't guide you into which food groups affect weight and BS and hence how those calories coming in should be made up. Counting carbs will give a more useful answer as it's a real food group like fats and proteins. So, set a daily carb limit and have enough fats and proteins to keep you feeling full. Yes, having another medical condition may affect that mix of foods.

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I was told something similar in terms of counting calories. Unfortunately it’s getting my mind around doing the opposite of what I’ve always been told. It’s habitual. I think because of my medical condition how my body uses calories is significantly different to how somebody else’s body uses calories and like you say it’s not so much the calories but more the food groups that I need to concentrate on.

Hotpepper20000 said:

So your looking for a minimum of a 2 point rise two hours after eating.
And never higher then 7.8

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What would a good starting BG be when I test? The norm so to speak?