How do Calories fit into this?

johnb41 said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

Personally i've lost a bunch of inches around my waist by watching my
carbs. (My family say i'm now way too thin eventhough i say i'm just
right.) So i'm not bashing Low Carbing at all; it's great!

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

Thanks,
John

John-

From what I understand, lots of people have combined low-carbing
(which typically ignores calorie counting completely in it's most
popular forms, e.g., Atkins) with calorie counting.

In terms of my own experience, I've been LC-ing for about the last
eight months, and I did briefly attempt to restrict calories to see if
that would give my loss-rate a bit of a bump... well, I found calorie
counting annoying, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of time. I
quit it several months ago and now I'm within a few pounds of my goal.

To answer your question, yes, I do believe that LC-ing does in the
end amount to eating less calories (how can it not?), however, I don't
think you need to consciously count calories to do it properly. It's
just not necessary, IMHO.

-Dr P.

260/204.5/200
4/27/05

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In terms of my own experience, I've been LC-ing for about the last
eight months, and I did briefly attempt to restrict calories to see if
that would give my loss-rate a bit of a bump... well, I found calorie
counting annoying, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of time. I
quit it several months ago and now I'm within a few pounds of my goal.

dear dr.p

congrats on your achievement.
how about a sample daily menu for us?

rosie

Hi John,

Its my belief that ultimately, losing weight does involve a low amount of
dietary calories, however that being said, I also believe that some people
have a very hard time losing weight when the greater proportion of their
caloric intake comes from carbohydrates. Kind of a 'your body, your science
experiment' thing.

Me personally, I believe that low carb is the healthiest way to eat no
matter what your weight and that a diet high in carbohydrate is really not
only unatural, but can be harmful. Congrats on the weightloss, you must
feel great to have reached a point where you are quite happy with yourself,
I still have a way to go yet. When I do get to that point, I intend to
slowly add enough carbohydrate, (healthy carbohydrate...ie - fruit, oatmeal
etc.) back into my diet to the point where I am not losing and not gaining
and follow a maintenance diet. I don't see low carb as a quick fix diet,
but as a way of living and extremely healthy, but if you choose to just do
low cal. and that works for you great. I just think that if you go back to
eating the way you ate before you lost weight....hmm....=-)

Take care,

Jen

"johnb41" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

Personally i've lost a bunch of inches around my waist by watching my
carbs. (My family say i'm now way too thin eventhough i say i'm just
right.) So i'm not bashing Low Carbing at all; it's great!

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

Thanks,
John

Anecdotes claim that those who return to carbs regain their weight, and
sometimes an additional 10%.

I'm assuming here, that you are not anorexic, in which case all bets are
off.

You might try using Fitday for a review of nutrition. Sometimes low carbers
are lacking in something like potassium or folates. If you don't check, you
don't know.

Calories are the true measure, however, most humans eat ad lib. Thus, the
calories may change given a change of macronutrient ratios.

"johnb41" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

Personally i've lost a bunch of inches around my waist by watching my
carbs. (My family say i'm now way too thin eventhough i say i'm just
right.) So i'm not bashing Low Carbing at all; it's great!

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

Thanks,
John

"johnb41" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

Personally i've lost a bunch of inches around my waist by watching my
carbs. (My family say i'm now way too thin eventhough i say i'm just
right.) So i'm not bashing Low Carbing at all; it's great!

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

Keep doing what you're doing.

Roger Zoul said:

"johnb41" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

Personally i've lost a bunch of inches around my waist by watching my
carbs. (My family say i'm now way too thin eventhough i say i'm just
right.) So i'm not bashing Low Carbing at all; it's great!

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

Keep doing what you're doing.

That seems exactly like what I said, except I used too many words. 🙂

readandpostrosie said:

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In terms of my own experience, I've been LC-ing for about the last
eight months, and I did briefly attempt to restrict calories to see if
that would give my loss-rate a bit of a bump... well, I found calorie
counting annoying, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of time. I
quit it several months ago and now I'm within a few pounds of my goal.

dear dr.p

congrats on your achievement.
how about a sample daily menu for us?

rosie

Hi Rosie!

OK, you sweet-talked me into it. ;-) This happens to be yesterday's
menu.

Breakfast:

* Coffee (3-4 cups, black)
* Scrambled eggs (2)
* Thick-cut bacon (5 pieces)

Mindmorning snack:

* 15-20 almonds

Lunch:

* 1 grilled cheese sandwich with tomato (made with 2 slices Orowheat
"carb counting" Whole Wheat bread)
* 1 small cup vegetarian black bean chili "con carne" (e.g., soy
protein)

Midafternoon snack:

* 1 sugar-free "Red Bull", 2 cans Diet Pepsi

Dinner:

* Large dinner salad with more bacon, crumbled feta + Bernstein's
Italian dressing
* sugar free jello parfait w/ whipped cream & blueberries

johnb41 said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

And due to increased metabolism from stuff like exercise and from
controlling hormones so ft is withdrawn from storage even though
it is not burned.

Quoted message said:

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

If you are on a real plan, read the maintenance phase chapter and
follow the directions. If you're not on a real plan, you just learned
the difference between following a plan and winging it.

The question becomes - Will it be easier for you to count calories
for the next fifty years or to keep the carbs low for the next fifty
years? Neither will be easy so which one takes less effort is the
one to go with.

Had to beat JC to the punch. In the words of JC: "Bread is not low carb."
Even if it is 100% saw dust "Bread is not low carb." hehe ; )

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

readandpostrosie said:

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In terms of my own experience, I've been LC-ing for about the last
eight months, and I did briefly attempt to restrict calories to see if
that would give my loss-rate a bit of a bump... well, I found calorie
counting annoying, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of time. I
quit it several months ago and now I'm within a few pounds of my goal.

dear dr.p

congrats on your achievement.
how about a sample daily menu for us?

rosie

Hi Rosie!

OK, you sweet-talked me into it. ;-) This happens to be yesterday's
menu.

Breakfast:

* Coffee (3-4 cups, black)
* Scrambled eggs (2)
* Thick-cut bacon (5 pieces)

Mindmorning snack:

* 15-20 almonds

Lunch:

* 1 grilled cheese sandwich with tomato (made with 2 slices Orowheat
"carb counting" Whole Wheat bread)
* 1 small cup vegetarian black bean chili "con carne" (e.g., soy
protein)

Midafternoon snack:

* 1 sugar-free "Red Bull", 2 cans Diet Pepsi

Dinner:

* Large dinner salad with more bacon, crumbled feta + Bernstein's
Italian dressing
* sugar free jello parfait w/ whipped cream & blueberries

Yeah, well, I knew someone would say it. :-)

Phil Cav said:

Had to beat JC to the punch. In the words of JC: "Bread is not low carb."
Even if it is 100% saw dust "Bread is not low carb." hehe ; )

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

readandpostrosie said:

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>
> In terms of my own experience, I've been LC-ing for about the last
> eight months, and I did briefly attempt to restrict calories to see if
> that would give my loss-rate a bit of a bump... well, I found calorie
> counting annoying, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of time. I
> quit it several months ago and now I'm within a few pounds of my goal.
>

dear dr.p

congrats on your achievement.
how about a sample daily menu for us?

rosie

Hi Rosie!

OK, you sweet-talked me into it. ;-) This happens to be yesterday's
menu.

Breakfast:

* Coffee (3-4 cups, black)
* Scrambled eggs (2)
* Thick-cut bacon (5 pieces)

Mindmorning snack:

* 15-20 almonds

Lunch:

* 1 grilled cheese sandwich with tomato (made with 2 slices Orowheat
"carb counting" Whole Wheat bread)
* 1 small cup vegetarian black bean chili "con carne" (e.g., soy
protein)

Midafternoon snack:

* 1 sugar-free "Red Bull", 2 cans Diet Pepsi

Dinner:

* Large dinner salad with more bacon, crumbled feta + Bernstein's
Italian dressing
* sugar free jello parfait w/ whipped cream & blueberries

Yeah, well, I knew someone would say it. :-)

Phil Cav said:

Had to beat JC to the punch. In the words of JC: "Bread is not low carb."
Even if it is 100% saw dust "Bread is not low carb." hehe ; )

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

readandpostrosie said:

"Ernst Primer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>
> In terms of my own experience, I've been LC-ing for about the last
> eight months, and I did briefly attempt to restrict calories to see if
> that would give my loss-rate a bit of a bump... well, I found calorie
> counting annoying, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of time. I
> quit it several months ago and now I'm within a few pounds of my goal.
>

dear dr.p

congrats on your achievement.
how about a sample daily menu for us?

rosie

Hi Rosie!

OK, you sweet-talked me into it. ;-) This happens to be yesterday's
menu.

Breakfast:

* Coffee (3-4 cups, black)
* Scrambled eggs (2)
* Thick-cut bacon (5 pieces)

Mindmorning snack:

* 15-20 almonds

Lunch:

* 1 grilled cheese sandwich with tomato (made with 2 slices Orowheat
"carb counting" Whole Wheat bread)
* 1 small cup vegetarian black bean chili "con carne" (e.g., soy
protein)

Midafternoon snack:

* 1 sugar-free "Red Bull", 2 cans Diet Pepsi

Dinner:

* Large dinner salad with more bacon, crumbled feta + Bernstein's
Italian dressing
* sugar free jello parfait w/ whipped cream & blueberries

johnb41 said:

Is losing weight ultimately due to consuming low calories? Whether its
done by low carbing, or low fat, etc?

Personally i've lost a bunch of inches around my waist by watching my
carbs. (My family say i'm now way too thin eventhough i say i'm just
right.) So i'm not bashing Low Carbing at all; it's great!

But since i'm at my goal, i was questioning whether i need to still
watch the carbs, or if i can simply just watch calories instead, and
not gain any weight back.

Thanks,
John

It is most often ignored, but Dr. Atkins repeatedly wrote in his book,
"Eat till satisfied, not stuffed". Yes, I actually went through the
book and flagged all the times he said this.

So, if you indeed "Eat till satisfied, not stuffed", don't you think
that you are going to lose weight.

If you indeed "Eat till satisfied, not stuffed", sounds like the old
fashioned advice to:

"push your chair away from the table before you make a pig out of
yourself".

As others have pointed out, if you really want to count the calories,
please go ahead and do it. But, as my father would say:

..... "who needs to count calories if you push yourself away from the
tabe before you stuff your face too full?"

Not everyone needs to lose weight by the method of counting calories, as
for thousands of years, people managed and mismanaged their weight
without the idea of calorie counting.

Calorie counting started in the very late 19th century when O. W.
Atwater at the USDA measured the energy content in foods with an Oxygen
Bomb Calorimeter, and he published a booklet which contained the
information.

So, before the 20th century, nobody lost weight by counting calories,
because there was no table of calories to use to count from.

So, today, it clearly still isn't necessary to count calories, but if
you wish to do so, by all means go ahead.

Thank the US Government for giving you the original calorie counting
tool, paid for by your taxes.

Your taxes at work.

Jim

--
1) Eat Till SATISFIED, Not STUFFED... Atkins repeated 9 times in the book
2) Exercise: It's Non-Negotiable..... Chapter 22 title, Atkins book
3) Don't Diet Without Supplimental Nutrients... Chapter 23 title, Atkins
book
4) A sensible eating plan, and follow it. (Atkins, Self Made or Other)

Thanks everyone for all your help and advice! Still not sure what
approach i should take yet though...

Leaning toward low carbing because it's been not so hard so far...

Thanks!

John