Low Carb or Calories

[TheJazzSinger]

I would like to ask a question in the hope that someone has a scientific answer. The questIon is not about giving up processed food and sugar, which regardless of which diet you follow, is damaging to our health. I’ve lost 17lbs on a mixture of low carb, fasting and calorie counting and for me I think fasting has proved the most successful because it meant I reduced my daily calorie intake overall regardless of my carb intake. People lose a lot of weight on low carb but are they just reducing calories as appetite appears to reduce? If you just followed a calorie-controlled diet wouldn’t you get the same result?

[Ladylin151]

My understanding is that it's a bit of both. Lower carb changes your body chemistry enough to let go a certain amount of "water" that you hang onto for the sole purpose of processing carbs. If you are consistent, that stays away. Also, most people report lower appetite, which leads over all, to lower calories. But the appetite suppressant effect can be a huge player. Low carb cannot make you lose weight if you eat very high calories consistently. Low carb can stop the blood sugar excursions that drive continual hunger allowing much more advantageous eating patterns.

[shades62]

healthunlocked.com/lchf-die...

Or if you prefer reading "Why Caloric Reduction Doesn't Work" thefastingmethod.com/why-ca...

[MikePollard]

There is no animal on the planet that counts calories or needs to. We need to follow their example by eating the right foods when we are hungry and stopping when we are full ie paying attention to our appetite.

[Subtle_badger in reply to MikePollard]

No, not just humans: our pets get fat too.

(do you know they put cereal in cat food?)

healthunlocked.com/lchf-die....

[MikePollard in reply to Subtle_badger]

I am very much aware. But pets are not wild animals, I should have made that clearer.

We have 4 cats and all are fed wet, cereal free tinned food supplemented mainly with ham offcuts (Morrisons/Lidl). Dry food is meat flavoured cereal and will make your cat obese, diabetic and ultimately their kidneys will fail. It's an epidemic parallel to human experience. Feed your pet properly and it will never vary it's weigh by one iota.

[Subtle_badger in reply to MikePollard]

Yes, all true.

I do wonder if bears developed civilisation, they may become obese. They eat everything in sight to bulk up to see themselves through winter. But if they had central heating and fridges (eternal autumn), maybe they would eat and eat.

🤔

[MikePollard in reply to Subtle_badger]

Bears essentially fuel up then go into a form of ketosis for the whole winter.

[Subtle_badger in reply to MikePollard]

I understand how bears work is in the natural environment.

What I was speculating on was what might happen to them if they were removed from it. If the weather was always early September, the forest and streams full of prey and forage, and the days never got shorter. If there were no triggers to stop eating and settle down for the winter, what would happen? It's possible they would eat and eat and eat.

So, imagine they evolved to replace us exactly. Electric light would mean the hours darkness are shortened, heating means they don't feel cold, and the larder is always full. Maybe they wouldn't hunker down for the winter. Especially when the deadline on the Forbin project is early spring so if I stay up in october, I can finish it first. And I want to go the Brian's new year's eve raver. 😁

It's just a Gedankenexperiment

[Ladylin151 in reply to MikePollard]

It's the "stopping when full" part that humans have issue with. It seems we don't eat for nutrients and fuel, but a multitude of other reasons.

[Gizmocat]

The most important thing is to find out what works for you. What you are doing is working for you and you have lost weight. There is no right or wrong way.

The point of low carb is reduce bloods sugars which is important if you are prediabetic or T2. Carbs cause the spike in blood sugars and by reducing the carbs it regulates the blood sugars. There are people who can explain the science much better than me. If you are interested I suggest you look at the DietDoctor website which has lots of information.

Appetite reduces on low carb by adding healthy fats which fill you up so you feel less hungry and often leads to IF as you may only want to eat two meals a day. Calorie counting does reduce the amount you eat but may result in you feeling hungry if you don't eat enough and can be counter productive.

I hope this helps explain it although it's not very scientific. However if what you are doing is working for you stick with it. It is obviously working.

[MTCee]

I understand that calorie counting alone tends to reduce your metabolic rate, which doesn’t happen with LCHF.

[jjf255]

True low carb diets are meant to get a person into Ketosis. The body chemistery of Ketosis needs to be understood to explain why this type of eating works for weight loss. This is why anyone wanting to try this for weight loss, really needs to educate themselves rather then just start out not knowing the science behind it.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

The short answer is no. You lose fat on a low-carb diet because your body no longer needs it; in other words, you appetite reduces because you're losing fat.

Nutritionists think that therefore you can reduce your calorie intake and this will cause fat loss. It doesn't work like that, as millions of dieters have discovered.

Maybe I'll do one of my long, rambling essays on the subject.

[Gizmocat in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Please do. I think it would be very useful. As I said previously I found your posts very helpful when I was first starting out 2.5 years ago but due to the lack of pinned posts here it is very difficult to find them.

Cosmo501 has been posting some links. Maybe she can dig some up for the benefit of the new members or anyone who is interested.

[TheJazzSinger in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Yes please. It’s always helpful to follow the science 😀

[Subtle_badger]

Let's try with some question:

Why do babies gain weight? hormones

Why do teenagers gain weight? hormones

Why do pregnant women gain weight? hormones

Why do middle aged folks gain weight? because they are greedy and lazy - sorry, they need to eat less and move more.

It seems very clear that the answer to all four questions is actually hormones. We are told by authorities and encouraged by advertisers to eat in a way that keeps insulin levels high all the time: plenty of carbs, 3 meals + snacks. Insulin is a fat storage hormone, increases hunger and suppresses satiety, yeah we lose weight.

I think of it differently though: I was on a weight gain diet. Now I am off it, and able to lose weight.