I have recently restarted the lchf diet and have been doing a lot of research during the course of which I came across a site called Healthline . In the article I was reading they were discussing why some people don’t lose weight using low - carb diets . Two of the reasons were ‘ eating too many calories ‘ and ‘ eating too much dairy . It also suggested using a carb and calorie counting app .
I really didn’t think I needed an app , or that I needed to count calories or dairy . If it is then I’ve misunderstood this whole thing !
If you're following a low carb plan, once you know which the lower and higher carb foods are, you don't need to count anything. You may go overboard on some foods initially but you'll settle down and be able to rely on your appetite to let you know when to eat and when to stop. About 1/3 of the way down this page dietdoctor.com/low-carb you'll see visual guides to the different food groups.
Just one point: as you reduce carbs, you need to make sure you're getting sufficient healthy fats in your diet. You probably know this but I'm just mentioning it as you don't refer to it in your post.
You might like to join the LCHF forum healthunlocked.com/lchf-diet and talk to people there. You might also like to use the Daily Diary: there are plenty of lchf eaters there who would be happy to talk about their plans.
Hi, I do low carb and don't use an app or count calories, but I do keep a check on my dairy. Would you like to join us on the weigh in? Here's the link, hope to see you there! x
Thank you to all who replied to my post . In view of the comments made , would you recommend using a carb / calorie counting app ? I so which ( free ) one would you suggest ? Thanks.
Hello Hidden Good to see you on. I follow a LC way of eating. Sometimes I track, with Track my food on Fitbit, I know others use Myfitness pal. It can help getting used to how many carbs, protein and fat is in your meals. I also have found it helpful for carb creep. I find planning my food on the Daily Diary is a massive help on forum too. All the best.
Low carb helps curb excess appetite, so for many people it works without additional calorie counting if they don’t over-eat. For those still prone to eating butter straight out the tub (I’m looking at me here), additional calorie counting for a few weeks can be helpful to curb unnecessary calories (losing weight does come down to energy in vs energy out, even on low carb!).
The short answer is, no, you do have to count and I agree with smartoak, that it comes down to feeling less hungry on a very low carb diet. I’ve combined low carb and calorie counting and it worked but was tiring. Now I’ve gone keto (strict low carb) which works better for me as I never feel hungry. I don’t count calories and macros but am a aware that I have to get enough protein (it’s only an issue because I don’t eat meat, never did) and that I can’t just eat whipped cream for breakfast 🤣 I eat a mountain of veggies every day - that’s where my carbs come from.
I too follow LCHF. I used to calorie count before i changed over so i roughly know what i'm eating without actually counting - it did take a while to let go of the calorie counting though as it was like a safety net. I did find myself eating too many fats/dairy so i changed from planning meals daily to weekly. I find this makes me more conscious of my meals over a longer time so its keeping them more balanced. xx
I think we need to make the distinctions between carbs and calories.
Carbs are one of our major food types and from the little I've read too many can lead to insulin resistance which in part drives cravings. Restricting carbs often leads to replacing them with lower calorie dense food groups like vegetables.
Calories is a unit of energy. All food groups have calories and while our bodies will burn calories from any food group there are differences but to be honest I don't think we need worry too much about this. If we eat more calories than we burn then we put on weight. It doesn't matter where these calories come.
I think the comment on Healthline on dairy is that they can be high in fat. Fat has a high calorie density so you need to be careful how much you eat. On the plus side fat can be good for sating an appetite so eating just a little helps you feel full.
So yes, if a low carb diet isn't leading to weight loss then look at calorie intake and if dairy is a problem then that too. However for many just reducing carbs is enough.
BTW I'm a great believer in low carb but also in looking at calorie intake over those burnt. So I also make sure I know my Basal Metabolic Rate and to a degree track my exercise. However after a while you get a feel for how many calories our in certain foods so you don't need to constantly check 😀
I tried to follow different LCHF diets, with meat and dairy, only with meat and also vegetarian and vegan.
For the vegetarian LCHF diet I always got weekly eating plans with 3 meals, 1 or 2 protein shakes and one snack with exactly which amount and how to cook/prepare everything. That was a professional, you have to pay for it course.
But I don't think that 16 whole eggs in 6 days and tons of butter and coconut oil are healthy for a woman or is helpful loosing weight or keeping your cholesterol and micros on a healthy balance without adding vitamin or mineral tablets.
Maybe they are good to lose weight but I can't believe that someone can eat forever this restricted and with too much fat without getting sick.
Where do you get the 16 eggs in 6 days and tons of butter and coconut oil? That's a misleading representation of the lchf plan. If that's from the plan you paid for, I'm not surprised you gave it up
But from my former experience with LCHF I would never do anything again without checking the daily/weekly calories and especially the macros and micros.
During the time I followed the different styles I also didn't count anything.
But when I started my journey again last November and in the German group they mentioned my strange eating habits I searched for old plans and added everything to a daily calories' calculator.
When I restarted my weight loosing journey in November the German group was shocked about my amount of eggs and oil in my food. And then I thought where it came from and figured out that it was from my former LCHF experience.
And that 16 eggs and tons of butter and oil are not from my memory, I still have the meal plans and also the cooking books.
Yes, he was a nutritionist and fitness trainer and offered an easy 'all around' plan for eating and exercising, and online support and a group chat. I paid and tried it nearly one year, but was never really successful losing weight or happy with my meals.
The vegan one wasn't much better, his books are famous in Germany and lots of folks follow him and his diet, but when you look at himself his body is always a jo-jo.
One vegan green salad to go = a total of 6 Tbsp olive and granola oil and nearly all recipes with a lot of agave syrup.
And the 2 Amerikans I followed last year with keto, one from them still has their weight and what I don't like with her plan and also the plan from the German was that you have to add several supplements to stay healthy and get the most of the diet.
That's very disappointing for you. I'd just like to assure you that it's nothing like what is understood as a lchf plan on this forum, or the LCHF forum. I'm sure you can see that from the meal plans posted on the Daily Diary
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x 
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