Should we count calories?

[wannabethintoo]

I think calories count and we should count them.

[Labarum]

Re: Advantages of age

I think calories count and we should count them.

That's what I said in my signature.

But Atkins did understand that if you count only carbs in the beginning, and stick to legal foods, the calories will look after themselves.

As target is approached, both have to be watched.

But to return to the thread?

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

Hey, look at that....it automatically created a new topic...cool.

[Labarum]

Re: Should we count calories?

Is counting calories while on Atkins more important for the over 50s?

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

Well I find that I have to count calories or else I stall and don't lose weight.

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

I'm close to 50...give or take a few years.

[Labarum]

Re: Should we count calories?

And I used Fitday from the start - counting Calories and Carbs.

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

And I used Fitday from the start - counting Calories and Carbs.

Me too. It's so easy to get the carb creep if you don't keep track of what you're eating.

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

This is the way I look at it. On Atkins, even if you count calories, the food you get to eat tastes good....as opposed to low fat, low calorie diets.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Should we count calories?

if you look in Chapter 11 Q and A Dr Atkins clearly tells us total cals in had better be less then total cals out form all buring sources! He never said cals don't matter and he truely believed that we as sane adults would control our mouths and not stuff our bellies full up as we heeded our appetite and ONLY ate enough food to satisfy our hunger at the time we are eating and STOP even if their are carbs left in our budget room in our tummy or food on our plates. it takes a long time to unlearn our conditoning "clean your plate kids are starving in Africa". With his knowledge and belief that fats and proteins are self limiting foods in consumption if he controlled our caloric intake through carb control we would use our hunger signals and limit our total calorie intake.

One serious problem with the low carb frankenfoods is Dr Atkins when he set our boundries never in his wildest dreams envisioned a whole choclate cake with over 3000 cals having only 24 carbs. When he created the plan if you wanted cake you have to have a very very small part like less then a 24th of the whole cale to get those same 24 carbs and it was less then 150 cals according to the cake box nutritional panel info.
Many many new to Atkins folk fail to grasp the meaning of the unlimited in chapter 11 and never read the rest of the book explaining about how new to lessoning to hunger signals eating folk will need to eat a small amount of what is on their plate and stop eating put the food up and walk away. then and only if they are hungry in 30 min can they eat more of the food and again they need to stop and put the rest of the food up.
Dr Atkins could hav used the work calories but he wanted us to learn a new way of control so he said grams of carbs to get us to look at the type of food he could have said 80 cals of carbs.


eating only to satisfy our hunger and stopping when the hunger is satisfied is the hardest Atkins lesson to learn much harder then the mandatory exercise part or the carb counting.

Happy low carbing.

[Bren]

Re: Should we count calories?

I have NEVER intentionally counted calories......NEVER. I think it was a mind set thing with me. When I started Atkins it was like the golden key to me. I spent my entire life counting calories and was so happy NOT too.
I think IF, IF you do Atkins correctly and do the rungs as written it takes care of itself. As you progress up the rung ladder you decrease your calories. At least that is how it worked for me.... at some point during the first 6 months or so I gained CONTROL. I learned that I did not have to stuff myself. I learned how to be satisfied and not full. I learned the first bite tastes as good as the last, so why have so many in between the first and last. That is why Atkins worked for me.
Sure, I would look at my calories and still do as every so often I will punch in a few days on fitday. I focus on eating vegies, fruit and lots of fiber (there creeps in the age thing......lol lol lol).
By doing Atkins I now eat like a HEALTHY individual. The huge amount of fats are no longer needed or wanted. I am satisfied with one egg! One SMALL piece of meat etc etc. Whole/Natural foods are what I eat. Processed tastes AWFUL.
To me Atkins is all about recreating your eating habits! BUT.... I never even realized that until I was well into the program.
So, yes I guess calories do count, I just do not count them!

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

One serious problem with the low carb frankenfoods is Dr Atkins when he set our boundries never in his wildest dreams envisioned a whole choclate cake with over 3000 cals having only 24 carbs.

That's an excellent point 2big. And you're so right....it's very hard to grasp the concept of only eating until you're satisfied. That's why I keep track of my calories.

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

I have NEVER intentionally counted calories......NEVER. I think it was a mind set thing with me. When I started Atkins it was like the golden key to me. I spent my entire life counting calories and was so happy NOT too.
I think IF, IF you do Atkins correctly and do the rungs as written it takes care of itself. As you progress up the rung ladder you decrease your calories. At least that is how it worked for me.... at some point during the first 6 months or so I gained CONTROL. I learned that I did not have to stuff myself. I learned how to be satisfied and not full. I learned the first bite tastes as good as the last, so why have so many in between the first and last. That is why Atkins worked for me.
Sure, I would look at my calories and still do as every so often I will punch in a few days on fitday. I focus on eating vegies, fruit and lots of fiber (there creeps in the age thing......lol lol lol).
By doing Atkins I now eat like a HEALTHY individual. The huge amount of fats are no longer needed or wanted. I am satisfied with one egg! One SMALL piece of meat etc etc. Whole/Natural foods are what I eat. Processed tastes AWFUL.
To me Atkins is all about recreating your eating habits! BUT.... I never even realized that until I was well into the program.
So, yes I guess calories do count, I just do not count them!

You're not paying much attention to calories BUT you're eating sensibly. The problem with a lot of people on Atkins is that although they may be restricting carbs, they are eating too much of the wrong foods. You see so many people's menus that include A LOT of processed meats like pepperoni and such. Those foods are very high in calories (similar to 2big's comment about the low carb cake having low carbs but high calories). It's no wonder they are having trouble losing weight.

[Bren]

Re: Should we count calories?

I agree Wannabe. The lo-carb foods etc. were the worst thing to happen to us, well most of them. I think if we can keep on hammering away at the fact we NEED to eat good, healthy, unprocessed food we will be alot better off. I always think about the gorcery store and how I shop...... I do the entire outside. Only time I really go down aisles is for the "others" I cook for.

[wannabethintoo]

Re: Should we count calories?

I agree Wannabe. The lo-carb foods etc. were the worst thing to happen to us, well most of them. I think if we can keep on hammering away at the fact we NEED to eat good, healthy, unprocessed food we will be alot better off. I always think about the gorcery store and how I shop...... I do the entire outside. Only time I really go down aisles is for the "others" I cook for.

Me too.

It's just sometimes hard to explain to the newbies about the calories and the eating until satisfied. They feel that it's Atkins and it's a free for all as long as they are restricting carbs. Atkins is so much more than just restricting carbs.