calorie question

[alaska1204]

im back again with yet another question!! I noticed that i am keeping almost perfect with the 65% fat and 35%protein and under 20 carbs a day, but my calories are up in the 1700s!!! is that still okay? i have read the book but i guess i need reassurance that for me being 175 pounds 1700 calories is okay! thanks guys!

[julirama723]

Re: calorie question

It's OK!

Most of the time, people are NOT EATING ENOUGH on induction. It's refreshing to see someone who is eating a healthy amount. Just make sure you're eating to feed your hunger. On induction, you really don't have to worry about calories UNLESS you're not eating 1200 or more.

You might notice that as time goes on (during induction) your appetite will lessen and you might eat less. That's ok, too. Just make sure you're listening to your body. If you are hungry, by all means, EAT!

[Elizellen]

Re: calorie question

DR Atkins says in chapter 1 : The Promise

The metabolic effect resulting from excess insulin production can be circumvented by controlling carbohydrates. When you control your intake of refined carbohydrates, you avoid the foods that cause you to be fat.

• This metabolic correction is so striking that some of you will be able to lose weight eating a higher number of calories than you've been eating on diets top-heavy in carbohydrates.

And in Chapter 2

Don't Excess Calories Cause Weight Gain?
It is true that gaining weight results from taking in more calories than you expend. But excess calories certainly cause you to pile on the pounds-and this is a gigantic "but"-only when you are eating a lot of carbohydrate along with fat.

So it's time to abandon the assumption that the only way to lose weight is to strictly control your intake of calories. Many people think that only one thing matters: how many calories you take in and use up. It's not that simple.

When you follow a controlled carbohydrate approach, you get what I call a "metabolic advantage. When you control carbohydrate consumption sufficiently, your body will switch from burning glucose derived from carbohydrate to burning primarily fat for energy. This means you could eat, say, 2,000 calories and still begin losing pounds and inches.

In contrast, if you were consuming 2,000 calories on a low-fat diet, you might not lose weight, and you might actually gain weight. The metabolic advantage is that burning fat takes more energy so you expend more calories. And if you eat fewer calories-as many Atkins people do because their appetite is usually diminished-you'll likely lose weight even faster. So it's not that calories don't count, it's just that you will burn more of them, with less hunger, when your body is operating on a fat-based metabolism.

When I published the first edition of this book ten years ago, that claim was quite controversial. Today it is galloping into acceptance among scientists who study the human metabolism. Glance through the references listed at the back of this book and you will see the numerous studies and articles published in the past six years. And, we will deal with the metabolic advantage in greater detail in Chapter 7.

Chapter 7 makes interesting reading for anyone worried about counting calories!!


I often wish that it was possible to 'customise' fitday so it didnt show the calories total to help those of us longterm perpetual dieters who are too fixated on calorie counting!!

Though we are told not to worry about calories especially when starting induction, many websites suggest that eating the same number of calories as your weight in pounds times 10 to 12 is about right for losing weight, so dont worry about the numbers.

[mitzimarie]

Re: calorie question

Though we are told not to worry about calories especially when starting induction, many websites suggest that eating the same number of calories as your weight in pounds is about right for losing weight, so dont worry about the numbers.

Same number of calories as your weight in pounds? LOL... I think I need more than 164 calories a day.

[Carbaholic]

Re: calorie question

DR Atkins says in chapter 1 : Though we are told not to worry about calories especially when starting induction, many websites suggest that eating the same number of calories as your weight in pounds is about right for losing weight, so dont worry about the numbers.

is that right? should I only be eating 170 calories or could that perhaps be a typo???

[Elizellen]

Re: calorie question

Oops - I meant to say your weight in pounds times 10 to 12!!

[MooseRLP]

Re: calorie question

Oops - I meant to say your weight in pounds times 10 to 12!!

So does that mean I should be eating 3400 calories a day. Holy Cow!! That is alot of food!! I am averaging 1400 a day during induction and I think I am eating alot.

[alaska1204]

Re: calorie question

lol..you guys are great! thanks so much for that! i was getting nervous there for awhile eating so many calories but by what you guys said i am right on the money! thanks again!