Do Calories Matter or Not?

[valkyrieh]

Hi,

I haven't started induction yet. I'm planning on starting after the holidays, when I have a more realistic chance of succeeding. In the meantime, I'm reading the book and the forums, trying to get all my planning and education done.

I am a little confused about calories. In the book, it says you don't have to count calories. If that's the case, why are the portions so specific in the menus? For example, breakfast: two eggs, two turkey sausage.

If that's all I ate for breakfast I'd be freaking starving.

Most of the food/recipes I see look like they are cutting out a lot of the fat. For example, when chicken is mentioned it's always skinless. Why? I thought fat and calories were not an emphasis. What am I missing?

[liv]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

What menus are you reading?

Some people carry old calorie habits with them into Atkins and it takes a while to get used to add or keep the fat around. Some people are not comfortable with the saturated fat so they prefer to use olive oil or something. That is fine.

If on induction I do not worry a bout quantities but eat fairly liberally. Fat and protein are for the most part self limiting so most people do not over eat.

[valkyrieh]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

I'm reading the menus in the book by Dr. Atkins. One-Week Induction Menu in Chapter 18. And I've also been reading some of the menus posted on this board.

I see that, ultimately, this is just another low calorie diet. Low carb/low calorie. I was just reading the OWL forum. Looks like calories definitely matter. I was hoping to find something that didn't involve weighing and measuring and calorie counting. But I guess there is no way around calorie counting.

[liv]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

Not it is not another low calorie diet. Calories will maybe matter down the road. I have done this two years and I do not count them.

I think the recipes in the book add lots of oil, eggs and cream. If you ran it through fitday you would probably see that they are quite fatty

Many of us use FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal as a tool

Check out the recipes here too

Here is a good webpage to look at
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

Also check out this thread with induction recipes.
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...n-recipes.html (Never ending induction recipes) (Never ending induction recipes)

But this diet does involve weighing and measuring because you will have to count the carbs.

[valkyrieh]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

Thanks, Liv. And you look fabulous! So you are certainly inspiring.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

>> I see that, ultimately, this is just another low calorie diet. Low carb/low calorie.>>

No, Atkins is not that at all!

>>I guess there is no way around calorie counting>>

It's really only need on Atkins to "problem solve" ... generally when someone isn't eating enough.

Of course, some people still count calories by choice.

[Grant]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

I've never counted calories. Measuring foods so you can count the carbs is really the only important thing. Later on you'll measure less as you'll already know how large a portion 1 cup of, say, broccoli is, but you'll never get away from it completely.

[Skeptika23]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

I pay attention to calories - only because I have trouble getting ENOUGH some days while on Induction.

[thefemalegreenday]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

I pay attention to calories ( keeps me sane ).. It really depends on how much your actually eating and what your exercise is like, no diet will let you pig out all day sadly.

[valkyrieh]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

Yeah, i don't expect to be able to pig out. But part of the reason I thought Atkins might work for me was that I was under the impression I wouldn't have to cut calories drastically, just change the types of food I eat, or cut out carbs. But everything I'm reading now is making it look like calories definitely matter, and this is just another low calorie diet. The only difference is that it's also low carb. I don't pig out, but when I was doing WW, 1 T of olive oil used up a quarter of my daily points. It' stuff like that I was hoping to avoid.

For example, the menu I'm talking about that is in his book--If you count all of that up, it's about 1400 calories a day. The reason I fail at things like WW is because I feel hungry, starving really, on low calorie diets. And 1400 calories is low calorie to me. I probably eat 1800 calories a day normally.

[Elizellen]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

Try to ignore calories initially, count carbs instead and eat till no longer hungry and you should be fine

Some days it might take 4 eggs and 3 sausages (check their ingredients to make sure there are no added starches - in UK some sausages have 60% breadcrumbs etc added and only 30% meat in them it was reported recently) and some days one egg and 2 sausages or bacon slices will make you no longer hungry.

You might be one of the many lucky people who never need to restrict calories at all So concentrate on measuring food only to know how many net carbs you are eating, get most of your up to 20 net carbs from your vegetables and see how you do.

[Grant]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

I hear that. I tried low fat diets in the past and would always be hungry, waiting for the next meal and obsessing over food.

Nice thing about Atkins is you that you are allowed, even encouraged, to eat a good amount of healthy fat. That fat, besides making food taste good, also does a very good job at satisfying hunger. I'm probably eating fewer calories then I ever have before, but I just don't notice because I feel satiated after meals, and if I feel hungry it's perfectly fine to grab a legal snack and not feel guilty.

[not2late]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

Yeah, i don't expect to be able to pig out. But part of the reason I thought Atkins might work for me was that I was under the impression I wouldn't have to cut calories drastically, just change the types of food I eat, or cut out carbs. But everything I'm reading now is making it look like calories definitely matter, and this is just another low calorie diet. The only difference is that it's also low carb. I don't pig out, but when I was doing WW, 1 T of olive oil used up a quarter of my daily points. It' stuff like that I was hoping to avoid.

For example, the menu I'm talking about that is in his book--If you count all of that up, it's about 1400 calories a day. The reason I fail at things like WW is because I feel hungry, starving really, on low calorie diets. And 1400 calories is low calorie to me. I probably eat 1800 calories a day normally.

Have you read Chapter 7 The Metabolic Advantage yet? Dr. Atkins' patient ate almost 2000 calories per day and lost weight.

The bottomline is that calories do matter: Dr. Atkins writes that in Chapter 11's FAQ section. But since there is a metabolic advantage with a low carb diet, you don't need to calorie restrict as severely as you would on a low calorie diet.

Additionally, a side effect of ketosis/lipolysis is appetite suppression. So the feeling hungry all the time sensation is not typical on Atkins, unless you do calorie restrict yourself.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

>>I was under the impression I wouldn't have to cut calories drastically,>>

How many calories were you eating?

No one on Atkins should be eating less than 1500.

1800 is probably fine for you.

[adreliluc]

Re: Do Calories Matter or Not?

As Not2Late said, when doing Atkins you get the metabolic advantage.
What's great about induction and during most of OWL is that your really don't get that hungry.

I didn't count calories, weigh or measure anything for the first few years at all.
When I got closer and closer to my goal weight only then did I have to start watching the amount of food I ate. But even now, if I'm hungry I eat. I don't worry about calories much at all. When you're eating something you're concern is the carbs. Not the calories.

WW didn't work for me because I was always hungry. Eating 'everything in moderation' doesn't work for a lot of people and eating in moderation isn't going to leave you feeling satisfied. Not to mention when you eat foods with sugar or foods that your body turns into sugar you're constantly on an insulin producing rollercoaster = cravings and hunger.

In the end it does come down to in-go vs.. out-go - but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to 'count' calories. If you eat in moderation and stay conscious of what and how much you're eating and make sure to get in your exercise then you really shouldn't worry too much about it unless you start to regain.