Tweet
Re: Week 3: no weight loss, no inches lost
Thank you for saying this so much more clearly than I did. Seriously.
What I should have said and left it at (and was trying to relate) is that being in ketosis does NOT equal weight loss. If you are eating and storing more than you are burning off, it's going to store as fat and it's not going to matter if you're burning fat for energy or not. You wind up essentially replacing it as fast (or faster) as you get rid of it.
Generally speaking, this is true...except that the calories aren't regulated naturally, your appetite is. They calories are only regulated naturally IF you only eat to satisfy your appetite. I dunno about you guys, but I didn't get fat because I ate only to satisfy my appetite and then stopped. This area will eventually need to be watched by most people. It will take longer for some than others, but until we retrain our brains and psyche - over-eating can (and often is - I'm not a huge believer in stalls. I don't find them mysterious - we cause them 99.9% of the time.) and likely will happen. If this is the case, being in ketosis isn't going to matter. Excess is stored as fat. Period.
BMR is so general and just an estimate. I tend to advise people to eat to appetite. Our bodies will tell us what we need, we just have to learn to listen. I refuse to force feed to get to a certain number that's questionable at best when gotten through various online calculators. JMHO.
You're absolutely right. It's not specific to Atkins or low-carb eating. Reduction in calories (whether you choose to do that through fat or carb) is necessary to lose body fat. You have to eat less than you use up.
You can, however, absolutely claim that whatever eating plan you're following is the cause of your success. Had you not chose an eating plan, regardless of what it is, you wouldn't have success.
People often mistake Atkins as claiming that you don't have to reduce to lose. He said no such thing. Dr. Atkins said himself that someone eating at induction levels and taking in 2000 calories a day will not lose as fast as someone eating at induction levels and taking in 1000 calories a day. It's common sense. What Dr. Atkins did say is that there's a metabolic advantage to ketosis (burn more without doing more, per say) and that as a result of ketosis you experience appetite suppression.
The bottom line is that we have to find the path that we can follow comfortably to get to where we want to go. If eating low-fat gets you there, that's awesome. I tried several times to get where I'm at today doing the low-fat thing and it didn't work for me and the way I eat. I found that eating low-carb worked much better for me overall. I was less hungry, had plenty of energy, it made it easier for me to not feel deprived (to me sacrifice is no real cheese, mayo, ranch or bacon!), and to stick to it - cuz NO weight loss plan works unless you stick to it.
I can say without a doubt that the Atkins woe is a big part of why I lost weight, but I will not say that's all of it. It wouldn't be true. I exercise regularly, but I do it for more than just heart health. I exercise regularly to increase my BMR, to increase my strength, to improve my posture, reduce stress, sleep better, reduce risk factors like osteoporosis, etc etc. It's a big picture thing! I know lots of thin people that aren't healthy. I never intend to be one of them!
~Brook
Don't be down hearted, our bodies are set for survival! Being in ketosis does mean you are burning adipose body fat, keytones can only be produced by the breaking down of our body fat and not directly through your days dietry intake. If you would like the Bio-Chem overview of this I can provide you with it, it's always debated but medically speaking, it is the case.
What I should have said and left it at (and was trying to relate) is that being in ketosis does NOT equal weight loss. If you are eating and storing more than you are burning off, it's going to store as fat and it's not going to matter if you're burning fat for energy or not. You wind up essentially replacing it as fast (or faster) as you get rid of it.
Now, as for calories. Dr. Atkins said that for the first few weeks, calories don't matter. This is because you are getting your body into ketosis and detoxing your system of the nasty carbs/sugars. As you enter and become established in ketosis, your appetite decreases and you naturally don't eat as much. So the calories are regulated naturally.
BMR is so general and just an estimate. I tend to advise people to eat to appetite. Our bodies will tell us what we need, we just have to learn to listen. I refuse to force feed to get to a certain number that's questionable at best when gotten through various online calculators. JMHO.
k, the devil's advocate role.....40-minutes of exercise a day, reduction in calories, reducing some "fatier" products like mayo and cheese....results in weight loss. This is not specific to Atkins or low carb eating. This is true of any diet! If you exercise this much, this often, and reduce calorie intake, you cannot necessarily claim that you lost weight due to low-carb eating. All diets advocate exercise and a reduction in calories. Isn't this the claim Atkins' critics proclaim all the time?
You can, however, absolutely claim that whatever eating plan you're following is the cause of your success. Had you not chose an eating plan, regardless of what it is, you wouldn't have success.
People often mistake Atkins as claiming that you don't have to reduce to lose. He said no such thing. Dr. Atkins said himself that someone eating at induction levels and taking in 2000 calories a day will not lose as fast as someone eating at induction levels and taking in 1000 calories a day. It's common sense. What Dr. Atkins did say is that there's a metabolic advantage to ketosis (burn more without doing more, per say) and that as a result of ketosis you experience appetite suppression.
The bottom line is that we have to find the path that we can follow comfortably to get to where we want to go. If eating low-fat gets you there, that's awesome. I tried several times to get where I'm at today doing the low-fat thing and it didn't work for me and the way I eat. I found that eating low-carb worked much better for me overall. I was less hungry, had plenty of energy, it made it easier for me to not feel deprived (to me sacrifice is no real cheese, mayo, ranch or bacon!), and to stick to it - cuz NO weight loss plan works unless you stick to it.
I can say without a doubt that the Atkins woe is a big part of why I lost weight, but I will not say that's all of it. It wouldn't be true. I exercise regularly, but I do it for more than just heart health. I exercise regularly to increase my BMR, to increase my strength, to improve my posture, reduce stress, sleep better, reduce risk factors like osteoporosis, etc etc. It's a big picture thing! I know lots of thin people that aren't healthy. I never intend to be one of them!
~Brook
Comment