Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

[2big4mysize]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

Actually no calories wasn't a common demoninator in America until recent newscoverage of it. for yrs before TV told us to eat more processed junk food folk who wwre healthy listened to hunger and ate only enough food to satisfy there appetie and stop. Calorie counting had nothing to do with it. farm folk atre more city folk less.

Please don't try to scare folk with starvation mode. It takes weeks of eating below BMR and that is your bodies actual BMR noir some number you get from a site thta has no idea id you are a flufly person or a musclular person of your height and weight.

eating 600 cals on a day you are not hungry is fine nothing bad will happen whenyou got pounds of fat to use as energy/ that is like not filling up the car gas tank when you start out cause you know you got gas already in the tank.The engine doesn't die cause you didn't gas up. If and when if runs out of air or gas it wioll die and iit will give you some warning before it does just as your body will with hunger signals.

[not2late]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

And I don't know what is so wrong with the concept of counting carbs AND counting calories. It's not the same as low cal diets because you have the fats that keep you satisfied longer.

Nothing is wrong with it. But it is wrong to give the impression that you HAVE to count calories on Atkins or else you are doing it wrong. If I HAD to count carbs and calories, I wouldn't have even attempted Atkins.

Labarum's siggy says it best, you don't have to count calories but they do matter. With the natural appetite suppression of ketosis, you will lower your calories provided you don't stuff yourself like a Thanksgiving turkey with every meal or eat out of boredom. If you learn those hunger/satiety cues, counting calories is a redundant exercise because you will learn to eat the amount of food you need for energy purposes. Again, some days I eat more than other days. If I force myself to eat a set number of calories daily, I would feel bloated and yucky on my "less hungry days" and eventually, I'll forget all those natural hunger/satiety cues.

Speaking for myself, I know I gained weight because I'm an over-eater. Losing weight is a big pain in the rear-end for me---I find the whole process extremely horrible. And the last thing I want to do is to go through it all again. And I know, if I lose control over my eating, I'll regain the weight---which is why I'm going through this process slowly to learn hopefully learn about myself and my body to prevent repeating this.

While the fat keeps you satisfied longer, you still have the risk of over-eating the fat. That is the most common problem I see with the OWLers. They increase their carbs as the go up the OWL ladder and they increase the amount of fat they eat. If they keep their fat intake the same or slightly lower (we're talking about 1/2 tablespoon less of butter, cream or oil a day) while they increase their carbs, they seldom run into problems.

Fat has almost twice the calories than protein or carbs. You don't need to eat "alot" of it. I posted the "fat" sticky in the 14 day Forum because I saw too many newbie posts where they were eating cups worth of butter and mayonnaise per meal. I don't chalk that up to Atkins Diet ignorance, I chalk it up to out of control over-eating habits--just like the folks who eat 1 pound of bacon every morning regardless of their degree of satiety because the book says "eat liberally". I remember one poster who was frustrated at not losing weight. She was 5'2" and weighed 130 pounds and wanted to lose 10 pounds. Her typical menu was breakfast: coffee with 3 fluid ounces cream, a mockdanish made from 2 ounces of cream cheese and 2 eggs, lunch: 2 bunless Burger King Whoppers and a side salad, snack: a whole recipe of clouds, dinner: 3 chicken legs, some kind of cooked vegetable with butter. I remember whenever some one advice her to eat only the amount that satisfies her, she would reply, "but I thought we could eat as much as we want?"

I think what happens is that people interpret the "don't count calories" as "calories don't matter---eat as much as you like." Gotta get out of that mindset. Everything you eat or drink does matter, if not calorically then nutritionally.

And I'm convinced through my own experience and the experience of others here if you do take Dr. Atkins' rules to heart and learn about your body, counting calories isn't absolutely positively necessary.

[Jellybean1984]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

I think the whole point is if you want to...good...here is how...if you don't good. To each there own type deal. I personally feel more comfy having something to keep me in line a lil more.

[not2late]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

the thing is if I ate when I was hungry I would eat once a day...

But you don't on Atkins. Here's the Induction Rules relating to meal timing and hunger:

1. Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four or five smaller meals. Do not skip meals or go more than six waking hours without eating.

6. Adjust the quantity you eat to suit your appetite, especially as it decreases. When you're hungry, eat the amount that makes you feel satisfied, but not stuffed. When you're not hungry, eat a small controlled carbohydrate snack to accompany your nutritional supplements.

So if it's been 5 hours since you've last eaten, Rule 6 says you eat a small carb controlled snack.

[Jellybean1984]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

yeah I am doing that...Im just stating if i ate when i was hungry it would be once a day. I think I fully understand both sides and takin both in consideration thanks so much for your help guys
Have a good day!

[cleochatra]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

This has been an awesome thread.

I really appreciate all the discussion here. While we don't always fully agree, we all agree on the thing which matters most: low-carb is the way to go!



Thanks everyone!

[america57]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

Not2late I went over to the 14 Day Induction Forum looking for your Train Your Brain Link, was it a sticky? I am really interested in the appetite scale. Can you give me some help finding it? I find that I am not hungry but eat anyway, just because it's the time I always eat or because I am bored, so I really paid attention to it this week and only ate when I was absolutely sure I was hungry and I lost 4 pounds! Yeah! Anyway, sorry to highjack this thread, this discussion is great! Lots of wonderful information, good ideas going on here! thanks for starting it Cleo!

[not2late]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

It's not a sticky, but I bump it up every so often.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ad.php?t=20175

[cleochatra]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

America-- I don't believe there's such a thing as hijacking. I do believe discussions are taken off in different directions. It's all good, girl!

Megs' link doesn't negate that calories are important. I think the two certainly aren't mutually exclusive. And it does add something to think about while keeping calories in mind.

{{{everyone}}} You guys are wonderful

[cleochatra]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

As an aside:

If anyone has had success watching calories along with Atkins, would you please PM me?

I'd appreciate your stories and input for a project I'm working on.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

see that is just it feed the hunger and you don't keep calories in mind cause you feed only the hunger not the empty space in the belly the menu previously created for the day, nor even all the food on the plate.

Cleo have you even tried Atkins with just feeding your hunger minus any not allowed foods or beverages?

[cleochatra]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

Sure I have 2big! I do that everyday. Still, counting calories helps informationally and I can honestly say I've lost more when I wasn't ODing on the mayonnaise than when I was.

*lol*

[RationalBeing]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

Cleo, awesome post. Truely excellent.

I have two key points to add really:

1) Atkins is really low calorie through hunger supression. When in ketosis we do not get as hungry, its just the nature of our bodies. This is, for me the #1 reason why I failed at every other diet, and succeeded on atkins. I can't work and run a successful career while feeling my stomach is attacking me with hunger, so I always failed on other diets! Atkins rocks for this.
2) Water consumption. To be honest I think that 50% of america's obesity problem is related to consumption of soda & sugar drinks instead of water! Often we feel hungry when in reality its our body's just asking us for water. Thirst, its been scientifically proven, only occurs at a point when the body is way way past dehydration.

Yes, in the end its about calories. Yes there is also a "metabolic advantage" on atkins. However, the BIGGEST reason why atkins works is because when we fill our bellies full of water and eat a lot of meat which is slow to digest, combined with appetite supressing ketosis, we just INADVERTANTLY eat fewer calories. In other words, we eat less but don't notice it.

Just my two cents.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

Sure I have 2big! I do that everyday. Still, counting calories helps informationally and I can honestly say I've lost more when I wasn't ODing on the mayonnaise than when I was.

*lol*

glad to hear you have kicked your DC habit to the curb.
So you feed just your hunger? How do you OD on mayo feeding just your hunger? I know I had to use the 6 hr rule for most of my first 20 months on Atkins cause my apetite was so suppressed at lunch time and following Dr Atkins rules as Megs quoted then above we just have

a small controlled carbohydrate snack

which is very hard to OD on mayo doing that

[cleochatra]

Re: Calories still matter, even on a low-carb plan

2big-- You might be surprised. It's quite easy to overdo the mayonnaise. Again, counting calories showed me that instead of adding a cup of mayonnaise to the tuna salad, I was best off adding a fraction of this!

There's nothing wrong with people using all the tools they have available to them. Caloric intake is but one of those available tools.

{{{2big}}}

Thanks for your feedback!