I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

[msanjelpie]

Yesterday was my 5 month anniversary on Atkins. I've lost 33 lbs and I'm content with the speed of loss and the way the diet makes me feel.

BUT

I want a change... Tonight we went out for Mexican dinner. I had my beef taco, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing, no chips, no taco shell and no rice. I kept looking at that rice and knowing that it was low calorie, I just wanted it! I didn't have any.

So I talked it over with hubby. How I've been at a steady 1500 calories per day for 5 months. And I think if I stay in that territory, I'm assuming that I should lose at the same rate. I could be completely wrong. And that's what I want to find out.

So, I'm doing an experiment for the next month. I'm going to keep my calories at the same 1500 per day, but not count carbs. I'm pretty excited about the new foods I'll be eating, and thinking about some that I won't be able to have as much of anymore. (butter/mayo etc...) I still plan on entering all of my foods into fitday.

I'm worried about hunger because for me that's the greatest benefit of ketosis, is the loss of hunger. I'm worried about blood sugar spikes too. But I'm willing to try this for a month, and I'm wondering how I'll feel a month from now.

Anyone else switch from one to the other or vice versa?

[hopejoy]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

Good luck with that, I keep thinking I can do that and I end up getting hungrier and then eating too much of the carbs. Then I just feel gross even if I don't gain, it stalls me for ages.
Congratulations on the 33 lbs.

[liv]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

Counting calories is like death for me. I get obsessed with foods and eat everything in site. And I mean everything
I always thought that you kept your calories too low. I think if I was going to change things around a bit that is the thing I would do.
But I wish you luck.

[ErinB]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

What you describe is pretty much what I was trying to do for the year before I started Atkins. I lost nothing, even though I toughed it out and was relatively successful at keeping the calories around 1500.

Then I moved to Atkins and I lost slowly for 13 months, around 5.5 lbs per month.

July 7th I hit onederland. I saw a few more pounds come off and then the scale threw all that out and I bounced between 198 and 202 all month.

I recently discussed some of this with Georgiana and, as a result, have increased my net carbs to 30g, started listening to the hunger pangs and upped the protein to 100-110g per day. All this has increased the calorie count, but I have tried not to let that bother me.

Although I am not certain I've found the key yet ... too soon ... the past few days the scale has moved steadily downward to a new low this morning of 196.2.

I think, if I were you, I would want to change the menus around to include new recipes/foods to keep my interest and help me resist the rice. But then I really do not want to go back to feeling hungry and I really don't want to lose the wonderful way I feel on this plan.

If you do this, I hope you'll turn around and run back as soon as you see loss of ground in weight loss, in hunger feelings or start to feel bad. A whole month can do a lot of damage. So many have done this and been unable to turn it around until they gained all their weight back and often more. I wouldn't want to see that happen to you.

[MelTin]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

I think that you will regain at least half of the 33 pounds you have lost within the next month by trying the switch to low cal. I hope I am wrong. Good Luck. Whatever happens, please kepp us informed for future reference.

[mizski]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

So I talked it over with hubby. How I've been at a steady 1500 calories per day for 5 months. And I think if I stay in that territory, I'm assuming that I should lose at the same rate. I could be completely wrong. And that's what I want to find out.

So, I'm doing an experiment for the next month. I'm going to keep my calories at the same 1500 per day, but not count carbs. I'm pretty excited about the new foods I'll be eating, and thinking about some that I won't be able to have as much of anymore. (butter/mayo etc...) I still plan on entering all of my foods into fitday.

I'm worried about hunger because for me that's the greatest benefit of ketosis, is the loss of hunger. I'm worried about blood sugar spikes too. But I'm willing to try this for a month, and I'm wondering how I'll feel a month from now.

Anyone else switch from one to the other or vice versa?

I recently switched from South Beach to Atkins. For those not familiar with the SBD, it is a low fat, lower calorie, lower/good carb plan. Now, the SBD is an excellent plan that promotes a very healthy eating style, however, after the initial first few months, I found that I wasn't really losing much weight.

I believe it was the carbs. Even doing the unofficial Phase 1.5 (one fruit and one starch/day) with the required serving of dairy and beans/legumes daily, the scale wasn't moving much at all. I tried going back to their Phase 1 (their equivalent of the Atkins Induction) with no starches or fruits (but still with the required beans & dairy) and still the scale moved slowly.

Even though it wasn't required on SBD, I used FitDay and kept my calorie range to ~1200-1500. That is approximately the same calorie range I am doing right now with Atkins, however my CARBS are a fraction of what they were with SBD. (My fats are now much higher too but I don't know enough about how that works yet.) The scale is now zipping downward (18#s lost during Induction and still moving down during my first week of OWL rung 1)!

The other thing is like you mentioned, you have to give up a lot of the fats that you have on Atkins. Although my creative, low-fat meals on SBD were tasty, I was always left with a degree of un-satisfaction and sometimes a gnawing hunger. I do believe it was the carbs, even though they were good carbs. After almost 3 weeks on Atkins, I don't have these feelings and man oh man am I loving having full-fat (i.e., full flavor) foods again.

I know there are many who claim that it's all about calories and it doesn't matter what those calories are (that's Weight Watchers Points theory) but I am not one of them. I found that the same 1200-1500 calorie range had very different results depending upon what made up those calories. For me, it is all about the carbs.

Good luck on your experiment and please let us know how it is going.

[marvid486]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

I think you should try increasing your fat intake before you go back to carbs. This could be the key for you.....?

[not2late]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

Yesterday was my 5 month anniversary on Atkins. I've lost 33 lbs and I'm content with the speed of loss and the way the diet makes me feel.

BUT

I want a change... Tonight we went out for Mexican dinner. I had my beef taco, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing, no chips, no taco shell and no rice. I kept looking at that rice and knowing that it was low calorie, I just wanted it! I didn't have any.

So I talked it over with hubby. How I've been at a steady 1500 calories per day for 5 months. And I think if I stay in that territory, I'm assuming that I should lose at the same rate. I could be completely wrong. And that's what I want to find out.

So, I'm doing an experiment for the next month. I'm going to keep my calories at the same 1500 per day, but not count carbs. I'm pretty excited about the new foods I'll be eating, and thinking about some that I won't be able to have as much of anymore. (butter/mayo etc...) I still plan on entering all of my foods into fitday.

I'm worried about hunger because for me that's the greatest benefit of ketosis, is the loss of hunger. I'm worried about blood sugar spikes too. But I'm willing to try this for a month, and I'm wondering how I'll feel a month from now.

Anyone else switch from one to the other or vice versa?

Good luck to you.

Just keep in mind that rice and other grains are perfectly legal during OWL and Pre-Maintenance Phases. So unless you purposefully stay on Induction, those types of foods can be added to your Atkins menu.

[Empyre]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

I'm curious about cravings. I hope we get some feedback on the results.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

I tried low cal, which means lower fat for four weeks a couple of years ago. I did Ann Gittleman's Fat Flush diet by the book: 1,200 calories a day, lots of fruits (all were pretty low carb) and veggies in the measured quantities allowed and I ate only the flax oil that the diet requires. Meat portions were very small. I weighed and measured everything. I ate meals and snacks on schedule.

The first week I jumped up 3 pounds, I stayed the same the next week and then lost 2 pounds. At the end of the month, I was still up a pound for all the hunger I endured. I still wasn't eating bread and starchy veggies, but the cravings came back with a vengeance. I was extremely happy to go back to Atkins.

The one thing you have to remember: Low carb keeps water weight low. Carbs require fluid to be processed and metabolized. Any time you are eating carbs like rice, you will retain more fluid just to process the extra carbs.

It's your choice to make and you can always come back to Atkins if it doesn't work out for you.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

Another thing, not at a restaurant, but at home, you can make cauli-rice to take the place of that rice you "want." I use cauli-rice in my currys, Southern red beans and "rice" and jambalaya and serve it to non-low carbers and they love it. Sometimes you just need to find a substitute for a food that you are missing or just "want."

One thing many of us have found is that the missed food or the one we are craving doesn't taste as good as we remember. Our tastes change after a while on Atkins.

It's your choice and if it doesn't work out, you can come back to Atkins and start over.

[dthomps]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

I want to wish you the best of luck! And after a few months or even weeks, I hope you'll check back in here and let us know how you're doing.
Are you feeling hungry?
Losing at about the same rate?
That sort of thing. I came to Atkins after low fat (WW) and I'm much happier with this, BUT I do miss the convenience of other diets. I've also wondered since I've destroyed my hunger on this diet if I could switch and still feel okay. Keep us posted and good luck!

[EverLosing]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

I want to wish you the best of luck! And after a few months or even weeks, I hope you'll check back in here and let us know how you're doing.
Are you feeling hungry?
Losing at about the same rate?
That sort of thing. I came to Atkins after low fat (WW) and I'm much happier with this, BUT I do miss the convenience of other diets. I've also wondered since I've destroyed my hunger on this diet if I could switch and still feel okay. Keep us posted and good luck!

Oh, my goodness.... I've read this post a few times with a little sadness.

I think most of us have wondered in the corner of our mind at one time or another if we'd be able to "go back" to "healthy" eating and totally reintroduce carbs. Wondered if we could "switch." Hmmm, yeah well, let me just tell you my recent experience.

I flew off plan after my grandfather died July 10th. I stayed off plan for roughly 6 days. Yep, I allowed the comfort food to comfort me. I live in the South....d@mn fine comfort food here. My honest opinion to all you wonderers who were led to this WOE because there was a "problem" somewhere in the past....whether your problem was fat, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, whatever your weakness WAS, your weakness pretty much always IS. I've consumed carbage (good and BAD) in the past month....off and on. Don't fool yourself into believing you can "handle" it. I've had a very difficult time feeling satiated eating bad carbs. It's like my body doesn't feel full at all. I feel "empty" outside this WOE and then fall prey to cravings. It's an ugly vicious cycle. Oh, good grief, I can't imagine 1,500 low fat calories. Impale me, now!!! Just run a sword somewhere through my middle. Uh, yeah, did I mention that sword would probably feel better than the way my body feels on carbs now. Our bodies have a remarkable way of adapting to this WOE that hopefully, most of us will never realize because they don't go off plan. Stomach pain, absolute sleepiness, LONG naps, gas and poo issues, my feeling of wellbeing swiped away from me....need I say more?

You certainly have free will and I'd never assume to take that away from you BUT, please, please, please!!!! WATCH THAT SCALE!!! And "adjust" your plan accordingly. You can pretty much bet you actually weigh roughly 10 pounds more on a low fat, low cal diet. That's just the extra water you're going to need for your body to manage that way of eating. I haven't found a weight yet that I'm comfortable at and willing to let another 10 crawl up on me. I just don't want you to wait an entire month and pack on a lot of weight. You have worked too hard to let all that hard work go. Do let us know. I wish you love and luck no matter what. Don't make us miss you for too long. Oh, and obviously, it wouldn't break my heart if you'd reconsider!! Don't want to miss you at all!!

[RitaCeleste]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

Well, I went off for awhile. I gained in the 10 pound range just from holding water. The weight you lost in induction will probably return to you right fast. You probably won't loose at the same rate with the carbs in the mix. I was just trying to hold my own off any plan. On days I stayed below a certain number of carbs, my hunger was less. So I suggest you keep counting the carbs and see if certain amounts per day affect your hunger and desire to overeat. I think you'll find that you can maintain your weight and allow some treats and still be in a low carb range, like 60g or 70g. But I said maintain, not really loose. My kid can cut her calories some and still loose weight and eat whatever. I can't. I go and eat something super carby and I eat and eat and never get full later. And going off Atkins was great for a little while. Not so great when I was hungery. Not so great when the scales were moving in the wrong direction. But my kid can loose weight just by reducing her snacks. So its possible for some people. Good Luck!

[msanjelpie]

Re: I'm switching from Low Carb to Low Cal

Hi guys.... just so you know I'm not going anywhere... this board has been my lifeline for 5 months, and no matter what the outcome gain/lose low carb/low cal etc... I'll still be here checking in several times a day...

So far for today I'm around 550 calories, 4 grams of fat and 96 carbs. I'm noticing some queasiness after eating, urine smelling sugary, sweet things tasting too sweet and I have to eat more often than every 6 hours.

I might not make it the whole month, but at least then I'll know one way or the other...