Im soo confused about this. Im needing to lose weight but what should I do...eat less cals or carbs? Does anyone really know for sure?

Hi :wave: I am lost as well as what the best way to go is. With what foods to eat and the best exercise to do for certain parts of the body. I guess any little bit of exercising helps though and with the carbs and calories I think you need to watch both and don't over eat to many on both things. Not sure how many is to many though. But I read somewhere that some people wasn't losing the weight on the Adkins diet and it was because they didn't eat any carbs but they went way over board and was eating way to many calories.

Think of it this way, the man who created the Atkins diet, had died because of severe health problems due to a low carb life. Stick to low-fat/low calorie diet and plenty of exercise, even if it's just walking or swimming, and you'll lose the weight. ;)

It makes sense to me why people lose weight quickly on low-carb plans, but I don't know how sustainable/healthy it is in the long run. Personally, I am WAY addicted to all of the bad carbs...white flour, processed sugar, and junk food type stuff. So getting rid of those things makes sense to me, but I just can't see myself staying on an ultra-low-carb "diet". I think it seems healthier to just limit yourself to only "good" carbs. But what do I know, I am 100 pounds overweight right now...just wanted to share some thoughts :)

You are on the right track girl!
You know in your mind whats right for you and whats not. We all can't do the same diet and be alright with it and just aknowledging that you know that shows you're doing whats right for you and you also know thats not eating everything and anything.
You're doing good :)

I'm currently on a low fat diet

I have a site on this, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post it :S (it is a record of EVERYTHING that I have eaten, and done for exercise since I started it last tuesday - including my whopping 101 grams of fat intake last monday - eating what I thought was moderate meals)

I started off at 235 lbs this weekend. With plenty of exercise and sticking to a low fat diet (no cheating!) it is now Thursday and I'm 232!! (awesome :D)

Breakfast: Bowl of fruit

Lunch: 1 peanut butter sandwich (1 tbsp pb) and Grape jam on whole wheat (Sobey's High Fibre/Low fat - tastes GREAT!!) - 1 "Cup-a-Soup": (Lipton, beef noodle) - 18 baked corn chips with salsa - 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese

Dinner: 1 chicken breast - 2 skewers of shrimp (both grilled on bbq) - 1/2 cup cottage cheese & small salad with 1/2calorie dressing (1 tbsp French Kraft Dressing)

Believe it or not, your body burns between 30 - 40 grams of fat naturally during the day (with moderate exercise - walking...)

My entire daily fat intake was less that 15 grams of fat.

It seems like a LOT of food, it's high in protein and low in fat. If you feel you're hungry in between, munch on some fruit and drink PLENTY of water. (I drink 2000ml a day - 8 cups)

Im soo confused about this. Im needing to lose weight but what should I do...eat less cals or carbs? Does anyone really know for sure?I just responded to a similar question in the "weight loss" forum - here is my answer from that thread:

First of all, you are comparing apples to oranges - the question you are asking really cannot be answered. All foods have calories, including carbohydrates. Whether you count calories or not, you may or may not be consuming an appropriate amount of carbs. It is possible to restrict carbohydrates while counting calories, and many people do. It is also possible to consume too many calories while restricting carbs.

Carbohydrate deprivation does result in faster weight loss - primarily water weight and loss of lean muscle mass. While its true that a carb-restricted diets leads to increased fat burning, the body will typically get 60% of its required fuel from protein and muscle mass. Then when the diet is abandoned, at least 1/3, but often all of the weight lost will be gained back, unless the individual takes specific and precise actions to prevent this from happening.

It is slower, but a much safer and long-term approach to weight loss includes balancing the diet and aiming to strengthen the metabolism. This does not necessarily mean that you need to restrict calories any further than you would on a carb-restricted plan - it just means that you are counting/balancing all your macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) to ensure the diet is balanced and nutritous. There are other strategies that can help with weight loss, all focusing on strengthening the metabolism - eating smaller meals more often, increasing hydration, decreasing exposure to toxins (chemical additives and preservatives in foods), and increasing activity.

One of the most important factors is LEARNING how to eat properly. Most people don't know and never learn. Once you learn how easy it is to eat a balanced diet, weight loss loss and maintenance becomes effortless and without hunger.

Hello...

I've done a lot of research on weight loss and have come to the conclusion that you should cut BOTH carbs and calories.

Chances are, you are a carbohydrate-sensitive individual and reducing carbs to about 40-45% of your total calories would be appropriate. You have to understand your bodytype and how it reacts to certain foods. Refined sugars/carbs are absolutely worthless and should never be eaten. I'm suggesting you eat a moderate amount of carbs, but natural ones such as yams, oatmeal (quaker oats, not the processed and sweetened junk), sweet potatoes, etc. In addition, you should eat fruits, however, in moderation. Fruits contain simple sugars while oatmeal and yams, for example contain complex carbohydrates, which will not raise your blood sugar and resulting insulin levels as quickly as do simple sugars/refined carbs. This in turn will make it easier to lose fat. The ideal meal combination should include a complex carbohydrate and a lean protein. You should eat 5-6 small meals per day, and this alone is the single most effective way to speed up your metabolism. Here is an example of a great meal: 1 cup Quaker Oats, 1 cup egg whites. I would recommened a 40-30-30 diet plan, with 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat, YES FAT! Fat is a great way to control insulin levels. However, fat should come from good sources such as nuts and NATURAL peanut butter.

As far as calories go, you can't lose weight unless you eat less calories than your body expends or burns in a day. So in turn, when you cut carbs, you are mainly just cutting calories (each gram of carb has 4 calories). Say my metabolism burns 2700 calories a day. To lose weight, I have to eat less than 2700 calories per day. 1 pound of fat is tantamount to 3500 calories, so if I ate 2200 calories per day I would be in a 500 calorie deficit and would lose 1 pound in 7 days. Now if I wanted to lose 2 pounds per week, I could cut my calorie intake to about 1700 calories. I would NOT recommend losing more than 2 pounds per week, as this increases the chances of your losing lean muscle tissue, which is your metabolic furnace! When you first begin a diet and restrict carbs, you may lose a lot of weight coming from water, which is perfectly ok. But make sure you increase physical activity rather than cutting calories. When you cut calories DRASTICALLY, your body thinks its starving and in turn tries to conserve energy in the form of stored fat. Simply put, whatever you eat gets stored as fat!! So eat every 3 hours and workout 3-4 days per week. Remember, too much of anything is bad, so relax and eat a moderate amount of carbs, fat, and protein (skinless chicken breasts, egg/egg whites, whey protein, lean cut fish, such as halibut, tuna, and orange roughy). Take one day per week and enjoy a 'cheat meal' to keep your sanity!

If you have any more questions let me know!

Good Luck!

Different approaches work for different people. Read a couple of books about different approaches . . . the main ideas and theories behind most diets only fill a chapter or two, so it does not take long. I also suggest reading the books themselves rather than going by information people post on the internet which is so often incorrect. See what hits you as true to your situation; what plan would by sustainable for you; and go from there.

Think of it this way, the man who created the Atkins diet, had died because of severe health problems due to a low carb life. This is just plain not true. It's similar to me saying "The earth is flat" - there's lots of evidence out there to prove me wrong.

The best way to lose fat is to take in fewer calories than your burn, but only slightly less, and to increase exercise. Digesting food causes metabolism to rise; cardiovascular exercise cause metabolism to rise. Restricting calories too much slows metabolism, so you need to find the right balance between eating enough but not too much and not eating too little. It also helps to eat every few hours - because digesting food causes metabolism to rise. There's a trend here ;)

Nat

Carbohydrate deprivation does result in faster weight loss - primarily water weight and loss of lean muscle mass. While its true that a carb-restricted diets leads to increased fat burning, the body will typically get 60% of its required fuel from protein and muscle mass. .

Actually, that is not true.
In a carb restricted diet, as long as the person is eating right, ie: Lean cut meats, fish, chicken breast, healthy foods, you will not lose muscle. You need protien in your diet. Studies have been done that prove that a healthy low carb diet will burn fat not muscle.

Actually, that is not true.
In a carb restricted diet, as long as the person is eating right, ie: Lean cut meats, fish, chicken breast, healthy foods, you will not lose muscle. You need protien in your diet. Studies have been done that prove that a healthy low carb diet will burn fat not muscle.

Very true. It's a overly restrictive caloric deficit that results in muscle wasiting, not simply carb restriction. Low carb regimes tend to be protein adequate, far more so than typical low fat diets. A positive nitrogen balance is what ensures muscle is not wasted and this comes from eating sufficient protein and adequate calories.

Water weight is typically lost initally on any plan that requires a cut in calories, particularly since most also include a dramatic reduction in refined carbs.

Nat

It's all about the calories!!! Calories in need to be less than energy out and you will lose weight. Low carb diets can be dangerous, and the reason people lose weight on them so fast (at first) is because it is water, and then eventually it is muscle that is being lost. I believe in not restricting myself to any food as long as its in my calorie range.

Low carb diets can be dangerous, and the reason people lose weight on them so fast (at first) is because it is water, and then eventually it is muscle that is being lost. I must be a genetic freak then. Over the course of 4 years I've lost 90 lbs of water and put on 13 lbs of god knows what - however it's improved my leg press 200% and I have these wonderfully strong muscles I never had before. Go figure. :rolleyes:

A few scientific studies proving just the oppositve of what is posted above:

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?p=1143010#post1143010

Nat

It's all about the calories!!! Calories in need to be less than energy out and you will lose weight. Low carb diets can be dangerous, and the reason people lose weight on them so fast (at first) is because it is water, and then eventually it is muscle that is being lost. I believe in not restricting myself to any food as long as its in my calorie range.
Yes, it is all about calories . . . as far as that goes. But there is an awful lot it leaves out of the equation, like how some people react (or overreact) to certain foods.

The danger of plans like Atkins has been debated seemingly endlessly without conclusive evidence. And I don't know how anyone (not matter what their own inclination) can condemn some of the other low carb plans (most of them, in fact) as dangerous unless they are just reading hype and haven't research the matter at all.

This muscle loss thing seems to be the new attack. On what is it based? Was there some "study"?

Portion control works for many people. More power to them. It does not work for others. Low carbing is a blessed discovery for many of them.

This muscle loss thing seems to be the new attack. On what is it based? Was there some "study"? You betcha, want to guess what it proved?

That low carb diets (very low carb actually) resulted in equal or less loss of lean mass than traditional low fat diets. :rolleyes:

auntjudyg, you're dead right. The very fact that you hear the same old agruements over and over again in the face of new information proving those old arguements wrong is an indication people are just not reading the right things and falling victim to the hype. I suppose it's much easier to believe what you're told than to do a little research on your own...

Cheers,
Nat

Hello all,

I thought I would put my 2 cents in - Aren't calories the main component in food, then the calories are comprised of protein, fat, and carbos? Then I guess you could further define the type of carbos, simple and complex and fat types etc... But, the bottom line is calories. I would say, eat healthy, less calories in, exercise and just be active and happy. You'll lose the extra weight or maintain with ease. I stole some lines from rebecca devaney of the SMD. :-)

just my 2 cents

My feeling is that when one turns common wisdom on it's head then it's the NOVEL idea that is the one that should show the proof.
Low carbbing has not done so in spite of 35 years of extreme popularity without providiing any such proof.
In the absence of such proof only anecdotes can be used and when one of the anecdotes happens to be the death of the major proponent with a demonstrably ruined heart, then so be it. If there is only HYPE, then hype cannot be readily dismissed.

If someone says that Vitamin C cures Alzheimer's, should it be on the medical profession to expend a great deal of effort to disprove it? Or grapefruits cause weight loss, or Carter's pills cured liver ailments and on and on?????

Calorie theory is pretty well proven and accepted...let the newcomers (the 100 odd diets that come down the pike annually) disprove it.

To tamaralynn2:

Dr. Atkins did not die as a result of his diet as you stated, he died from a head injury due to a fall on the ice.

See this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4327741

I have never tried the low carb plan, but i hear you have to give up on fruits, juices and some (not all) veggies, etc.
I love fruit and fruit juice, so I would prefer the low fat diet, but becareful because if your one to buy low fat or fat free foods there tends to be alot more sodium in the product.
Be sure to drink your water

all in all, wouldn't eating anything you wanted in smaller/restricted portions along with exercising help in losing weight?

I have never tried the low carb plan, but i hear you have to give up on fruits, juices and some (not all) veggies, etc. Debbie, this isn't the case - even at it's most strict you eat a lot of veggies, some people find they eat more veggies than they have ever before. You also eat fruit. The main type of carb you do not eat when you restrict carbs on most plans is simple sugar (highly processed carbs, white flour - stuff that comes in a box and is prepackages). The emphasis is on eating whole, natural foods in stead of empty calorie junk foods.

Nat

First off, Dr. Adkins died from a brain injury, he was elderly and slipped on the ice and went into a coma and died.

personally I have tried both and the adkins diet works best the first time around. As you move on you find the right amount of carbs you can intake without gaining weight. every person varies in regards to intake. Now Dr. Adkins had some valid points in his book. One being that way back when, when there weren't any pops or a lot of white flour and sugar wasn't in every food, people were much thinner. Granted they worked a lot harder then we do now.

I had the lapband done and tried the lower calorie diet, kept track of everything on fitday.com and still managed to gain weight.

The adkins did give my hubby a kidney stone and I did have my gallbladder out, which is hereditory, but several others who were on it also had the gallbladder removed. Coincidence or dieting choice, we really don't know.

If you choose a carb free lifestyle, you have to stick to it. Granted it won't be 100% carb free, you will work up to possibly 150 grams of carbs a day without gaining. Once you start it you get use to it and now society and manufactures have become quite carb free friendly with the choice out there with low carb foods.

The government has finally approved the adkins diet as an acceptable dieting tool, hence the new carb free or low carb foods on the market.

Good luck and let us know! :bouncing: (of course there is always the "e' word..exercise!)

While there are more specialty products available on the market, gcparks, that doesn't mean low carb plans are endorsed by the government. As for carb free foods, these have always been available; they're usually called vegetable oils and the like and meat / pork / chicken / fish ;)

BTW, Atkins is not carb free - nor are any other 'real' plans. If you do, however, find one, run as fast as you can in the other direction, you're dealing with a scam.

Nat

P.S. The Dr. and the Plan are "Atkins"

You are correct Atkins is the name, I knew an adkins..lol

I wasn't endorsing either, I put out there what theories I had or had run across, which was the kidney stone and the gallbladder problems.

It does make you think and the government did do a study on the Atkins diet and found it an acceptable way to lose weight. But in all reality in order to lose weight you must sacrifice, if it is carbs, calories or whatever. You will always have to give up something.

Another woman I knew (she was about late 30's early 40's) use to eat crackers, meat and cheese and ate it every 2 hours and the pounds just melted off of her. This way she was getting her metabolism up and running. So who knows what will work for anyone else.

and the government did do a study on the Atkins diet and found it an acceptable way to lose weight.

I would be very interested in seeing this study - do you know when it took place and under what circumstances? I am aware of most of the literature, including the AMA's findings - but this did not equate to an endorsement. Also, the food pyramid was recently revamped and it fall very short of anything resembling 'carb control' (hardly surprising since 8 of the people sitting on this particular goverment board are affiliated with the sugar industry ;) )

FWIW, gallbladder problems are associated with very low fat diets and extremely rapid weight loss.

Nat

I read a brief thing about the government accepting atkins about 2 years ago in the local paper, before he died and I also heard about it on the news. It was around sugar busters and some other low carb diets were coming about.

Interesting about the gallbladder. I didn't have stones, I had polyps and a thickening of the gallbladder that couldn't be explained. Scared the daylights out of me, since gallbladder cancer has a extremely low survival rate. Most die from it and cancer is in the family unfortunately.

I read a brief thing about the government accepting atkins about 2 years ago in the local paper, before he died and I also heard about it on the news. It was around sugar busters and some other low carb diets were coming about.

Sugar Busters has been around almost 10 years, actually (1995). The most recent LC plan to hit the main stream is South Beach, although the author proclaims in the very first sentence that "This is not a low carb plan."

I believe you are refering to the same study I was, conducted on the behalf of the AMA by Duke University, commonly called The Duke U. Research Study on Atkins, published in the American Journal of Medicine in July 2002. The conclusion was that Atkins worked, and worked well, it also lowered cholesterol very well and there were no "serious side effects". They stipulated however:

“While we’re impressed with the weight loss of this diet, we still are not sure about the safety of it,” Westman said. “More studies need to be done in order to be confident about the long-term safety of this type of diet.”

Around that time there was another famous little piece of journalism that you probably read as well "What if it's all been a big fat lie" by Gary Taubes - if you haven't you can find it, it's everywhere, it's every englightening.

Glad to hear your gallbladder incident turned out OK :)

Nat

I did the Atkins diet for about 5 months, lost 35 pounds. Then I took a 5 month hiatus from it without gaining over 5 pounds, and those would come and go. I started back on it at the beginning of this week and although I haven't weighed yet, my ketostix are already turning pink. When I went off the diet for those five months I still stayed away from sugar sweetened drinks and would allow dessert only occasionally.

This diet works best for me because I have a huge craving for sweets and carb rich comfort foods. This craving seems to mostly disappear after about three days of induction (limiting carbs to 20). I eat plenty of vegetables and am still able to keep my carb count low by choosing those that have several fiber grams. Using the Atkins diet fiber is subtracted from total carbs to get the net carbs. I eat celery, summer squash, cabbage, all kinds of greens, a serving or two per week of carrots sweetened with splenda and cooked in butter, broccoli and cheese, cauliflour, green beans seasoned with smoked bacon, etc., etc. My favorite on the go menu is a double cheese burger, no bun and a side salad with ranch dressing. Most of the meat that I have is either baked, broiled or grilled, but I will eat fried occasionally. I eat as much as I need to feel satisfied and still have low carb between meal snacks.

The best part is not having to measure portions and count calories. Also, to satisfy that sweet tooth Russell Stover has some delicious candies that have very few net carbs and I find a cup of coffee sweetened with splenda with heavy whipping cream instead of milk and a big squirt of whipped topping is as satisfying as any dessert.

Oh well, it works for me and I intend to make it a lifestyle because it is the only diet I can stick to. (By the way, my cholesterol levels and blood pressure have come down to almost normal since first starting Atkins.)

Good luck to everyone in whatever way you decide to lose weight. :D

I don't recommend either, unless you want to do it fast, which is not permenent, I recommend the book how to be naturally thin by eating more by jean antenello, and bodyfueling by robyn landis,

this is just for starters.

RR