[gospelgyal]

Am currently on low-carb (Atkins) and have lost about 15 pounds so far, with a further 25 to go. (Started at about 184, am down to 169). This took about 6 months time (with breaks in between). Am thinking of switching to calorie counting. Is there anyone here who did Atkins/low carb, and is now doing calorie counting that can recommend it?

[TMunday]

I did Atkins. And I am counting calories now. Calorie counting is nice! You are not restricted from anything. It really is a good way to eat! Not only do you eat healthier then normal but you also learn which foods are healthier while counting the calories. Calorie counting is an excellent choice though! A healthy weight loss is up to 2 pounds a week. Hope that helps.

[gospelgyal]

Thanks for the reply. That helps!

[LovesBassets]

Fewer calories in, more calories out -- that's the equation for weight loss!

I'm not doing ANY formal "diet" plan, just eating healthier foods (which have lower calories just by their very nature.) I also don't count calories -- I only count grams of protein to be sure I'm getting enough to feed/build my muscles.

Remember: to lose one pound of fat, you need to burn off 3500 excess calories -- so as long as you're cutting out and/or burning enough calories, you'll lose weight.

The following paragraph may not be too popular with the low-carb and low-fat folks (and I am one of those folks, I might add!), but here goes:

I had a long talk with my Animal Nutrition professor today about carb calories vs. fat calories vs. protein calories, and I left his office with a new appreciation for simply counting ALL calories without focusing so much on carbs OR fats. What I never really understood is this: EVERY SINGLE nutrient you eat -- carbs, fats/lipids, whatever -- is converted into glucose (sugar) in order to be absorbed. There's a certain amount of glucose that hangs out in your blood stream. If your blood stream gets too full of glucose, the extra goes to your liver and muscles and becomes glycogen -- also, a sugar. If your liver/muscles get too full of glycogen, the excess is stored as body fat. And that body fat could have started out EITHER as a carb or a "fat." The key is simply if you eat too much food, you have too much glucose/glycogen, and thus, extra (body) fat.

(By the way, fats are "worse" than carbs because fat has more calories per gram than carbs. I think it's 4 kcal per carb gram vs. 9 kcal per fat gram, but somebody please correct me if those numbers are "off" a bit).

I still won't count calories myself, tho. Cuz I HATE math and can't add 2 + 2...but I really think it's a great idea. And if my plan weren't working as well as it is -- and if I weren't so darn lazy -- I'd definitely switch to calorie counting. I say give it a try! What've ya got to lose? Hee hee. Cheesy pun intended.

[srmb60]

I tried Atkins, actually, I've tried almost everything. Felt deprived ... although I loved pork rinds! I lost 8 or 10 lbs fast but gained it back easily without straying too far from plan.

I love calorie counting for many reasons. Tracy touched on a very important one. If you are examining your foods enough to learn their calorie value, you'll also be learning soooo much more about all the nutrition in them.

Math is not my thing either, so I use fitday.com. It does the math for me. I measure and eat and learn.
Go have a read around in the Calorie Counters Forum. You'll meet fabulous people there and learn lots from them.
Kudos, for being savvy enough to research your choices. It's good to be well informed.