For me, yes. It has always been true that I lose faster by adding more protein and limiting carbs. I'm currently doing South Beach and I do still count calories. It ends up being a little bit less than when I was only counting calories, but I feel much more satisfied.
Different things work for different people, though!
Speaking from my experiences with both IMO You may lose more "WATER" weight in the beginning with low carb then with low calorie.
When I started really paying attention to how many calories I was eating with both I found that even though on some low carb plans you are not suppose to count calories only carbs when I paid close attention to it my calories were quite low. So in reality even doing low carb I technically was still doing low calorie.
Anyway now what I do is portion control, I don't shoot for a max or min calorie or carb limit I just try to eat foods that are low in calories and high in volume and I watch the added sugar more then carbs now.
Anyone who successfully loses weight on a low carb diet is, in effect, also doing a low calorie diet. Losing weight is all about eating less than you burn. There's no magic to it and carbs are not a magic bullet.
I find myself saying "This." to Kara a lot lately, but at the risk of repeating myself, ^^This.
Protein and fat fill you up so much more than a diet heavy on carbs, so naturally you'll eat less. It's really easy to eat a highly caloric amount of carbs, and it's a little harder to do so with protein.
I happened to stumble across this documentary on netflix called fathead, and it really changed my mind about how to eat! He lost his weight by limiting his carbs and eating lots of protein! he was even eating at Mc D's but just throwing off the buns! I've been on it since Dec 31st 2011 and it's Jan 5th 2012 and have already lost 7 lbs! I don't feel hungry on this diet, but I do have to warn you the first few days is a struggle because you are craving sweets like crazy! It's basically sugar withdraws! but I got over it and am feeling good. & I found Reeses peanut butter cups every now and then isn't that bad only 22 or 23 carbs in the whole candy bar! You're allowed to have up to 200 carbs a day but I try and stay under like 150. Hope this helps!
When I first started losing weight all I did was count calories. Some days I had lots of carbs, other days I had a few carbs. I didn't really pay attention to what I was eating, just the calories.
As I got more into my weight loss and I wanted to build more muscle, I started eating more protein and less carbs, but I still watched the overall calorie count.
I lost at the same rate. I didn't lose any faster when I limited my carbs or not. I truly believe it's more about the calories when it comes to weight loss than the nutritional content of the calories. Granted, you will feel much better and probably be healthier if you eat more nutritional food.
If you are a carb-o-holic and can't control yourself once you start eating carbs, then low-carb might help you stick to an overall low calorie diet.
Anyone who successfully loses weight on a low carb diet is, in effect, also doing a low calorie diet. Losing weight is all about eating less than you burn. There's no magic to it and carbs are not a magic bullet.
The reason that cutting carbs is often more EFFECTIVE is twofold:
One when you eat carbs, your body burns them before it burns fat. So when you cut out carbs, your body burns fat much faster.
Two when you eat fewer carbs, you eat more protein and fat and that makes you feel more full and stay feeling full longer ... so overall you eat less.
Also, some people (like me) tend to go a little carb crazy - I will eat far more in carbs than I will anything else, even when I'm full. So if I cut carbs, I can often cut the cravings and the crazy eating that makes me eat too much.
Yep! Butni also count calories because I can and do overeat on protein and fats too., so I keep my carbs lower (undere 100 net a day) and count calories to keep it under 1500 a day with exercise thrown in too.
I so am debating whether to go back on southbeach or do calorie counting
I do both!
If I am focusing on SBD principles, my calorie-counts tend to fluctuate more (I aim for 1300-1400, good SBD on-plan days have ranged from below 1000 to ~1600). If I focus on the calorie-counting side of things, I tend to let in more "cheats" or eliminate something healthy because it doesn't fit in with my numbers. I try to balance both sides.
I think they combine beautifully - SBD for more healthy choices (rather than say low-cal choices devoid of nutrients) and calorie-counting to make sure I'm not going overboard (or under-board for that matter).
RE: carbs, SBD doesn't technically count them but I end up almost always in the range of 100-150 g/day (115 - 124 - 102 for the last three days) and those are all unrefined - mostly from beans and dairy (and tomatoes) in the 2-week Phase 1, adding whole grains and fruit after that ... I guess that would be considered "moderate" carb.
Oh, and I agree with the "carb crazy" statement. I experienced this over the holidays. Once I gave myself permission to go off-plan, I found myself grazing all day long on carb-y treats and never feeling full. When I limit the carbs I don't feel this obsessive urge to eat more, more, MORE
Anyone who successfully loses weight on a low carb diet is, in effect, also doing a low calorie diet. Losing weight is all about eating less than you burn. There's no magic to it and carbs are not a magic bullet.
This may be true for some body types, but not others. I will consistently lose more weight on 1500 calories of lower-carb foods than I will on 1500 calories of higher carb foods. Calories IN alone doesn't explain that discrepancy, since I'm eating the same amount.
From a thermodynamic level, of course it's all about calories in vs calories out. But people who say it is all about calories tend to be ignoring that foods can affect the "calories out" portion of the equation. For example, it takes about 5x as many calories to digest and utilize the calories from protein as it does to digest and utilize the calories from, say, white flour. So if you're eating more protein calories, you're utilizing more calories just in digesting that food, which can make a significant difference if your macronutrient ratios slant significantly toward protein and away from simple carbs.
What's more, because of actual hormonal responses in the body, your basal metabolic rate can be affected by the types of calories you eat. So again, the "calories out" portion of the equation is affected by the types of calories you're eating on the "calories in" side.
It's true that anyone losing weight on a lower-carb diet is losing weight because they are consuming fewer calories than they are burning, indisputably. But there is some significant evidence that what that individual burns may change on a lower carb diet as well (and anecdotally, that is backed up with many personal experiences, including my own).
Another point to consider is that carbs cause a rise in blood sugar that protein and fat do not. Blood sugar levels determine how much insulin you put out to handle that load, and insulin plays a key role in fat storage. If you are insulin resistant, and many overweight people are, the higher insulin levels will dramatically effect your weight loss. I do NOT lose on a low calorie diet, unless it is also very low carb because I am a type 2 diabetic...and I have way too much insulin streaming around in there. Consequently, its very difficult to lose any weight at all. About the only success I have had is low carb...very low carb.
I sort of do both. If you're on a low calorie plan you eat less simple carbs because these are high in calorie, eg pasta anyway. I discovered (after my hair was shedding) that I had been eating too little protein. So then I counted calories but ate far more protein too. I found myself that low carb is hard to do religiously because it's not how everyone else eats and eating out or with friends means often breaking it. So a combination works for me. Less high carbs, more protein and count the calories.
But if you hate math and recording everything you eat low carb may be better. It's down to what suits you. Both work.
I happened to stumble across this documentary on netflix called fathead, and it really changed my mind about how to eat! He lost his weight by limiting his carbs and eating lots of protein! he was even eating at Mc D's but just throwing off the buns! I've been on it since Dec 31st 2011 and it's Jan 5th 2012 and have already lost 7 lbs! I don't feel hungry on this diet, but I do have to warn you the first few days is a struggle because you are craving sweets like crazy! It's basically sugar withdraws! but I got over it and am feeling good. & I found Reeses peanut butter cups every now and then isn't that bad only 22 or 23 carbs in the whole candy bar! You're allowed to have up to 200 carbs a day but I try and stay under like 150. Hope this helps!
In the movie Fathead he stayed at or under 100 carbs a day. He also has a blog.
carbs or calories?
