SBD and counting calories....
 

Hi .... I just had a ?.

Can you do SBD and count calories. I have been looking around, and i realy like the program. But can you mixed whit caunting caloriees.

I have been doing low carbs since jan 2 and is working nice.I did it just to clean all the cheating from hollidays .... But I am wow whit the resaults.
Thanks.....

I would say so. I follow South Beach principles, but also like to keep track of how many calories i'm consuming. It keeps me accountable with portion sizes

:welcome2: wfonseca3017

For me counting calories is a must. As a former binge eater my tendency is always to overeat, whether healthy foods or not.

Remember that SBD is not a low carb plan, it's healthy carbs. If you haven't read the book it's really important to do that.

I guess you could if you want, but it is not supposed to be a plan where you count calories. Have you tried not counting calories and just doing it "by the book" for a while? It seems to me the program is regulating my eating on its own without counting calories.

I don't count calories but I do watch that I have realistic portion sizes. Especially with high calorie foods like nuts and cheese. Last spring when I was doing SB successfully I only lost .5 per week and paid attention a bit more. I found I was having too many snacks, even though they were all low carb. Seems to me from other threads that some of us may be getting too FEW calories!

SBD doesn't require that you count calories, but it's always a good idea to keep track of how many calories you are consuming each day. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound, and if you go over that you will gain weight, no matter what diet plan you follow. Thankfully, on this plan, with all the veggies and whole grains, you'll become satisfied way before you consume that many calories. :)

I do think it's a really good idea to journal in some form when starting out. Unless we just put a few extra lbs on recently we have probably been making some unhealthy choices and eating more than we realize. I learned a lot when I started writing down everything that went into my mouth, including those spoonfuls of food while cooking and the handful here and there. Even if you never do it again and don't look at the calories it's a good idea to know your eating habits. For me the biggest reminder - that spoonful of pb is 100 calories! It always seemed so innocent ;)

YEP- I came to that conclusion a while back- I have to pay attention! I guess I knew a spoonful was 100cal but I didn't apparently know what a spoonfull was! I grabbed a spoon and scooped! by eyeballing it my 2 tbs was more like 4! no wonder I was having a hard time! I love my food scale :)

thanks girls.... Like I say I just limited my carbs to clean up .... afters hollidays.
I actuly do WW " is almost li calorie count" just is easy for me to track points than calories , and I do better choices on WW (I know all is in my mind).

So I star to looking around .I will try to get the book and read it , It seams to be healthy ... Is just like when I was pregnant and I had to follow a gestational diabetic diet . It was wonderful I just gain 13 pounds the whole pregnacy, and the only difference was eat healthy carbs.

Thanks again.

I count calories because I spent so much time eating whether I was hungry or not I couldn't trust my gut to tell me whether or not I was full, so I just keep track of calories to make sure I don't go overboard.

I find if I don't keep my calories around no more than 1400, I don't seem to lose weight- it's how my body is wired

Just another opinion...I don't count calories...I journal daily food choices but one of the appeal of the SBD for me was the learning to judge hunger/fullness and to approach food as a normal person does...eating until satisfied and stopping...This has been another of those great changes that I've made with SBD...JMO

I second this! :smug:

I'm a former SBDer. It didn't work well for me or at least I hit a plateau I wasn't strong enough to plough through. This time I'm calorie counting with a lot of SBD thrown in. So yes, I think you can do SBD with calorie counting. Doing so may have helped me back off on the nuts and I think I was eating too much protein.

I currently have SBD in my back pocket in case I hit a plateau. ;) Phase 1 will be my first line of defense.

I do calorie count and I eat almost entirely the South Beach way.

I log everything into FitDay to see - beyond just calories - the nutrient ratios (macro and micro), how much fiber I am getting, sodium, what types of fat etc. It does also keep me in check for portions. I know SBD can be done without this but I found myself going way overboard on things like cheese and nuts without the accountability. And I probably consume more whole grains and fruits than the average beacher.

If I just did calorie counting, I am more likely to make bad nutritional choices that fit within my calorie range. I love SB for helping me structure a healthy diet. Yogurt, beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, *4.5 cups/day of veggies*!! LOVE it.

I hope someday to have eating habits established such that I don't have to track EVERYTHING. But for now, I can't trust myself :p