calorie counting V low carb

hatethisfeeling

Just saw a comment on the thread about motivation clinic where one of the posters said counting calories is nearly always a bad idea and this confused me. At the moment I'm trying to lose weight, primarily by counting calories. I would normally source these calories from wholegrains, fruit, veg, lean meats etc. and I get at least half an hour walking per day, but Im just wondering if this is wrong?any help would be great!

curry_person

the concept of counting calories as bad is that when you watch intake same someone on a diet with no muffins , you will find you crave muffins even more!
when you stick to low calorie foods you do crave high calorie food!
there is an element of truth i think to it, that being too strict on yourself will cause binge eating in most people.
but following a calorie controlled diet and allowing the odd treat is best way! as long as a treat isn't too often!
also best type of calories you can have on diet is from protein as it takes longest to digest keeping you fuller longer, which motivation clinic uses in there diet plan!
counting calories is important any excess will turn into fat!
but carbs can make you retain water which will in turn make you weigh more! hence why people lose alot of weight on Atkins!
also protein is great to keep you fuller longer!
so im my opinion eating low calorie with emphasis on protein is best, but still allow carbs into your diet.
Hope this helps!!!

i count calories sometimes to get a general idea am i way off etc

beyond that you should focus on nutrition rather than numbers
protein will keep you fuller for longer and don't fill up your calories eating sugary junk, etc

danlen

Counting calories is more important for someone who is already relatively lean that really wants to shave a % or two off their body fat.

In general, for most people who are overweight who want to lose fat, by simply switching to a healthier way of eating will usually result in good progress.

It can be hard to overeat when your eating only leafy greens, meat, eggs, fish, etc. Cutting out the junk food and liquid calories (fizzy/sports drinks) will straight away reduce a significant amount of 'empty' calories.

So in essence, when people go low-carb/paleo/Atkins/etc. while they don't count calories, the way they eat leads them to naturally consume less calories (assuming they are moving from a 'typical' bad diet full of sugar, trans fats, and grains).

Obviously there can be exceptions (give me a 100g bag of cashews and I'll show you high-calorie Paleo eating!:D)

Hope this helps.