What’s your opinion regarding calories

#1

Do they make a difference in your weight loss?

(Tom Seest) #2

It is my opinion that chasing calories, or tracking them is a waste of my time. I did it for over 6 years.

It is my opinion that when my body burns fuel, the energy produced can be measured in calories…

It is my opinion that there are more important things for me to track and monitor…

It is also my opinion that my opinion only matters for me, when I’m attempting to lose body fat.

But, that is just my opinion…

(Dan Dan) #3

Keto is about being ‘Fat Adapted’ using ‘Fat as fuel’ rather than ‘Carbs’ ergo the ‘Low Carb High Fat’. Calories only matter if its the wrong kind.

Examples of wrong calories:

  1. Restricting Calories (‘Low Calorie’) - Keto is not ‘Calorie Restricted’. Eat until you are ‘Satiated’

  2. Restricting Fat - Keto uses ‘Fat as Fuel’. ‘High Dietary Fat’ is necessary to become ‘Fat Adapted’.

  3. High Carbs - Keto is ‘Low Net Carb’. 'High Dietary Carbs will delay or prevent ‘Fat adaptation’.

  4. Lean Protein - Keto is ‘Moderate Protein’. Lean meat is high in Protein and low in fat. ‘Fatty Meat is Moderate in Protein and Moderate to High in Fat’ and preferable.

Keep it Simple :smile:

“May the Force (fat adaption) be with you”

IF/EF Keto WOE is Self-Discovery :wink:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:

(Erin Macfarland ) #4

Agreed @tdseest!

(Richard Hanson) #5

Yes.

(Ethan) #6

All this Calorie talk really burns me up

#7

They certainly seem to make a difference.

(Olivia) #8

I have lost 25 kg with calorie counting and at the end, with intermittent fasting (IF) and have kept the weight off for 7 years. I went from overweight to BMI of 21. I have also been eating keto for 2 years and it has helped me in sustaining my weight loss. To me, both calorie tracking and IF are powerful tools, which you can use and misuse (i.e. eating below your BMR). I am writing this already knowing that I’ll be shouted down in 3, 2, 1 … but I don’t care. I have been successful with CICO for 7 years and love keto for the increased energy and satiety; however, I still require a deficit to lose vanity pounds.
My suggestion is to eat keto, to track net carbs and see what happens. You will most likely lose weight and inches. If you plateau (1-2 months no weight/inches loss), you can always consider using an additional tool such as IF, calorie counting and/or taking up a new sport.

(Ethan) #9

I agree with this approach. For some, calorie counting may be adding MORE calories, too.

(Allie) #10

I don’t count them, just eat to my appetite.

(Allan L) #11

YAY, the calories debate again… Oh how I missed you, NOT!

My 2 pence…

For me calories do matter, but not in the traditional CICO high carb diet way of thinking.

Continuously over eating keto food will not lead to weight loss. But we are talking thousands of calories over eating, not hundreds. The body can quite easy adjust for a few extra or less calories when eating keto, but consuming 1,500 extra fat calories will lead to no weight loss and possibly weight gain.

How do you think the fat macro gets calculated? Calories…

Recommended daily calories - (carb macro calories + protein macro calories) = Fat macro!

(Renee Slaughter) #12

I started keto Dec 2017. I counted calories using a tracker. Every little weight gain made me crazy. Then I started reading the forum here. For the moment I am not focusing on calories… My focus is eating well. Moderate protein, low carbs fat to satiety. Weight loss is slow for me, I am a woman of a certain age and diabetic, but is coming off. Will I need to track calories later? Eh, maybe. I noticed calories seem to go down automatically for me as I become better at using fat for fuel. I’m just not hungry. A suggestion. Follow the advice about keto, perhaps change your focus from weight to wellness and body composition. I know it’s hard not to focus on the scale. It has been that way for me. But I’m changing my focus to non scale victories. KCKO

(Allan L) #13

The closer I get to my goal weight the more I have to watch those macro’s (and in turn, calories) but I have found that getting on the scales once a month or two months has made a huge improvement in my general life. I used to weigh myself every day, then when weight went up or stayed the same I would over analyse and over think. Now, I know it works, I trust it works and I just pop on occasionally to check how I am doing.

(Keto in Katy) #14

Same. I have been keto 4.5 years and never once tracked calories or even thought about it.

I guess it could be important in some circumstances, I just don’t know.

(Allie) #15

I used to count / track etc. but stopped six months ago and have actually been doing better since because of the amount of stress that’s gone.

(Karen Parrott) #16

YES!! 100% matter. So does abstaining from trigger foods, so does IF. I’m one of THOSE people who could binge eat any food out there- coconut oil, fat bombs, beef sticks, burgers, holy smokes. I could overeat all foods.

I use MFP and a Fitbit to use instrument ratings on food intake and activity. It adds perfectly to my Keto/ IF weight maintenance routine. 70+ pounds off, almost 6 years. Prior 40 years of obesity. I’m post menopausal too!

My body doesn’t have an opinion. It has data feedback with scale and pants. Bio-feedback yes, opinionated, no. It’s my option to listen to my body or pay an extra $100 month in insurance premiums, fat pants and feeling crappy. It’s data, I record and move along… I let my data lead and my logic follow. I have limited choices but I found what works.

I encourage everyone to work the energy intake thing on their own time and data.

#17

Thanks Karen. I listened to your interview with Daisy the other day. It was very inspiring,

(fitnesshealth) #18

The amount of energy your body gets from the subunits depends on where they come from: Carbs: 4 calories per gram. Protein: 4 calories per gram. Fat: 9 calories per gram.