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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 06:50
leebase's Avatar
leebase leebase is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 159
 
Plan: LCHF - my way
Stats: 309/233.2/194 Male 6'2"
BF:
Progress: 66%
Location: Illinois
Default WW Influenced

Maybe I belong in this section. I am moving lower carb higher fat. Yet, as someone who LC'd twice in the past and failed to stick with it -- I tried something different this time. I tried WW Online and it works very well for me.

WW tells you to get 5 to 7 servings of fruits and veggies, 2 to 3 of dairy, and 2tsp of healthy oils. Beyond that -- it's eat whatever you want up to your "points". It's a "calories in/calories out" diet. Eat less than you burn, and you lose weight.

LC is what I call a "bad food" diet. Don't eat carbs, they are bad for you. (I know, it's not that simple, but you get the point). But I love the LC science, and after several months on WW/Calorie Counting (I moved on to MyFitnessPal), I'm ready to start moving my diet more towards lower carb, higher fat.

But I have a different relationship with carbs now. I don't see them as bad...for me (I know others are different). I use the tools I learned from WW (portion control, moderation, keeping a lid on calories).

I meals I aim to have are a protein (chicken, beef, pork), and two servings of veggies (real food, not processed food). Fruit for snakcs (again, real food, not processed food). But life doesn't always line up for me to have these types of meals. I travel for a living, and can be eating out 3 meals a day for 5 days of the week. So I use portion control, moderation, and keep an eye on my calories.

It's working for me so far. And it's a way of eating that I'm not struggling to maintain.
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 07:28
JoreyTK's Avatar
JoreyTK JoreyTK is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 175
 
Plan: Ketogenic + IF
Stats: 240/194/175 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 71%
Location: Edmonton, AB
Default

It's all about finding something that works for you since you're the one who's gotta live with it. Glad to see you found something that works!
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 08:12
leebase's Avatar
leebase leebase is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 159
 
Plan: LCHF - my way
Stats: 309/233.2/194 Male 6'2"
BF:
Progress: 66%
Location: Illinois
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JoreyTK
It's all about finding something that works for you since you're the one who's gotta live with it. Glad to see you found something that works!


Thanks. And congrats on your own progress.
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 11:17
Love2Write Love2Write is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 151
 
Plan: Maintenance
Stats: 267/160.8/170 Female 5feet7inches
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: United States
Default

My mother-in-law does something very similar. She is a WW devotee, but after reading Why We Get Fat and seeing the progress my husband and I made she decided to adjust to a more LC way of doing it. She immediately broke a lengthy stall, dropping two more pants sizes.

You gotta do what works for you.
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  #5   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 14:49
leebase's Avatar
leebase leebase is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 159
 
Plan: LCHF - my way
Stats: 309/233.2/194 Male 6'2"
BF:
Progress: 66%
Location: Illinois
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Love2Write
My mother-in-law does something very similar. She is a WW devotee, but after reading Why We Get Fat and seeing the progress my husband and I made she decided to adjust to a more LC way of doing it. She immediately broke a lengthy stall, dropping two more pants sizes.

You gotta do what works for you.


It will be interesting to see if I there's an increase in the rate of loss. My calories have remained steady, just shifting them to fat from carb.

I'm still unsure of the "calorie is a calorie" issue. Not that I don't recognize the insulin difference between sugar and fat....but...if you ate nothing but protein and fat, in large quantities...I think you'd gain weight.

If fat replaces sugar for your energy, you can still take in too much fat such that your body will store it. I still think you need an energy deficit to lose weight.

I believe that those on LC that aren't losing weight, are eating too many calories. But, that's for them to work out. I'm no so sure of my own method such as to suggest anyone else need follow it
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  #6   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 18:13
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 14,608
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
Default

Good luck. Anything you can do that can be managed; that's a good thing.

I tracked for two consecutive months. In January I did 1800 average calories, and 32 average carbs. Maintained.

In February, I did 1850 average calories, and 22 average carbs. Lost 5 pounds.

Counting calories has never worked for me. Composition; that's a whole other story.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 18:26
leebase's Avatar
leebase leebase is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 159
 
Plan: LCHF - my way
Stats: 309/233.2/194 Male 6'2"
BF:
Progress: 66%
Location: Illinois
Default

Thanks Werebear. It's kind of weird, reading the LC books and listening to folks on the forum. It's not like I'm carb-gifted, I was 309lbs four months ago after all.

But I'm losing weight every week, and was doing so even with 270g of carbs, not the 120-130g I'm eating now.

For me it's watching the calories. Exercise is helping too, but most all I do is walk.
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Jul-31-12, 21:39
Liz53's Avatar
Liz53 Liz53 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,140
 
Plan: Mostly Fung/IDM
Stats: 165/138.4/135 Female 63
BF:???/better/???
Progress: 89%
Location: Washington state
Default

I've read, and I believe, that those who are insulin sensitive can lose weight by simply lowering calories. I could when I was younger. For those who are insulin resistant, lowering carbs is a more effective way to lose. Ten years ago, I could lose weight/maintain on ~100 carbs per day. Now it is closer to 30 carbs per day.

People are different and things change. Maybe in your case you are insulin sensitive, but were simply eating too many calories. It may not be the same for everyone.
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  #9   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 12:50
Hellistile's Avatar
Hellistile Hellistile is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,540
 
Plan: Animal-based/IF
Stats: 252/215.6/130 Female 5'4
BF:
Progress: 30%
Location: Vancouver Island
Default

Can't remember if it was Taubes or Eades who said, "When you lower the calories in your diet, you automatically, by default, also lower the carbs you take in." Thereby, you lose weight and it's not just the calories, it's the lowering of carbohydrate as well. I need to find that post.
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  #10   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 13:17
leebase's Avatar
leebase leebase is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 159
 
Plan: LCHF - my way
Stats: 309/233.2/194 Male 6'2"
BF:
Progress: 66%
Location: Illinois
Default

Yep, Taubes said it. The corollary is that when you lower carbs you (usually) lower calories as well. So is it the carbs or the calories?

Either way, I'm happy with the results I'm getting. The nurse didn't even blink an eye when I told her that I was adding more fat to my diet. The results she saw spoke for themselves.
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 18:48
Glendora's Avatar
Glendora Glendora is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,849
 
Plan: 30 g carbs/day
Stats: 220/180/150 Female 61 inches
BF:
Progress: 57%
Default

I am so glad you found something that works for you! WW always works for me in the very beginning during the "honeymoon period" ("I can eat POP CORN?"), but the way my body reacts to an excess of carbs, it's an inevitable downward slope.

Each of us needs to find what works so I am glad for you!

I definitely liked the unlimited non-starchy veggies update. Not so keen on the unlimited fruit, though. Some of us can eat very little fruit without weight gain and/or cravings or other reactions. Some of us can't eat any. So I was shakier on that, but gave the veggies two thumbs up.

Last edited by Glendora : Wed, Aug-01-12 at 18:54.
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  #12   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 18:50
Glendora's Avatar
Glendora Glendora is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,849
 
Plan: 30 g carbs/day
Stats: 220/180/150 Female 61 inches
BF:
Progress: 57%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by leebase
Yep, Taubes said it. The corollary is that when you lower carbs you (usually) lower calories as well. So is it the carbs or the calories?



Hmmm. Such a good question and such a debated one. I can tell you that I was eating approximately 1350 cals/day on WW, which is lower than I've ever been on LC, and I lost slightly better on LC (with the higher calories) than WW.

But each of us is different. And sure, when you lower carbs it's very possible that you're lowering calories too, depending upon what you ate before. Lower them to what, is the question. Not as low as WW, that much I can pretty much guarantee you.

Again, it's a fun way to eat and I won't lie; if I'd been able to physically handle WW, I'd still be on it. Fun and variety and pop corn, pretty much a winning combination.
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  #13   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 18:56
Glendora's Avatar
Glendora Glendora is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,849
 
Plan: 30 g carbs/day
Stats: 220/180/150 Female 61 inches
BF:
Progress: 57%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Liz53
I've read, and I believe, that those who are insulin sensitive can lose weight by simply lowering calories. I could when I was younger. For those who are insulin resistant, lowering carbs is a more effective way to lose.



Me, too. Until I hit my late 30s to early 40s, I could literally eat anything and if it only came to 1200-1400 calories, I stayed thin.

I mean I would literally eat a Pop Tart for lunch.

Slim, yes. Healthy...maybe not so much.
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  #14   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 21:12
jmh's Avatar
jmh jmh is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 480
 
Plan: my own
Stats: 224/182/165 Female 175cm
BF:
Progress: 71%
Location: Was in London, now in NZ
Default

I believe that WW is more low carb than it used to be and might be a good method for some. Even Atkins said that your mileage may vary when it comes to carbs, so some people will do fine on medium carb, others will have to drop down a bit to lose. The most successful diet is the one you can stick to for life.
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  #15   ^
Old Wed, Aug-01-12, 22:05
Liz53's Avatar
Liz53 Liz53 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,140
 
Plan: Mostly Fung/IDM
Stats: 165/138.4/135 Female 63
BF:???/better/???
Progress: 89%
Location: Washington state
Default

Here's the article that Hellistile refers to above on calories and carbs.
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