LLVLC On YouTube: Are Calories Really That Important On A Low-Carb Diet? (Episode 71)

[PsychopathInFoil]

When I did the low carb diet back in 2007, I never worried about calories, protein grams, fat grams, artificial sweetners like aspartame in diet soda, and I was able to enjoy processed meats like bacon very often. I lost weight without any effort. That was one of the happiest times of my life. I lost weight without worrying about anything but carbs and was able to go on with my day knowing each week I would be 3+ lbs lighter.

[Gabbo2010]

Its also advisable to limit processed meat on the low carb diet if you want to lose weight. Sausages, bacon, lunch meats, have hidden carbs like corn syrup, dextrose, and sugar. Many sauces are loaded in sugar like corn syrup. I think of those foods, bacon seems to be okay. Even shredded cheese has starch added to it. Best to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. BBQ sauce is off limits it has more sugar than an ice cream sundae.

[alphacause]

The best way to achieve low caloric consumption, in the LONG RUN, is to have most of those limited calories come from fat/protein because fat/protein keep you satiated longer, while carbs don't keep you satiated, and actually stimulate your hunger, due to its effect on blood sugar and hormones. The irony is that it is the low fat advocates, who are the most vocal advocates of low calorie diets, who have the hardest time restricting calories because of hunger induced by lack of fat/protein.

[Gabbo2010]

@alphacause

I completely agree, I tried the Ornish diet, it failed miserably. Why? I was constantly hungry, I did not actually gain weight while eating low fat and high carb, I gained weight because I wound up cheating by binging on junk food like pizza, burgers, donuts, etc. my cravings for food skyrocketed.

[StrengthAddicts]

Wow...Christine looks so cute. That dude on the right ain't half bad, either. lol

Love the shades Homie =o)

[mokugin81]

jgragal!! tottaly agree with u!!we can only store fat if we got insulin available!! Thats what my friend Zoe Harcombe explains on her videos and books!

[mokugin81]

thats exactly what my friend Zoe Harcombe says on her videos!! Check her out!! she is fab!!

[tangirl1122]

Yall are so fun to watch:) I love your videos, you are very informant as well as entertaining...its great, keep it up

[livinlowcarbman]

@tangirl1122 THANKS for watching! :D

[jgraglan]

What about the fact that the body can only store fat in the presence of insulin and that insulin is only present in the presence of sugar/carbs?

[livinlowcarbman]

I agree with that...that's what makes the "it's all about the calories" argument so invalid. Fat calories are MUCH healthier than carb ones since they do no impact insulin levels in the same manner. :)

[bradin202a]

Question, what about sodium intake? I am eating low carb / primal and finding that my sodium intake is pretty high... thoughts?

[livinlowcarbman]

Sodium is a non-factor for 95% of the population. This is another one of those myths that has gotten perpetuated over the years by the so-called health "experts" that has no basis in truth. I feel a video coming on! :)

[TinFoilChefDotCom]

I've got serious doubts about any kind of high calorie diet being a good idea, even it's all or mostly low carb calories. However I'm going to do some further reading on it.

As for presentation however, I found that to be most obnoxious and if I could rate negative stars for this video I would.

[livinlowcarbman]

THANKS so much for watching and we appreciate feedback of all sorts.  Happy you enjoyed it! :)

[bundleHastings]

Yeah, love the Croxton impersonation

[livinlowcarbman]

Yo! :D

[OvoPiano]

Dr Carlson is crazy and he can't prove anything. There are several hundreds of metabolic ward studies proving that regardless of how many carbs or fat you eat calories do matter in a very precise manner. This also makes sense from an evolutionary point of view since to waste extra food as heat instead of storing it as VERY USEFUL body fat goes against survival and its' the most ridicolous thing ever.

[livinlowcarbman]

I'd love to see these studies "proving" that calories matter. The logical sense should tell anyone that eating 1,000 calories worth of Twinkies, potato chips, and sugary soda is not even close to matching the metabolic benefits of consuming 1,000 calories worth of grass-fed beef, broccoli, butter, cheese, and raw milk. Is anyone seriously arguing the former is better than the latter even though the two meals are isocaloric? Surely you jest.

[OvoPiano]

Nutrients do matter, the difference between raw milk and soda is not calories but nutrients and they do matter. To say that calories matter it means that the body is designed to store extra calories as fat for when food is scarce and to make up for a lack of calories when they're scarse by burning body fat instead. This is also logical in a evolutionary scenario, we would indeed need to get fat to survive famine and to make it possible eating whatever food.

[redneck500]

Im glad I found this video jimmy because I was going to message you and ask you why I eat so little lately and feel so (NOT HUNGRY) I am not used to feeling like that. I think yesterday for breakfast I had 4 pieces of link sausage and 3 eggs, then for dinner chickenbreast with some melted cheese on top and some cut up cold vegetables with ranch dressing, and I felt full all day long. Now I am at work and its 5am, and Im not even hungry!! Ive already lost around 15 lbs since I started!!!!!!!!!

[livinlowcarbman]

OUTSTANDING! Keep it up!!!

[redneck500]

LOL, when I loose all my weight, im gonna sell my story to you and be a millionaire, and I can be famous like that Jared Kid LOL :D

[livinlowcarbman]

GO BOY! Make it happen!

[patryksky]

I dont know why my comments arent posting/showing up

[livinlowcarbman]

Which comments? I've seen them all post. :D

[patryksky]

every comment were i posted a link has not shown up/has not posted

[livinlowcarbman]

Oh, well that's the problem. YouTube doesn't allow links. You have to be creative with links by writing something like go to LivinLaVidaLowCarb dote come slash blog, for example. :)

[patryksky]

I eat lots lard:)

[livinlowcarbman]

Me too and it's so healthy for you! :)

[lukerickrob]

LMFAO at 3:42!!!!!!  Pain meds, hahahah!

[livinlowcarbman]

The sad part is it's TOTALLY true for Christine! :D

[lukerickrob]

Jimmy, I want to do low-carb, but I can't stop buying low-carb treats and snacks, when I know I should first focus on whole foods, like eggs, cheese, etc. Can I have the low-carb treats say, once a week???

[livinlowcarbman]

This is YOUR low-carb diet and you do what you want to do, Rob. If those treats help keep you on track eating low-carb, then GO FOR IT! Ideally, you'd like to have these be infrequent, but the main thing is to transition to a lifestyle that you can live with forever.

[Adam160]

THANK YOU,

This answered all my questions. And gave me confidence in my low carb diet choice, I found that this type of diet works best for me, but some Calrioes in, calories out people were making me doubt my descion, THANKS again.

[livinlowcarbman]

Be strong, Adam! You KNOW what works for YOU. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.

[winter654123]

YOOOOOOOO is this thing workin? It didn't post my last comment...you guys crack me up! Thanks for making the video man! yo yo gotta go go lol Rebecca

[livinlowcarbman]

Yooooo, seems to be working well now. :D

[lennyg03]

Jimmy, Great information about he calories. It's good to know that if your hungry you should eat some atkins acceptable foods. I really stopped looking for calories in foods since I started back in Janruary. Have a great day. See you on facebook buddy.

Lenny G.

[lizardman77]

Dude, Bolivar Central High? As in Tennessee?

[livinlowcarbman]

Dude...YEP!

[lizardman77]

Wow, I'm in Jackson,TN. How long u been in SC?

[livinlowcarbman]

Almost 10 years...who is this? :D

[suselore]

Great video, but the levels on your vocal need some adjusting : /

[livinlowcarbman]

I agree suselore and we're working on that in the next video. Something got off the past few episodes with the audio quality and I apologize for that. Hopefully future videos will be better. THANKS for watching!

[pbesong]

Yes, there is "clipping" where if the audio input level is set too high, the peaks and valleys on the sound wave get cut off and it sounds like buzzing. The audio input level needs to be dropped somewhat to prevent this.

[livinlowcarbman]

Listen to our next video and you'll see I'm working on that. THANKS again!

[mark91345]

May I ask... is this what you do for a living, as your videos and podcasts are so well done... or what is your occupation?

[livinlowcarbman]

Hey Mark, I've made blogging, podcasting, and YouTube videomaking my living since October 2006 and it's been one of the greatest privileges of my entire life. I work harder and longer hours now than I ever did working for someone else, but knowing how many people I've been able to help has made all the effort so worth it. THANK YOU for being on the receiving end and sharing your experiences with me.

[mark91345]

Hi Jimmy,

You had sent me a few links with your interviews with Gary Taubes. Thank you! I listened to them all and they're interesting and informative. I had no idea that you had all those podcasts on itunes. Wonderful job!

[livinlowcarbman]

THANKS Mark! Yep, I have almost 3,000 blog posts, 300 podcasts, and approaching 100 YouTube videos. Keeps me busy! :)

[LadyRealEstate]

When you are talking fat, are you always talking good fats or do you still eat junk?

Plus what if you have egg/cheese/nut allergies?

[livinlowcarbman]

What are "good fats" and "bad fats" according to your definition? Once we establish what you mean by those terms, then I can accurately answer your question. If you're allergic to eggs, cheese, and nuts, then don't eat them.

[KellBell55124]

I really enjoyed this and it's something I've been struggling with trying to come off of a low fat/low cal diet to LC - I did it for a day and felt guilty and went back to being hungry....I have to change this mindset, but it's so hard! This video really helped me!

[livinlowcarbman]

AWESOME KellBell55124!

[shsu97]

Yes i was doing low-carb and gaining why i was overeating--yikes.

[livinlowcarbman]

The bottom line is if you aren't hungry don't eat, but if you are then eat a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb nutritional approach and you'll do just fine.

[darrensylvander]

SUPER FUNNY, LA LA LA LA LA LA LA....

[livinlowcarbman]

Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, Christine stays in her "la la" land quite a bit with those pain meds. :D

[danaseilhan]

Read Gary Taubes--he sums up the actual science nicely. Calories don't matter in the way we think they do. The actual science thinking at this point is that people eat more because they are fat, not that they're fat because they eat more--and not all calories are used for energy any way you look at it.

[livinlowcarbman]

You are exactly right! Gary Taubes is a fascinating man to hear talk in person and I'm honored to know him as a friend. The work he's doing to educate the public on health and nutrition is remarkable.

[rachiebaby24]

Oh - I forgot!

It must be nice to have your neck brace off Christine :) are you "all better"?

[livinlowcarbman]

Shhhh, she's supposed to be wearing it a few more days, but we got her out of it today. There's still a little bit of pain (thus taking the pain medication that made her loopy during the video) in her neck, but the mobility is pretty good. THANK YOU for asking!

[rachiebaby24]

Last year I spent 4 months counting every calorie and going to the gym. 1600 cal per day and 1-2 hours in the gym 5-6 times a week. I didn't lose anything. I was so frustrated. I was "doing everything right"! Some personal trainers at the gym looked at my food/workout diaries to "help" me. They all but straight out accused me of lying. "are you sure you are measuring that cheese on your salad?" LOL - I am SO done with the self torture and feeling like a failure - low carb WORKS! thanks guys!

[livinlowcarbman]

GREAT STORY!!! And it's more typical than people really want to admit. NO MOE TORTURE INDEED!

[lizardman77]

Apart from coconut oil and butter (real butter), what are the best sources of fat to consume? I've lost 30 lbs., just need to lose about 10 more.

[livinlowcarbman]

What a FANTASTIC question! You can get healthy fat from full-fat meats, cheeses, heavy cream, nuts like macadamia nuts, avocados, olive and avocado oil, and more. Don't fear the fat--EMBRACE IT! :D

[mark91345]

One of the things that astonishes me most, that I have recently learned, is that calories are meaningless in terms of following a low-carb plan. What I am finding with myself is that now that butter, meat, eggs, fat, is NO LONGER the "enemy", I simply enjoy them, but I just avoid (or reduce) my refined carb intake.

I still need to have some green leafy vegetables, like spinach, broccoli, or kale, as my system needs it, but I am still losing weight--- and eating great!

[hypnos315]

I love running 5 miles a day and I have thought about trying low carb living to drop the last 15 pounds I want to lose but I can't get my head arouind the idea of cutting carbs that far back....

[livinlowcarbman]

I know PLENTY of people who are avid runners and eat little to no carbohydrates in their diet. Check out the videos from my fellow low-carb blogger/YouTuber named bowulf. Kent Altena runs in races and eats an Atkins/low-carb diet.

[winelover215]

Bwahaha .... great episode guys. You tell em brother.

[livinlowcarbman]

We like to have fun while educating, can you tell? :D

[xf89]

*blushes* I'm glad that I could help! ;)

[xf89]

Thanks Jimmy and Christine for another awesome video!

I've been trying to convince my husband that we don't have to eat low-calorie if we're eating low-carb. I'll be sending this to him! :)

~~ChrisTina

[livinlowcarbman]

AWESOME, ChrisTina! Actually, one of the comments you left at the forum was the impetus for this video. So THANK YOU! :)