Atkins Diet Quick Hits:Should I count Calories on Induction?

Should you count Calories as well as Carbs on Induction? Do Calories matter on the Atkins Diet? Perhaps, but more importantly should you obsess over them like an accoutant with the company's books? That answer is unequivocally no. During Induction IMO, you are relearning your way of eating and living and are already denying yourself former comfort foods. Adding the burden of counting Calories on top of that seems prohibitive and fraught with delving back into a Low Cal, Low fat mindset. During Induction, your body should be your guide. If you are hungry, eat. Eat something on plan. If that means 16 oz of ribeye to satiate that hunger, so be it. Your body will begin to tell you more and more with stronger messages when you are done.

After Induction, some people may chose to evaluate for themselves if they personally need to count Calories. For me as I have said elsewhere, Calories only mattered to make sure I was eating enough. I did not use those numbers to restrict my intake at all. Others may need to use them as a portion control as the appetite suppression with higher carbs of OWL is lessened.

So after Induction, it is up to you and whatever you need to be successful, but counting Calories on Induction (in order to restrict the amount) to me seems a recipe for feelings of deprivation and less than optimal results.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Atkins Diet
• Low Carb
• Count
• Calories
• Bowulf
• Weight loss
• Induction
• Phase

[hdyhhfdg]

Once you go into OWL and phases 3 and 4, are you out of Ketosis? If so, how does your body not gain weight back once you're increasing your carb intake? Isn't it going to use carbs for fuel again?? Or how does that work? Once your out of ketosis, you can eat more carbs and still not gain?? OR at least in OWL?

[bowulf]

@hdyhhfdg As you increase your carbohydrate counts by 5g at a time, you will eventually leave ketosis. You increase it until you reach the CCLL (critical carb count for losing). Once you know that number, you simply eat below, and you weight loss should continue over the long period (you may have weeks where it hesitates). So many low carbers don't need to be in ketosis to lose all the way to goal.

You are still fueling with fat but not exclusively. Many insulin resistance get better too.

[bowulf]

@pinkmushroom55 How many electrolytes (sodium, potassium) are getting? How many Calories are getting each day (hopefully enough - the new book suggests at least 1200)? Does Induction have yucky side effects? Yep, especially for those addicted to carbs or really insulin resistant. How much water do drink and veggies eat each day? For me giving up caffeine was the worst, but it got better.

You lost 10 pounds in 2+ weeks. That is pretty good unless you have 200+ pounds to lose. 

[bowulf]

@pinkmushroom55 I am glad I could help. I know on Atkins I was first able to find the off switch for my appetite.

[bowulf]

@PurpleHoneyBear A simple Caloric look at Calorie In Calorie Out had no relevance to my history of weight loss. Could a metabolic advantage or excess amount of my eaten foods go undigested or require higher energy consumption to eat explain my higher weight loss? Possibly. It however also ignores the role of hormones affect on the body's fat storing and consumption cycles too.

My point ultimately is it useful to focus on Calories as being useful or the primary tool for weight loss.

[bowulf]

@PurpleHoneyBear A simple Caloric look at Calorie In Calorie Out had no relevance to my history of weight loss. Could a metabolic advantage or excess amount of my eaten foods go undigested or require higher energy consumption to eat explain my higher weight loss? Possibly. It however also ignores the role of hormones affect on the body's fat storing and consumption cycles too.

My point ultimately is it useful to focus on Calories as being useful or the primary tool for weight loss.

[bowulf]

@PurpleHoneyBear I am saying that correctly identifying the Caloric intake (not simply expelled as waste undigested) and the amount of Calories consumed or expended in energy is so fraught with problems that identifying the Caloric deficit to be a disservice. The body will adjust one variable (the amount of energy expended -- metabolism) as one adjusts the variables.

I personally tracked much high weight loss at eating 3000-4500 daily than I did when consuming 1500 Calories.

[PurpleHoneyBear]

@bowulf Penelope Green, yes. She said "Maybe they (the low carb, high protein group) burned up more calories digesting their food." That is precisely what happened.

I'm not sure, but perhaps you and I agree on this. Are you saying that it's just not as simple as calories in/calories out? Because if so, you are totally correct. But you do acknowledge that, at the end of the day, whatever turns out to be your caloric deficit will also gauge your weight loss? (besides water masking results).

[bowulf]

@PurpleHoneyBear If you are talking about the junk food diet by Kansas State University associate professor, Mark Haub, it actually was less junk food that popular portrayed. He ate many meals with no twinkies or Hostess cakes at all.

[PurpleHoneyBear]

@Chaaarge I'd have to look at the studies that you both referenced, but if any of them are not controlled lab studies where participants are fed a specific amount of calories, then they're not accurate. We know that because it's been established that people tend to way overestimate their caloric intake.

You are correct. The difference in weight loss is largely attributed to higher water loss and the high satiety factor of the high protein diet. These diets are very useful for that reason.