Calorie counting too?

[HeyChiefICouldBeWrong]

Hello all!

I think I’ve over researched low carb diets and now I have LOTS of people’s opinions on how to do it! Urgh.

I’m tracking on MFP and keeping under 50 grams of carbs a day, but I’m finding myself trying to keep my calories down too (ideally 1200 but no more than 1500) Is this useful? Is the idea that you loose weight on a low carb diet because it makes you fuller and you eat fewer calories or is it because you burn more fat? I’m going to join the next bootcamp, but am trying to get started on my own for now and I don’t want to mess up!

On Bootcamp we don't count calories, just eat to satiety. Keeping your calories too low can actually slow down weight loss because of the effect on your metabolism. I wouldn't recommend anyone to eat fewer than 1400 calories a day. The idea behind low carb is that you control the hormones behind hunger by keeping carbs, and therefore insulin, low. This allows the fat cells to release fat and the free availability of naturally reduces your appetite so you will eat less and snack less often. The Bootcamp threads run continuously because most people take more than one Bootcamp to get to their target weight and there are quite a few of us "old hands" who stick around out of gratitude to @BIWI and to encourage others along the same path. I lost 30 lb back in 2013 and it was life changing for me. So you can start Bootcamp any time and you'll get plenty of support.

@HeyChiefICouldBeWrong ultimately, as you get near your target weight, you may find that calories come into play - but it's keeping the focus on the carbs that's key.

Weight gain is caused by higher levels of insulin, which is the result of eating too much carbohydrate. (Very oversimplified but essentially true ). If you keep the carbs low, you keep levels of insulin low, and so there's less likelihood of your body laying down fat.

There are several good books which will help to explain all of this:

The Diet Delusion, by Gary Taubes

and

The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung

for a start

Come and join us on the Bootcamp chat threads - we'll be chatting about low carbing generally but some people are still actively Bootcamping as well, so you can join them!