There seems to be two schools of thought on the proper number of calories for weight loss. One group says 10-12x goal weight, while the other says 10-12x current weight. WHICH IS IT?

TIA,
Jones

BTY - I lost 3.5 lbs. this week. Holy Moly!

I think it is your current weight and that you change it as weight loss progresses.

There is another school of thought -- which includes Dr. Atkins if I read his book correctly -- that says you should not have to count calories if you are doing Atkins. Eat until you feel full and then stop eating. Eat something at least every six hours while you are awake, even if you are not hungry. Make sure not to skimp on fats -- no lowcal salad dressings (use olive oil and vinegar) and put butter or olive oil on your cooked vegetables. Compulsively count every carbohydrate gram you eat. Most people, following those rules, eat the right amount of calories to lose weight on Atkins. If that doesn't work for you, then you can start worrying about 10x or 12x your weight.

When I say, if that doesn't work for you, I don't mean "if you don't lose anything for a week or two." Most people have a small stall after the first two weeks on Atkins. That is normal and most people who stick to Atkins will start losing again after their body adjusts to the new, lower weight they reached during induction.

I would add one thing to this that does not appear in Dr. Atkins book. Stay away from fake foods (bars, shakes, etc.). Eat meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, cheese, and other "real" foods. When you get off induction, consider adding some berries and possibly some nuts (but not too many nuts). The fake foods seem to slow more people down than anything else does.

Hi Jones,

I asked the same question last month....here's the link to the thread so you can read the replies I got...

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ies+goal+weight

Good Luck! KC

Here's a link to what Dr. Atkins says about counting calories:

http://atkinscenter.com/helpatkins/...nInduction.html

He says:

There is no need to count calories. The Atkins Nutritional Approach counts grams of carbohydrates instead of calories. In Induction, you are allowed 20 grams of carbohydrates. When you progress to Ongoing Weight Loss, you gradually add carbohydrates in 5-gram increments as you move toward Pre-Maintenance, and finally to the Lifetime Maintenance phases of Atkins. Although there is no need to count calories, they do count. Gaining weight results from taking in more calories than you expend through exercise, thermogenesis (the body’s own heat production) and other metabolic functions. Research has shown that on a controlled carbohydrate program, more calories are burned than on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, so there is a certain metabolic advantage to the controlled carb approach. But understand that this does not give you a license to gorge.

If you are used to counting calories and it makes you uneasy to not do so, know that women usually can safely consume 1,800 calories a day and still lose weight; men can typically take in 2,000 calories, and in some cases more .

Hi Jones!

Since you're doing well right now without counting calories, why start now? I agree that generally people on low carb should be more concerned about carbs than calories. Eat when you are hungry and until you are satisfied but not stuffed and stop at that point. However...there are some who will find that they need to count calories as well, either because they are eating too few calories or too many. One of our members e-mailed the Atkins center and was told that the minimum is 10-12x goal weight. Remember...this is a mimimum, not a maximum. Each person has to determine that for themselves if and when paying attention to calories becomes necessary. Just don't make the mistake of thinking that less calories is always better. For those that cut calories too much it can backfire and stall you as well.
Here's a link to the thread about the Atkins Center e-mail: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...er+AND+calories

This has been a controversial subject for some time, I suspect because everyone has different levels at which they can loose weight, so everyone should judge for themselves which works best as long as you aren't putting your body into starvation mode. A body that it stressed through too little of anything, whether it be calories, fat, protein, water or anything else your body needs to survive will not be in a big hurry to shed fat.

I appreciate the replys.

Kaycee,

You really hit the motherlode when you asked this question, huh? Thank you so much for directing me to your thread. I guess you could say there is no definitive answer. I have sort of followed the if I'm hungry, eat something approach although I make note of everything in fitday. I plan to follow the rules of induction until I am at least half way to goal weight.

One thing I find curious though is, since we are all told to use fitday, why not pay attention to calorie intake? While my main focus is on ensuring that net carbs stay under 20, why ignore the rest of the information? Fitday is a truly handy food/nutrient management program. I don't think anyone can argue that calories don't count. It's simply a matter of biochemistry. Admittedly, this WOL purports a metabolic advantage which I trust is true. However, that doesn't negate the science behind calories in, calories burned and "excess" calories stored as FAT.

I plan my menus in the morning for the day using fitday. If I see that a particular salad dressing or cream sauce is very high in calories, I make modifications to the rest of the menu to maintain the integrity of my program.

Knowledge is power. I plan to use all resources available to me to reach my goals. This WOL is working for me.

Just my thoughts on this lovely afternoon.

Thanks again,

Jones