Calories
definitely count, with my metabolism.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkloots
p. 6 "This metabolic correction is so striking that many of you will be able to lose weight eating a higher number of calories than you have been eating on diets top-heavy in carbohydrates. The so-called "calorie theory" has been a millstone around the necks of dieters and a miserable and malign influence on their efforts to lose."
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First...note he said MANY of you, not ALL of you. Second, as I read it, this criticism of the calorie theory is aimed at the practice of using calorie reduction within a high carbohydrate diet in weight loss efforts. This first pitch, in the book's first chapter, is to convince us of the metabolic advantage that is low carbing and he does a great job of it. As the book goes on, however, he gets into more detail, including using calorie counting in addition to low carbing for some individuals...those who are not 'the many'.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkloots
To quote such excerpts creates a serious distortion of the low-carbohydrate approach to metabolic energy management
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I don't agree. These are direct quotes, not distortions.
I owe the last 15 lbs. of my weight loss to cnmLisa's post of Atkins' statements about calories. I wouldn't have even thought to track calories if she hadn't posted those excerpts; I, too, focused strongly on the metabolic advantage, just-count-carbs that is the main thrust of the books. I hadn't remembered the advice about calories. One of the things he said that spoke to me, was, “If weight loss stops short of your ideal weight...you must conclude that the quantities within the diet are too great” and “You may have to count calories in addition to carbohydrate..."
So it looks like he contradicts himself, but I think he was just trying to be inclusive of all metabolisms in his calorie remarks. He is clear in saying they are a secondary tactic to removing starches and sweets.
Anyway, I'm going to take his advice that works for me, as I think we all should. This isn't one-size-fits-all. It's not even one-size-fits an individual from start to finish. From what I have observed over the years on this board, most of us have to tweak the program as we go along to make it to goal. If I only adhered to cutting-the-carbs, I'd still be 15 lbs fatter. And I still have a long way to goal.
Here are some Atkins calorie quotes, for those of you who have not seen them:
Calories According to Atkins