Question:
Do we gain weight from Calories or Carbs?
Hi there, Amos Family!, I've been reading a lot of posts lately that say you have to eat about ( I think it was ) 3,000 calories a day to be able to gain a pound. How can that be? I had gained 7 lbs. recently when I listened to my dumb trainer and upped my carbs to 70 grams. I keep very strict watch on how much I eat. I NEVER go above 1,400 calories, never, and yet I gained. So if that is possible to eat 3,000 calories to gain and yet most of us do not go close to that, how can it be explained when someone gains weight and yet may be only eating, say, 1,000-1,200 calories? I don't get it. I'm not trying to cause a slew of negative comments at me, I just don't understand how the 2 can be possible? Thanks! Vi open RNY 9/23/02 down 140 lbs. — Vi F. (posted on April 9, 2004)
April 8, 2004
All I can tell you is that I am having a similar problem. I've still got
34 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight. I use Fitday.com to log
everything I eat and my activities. I average 935 calories a day. My
resting metabolism is a little over 1500 calories so why is it that I can't
lose weight? In fact, to lose weight I have had to drop my calorie intake
back to 500 per day. My guess is that our basal metabolism is different
because of all the dieting - our internal thermostats have reset to become
more efficient on less food. This is a survival trait that would have come
in handy for our ancestors in fact it is a phenomena called the
"thrifty genotype". Unfortunately for us it was what helped us
become obese in the first place.
— Etta M.
April 9, 2004
I recently read an article in a fitness magazine about metabolism. I
estimated my metabolism using the low activity end (even though I work out
5x per week). It said for me to maintain my current weight, I need to eat
2400 calories!!!! I guess this one-size-fits-all information is for those
of us who HAVE a metabolism. I'm almost 18 months out and would like to
lose another 30 pounds myself but my body has other plans. I haven't lost
weight in about 4 months. There was a study recently that compared those on
Atkins diets and those on calorie restrictive diets. Those on Atkins were
permitted to eat 1500 calories per day while the other group was only
permitted 1200 calories per day. Guess what? Both groups lost the same
amount of weight so now scientists are looking more closely at the theory
that all calories are not created equally. I doubt you will get a
definitive answer to your question, but since you've been so successful,
I'd say continue what you are doing. Your 'dumb' trainer might have only
been instructed to help those without the obesity disease and not people
like us who gain weight very easily. Good luck to you!
— Yolanda J.
April 9, 2004
You didn't gain weight, you gained muscle. It weighs moe than fat, makes
you look thinner. Also muscle needs 40 cals a day to feed it. Fat needs
4. If you are gaining weight with a trainer it actually is a very good
thing.
— mrsmyranow
April 9, 2004
Hi, great loss so far hon. The place where I had my WLS at uses carbs to
slow weight loss or to regain if "we" have lost to much weight.At
our last support meeting we were talking about exercise and walking. Alot
of our members do 5K to 15K's every week.And everything that is read for a
"normal person-not intestinal changes" will tell you to load up
on carbs for energy right before a work out. Our dietitien said that us
doing that is a big no-no since our bodies have changed and most of us
still want to lose weight or hold it. And we should focus on fluids and
protien since we need the protien for our muscles. If you read my profile
you will notice I have had way to many surgeries in the last year(9 of
them).And since most of them have involved muscles and nerves my doctors
were concern about me healing with my weight dropping so fast.
My doctors worked together with the dietitiens and they decided what I
needed, I feel like all I do is eat and drink all day, I have 4 -3oz meals
aday plus 2-3 protien snacks depending on my protien count for day. And
amazingly I am still dropping weight even with the surgeries and not being
able to work out at all,I dont like being laid up.
I hope this helps you just a little .
Autumn/IN open VBGB 6/3/03 297#/175#/?
— Autumn
April 9, 2004
you will get many controversial answers w/ this one. An interesting fact.
MY son was taking a college nutrition class. A study was done that showed
the average person underestimates their calorie and portion sizes by at
LEAST 30%. and when they didn't lose & wrote down what they estimated
they ate and then actually ate what they wrote down by weights and measures
with supervision, guess what, they lost weight. I can say right here and
now, for *me* only - Portions and calories count. I have lost 130 pounds by
eating all the food groups and I eat at least 100 - 110 gms of
carbohydrates a day. 70-90 gms protein and 40-45 grams of fat. on a usual
day I eat 6-8 oz meat fish or chicken, 3/4 cup cottage cheese with 1/4 c
fruit or applesauce on top or an egg ( breakfast), I eat 1-2 pieces of
bread or tortilla, etc, I eat veggies at least 2-3 times a day in 1/4 to
1/2 c portions. I eat 2 pieces of fruit a day. 1 cup of yogurt every day.
and at dinnertime I have a few bites of potato, rice or pasta. then I
always have a snack in the evening of a sugar free ice cream or fudgesicle.
Pre op I was eating a lot of stuff that I didn't "count" like the
cheeseburger and fries on the wasy home to "tide me over til
dinner" . and a great big bowl of ice cream instead of a 1/2 cup or 1
fudgesicle. Now, another thing to consider is what ime of the month did you
gain? I fluctuate 5 pounds easily with water retention.
— **willow**
April 9, 2004
Both protein grams and calories grams have four calories per gram in them.
When you say that you never go about 1400 calories, and that 70 grams of
carbs (which equals 210 calories) is a big increase for you, my math shows
that even with a "whopping" 70 gram total, your carb intake
represents only 15 percent of your daily calorie intake. I'm really
doubting that this is the case (does that sound right to you?), so I would
follow up on Willow's suggestion, and suggest that you track precisely what
you are eating on fitday.com for several days, strictly -- no guesstimates.
I don't know what you will find out, but it can't hurt to see how that
comes out.<P>I know there are low-carbers out there who speak of
limiting their daily carb intake to 20 or 30 grams a day, but I've noticed
that in many cases, they don't count a lot of their carbs in that total
(for instance, some don't count the carbs in veggies). Personally, I have
never been a low-carber, and had no difficulty getting to goal eating more
than 100 carbs a day. All I did was keep my protein grams ahead of my carb
grams until I reached goal, which is a formula that may not work for
somebody else, but it did for me.<P>As far as rules of thumb go --
obviously, we're all different, and it makes no sense you'd gain seven
pounds from eating a few more carbs, especially if you're working out.
It's odd, though -- some people find that making even a small change in
diet -- like giving up their morning cereal in favor of an egg instead (or
a protein shake) -- is enough to bump off some pounds, even though
calorically, it may not be very different. Perhaps this is what is
happening with you, but 'til you really track everything closely, it's hard
to say. (I don't think anybody's carb intake should be limited to as
little as 15 percent of their daily caloric intake, though!)
— Suzy C.
April 9, 2004
I can only speak for myself, but my body seems to utilize carbs much better
than protein. I gain if I eat too many carbs, but it seems that I can eat
all the protein I want and be just fine. I know this goes against
conventional wisdom, but for me that's the way it works (and always has).
— mom2jtx3
April 9, 2004
The body does not burn all calories equally. Calories that come from
carbohydrates tend to be more readily stored by the body as they are easily
processed; calories from lower (or non) carbohydrate sources are much less
effectively processed by the body and, therefore, prompt the body to burn
its own fat for its much-needed fuel. As a result, sticking to a low
carbohydrate regimine tends to promote the greater weight loss long term.
— SteveColarossi
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