CatHerder's Journal, 02 Jan 16

I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year.

There has been a lot of discussion on various posts around diets. I'll use mine to continue with my thoughts. In order to lose weight you need to cut calories. Calories out has to be greater than calories in. The calories in side are the macronutrients we consume, protein, carbohydrates and fats. The calories out side is our base metabolic rate (BMR, the calories we burn staying alive), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT, things like normal walking, fidgiting, sitting up, standing, etc.), exercise and the thermic effect of food (TEF, the amount of energy used to digest food). All of the items on the calories out side added together is your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). SO basically it comes down to the following equation. Calories In < TDEE in order to lose weight.

It sounds simple right? Well, the problem lies in knowing what the numbers really are for an individual. There are calculators for your BMR. These are only an estimate. The calorie guides and nutritional labels are nothing more than an approximation as there is a lot of variability in the exact portion you are eating and the rounding of macronutrient composition. NEAT, TEF and exercise thermogenesis are all estimates based on models as well.

Sounds like there really isn't no way to know? Well, we all need a starting point. An estimate is better than not having a reference point to start. If we use an online calculator for our BMR, use the appropriate activity factor we have we have an estimate of our TDEE to use. If we use the calorie counts on foods and know how much we are consuming by weighing and measuring then we have a good approximation of calories in. By starting out with a modest deficit of say 500 to 750 calories we can see if there is any change in 1-2 weeks and make adjustments. Want to lose faster? Increase your deficit. Lose slower? Decrease your deficit.

All diets in some way get you to consume less calories thereby creating a deficit. From studies, low-carb diets lead to greater initial weight loss (Due to water being lost). Long term studies show that there really ins't any difference in the amount of weight lost on different diets as long as the calorie deficits are the same.

But I'm doing low-carb/ketogenic diet. It says I don't need to track calories. Bull, you can get fat by eating a high fat diet. If you consume more calories than your burn you will gain weight.

I'm not saying the low-carb diets don't have advantages for certain diseases. I'm saying pick a diet that suits your life. This needs to be a lifelong change not something you do for a couple of months. If you go back to your old way of eating you will gain the weight back, generally with interest.

I hope people have found this interesting and informative. Please feel free to chime in.

Have a great day everybody!

97.1 kg Lost so far: 8.6 kg.    Still to go: 6.4 kg.    Diet followed: Reasonably Well.

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2207 kcal

Fat: 83.58g | Prot: 165.42g | Carbs: 195.63g.   Breakfast: Dannon Oikos Triple Zero - Strawberry, Bananas. Lunch: Chicken Burrito Bowl. Dinner: Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese, Great Value Pinto Beans, Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef. Snacks/Other: MusclePharm Combat Powder - Cookies 'N' Cream, Buttered Popcorn Popped in Oil, Bolthouse Farms Classic Balsamic Dressing, Marketside Premium Romaine Salad, Apples, Bridgford Sweet Baby Ray's Original Beef Jerky, Oatmeal Cookies (with Raisins), Great Day Farms Hard Boiled Eggs. more...