CICO. Does It Really Matter In A Low-fat/VLF Diet. Weigh In With Your Opinion

DanielleB

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It would seem that there are two camps that believe fat loss can only be achieved via counting calories while another camp believes that doing so is unnecessary as long as the foods are pro-metabolic and nutrient dense.

A few forum members here have lost a great deal of weight doing low-fat/VLF diet and some of those members counted calories while others did not.

I am curious if counting calories is really that necessary while doing a nutrient dense VLF diet. It would seem that the body converts it's own stores of fat when dietary fat intake is considerably low, within the 10-20% range of total calories.

If we also take a look at long-term fruitarians or raw vegans such as Freelee or Durian Rider who consume an excess of calories (3,000+), and most of their calories are coming from carbs/fruits, then it would seem that if one is implementing a VLF diet and keeping protein moderate (say 100-130g), then most of the calories need to come from carbs and the need for carbs to be converted to glycogen by the liver would increase the total caloric need overall.

So I guess I'm wondering what others' opinions are on this matter as it would seem that if one is going LFHC, then an excess of calories would be beneficial to aid in fat loss and giving the liver adequate fuel to born as opposed to counting calories and eating in a caloric deficit to lose fat...those are my thoughts anyways.

Would love to hear other thoughts on this though or any studies that might back up your opinions?
 

Vinero

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In my experience it is very difficult to gain bodyfat by eating excessive carbs. The process of turning carbs to fat is very inefficient, while the process of turning dietary fat (even saturated fat) to bodyfat is very easy/efficient. Eating excessive fatty foods like whole dairy, chocolate, butter, fatty meats etc. makes me gain weight easily.
On the other hand, I can eat large amounts of both starches and sugars and not gain weight no matter how much I eat. So in my experience counting calories is meaningless, fats and carbs have very different effects on weight loss. 100 grams of fat is not the same as 100 grams of carbs. 100 grams of excess carbs will do nothing, while 100 grams of excess fat will make you fat if you eat that everyday.
 
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DanielleB

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In my experience it is very difficult to gain bodyfat by eating excessive carbs. The process of turning carbs to fat is very inefficient, while the process of turning dietary fat (even saturated fat) to bodyfat is very easy/efficient. Eating excessive fatty foods like whole dairy, chocolate, butter, fatty meats etc. makes me gain weight easily.
On the other hand, I can eat large amounts of both starches and sugars and not gain weight no matter how much I eat. So in my experience counting calories is meaningless, fats and carbs have very different effects on weight loss. 100 grams of fat is not the same as 100 grams of carbs. 100 grams of excess carbs will do nothing, while 100 grams of excess fat will make you fat if you eat that everyday.


This has been my experience as well, granted my metabolism tanked and I started getting health issues being just fruitarian. So now that I'm rebuilding my metabolism, I'm wondering if calorie counting should still be implemented even in the face of a VLF diet.....
 

Vinero

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This has been my experience as well, granted my metabolism tanked and I started getting health issues being just fruitarian. So now that I'm rebuilding my metabolism, I'm wondering if calorie counting should still be implemented even in the face of a VLF diet.....
I think getting enough protein is also important when recovering from fruitarianism. Your liver cant make thyroid hormone and detoxify estrogen when protein intake is not sufficient. I would eat around 100-140 grams of protein a day, with at least 200 grams of carbs, saturated fat as much as you crave unless it causes weight gain.
 
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DanielleB

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I think getting enough protein is also important when recovering from fruitarianism. Your liver cant make thyroid hormone and detoxify estrogen when protein intake is not sufficient. I would eat around 100-140 grams of protein a day, with at least 200 grams of carbs, saturated fat as much as you crave unless it causes weight gain.

The protein bit is confusing though because if the liver is not optimal, then the ammonia from protein can cause the liver functions to slow down which also impacts weight loss. I've been getting around 3oo or more grams from carbs but since I'm doing VLF, I consume anywhere between 5-20g of saturated fats, most days it's 10g or under though. Even saturated fat can cause weight gain if carbs are kept high
 

tara

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I'm going to be wishy-washy and say that, like many things, I bet it depends on the individual and their context.

Might depend on metabolism, how well one meets one's nutritional needs, specific imbalances that might want rectifying, one's internal awareness of one's own nutritional needs and one's internal awareness of when one has met them, any compulsive habits one has towards over- or under-eating in general or of particular foods or at particular times, other factors influencing how we metabolise our food - eg movement, work, sleep, light exposure, other inspirations or stresses ...

When my weight has decreased, it's never been while I've been rigorously counting calories.
 

TeaRex14

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With in reason, no I don't think calorie counting is necessary on a low fat high carb diet. If you're eating like a 1,000 calories over your maintenance level it might cause problems, but it'll be hard. Carbs have 5 less calories per gram in comparison to dietary fat. Just make sure you get enough calcium and protein to keep the metabolic rate high. Skim milk, gelatin, and fruit juice is always a good mixture. You're getting plenty of carbs, protein, and trace amounts of fat from the skim milk, most of which is saturated. I would make an emphasis to include coconut oil, eggs, liver, and oysters in the diet periodically. These are dense sources of fat, but their benefits are worth it.
 

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