High carb diet vs. Calorie in/ calorie out.

This was an interesting article regarding the hormonal effects of weight loss eating a high carb diet. It compares a calories in/calories out diet vs. eating low GI (low carb) diet. Basically, a high carb diet can cause an increased hunger drive. While I do believe in the calories in vs calories out theory for weight loss, I don't think that affects everybody. Some people,I believe, are less likely to shed weight eating a high carb diet. I think nutrients play a role as well as calorie intake.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2686146

Sadly the problem with a lot of nutritional research is that most are based on self-reporting and humans notoriously suck about tracking and reporting what they eat. I try to always keep this in mind when reading literature and pay attention to the methodology used. Then I decide how many grains of salt I should take the results with :)

This is true. People aren't guinea pigs kept in a laboratory. Diets can't be adequately quantified due to self reporting errors. The science of obesity really is interesting and has many variables. You are right. Many studies need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Ludwig's research is typically a bit more diligent to be fair, being as he's a medical scholar at Harvard. He's actually recruiting for this study which is far more rigorous and in a very controlled environment. I think 4-5 top universities are participating in it. It does pay up to 10,000 USD to participate, but you have to live there for three months and meet specific requirements.

The article linked, however, is a review, so not based on any research he has done. And, as he even states, actual research is limited.

His future research looks great, and will hopefully avoid the issue of incorrect self reporting.

Yep. While total calories do matter, especially for weight loss, I'm of the belief that all calories are not created equal. Hormones play a huge role, we don't process and digest all foods the same way. I know for myself, that starchy carbs make me hungry. In another thread I described it as flipping a switch in my brain. I don't think I could ever sustain a diet that included, as my dieticians recommend, 1/4 cup of pasta, 1/2 english muffin, that sort of thing, at every meal. I'd get way too hungry and end up overeating. Sugar and wheat is the absolute worst for me in that regard. Whereas protein and fat keep me satiated.

I don't buy into either of them. I follow high protein/high fat/low carb.

The protein and fat both have high calorie content, and when I checked once for kicks, I learned I was eating close to 4000 calories a day. In doing this, I maintained my weight loss without a hitch.

I think it is so interesting that people can maintain at different calorie levels. I maintain at 2200 calories and gain at 2300. I can shed weight at 1900 calories. Some on this board maintain at 800 or 900 calories. I would pass out on that level of calorie intake. Of course there are variables like activity, metabolism level, or weight. I personally aim for high protein, high fat, and medium carb. I won't give up fruit. That is not sustainable for me.

Maintenance calories at least partially depend on our relative size, but clearly metabolism can be different, and I too believe that not all calories are alike.

DS is great for people who are volume eaters. I have days that I really don't want to eat too much. Even with RNY, I sometimes have to have a late night snack to make sure I get enough proteins and fat.

Now - carbs - once I get on a cycle of eating carbs - I eat and I want to eat a lot. And i gain. But if I had DS - on high carb diet - I would gain also.