so why isn't a calorie a calorie

I've been doing low carb, under 20g, for a couple of days now and the scale is moving in the right direction again.  Before, I was eating on my surgeon's plan whi*****luded a few starchy carbs but no more than 2x a day, 1/4c at a time.  I could have fruit and veggies for each meal, 5.

So my calories haven't changed to any great extent.  I'm still doing around 7-800 a day.  I took out potatoes, grits, oatmeal and fruit.  Left in some beans no more than 1x a day and non-starchy veggies. 

So, why is it that the same calories are letting the scale go down now and weren't before?  I really liked my variety before.  I know I can do this for a while but I also know I never could stay on Adkins before forever.  So maybe at mantainance, I can add in some of those things and not gain?

I found this blog: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/metabolism/is-a-calorie-always-a-calorie/

And this article...not sure I can explain it but they may help:
http://www.tbiomed.com/content/pdf/1742-4682-4-27.pdf

The first article was interesting but I would love to know the weight loss in each group, plus the studies really only showed the harm of high carb, not so much why we lose weight low carb.  And the second article was WAY over my head.

Thanks so much for trying to help.  I guess if I were brighter, it would be clearer.  I think the whole thing comes down to most of the world wants us to believe that calorie intake and expenditure is all that matters and there is certainly a good bit of information that shows that the body does different things with different calories, therefore increasing weight loss or gain.

Price, you just hit the nail on the head!  If I eat the X- number of calories in mostly protein, I lose weight.  If I eat the same calories in protein/good fats evenly divided, I lose weight.  As soon as I add carbs (even fruit/veggies) evenly divided, I stop or slow down.

It's not just about the calorie count, it's also about how your body is able to use the type of calorie you provide - and your body's methods may not be the same as mine, so we all need to figure out what works best for us.

Ditto for me  too. I hate it! I want to be able to eat the good carbs but it just doesn't work for me. Some people are just sensitive to carbs. I may have to just face it that I can't do them (even fruits for the most part) if I want to get below the weight I am now.

Hi Price,

Now I see what you're doing.  Please ignore the reply I just sent you over at the Low Carb group.  :)

It's so interesting about the calories.  I certainly don't understand it.  I know that carbs keep more fluids in our system and when we lower the carbs, we often drop several pounds at first.  I think that's why the low carb plans are so attractive to people, because we see an immediate drop in weight that has us want to continue.

I like the author Gary Taubes.  I have his book, Good Calories/Bad Calories which explains a lot of what you're asking.  But it's like reading a scientific tomb.  He just came out with a new book that I have read great reviews about, called Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.  I'm going to buy it and read it.  I think it was WhackaDoodle who posted some good topics over at the Low Carb group with passages from the book.  Check it out.

I bet that in maintenance you'll be able to add things back in and you'll have your variety back. 

My chemist friend explained it to me in very very simple terms. He said carboHYDRATEs use or bond with more water than other foods. I know that is way oversimplified, but it was as high a level as I cared to understand. I gain with high carb and lose with low carb, even when calories are equal, and there is a scientific reason so I'm not just imagining it. On another note, 7-800 calories a day isn't much. Make sure you don't drop too much below that, especially if you are exercising, or you might stop losing. That was a hard concept to grasp, eat more to lose weight, but if you get too few calories, your body hoards them in fat for fear it won't be getting more.  When I was losing, I had to be on a strict very very low carb diet. Maintaining, I just have to be on a balanced diet with all my carbs being complex and eating them with protien. When I get too much carb, even complex carb, I gain and have to go back to very very low carb. Even maintaining, I rarely ever eat potatoes, grits, or oatmeal, and if I do, I add protien powder or cheese with it.  I do eat fruit and small amounts of whole grain baked products like low carb wheat tortillas or Orowheat sandwich thins, and I always eat protien with the carbs. I also find that the more carbs I eat the more I want, so it is hard to keep the carbs under control.  You can't do Adkins forever, but you will probably have to be careful about carbs forever.

Thanks, good information.