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