calories & carbs??

Will I lose weight faster if I cut out carbs while counting calories from my diet or is counting calories with carbs ok???

Moderation not elimination is best.  Eat a balanced diet and hit your reduced calorie goals.

Good luck!

I'm going to second what Biscuit said.  Cutting carbs out of your diet is not the way to go, moderation is the key.   Reduce your calories by a small amount and exercise to create a calorie deficit.  There is really no "fast" way to lose weight, you didn't put the weight on overnight, and you aren't going to take it off that way either.   Any diet or program that promotes fast or quick weight loss is something you should steer far away from.

If you are going to have carbs, have complex carbs..whole grains etc.

Try and eliminate refined flours and all sugars and I think you will notice a difference.

Sweet potaotes vs. regular white potatoes.  Brown rice vs. white rice.

Original Post by chrisygg:

If you are going to have carbs, have complex carbs..whole grains etc.

Try and eliminate refined flours and all sugars and I think you will notice a difference.

Sweet potaotes vs. regular white potatoes.  Brown rice vs. white rice.

 Are whole grain foods easier to digest?

They breakdown lsower in your system, so you don't feel hungry as quickly.  They also pack a lot more nutrients.

Original Post by live4me:

Will I lose weight faster if I cut out carbs while counting calories from my diet or is counting calories with carbs ok???

 I was actually wondering the same thing.  Not that I want to do Atkins or anything, but is there a better ratio of carbs, protien, and fat when trying to loose?

Original Post by live4me:

Are whole grain foods easier to digest?

Nope.  And that's why they're so good.  The more energy your body has to expend digesting your food, the more calories you will burn.  Also, foods with lots of fibre are "difficult" to digest because you can't digest fibre - but that's why they're so good for you; the fibre keeps you regular.

One theory as to why so many people are overweight these days is that we eat too many overprocessed, easy-to-digest foods and that contributes to us having slower metabolisms than we used to.  Of course, there are many other factors at play as well, but it's certainly an interesting theory.

Carbs are fine when dieting. Eat as natural a diet as possible and get some exercise and move around more in your life in general. It's that easy/

Thank for everyone's help.  You guys are great!!!!

Something I read as well is that when you eat the refined sugars and bad carbs, they cause you the belly fat.  So if you want your stomach to go down, avoid them.  I read that in Oxygen Magazine...I love this magazine.

I always learn something in it.

Refined sugars or bad carbs don't cause belly fat.  Overeating causes belly fat.  Eat over your maintenance level of calories and your body will store the excess, doesn't matter if it's protein, carbs, fat, whole grains, brown rice or even broccoli.  Eat more than you need, and your body will store it. 

I do agree that avoiding refined sugars, processed foods and bad carbs are the way to go.  From a health stand point,  the more natural and less processed,  the better.   From a weight loss point of view, these foods tend to be calorie dense.  Meaning that even a small potion will have a high calorie load, which sometimes gets overlooked and we end up over eating these things.