Question about Low Carb recipes

[kobescoresagain]

I have ran across some of Kevinpa's recipes and I had a question. I am currently trying to lose weight, but love a lot of carb loaded foods. Are his recipes actually lower in calories or are they mostly just transferring of calories from carbs to other types of calories?

Also I have read on some different items that the calories displayed on their labels are not correct as some calories are not able to be absorbed into the body. Is this true?

[Leo41]

I don't make 'recipes' so I'm not an expert, but I have noticed that many of the 'low carb' recipes are very high calorie. You have to judge for yourself. I try to eat whole foods, as simply prepared as possible because that's what works best for me.

As to that calorie absorption issue, I've read similar articles. That doesn't mean that calorie counts are 'wrong.' It simply suggests that one individual may process food differently than another, and that's why the caloric level at which I lose weight might be vastly different from yours--and why it's not a good idea to use online calculators to decide how much to consume.

There are a variety of factors that influence every individual's use of calories. I found my own 'level' by trial and error. If I'm not gaining or losing, I'm eating at a 'maintenance' level. No one loses weight without a caloric deficit, but what that number is depends on the individual.

[svenskamae]

I agree that many lowcarb recipes are high in calories. For example, some lowcarb recipes use almond flour where a standard recipe would use wheat flour; some lowcarb recipes use heavy cream where a standard recipe would use milk. Many people track carbs and calories simultaneously to lose weight, especially if they are beyond the first induction phase of a diet.

You may have heard about "sugar alcohols" such as malitol being absorbed--or not absorbed--by people (those are the sweeteners used in the commercial Atkins bars or shakes). As a rough generalization, I'd say that people whose bodies don't absorb the carbs from sugar alcohols tend to have upset stomaches and bathroom issues after eating them; people who do absorb the carbs/calories from sugar alcohols won't feel bad but will be getting more carbs/calories than implied on the front of the box, and that's not good, either.

[cfine]

You may have heard about "sugar alcohols" such as malitol being absorbed--or not absorbed--by people (those are the sweeteners used in the commercial Atkins bars or shakes). As a rough generalization, I'd say that people whose bodies don't absorb the carbs from sugar alcohols tend to have upset stomaches and bathroom issues after eating them; people who do absorb the carbs/calories from sugar alcohols won't feel bad but will be getting more carbs/calories than implied on the front of the box, and that's not good, either.

I would like to second this. I don't digest the sugar alcohols so it doesn't effect my blood sugar, BUT, I have TERRIBLE stomach pains so I avoid malitol like the plague. Liquid stevia and erythritol are much better options, IMHO.

[Strawberry]

Most of Kevins recipes are not low calorie versions of the higher carb items. Kevin was a diabetic, who worked very hard at controlling his blood sugar levels. He created recipes that wouldn't spike his blood sugar.

You won't be able to lose weight well by substituting low carb desserts and low carb ice cream for higher carb versions. They are best kept for special occasions. It's also worth pointing out that Kevin was in maintenance, not trying to lose weight, so he was able to incorporate his desserts occasionally into his diet more than if he had been trying to lose weight.

He does have some great recipes for low carb casseroles, beef stew,etc that could be used as part of a low carb weight loss program.

Studies have shown that there is a small metabolic advantage to eating low carb such that dieters lost more weight while eating the same amount of calories. They were eating whole foods however, not a bunch of artificially sweetened high fat desserts. There is seem news out that calorie counts may be wrong because whole food like an orange takes more effort to digest and the calories aren't absorbed quite as easily as processed bread, for example. Bt this should encourage you to stick with mostly unprocessed meats, veggies, etc.

[Adoug4ho]

Originally Posted by svenskamae

You may have heard about "sugar alcohols" such as malitol being absorbed--or not absorbed--by people (those are the sweeteners used in the commercial Atkins bars or shakes). As a rough generalization, I'd say that people whose bodies don't absorb the carbs from sugar alcohols tend to have upset stomaches and bathroom issues after eating them; people who do absorb the carbs/calories from sugar alcohols won't feel bad but will be getting more carbs/calories than implied on the front of the box, and that's not good, either.

Agreed! I rarely experience the "side effects" which concerns me that my blood sugar is being affected

[Mistizoom]

Originally Posted by svenskamae

You may have heard about "sugar alcohols" such as malitol being absorbed--or not absorbed--by people (those are the sweeteners used in the commercial Atkins bars or shakes). As a rough generalization, I'd say that people whose bodies don't absorb the carbs from sugar alcohols tend to have upset stomaches and bathroom issues after eating them; people who do absorb the carbs/calories from sugar alcohols won't feel bad but will be getting more carbs/calories than implied on the front of the box, and that's not good, either.

I'd like to clarify that Atkins shakes do not contain malitol or sugar alcohols, the bars do. I agree with you on the rest. I avoid malitol as much as possible, although it doesn't bother me I do think the carbs/calories in it count for me. Also some sugar alcohols are better than others, malitol is one of the worst.

[Mistizoom]

Originally Posted by kobescoresagain

I have ran across some of Kevinpa's recipes and I had a question. I am currently trying to lose weight, but love a lot of carb loaded foods. Are his recipes actually lower in calories or are they mostly just transferring of calories from carbs to other types of calories?

I wasn't on LCF when Kevinpa was posting, but I have looked at some of his recipes and most of them don't interest me. They seem to have a lot of frankenfoods in them, such as altered forms of wheat (which I avoid altogether) and I know several of the ingredients he used are either no longer available (though substitues may be) or have been altered by the manufactuer such that it may affect the recipes containing those ingredients.

[Casey]

Regarding the different carb counts - the recipes might have been subtracting out the fiber grams.

[watcher513]

Originally Posted by Mistizoom

I wasn't on LCF when Kevinpa was posting, but I have looked at some of his recipes and most of them don't interest me. They seem to have a lot of frankenfoods in them, such as altered forms of wheat (which I avoid altogether) and I know several of the ingredients he used are either no longer available (though substitues may be) or have been altered by the manufactuer such that it may affect the recipes containing those ingredients.

His Spaghetti Squash Pie is really good. The 'crust' is made from spaghetti squash. It's a great recipe.