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Comment by fps | Hacker News Reader

I've cut carbs and increased my calorie intake (through fat and protein) over the past year and have shed 70 lbs of "water weight". I went from Obese to a healthy weight, from a 42" waist to a 32" waist. And I've actually decreased the amount of exercise I've done, too. Amazing how much "water weight" all those fat cells were holding.

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I think that he is referring to the immediate weight loss effects associated with depleting the glycogen stores in your liver (400 grams) and muscles (100 grams). Each gram of glycogen is bound to 3 - 4 grams of water.

Thus, depletion of your glycogen stores results in the loss of 2.0 - 2.5 kilograms (4.4 - 5.5 pounds) of "water (and glycogen) weight" within the first week of a low-carb diet. Larger individuals often retain even more glycogen and water, which can result in immediate losses of 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) or more.

His point is that some studies, particularly short term studies, do not account for this non-fat weight loss.

You were most likely underestimating your calorie intake at first, it is a common issue.

See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084

Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects.

Also, switching to a diet higher in protein tends to make people eat less calories and consequently lose fat.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002798

An increase in dietary protein from 15% to 30% of energy at a constant carbohydrate intake produces a sustained decrease in ad libitum caloric intake that may be mediated by increased central nervous system leptin sensitivity and results in significant weight loss. This anorexic effect of protein may contribute to the weight loss produced by low-carbohydrate diets.

So in reality, the reasonable explanation is that you decreased your calories involuntary by upping your protein intake.

Referring specifically to folks who change diet and report 6-12 lbs of weight loss in 1 or 2 weeks. Can't burn fat that fast. Carbs in excess cause cells to hold more water, this is a fact. Diet changes, especially water loading, macro nutrient ratio changes,and exercise can cause big shifts on a small time frame. Recommend hacker's diet style of weight trending vs scale measurements to measure short term weight loss.

Out of interest, how many grams of carbs/day did you cut down to?

under 30, almost all from green vegetables.

Wonderful to hear. Please continue to post. How much of your fat intake is saturated? I greatly increased my saturated fat intake and saw the associated quality of life improvements you'd expect (included increased free testosterone).

How can you be sure that it was being low on carbs, as opposed to consuming less calories overall, that was the cause of your sustained weight loss?

> increased my calorie intake

I switched from a calorie restricted "balanced" diet (1900 kcal/day, 150g carbs/day) with small portions that was going nowhere to an unrestricted (>2500 kcal/day, <30g carbs/day) diet with larger portions and lost weight.

And you're measuring everything with a food log? When I do a low carb diet, even unrestricted, I have to focus (eat on a timed schedule) on getting enough calories to maintain my lean mass. Without carbs I simply do not eat enough naturally to maintain a weight I want to keep.

This is interesting. I'd like to learn more.

Are their studies that demonstrate that consuming more calories (with different composition such as HFLC) leads to weight loss compared to lesser calories (regardless of composition)?

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