When shopping for a low-carb meal provider, there is something to take note of and that’s the fact that low-carb and low-calorie aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Calorie counting involves applying the principle of “calories in, calories out.” To lose weight, you must therefore burn more calories than you eat. To lose weight when counting calories, you would set a daily goal for your calorie intake. For example, you could cut 500 calories out of your diet per day. Over the course of a week, this might lead to 0.5kg of weight loss. However, calorie counting is a science and depends on a lot of factors including your current weight, activity lifestyle and a few other factors.
Carbohydrate counting is an eating method that involves counting the number of carbohydrates you eat each day. Carbohydrates (think bread, pasta, potato – basically every food has carbs – but some have more than others). Some carbs such as refined foods and sugar are empty calories and that’s what leads to weight gain. By eating low-carb, you’ll ideally be eating in a way that promotes weight loss. The standard definition of low carb is less than 20g of carbs per meal, but it will differ from person to person depending on age, weight, goals and so on.
Each weight loss method has its own pros and cons, and it’s possible to mix and match between low-carb and low-cal to help you lose weight. It’s a science, but it certainly does vary from person to person.