Energy balance
Low-carbohydrate diets induce significantly greater early-phase calorie restriction (approx. 162 kcal/d more) compared to low-fat diets, but this advantage dissipates over time, resulting in no long-term difference in energy intake or weight loss.
If you start a low-carb diet, expect a strong initial drop in hunger and calorie intake, which is normal. However, do not expect this advantage to last forever; your appetite will gradually increase as you lose weight, and your calorie intake will eventually match that of someone on a low-fat diet. Focus on finding a sustainable carbohydrate level you can maintain long-term, rather than relying on the initial 'magic' of strict restriction.
The low-carbohydrate diet resulted in ∆EIModel that was 162±53 kcal/d lower than the low-fat diet over the first 3 months (p=0.002), but no significant diet differences were found at later times.
Why this rating
Large randomized trial (N=414) with objective modeling of energy intake, though lacking doubly labeled water validation for this specific population.
Source
Objective versus Self-Reported Energy Intake Changes During Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets
Juen Guo et al. · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2018
DOI 10.1101/421321
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