carbs are my enemy

rachylouise87

i think i found the problem to my weight loss stalls, carbs... slowly been creeping in again even though i am keeping the calories down i seem to have a problem with crisps, potatoes,pizza,chips, pasta rice etc when i cut it out the weight comes off. surely this cant be a coincidence?

neanderthin

Refined carbs are easy to overeat, especially the really tasty ones.

SingRunTing

Sorry, I had to.

SueInAz

While I wouldn't say they are THE enemy, carbs are often my enemy. The more carbs I eat, the more carbs I want. Following a low carb lifestyle is easier for me when I'm trying to lose weight because I'm not tempted by sugary treats or the foods you mentioned above.

jlahorn

You're probably counting something incorrectly if you think you're eating the same total calories but only losing weight when you cut out carbs.

HOWEVER, if it works for you, who cares? Do what it takes for you to be successful, as long as you do it in a healthy way. Placebos can be very helpful to many people.

MakePeasNotWar

If you are keeping the calories constant, the only "weight" that will come off from cutting carbs is water weight, as your glycogen stores deplete.

That being said, some people find it easier to stay within their calorie goals by prioritizing more satiating fats and proteins, and lowering carbs. And for some reason, starches seem easier to underestimate than proteins (maybe because most people use measuring cups for starch, and weigh their meats? or because restaurant portions of pizza, pasta, etc seem to be even more outsized than steak, chicken or fish?)

If it is working for you, you might as well stick with it, just realize it's an appetite regulation strategy, and a fluid shedder, not a weight loss miracle.

asdowe13

rachylouise87 wrote: »

i think i found the problem to my weight loss stalls, carbs... slowly been creeping in again even though i am keeping the calories down i seem to have a problem with crisps, potatoes,pizza,chips, pasta rice etc when i cut it out the weight comes off. surely this cant be a coincidence?

It's merely coincidence.
By cutting them out you put yourself into a deficit

crisps, pizza, chips, pasta while all delicious and carbs, they can pack a hefty calorie total.

make room for them, don't eat them all on the same day.

Weight loss = Caloric Deficit
Weight gain = Caloric Surplus

carrieliz81

This post title could easily be misread as "crabs are the enemy", which is hilarious. Just throwin' that out there.

nosebag1212

you're stalling because you're at maintenance calories, not because of carbs or any other single macronutrient, if you're in a deficit you'll still lose weight regardless of how many carbs you're eating

neanderthin

nosebag1212 wrote: »

you're stalling because you're at maintenance calories, not because of carbs or any other single macronutrient, if you're in a deficit you'll still lose weight regardless of how many carbs you're eating

It's probably water weight. Low carb and a person is pretty much glycogen depleted, add chips and other carbs glycogen (water) is replenished, remove chips, glycogen is reduced, and repeated if what the OP is saying is true, that she is still within her calorie limit.

rachylouise87

thanks but im not eating to maintain i wouldnt say 1200 calories with a TDEE of 1745 and a deficit of 550 sometimes more depending on exercise is a maintenance kinda number?

i am always within calorie limit sometimes exercise cals are eaten back sometimes not depends how full i feel in the day.
when i eat the carbs i feel tired bloated and for the past 3-4 weeks have not shifted any weight. i initially lost a stone and then mistakenly thought i could introduce more carbs. big mistake as its now had an effect. for me personally the more refined carbs in my diet the worse it is for fluid retention and metabolism. i have suspected insulin resistance which is gradually getting better with weight loss.

thanks for everyones input but i know where i need to go from here. high protein meals with plenty of vegetables and a small amount of starchy carbs to fuel exercise.

rachylouise87

SingRunTing wrote: »

Sorry, I had to.

love this!

GaleHawkins

rachylouise87 wrote: »

i think i found the problem to my weight loss stalls, carbs... slowly been creeping in again even though i am keeping the calories down i seem to have a problem with crisps, potatoes,pizza,chips, pasta rice etc when i cut it out the weight comes off. surely this cant be a coincidence?

As you can see you are not alone in finding carbs are the sneaky calories.

I can over eat by a 1000 calories a day and if they are carbs it is bad news at weight-in since they become glucose. Protein is so so because about half of them become glucose and Fats just do not seem to add much if any to my short term weight gain since they do not go to glucose in any meaningful way it seems inside of MY body. A professional body builder that is burning off the glucose may see no weight gain like I do.

After being glucose fueled for over 60 years I had to go very low carb (<50 grams daily) a few month ago to drop my weight it seemed below my 220-250 years of yo yoing range. 220 was like a stone wall over and over until I became mainly fueled by ketones instead of glucose that killed the carb craving when only doing 5% carbs. If I did not cold turkey carbs they would in a short time become 30-50 of my diet again in my personal case.

adowe makes a good point about how we will cut calories if we cut carbs in most cases. This is the reason many on very low carb diets just count carbs vs calories because with Sweet Tooth pulled and the carb craving gone we do not tend to overeat on just Fats and Protein.

This may just be me but if I eat something with even a few grams of sugar now I can fire up the carb craving.

Young active healthy people can get away with murder when it comes to your diets. Get to social security age and we often get thrown in jail for just 'J Walking' (not crossing the street where the traffic signal is located). At 20 anything goes, at 40 not as much but at 60+ my diet is critical to what I weigh and how I feel.

Yes for some of us it is very easy to get burned if we play with Carbs.

Yes I had problems abusing carbs when I was younger too but got away with for a while. At my age my suggestion would be to you that are still on the young side is to try to deal with carb craving now so you are not a health wreck down the road. Carb cravings only get WORSE with time.

tulips_and_tea

SueInAz wrote: »

While I wouldn't say they are THE enemy, carbs are often my enemy. The more carbs I eat, the more carbs I want. Following a low carb lifestyle is easier for me when I'm trying to lose weight because I'm not tempted by sugary treats or the foods you mentioned above.

Ditto. There will be plenty of poster saying that carbs are not "bad", nor is any food in moderation, but if you find what works for YOU OP, stick with it. This is YOUR path; not anyone elses. For me, the less carbs I eat, the better I feel and the fewer cravings I have.

wkwebby

rachylouise87 wrote: »

thanks but im not eating to maintain i wouldnt say 1200 calories with a TDEE of 1745 and a deficit of 550 sometimes more depending on exercise is a maintenance kinda number?

i am always within calorie limit sometimes exercise cals are eaten back sometimes not depends how full i feel in the day.
when i eat the carbs i feel tired bloated and for the past 3-4 weeks have not shifted any weight. i initially lost a stone and then mistakenly thought i could introduce more carbs. big mistake as its now had an effect. for me personally the more refined carbs in my diet the worse it is for fluid retention and metabolism. i have suspected insulin resistance which is gradually getting better with weight loss.

thanks for everyones input but i know where i need to go from here. high protein meals with plenty of vegetables and a small amount of starchy carbs to fuel exercise.

I was totally going to say that you might have insulin resistance when I saw your post. This also happens to me. I'm prediabetic. When you throw insulin resistance into the weight loss mix, you will totally see your body react to carbs this way. I have lost all my 15 lbs by keeping carbs at bay and at a reasonable amount. The holidays have been wreaking havoc so I'm stalled because of the holiday cookie thing. I can be as reasonable as possible and eating only one cookie, but like you, it takes its toll on metabolism and water retention. I'm at the same weight for 1-2 months now due to not being as strict with the carbs. You're not alone!

jemhh

rachylouise87 wrote: »

i have suspected insulin resistance which is gradually getting better with weight loss.

You buried the lede a bit here There is evidence that insulin resistance affects fat loss and that a lower carb diet can help insulin resistant people.

rachylouise87

thanks drs wont do any testing due to my age but my dad has type 2 diabetes and i also have had weight related problems for over 10 years now and basically starving myself unintentionally has been the only solution when younger. i am 27 now and its time to make a life choice

MKEgal

Not a coincidence.
Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein.
Those percentages are (respectively) at the lowest, lowest, and highest ends of the healthy ranges.

Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges.
page 1, carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
page 2, fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
page 4, protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

Also, carbs in the body hold water, which increases weight (temporarily and harmlessly).
Try to decrease the refined carbs (chips, white rice, extra sugar) and increase the whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, etc.).

frksfrau

I noticed that when I snack on carbs, such as chips, I just want to keep on eating and often did. However, I now snack on fruit or yogurt and eat carbs only at one regular meal a day. I've noticed I haven't had the munchies at all. Honestly, I think this is more of a willpower thing then a carb thing.

MKEgal

neanderthin wrote:

It's probably water weight. Low carb and a person is pretty much glycogen depleted, add chips and other carbs glycogen (water) is replenished, remove chips, glycogen is reduced

Glycogen is not water, it's the storage form of glucose (blood sugar, carbohydrate).
The reason it holds water is because to form glycogen it takes adding water.
To get glucose back to use for energy, the body removes the water molecules from the glycogen & the kidneys can excrete them.

Glycogen:
A substance deposited in bodily tissues as a store of carbohydrates. It is a polysaccharide that forms glucose on hydrolysis.

neanderthin

MKEgal wrote: »

neanderthin wrote:

It's probably water weight. Low carb and a person is pretty much glycogen depleted, add chips and other carbs glycogen (water) is replenished, remove chips, glycogen is reduced

Glycogen is not water, it's the storage form of glucose (blood sugar, carbohydrate).
The reason it holds water is because to form glycogen it takes adding water.
To get glucose back to use for energy, the body removes the water molecules from the glycogen & the kidneys can excrete them.

Glycogen:
A substance deposited in bodily tissues as a store of carbohydrates. It is a polysaccharide that forms glucose on hydrolysis.

Yes I know.....I figured people knew what I meant, apparently not. 3g's of water is added for every g of glycogen....