"Do Carbs make me fat"

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Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited December 2016
    bellom54 wrote: »
    theirs alot of contreversy on the subject! But the answer is yes and no! depends on the carbs for example everything processed and in boxes is no good for weightloss.. Good carbs like sweet potatoe, brown rice, quinoa, and veggies are acceptable but also in moderation because our body uses carbs as energy source and when u eat too many carbs ur body doesnt burn it all off as energy so it starts storing it and turning it into fat! So the best times to eat carbs are breakfast and lunch so ur body will burn it off usually at dinner were less active.. What has worked great for me is i eat carbs 4 days a week and 3 days a week i dont and I lose weight fast!!

    Nope. None of that.

    But it does show an excellent example of how ignorant our society is toward nutrition in general.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    bellom54 wrote: »
    theirs alot of contreversy on the subject! But the answer is yes and no! depends on the carbs for example everything processed and in boxes is no good for weightloss.. Good carbs like sweet potatoe, brown rice, quinoa, and veggies are acceptable but also in moderation because our body uses carbs as energy source and when u eat too many carbs ur body doesnt burn it all off as energy so it starts storing it and turning it into fat! So the best times to eat carbs are breakfast and lunch so ur body will burn it off usually at dinner were less active.. What has worked great for me is i eat carbs 4 days a week and 3 days a week i dont and I lose weight fast!!

    No.

    Whether the carbs are "processed and in boxes" is irrelevant.

    When you eat more calories than your body uses, you gain weight. It doesn't matter if those excess calories come from carbs, fats, or protein.

    It doesn't matter when you eat. What matters is how much you eat.

    Eating no carbs 3 days a week sounds miserable and is absolutely unnecessary.

  • IAmSagittarian82
    IAmSagittarian82 Posts: 97 Member
    edited December 2016
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I am so glad this thread was created. I know everyone's body is different.

    I was reading an article that says, "Two people can have identical body compositions and activity levels, yet due to individual metabolic variations, one may be able to eat twice as many carbs as the other and still lose fat."

    Source: http://www.builtlean.com/2013/10/30/carbs-lose-weight/

    Individuals may have additional variables. Women tend to have great instances of autoimmune issues (it's something like 9:1 - don't quote me on the exact number, it heard it in a lecture on POTS). Based on this, the macronutrient composition and other factors can largely influence metabolic rate and/or EE. For a majority, it will probably have no impact.


    Side note, when you reduce carbs, you deplete glycogen stores. So when looking at weight loss trends, throw out the first few weeks and look at the following 4 weeks. That really how you know if it's working. I am moderate to high on my carbs, and I bet if I went Keto, I could easily lose 5 lbs in two weeks, while maintain calorie levels at 3k.

    Thanks for the info. Yes, I agree with your side note :) I actually had lost 110 lbs a few years ago. Mostly water weight in the first 2 weeks, but a steady 2ish lbs a week thereafter. My carbs aren't super low...although I aim to keep it under 100g a day. On the other hand, I don't think I could eat enough food in a day to consume 300g, unless I started to eat potatoes, breads, etc. I find myself stuffed silly at 1200 calories :)
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited December 2016
    bellom54 wrote: »
    theirs alot of contreversy on the subject! But the answer is yes and no! depends on the carbs for example everything processed and in boxes is no good for weightloss.. Good carbs like sweet potatoe, brown rice, quinoa, and veggies are acceptable but also in moderation because our body uses carbs as energy source and when u eat too many carbs ur body doesnt burn it all off as energy so it starts storing it and turning it into fat! So the best times to eat carbs are breakfast and lunch so ur body will burn it off usually at dinner were less active.. What has worked great for me is i eat carbs 4 days a week and 3 days a week i dont and I lose weight fast!!
    1. I eat so called 'carbs in a box/bag/package' and am losing weight just fine. Did you even read the posts here?
    2. No, no, no. Excess carbs do not equal weight gain. Excess calories cause weight gain, and those calories can be from carbs, protein or fat. Please post actual scientific evidence that the body will store carbs as fat.
    3. There are no 'best times' or 'best days' to eat carbs. Your body will digest them the same. Your body does not know the time. This is woo. The metabolism runs 24/7
    4. I eat carbs whenever I what, and lots of them at times. I've lost so close to 100lbs now.
    5. It is obvious you haven't read this thread. ;)

    And losing more than 2lbs a week unless you're well over 300lbs is not healthy. Fast weight loss isn't awesome.

  • IAmSagittarian82
    IAmSagittarian82 Posts: 97 Member
    edited December 2016
    Carbs make me want to eat and eat and eat. Fat and protein not so much. Did carbs make me fat? No excess calories made me fat, but carbs didn't help matters any.

    I find that I have to have a certain amount of protein to keep full. The more carbs I have, the more I crave them. I don't have cravings like that anymore.
  • IAmSagittarian82
    IAmSagittarian82 Posts: 97 Member
    edited December 2016
    bellom54 wrote: »
    theirs alot of contreversy on the subject! But the answer is yes and no! depends on the carbs for example everything processed and in boxes is no good for weightloss.. Good carbs like sweet potatoe, brown rice, quinoa, and veggies are acceptable but also in moderation because our body uses carbs as energy source and when u eat too many carbs ur body doesnt burn it all off as energy so it starts storing it and turning it into fat! So the best times to eat carbs are breakfast and lunch so ur body will burn it off usually at dinner were less active.. What has worked great for me is i eat carbs 4 days a week and 3 days a week i dont and I lose weight fast!!

    I prefer not to eat processed foods unless I am in a real pinch. I dabbled with Atkins ready-to-go dinners, etc. I do much better when I cook my own foods and veggies.
  • andyluvv
    andyluvv Posts: 281 Member
    stealthq wrote: »
    andyluvv wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    andyluvv wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    andyluvv wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    billglitch wrote: »
    in my opinion carbs do not stay with you and leave you hungry sooner. So you tend to want to eat....thats the problem

    Is this with all carbs? From veggies to starches? Because fat doesn't fill me up, but starches are my BFF.


    If you want to get technical, fats convert to body fat the easiest, followed by carbs and protein. But it's all driven by energy balance.

    According to my therapist that's particularly the case with active people. He said my body is quickly running out of stores which is why I'd feel tired and shaky. I just can't wait for my body to normalise as weight lifting has become a struggle for me.

    Are you an endurance athlete or running low carb? Because if you aren't, it's highly unlikely that your glycogen stores are depleted, especially considering a body can store 400-500g of glycogen. If you are struggling with workouts, I would first look at calories, body fat% levels/weight, and then mineral deficiencies.

    The problem is running on a deficit for most of the past 3 years I think and running on pretty much low carb and low fat. My body fat was at 10%, I assume it's been adaptive thermogenesis.

    Low body fat + low fat can lead to hormonal issues. Did you incorporate any refeeds or anything throughout the time

    You're right - which the doctor is unsure if it's what happened (I was on a high carb low fat diet).
    The doctor also believes that it could be a chromosomal issue. I didn't have refeeds, but I ended up having binges which is when I sought out help.

    My body just eventually stopped producing hormones - the endocrinologist believes it was over training and under eating. I at the time started the whole low carb (with moderate fat) and I think it's where it all started going wrong :neutral:

    A chromosomal issue? As in, you have an abnormal number or deletions or duplications? That's pretty easy to diagnose, has a test been submitted?

    Hey!
    Thanks for the response and yes - actually I got the result today and it came back negative.
    Which made me happy for hooray - no abnormal chromosome but also sad...as that means I'm not an X-Man! ;) lol
    Also I'd like to say - increasing carbs DEFINITELY made me more satiated!
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    The only problem with "boxed" carbs is overeating them.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,004 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Did carbs make me fat? Nope, they made me lean...

    Bro, don't lie. You are only 7% body fat.. That is obviously a lot of body fat.

    Maybe I'd be 3 without the carbs? I dunno.

    Clearly you're not burning off the excess...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    The only problem with "boxed" carbs is overeating them.

    Which is generally easier since they also have a ton of fats and hyperpalatable. But definitely something that can be incorporated in a diet.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    bellom54 wrote: »
    theirs alot of contreversy on the subject! But the answer is yes and no! depends on the carbs for example everything processed and in boxes is no good for weightloss.

    To add to what others said, being in a box and being processed does not make a food a carb. Lots of boxed foods have plenty of fat (see, e.g., butter, which you can buy in a box), others (like frozen meals) have a balance of protein, fat, and carbs, and still others (like a boxed cake, probably) are split between fat and carbs.

    Among the huge variety of processed foods are all dairy products, including full fat cheese.
    Good carbs like sweet potatoe, brown rice, quinoa, and veggies are acceptable but also in moderation because our body uses carbs as energy source and when u eat too many carbs ur body doesnt burn it all off as energy so it starts storing it and turning it into fat!

    No, you don't store net fat when eating in a deficit, and you don't store carbs as fat easier than, you know, fat. So long as you are at a deficit you will lose fat.

    The idea that extremely healthful carbs like vegetables are "acceptable" but one has to be concerned about eating too much or you might get fat would boggle the minds of basically all credible nutrition scientists. Yeah, the reason the US has an obesity problem is not calories, but too many vegetables.

    And the idea that all other carbs are to be excluded is odd too. (And I still don't get why potatoes are bad but sweet potatoes good, or why white rice and pasta aren't consistent with a good diet, Japan and Italy aside and all.)
    So the best times to eat carbs are breakfast and lunch so ur body will burn it off usually at dinner were less active..

    If you are alive you burn calories throughout the day and also having some potatoes in the evening can be great for a pre breakfast run IME.
    What has worked great for me is i eat carbs 4 days a week and 3 days a week i dont and I lose weight fast!!

    Not eating any carbs (such as vegetables) 3 days per week is not a great idea. The idea that that makes a diet better is, again, mind-boggling.
  • jmp463
    jmp463 Posts: 266 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Carbs help build this bod.. so for me... no.

    Yes - but something tells me you dont take in 200g of carbs per day consisting of pizza and pasta and cake. Plus from the look of you - you look like you workout a lot. You look great. But you are not the average person most people do not workout that hard each day and cannot support lots of extra carbs.

    I agree carbs are fine - IF - you control them. Like everything else. Funny thing happened. I was not losing. So I looked at my food logs. I was around 120g per day on an average day. So I dropped to around 75g per day - I starting losing weight again and found I did not have sugar cravings anymore.
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
    carbs make you hungry. So you eat more carbs. You don't use the extra-hungry calories, and they turn into fat.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    jmp463 wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Carbs help build this bod.. so for me... no.

    Yes - but something tells me you dont take in 200g of carbs per day consisting of pizza and pasta and cake. Plus from the look of you - you look like you workout a lot. You look great. But you are not the average person most people do not workout that hard each day and cannot support lots of extra carbs.

    I agree carbs are fine - IF - you control them. Like everything else. Funny thing happened. I was not losing. So I looked at my food logs. I was around 120g per day on an average day. So I dropped to around 75g per day - I starting losing weight again and found I did not have sugar cravings anymore.

    200g+ of carbs from cake, pizza, and pasta are awesome for putting on muscle.
  • logiatype
    logiatype Posts: 110 Member
    Calories in Calories out for weight loss. If you're looking to build lean mass then you'll need to increase your protein intake and slightly reduce your carb intake.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    The only problem with "boxed" carbs is overeating them.

    I've got a similar problem with boxed wine :)

    (home brew and it's just easier to box it then bottle it, honest).
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    kami3006 wrote: »
    jmp463 wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Carbs help build this bod.. so for me... no.

    Yes - but something tells me you dont take in 200g of carbs per day consisting of pizza and pasta and cake. Plus from the look of you - you look like you workout a lot. You look great. But you are not the average person most people do not workout that hard each day and cannot support lots of extra carbs.

    I agree carbs are fine - IF - you control them. Like everything else. Funny thing happened. I was not losing. So I looked at my food logs. I was around 120g per day on an average day. So I dropped to around 75g per day - I starting losing weight again and found I did not have sugar cravings anymore.

    200g+ of carbs from cake, pizza, and pasta are awesome for putting on muscle.

    Yes.. yes they are! They are also amazing for a postpartum mother who is nursing her baby.. so double win if you ask me, yay!

    That is win-win. It was so long ago but carbs were certainly my friend postpartum. Unfortunately, were were a little too friendly and it was pre-MFP. :D
  • andyluvv
    andyluvv Posts: 281 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    jmp463 wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Carbs help build this bod.. so for me... no.

    Yes - but something tells me you dont take in 200g of carbs per day consisting of pizza and pasta and cake.

    200 g isn't that much.

    Pizza -- probably about half fat.

    Pasta -- depends on what is eaten with it, but ranges from something like carbonara (probably more than half of the calories from fat) to a balanced meal like I often make, with (say) shrimp and lots of vegetables and a bit of olive oil (balanced macros, and I'd like to know why that would be a "meal to avoid").

    Cake -- again, about half fat.

    Why are these used to say that carbs specifically are a problem, rather than examples of often high cal foods that people might overeat that include a mix of macros?
    Plus from the look of you - you look like you workout a lot. You look great. But you are not the average person most people do not workout that hard each day and cannot support lots of extra carbs.

    What causes weight gain is excess calories, not a particular carb percentage.

    You're so right there..
    Which is why I think programs like weight watchers and slimming world work. They minimise fat rather than carbs and up protein. I've just noticed I take in about 200g of carbs a day. When I was having it from vegetables only I was constantly hungry. Now having more complex carbs and pulses I seem to last a bit longer!

    Carb it up!
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