Why all the carb hate?

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Carbs killed my grandmother.



    I seek revenge by eating carbs every day. I love toast. And sandwiches. And baked goods. I do limit them slightly, but only because I'm focused on hitting protein and fat first. But then whatever is left I use for all the delicious carbs.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    I've found that by cutting back on my carbs really helps with my sweet tooth, which is what got me overweight in the first place lol (Damn the perfect dinner combo of pizza and brownies!!!).
    That's a high fat meal. The worst fats too.

    It's also a high carbohydrate meal. Fat isn't bad for you.
  • RichOC
    RichOC Posts: 243 Member
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    I find it's more important to eat for whatever you're training for. I usually run 25+ miles a week and when my carbs dip too low I feel depleted on my runs. When I played football I had to keep my carbs waaay up and I find that to be true now that I'm playing hockey again as well. When all I was doing was minimal cardio and just focusing on lifting I could get away with a lot less carbs.

    Protein is good, Fat is good, and Carbs are good.
  • stephanj
    stephanj Posts: 898 Member
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    When you stop eating carbs (or significantly lower your carbs at least), your body releases it's glycogen stores, which causes an instant drop in water weight. The problem is that people mistake this for fat loss. Then they come on here and say "I lost 10 pounds in a week by switching to low-carb!" And boom, all of a sudden everyone thinks low carb is the weight loss secret they've been looking for. Too bad those 10 pounds will come right back once they start eating normally again.

    It's true that fats and protein are more essential to the body than carbs are, but there's nothing wrong with eating carbs as part of a balanced diet :)

    Agree. But once your glycogen is low your body has to dip into fat stores for energy. It burns carbs first, if they are available, because they are easier to burn. I don't hate carbs, but weight loss is faster and I am less hungry when I eat at a certain macronutrients ratio. For my, a diet of grains makes me hungry all the time. We have to let other people find what works for them, and then leave them be.
  • StinkyWinkies
    StinkyWinkies Posts: 603 Member
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    As a diabetic the carbs my doctor/s would like me to avoid (in order) are:

    Pasta (yes, even 'whole wheat' pasta)
    Potatoes (these share 1st place)
    Rice (yes, even brown rice)
    Bread
    Milk (this one is the easiest to avoid since I don't drink milk and rarely eat cereal)
    Cheese (yes, milk and cheese are carbohydrates, look it up)

    These are perhaps why there is so much "Carb hate" out there.

    From a diabetic instructor "One 8 ounce baked potato will increase blood sugar faster and keep it up longer than a piece of chocolate cake" (From a Certified Diabetic Instructor, meaning she has all the credentials needed)
  • joanne_jc
    joanne_jc Posts: 2
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    I watched an interesting video recently that makes me think that low carb diets are actually not a fad...

    My problem is I love carbs too much. I'm trying to alternate between low-carb and moderate-carb days for now.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Carbs are saccharides (sugars). Eat sugar and you'll die. Everyone on MFP knows that. Plus I've heard some people find dog breath really attractive.

    carbs robbed me at the grocery store...*kitten*!
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    Because there is so much false science out there.

    Your body will always use carbs first, all carbs are poison, don't eat fruit it has sugar in it... all complete dietetic misunderstandings often peddled by thise with a book, a plan or a food to sell.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    When you stop eating carbs (or significantly lower your carbs at least), your body releases it's glycogen stores, which causes an instant drop in water weight. The problem is that people mistake this for fat loss. Then they come on here and say "I lost 10 pounds in a week by switching to low-carb!" And boom, all of a sudden everyone thinks low carb is the weight loss secret they've been looking for. Too bad those 10 pounds will come right back once they start eating normally again.

    It's true that fats and protein are more essential to the body than carbs are, but there's nothing wrong with eating carbs as part of a balanced diet :)

    Agree. But once your glycogen is low your body has to dip into fat stores for energy. It burns carbs first, if they are available, because they are easier to burn. I don't hate carbs, but weight loss is faster and I am less hungry when I eat at a certain macronutrients ratio. For my, a diet of grains makes me hungry all the time. We have to let other people find what works for them, and then leave them be.

    Oh I totally agree! I'm fine with people doing whatever works for them, and there's nothing wrong with some people choosing low-carb. Anytime I've been getting ready for an event like a vacation or photoshoot, I keep my carbs pretty low too because it does make me look leaner. It's just like the OP said, I just get sad when people post on here asking for help because they aren't losing, and then like half the people who reply tell them that they need to stop eating carbs to lose weight. It's just a lot of misinformation.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    because carbs are Stalin, Hitler, the devil, and every other boogeyman all rolled into one....

    Seriously, as some others have said you have to find what works for you. As an Italian, I freaking love carbs but I find that I do best (gym performance and weight loss wise) when I have my macros set on about 25% carbs...and then about once a month I do a carb re feed day where about 50-60% of my macros are carbs...
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Because there is so much false science out there.

    Your body will always use carbs first, all carbs are poison, don't eat fruit it has sugar in it... all complete dietetic misunderstandings often peddled by thise with a book, a plan or a food to sell.

    Worked for me.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    Because there is so much false science out there.

    Your body will always use carbs first, all carbs are poison, don't eat fruit it has sugar in it... all complete dietetic misunderstandings often peddled by thise with a book, a plan or a food to sell.

    Worked for me.

    :)
  • matyoung125
    matyoung125 Posts: 72 Member
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    As a diabetic the carbs my doctor/s would like me to avoid (in order) are:

    Pasta (yes, even 'whole wheat' pasta)
    Potatoes (these share 1st place)
    Rice (yes, even brown rice)
    Bread
    Milk (this one is the easiest to avoid since I don't drink milk and rarely eat cereal)
    Cheese (yes, milk and cheese are carbohydrates, look it up)

    These are perhaps why there is so much "Carb hate" out there.

    From a diabetic instructor "One 8 ounce baked potato will increase blood sugar faster and keep it up longer than a piece of chocolate cake" (From a Certified Diabetic Instructor, meaning she has all the credentials needed)

    Do you have type one or 2? the UK Diabetic association advise people with type 2 to to eat a healthy balanced diet diet high in starchy carbohydrates !1/3 of what you eat), plenty of vegs and fruit, some proteins and fats. It also advises to limit foods high in sugar and high in fat. This is generally considered a healthy diet

    http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/Eating-well-with-Type-2-diabetes/Ten-steps-to-eating-well/
  • matyoung125
    matyoung125 Posts: 72 Member
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    Carbs are saccharides (sugars). Eat sugar and you'll die. Everyone on MFP knows that. Plus I've heard some people find dog breath really attractive.

    carbs robbed me at the grocery store...*kitten*!

    Wouldn't have happened if you had dog breath!!
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
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    Your body needs carbs to survive and give you energy. Now I'm not saying to live off bread and pasta or anything, but these no carb diets sound a little excessive to me! All this nonsense about "carbs not making you feel full" and stuff is a little exaggerated if you ask me. I've lost 50-60 pounds while eating bread every day, and pasta several times a week, and I have never been hungry once. I am a runner and I love/ need my carbs!

    Okay, that's you and your personal experience.

    Before I changed my eating style I seriously WAS living off basically bread & pasta, oh okay, often drowning in butter and/or gravy and a bit of meat to give it some bite. I always passed on salad and only ate a bit of veggies dripping in melted cheese.

    It is NOT nonsense *for me* ~ I've come to see clear as day that my previously extremely high carb diet was actually contributing to my always, always feeling hungry ~ starving really. I had the misconception that carbs would stick to my ribs and fill me, but it was quite the opposite ~ *for me*.

    I still love carbs, I still eat carbs, but in moderation. And I'm feeling so much better this way.

    We do what works for us individually, right? I won't bash you for eating lots of carbs, why whine about those of us who choose to eat less of them?
  • rachseby
    rachseby Posts: 285 Member
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    I've found that by cutting back on my carbs really helps with my sweet tooth, which is what got me overweight in the first place lol (Damn the perfect dinner combo of pizza and brownies!!!).
    That's a high fat meal. The worst fats too.

    It's also a high carbohydrate meal. Fat isn't bad for you.
    Actually brownies are not that high in fat (at least the Betty Crocker mix). It only has 2g of fat per serving, but 28g of carbs, and 20g of sugar. Pizza can be good or bad, depending where you buy/make it. In Italy they eat very healthy pizza with fresh dough, fresh sauce, real mozzarella and fresh ingredients. You can find some pizza places here that make it that way. The mozzarella has fat, but the other things are carbs. I do not hate carbs, but I think that you should eat anything in moderation. I think that most people who warn about carbs are really just meaning not to go crazy with them.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
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    Many people have ONLY found success by cutting carbs. When people come on mfp complaining that they can't lose weight people suggest to try low carb because it worked for them so it might work for others. How is that misinformation?

    Not everyone needs to cut carbs but some people do. Every body is different.
  • rachseby
    rachseby Posts: 285 Member
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    Many people have ONLY found success by cutting carbs. When people come on mfp complaining that they can't lose weight people suggest to try low carb because it worked for them so it might work for others. How is that misinformation?

    Not everyone needs to cut carbs but some people do. Every body is different.
    Definitely me! As soon as I watch my carbs I lose weight.
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
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    I don't hate carbs, as long as they're in their natural form (fruit and veg etc) any refined carbs are bad for me as they go straight to my breadbaby. I can tell instantly if i've had too much refined carbs as my belly grows exponentially by the next day! It's instant fat building material to my body.

    someone in the know once said:

    cut carbs from your diet = no effect
    cut protein from your diet = malnutrition in weeks
    cut fat from your diet = incapacitation in months

    he did of course mean refined carbs and not natural carbs. Not true for everyone but worth thinking about.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    I don't hate carbs, as long as they're in their natural form (fruit and veg etc) any refined carbs are bad for me as they go straight to my breadbaby. I can tell instantly if i've had too much refined carbs as my belly grows exponentially by the next day! It's instant fat building material to my body.

    ....or it's just bloating :huh: If you are eating at a calorie deficit, you are not gaining fat. Period. No matter how many refined carbs you eat. The only exception might be if you are diabetic or have some other medical condition in which your body handles carbs in an abnormal way.

    I appreciate that you are just trying offer your perspective, but this is the kind of misinformation that gets spread around the forums and confuses new people.

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