Is it healthy to completely cut out carbs from my diet?

Lara_z

I eat a lot of carbs. Like white bread, potatoes, white rice, pasta.

Would it be a problem to completely cut out carbs from my diet for 1-2 weeks?
With the exception of having ready break in the morning for breakfast. And just have a diet of fruit, veg and protein?

I've read here that starchy food can contribute to weight gain and I want to cut it out together with high sugar foods (like cakes and biscuits) for a couple of weeks.

Would this be a good idea?
Has anyone tried cutting down on carbs?

VintageFeline

You understand veg and fruit are carbs? So in that context it's fine. BUT carbs don't make you gain weight, excess calories do, same for sugar.

I reduce starchy carbs when losing just because they're the easiest thing to reduce and still feel satisfied but they're still part of nearly every meal, just in smaller quantities.

crzycatlady1

Starchy foods don't contribute to weight gain, unless you're eating at a calorie surplus. Same goes with ALL foods.

Also, veggies and fruit have carbs, so if you're still eating those things then you're not actually completely cutting out carbs.

For weight loss the only thing that matters is that you're hitting the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. Everything else is secondary/background noise.

Alatariel75

Whenever i see someone saying they are thinking of completely cutting carbs and only eating fruit, veg and protein, i immediately think they need to do a lot more research. Fruit and veg are carbs.

Cutting carbs helps some people lose weight. Others lose just as well keeping carbs in their diet. Cutting carbs for a couple of weeks won't do you want harm if you want to see how it suits you.

Machka9

Lara_z wrote: »

Would it be a problem to completely cut out carbs from my diet for 1-2 weeks?
With the exception of having ready break in the morning for breakfast. And just have a diet of fruit, veg ...

Fruit and veg are carbs.

I'd recommend taking a nutrition class at your local college or through your local community classes. Have a look ... your area might have something interesting and informative on offer.

Lillymoo01

How about just switching from white bread to wholemeal and wholegrain, limiting to a slice or 2 a day. Instead of white rice have brown rice. Change from white pasta to wholemeal.
Cut out most processed foods and replace with fresh.

Just cutting out carbs (or greatly reducing as your education on carbs is limited) for a few weeks and then returning to your normal diet will result in weight loss (mainly water) followed by weight gain, often more than you lost. You are much better off finding a healthy balanced nutrition plan that you can stick with long term.

DietPrada

As for "is it healthy" I have been less than 20g carbs per day for 4 years and according to my doctor and bloodwork I have never been healthier.

crzycatlady1

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

As for "is it healthy" I have been less than 20g carbs per day for 4 years and according to my doctor and bloodwork I have never been healthier.

Whereas I average 150-200+ carbs a day and also have excellent health markers and blood work panels. I'm no longer a prediabetic either Been doing this whole thing for around 5 years now and I'm approaching my 4 year maintenance anniversary in April, (around 50lbs lost).

OP, there's nothing wrong with cutting back on carbs if you want to, but there's also no reason to do so (barring a medical condition).

Focus on the long term-what's a realistic and sustainable approach for you, for the rest of your life? Because weight loss means nothing, if you can't sustain the loss. If a low carb diet appeals to you then no harm trying it, but realize that it's definitely not necessary-the correct calorie deficit for your goals is.

Lillymoo01

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

As for "is it healthy" I have been less than 20g carbs per day for 4 years and according to my doctor and bloodwork I have never been healthier.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. What works well for one person won't for another. I am not say that a LCHF diet is bad but it isn't the only one to get success. The trick is to find a meal plan that is heathly, provides all of your nutritional needs and that you can stick with. From whay I have read, as long as you keep up with the required amount of protein the fat/carb ratio doesn't make a huge amount of difference long term.

That being said, I think we can all agree that cutting out carbs COMPLETELY is a recipe for disaster.

DietPrada

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

As for "is it healthy" I have been less than 20g carbs per day for 4 years and according to my doctor and bloodwork I have never been healthier.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. What works well for one person won't for another. I am not say that a LCHF diet is bad but it isn't the only one to get success. The trick is to find a meal plan that is heathly, provides all of your nutritional needs and that you can stick with. From whay I have read, as long as you keep up with the required amount of protein the fat/carb ratio doesn't make a huge amount of difference long term.

That being said, I think we can all agree that cutting out carbs COMPLETELY is a recipe for disaster.

Actually no, we don't all agree. But thank you for assuming other people's experience and opinion. *golf clap*

Hello_its_Dan

No. It's not.

nvmomketo

Lara_z wrote: »

I eat a lot of carbs. Like white bread, potatoes, white rice, pasta.

Would it be a problem to completely cut out carbs from my diet for 1-2 weeks?
With the exception of having ready break in the morning for breakfast. And just have a diet of fruit, veg and protein?

I've read here that starchy food can contribute to weight gain and I want to cut it out together with high sugar foods (like cakes and biscuits) for a couple of weeks.

Would this be a good idea?
Has anyone tried cutting down on carbs?

Low carb high fat diets are quite common. The main forum are more "everything in moderation" friendly rather than low carb, but there are many people eating fewer than 100-150g of carbs per day.

For those who tend to overeat in carbs, cutting carbs is often a good idea for weight loss.

For those who have insulin resistance issues (prediabetes, T2D, NAFLD, alzheimers, CAD, PCOS) cutting carbs is often an execellent plan to improve their health.

Is it a good idea for you? That depends. If you overeat carbs, then it may be. If you have IR issues, then it would probably improve your health. If carbs are not a problem for you, then you probably don't need to worry about them.

And as the others said, if it comes from plants, whether it is veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts, or grains (flours), then it has carbs. Animal products are the only foods that can be carb free.

And carb free, or almost carb free, is still a healthy option. Just consider the Inuit, Masai, and Canadian First Nations. Many people follow a very low carb (ketogenic) diet which is under 50g of carbs per day. Those people tend to just eat vegetables, nuts and seeds for their carbs.

Lillymoo01

So Ebony you don't agree that having vegetables everyday is essential? Strange when that should be close to 50% of our diet. That astounds me, unless you are not knowledgeable enough to realise that vegetables have carbs.

nvmomketo

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

So @EbonyDahlia you don't agree that having vegetables everyday is essential? Strange when that should be close to 50% of our diet. That astounds me, unless you are not knowledgeable enough to realise that vegetables have carbs.

Carbs are not an essential nutrient, therefore vegetables are not essential. Vegetables can certainly contribute to a healthy diet but they are by no means needed. There are actually quite a few carnivores and almost zero carbers on MFP who are thriving without plant matter in their diets. As long as you eat quality animal products, it is not difficult to maintain excellent health without plants in one's diet.

lcrivas4jc

It's impossible to completely cut out carbs. That said, there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, unlike protein and fat. Check out the ketogenic lifestyle. Don't believe conventional medical advice about what a healthy diet consists of. Most doctors have less than eight hours of nutritional instruction! Also check out Ancel Keys and his completely flawed study (he blatantly lied and skewed the data) back in the 50s, which our government bought hook and sinker and has been shoving down our throats ever since (https://authoritynutrition.com/modern-nutrition-policy-lies-bad-science/). There used to be a really good video about Ancel Keys on Youtube but I have been unable to find it for several months. Ever since his "findings" were published, we've been told to cut the fat and up our consumption of whole grains.

The current American food pyramid should be turned upside down with the grains section deleted. Of course you can lose weight on a lowfat diet but it won't last long and it definitely won't make you healthy. The other thing about the keto lifestyle is that food cravings are dramatically diminished!

I've been eating 25-30 carbs per day for a while and my blood sugars (previously in the low 200s almost immediately went to an average of 80-90.

crzycatlady1

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

So Ebony you don't agree that having vegetables everyday is essential? Strange when that should be close to 50% of our diet. That astounds me, unless you are not knowledgeable enough to realise that vegetables have carbs.

There's actually a few members here that believe all carbs, including those in vegetables, are bad for their health. It boggles my mind, but to each their own I guess lol.

cerise_noir

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

How about just switching from white bread to wholemeal and wholegrain, limiting to a slice or 2 a day. Instead of white rice have brown rice. Change from white pasta to wholemeal.
Cut out most processed foods and replace with fresh.

The carb counts (macros and calories) are very similar in the substitutions... There is absolutely nothing wrong with the "white" versions of these foods.

Lillymoo01

nvmomketo wrote: »

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

So @EbonyDahlia you don't agree that having vegetables everyday is essential? Strange when that should be close to 50% of our diet. That astounds me, unless you are not knowledgeable enough to realise that vegetables have carbs.

Carbs are not an essential nutrient, therefore vegetables are not essential. Vegetables can certainly contribute to a healthy diet but they are by no means needed. There are actually quite a few carnivores and almost zero carbers on MFP who are thriving without plant matter in their diets. As long as you eat quality animal products, it is not difficult to maintain excellent health without plants in one's diet.

I don't think you will find any dietitian agreeing with you there. There is no way you can meet you essential micro nutritions without vegetables in your diet without the need for supplements. I stand corrected though. Some are crazy enough to believe that a carb free diet is healthy but they would be wrong. Still trying to work out how you can have a totally carb free diet at any rate.