What the hell are carbs?
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emmaellery1989 wrote: »So with help of a nutritionist I'm meant to be on a low carb diet.
But now I'm confused.
Items such as cucumber are coming up as carbs? And so are carrots?
And she's told me now I'm eating too many carbs??
I live on meat, fish, fresh fruit, veg and a few nuts.
So what are carbs???????
OP, your thread kind of got hijacked here but I waned to add something.
If I remember correctly, it came up in another thread that your diet is already very restrictive due to stomach issues. It is completely unnecessary to restrict your diet any further than it absolutely needs to be. If a food agrees with your digestive system, log it and eat it. You don't HAVE to eat low carb to lose weight.
I would strongly recommend asking your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to go over the foods that upset your stomach and how to make a healthy diet from what's left. :drinker:15 -
I'm also the healthiest I've ever been now as I can't have gluten. And anything with starch in it seems to absolutely destroy my stomach and cause me lots of pain.2
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emmaellery1989 wrote: »Ok sorry everyone let me explain myself a bit better. I wrote this in a hurry!
Just to make you all aware the title was meant to be ironic. I apologise!
My original discussion with my nutritionist was that a low carb diet was generally avoiding things like white bread and potatoes. (This is a very very vague explanation as we went through many different things!)
But then when I got on here everything I logged was coming up as carbs. So when we looked at my results at the end of each day my diet said I lived on carbs!!
I haven't seen her since then because I'm waiting for an appointment. And before you all attack her she has been brilliant and helped me a lot. I just can't get enough appointments so have to work it out myself a bit in between.
Does this make more sense to anyone?
(Basically I'm avoiding what I've been told to avoid, but my stats are saying I'm living on carbs.)
So basically you're still seeing Carbs listed on here. You're likely already on low GI carbs then
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emmaellery1989 wrote: »So with help of a nutritionist I'm meant to be on a low carb diet.
But now I'm confused.
Items such as cucumber are coming up as carbs? And so are carrots?
And she's told me now I'm eating too many carbs??
I live on meat, fish, fresh fruit, veg and a few nuts.
So what are carbs???????
OP, your thread kind of got hijacked here but I waned to add something.
If I remember correctly, it came up in another thread that your diet is already very restrictive due to stomach issues. It is completely unnecessary to restrict your diet any further than it absolutely needs to be. If a food agrees with your digestive system, log it and eat it. You don't HAVE to eat low carb to lose weight.
I would strongly recommend asking your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to go over the foods that upset your stomach and how to make a healthy diet from what's left. :drinker:emmaellery1989 wrote: »So with help of a nutritionist I'm meant to be on a low carb diet.
But now I'm confused.
Items such as cucumber are coming up as carbs? And so are carrots?
And she's told me now I'm eating too many carbs??
I live on meat, fish, fresh fruit, veg and a few nuts.
So what are carbs???????
OP, your thread kind of got hijacked here but I waned to add something.
If I remember correctly, it came up in another thread that your diet is already very restrictive due to stomach issues. It is completely unnecessary to restrict your diet any further than it absolutely needs to be. If a food agrees with your digestive system, log it and eat it. You don't HAVE to eat low carb to lose weight.
I would strongly recommend asking your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to go over the foods that upset your stomach and how to make a healthy diet from what's left. :drinker:
Hi, thanks for noticing my original question . I have just explained what I was actually trying to say.
I get severe stomach pains from gluten, starchy foods and most dairy. So I tend to just try and eat a very basic diet and that's what works for me.
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p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?4
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So basically she is telling you to avoid high calorie items that may have low satiety value for you and are very easy to eat too much of.
That's it really in a nutshell.
It's a classic way for someone not calorie counting to reduce their overall calories.
It's a valid choice but note that the aim is to reduce calories not carbs.11 -
p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?
@Dazzler21
woo
n.(or adj), the way a person is when they uncritically believe unsubstantiated or unfounded ideas. Short for "woo woo".(See Russell's definition of woo woo)3 -
p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?
It apparently has 2 meanings....confusing
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10575403/woo-button2 -
Spot on Sijomial it also creates a change in the bodies metabolism.
Low carb diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source. Hence low carb calorie restricted diets result in faster fat loss. HOWEVER Once you re-introduce carbs, you'll find you likely gain weight back on quicker as carbs are easier to metabolise than fats and the extra cheese you've been cramming becomes your new fat storage... Bad times...
Good for a quick burn, but not an ideal resolution long term as chocolate etc will come calling again one day.
(This is my own experience - I'm not saying its guaranteed, but from my POV it is what has happened to me previously and my clients despite me warning them away from this kind of diet.)22 -
janejellyroll wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Wow, some of these points scrutinising everything I say for no reason really...
I'm not saying to cut out bread and pasta - I eat both - I'm answering the first question asking what the nutritionist meant by carbs. It's obvious she didn't mean vegetables.
How is it obvious that's what her nutritionist meant? Surely her nutritionist should know what her client is regularly consuming and shouldn't just blanket state she is eating too many carbs without reviewing what it is that she is actually eating. OP has stated she mostly eats meat, fish, fruit, veg and nuts, no mention of over-indulging in bread and pasta.
I really didn't mean to offend anyone, I'm simply making the point that complex carbs are not the same as simple carbs; no low carb diets (that I know of) cut out vegetables, but almost all cut down on pasta and white bread.
100g of bread is generally considered worse for you than 100g of broccoli in general nutrition & calories.
However, you're right - if she's only eating those foods and the nutritionist wasn't referring to refined carbs, she needs to sack the nutritionist immediately.
Psst . . . bread and pasta are are complex carbohydrates.
Bread can come in two forms: white, refined-flour bread, with mostly simple carbohydrates, and whole-grain bread, with mostly complex carbohydrates
No, starch is a complex carb (whether the food it is in is refined or not). Sugar is a simple carb (even when it's in fruit). That's why the complex vs. simple carb distinction isn't particularly helpful to the nutrition discussion (see, e.g., Walter Willett on this).
Some people think "complex" sounds good and "simple" sounds bad and so misunderstand it, though.8 -
p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?
It apparently has 2 meanings....confusing
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10575403/woo-button
Well that's not confusing at all.
If people were saying The Glycaemic index is unproven. It has been proven multiple times by different universities and is critical in the handling of Diabetes...
Also... If you were applauding the answer... Thank you.3 -
emmaellery1989 wrote: »So with help of a nutritionist I'm meant to be on a low carb diet.
But now I'm confused.
Items such as cucumber are coming up as carbs? And so are carrots?
And she's told me now I'm eating too many carbs??
I live on meat, fish, fresh fruit, veg and a few nuts.
So what are carbs???????
OP, your thread kind of got hijacked here but I waned to add something.
If I remember correctly, it came up in another thread that your diet is already very restrictive due to stomach issues. It is completely unnecessary to restrict your diet any further than it absolutely needs to be. If a food agrees with your digestive system, log it and eat it. You don't HAVE to eat low carb to lose weight.
I would strongly recommend asking your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to go over the foods that upset your stomach and how to make a healthy diet from what's left. :drinker:
Agree with this.
Your nutritionist likely was not recommending that you "low carb," or at least not that you cut carbs super low, but it's best to have some more detailed advice, especially if you are not finding yourself easily replacing the reduction in starchy carbs with increases in fat- or protein-heavy foods and so struggling to get sufficient calories.0 -
Sorry you have strayed into woo territory there!Spot on Sijomial it also creates a change in the bodies metabolism.
Low carb diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source. Hence low carb calorie restricted diets result in faster fat loss. HOWEVER Once you re-introduce carbs, you'll find you likely gain weight back on quicker as carbs are easier to metabolise than fats and the extra cheese you've been cramming becomes your new fat storage... Bad times...
Good for a quick burn, but not an ideal resolution long term as chocolate etc will come calling again one day.
Low carb diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source.
More accurately high fat diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source. It doesn't mean you are burning more body fat.
Hence low carb calorie restricted diets result in faster fat loss.
No they result in faster initial weight loss as glycogen binds with water. Not faster fat loss - that is directly related to calorie deficit.
Once you re-introduce carbs, you'll find you likely gain weight back on quicker as carbs are easier to metabolise than fats and the extra cheese you've been cramming becomes your new fat storage... Bad times...
Nope - the weight increase is the water you initially lost.21 -
Spot on Sijomial it also creates a change in the bodies metabolism.
Low carb diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source. Hence low carb calorie restricted diets result in faster fat loss. HOWEVER Once you re-introduce carbs, you'll find you likely gain weight back on quicker as carbs are easier to metabolise than fats and the extra cheese you've been cramming becomes your new fat storage... Bad times...
Good for a quick burn, but not an ideal resolution long term as chocolate etc will come calling again one day.
Um no...........
When you don't ingest carb calories, you are ingesting protein and fat calories. When you eat low carb - your energy sources are ingested protein, ingested fat, and stored fat.
If I'm eating a reduced calorie diet (CICO)....my energy sources are ingested carbs, ingested protein, ingested fat, and stored fat. I'm not storing fat when I am eating less than my TDEE.
Weight regain is more likely due to glycogen stores. Your body "wrings out" glycogen stores (low carb flu) when you start eating low carb, it replenishes those stores when you go back to regular eating habits.
Again you are not storing fat when you are not eating more than your TDEE.
Eat low carb because you have medical issues, or because you enjoy it, not because it is "faster fat loss"....because it's not.10 -
Starting to wish I hadn't asked!3
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lemurcat12 wrote: »I would imagine that your nutritionist is referring to heavy/refined/processed carbs that don't have much nutrition, such as bread or pasta.
We have no clue what her "nutritionist" means or how much education she has, but using "carbs" to mean only highly refined starches would be a good sign that she's not a good nutritionist and is using words incorrectly.
Whole grains are considered reasonably nutritious, btw, and can be part of a very nutritious meal (a favorite of mine when losing weight -- with both whole wheat and white pasta -- was to combine a serving size with a sauce made of many vegetables (also carbs) and some lean meat, with a little olive oil and feta cheese, maybe some pinenuts). Fast, nutritious meal, so I'd like to know why it would be verboten in the advice.
Most foods that are normally meant by low nutrient, highly refined foods, btw, are really as much fat as carbs, like cookies, so it would be extra stupid to mean those if you said carbs.Carbs in fruits and vegetables are fine as they're natural - these are 'fiber' carbs and needed.
No, they are not merely fiber carbs, but also sugar and starches. Most of the calories in fruit, obviously, are from sugar.
They ARE fine, of course -- as are the starches in potatoes and grains which are also natural. (How would they not be natural? Where do you think they come from?)Just like sugar in a banana is natural when compared to sugar in sweets, natural carbs are full of nutrition (such as fibre) and are a much better choice when compared to processed carbs.
Again, do you imagine that the carbs in potatoes are added in? Or the carbs in grains, like say oats or, again, bread? (Some bread has a bit of sugar added, but it need not, and anyway the sugar isn't actually different in kind from that in fruit, it's a matter of dosage and what it comes with.)
There may be a reason for OP to do a low carb diet, but as others would say, recommending it without explaining what is being recommended or the reasons for it is extremely irresponsible.
Thanks for your long corrective rant, but I was using simplistic terms relevant to her query and was simply saying that a LOW CARB DIET refers to cutting carbs such as bread and pasta out, rather than low carb/high fiber foods such as vegetables.
No, that is not necessarily what a low carb diet means. Many of them, for example, cut out potatoes and sweet potatoes and fruit -- all "natural" carbs -- as well as oats (also "natural"), not just pasta and bread and sweets.
They'd also focus on the number of carbs, not the source of carbs, in most cases, aiming for a specific number (which might be based on net carbs, yes).
I low carb and I eat lots of vegetables, but I don't think pretending vegetables don't contain carbs or that carbs in "natural" foods don't count would be a useful way of explaining what a low carb diet is, and we don't have any idea what the nutritionist was even trying to say. You are making gigantic assumptions.It's most common in the atkins or keto diets - which obviously don't cut out vegetables (like the cucumber she has mentioned).
Many people on keto limit vegetables quite significantly (many more basically cut out most fruit or limit it very strictly). I don't think it's necessary and wouldn't recommend it, but it happens, which is why OP needs better guidance. (I also suspect that she is not being told to limit veg, but we don't know.)Potatoes are a vegetable, not a refined carb like those I mentioned - not sure why you've even brought those up.
Um, for most discussions of nutrition potato would be considered a starch course and basically the same as bread or rice or pasta, NOT a vegetable. I'd think a balanced meal (not low carb) would involve protein, a starch (maybe potato), and a non starchy veg course (as many veg as you like). I would not think a meal that involves protein, bread, and potato would be ideal -- not because bread is bad, but because it's missing non starchy veg.
For the purposes of low carb, potato and grains are basically the same.Yes, whole wheat bread and pasta can be nutritional, but they're not as nutritious as fruit and vegetables. You can cut bread and pasta out of a diet completely to no affect, but if you cut vegetables out you'd be unhealthy. End of.
You can cut any individual food out if you want. There are reasons that many find having starches as part of their meals is beneficial, though (and obviously including them is part of normal dietary advice), so while I think low carbing can be beneficial also, for some, I wouldn't assume that everyone should be told to cut out starches (which again include potatoes and sweet potatoes and oats and lentils and so on -- quite healthful foods) is what is being said or necessary. I'd want an explanation. Could be the nutritionist is saying that OP was consuming really high carbs and should lower them, not cut anything out at all.
(And there are those in the low carb group who would disagree that cutting out veg is unhealthy, although I do not.)
My point is that carbs needs to be used correctly, and pretending like "carbs" = pasta and not broccoli or potatoes or that "carbs" = refined or that "starch" is unnatural -- how is the starch in oats or wheat unnatural, again? is an inaccurate and confusing contribution to the topic that IMO needs to be corrected, which is why I and some others did so.2 -
See my edit Sijomial and also note I always use my Tanita Body Composition measurements checked against Skin fold measurements on my clients.
In the simplest way of explaining it... Their weight loss has been 9/10 down to body fat reduction. I agree that it is linked to the calorie deficit but the body does metabolise carbs easier than fats.
It is very rare that the people I have worked with's body fat remains the same whilst their water weight goes up on the re-introduction of carbs. Very, very rare.
Their body fat goes up as they continue with the same amount of fat, despite my advice on scaling back some of the fats as you slowly re-introduce carbs.
As I say this is all my own experience of what I have seen and I am sure you might have seen different. but experience led examples are all I have to hand right now and I don't fancy surfing the web for different examples from the many experiments worldwide (and especially at Loughborough University) with similar to these results.8 -
emmaellery1989 wrote: »Ok sorry everyone let me explain myself a bit better. I wrote this in a hurry!
Just to make you all aware the title was meant to be ironic. I apologise!
My original discussion with my nutritionist was that a low carb diet was generally avoiding things like white bread and potatoes. (This is a very very vague explanation as we went through many different things!)
But then when I got on here everything I logged was coming up as carbs. So when we looked at my results at the end of each day my diet said I lived on carbs!!
I haven't seen her since then because I'm waiting for an appointment. And before you all attack her she has been brilliant and helped me a lot. I just can't get enough appointments so have to work it out myself a bit in between.
Does this make more sense to anyone?
(Basically I'm avoiding what I've been told to avoid, but my stats are saying I'm living on carbs.)
To the bolded, most foods will have at least some carbs in them (as has been explained well already), but if everything you're logging is coming up as only containing carbs and no fat or protein, then I'd check the entries you're using and be sure the macros on them are correct. There are a ton of erroneous entries in the database and I suppose it's possible you're finding all of them when you log. Opening your diary so that we can see it might help if you want some extra eyeballs helping you check for inaccurate entries.9 -
Spot on Sijomial it also creates a change in the bodies metabolism.
Low carb diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source. Hence low carb calorie restricted diets result in faster fat loss. HOWEVER Once you re-introduce carbs, you'll find you likely gain weight back on quicker as carbs are easier to metabolise than fats and the extra cheese you've been cramming becomes your new fat storage... Bad times...
Good for a quick burn, but not an ideal resolution long term as chocolate etc will come calling again one day.
Um no...........
When you don't ingest carb calories, you are ingesting protein and fat calories. When you eat low carb - your energy sources are ingested protein, ingested fat, and stored fat.
If I'm eating a reduced calorie diet (CICO)....my energy sources are ingested carbs, ingested protein, ingested fat, and stored fat. I'm not storing fat when I am eating less than my TDEE.
Weight regain is more likely due to glycogen stores. Your body "wrings out" glycogen stores (low carb flu) when you start eating low carb, it replenishes those stores when you go back to regular eating habits.
Again you are not storing fat when you are not eating more than your TDEE.
Eat low carb because you have medical issues, or because you enjoy it, not because it is "faster fat loss"....because it's not.
It's proven it is faster fat loss.
https://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/18 -
Spot on Sijomial it also creates a change in the bodies metabolism.
Low carb diets make the body utilise fats as the main energy source. Hence low carb calorie restricted diets result in faster fat loss. HOWEVER Once you re-introduce carbs, you'll find you likely gain weight back on quicker as carbs are easier to metabolise than fats and the extra cheese you've been cramming becomes your new fat storage... Bad times...
Good for a quick burn, but not an ideal resolution long term as chocolate etc will come calling again one day.
Um no...........
When you don't ingest carb calories, you are ingesting protein and fat calories. When you eat low carb - your energy sources are ingested protein, ingested fat, and stored fat.
If I'm eating a reduced calorie diet (CICO)....my energy sources are ingested carbs, ingested protein, ingested fat, and stored fat. I'm not storing fat when I am eating less than my TDEE.
Weight regain is more likely due to glycogen stores. Your body "wrings out" glycogen stores (low carb flu) when you start eating low carb, it replenishes those stores when you go back to regular eating habits.
Again you are not storing fat when you are not eating more than your TDEE.
Eat low carb because you have medical issues, or because you enjoy it, not because it is "faster fat loss"....because it's not.
It's proven it is faster fat loss.
https://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/
IT may show a tiny insignificant/irrelevant benefit to reducing muscle loss. but so do high protein non-keto diets.
Ketosis may have a small increase in total calorie burn... but again, it's within the 10% margin of error of calorie measurement/estimation.5
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