Why Carbs "Make" Us Fat...

janejellyroll

nvmomketo wrote: »

CARBS. ARE. AWESOME.

Seriously, this is the MAIN problem with carbohydrates. It’s why cutting carbs from you diet works. It’s why paying attention to the amount of carbs you eat works and it’s why for the most part carbs ARE responsible for our obesity epidemic.

Sounds about right to me. Now I am waiting for people to mention they got fat from eating all foods and not just carbs.

People who stick with LCHF do it for their health. Many people are starting to use it as a weight loss tool. It works for many so why not.

I find it is really hard to overeat on a fat and protein diet. I've eaten carnivore. I feel good on it but I find it hard to eat a lot of meat and eggs. Cheese is easier to overeat but I can moderate that. I tend to lose without trying when eating this way.

When I eat carnivore my macros are usually 75% F and 25% P with incidental carbs. Sometimes protein goes as high as 30% if I eat certain seafood or a lot of chicken (but I prefer red meat).

My protein is maybe 5% higher than when I eat carbs though. No carbs does not mean high protein.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

You can choose what you add so it goes with your goals for the day. I sometimes like to dip roasted potatoes in 0% Fage, which to me is like sour cream. I also don't find it that hard to fit some butter in a normal day.

Hmm. Like carbs, butter is awesome, which leads to the important question:

I can overeat potatoes without fats on them. I have not overeaten butter without other foods... Not saying others won't just sit down to a butter snack though.

I don't eat butter anymore, but when I did I wouldn't have minded eating just pieces of it. I did it sometimes and definitely in quantities that would have counted as "overeating." I also sometimes want things like spoonfuls of coconut oil or other fat-based foods. These desires are lower when I am getting sufficient fat in my diet, but I am someone who could easily overeat on a high fat diet.

I do believe that some people find it hard to overeat on a fat and protein diet, but I don't think overeating/cravings/compulsions have a universal cure. What works for one person may not work for another.

For me, limiting a macro isn't the solution. It's more like a mental thing. When I give myself permission to eat what I want, it truly helps me. That doesn't mean I'm eating everything I want all in the same day, but I know that if I really want something I can have it and that makes it possible for me to control my calorie intake.

lemurcat12

nvmomketo wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

You can choose what you add so it goes with your goals for the day. I sometimes like to dip roasted potatoes in 0% Fage, which to me is like sour cream. I also don't find it that hard to fit some butter in a normal day.

Hmm. Like carbs, butter is awesome, which leads to the important question:

I can overeat potatoes without fats on them. I have not overeaten butter without other foods... Not saying others won't just sit down to a butter snack though.

I wouldn't overeat potatoes without fat, although I really like potatoes.

I would overeat steak or pulled pork (not assuming any carbs are added).

I would not eat butter plain, completely not appealing, but overeating cheese was a much more significant portion of my pre weight loss behaviors than any high carb foods.

I like low carbing (when I do it) not because it avoids foods I am tempted to overeat, but because I get to focus on the foods I care most about and don't waste calories on foods I don't care about (I care about potatoes and pasta but am happy enough to eat them occasionally). Most of the traditional high carb foods (pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, oats, etc.) I would never overeat if I didn't add fat or wasn't eating mindlessly. And things that are just sugar (soda, candy) don't appeal to me. To the extent some people are low carb because they find carbs so irresistible, I'm more the opposite. I'm more satisfied eating low carb because my diet feels more indulgent, but not at all because I find carbs extra hard not to overeat.

The author is right, however, that low carbing (or a similarly low fat diet) makes you be a lot more choosy about what you can impulse buy when on the go. I think people overeat in the US in large part because it's so easy to do, there are tempting foods all around. Restricting what or when you eat in any way tends often to lead to a calorie deficit, especially in the short term. I've done it a variety of ways.