carbs...are they the enemy?
cholloway88
Posts: 25 Member
I understand the general concept of food having calories, protein, sugars and such, but never in my life did I think so many things had such high carbs!
Do you think my high intake of carbs could be what is stalling any weight loss? I'm not one to just go crazy on bread or anything, but now I'm worried that even the fruits I eat have such high carbs in them and I'm stressing out on what I should eat.
Any thoughts, suggestions, substitutes, etc would be much appreciated!
Do you think my high intake of carbs could be what is stalling any weight loss? I'm not one to just go crazy on bread or anything, but now I'm worried that even the fruits I eat have such high carbs in them and I'm stressing out on what I should eat.
Any thoughts, suggestions, substitutes, etc would be much appreciated!
16
Replies
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Weight gain is caused by an excess of calories. How many of those calories come from carbs is irrelevant.50
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Unless you have diabetes, carbs are food and not"the enemy." Carbohydrates are essential for health and athletic performance, and weight loss comes from an energy-balanced diet, not from eating and avoiding specific foods.26
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nope, carbs aren't the enemy - in fact they are my firm allie19
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Mmmmm carbs. Im thinnest when i eat high carb even though i hace PCOS and supposedly should be low carb, Didnt lose a single pound until i went high carb again and just kept within my calories. 105 pounds later... I Was miserable low carb. Carbs
They just get a bad rep because some people dont find them satisfying, Or find them triggering so they then go and overeat. Carbs are literally the fuel your body uses. Dont be scared of carbs. 16 -
You need to be watching your calories, not your carbs.21
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I eat 20 grams of carbs a day only and have lost 8 inches off waist and hips in 10 days. Down 7 pounds in 10 days.48
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Muscleflex79 wrote: »
and also water weight.
Carbs aren't the enemies, they are what gives you energy.12 -
I love my carbs. They fuel my runs and make up half of my diet.
Carbs are in everything except meat and oil.
They do not effect my weight. Calories do.11 -
I love my carbs. They fuel my runs and make up half of my diet.
Carbs are in everything except meat and oil.
They do not effect my weight. Calories do.7 -
Carbs are good friends of mine. So is a calorie deficit.
Carbs shouldn't crowd out fats and protein, and minimums of those should be met to ensure adequate nutrition. But it's unnecessary to worry about carbohydrate intake if you're getting necessary protein (around .6-.8 grams per pound of ideal body weight) and fat (around .35 - .45 grams of ideal body weight). After you meet those goals, you can spend whatever calories you have remaining on carbs or a mix of different macros.
As long as you keep within a calorie goal (and try to eat a mostly nutrient dense diet while making room here and there for treats), you're good.8 -
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If someone is in really good health then calories should be king.
Unfortunately there are several issues which cause a sizeable minority to have issues with carbs. One does not need to have full blown diabetes, there is a condition, Insulin Resistance which means ones body is less able to control a sugar spike and instead sets up reactions to the "excess sugar" for that persons body, caused following the consumptions of carbohydrates. (an endocrine response) This would be a person specific thing and not everyone would react at the same levels. People who have PCOS, or are hypothyroid as well as those with other autoimmune conditions can find lowering carbs helpful.
To generalise the, Atkins and similar diets reduce the amount of carbohydrates one consumes and much of their success, while in observance, is down to the lack of "sugar".21 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Weight gain is caused by an excess of calories. How many of those calories come from carbs is irrelevant.
This.2 -
I went from 296 lb to 240 lb in 9 months eating 20 gram of carbs or less. I eating around 2000 to 2500 cal. A day never felt better. I was able to get off all of med's my macros were 5 % carbs 20 % protein 75 % fat. I highly recommend the low carb lifestyle. Here's a cool article on an athlete who eats low carb
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/endurance/zach-bitter-100-mile-american-record-holder-he-also-eats-almost-no-carbs26 -
No, carbs aren't the enemy...there are all kinds of highly nutritious carbohydrates...veggies are carbs, fruit is carbs, beans and lentils are carbs, potatoes and sweet potatoes and other starchy root vegetables are carbs...etc, etc, etc...10
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Which you would also see if your carbs were higher.
Calories are what matter for weight loss.8 -
I went from 296 lb to 240 lb in 9 months eating 20 gram of carbs or less. I eating around 2000 to 2500 cal. A day never felt better. I was able to get off all of med's my macros were 5 % carbs 20 % protein 75 % fat. I highly recommend the low carb lifestyle. Here's a cool article on an athlete who eats low carb
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/endurance/zach-bitter-100-mile-american-record-holder-he-also-eats-almost-no-carbs
20 grams being 5% of your calories would come out to 1600 kcal max.10 -
I went from 296 lb to 240 lb in 9 months eating 20 gram of carbs or less. I eating around 2000 to 2500 cal. A day never felt better. I was able to get off all of med's my macros were 5 % carbs 20 % protein 75 % fat. I highly recommend the low carb lifestyle. Here's a cool article on an athlete who eats low carb
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/endurance/zach-bitter-100-mile-american-record-holder-he-also-eats-almost-no-carbs
Eating very low carb can be good for ultra endurance athletes...not so much for sports that require speed and quickness or for weight training, particularly if you're trying to put on muscle mass.6 -
I stick to 20 grams of carbohydrates I add more fat11
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I was eating more than 200g of carbs a day and had no issues losing weight or fat. I am eating more than than now and maintaining my weight and still losing some fat.9
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The healthiest populations in the world (blue zones) tend to have high carb diets.
The fattest populations in the world have the highest calorie intakes.
Food for thought? (Pun intended.)28 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »No, carbs aren't the enemy...there are all kinds of highly nutritious carbohydrates...veggies are carbs, fruit is carbs, beans and lentils are carbs, potatoes and sweet potatoes and other starchy root vegetables are carbs...etc,
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb10 -
I stick to 20 grams of carbohydrates I add more fat
It's great that you've found something that's clicked with you, but while fat is satiating for you, different macro ratios/foods have different satiation levels for different people. Fat does absolutely nothing for me and I do much better on a high carb plan. A typical day for me is 800-100 grams of veggies and fruit, 5-6 servings of whole grains, a serving of beans, 3-4 ounces of salmon or chicken breast, and then 2-3 servings of low fat dairy and 1 tsp of olive oil a day, (I follow a modified DASH diet protocol, which is heralded as one of the healthiest ways to eat). High carb, moderate protein, low fat. This is what clicks with me and makes it easy for me to hit my goals.
Op-for weight loss you need to be focusing on your calorie intake. Everything else is background noise. Experiment with different foods and see what clicks with you 7 -
Carbs are not my enemy because I know it is too many calories that cause weight gain and don't feel the need to demonize specific foods.7
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Fung is a salesman.14 -
I went from 296 lb to 240 lb in 9 months eating 20 gram of carbs or less. I eating around 2000 to 2500 cal. A day never felt better. I was able to get off all of med's my macros were 5 % carbs 20 % protein 75 % fat. I highly recommend the low carb lifestyle. Here's a cool article on an athlete who eats low carb
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/endurance/zach-bitter-100-mile-american-record-holder-he-also-eats-almost-no-carbs
And Tour de France riders eat thousands of calories a day in carbs - which is slightly more relevant (but still close to being virtually irrelevant!) to the general population than one ultra marathon runner.
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/tour-de-france/this-is-what-you-have-to-eat-to-compete-in-the-tour-de-france-1827755 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »No, carbs aren't the enemy...there are all kinds of highly nutritious carbohydrates...veggies are carbs, fruit is carbs, beans and lentils are carbs, potatoes and sweet potatoes and other starchy root vegetables are carbs...etc,
Not really sure what the point is here...
You should google "blue zones"...healthiest populations in the world...relatively high carbohydrate. There is absolutely not reason to do Keto other than you want to...even if you have health conditions for which carbohydrates should be monitored, keto isn't necessary. My dad was a type II and easily controlled his diabetes with his diet and was nowhere near keto.
I have no health conditions which would warrant something as radical and restrictive as keto...
ETA: when I was losing weight (and if/when I need to cut weight) I typically lower my carbs...but that is only because my protein and fat remain relatively constant regardless of whether I'm losing or maintaining so I flex the carbs...when I'm losing weight I'm typically between 130-150 grams of carbs per day and had zero issue losing weight at a steady clip...6 -
I can't eat less than 150 g of carbs per day. If i do, i will loose ability to think straight, concentrate on more complex problems, sometimes even get a decent headache. Most days i try to keep my carb intake between 150-200 g, but sometimes it gets higher than that. Has not hindered my weight loss in any way though.6
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