carbs...are they the enemy?
Replies
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CarolynG93 wrote: »Trying to avoid Carbs here...struggling!
I usually have toast for breakfast now I'm at a loss...don't like the idea of having a high fat breakfast either
Don't avoid carbs then, Just eat within your calorie goal. Life is much simpler that way.9 -
CarolynG93 wrote: »Trying to avoid Carbs here...struggling!
I usually have toast for breakfast now I'm at a loss...don't like the idea of having a high fat breakfast either
why would you avoid carbs when that is not necessary for weight loss if you don't want to???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
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-182775
Here's a low carb Tour de France rider
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blog/2016/07/low-carb-diet-propelled-chris-froome-three-tour-de-france-titles/
@c65db
You have fallen for propaganda I'm afraid and that article is a gross mis-representation of the facts and the interview Chris Froome gave. You should look at the same interview on a cycling website to actually see what has been deliberately omitted to twist the facts to suit the agenda.
He actually has a high carb diet (very high when racing) but OCCASIONALLY does a PART of a training session low carb after which guess what he does? He immediately eats a load of carbs to recover and prepare for the next training session.
To claim him as a low carber is ludicrous.
Chris Froome: "I sometimes do what we call a low-carb ride where I’ll have an omelette in the morning with a bit of avocado or something but no carbohydrates, and stick to that at least for the first few hours of the ride. In theory, it teaches your body to be more efficient and to burn fat as fuel so that when you do come to race day and you fuel up well with carbohydrates before the race, it’s almost like you’ve got a second source of energy that you didn’t have before."
It's part of the preparation of a top level rider to be able to utilise all energy stores efficiently.
shhhh don't bring analytical thinking and logic to the discussion @sijomial....
fwiw - his policy is higher fat for some workouts to help body be more efficient is something that I also do - typically on my lower carb days (250g-ish)7 -
@deannalfisherdeannalfisher wrote: »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-182775
Here's a low carb Tour de France rider
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blog/2016/07/low-carb-diet-propelled-chris-froome-three-tour-de-france-titles/
@c65db
You have fallen for propaganda I'm afraid and that article is a gross mis-representation of the facts and the interview Chris Froome gave. You should look at the same interview on a cycling website to actually see what has been deliberately omitted to twist the facts to suit the agenda.
He actually has a high carb diet (very high when racing) but OCCASIONALLY does a PART of a training session low carb after which guess what he does? He immediately eats a load of carbs to recover and prepare for the next training session.
To claim him as a low carber is ludicrous.
Chris Froome: "I sometimes do what we call a low-carb ride where I’ll have an omelette in the morning with a bit of avocado or something but no carbohydrates, and stick to that at least for the first few hours of the ride. In theory, it teaches your body to be more efficient and to burn fat as fuel so that when you do come to race day and you fuel up well with carbohydrates before the race, it’s almost like you’ve got a second source of energy that you didn’t have before."
It's part of the preparation of a top level rider to be able to utilise all energy stores efficiently.
shhhh don't bring analytical thinking and logic to the discussion @sijomial....
fwiw - his policy is higher fat for some workouts to help body be more efficient is something that I also do - typically on my lower carb days (250g-ish)
I achieved the same thing with doing some of my training rides semi-fasted, very noticeable reduction in the need to feed.
But when I'm doing a long and/or intense ride then carbs are king for performance.
621g of carbs in one day is my highest this year. And that was with a substantial calorie deficit.1 -
I eat fairly high carb the only macro I try to hit is my protein since there is plenty of evidence of it being beneficial for muscle retention and for keeping you feeling full. Carbs are not the enemy, but I do believe complex carbs like wholemeal and veggies rather than sugar and refined white flour does keep your appetite more in check as your body can't absorb them as efficiently.
Sure you can lose weight on sweets and cakes and I don't cut them out completely, but moderation of refined carbs does make it a bit easier (for me at least especially since I have PCOS) 6 -
CarolynG93 wrote: »Trying to avoid Carbs here...struggling!
I usually have toast for breakfast now I'm at a loss...don't like the idea of having a high fat breakfast either
I have always had a lower carb breakfast most of the time. You don't need to eat breakfast foods, but my standard breakfast is a 2 egg vegetable omelet with 2-3 kinds of vegetables (some greens like spinach), feta cheese, and some other kind of protein on the side (smoked salmon, cottage cheese). I might add avocado (higher fat) or fruit (higher carb), but that's the base.
Bigger point, you will be high fat if you cut carbs significantly, that's fine. There's a limit to how much protein is really beneficial (not a low limit, but low fat, low carb doesn't work for a sustainable diet).
(Weirdly I am had a super high carb, low fat breakfast today, but that's rare for me.)
I reiterate that carbs are not the enemy and no need to eat low carb if that doesn't appeal to you, but low carb means higher fat and fat is not the enemy either.1 -
Mmmmmm carbs....
Carbs are good for the soul... and for muscle gains, and for endurance, and for MMA/Muay Thai. Eat all the carbs (protein and fat), just at a lower calorie target! 5 -
@deannalfisherdeannalfisher wrote: »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-182775
Here's a low carb Tour de France rider
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blog/2016/07/low-carb-diet-propelled-chris-froome-three-tour-de-france-titles/
@c65db
You have fallen for propaganda I'm afraid and that article is a gross mis-representation of the facts and the interview Chris Froome gave. You should look at the same interview on a cycling website to actually see what has been deliberately omitted to twist the facts to suit the agenda.
He actually has a high carb diet (very high when racing) but OCCASIONALLY does a PART of a training session low carb after which guess what he does? He immediately eats a load of carbs to recover and prepare for the next training session.
To claim him as a low carber is ludicrous.
Chris Froome: "I sometimes do what we call a low-carb ride where I’ll have an omelette in the morning with a bit of avocado or something but no carbohydrates, and stick to that at least for the first few hours of the ride. In theory, it teaches your body to be more efficient and to burn fat as fuel so that when you do come to race day and you fuel up well with carbohydrates before the race, it’s almost like you’ve got a second source of energy that you didn’t have before."
It's part of the preparation of a top level rider to be able to utilise all energy stores efficiently.
shhhh don't bring analytical thinking and logic to the discussion @sijomial....
fwiw - his policy is higher fat for some workouts to help body be more efficient is something that I also do - typically on my lower carb days (250g-ish)
I achieved the same thing with doing some of my training rides semi-fasted, very noticeable reduction in the need to feed.
But when I'm doing a long and/or intense ride then carbs are king for performance.
621g of carbs in one day is my highest this year. And that was with a substantial calorie deficit.
ditto...on race day, my carb intake can be in the high 400's or even break 500 depending on length of race - my nutrition alone for the 56 mile portion of the bike is 200ish g carbs (all liquid nutrition) and then normally a couple bananas as well (so an additional 40-50g)...not including what I take in on the run; or any kind of pre/post race nutrition1 -
CarolynG93 wrote: »Trying to avoid Carbs here...struggling!
I usually have toast for breakfast now I'm at a loss...don't like the idea of having a high fat breakfast either
If you're struggling, then this diet is not sustainable for you. Weight loss is hard enough as it is, and you're making it even harder on yourself @CarolynG93
Low carb is not necessary. Calorie counting is.
Square peg in a round hole scenario.11 -
cerise_noir wrote: »CarolynG93 wrote: »Trying to avoid Carbs here...struggling!
I usually have toast for breakfast now I'm at a loss...don't like the idea of having a high fat breakfast either
If you're struggling, then this diet is not sustainable to you. Weight loss is hard enough as it is.
Square peg in a round hole scenario.
Exactamundo. And don't be afraid of high fat in the morning either - I've found higher fat foods to be incredibly satiating. My standard breakfast is two cheese sticks and coffee with 2% milk. You've just got to find what works for you.0 -
Hi. There are 2 types of carbs. Fast carbs and slow carbs. Both are not enemies but it depends on the amount and timing. Carbs need long time to digest that's why all carbs should be in the first half of the day. Slow carbs are healthy and it give you energy and increase metabolism (oats, buckwheat, whole grain bread, pasta etc) fast carbs better keep them for cheat day or sometimes in the morning just for a good mood.31
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TatianaCamaro wrote: »Hi. There are 2 types of carbs. Fast carbs and slow carbs. Both are not enemies but it depends on the amount and timing. Carbs need long time to digest that's why all carbs should be in the first half of the day. Slow carbs are healthy and it give you energy and increase metabolism (oats, buckwheat, whole grain bread, pasta etc) fast carbs better keep them for cheat day or sometimes in the morning just for a good mood.
lol. no. nothing special about carb timing and no reason not to eat them later in the day - it is your overall calorie deficit that will lead to weight loss - not what time you eat your pasta/oats/bread.7 -
TatianaCamaro wrote: »Hi. There are 2 types of carbs. Fast carbs and slow carbs. Both are not enemies but it depends on the amount and timing. Carbs need long time to digest that's why all carbs should be in the first half of the day. Slow carbs are healthy and it give you energy and increase metabolism (oats, buckwheat, whole grain bread, pasta etc) fast carbs better keep them for cheat day or sometimes in the morning just for a good mood.
Your body digests food even when you're sleeping. There is no need to limit some foods to the first half of the day. "Fast carbohydrates" don't need to be limited to cheat days. There is no good foundation for any of this advice.7 -
I eat carbs right before bed (in the form of a bowl of cereal) and had no issues losing weight...there is even a nutritional study that showed, people who consumed carbs before bed slept better and also were able to retain lean muscle mass better while losing weight - I'd have to dig it out of my files though3
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deannalfisher wrote: »I eat carbs right before bed (in the form of a bowl of cereal) and had no issues losing weight...there is even a nutritional study that showed, people who consumed carbs before bed slept better and also were able to retain lean muscle mass better while losing weight - I'd have to dig it out of my files though
I usually eat a late dinner (8-8:30) and am in bed by 10. My dinner always includes carbohydrates and is frequently quite carb-heavy. No issues losing weight.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I eat carbs right before bed (in the form of a bowl of cereal) and had no issues losing weight...there is even a nutritional study that showed, people who consumed carbs before bed slept better and also were able to retain lean muscle mass better while losing weight - I'd have to dig it out of my files though
I usually eat a late dinner (8-8:30) and am in bed by 10. My dinner always includes carbohydrates and is frequently quite carb-heavy. No issues losing weight.
yup! in fact if I don't have my bowl of cereal in the evening - my sleep is much wonkier and not as solid2 -
TatianaCamaro wrote: »Hi. There are 2 types of carbs. Fast carbs and slow carbs. Both are not enemies but it depends on the amount and timing. Carbs need long time to digest that's why all carbs should be in the first half of the day. Slow carbs are healthy and it give you energy and increase metabolism (oats, buckwheat, whole grain bread, pasta etc) fast carbs better keep them for cheat day or sometimes in the morning just for a good mood.
So much wrong in this!
11 -
TatianaCamaro wrote: »Hi. There are 2 types of carbs. Fast carbs and slow carbs. Both are not enemies but it depends on the amount and timing. Carbs need long time to digest that's why all carbs should be in the first half of the day. Slow carbs are healthy and it give you energy and increase metabolism (oats, buckwheat, whole grain bread, pasta etc) fast carbs better keep them for cheat day or sometimes in the morning just for a good mood.
Are you talking about glycemic index? If so, yeah, there are carbohydrates with high GIs, and low GIs but that isn't about weight loss or health, that's about blood sugar. If you don't have issues with your blood sugar, it doesn't matter.
Or maybe fibre? Complex vs simple carbohydrates? None of these affect weight loss but can affect satiety, and health. It doesn't matter when you eat them, and all carbohydrates will give you energy.
A carb is a carb. While there are factors relating to satiety, how long it takes to digest, and glycemic index, they give you the same amount of energy per gram, and the same amount of calories per gram. I take the same amount of insulin for a carb serving of chocolate vs a carb serving of whole grain bread.
OP: Barring medical problems, carbs are not the enemy. Overeating, and lack of activity is. Some people might find a low carb diet helps them stick to a calorie deficit, and makes them feel better. Some people might find that a high carb diet works for them. But that's a personal preference, and has nothing to do with carbohydrates being evil. As long as you stick to your calorie goal, you're fine.5 -
I don't know. If I inadvertently eat any carbs with gluten in them, they become pretty fast carbs.
Celiac disease isn't pretty sometimes.
Is that the kind of fast we're talking?11 -
deannalfisher wrote: »I eat carbs right before bed (in the form of a bowl of cereal) and had no issues losing weight...there is even a nutritional study that showed, people who consumed carbs before bed slept better and also were able to retain lean muscle mass better while losing weight - I'd have to dig it out of my files though
Yikes! If I ate a bowl of cereal right before bed, I'd be vomiting in my sleep! My stomach doesn't like to have food in it while I sleep so I try not to eat past 8pm unless I'm planning to stay up late.
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Nope. CICO is CICO no matter what you eat. Now, too many high carb foods might make it difficult to get the nutrients your body needs without going into a calorie surplus. Most high carb foods, tend to be lacking in a lot of nutrients. Say you need 2000 calories a day to maintain, so you eat at 1500 calories a day to lose 1lb/week, but the only things you eat are French fries and Coke, sure you'll lose weight, but you will also make yourself very sick (malnutrition).
Make sure you are accurately weighing your foods (measuring cups are terrible for solids). If you are not losing weight AND are logging a calorie deficit, errors in food quantity is the #1 reason for not losing weight even though you should be.6 -
I was miserable on low to no carb. I eat very high carb now abd loving it! Don't be afraid of carbs. It's calories, not carbs.2
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What's with people not realizing vegetables are carbs?21
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No. Simple.1
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VeronicaA76 wrote: »Nope. CICO is CICO no matter what you eat. Now, too many high carb foods might make it difficult to get the nutrients your body needs without going into a calorie surplus. Most high carb foods, tend to be lacking in a lot of nutrients.
Again, no. Many of the most nutrient-dense diets are high carb, like an 80-10-10 plant-based approach.
I recently switched from a low carb back to a average carb kind of diet, and what I added back in is fruit, some whole grains (mostly some corn, since it's in season now), occasional potatoes and sweet potatoes, and even more vegetables (including higher carb root veg like turnips and beets and carrots) than I was eating before. And while I ate a lot of vegetables and some nuts and dairy even doing low carb, those foods were always busting my carb limit, because they have carbs. Vegetables in particular ARE carbs, that's their main macro.Say you need 2000 calories a day to maintain, so you eat at 1500 calories a day to lose 1lb/week, but the only things you eat are French fries and Coke, sure you'll lose weight, but you will also make yourself very sick (malnutrition).
French fries are at least half fat (and the only real nutrition in them comes from the carbs -- the potato).
Stereotyping carbs as "Coke" is nuts.6 -
My domestic Science teacher insisted chips, UK style contain more vit c than boiled or mashed because vit c is water soluble, might apply to French fries too.1
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Meh. You lose about 30-40% of the vitamin C boiling peeled potatoes. If you eat a varied diet, you can get plenty of vitamin C from other sources.
I find boiled potatoes to be one of the most satiating foods I can eat. I'll continue to boil them.
I tend to boil mine early in the day to save time later, and there's an argument to be made that in doing that and reheating them that I'm creating resistant starch, which is all kinds of good for my gut bacteria.1 -
Yeah, C is not something that I'm ever low on (just checked on Cron and I have 177% with just breakfast), and I normally eat potatoes roasted (just like them best that way), can't imagine why there would be some nutritional benefit to frying them. That said, if you love good fries (and I do), no harm in fitting them in occasionally. I just find it weird to refer to them as carbs when they are at least half fat, and the carb part is easily available in lower calorie options and is reasonably nutritious.1
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The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that 10 to 35 percent of your caloric intake should come from protein. The average individual should have 0.35 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, meaning that someone who weighs 165 pounds should consume around 60 grams per day. The recommended amount of protein increases as we get older and if we are trying to gain muscle. ACSM points out "this level of intake can generally be met through diet alone and without additional protein and amino acid supplementation."6
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