Why do some people don’t eat much carbs when losing weight?
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You might wanna just Google ketosis. This is a very complex question5
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Because I am type 2 diabetic with insulin resistance14
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Well, I eat low carb because I'm a diabetic so my body doesn't process carbs properly and my blood sugar can quickly rise to dangerous levels if I eat too many. Some people have other conditions such as PCOS which respond well to low carb diets.
Even if you are healthy, carbs digest more quickly than protein or fats, so they may not be as filling for you. This is a matter of individual preferences - some people find that carbs work just fine for their satiety levels, some don't.
The point of super-low diets like the keto diet is to cause the body to use ketones, a byproduct of breaking down fat, for energy, instead of carbs. If you are the sort of person who craves bacon and never craves cake, this may be a good approach for you. But it's not magical and studies have found that people lose just as much weight on a keto type diet as on any other diet, if calorie intake is the same. It's just one way of restricting calories.
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Then hopefully you also understand which macronutrient is most easily converted to fat.
(Hint: fat)
De novo lipogenesis only happens under situations of massive, sustained carb overfeeds - far beyond what the average human on a non-ketogenic diet eats on a daily basis.
And hopefully you also understand that there is no net fat storage while in a caloric deficit, regardless of the macronutrient composition of your diet.
I'm sorry that it seemed I implied a calorie deficit, I thought that was easily read. When I said carb excess I did in fact mean a calorie excess as well. I disagree that fat begets fat. Here's an article on the contrary: https://paleoleap.com/demolishing-fat-makes-fat-myth/FIFY = Fixed It For You
If you are in a calorie surplus, any food you eat, regardless of it's macro ratio, will be stored as fat. If you are in a calorie deficit, there is nothing to store as fat, regardless of what specific food you've eaten.
And I haven't seen anything credible to suggest that eating carbs is not as healthy as eating protein and fat, do you have any sources for that? Check out the Blue Zones.
OP, low carb is popular right now, so many people assume it's "best". The people it works well for are generally more satiated by fats than carbs, so they can more easily keep to their calorie deficit. There are also some medical conditions that there is some anecdotal at least suggestion that a lower carb diet may help.
Again, I did not intend to imply a calorie deficit! A carbohydrate excess and calorie excess will cause weight gain. No, I can't pull out my textbook right now and tell you exactly where I read that. (Are we all A+ students? No.). Here's an article on the low-down on carbohydrates: http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/does-carbohydrate-become-body-fat (Yes, I admit Alice and I have probably read different articles on how carbs may or may not be directly responsible for fat-creation... I'm just telling you guys what my professor told me
)
Honestly though, the animosity on here is devastating
Sorry I didn't come in here with resources but it didn't look like we needed them considering nobody else has placed links in their posts.
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VictorSmashes wrote: »
Honestly though, the animosity on here is devastating Sorry I didn't come in here with resources but it didn't look like we needed them considering nobody else has placed links in their posts.
I don't understand this. As far as I can tell you were engaged on your views in a very mild, civilized, and matter-of-fact way. Since when did any confrontation become devastating animosity?
ETA: Also, if you want links yourself feel free to ask. I am sure someone will oblige.21 -
Some of us need to do it for health reasons. I have diabetes and I was told to eat lower carb to help manage my sugar levels. I personally love eating low carb. Carbs were a big part of the problem when I ballooned up to 370 pounds because it was easy for me to eat a lot of carbs and they added a significant amount of calories. Eating low carb feels better for my body too. It's all about personal preference and only you can know exactly what your body requires in regard to macros.2
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I can't see any reason not to eat carbs as long as they are the right kind of carbs. Avoid the white flour and starchy kind (especially if you are diabetic) But fruits and vegetables are carbs and fine to eat. Even the dreaded potatoes and corn are okay in small quantities. NOTE: I am not a medical professional. My opinions expressed herein are based on my reading and a meeting with a registered dietician. Take it for what it is worth.20
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Krachbummente2049 wrote: »Here's a study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10365981
"Eucaloric replacement of dietary fat by CHO does not induce hepatic DNL to any substantial degree."
"Eucaloric" means no caloric excess or deficit. Again, already covered that.
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elsie6hickman wrote: »I can't see any reason not to eat carbs as long as they are the right kind of carbs. Avoid the white flour and starchy kind (especially if you are diabetic) But fruits and vegetables are carbs and fine to eat. Even the dreaded potatoes and corn are okay in small quantities. NOTE: I am not a medical professional. My opinions expressed herein are based on my reading and a meeting with a registered dietician. Take it for what it is worth.
Not diabetic. The only hindrance I have ever noticed to eating the "bad" carbs is that if I don't eat enough protein with it/them I am not satiated for very long. Otherwise I don't see how it makes a difference to my personal progress.
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VictorSmashes wrote: »Then hopefully you also understand which macronutrient is most easily converted to fat.
(Hint: fat)
De novo lipogenesis only happens under situations of massive, sustained carb overfeeds - far beyond what the average human on a non-ketogenic diet eats on a daily basis.
And hopefully you also understand that there is no net fat storage while in a caloric deficit, regardless of the macronutrient composition of your diet.
I'm sorry that it seemed I implied a calorie deficit, I thought that was easily read. When I said carb excess I did in fact mean a calorie excess as well. I disagree that fat begets fat. Here's an article on the contrary: https://paleoleap.com/demolishing-fat-makes-fat-myth/FIFY = Fixed It For You
If you are in a calorie surplus, any food you eat, regardless of it's macro ratio, will be stored as fat. If you are in a calorie deficit, there is nothing to store as fat, regardless of what specific food you've eaten.
And I haven't seen anything credible to suggest that eating carbs is not as healthy as eating protein and fat, do you have any sources for that? Check out the Blue Zones.
OP, low carb is popular right now, so many people assume it's "best". The people it works well for are generally more satiated by fats than carbs, so they can more easily keep to their calorie deficit. There are also some medical conditions that there is some anecdotal at least suggestion that a lower carb diet may help.
Again, I did not intend to imply a calorie deficit! A carbohydrate excess and calorie excess will cause weight gain. No, I can't pull out my textbook right now and tell you exactly where I read that. (Are we all A+ students? No.). Here's an article on the low-down on carbohydrates: http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/does-carbohydrate-become-body-fat (Yes, I admit Alice and I have probably read different articles on how carbs may or may not be directly responsible for fat-creation... I'm just telling you guys what my professor told me )
Honestly though, the animosity on here is devastating Sorry I didn't come in here with resources but it didn't look like we needed them considering nobody else has placed links in their posts.
If you look again at my post, I wasn't replying to you. I quoted someone else's post.
I haven't seen any animosity in this thread. Posters who have stated something as fact, that many of us have never seen any credible research to support, are simply being asked where that info came from. And it's on point for the OP, since many people choose low carb due to unfounded claims about it.
If you are interested in doing some research, as I mentioned in my post, Google the Blue Zones. There's a book if you want, but lots of info available online.12 -
I should add that I am particularly concerned about carbs because my husband is diabetic and he has to watch his carbs. I cook for both of us - it works for him and it works for me. I find it kind of amusing that carbs seem to be such a hot button issue here. I don't worry about it, I do what is working for me.4
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elsie6hickman wrote: »I should add that I am particularly concerned about carbs because my husband is diabetic and he has to watch his carbs. I cook for both of us - it works for him and it works for me. I find it kind of amusing that carbs seem to be such a hot button issue here. I don't worry about it, I do what is working for me.
I wasn't debating you. I was just stating my own experiences. I do what works for me and it ends up being on the higher side of low carb myself (80-120grams most days). I don't set limits or even watch my carbs except to make sure I pair higher carb items with enough protein. I have my own medical situation that is kind of unusual that makes it easier to eat this way.
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If you look again at my post, I wasn't replying to you. I quoted someone else's post.
I haven't seen any animosity in this thread. Posters who have stated something as fact, that many of us have never seen any credible research to support, are simply being asked where that info came from. And it's on point for the OP, since many people choose low carb due to unfounded claims about it.
If you are interested in doing some research, as I mentioned in my post, Google the Blue Zones. There's a book if you want, but lots of info available online.
Perhaps you didn't mean to quote me but you did, when I look again at your original post. Which is fine but you absolutely did quote me... (For the record where you said "OP" I was not replying to that anyway.)
However I do understand where some of the misunderstanding came from in this thread. I didn't realize that the fisher person changed my original post (or "fixed it for me"), which I guess might have come across as me saying something about a calorie deficit etc. etc. Generally when someone quotes me I don't read my own original post word for word, which I think you all might understand.
As for the animosity comment perhaps I was a little hot-headed when I said that, but in my perspective if multiple people are "confronting" me about something I've said, whereas there are not multiple people quoting someone else, maybe you can see where I was coming from...
I am absolutely just coming from my perspective and from what I remember from school, of course. I hope the OP learns a lot from everyone on here and decides for themself whether going low carb will work for them, or to try it at all.7 -
This is so confusing I can't get anything out of it, and it scares me quite a bit to think that people would find any meaning in it.Me personally... Because carbs= sugar and my body is refusing to process sugar now and the diet I’m on to sort out my blood sugar levels, makes my body burn fat if it doesn’t have sugar .7 -
@VictorSmashesVictorSmashes wrote: »Honestly though, the animosity on here is devastating Sorry I didn't come in here with resources but it didn't look like we needed them considering nobody else has placed links in their posts.
It really isn't animosity to challenge or correct misinformation - including misinformation given with all good intentions.
It's just debate and sharing of knowledge, not just for an individual but also for the community. Your statement about carbs turning to glycogen and then to fat is simply inaccurate or at least extraordinarily rare (in humans anyway). Especially in a thread about why people go low carb to lose weight it is a bit misleading and takes away from the necessity of a calorie deficit whatever macro-nutrient blend people choose. That doesn't mean it's an attack on you as a person. I do hope you continue to contribute to the forums, it can come across as a harsh environment but (generally!
) people are trying to be helpful and share what they have learned.
From Lyle McDonald....
"Carbohydrates are rarely converted to fat (a process called de novo lipogenesis) under normal dietary conditions. There are exceptions when this occurs. One is with massive chronic overfeeding of carbs. I’m talking 700-900 grams of carbs per day for multiple days. Under those conditions, carbs max out glycogen stores, are in excess of total daily energy requirements and you see the conversion of carbohydrate to fat for storage. But this is not a normal dietary situation for most people.
A few very stupid studies have shown that glucose INFUSION at levels of 1.5 total daily energy expenditure can cause DNL to occur but this is equally non-physiological. There is also some evidence that DNL may be increased in individuals with hyperinsulinemia (often secondary to obesity). There’s one final exception that I’ll use to finish this piece.
But when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and burn less fat. And that’s why even if carbs aren’t directly converted to fat and stored as such, excess carbs can STILL MAKE YOU FAT. Basically, by inhibiting fat oxidation, excess carbs cause you to store all the fat you’re eating without burning any of it off. "11 -
Different reasons for different people:
1. Could be that they fill into the low carb craze and think that they need to do it in order to lose weight
2. Could be that they are afraid of carbs and don't understand them. Popular media is full of misinformation about sugar and carbs, and that the scale fluctuates with water weight after eating a lot of carbs doesn't help.
3. Could be they need to for medical reasons. Some people decide to lose weight after being diagnosed with diabetes.
4. Could be they're eating too low of a calorie allowance and follow macros, so after portioning for protein and fat, not much is left for carbs.
5. Some people aren't satiated by carbs, so they find themselves wanting to fill up on lower carb calories in order to not be hungry all the time.
6. Could be that's just how they like to eat. You need to cut calories somewhere, but cutting them from items you can "live without" is easier. Some people would rather eat less bread in order to be able to have more butter, for example.
There are probably other reasons. What's great about dieting is that it's all about calories. Since that's all you need to lose weight, everything else is up to you. You can "make it yours" and customize it to your needs and preferences. Low carb fits the needs and preferences of some people.10 -
@VictorSmashesVictorSmashes wrote: »Honestly though, the animosity on here is devastating Sorry I didn't come in here with resources but it didn't look like we needed them considering nobody else has placed links in their posts.
It really isn't animosity to challenge or correct misinformation - including misinformation given with all good intentions.
It's just debate and sharing of knowledge, not just for an individual but also for the community. Your statement about carbs turning to glycogen and then to fat is simply inaccurate or at least extraordinarily rare (in humans anyway). Especially in a thread about why people go low carb to lose weight it is a bit misleading and takes away from the necessity of a calorie deficit whatever macro-nutrient blend people choose. That doesn't mean it's an attack on you as a person. I do hope you continue to contribute to the forums, it can come across as a harsh environment but (generally!) people are trying to be helpful and share what they have learned.
From Lyle McDonald....
"Carbohydrates are rarely converted to fat (a process called de novo lipogenesis) under normal dietary conditions. There are exceptions when this occurs. One is with massive chronic overfeeding of carbs. I’m talking 700-900 grams of carbs per day for multiple days. Under those conditions, carbs max out glycogen stores, are in excess of total daily energy requirements and you see the conversion of carbohydrate to fat for storage. But this is not a normal dietary situation for most people.
A few very stupid studies have shown that glucose INFUSION at levels of 1.5 total daily energy expenditure can cause DNL to occur but this is equally non-physiological. There is also some evidence that DNL may be increased in individuals with hyperinsulinemia (often secondary to obesity). There’s one final exception that I’ll use to finish this piece.
But when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and burn less fat. And that’s why even if carbs aren’t directly converted to fat and stored as such, excess carbs can STILL MAKE YOU FAT. Basically, by inhibiting fat oxidation, excess carbs cause you to store all the fat you’re eating without burning any of it off. "
Hey I appreciate the input. I think you missed a post or two (I have addressed my use of “animosity”, for example) but I still understand that you’re coming from a good place.
The exact number of carbs was something I did not know so thanks for enlightening me.6 -
Because thats how they choose to eat. Many people maintaining or gaining weight also limit carbs.
Why are you worried about how other people eat?6
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