Living The Lifestyle Thursday 5/23/24

imastar2

This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!

Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.

Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday – Wildcard
Wednesday-misterhub (Greg)
Thursday -imastar2 (Derrick)
Friday - Wildcard

Today's Topic: Carbohydrates (Carbs) They're everywhere Are they your Friend? or Enemy.
So do you have to control them?
Where do you stand on Carbs in general.

(Sorry everyone. Like others with week day LTL I've had my Thursday for a long time and sometimes just give up on a subject for every Thursday.)

imastar2

I very much dislike having to deal with Carbs for at least 60 years. They're are not my friend. My pediatrician when I was around 16 ish did a blood examination directly targeted to Carbs. The test he said concluded that my body converted Carbs somewhat different to most and that that they will put weight on me at an excellerated rate compared to most people.

Since that time I have fought Carbs my whole life. Everytime I let them run wildly in my life I gain weight. Not just a little but fast.

No use going through my history but It's very hard at age 77 to fight Carbs when a cookie, or piece of cake or a baked potato, Bread of any type and so on with the Carbs. You get the picture.

It's basically a very balanced effort to use Carbs for me not because of them being Carbs but moreover the food items I absolutely love are loaded with them.

I really don't think I'm that different from others or KETO and Atkins wouldn't be around. I could go on and on about this subject but there isn't enough time for me to cover it.

crewahl

Oddly enough, I don’t really think about carbs as a food group.

I know I like things that are made with flour and sugar and fat. (And salt; how did I forget salt? 🤦🏻‍♂️ But my framework for eating is sort of two-tiered. First off is the question “how many points is it, and is it worth it?” If I have the points and it’s worth it, the second tier is whether eating that food will trigger me to want more of that or a similar food. I guess that’s where carbs come in, because having a pastry leads me to two or three. I don’t think of it as carbs, though; it’s just a choice that wasn’t helpful on my journey.

When I look at Macros on the MFP Nutrition tab, it tells me the goal is 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. Over the last seven days my average has been 44% carbs, 28% fat, and 28% protein. I’m guessing that’s pretty good.

Flintwinch

There are carbs and there are carbs. I try to get plenty of fruits and vegetables (complex carbs) each day and aim for 5 servings of each. Another benefit of complex carbohydrates is the fiber and vitamins and phytochemicals they have. I try for the most part to avoid simple carbs that are mostly sugar, often combined with fat. Not only does this add a load of empty calories, but also is bad for the heart, kidneys and endocrine system.