Do Carbs Really Matter?

tmpecus78

YES CARBS MATTER. but more importantly the timing of carbs matter. Look into Carb backloading..

Meal timing is the biggest joke.

tmpecus78

I've tried cutting back on carbs before, but just end up feeling fatigued with headaches if I cut them right down.

At least now I try to eat the right kind of carbs in moderation, rather than stuffing my face full of the bad ones regularly.

There are no "good and bad"

I beg to differ.

Good carbs: 100% semolina pasta! cooked al dente

Bad carbs: freaking whole wheat pasta. Gross, man.

So when you eat a so called "bad carb" your body knows it's a "bad carb?" wow! LOL

Bry_Fitness70

In my diet, there are four priority levels (in order of importance):

1) Eat the right amount of calories
2) Eat the right mix of proteins/carbs/fat
3) Minimize unwanted food content (unrefined sugar and sodium, for example)
4) Eat food with high nutritional content as well as high food integrity standards (organic, natural, and or minimally processed / un-processed)

A lot of people only do steps 1 & 2 and get great results. I think pursuing the perfect diet has to involve striving for all 4, as unrealistic as that often is.

TeaBea

for the most part yes, its just cals in vs cals out

for health, no
for what the body chooses to keep vs burn fat/muscle, no


i personally like to hit minimums on my fat and protein intake everyday

enjoy those donuts =D

^^This!^^

Think of your protein & fat as "minimums" .... focus on hitting those first. Whatever is left over, is carbs.

Not all carbs are created equal. Less processed stuff generally retains more protien & fiber, and has less added fat (usually not the healthiest kind). Protien, fat, and fiber helps keep you full longer too.

amie709

I think carbs is one of the touchiest subjects around here!! first thing I can tell you is: everyone is different so different things work for different people and for different goals.

For me, my goals were/are weight loss and getting healthy. For me, I had to cut out all things that remotely resembled junk food for that cause I can't eat just one chip...or just one bag of chips for that matter!! so I cut out those things, I keep a calorie deficit-I try to keep it at 1600 cals per day. And I limit my carbs to under 200 and up my protein to at least 100. Extra protein helps me recover from working my muscles with exercise, the limited carbs help me to not feel rundown and tired and all the foods that's I'm taking in is halthy foods.

I'm down 77 lbs. since April 14 with this plan

Myhaloslipped

Haha, but in all seriousness, I try to get a decent amount of carbs in my diet, but I really work to keep it to a minimum. I am like an alcoholic around liquor when it comes to bread and pasta. Once I am exposed too much, I am just on a roll, and it's not good.

highervibes

No they don't matter unless you are diabetic/pre-diabetic but I highly doubt you can eat 1200 calories in doughnuts without seriously screwing yourself over on protein and micros if you intend to remain in a deficit that day. One day here and there isn't a big deal but I would personally consider more than cal in vs cal out. Fibre? vitamins and minerals? I don't eat like a saint AT ALL, but I don't think I could justify 1200 calories with only 18g of protein to show for them.

KANGOOJUMPS

carbs are your fuel!

dieselbyte

*PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE*

Because someone will argue that carbs matter, because carbs spike insulin, and insulin is bad, so carbs are the devil. They will then argue the benefits of a ketogenic diet, and how absent of carbs there is no insulin, so you can't get fat, and that is why they lost weight.

They will argue this point against calories in vs calories out, with no understanding that insulin is not the sole hormone responsible for fat storage, nor the only factor in fat storage. This person will then blindly argue their point, not understanding insulin is released when protein is ingested as well, and that insulin is always present at basal levels. This person will spew something about ketones, without knowing about or understanding gluconeogenisis, glycerol and ketogenesis.

They will argue that they burn fat for fuel, and it doesn't matter how much fat they eat, because they will burn it. Sadly, they will not understand net fat storage, and that dietary fat can, and is, stored as fat.

Finally, this person will have no valid medical or metabolic reason to limit carbs or follow a ketogenic diet.

It will happen... We've seen it a thousand times!!

MaiLinna

The only thing I watch about carbs is if that carb is giving me more than just a plain calorie count. Does it give me fiber? Does it give me protein? Yes? Get in mah belly!

g33kmommy

Everything in moderation is all you need to know.

I've lost close to 65lbs and I eat pizza, bagels, hamburgers, etc all the time. Hasn't hindered my weight loss in the least bit. I just make sure I stay within my calories for the day.

HealthWoke0ish

vinzorelli

Carbs are very important since they fuel your cells and growth. I worked up my carbohydrate intake from a mere 100g daily to now around 360grams daily. I am still lean and don't do much cardio if any. Mostly strength training with heavy compound exercises. The key is to increase carbs slightly every week to build up metabolism. That way you have food to pull from the body when trying to lose fat.

Slasher09

Carbs are great foods. With that said...i personally have troubles with pastas/breads because I am recovering from bulimia and high glycemic foods trigger binges for me...so unlike a lot of posters...I tend to eat higher fat and higher protein. But thats what works for me, other people are different!

pcastagner

I've tried cutting back on carbs before, but just end up feeling fatigued with headaches if I cut them right down.

At least now I try to eat the right kind of carbs in moderation, rather than stuffing my face full of the bad ones regularly.

There are no "good and bad"

I beg to differ.

Good carbs: 100% semolina pasta! cooked al dente

Bad carbs: freaking whole wheat pasta. Gross, man.

So when you eat a so called "bad carb" your body knows it's a "bad carb?" wow! LOL

My mouth knows good carbs from bad. It tells my brain "you could have eaten something tasty instead, like spaghetti carbonara".


Come on man, whole wheat pasta is a sin against nature. Of course it's bad.

pcastagner

Re: carb timing


It matters to some!

When I manage to get a big carb heavy meal in before bed, I sleep better.

pcastagner

.

volume77

Re: carb timing


It matters to some!

When I manage to get a big carb heavy meal in before bed, I sleep better.

this

2013sk

Cutting carbs make you lose weight quickly, But when I cut them out of my diet ALOT I ended up binging on bread as my body was craving it.

I would keep them in your diet, but eat healthy carbs, Brown bread, brown pasta, veggies, fruit, oats etc.

I would also up your protein. Peanut butter - Good fats, Eggs, Cottage cheese, Nuts, Chicken, fish, Veg, fruit - berries etc.