can you stll lose belly fat and have carbs?

paleojoe

so i am on my journey to be more lean and get rid of the spare tire i have for a belly lol. i wanted to know if its still ok to consume carbs because i have people say its a no no for belly fat and some say its fine. i love rice esp white but i don't have too much of it, just 1 cup. i am confused?!!

One could argue that is it essential to consume carbs for leanness. If you exercise (which you should) carbs are an essential nutrient for performance.

SanteMulberry

vardaemi: "These people are called diabetic and should seek treatment."


Yes--high blood sugar over time will result in a person being diagnosed as Type II diabetic--but there is a long ramp up to that point. Controlling blood sugar keeps insulin down and thus keeps fat from being stored in response to the high blood sugar that most people have today. Since they have been keeping track of blood sugars (beginning in the 1920s) what is considered "normal" blood sugar levels have risen. High blood sugar comes from eating large meals containing large amounts of carbohydrate without a corresponding calorie-burn from activity (which is difficult to accomplish when one is sluggish as a result of eating large amounts of sugar and starch). Keeping blood sugar/insulin down will result in the body's cells becoming more sensitive to leptin so that it will work as it should (curbing appetite so that the body uses up its excess fat reserves). Exercise is a vital part of the equation for obese persons--not so much because it uses up calories (although that IS a benefit) as because it increases human growth hormone and adiponectin levels, which are also part of the process of controlling body fat. Exercise also works to decrease cortisol levels (cortisol causes fat to accumulate preferentially on the abdomen).

chard_muncher

so i am on my journey to be more lean and get rid of the spare tire i have for a belly lol. i wanted to know if its still ok to consume carbs because i have people say its a no no for belly fat and some say its fine. i love rice esp white but i don't have too much of it, just 1 cup. i am confused?!!

I'll just add my two cents.

The general knowledge states that you don't "spot reduce" fat, but rather you lose it all over at an even rate. I read that this is not a 100% accurate view of how the human body stores fat, but it's good enough for this purpose (and it's also good to avoid overly complicating things).

Also, I think "carbs" is way too broad. I think you're mostly talking about wheat and corn based processed products here. If you're talking about whole fruits, please eat as many whole fruits as you possibly can. They're generally low in calories, high in fiber and micro nutrients.

So we'll change your question to "Can I get to a low body fat percentage while eating processed wheat/corn based carbs?" To which I would say: yes, but not really. Gaining or losing body fat % is largely a function of net calories. You can certainly produce a caloric deficit while eating these foods, but it's going to be harder because they don't fill you up (low fiber) and they're high in calories. Additionally, they spike your blood sugar levels, and over time (if eaten in large quantities and combined with a sedentary lifestyle and genetic factors) can lead to type 2 diabetes.

To talk about specifically about rice. Steamed rice has ~200 calories per cup, which is relatively high but not as high as pasta (and you don't put sauce or butter on rice). My advice (not worth a whole lot) would be to avoid rice as much as possible but it's not in the same category as things like soda, candy/cake, fried foods, fruit juice, pasta, etc...

WhiteRabbit1313

A lot of good info here. Thanks for actual sources cited!

Miss_Krissy87

It works for me but everyone is different. I eat more carbs then I should but I eat healthy carbs

SanteMulberry

It works for me but everyone is different. I eat more carbs then I should but I eat healthy carbs

The carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits (good "slow" carbs) have different effects in the body than do the "fast" carbohydrates from sugar and grain starch. Because many of the carbohydrates in vegetables and fruits are bound in fiber, they are absorbed more slowly--which is good for avoiding blood sugar spikes and consequent spikes in insulin. In addition, because the "good" carbs are accompanied by lots of phyto-nutrients (which have been shown in various scientific studies to combat angiogenesis) it is wise to get the vast majority of our carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits. Angiogenesis is the process by which cancerous tumors encourage the proliferation of blood vessels that a cancerous tumor needs to grow and spread. There is intriguing evidence that higher than normal angiogenesis also promotes obesity (perhaps one of the reasons why obesity is linked to the incidence of cancer). Since scientists are reasonably certain that we all have stray cancerous cells at all times (as an example, virtually ALL people over the age of 70 have some cancerous cells in their thyroid glands on microscopic examination) it makes sense to "starve" those cancerous cells by including foods that inhibit their ability to secure an increased blood supply. Scientists were recently startled to see that certain vegetables and fruits contain substances (ex. ellagic acid in strawberries or sulphoraphane in broccoli) that have more potent ability to inhibit angiogenesis than do some of the drugs that they have used experimentally to inhibit angiogenesis in cancer patients.

SanteMulberry

so i am on my journey to be more lean and get rid of the spare tire i have for a belly lol. i wanted to know if its still ok to consume carbs because i have people say its a no no for belly fat and some say its fine. i love rice esp white but i don't have too much of it, just 1 cup. i am confused?!!

I'll just add my two cents.

The general knowledge states that you don't "spot reduce" fat, but rather you lose it all over at an even rate. I read that this is not a 100% accurate view of how the human body stores fat, but it's good enough for this purpose (and it's also good to avoid overly complicating things).

Also, I think "carbs" is way too broad. I think you're mostly talking about wheat and corn based processed products here. If you're talking about whole fruits, please eat as many whole fruits as you possibly can. They're generally low in calories, high in fiber and micro nutrients.

So we'll change your question to "Can I get to a low body fat percentage while eating processed wheat/corn based carbs?" To which I would say: yes, but not really. Gaining or losing body fat % is largely a function of net calories. You can certainly produce a caloric deficit while eating these foods, but it's going to be harder because they don't fill you up (low fiber) and they're high in calories. Additionally, they spike your blood sugar levels, and over time (if eaten in large quantities and combined with a sedentary lifestyle and genetic factors) can lead to type 2 diabetes.

To talk about specifically about rice. Steamed rice has ~200 calories per cup, which is relatively high but not as high as pasta (and you don't put sauce or butter on rice). My advice (not worth a whole lot) would be to avoid rice as much as possible but it's not in the same category as things like soda, candy/cake, fried foods, fruit juice, pasta, etc...

I agree.

emmalzthompson

YES. not read any of he comments. but carbs are i everything! esp fruit and veg! carbs are not the enemy, look towards slow releasing carbs though

happyrelation

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gossipkween

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