why so many carbs ?

janetteluparia

For most people it helps to reduce carbs because we eat the wrong ones. If you avoid all the white processed carbs and stick with the carbs from fruits and vegetables you will lower your carb intake and naturally increase water (necessary for hydration) and lower calories which will help you achieve your desired results. If you eat whole grain carbohydrates they are good for your overall health but are VERY calorie dense so only eat them in small portion sizes.

This is why Atkins works for many people looking to lose but less educated on how it works. The good fats mentioned help with feeling full and satisfied with some mouth feel and energy (calories) the body uses properly and will then release stored fat when combined with calorie deficit and exercise.

Do some reading on the subject and beware of the haters on MFP who will berate you for asking a simple and honest question.

auddii

Carbs primary function are as your source of glucose, which is a molecule necessary for your body's cell function. So you don't want to eat excessively low carbs.
That said, a girl in my course argued that she eats almost no carbs and is super healthy. She said she found research that showed our bodies can create glucose from other molecules--which is true. The question is whether or not our bodies are capable of producing enough glucose to maintain adequate glucose levels on a low carb diet. She insisted that it can. Keep in mind, she's a figure competitor, kind of like body building, so it could be biased information. I haven't done the research on that much myseld (I'm not personally all that interested, since I'm quite content with a higher carb diet), but if you're looking into low carbs, that's probably where you want to take your research; whether or not your body can produce adequate amounts of glucose on a low carb diet.

Just as a side note, most figure competitors do extremely low carb cuts short term right before competitions. They also binge on sugar minutes before the competition because it helps the muscles swell and look bigger. They aren't always the best example for what is healthy right around competition time. Several that I've seen post advice on here have a much more moderate diet between competitions.

shaynepoole

First, almost everything you eat has some type of carbs in it - fruit, vegetables, even milk all have carbs. 20 carbs a day is pretty unrealistic when you think about it unless you are going to pretty just much a meat and leaf diet

Change your diary to show you the carb intakes of the foods you are logging so you can see what you are really eating if your carbs are a concern

I am a diabetic who has to watch carbs or go back to taking meds which I really don't want to do and my recommended intake is 135 per day (@45 per meal)

naticksdonna

For most people it helps to reduce carbs because we eat the wrong ones. If you avoid all the white processed carbs and stick with the carbs from fruits and vegetables you will lower your carb intake and naturally increase water (necessary for hydration) and lower calories which will help you achieve your desired results. If you eat whole grain carbohydrates they are good for your overall health but are VERY calorie dense so only eat them in small portion sizes.

This is why Atkins works for many people looking to lose but less educated on how it works. The good fats mentioned help with feeling full and satisfied with some mouth feel and energy (calories) the body uses properly and will then release stored fat when combined with calorie deficit and exercise.

Do some reading on the subject and beware of the haters on MFP who will berate you for asking a simple and honest question.

^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^

Fuzzipeg

This is an interesting thought. I don't know enough to give a comment on the actual amount suggested.

I do wonder how many people on this site know how many of the others have problems which actually come down to the proportions within the foods they eat. Many of these people struggle with their weight and other issues because they are needing more than the basic information c in c out. Shouted at them.

I read topics for the little gems of information which chime with what I have experienced within myself and I thank those who stand up for the rest of us to gain information to follow up.

BrainyBurro

For most people it helps to reduce carbs because we eat the wrong ones. If you avoid all the white processed carbs and stick with the carbs from fruits and vegetables you will lower your carb intake and naturally increase water (necessary for hydration) and lower calories which will help you achieve your desired results. If you eat whole grain carbohydrates they are good for your overall health but are VERY calorie dense so only eat them in small portion sizes.

This is why Atkins works for many people looking to lose but less educated on how it works. The good fats mentioned help with feeling full and satisfied with some mouth feel and energy (calories) the body uses properly and will then release stored fat when combined with calorie deficit and exercise.

Do some reading on the subject and beware of the haters on MFP who will berate you for asking a simple and honest question.

if by hater, you mean hater of misinformation/disinformation, then i plead guilty as charged.

keto diets are not sustainable. they lead to health problems.

tedrickp

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22209501

Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS:
Despite the lack of scientific evidence, bread is one of the most restricted foods in popular hypocaloric diets. The aim of this study was to compare two nutrition strategies (with or without bread) designed to promote weight loss in overweight/obese women.
METHODS:
A clinical, prospective and randomised study in which 122 women >18 years, BMI ≥ 25 < 40 kg/m(2) were divided into two groups: intervention group (BREAD, n = 61) and control group (NO BREAD, n = 61). Both groups received a low-calorie diet (with or without bread), nutrition education and physical activity guidelines, and were monitored for 16 weeks.
RESULTS:
104 women completed the study (48.4 ± 9 years, 29.8 ± 3.5 kg/m(2)). Anthropometric and biochemical markers improved after the intervention without significant differences between groups. BREAD group significantly increased total cereal consumption (3.2 ± 1.3 to 3.7 ± 0.5 servings/day, P < 0.05) and the percentage of energy from carbohydrates (41.2 ± 6.4 vs. 45.9 ± 5.0% P < 0.001) and reduced fat (39.0 ± 6.6 vs. 32.7 ± 5.1% P < 0.001). In contrast, NO BREAD group increased the discrepancy with recommended consumption. NO BREAD group had the most dropouts (21.3% vs. 6.6%, P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
The bread inclusion in a low-calorie diet designed for weight loss favoured a better evolution of dietetic parameters and greater compliance with the diet with fewer dropouts.

Ibettergetthisright

I love carbs and Id kill you all if you tried to take mine.

Love it !! Thank you !!

Mr_Knight

I read that if I keep my carb intake at only 20 that I would take off weight faster...

It's not true.

The internet is a wondrous place, you can find someone claiming just about anything...

Ibettergetthisright

I have gather a lot of helpful info from everyone. Thank you so much....I will not cut back that far. You all have been very helpful !

Kevalicious99

I eat 200 - 300 carbs a day .. and have lost 5 inches of abdominal fat in 4 months (isn't that the toughest to lose ? .. and all while eating carbs. Imagine that).

Carbs are needed for energy .. and are not the devil.

But .. this is the internet and anything goes here, even something so insane as 20 carbs a day. My banana I had in my smoothie today had more than that. *shakes head*.

Go to YouTube and look up the girl that ate 51 bananas in a day ... 1549 carbs in one day (assuming medium bananas) . Hmm .. she must be really really overweight ? But interestingly she is actually very trim and fit. Hmm ..

duffypratt

Carbs are not needed for energy, but they are the quickest way to get energy. It's kind of pointless to talk about what's needed and what isn't. You can live without any carbs at all, but it would be tough to pull off in our society, and would not be a lot of fun.

There are two main attractions, for me at least, to a low carb diet. First, its simple. Eat meat, fat, and leafy green vegetables, and you are pretty much set. After some progress, start adding some berries. Second, and more importantly, it effectively wipes out cravings. One week on a low carb diet, and I lose my desire to eat sugar, starch and junk.

The big problem with the diet, as other people have noted, is that it is not sustainable. That's the problem with all diets. Strictly speaking, any caloric deficit program will not be sustainable. But with low carb, its very very difficult to reintroduce the carbs without also re-introducing the cravings.

As for the health problems. Low carb can be hard on the kidneys, and if there's any question of kidney function, you should either shy away from the diet or consult with a doctor first. But in my experience, it did not have a negative impact on lipid profiles. On the contrary, HDL went up, LDL went down, and triglycerides went way down. Blood pressure also normalized.

Finally, its possible to do fairly long exercise and remain completely low carb. I was riding my bicycle 150 miles + per week while limiting carbs to somewhere around 45-50/day. If a ride was for two hours or less, I didn't eat any extra carbs. For four hour rides, I would have a sports drink and maybe a banana for extra fuel. There are limits to what you can do before bonking, but with experience, they get to be much greater than you might imagine.

GlassslippersAndFairyDust

[/quote]
"That would be people on some sort of ketogenic diet.....
THink paleo....

people who eat only fats and protein....

You will lose weight and burn fat if you are at a caloric deficit....
The reason people lose weight doing low carbs is because they are cutting out a source of calories they are not making up elsewhere."
[/quote]


The Paleo diet is lower in carbs, but not necessarily low-carb

mungowungo

There are limits to what you can do before bonking, but with experience, they get to be much greater than you might imagine.

No disrespect intended but - PMSL - or is bonking purely Australian slang?

duffypratt

Here's the first link I've found that explains bonking (but not necessarily the best explanation):

http://tunedintocycling.com/2008/05/10/cycling-nutrition-the-bonk/

Basically, bonking is almost unique to cycling because with almost all other forms of exercise, other types of fatigue will set in before you completely run out of energy stores. Bonking happens to cyclists when they completely exhaust the available glucose in the body. The legs turn to lead and/or jelly. You get nausea. You become extremely lightheaded and can become fully disoriented (no fuel for the brain).

Compounded with this, when cycling, is that bonking typically occurs along with dehydration, though the two are different and feel different but maybe equally bad. It's not something that you ever want to do. I've done it twice. Once when I was eating normally, and then once again while on low carb.

In the cycling world, at least, it is not just Australian slang. But that may be where the word comes from. If you haven't bonked before, I don't recommend trying it out for the experience. If you don't deal with it correctly, it can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. (First time I bonked, before I realized what happened, I almost went through a red light at a busy intersection, simply because my brain wasn't registering what I was seeing. I slammed on the brakes too late and when headfirst over the handlebars, but was otherwise OK.)

mamadon

I keep to keto myself as far as nutrition (I aim for a net of under 50 per day), though I don't speak on it in the forums often because of the condescending attitudes of some people. My results have been great and I do not get hungry thanks to the protein intake.

People can feel free to eat my share of carbs and sugar.

I'll take your carbs and sugar!!!

KANGOOJUMPS

carbs are your fuel, you need them if you are a cardio queen like me,