pros only....no cons....lowering carbs

2

Replies

  • tb_lawkid13
    tb_lawkid13 Posts: 29 Member
    Bumping this/adding to my topics...
    suggestions welcome for snacks/portable foods for this lifestyle!
  • crystalewhite
    crystalewhite Posts: 422 Member
    I don't really do low carb, but I try to eat a lot more complex carbs. I stay satieted longer and I have noticed improvements in my acne since cutting back on the simple carbs.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    The body has no need for any carbs. If you don't eat enough protein and fat you will die.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    I try to eat "slower carb" rather than lower carb. It does WONDERS for cravings and blood sugar swings. I've heard the same about lower carb. Good luck with whatever you choose. YOU know YOUR body best.
    I like this. It's what I do "Slow carb" diet. I do it for blood lipid panels and I find my numbers improve when you add fibre to your carb intake (or make sure the carbs you eat have a high fibre content).
    BTW, carbs are thing. 100 carbs is meaningless without the unit. It's either 100 kilocalories of carbs or 100 grams. (Sorry the scientist in me cringes when people omit units of measure).
  • laurenjill
    laurenjill Posts: 94 Member
    Have you considered carb cycling?
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    The body has no need for any carbs. If you don't eat enough protein and fat you will die.
    No need at all for any carbs? None at all? Not even fruits and vegetables?
    What about the brain?
    What about glycogen?

    The body has such a fundamental NEED for carbs that it can manufacture its own when you stop eating them entirely. So technically, no, you don't need to eat carbs, but your body and brain need carbs to function.
  • Grains used to be incredibly difficult to access- I mean consider the thousands of years we've had to develop sliced bread. Today we do a lot to "carbs" that make them unlike anything you would find our ancestors eating even 100 years ago. I am currently doing Atkins, but before that (and once I reach my goal weight) I was pretty strict about eating no processed grains. I cut out all of the junk food, all of the breads made with modern flour (even yummy artisan bread that is oh so wonderful with a glass of wine), and switched over to sprouted grain breads and getting my carbs from less processed sources. Quinoa, basmati rice, wild rice, beans (black, kidney)...you get the point. When I made that switch I went down to 80 carbs per day. While I can't say this will help your weight loss, it will help your overall health and cut down on a lot of cravings. I was always more satisfied after meals. I am an anthropologist and I've taken several Anth of Food and Nutrition courses and read a lot of research about what the human body evolved to eat, that's what made me make the switch off of processed flour and all processed foods. Its hard but if you can just stop eating sugar (except from fruit) you should do that too- but that's another topic.
  • cdastouri
    cdastouri Posts: 2 Member
    I am in Keto at the moment which for me is around 25 to 30 grams of net carbs. I have noticed I am much more clear headed and have more consistent energy during the day. Another added bonus is that food is much more intense tasting - if I eat something sweet like a berries, or some apple, it is really sweet!
  • chideldali
    chideldali Posts: 11 Member
    I've found that, more than anything, it's high fat that makes my food cravings go away. Carbs give me food cravings, but eating low fat makes them so much worse than high carb does...
  • JourneyingJessica
    JourneyingJessica Posts: 261 Member
    I noticed that certain types of carbs can stall/plateau me. I try to stay under 140g/day and push to get a 40/30/30 macro ratio.


    If I have pizza, rice or pasta, i tend to gain weight. Period. One weekend i gained 8.5lbs (i had pasta, pizza & Thai). I know some are thinking "water weight" but i spent 3 weeks trying to lose that "water weight".

    One month i added air popped popcorn to my nightly routine. It fit fine in my calories but my weight loss stopped. As soon as I stopped it i started losing weight again.

    Carbs from potatoes, berries & even ice cream don't seem to affect me the same way. As long as i stick around 140
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    I noticed that certain types of carbs can stall/plateau me. I try to stay under 140g/day and push to get a 40/30/30 macro ratio.


    If I have pizza, rice or pasta, i tend to gain weight. Period. One weekend i gained 8.5lbs (i had pasta, pizza & Thai). I know some are thinking "water weight" but i spent 3 weeks trying to lose that "water weight".

    One month i added air popped popcorn to my nightly routine. It fit fine in my calories but my weight loss stopped. As soon as I stopped it i started losing weight again.

    Carbs from potatoes, berries & even ice cream don't seem to affect me the same way. As long as i stick around 140

    Did you eat 14,875 cals above maintenance on both days of the weekend? Like actually? So at least 16,000 on two consecutive days? I have some trouble believing that tbh.
  • SuninVirgo
    SuninVirgo Posts: 255 Member
    Yes it does. I was eating candy all the time after having my baby--major sweet tooth especially in the evenings.
    I started low carb, high fat and moderate protein about 8 days ago- I've lost 4 pounds and I don't miss the sweets!
    But to kill the cravings- you need to eat about 65-75% fat. Fat gives you energy and keeps you satiated.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    The body has no need for any carbs. If you don't eat enough protein and fat you will die.
    No need at all for any carbs? None at all? Not even fruits and vegetables?
    What about the brain?
    What about glycogen?

    The body has such a fundamental NEED for carbs that it can manufacture its own when you stop eating them entirely. So technically, no, you don't need to eat carbs, but your body and brain need carbs to function.

    The brain does not need 130g of glucose to function at normal or maximum levels (that is where ketones and lactate come into play). The brain on a low carb diet only needs 30g to function at the same levels as a fully glucose fueled brain.

    I have yet to see any study showing that participants on long term low carb diets, have less effective brain functions. If anyone has any please pass them down the line!

    The benefit of fueling your brain this way has been shown to help reduce and delay the affects of certain brain diseases!
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    The body has no need for any carbs. If you don't eat enough protein and fat you will die.
    No need at all for any carbs? None at all? Not even fruits and vegetables?
    What about the brain?
    What about glycogen?

    The body has such a fundamental NEED for carbs that it can manufacture its own when you stop eating them entirely. So technically, no, you don't need to eat carbs, but your body and brain need carbs to function.

    The brain does not need 130g of glucose to function at normal or maximum levels (that is where ketones and lactate come into play). The brain on a low carb diet only needs 30g to function at the same levels as a fully glucose fueled brain.

    I have yet to see any study showing that participants on long term low carb diets, have less effective brain functions. If anyone has any please pass them down the line!

    The benefit of fueling your brain this way has been shown to help reduce and delay the affects of certain brain diseases!

    Technically you don't even need those 30 grams because your body will manufacture everything it needs. My point was more about how necessary carbs are for the body to function. But given you can easily lose weight without reducing carbs I don't see why you would want to limit carbs. Carbs are delicious and amazing.

    In response to MrM27, I don't know how much the body is able to produce other than it's "enough" -- LOL. Interesting question though!
  • Don't lower carbs, you won't have much energy and will loose a lot of muscle / not sustainable in the long run.

    In fact you want to reduce fast digesting carbs and replace them with slow digesting carbs , that keep you full for longer due to slower rate of absorption.

    Mostly carbs with high fiber content.

    I eat 220 grams of carbs a day still loosing 1.5 lb a week.
  • Vexxe
    Vexxe Posts: 24 Member
    Don't lower carbs, you won't have much energy and will loose a lot of muscle / not sustainable in the long run.

    In fact you want to reduce fast digesting carbs and replace them with slow digesting carbs , that keep you full for longer due to slower rate of absorption.

    Mostly carbs with high fiber content.

    I eat 220 grams of carbs a day still loosing 1.5 lb a week.

    May the bro-science be with you!
  • Don't lower carbs, you won't have much energy and will loose a lot of muscle / not sustainable in the long run.

    In fact you want to reduce fast digesting carbs and replace them with slow digesting carbs , that keep you full for longer due to slower rate of absorption.

    Mostly carbs with high fiber content.

    I eat 220 grams of carbs a day still loosing 1.5 lb a week.

    May the bro-science be with you!

    LMAO it's not bro-science mate it's simple IIFYM style MACRO counting. Put your money where your mouth is ...

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
  • Vexxe
    Vexxe Posts: 24 Member
    In fact you want to reduce fast digesting carbs and replace them with slow digesting carbs , that keep you full for longer due to slower rate of absorption.

    That's bro science dude. Hunger is hormonal (ghrelin) and insulin doesn't suppress that hormone. If you have to eat until you feel like you are going to pop, you're doing it wrong. You should know when to put the knife and fork down, not when you 'feel' full.

    Also, in response to OP and to counter what you said. I eat <20g of carbs a day, I have crazy amounts of energy. I haven't lost muscle mass, in fact I have gained muscle. My IBS has totally gone, my Tonsil stones have cleared up, I sleep like a rock, I find it easier to wake up, I don't need to count calories, I can focus for longer. Worked miracles for me.

    To those who say it's not sustainable, how's this for you. I work in a supermarket with a bakery that cooks fresh produce. Not once have I been tempted to pick anything up. There is also a Krispy Creme right next to where I work inside the store. Ye, smells nice, not touched it and have no intention to. I doubt I'll return to my old ways, I just feel way too good mentally and physically to let it go for the sake of some alright food that you regret eating.

    31lbs in 9 weeks and counting. Not even got half that left to lose.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    The body has no need for any carbs. If you don't eat enough protein and fat you will die.
    No need at all for any carbs? None at all? Not even fruits and vegetables?
    What about the brain?
    What about glycogen?

    The body has such a fundamental NEED for carbs that it can manufacture its own when you stop eating them entirely. So technically, no, you don't need to eat carbs, but your body and brain need carbs to function.

    The brain does not need 130g of glucose to function at normal or maximum levels (that is where ketones and lactate come into play). The brain on a low carb diet only needs 30g to function at the same levels as a fully glucose fueled brain.

    I have yet to see any study showing that participants on long term low carb diets, have less effective brain functions. If anyone has any please pass them down the line!

    The benefit of fueling your brain this way has been shown to help reduce and delay the affects of certain brain diseases!

    Technically you don't even need those 30 grams because your body will manufacture everything it needs. My point was more about how necessary carbs are for the body to function. But given you can easily lose weight without reducing carbs I don't see why you would want to limit carbs. Carbs are delicious and amazing.

    In response to MrM27, I don't know how much the body is able to produce other than it's "enough" -- LOL. Interesting question though!

    The brain does need approx 30g of glucose to function normally or at a maximum, as there are certain parts of that can only be be fueled by glucose (glycogen). Technically non of those 30g need to come from dietary carbs.

    The liver can produce approx 150g of glycogen daily through gluconeogenisis!