Why low carb?

Mini_horse_lover

Can someone please tell me the purpose of going low carb and what people eat doing it?

I am currently eating about 250-350 carbs a day, all from fruit. (yesterday i had about 15 serving fruit and veg)
I thought fruit was meant to be good for you? i know people doing weightwatchers and there fruit is even classed as zero points.

karmac0matic

I was just saying something about this earlier.

People keep saying "Don't have too much fruit!" or "Don't eat so many veggies"
Like
Stop

I'm not resorting to low-carb sodium-filled disgusting frozen meals just because you think my carbs are too high due to frikken FRUIT

RHachicho

Ok here is the basic idea. Your body needs protein to build itself. Fat for good balance hormonal health and as a secondary fuel source. But your bodies primary go-to source of fuel is carbohydrates. The Idea is no matter how many calories you intake if they are all carbs then not only are you missing vital proteins and fats but you are giving your body a glut of raw fuel it can't use. And any raw fuel it can't use get's converted to fat and laid down. However if you restrict carbs this stops them from being deposited as fat and forces your body to draw from it's secondary fuel source .. which is fat.

That being said I would advise against extreme carb restriction. I think 250 - 350g of carbs a day is probably too much so you might want to cut back depending on what mfp tells you to do. But restricting carbs to the nth degree is going to sap you of a lot of energy you could be using to exercise. Or indeed perform your daily routine. Carbs are the number one fuel for a reason.

And as for what people eat it's usually fairly sensible. You moderate (not avoid) things like bread/pasta/rice and try and get most of your carbs from fruit or vegetables.

rockmama72

I eat fewer carbs for calorie control. A 500 calorie meal based on meat, fat, and lots of vegetables (which Is still low carb) is FILLING.

HerbertNenenger

Because it usually helps people to drop weight pretty well and perhaps a little quicker, but going without any one thing for long stretches of time is sure to make you want it more, to wit: bingeing. Sounds like your carbs are a bit high....try cutting back to about 40% carbs, which will leave plenty of room for fruits and veggies without allowing too much room for things like bread and potatoes. A bit of tweaking here and there to find the right formula often seems necessary. But a general rule of thumb with any restriction is don"t give any one thing up entirely...you must keep it sustainable or else any losses will be short lived. Good luck.

Flutterloo

I don't really try to restrict them, but I generally eat between 60 and 180 a day. I do notice that a lot of things with high carbs are also high calorie. So maybe that is why people do it? I also don't stay full for as long as I could when I eat a carb filled meal. So that is another issue.

albertabeefy

If we're talking very-low-carb / keto ...

The only reason I would personally ever recommend a low-carb/keto diet to someone is if they fell-into one of these categories:

1. Insulin-resistant, whatever the reason, and needing to get glycaemic control;
2. A Type I diabetic who is NOT insulin-resistant, but needs better glycaemic control;
3. Morbidly obese (even if not insulin-resistant) and not able to exercise intensely (for whatever physical reason), and needing to lose weight for health reasons.

Personally, that's it.

MaggieLoo79

I probably won't say this right, but I try to limit grain carbs. Here's why - if I eat a meal with a lean meat, grain carb and veggie, it will almost always be more calories than the same lean meat and 2 veggies. I eat plenty of fruits and veggies. It works for me.

Carley

I do low carb, but not all days. I get my carbs from fruits and vegetables. I limit breads, pastas, rice etc.

I have a lot more renga when I do low carb :-)

vismal

Low carb has no actual advantage as far as fat loss is concerned. Calories in vs calories out trumps all. Low carb is popular because when you start low carb dieting you lose lots of water weight in the first few weeks so you think it's really working well. Unfortunately that rapid weight loss stops and when you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you regain all the water weight you lost. No reason to avoid fruit but again, moderation is key. 10 servings of fruit can be anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories depending on the fruit eating. Calories count no matter what the source.

albertabeefy

Low carb has no actual advantage as far as fat loss is concerned. Calories in vs calories out trumps all.

Though it is certainly a caloric balance equation, the fact that the diet is more-satiating that other diets for some people does help those individuals reduce caloric intake. Satiety is an important tool for many in the weight-loss effort.

Low carb is popular because when you start low carb dieting you lose lots of water weight in the first few weeks so you think it's really working well.

That's one reason it can be popular, but it's certainly not the only reason. It's also highly recommend for those who cannot exercise (for whatever reason), as the diet - with proper protein intake - is proven to be protein-sparing even in the absence of strength-training.

Unfortunately that rapid weight loss stops and when you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you regain all the water weight you lost.

Sure, but intelligent people don't care about gaining a few pounds of water when the goal is FAT LOSS.

No reason to avoid fruit but again, moderation is key. 10 servings of fruit can be anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories depending on the fruit eating. Calories count no matter what the source.

I thoroughly agree with this, unless you have a medical condition that is best-controlled with reduced carbohydrate intake.

I would stress that since calories count, non-starchy vegetables are a better nutrient-per-calorie food than fruit. But that being said I sure do like the taste of fruit once in a while. :glasses: