why are carbs so bad

24

Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    What!? An average carbohydrate will yield 34 to 38 ATP molecules when catabolized. Compare that to maybe 4 to 8 ATP molecules per average protein catabolized. I think it is clear that carbs are the most rewarding source of energy you can eat. But something tells me that you do not need that much ATP in your sedentary lifestyle.

    plus I'd rather my RNA molecules were using the amino acids to build new muscle cells rather than catabolising them for energy.
  • DoNotSpamMe73
    DoNotSpamMe73 Posts: 286 Member
    Always been a big fan of carbohydrates. carbohydrate is any any of a large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down to release energy in the animal body. Starving yourself of them will often mean it will have to be made up with protein. (Coincidentally gluten is a protein substitute; I wouldn't want to be a hyperglycemic vegetarian). But enough blathering.
    I am also not an expert so don't take this word for word.

    Often people choose to do low carbs because they often have high calories for what is there. Personally I think they are often healthy and weight loss wise just eat below or close to your calorie limit.
  • haleema93
    haleema93 Posts: 70
    carbs are not the problem, over eating is.
    There are good carbs that keep you fuller for longer such as brown rice and sweet potatoes.
    add a little of the good carbs to your meal and your sorted. just stay aware from the cream cakes and biscuits ;)
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  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    They aren't bad

    They are very nice in fact
    I love my carbs
  • JonathanJ1996
    JonathanJ1996 Posts: 8 Member
    carbs are far from being bad for you
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  • Actually, the other reason for eating complex carbs is how they are processed. Complex carbs break down slower and I think are utilized better? Simple carbs ie: sugar, pasta, refined foods, soda, breads get converted and deposited as fat stored in your body. In a nutshell: they make you fat!
  • Apocalypz
    Apocalypz Posts: 155 Member
    OP was asking a rhetorical question, I believe. This is why he posed the question (for interest) in the forum, and followed up (sardonic) in the actual thread. My my, some of these MFP sound as though they need some counselling for anger. :laugh:

    And for the man who advised carbs made him fat and diabetic ... regardless of what diet selection you've chosen -- in your case being a vegan -- you can still overeat your calories. When this is done, then you gain weight. Since items such as pasta and grains can hold a surprising amount of calories, eating vegan whilst overeating those "horrid" carbs (e.g. pasta, grain, etc) can easily cause a calorie surplus.

    As everyone here has said, "Carbs didn't make you fat."
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    PSA: Bacon has no carbs!!

    tumblr_ml7kjcJxAB1qbih6so1_500.gif

    In......for carb hatin'
  • I'm not loosing and I always fall short of my caloric goal for the day of 1200. I usually eat 3 healthy meals and a snack and it usually totals around 900 calories. I always get a pop up saying I must increase my calories in order to begin loosing weight! I eat oatmeal, berries, skim milk at breakfast. Maybe a fruit or yogurt for snack. Lunch is salad with a protein or hummus or pieces of smoked salmon on Gluten free flatbread. Dinner is usually fish/ chicken with quinoa or sweet potato, and normally 2-3 fresh veggies and my weight does not budge. I get light exercise , such as some gardening or yard work for an hour or 30-45 min on treadmill @ 3.2 mph. Just began with a pers trainer 1 hr 2x a week and 2 yoga sessions a week. I have weighed 126.6-129 for about 6 weeks , not loosing. I am small frame 60 yr female 5' and want to weigh around 118. Don't know what to do. Fitness pal helps track but does not suggest or correct what I am doing wrong or right. I probably need another method.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I'm not loosing and I always fall short of my caloric goal for the day of 1200. I usually eat 3 healthy meals and a snack and it usually totals around 900 calories. I always get a pop up saying I must increase my calories in order to begin loosing weight! I eat oatmeal, berries, skim milk at breakfast. Maybe a fruit or yogurt for snack. Lunch is salad with a protein or hummus or pieces of smoked salmon on Gluten free flatbread. Dinner is usually fish/ chicken with quinoa or sweet potato, and normally 2-3 fresh veggies and my weight does not budge. I get light exercise , such as some gardening or yard work for an hour or 30-45 min on treadmill @ 3.2 mph. Just began with a pers trainer 1 hr 2x a week and 2 yoga sessions a week. I have weighed 126.6-129 for about 6 weeks , not loosing. I am small frame 60 yr female 5' and want to weigh around 118. Don't know what to do. Fitness pal helps track but does not suggest or correct what I am doing wrong or right. I probably need another method.

    Do you weigh and measure your food?
    Everything that crosses your lips?
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    What!? An average carbohydrate will yield 34 to 38 ATP molecules when catabolized. Compare that to maybe 4 to 8 ATP molecules per average protein catabolized. I think it is clear that carbs are the most rewarding source of energy you can eat. But something tells me that you do not need that much ATP in your sedentary lifestyle.

    plus I'd rather my RNA molecules were using the amino acids to build new muscle fibers rather than catabolising them for energy.

    Yes! Protein is optimally used for creating functional units within cells, like muscle fibers within muscle cells, not as a source of energy, that's what carbs are for.

    exactly. it's a waste of amino acids metabolising them as though they're a common glucose molecule....
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    OP was asking a rhetorical question, I believe. This is why he posed the question (for interest) in the forum, and followed up (sardonic) in the actual thread. My my, some of these MFP sound as though they need some counselling for anger. :laugh:

    And for the man who advised carbs made him fat and diabetic ... regardless of what diet selection you've chosen -- in your case being a vegan -- you can still overeat your calories. When this is done, then you gain weight. Since items such as pasta and grains can hold a surprising amount of calories, eating vegan whilst overeating those "horrid" carbs (e.g. pasta, grain, etc) can easily cause a calorie surplus.

    As everyone here has said, "Carbs didn't make you fat."

    seriously? There's not one single angry reply on this whole entire thread.... maybe you're just reading everything in an angry tone of voice.....

    but I agree with you about the former vegan.... a vegan diet can be extremely unbalanced (it's possible to eat a balanced vegan diet but many vegans don't end up doing that)...... I'd say the improvement in health was the result of going from an unbalanced diet to a balanced diet... carbs were not the only factor that changed.... eating more fat and more protein were also major changes that would have had a significant impact on health. And plus, no-ones disagreeing that too much carbohydrate is bad for you... too much of anything is bad for you.... but an example of one person who has health problems due to eating an excessive amount of carbohydrate in combination with too little fat and too little protein, does not remotely support the idea that normal/sensible/moderate amounts of carbs are bad for you.

    But I do hope that particular person will post on threads where hardcore vegans and fruitarians are insisting that their high carbohydrate, low fat, very low protein diets are oh so healthy and wonderful, so that they can see that they're not . Even if it's the whole entire diet lacking in balance not just the excessive quantities of carbohydrate that are the issue.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    carbs are not inherently evil. The SAD is very carb heavy and lacking in balance so if your diet is largely the SAD then you could probably stand to decrease your carbohydrate intake some and increase proteins and fats. If you SAD, it is likely you could also stand to take a good look at where your carbohydrates are coming from and make overall more nutritious decisions there while still indulging in some occasional "junk" here and there because it's fun...and Jolly Ranchers provide wicked fuel for a long bike ride.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    I'm not loosing and I always fall short of my caloric goal for the day of 1200. I usually eat 3 healthy meals and a snack and it usually totals around 900 calories. I always get a pop up saying I must increase my calories in order to begin loosing weight! I eat oatmeal, berries, skim milk at breakfast. Maybe a fruit or yogurt for snack. Lunch is salad with a protein or hummus or pieces of smoked salmon on Gluten free flatbread. Dinner is usually fish/ chicken with quinoa or sweet potato, and normally 2-3 fresh veggies and my weight does not budge. I get light exercise , such as some gardening or yard work for an hour or 30-45 min on treadmill @ 3.2 mph. Just began with a pers trainer 1 hr 2x a week and 2 yoga sessions a week. I have weighed 126.6-129 for about 6 weeks , not loosing. I am small frame 60 yr female 5' and want to weigh around 118. Don't know what to do. Fitness pal helps track but does not suggest or correct what I am doing wrong or right. I probably need another method.

    Unless you're eating these on a plate the size of a saucer, I'm estimating these food items to be closer to 1700, which is probably your maintenance.

    You have to weigh everything on a scale.
  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
    Carbs are great, very anabolic.
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  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    simple carbs are typically monosaccharides. They are a single simple molecule. Easily and quickly broken down by the body. Complex carbs are polysaccharides. They are chains of sugar molecules linked together. The body takes longer to break these down.

    Simple and complex shouldn't be used, it's a general lay term misnomer. And your attempt to define it as monosaccharides and polysaccharides is slightly incorrect. For example, sucrose, a simple polysaccharide (simple here in that it is easily made from two monosaccharides) is typically considered a simple carb. Fructose - a monosaccharides is sometimes not so quickly broken down and depends on the substrate. Some "complex" carbs, like starch, can be made easily available.

    It's just best to avoid "simple" and "complex".
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    They're tasty
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    High calorie while not being filling or sustaining.

    This. They aren't bad, they just don't have enough calorie bang for the buck.

    But I'm sure different people react differently. But for me, a 200 calorie bagel (whole grain or otherwise) isn't going to touch my hunger the way a 200 calorie steak would. Some people can fit them in, but I like to eat a lot of food, and filling those choices with simple carbs just doesn't cut it. So I avoid them and get the majority of my carbs from veggies, fruits, and sweet potatoes--with the occasional simple carb thrown in for fun.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    High calorie while not being filling or sustaining.

    This. They aren't bad, they just don't have enough calorie bang for the buck.

    But I'm sure different people react differently. But for me, a 200 calorie bagel (whole grain or otherwise) isn't going to touch my hunger the way a 200 calorie steak would. Some people can fit them in, but I like to eat a lot of food, and filling those choices with simple carbs just doesn't cut it. So I avoid them and get the majority of my carbs from veggies, fruits, and sweet potatoes--with the occasional simple carb thrown in for fun.

    this is me- I find them too "expensive" for my budget.

    (Yes- this is how I explain my calorie counting and why I eat the way I eat- I have a budget- and typical carbs are just to expensive for me.
  • KseRz
    KseRz Posts: 980 Member
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  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Carbs are bad because they made me fat and pre-diabetic. Now that I restrict them to under 30g a day, I've lost 1/3 of my body weight and 1/2 the gain of the last 14 years, and I am no longer pre-diabetic and I have a normal blood lipid profile and blood pressure.

    Now, tell me again that carbs are good? :p

    CARBS did this to you? does this include veggies and fruits? or where you shoving twinkies down your throat?


    Now that was NOT nice at all. Funny but not very nice lol

    The truth can be harsh.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Carbs are not bad. Carbs are not good Carbs are frikkin CARBS. They are your bodies primary fuel. Too much is bad. Too little is bad. When for the love of god are people going to learn that moderation is key. Just because over indulging in something is bad for you does NOT mean that cutting it out is going to make you better.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Carbs are awesome :heart:
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    Carbs are terrible - such a bugger to set up properly if you have a bank of 6 of them .. Fuel injection is the future.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    They are not bad.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    Nothing wrong with carbs. Many of them (fruits and veg) are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Low carb is a diet and a fad. It will go away in about 5 years after everybody loses weight on it and then regains it. Most (like myself) have been through that cycle on low carb already. I personally eat 50% carb per day and it kick started my weigh loss. I had to go to a dietitian to get that advice but i'll give it to you for free! lol

    Low carb has allowed me to lose 30 stubborn lbs that weren't going away. I wouldn't call that a fad. I feel a hundred times better eating this way. Be that as it may, I don't push my eating plan on others. I don't see why you have to bash a different way of eating. It's rude and makes you sound like an *kitten*.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    Carbs are bad because they made me fat and pre-diabetic


    Carbs raped my hamster

    thats what i was expecting in here