You don't have to go No-Carb to burn fat

Russellb97

I know they are getting really popular again, and while I agree that carbs should be limited, I don't like excluding entire food groups from a diet plan.
In losing 130lbs, I ate plenty of carbs, about 40% of my daily intake on average was from carbs. Eating carbs on my plan made my workouts far more effective and I was able to build muscle and get stronger while losing weight.

*When you take away whole food groups, you're going to eat less then you did before. This is why you lose weight on Atkins and other *No-carb plans, you eat less calories. Just like any other diet.
*Do you plan on eliminating carbs forever? Because if you want to keep the weight off for good, your diet needs to be your lifestyle.
*Carbs are outstanding for physical performance, and if building muscle is a key to long-term weight loss
*For weight-loss and muscle building, it is best to have carbs later in the day; after-workouts, dinner and before bed.
*Carbs definitely limit fat-oxidation and fat loss when you have them early in the day. So have them in the evening.
*For weight-loss Carbs are best used as a tool for glycogen storage and not as immediate energy.. I want my body burning stored energy; ie, body-fat and glycogen and carbs.

Carbs are not as evil as some say they are, if they were I would not have transformed my body the way I did.

Angela4Health

amen!

emchamberlain

Agreed! Entire food groups are not demons.

jessicajoy87

I agree with what your saying but I disagree about people lose weight cutting out carbs because you are "eating less". I have been on a low carb diet and even though I don't think they are healthy I ate probably twice as many calories than a low calorie diet. When you cut out those carbs they are being replaced by other sources like more protein. And proteins can be very high in calories. But I do agree about not cutting out a food group. Except maybe processed sugars!

LikeNoOneElse84

I'm low carbing it. I just make sure I get plenty of green leafy veggies in my diet each day and also a ton of water. No fried foods, no cookies, cakes or candies. Its worked wonders for me.

sandyfeet10

the sense that i am getting is that nutrition is focusing on getting rid of processed foods, including some carbs. it is impossible to generalize what is good or bad anyway. everyone's body is different and responds to food and exercise in different ways.

LorinaLynn

I my carbs!

I might (and I stress MIGHT) have lost weight faster if I eliminated or restricted them, but I'd also have lost my mind. :laugh:

Kirstie_C26

bump some good tips there thanx

jennywrens

I don't trust any diet that tells you to eliminate food groups - well balanced and sensible is the way to go!

sarahcowley1

i agree i havent cut out carbs just smaller portions

nitashagarcia

thanks for the info! i was told from the hospital i cant exercise [i have been admitted for severe asthma twice this year and twice ive been to the walk in] so they said a carb restricted diet, and i keep my carbs between 80-142 and i do strength training still, i just need to raise my protein!

rodneyderrick

40% to 45% of carb intake daily is perfect. If you're eating less than 40% carbs, you're messing up.

ltf304

Couldn't agree more. If I switched to a low carb diet, I would be tired and miserable. For my carbs I stick to whole grains and veggies. Most days I have somewhere around 250g or so. It is all about calories, not carbs. Sure, cutting it back may help you for a little bit, but this is long term. You gonna eat low carb til you're 80? I highly doubt it.

Angela_MA

I completely agree and I 40/30/30 goal for my daily macro intake. Carbs do give us energy and yes they fuel my work outs too!

sarahliftsUP

I love carbs.

Sarah_uk

I don't think I could live without carbs:laugh:


I did notice that I wasn't eating enough protein lately (probably never had enough to be honest) so I did add more protein to my diet,but I love carbs too much to go on a low carb diet

kaytedawg05

I agree with what your saying but I disagree about people lose weight cutting out carbs because you are "eating less". I have been on a low carb diet and even though I don't think they are healthy I ate probably twice as many calories than a low calorie diet. When you cut out those carbs they are being replaced by other sources like more protein. And proteins can be very high in calories. But I do agree about not cutting out a food group. Except maybe processed sugars!

the trick is to still not exceed your calorie goal... just diff %


The other thing I have to say about this post in general... i've found it's not a matter of LOW CARB is what kind of carbs you're eating... I try to make sure 95-100% of my carbs are what's found in my high protein food (as long as it's not sugar) and then only fruits & vegetables... then maybe a lil low carb bread when i really want a sandwich...

NO CARB is an unreasonable diet.... once you stop doing it your weight is gonna come back.... but drop the grains & the starches... focus on foods that are full of vitiamins & enzymes your body requires... if you eat only 1000 cal a day & it's nothing but little debbie & potato chips... you're still going to have a fatty body even if you lose weight. j

I aim for 50% protein, 30% carb 20% fat.. truthfully i usually end up a little more like 40/40/20 but that's ok by me... because I know I didn't eat crap, no white bread or donuts, no potato chips or doritos... no cake, no junk! I know I ate whole fruits & vegetables

And in all honesty I feel AMAZING! my workouts are moderate, my body is re forming, i'm losing fat, i always smile, i recover quickly., and sleeping well... I have more energy then i have time to spend it... and there's no mood swings that was associtated with my yo-yo trying to keep the cal low & eat up the carbos.. which i was not loosing weight, could barely sleep, cranky.. happy... depressed... cranky again... moody & low most of the time...

I don't believe in the full adkins... zero carbs... nothing but meat constantly... gross.... i believe in balancing things out by eating whole fullfilling foods that my body wants... not the junk that my body hates but tastebuds love.... My tastebuds love carrots too! LOL Cutting the crap and seeking lots of lean protein will automatically set u up to eat lower BAD carbs.... and that's what you need to start doing it the healthy way.

gram per gram carbs & protein have the same calories... 4. fat has 9. if your protein is too high in calories it's becasue it has more fat that protein... avoid most of it...

Missjulesdid

I think it's important to make a distinction between "carbs" and "JUNK carbs" There is absolutely nothing wrong with shunning the "JUNK carbs" such as sugar, white flour, white potatoes and white rice. When you have a diet that is high in junk carbs then you're setting yourself up for failure because it's nearly impossible to stay under your calories because those evil junk carbs make you more hungry and eventually you'll cave and eat more.

thatgirlLeah

I agree with the balanced intake approach. BUT, the last time I lost weight (THIS will be THE last time!) I would use all protein as a plateau breaker. I'd do 2-3 days of only lean protein and green veggies and then return to the balanced intake to shock my body into letting go of fat again. No carb is way too hard for me for the long term, though.

jessicajoy87

I agree with what your saying but I disagree about people lose weight cutting out carbs because you are "eating less". I have been on a low carb diet and even though I don't think they are healthy I ate probably twice as many calories than a low calorie diet. When you cut out those carbs they are being replaced by other sources like more protein. And proteins can be very high in calories. But I do agree about not cutting out a food group. Except maybe processed sugars!

the trick is to still not exceed your calorie goal... just diff %


The other thing I have to say about this post in general... i've found it's not a matter of LOW CARB is what kind of carbs you're eating... I try to make sure 95-100% of my carbs are what's found in my high protein food (as long as it's not sugar) and then only fruits & vegetables... then maybe a lil low carb bread when i really want a sandwich...

NO CARB is an unreasonable diet.... once you stop doing it your weight is gonna come back.... but drop the grains & the starches... focus on foods that are full of vitiamins & enzymes your body requires... if you eat only 1000 cal a day & it's nothing but little debbie & potato chips... you're still going to have a fatty body even if you lose weight. j

I aim for 50% protein, 30% carb 20% fat.. truthfully i usually end up a little more like 40/40/20 but that's ok by me... because I know I didn't eat crap, no white bread or donuts, no potato chips or doritos... no cake, no junk! I know I ate whole fruits & vegetables

And in all honesty I feel AMAZING! my workouts are moderate, my body is re forming, i'm losing fat, i always smile, i recover quickly., and sleeping well... I have more energy then i have time to spend it... and there's no mood swings that was associtated with my yo-yo trying to keep the cal low & eat up the carbos.. which i was not loosing weight, could barely sleep, cranky.. happy... depressed... cranky again... moody & low most of the time...

I don't believe in the full adkins... zero carbs... nothing but meat constantly... gross.... i believe in balancing things out by eating whole fullfilling foods that my body wants... not the junk that my body hates but tastebuds love.... My tastebuds love carrots too! LOL Cutting the crap and seeking lots of lean protein will automatically set u up to eat lower BAD carbs.... and that's what you need to start doing it the healthy way.

gram per gram carbs & protein have the same calories... 4. fat has 9. if your protein is too high in calories it's becasue it has more fat that protein... avoid most of it...

I agree but I was pointing out that a lot of people who low carb diet lose plenty of weight and eat ALOT! I was disagreeing to the reason why people lose weight on low carb is because a food group was being cut out. The weighloss maybe there but I believe the health isn't.

Leanne1795

I am a low carber and I am full energy and feel great! I get my carbs from veggies. I certainly wouldn't recommend a NO carb diet but low carb is definitely the way for me.

4theking

I agree with you Russ. I do think the so called junk carbs are demonized way too much. I continue to progress eating ice cream, cake, donuts and pizza. The key is creating a window of not eating carbs early in the day and then eating whatever carb you want in the evening.

Agglaki

One thing that struck me from the OP was the mention of carbs in the evening.

This seems counter intuitive as carbs are much harder to process and in the evening your body is winding down. Why would you eat them in the evening?

Was this based on any research?

I agree with pretty much everything else said. But carbs in the evenings doesn't seem right...

thegoodner

If you are talking about eating chicken and water all day with no Carb snacks, then I agree. But a good amount of carbs come from fruits and veggies! Whole grains are not necessary to the body, and in fact mine is allergic! I went to the doctor miserable and depressed and overweight, after finding my celiac diagnosis and By eating lean meats, fish, nuts, berries, seeds and all kinds of yummy veggies, I am eating a ton of food and having to try to eat above 1200 calories. I am sleeping better, exercising harder, recovering easier, and literally dropping weight daily. Fact is that everyone's body is different. We would all do well to avoid processed foods, but what works for one wont for another! Good luck everyone and listen to YOUR body: )

atrayubrandy

One thing that struck me from the OP was the mention of carbs in the evening.

This seems counter intuitive as carbs are much harder to process and in the evening your body is winding down. Why would you eat them in the evening?

Was this based on any research?

I agree with pretty much everything else said. But carbs in the evenings doesn't seem right...

I'm wondering the same thing. I was told by a diabetic friend who dropped almost 100 lbs and is now able to control his diabetes without medication that if you are going to eat carbs do so in the morning so your body can process it and work it off. He would have the occasional mocha in the morning but that would be his only treat for the day.

chevy88grl

I love carbs. Plain and simple. Love them.

However, I disagree with eating all my carbs at night. I try and eat them in the morning so my body has time to burn them off through the day.

spiritcrusher

I lost 130~ as well and gained muscle in the process by eating no carbs.

Then slowly carb cycled back into them.

Started body building and again eliminated carbs from my diet.

While I agree that it's not the only way, it is one of the best ways.

To this day I keep my daily carbs at about 50-70g and maybe two or three times a week I'll eat around 150g.

Fat is a better energy source than carbs, too.

JenniferVegas

I agree with you Russ. I do think the so called junk carbs are demonized way too much. I continue to progress eating ice cream, cake, donuts and pizza. The key is creating a window of not eating carbs early in the day and then eating whatever carb you want in the evening.

Interesting. I heard the reverse. If you're going to eat carbs do it before evening. However, I presume it's working for you so kudos.

Knightrobs

I lost 130~ as well and gained muscle in the process by eating no carbs.

Then slowly carb cycled back into them.

Started body building and again eliminated carbs from my diet.

While I agree that it's not the only way, it is one of the best ways.

To this day I keep my daily carbs at about 50-70g and maybe two or three times a week I'll eat around 150g.

Fat is a better energy source than carbs, too.

QFT. New to MFP, not new to no/low carb.

Once you break the mindset that carbohydrates are at the base of the food pyramid, you find out how much more efficient fatty fuel sources are.

I only eat carbs for 3 reasons. a) For fun (yum, dairy queen). b) For high-intensity interval training lasting longer than 60min (50g dextrose in juice form). c) For a fibre/mineral supplement (bleh spinach).

There are no other times that I need to spike my blood glucose, blood glucose is toxic to the body so it MUST be stored. Insulin is an anabolic hormone, if you induce insulin by eating carbohydrates your body WILL store that energy (i.e. glycogen and body fat). I don't know why people have such a hard time letting go of carbohydrates, the good ones taste bad and the tasty ones promote insulin resistance and fat storage. The key to eating carbs is to not spike your blood glucose, so you can tip toe around the "good carbs" or you can refuse to eat any (except during/post/prior to high intensity exercise).

Akiyah

I absolutely love carbs and would fail miserably if I cut too much of them. I am making good progress on the diet plan I have now and am ok with losing slow and steady. Dieting alone always made me unhappy but now that I have implemented exercise as well, I couldn't feel more free. : )))

Knightrobs

Anyone ever notice how much the "carb-lovers" sound like drug addicts...