question about carbs

lilhowie

how bad is it that i go over my carb intake? I can stay under my calories but i keeping goin over my carbs, is that really bad?

mynameisuntz

Nope. Contrary to what people will tell you: carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories do.

sweetheart03622

Not really - depends on how your body reacts to them. If you're losing, i wouldn't worry about it. If you stop losing, you might want to start focusing more on your macro breakdown.

frugalmomsrock

I go over on my carbs 9 days out of 10. And I am normally WAY over on sugars because I eat a lot of fruit. Hasn't hurt me any.

pickered

agree with mynameisnuntz. If you are exercising you are going to need those carbs, so don't strees unless you are going over by like 1000% of recommended.

ak_in_ak

it depends on what type of carbs you are eating. you will lose weight as long as you are at a deficite, but if you are concerned more with your overall well being make sure the carbs you are eating have fiber in them and not just sugar.

Elizabeth_C34

Nope. Contrary to what people will tell you: carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories do.

What he said.

bcattoes

For weight loss it's pretty much all about calories. But if your carbs are refined carbs (white pasta or bread, sugar or desserts) then it could be problem for your health. If your carbs are healthy carbs (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) then no worries.

lockef

If you are...

- Getting all your necessary fats and protein
- Feel good (energy, not hungry)
- Under your calorie goal
- Seeing results

don't worry about your carbs.

mpcass

I don't stress too much over macronutrient counts, I just kinda keep an eye on it. If your working out your body will burrn carbs off for energy, so I wouldn't worry much unless you are going way, way over.

lilhowie

Thanks so much for all the input, I've only been going over cuz i eat a lot of fruit. So thanks again i appreciate the awesome feedback!!!!

AdAstra47

Nope. Contrary to what people will tell you: carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories do.

Sorry, I know this is conventional wisdom, but if you look at the biochemistry this is wrong.

All calories are NOT created equal. Many people, if their metabolisms are in the mid-range, find that the calories-in / calories-out formula works for them. And so they believe it will work for everyone. But unfortunately, that is NOT true. Our bodies are more complex than that, and the chemical processes that create energy out of carbohydrates & sugar are very different from the chemical reactions when you get energy from fat & protein.

IF your metabolism is more efficient at processing one type of calorie over the other, then you need to adjust your ratios to whatever your particular body needs. Even if that's very different from what the FDA recommends, or from what other people are doing. My doctor recommended, for me, a ratio of 5% carbs, 30% fat, 65% protein. Since I've been doing that, I've been able to eat *more* calories than before and I've started losing weight for the first time in my life.

If you go over your "limit" on carbs, and you don't notice a weight gain, then your body probably is good at processing them, so there's nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if you are gaining weight, then I would definitely try lowering the carb level. One difference between carbs/sugars and other kinds of calories is that they are more easily stored as fat. If you eat more protein than you need, the extra is more likely to just get passed on through your body. But if you eat more carbs than your body needs, they're more likely to end up as fat.

My advice is just to listen to your body. Everyone means well, but they can only tell you what worked for *them*. And everyone's metabolism is different, so what worked for them may or may not work for you.

Good luck!

busywaterbending

Hello to the O. Poster,

Take a good look at my profile pic. That is me. I eat a high fat, low/no carb diet. I have tons of energy, look great, am healthy and never tired. You have no need for carbs. in your diet. Studies actually show that your metabolisim slows down with a caloric intake, no matter if it's allot or a little, that is mostly carbs.

If you want to enjoy food, look into paleo living or the caveman diet. As a native american I'm proud to say that my tribe has been fighting terrorisim (including the "western diet") since 1493. I tried the western diet of high carbs this year when a doctor prescribe more calories for me, and I immedietely got diabetes. That was with a restricted calorie diet! Went back to my native diet and actually can eat more calories, exercise less, and enjoy tons of veggies, proteins, fats, creams, cheeses, oils with out weight gain.

Also, Watch out for the anti low carbers, their hate speech, attacks and love of scaring the pants off of the OP. AND please do your own research! Best wishes.

tjnahm

Hello to the O. Poster,

Take a good look at my profile pic. That is me. I eat a high fat, low/no carb diet. I have tons of energy, look great, am healthy and never tired. You have no need for carbs. in your diet. Studies actually show that your metabolisim slows down with a caloric intake, no matter if it's allot or a little, that is mostly carbs.

If you want to enjoy food, look into paleo living or the caveman diet. As a native american I'm proud to say that my tribe has been fighting terrorisim (including the "western diet") since 1493. I tried the western diet of high carbs this year when a doctor prescribe more calories for me, and I immedietely got diabetes. That was with a restricted calorie diet! Went back to my native diet and actually can eat more calories, exercise less, and enjoy tons of veggies, proteins, fats, creams, cheeses, oils with out weight gain.

Also, Watch out for the anti low carbers, their hate speech, attacks and love of scaring the pants off of the OP. AND please do your own research! Best wishes.

:flowerforyou:

Exactly correct!

Grokette

nsulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas to help maintain optimal blood sugar level. Insulin's job is to remove sugar from the blood and store it, either as glycogen in the muscles and liver or, more frequently, as fat. Insulin is good. It helps maintain balance in the body. However, when triggered at the wrong times and in great amounts, insulin will make you fat. Preventing frequent and intense insulin responses is the single most critical step in reducing bodyfat for many people.

Insulin also has a negative affect on resting metabolic rate. Depending on the frequency and the severity of the insulin response, it may reduce the number of calories burned at rest by as much as eight percent! Over time, this could add up to a significant amount of extra bodyfat.

Carbohydrates are very simple molecules, which digest very quickly and easily. Even the most complex carbohydrate is nothing more than strings of sugars loosely tied together. Digestion of carbohydrates begins right in the mouth with an enzyme called Salivary Amylase, which is located in the saliva. By the time carbohydrates even reach the stomach, digestion is well underway and much of the carbohydrate you just ate is already sugar.

When you eat carbohydrates by themselves, they digest too quickly and the sugar enters the bloodstream all at once, sending your blood sugar level soaring. This sets off an alarm and the pancreas secretes insulin into the bloodstream to take some of the sugar out. This is a good response, preventing a dangerous situation, but it comes at a cost.

Severe insulin responses cause excess fat storage and low blood sugar. Low blood sugar causes a number of problems. The first is lethargy. Even mild activities seem exhausting. Another symptom of low blood sugar is mood swings. The greatest problem caused by low blood sugar when trying to reduce bodyfat is hunger. There are a number of different triggers for hunger and satiety. When blood sugar is the trigger, guess what specific cravings are usually manifested? You guessed it, carbohydrate. This sets up a vicious cycle:

Eat Carbohydrate

Increased Blood Sugar

Insulin Secreted

Carbohydrate Stored as Fat

Low Blood Sugar

Hunger (Carbohydrate Cravings?)

Eat Carbohydrate...

Eating can make you hungry and reduce energy levels. Repeatedly triggering the insulin response causes fat storage, hunger, and lethargy. Nobody intentionally makes themselves fat, hungry, and tired, but many people unknowingly do so several times every day.

mynameisuntz

Sorry, I know this is conventional wisdom, but if you look at the biochemistry this is wrong.

All calories are NOT created equal. Many people, if their metabolisms are in the mid-range, find that the calories-in / calories-out formula works for them. And so they believe it will work for everyone. But unfortunately, that is NOT true. Our bodies are more complex than that, and the chemical processes that create energy out of carbohydrates & sugar are very different from the chemical reactions when you get energy from fat & protein.

IF your metabolism is more efficient at processing one type of calorie over the other, then you need to adjust your ratios to whatever your particular body needs. Even if that's very different from what the FDA recommends, or from what other people are doing. My doctor recommended, for me, a ratio of 5% carbs, 30% fat, 65% protein. Since I've been doing that, I've been able to eat *more* calories than before and I've started losing weight for the first time in my life.

If you go over your "limit" on carbs, and you don't notice a weight gain, then your body probably is good at processing them, so there's nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if you are gaining weight, then I would definitely try lowering the carb level. One difference between carbs/sugars and other kinds of calories is that they are more easily stored as fat. If you eat more protein than you need, the extra is more likely to just get passed on through your body. But if you eat more carbs than your body needs, they're more likely to end up as fat.

My advice is just to listen to your body. Everyone means well, but they can only tell you what worked for *them*. And everyone's metabolism is different, so what worked for them may or may not work for you.

Good luck!

This post is relevant to people who are insulin resistant, which is a minority of the general population.

Grokette

If 2/3 of the population is overweight and there is a 1 in 2 chance of becoming diabetic, then far more than 10% of people are insulin resistant.

It is much greater than that tiny minority you are trying to make it out to be.

mynameisuntz

If 2/3 of the population is overweight and there is a 1 in 2 chance of becoming diabetic, then far more than 10% of people are insulin resistant.

It is much greater than that tiny minority you are trying to make it out to be.

Did I say 10%?

Overweight =/= insulin resistant.

Timdog57

If 2/3 of the population is overweight and there is a 1 in 2 chance of becoming diabetic, then far more than 10% of people are insulin resistant.

It is much greater than that tiny minority you are trying to make it out to be.

Did I say 10%?

Overweight =/= insulin resistant.

The numbers I find say that they estimate the number of insulin resistant people in the US to be 70-80 million. That's about 25% of our population.

mynameisuntz

The numbers I find say that they estimate the number of insulin resistant people in the US to be 70-80 million. That's about 25% of our population.

Which would qualify as a minority, as I stated. Not a "tiny" minority, nor 10%. I just said minority :X

Grokette

If 2/3 of the population is overweight and there is a 1 in 2 chance of becoming diabetic, then far more than 10% of people are insulin resistant.

It is much greater than that tiny minority you are trying to make it out to be.

Did I say 10%?

Overweight =/= insulin resistant.

For the majority of people that are overweight yes OVERWEIGHT DOES = Insulin Resistance.

mynameisuntz

For the majority of people that are overweight yes OVERWEIGHT DOES = Insulin Resistance.

Need to see data to support that claim. And if that's the case, then why does almost every long-term study done on dieting show that low carb is not inherently better to low fat?

I'll make a big post with a bunch of peer-reviewed research later. Even research done on obese participants showing that long-term weight loss is not better with a low carb diet.

Drunkadelic

Need to see data to support that claim. And if that's the case, then why does almost every long-term study done on dieting show that low carb is not inherently better to low fat?

I'll make a big post with a bunch of peer-reviewed research later. Even research done on obese participants showing that long-term weight loss is not better with a low carb diet.

Hmm that's funny, because that's not what any of the peer-reviewed research I've read says.

mynameisuntz

Hmm that's funny, because that's not what any of the peer-reviewed research I've read says.

Maybe you're reading the wrong stuff!

What research do you have?

AI1108

If 2/3 of the population is overweight and there is a 1 in 2 chance of becoming diabetic, then far more than 10% of people are insulin resistant.

It is much greater than that tiny minority you are trying to make it out to be.

Did I say 10%?

Overweight =/= insulin resistant.

For the majority of people that are overweight yes OVERWEIGHT DOES = Insulin Resistance.

this would assume that people are overweight because they are consuming carbs, not because of OVERCONSUMPTION of carbs, fat AND/OR protein. please enlighten us.

bcattoes

For the majority of people that are overweight yes OVERWEIGHT DOES = Insulin Resistance.

Need to see data to support that claim. And if that's the case, then why does almost every long-term study done on dieting show that low carb is not inherently better to low fat?

I'll make a big post with a bunch of peer-reviewed research later. Even research done on obese participants showing that long-term weight loss is not better with a low carb diet.

This is true. Research has shown that for the majority low carb diets do not provide long term weight loss any more than low fat diets do. And the reason is the same. Most people (not ALL, most) don't stick to it long term. Without an underlying medical condition prompting it people simply don't want to deprive themselves. A sensible diet of moderate carbs, protein, fat, and calories along with regular exercise is usually most successful for healthy people.

HunterCML

Hmm that's funny, because that's not what any of the peer-reviewed research I've read says.

With consideration to the Laws of Thermodynamics and the biochemical metabolic pathways of carbohydrate oxidation and storage; can you please explain to me in detail how carbohydrate intake can effect body weight/composition in a way that negates basic energy balance?

Please respond.

Drunkadelic

Hmm that's funny, because that's not what any of the peer-reviewed research I've read says.

Maybe you're reading the wrong stuff!

What research do you have?

I don't have it saved on this PC. If I have time later I will post it.

Acg67

nsulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas to help maintain optimal blood sugar level. Insulin's job is to remove sugar from the blood and store it, either as glycogen in the muscles and liver or, more frequently, as fat. Insulin is good. It helps maintain balance in the body. However, when triggered at the wrong times and in great amounts, insulin will make you fat. Preventing frequent and intense insulin responses is the single most critical step in reducing bodyfat for many people.

Insulin also has a negative affect on resting metabolic rate. Depending on the frequency and the severity of the insulin response, it may reduce the number of calories burned at rest by as much as eight percent! Over time, this could add up to a significant amount of extra bodyfat.

"Preventing frequent and intense insulin responses is the single most critical step in reducing bodyfat for many people."

so people should eat mostly fat? you know protein is also pretty insulingenic.

the single most critical step in reducing bodyfat is being in a caloric deficit

mynameisuntz

"Preventing frequent and intense insulin responses is the single most critical step in reducing bodyfat for many people."

so people should eat mostly fat? you know protein is also pretty insulingenic.

the single most critical step in reducing bodyfat is being in a caloric deficit

I agree, except I would take it a step further and say, "the only NECESSARY step in reducing body fat is being in a caloric deficit," as nothing else is necessary outside of a caloric deficit. Once that is in place, you will lose fat - though some ways are better than others. If that is not in place (i.e. you are at maintenance or above maintenance), you will not lose fat.

Timdog57

For the majority of people that are overweight yes OVERWEIGHT DOES = Insulin Resistance.

Need to see data to support that claim. And if that's the case, then why does almost every long-term study done on dieting show that low carb is not inherently better to low fat?

I'll make a big post with a bunch of peer-reviewed research later. Even research done on obese participants showing that long-term weight loss is not better with a low carb diet.

This is true. Research has shown that for the majority low carb diets do not provide long term weight loss any more than low fat diets do. And the reason is the same. Most people (not ALL, most) don't stick to it long term. Without an underlying medical condition prompting it people simply don't want to deprive themselves. A sensible diet of moderate carbs, protein, fat, and calories along with regular exercise is usually most successful for healthy people.

Depending on how you define LOW, I actually think that one of the advantages of low carb diets is that they're easier to stick to. In this case when I say low I mean 50-100g of carbs per day. What I've found personally is that eating in this carb range has forced me to eat a lot more vegetables, which allows me to feel less deprived under restricted caloric intake. Eating calorie dense high-carb foods that don't make you full when you're restricting calories, means you have to hardly eat anything. I've done that. The approach I have now allows me to feel full (often stuffed) after meals, and I also stay full longer. For me this has been the biggest benefit to restricting my carbs, or more specifically, restricting my grain intake.