question about carbs

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lilhowie
lilhowie Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
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?
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Replies

  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
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    Nope. Contrary to what people will tell you: carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories do.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
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    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
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    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
    pickered Posts: 36
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    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
    ak_in_ak Posts: 657 Member
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    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
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Nope. Contrary to what people will tell you: carbs do not make you fat. Excess calories do.

    What he said.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    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
    lockef Posts: 466
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    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
    mpcass Posts: 86
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    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
    lilhowie Posts: 12
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    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
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    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
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
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    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
    tjnahm Posts: 73 Member
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    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
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    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
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
    Options
    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
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    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
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
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    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
    Timdog57 Posts: 102 Member
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    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
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
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    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
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    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.

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