For a steady weight loss: carbs or no carbs?

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tantalee
tantalee Posts: 130 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What is your opinion about having carbs/no carb in your nutrition? What is more helpfull when losing weight?
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  • grannygethealthy1111
    grannygethealthy1111 Posts: 422
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    I ate carbs and it worked for me.

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  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    Totally up to you. I've done both, but I have seen excellent results eating more Primal style. My diet is also restricted due to digestion issues. I eat a lot of nuts, berries, some apples, greek yogurt, lean meats, fatty meats.
  • betseyk123
    betseyk123 Posts: 3 Member
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    I think it has more to do with what you can maintain. Currently doing lots of veggie carbs and no grain, starch, added sugar or fruit carbs. I feel great; Not confident that I can maintain this at EVERY meal forEVER, but know that it is what I should be generally doing.
  • tmoose0988
    tmoose0988 Posts: 2
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    It greatly depends on what your body responds to - everyone is different. I respond well to high-protein diets with a small amount of carbs mixed in - I have friends who are the exact opposite. A lot of it depends on your body composition, metabolism, etc. However, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, completely cutting carbs out of your diet is setting yourself up for failure. If you completely cut out carbs and you do drop weight like mad, the second you allow them back into your diet or have a splurge for the holidays - it is instantly going to throw your body and metabolism off as your body won't know what to do with it, likely turning it into fat. If you do decide to move away from carbs, just limit them, don't eliminate them completely. Your body needs a certain measure of carbs for energy and it's setting yourself up for failure if you totally get rid of them. Try limiting your carbs and make sure that whatever carbs you are consuming are high-quality, such as whole-grain pasta.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    carbs are not the enemy. the source of those carbs are.

    carbs are in candy bars = eat too many= bad

    carbs are in fruit = good

    look at the source, use common sense, carbs are not bad
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
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    It seems to me anything that isn't part of a permanent lifestyle change is slightly pointless. It'd be a pretty crappy life not to have carbs.
  • scatgash
    scatgash Posts: 101 Member
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    Bump :3
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    What is your opinion about having carbs/no carb in your nutrition? What is more helpfull when losing weight?

    I eat carbs. Good, solid, complex whole grain carbs. I even on occasion eat some sugary carbs that arent that great. :)

    I also eat 50% of my food in carbs.

    Lost 102 lbs this way.

    Carbs IMHO are essential for fueling your body, just like fat and protein. They all work together.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    Your body needs carbs... but it doesn't need processed foods, starchy carbs, and tons of sugar. It needs whole grains, lots of veggies, some fruits, and tons of fiber. Carbs are your energy source and what your body and your BRAIN uses to function. U can lose weight by cutting carbs, but it is the one form of nutrition that your brain feeds from.
  • tialynn1
    tialynn1 Posts: 886 Member
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    When I started this journey, I wasn't restricting carbs. I just cut back on my calories and making the snacks healthier. I have lost 37 pounds since January 4. But, I have struggled in losing the stomach. My stomach has gone down, but still big. I like how my legs and arms are shaping up. But, my stomach isn't responding as well. Someone told me about a book called Wheat Belly. The author is a doctor and he explains how he believes that the wheat and grains in our diets are what makes us have big bellies. So, I am going to try to cut down on that. See, if that helps. The person that told me about the book, said he is definitely feeling better since they started that. I figure it can't hurt.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    Being a nursing student, I'm learning a lot about carbohydrates and protein break downs in the body.
    Without carbs, you will be angry and tired! Your body needs carbs to survive, especially protein so you dont lose muscle. Carbs make you feel good, give you some percentage of energy and is vital for breakdowns in your body. Your body will hold onto every shred of food and water it gets just to keep going if you dont get a certain amount of carbs...

    Dont abandon carbs.. I have been on around 180 - 220 macros of carbs a day which is enough for me. So far in a month I have lost 6.5kg (14 pounds). It all depends what carbs you're eating (white rice vs brown rice) etc and your body weight and height.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I am really going to be working on changing up the carbs I DO eat and lowering the overall amount from what I am doing currently. Pretty much, I want the vast, vast majority of my carbs to come from vegetables and whole fruits... then whole grains... and the very rare treat of something with added sugars (like a dessert for a special occasion or holiday). Most days will be vegetables, whole fruits, and whole grains... about 99% of the time.

    I am also aiming to drop the overall carbs from the 200+ I am eating (40% of my calories) to less then 150 (between 30% and 35%). Making changes like salads instead of sandwiches at lunch, vegetables with dips instead of popcorn for snacks, and more vegetables and salads instead of rice or potatoes at dinner. Not saying I will never eat potatoes, but just reducing the portions and the number of times per day/week I have them.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
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    When I started this journey, I wasn't restricting carbs. I just cut back on my calories and making the snacks healthier. I have lost 37 pounds since January 4. But, I have struggled in losing the stomach. My stomach has gone down, but still big. I like how my legs and arms are shaping up. But, my stomach isn't responding as well. Someone told me about a book called Wheat Belly. The author is a doctor and he explains how he believes that the wheat and grains in our diets are what makes us have big bellies. So, I am going to try to cut down on that. See, if that helps. The person that told me about the book, said he is definitely feeling better since they started that. I figure it can't hurt.

    It's like Atkins, many of the foods that taste great also have carbs/wheat. Cutting them out will of course reduce the amount of calories you eat. Try the no wheat thing, but maintain the same amount of calories. Then see how well that idea works.
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    When I started this journey, I wasn't restricting carbs. I just cut back on my calories and making the snacks healthier. I have lost 37 pounds since January 4. But, I have struggled in losing the stomach. My stomach has gone down, but still big. I like how my legs and arms are shaping up. But, my stomach isn't responding as well. Someone told me about a book called Wheat Belly. The author is a doctor and he explains how he believes that the wheat and grains in our diets are what makes us have big bellies. So, I am going to try to cut down on that. See, if that helps. The person that told me about the book, said he is definitely feeling better since they started that. I figure it can't hurt.

    From what I understand the premise of the Wheat Belly is for people that have an allergy to wheat. They tend to bloat in the gut, causing the "wheat belly". For someone without this allergy, stomach bloating is not true bloating, but simply fat. A regimen of HIIT cardio and strength training can rid you of this belly.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    Has a lot to do with what type of exercise you are coupling with your nutritional changes for weight loss.
  • ReinventingLisa
    ReinventingLisa Posts: 104 Member
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    I've done both and each work well. I actually lose weight better with as little carbs as possible, but that's hard to do long term since I will get bored. However, I do watch my carbs and prefer to carb cycle to lose weight. Works wonders!
  • Fitness_4_Jess
    Fitness_4_Jess Posts: 55 Member
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    Carbs are an essential nutrient which menas your body needs at least soem carbs. Also, when people think of going no carb they generally just leave out the bread and pasta, but carbs are in virtually everything.Fruit and veggies have carbs too! So I eat good carbs like the ones in fruits and veggies. I eat some bread too, but not as much as before, and when I do eat bread it has the complex carbs found in whole-grain products. I will have a sandwich, but I don't carb-load like I used to. Every person needs to find the right balance, but remember, for lastign weight loss it needs to be reasonable-not extreme. That is why I opt for low carb instead of no carb.
  • LifeChangingExp
    LifeChangingExp Posts: 459
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    What is your opinion about having carbs/no carb in your nutrition? What is more helpful when losing weight?

    Lowering your carbs definitely helps you in weight loss. Increase your protein.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    Being a nursing student, I'm learning a lot about carbohydrates and protein break downs in the body.
    Without carbs, you will be angry and tired! Your body needs carbs to survive, especially protein so you dont lose muscle. Carbs make you feel good, give you some percentage of energy and is vital for breakdowns in your body. Your body will hold onto every shred of food and water it gets just to keep going if you dont get a certain amount of carbs...

    You are mixing together several different things here. Not everyone gets irritable and fatigued on a ketogenic diet, and protein and carb intake are vastly different topics with vastly different pros and cons. Generally speaking, when you shed carbs you LOSE water retention, but I absolutely agree that high protein is highly valuable for muscle retention (or synthesis, depending on what you are doing).

    If you are operating on a constant caloric deficit, you can get away with a VERY low carb diet. Fat is a far more satisfying (in terms of satiety) macronutrient, and will not turn into bodyfat deposits IF you are correct in counting your calorie totals and are truly at a deficit.
  • LifeChangingExp
    LifeChangingExp Posts: 459
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    What is your opinion about having carbs/no carb in your nutrition? What is more helpful when losing weight?

    Lowering your carbs definitely helps you in weight loss. Increase your protein.

    Someone else posted this link, which is wonderful, so I thought id share..
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm

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