CARBS!!!! UGH! What is the TRUTH?!!!?!?!?!?!!

grinch031

Foods getting stored as fat by itself isn't all that relevant. Fat storage and release is a continuous process and what matters is the net result at the end of the day. Dietary fats get stored as fat with or without carb intake, but they also get released as the body burns them for fuel.

But one way to know if you are carb intolerant is simply whether you are able to adhere to a calorie restrictive diet that remains high in carbs. Many people cannot because of excessive hunger, so they have to cut their carb intake, and many end up not needing to even count their calories at all as long as carbs are low. Start off by eating the desired foods and if you can't keep your intake low, start working on cutting out more carbs and/or processed foods until you find something that manages your hunger better.

VMarkV

OMG people, carbs are primarily used for immediate energy and stored as liver glycogen AND muscle glycogen. If you exceed your body's capacity to store glycogen (you fail to use your stored energy reserves) it will contribute to bodyfat - this happens when your energy in exceeds your energy expended.

Simple solution: eat an amount of carbohydrates equivalent to how many calories you burn from exercise. You burn 400kcal, you eat 100g carbohydrate (400kcal). Stay at maintenance or slightly below calorie wise and there should be nothing to worry about. Build muscle, build glycogen storage capacity, burn more calories easily.

neanderthin

Foods getting stored as fat by itself isn't all that relevant. Fat storage and release is a continuous process and what matters is the net result at the end of the day. Dietary fats get stored as fat with or without carb intake, but they also get released as the body burns them for fuel.

But one way to know if you are carb intolerant is simply whether you are able to adhere to a calorie restrictive diet that remains high in carbs. Many people cannot because of excessive hunger, so they have to cut their carb intake, and many end up not needing to even count their calories at all as long as carbs are low. Start off by eating the desired foods and if you can't keep your intake low, start working on cutting out more carbs and/or processed foods until you find something that manages your hunger better.

Agreed, this is what works for me. I consume about 3000 cals and consume about 200g's of unprocessed carbs, mainly root veg, veg, fruit and some processed and refined carbs like pasta and bread. this has basically curbed my hunger, and have no problem with sugar like I once die.

johnwhitent

OMG people, carbs are primarily used for immediate energy and stored as liver glycogen AND muscle glycogen. If you exceed your body's capacity to store glycogen (you fail to use your stored energy reserves) it will contribute to bodyfat - this happens when your energy in exceeds your energy expended.

Simple solution: eat an amount of carbohydrates equivalent to how many calories you burn from exercise. You burn 400kcal, you eat 100g carbohydrate (400kcal). Stay at maintenance or slightly below calorie wise and there should be nothing to worry about. Build muscle, build glycogen storage capacity, burn more calories easily.

Wise advice! This assumes an active lifestyle, but that is wise advice as well.

mpizzle421

This thread is interesting to me.

You have the calories in > calories out camp.

You have the low carb / excess carbs are stored as fat camp.

And you have a smaller group of people who are less concerned with "carbs", and more concerned with the effect grains have on our bodies ala primal blueprint style camp.

There's probably truth in all points of view...

calories in/out - It is true that if you're eating less than maintenance, you'll probably lose weight. Simplicity.

low carb - It's also true that if you lower your carbs, you'll ALSO lose weight. Fact is, if you're eating low carbs (~100 or less), you're either starving (bad), or eating high amounts of protein and fats. The nice thing about low carb while dieting is that you're getting your minimums/optimal levels of fat and protein by default (without thinking about it), and you're probably at a strong calorie deficit without much effort as well. Of the 3 macro-nutrients, carbohydrate is the one that doesn't really have a "minimum" that you should meet (protein ~1gram per lbs of lean muscle mass, fat 0.5 per lbs of lean muscle mass). That's not to say that many people don't find that when they are TOO restricted, they feel low on energy and their athletic performance suffers.

anti-grain - there are many people that swear by the health improvements they get when eliminating grains from their diet. This isn't about "dieting or weight loss" as much as it's about health. Supposedly, from an evolutionary perspective, we aren't equipped to digest grains and our bodies react to them badly with various degrees of severity. There are certainly people that are obviously allergic/sensitive to glucose, and the thought is that to a less severe degree we all have problems with grains and they can be safely eliminated in favor of much higher amounts of vegetables/fruits. Right now, this stuff is "fringe science". It won't HURT you to eliminate grains in favor of more fruits and veggies, but nobody can say with certainty that's it's necessary.

The point is that this isn't even a debate really. Nobody can really prove the other wrong. They will ALL , if followed through on as expected, work for you in your weight loss journey. Eat good nutritious food, eat enough fiber to poop regularly, eat enough protein and fat, and after that -- experiment until you FEEL the best.

_Kitten_Kate

OMG people, carbs are primarily used for immediate energy and stored as liver glycogen AND muscle glycogen. If you exceed your body's capacity to store glycogen (you fail to use your stored energy reserves) it will contribute to bodyfat - this happens when your energy in exceeds your energy expended.

Simple solution: eat an amount of carbohydrates equivalent to how many calories you burn from exercise. You burn 400kcal, you eat 100g carbohydrate (400kcal). Stay at maintenance or slightly below calorie wise and there should be nothing to worry about. Build muscle, build glycogen storage capacity, burn more calories easily.

THIS!!! is the information and knowledge I was looking for!!!

So... 100g of Carb is 400 cals...
If I burn those 400 cals... amd the glycogen store are depleted... what is used for energy next?
(PLEASE say fat)

sunshinedazed

Whole grains that you buy in a package at a store aren't nessesarily processed. If you are concerned about them being processed read the ingredient information to be sure there aren't artificial preservatives added. Carbs being stored as fat isn't a fact. As long as you eat a balanced diet and have a calorie deflect you will loose weight.

Can you please provide peer-reviewed studies that prove that, as you say, "carbs being stored as fat isn't a fact."? I hate being that jerk but if you have actual factual evidence I would love to see it, considering I live a very low carb lifestyle and have done my research and homework, and I am unsure how one could believe that excess carbohydrates are not stored as fat.

Excess anything will be stored as fat, in the case of caloric surplus. In the case of caloric balance, or caloric deficit, nothing will be stored as fat. It's human biology 101.

You're kind of making MY case, actually, though I think you meant to argue with me. The average person takes in so many carbs a day that there is NO WAY a non-active person could EVER burn them off. And, let's face it, there's a whole lot of inactive people out there.

For me, personally, I use this site to actively manage input and output, as well as to hold myself accountable; I will not say that it's 100%, but most people eating low-carb find themselves naturally at a low caloric intake. I'm absolutely not saying that low carb is for everyone. We all digest and process things differently. As explained to me by a dietician, somewhere in the high percentiles of people actually are gluten intolerant, and I think that is a big benefit - as detailed by other posters - of eating low carb, just a healthier system over all.

You will lose weight at a caloric deficit unless, like myself and others, you have some medical reason why you will not. No diet plan, exercise plan, or lifestyle change should be undergone without adequate advice and supervision from a healthcare professional. They may not provide you with the dietary change that will be what's best for YOU but you will know where you're starting off from, and what your hurdles along the way might be.

I got to goal without activity(due to a certain issue)...and was eating high carbs. So, saying NO WAY is a little ridiculous since I'm not you and you aren't me. Like other people here have said what works for someone else may not work for you...doesn't make it wrong.

I personally have not cut down on carbs. I keep my diet balanced. That works for me.

I'd be cranky as hell if I cut down on carbs lol.

You're right, and I rescind my "Wah people aren't agreeing with meeee!" oversimplification. I didn't even really mean carbs, specifically, I meant that all the *kitten* we eat and don't work off is going to make our bottoms bigger and our bellies bulge. But, I am sorry for the generalization

The way I eat now, my body feels GOOD. I won't TMI you, but my doctor is amazed; I have essentially, in not even three weeks, cured my IBS, something that had actually put me in the hospital more than once for dehydration. I can run, I can play with my son, I stay awake all day and sleep all night. I haven't even lost ten pounds (probably because I honestly don't eat enough), but this, for me, was never about looking good in a bikini. It was about enjoying life again.

I don't care what works for you, or me, or anyone else, for the love of God, just DO IT, people. Get healthy. Love yourself. If I had known three years ago that I could be this girl, I would have been her, then. I kept waiting for the miracle cure that would save my life. I was the only cure I needed.

So. No carb, low carb, high fat, low cal, high cal, high protein, no sugar, low sugar, high fiber - whatever you need to get and STAY healthy. Please. Do it.

grinch031

OMG people, carbs are primarily used for immediate energy and stored as liver glycogen AND muscle glycogen. If you exceed your body's capacity to store glycogen (you fail to use your stored energy reserves) it will contribute to bodyfat - this happens when your energy in exceeds your energy expended.

Simple solution: eat an amount of carbohydrates equivalent to how many calories you burn from exercise. You burn 400kcal, you eat 100g carbohydrate (400kcal). Stay at maintenance or slightly below calorie wise and there should be nothing to worry about. Build muscle, build glycogen storage capacity, burn more calories easily.

THIS!!! is the information and knowledge I was looking for!!!

So... 100g of Carb is 400 cals...
If I burn those 400 cals... amd the glycogen store are depleted... what is used for energy next?
(PLEASE say fat)

I agree carb intake should be related to how physically active one is, but its not that simple. The body can store on average 1500-2000 calories in glycogen stores from carbohydrates, but how they are used depends on the type of exercise, intensity, duration, and of course fitness of the person.

But when available, you burn both glucose and fat to varying degrees during your exercise routines. If glucose availability becomes insufficient, you hit the wall and protein starts converting to glucose which is inefficient and your body starts to shut down and you get extremely tired. But that usually only happens to endurance athletes after a long duration. Of course if you are in ketosis and adapted, you burn mostly fat and ketones during your workouts and have very little need for glucose at all, but that's a more extreme case.

robot_potato

I'm not sure on factual evidence, but I will tell you my personal experience. I eat carbs, currently 148g is my goal, sometimes i'm over, rarely under, and have lost 35 pounds since Jan 31. I've had only one week since then in which I have not lost 1 pound or more per week. Most of my carbs are veg, but i also indulge in breads& such, if I don't I find myself binging at night. I tried low-carb, less than 100g for a while last year and my loss came to a dead stop. I wasn't fueling my body. It also really messed with my bowels. For me, low carb= no poop, regardless of how much fiber I take in. Not cool.

I have lost 81 pounds, dropped my body fat by 12% (36.2 to 24.2) at last check, and all while eating carbs.

Susabelle64

My understanding was this... and it very well could be wrong. If you eat carbs... and they are not used for energy(fuel)... then they are stored. and become fat.
Therefore the less carbs you eat... still provided you are giving your body some fuel... then your body turns to the stored fat for energy... Thats what makes fat loss.

Carbs are not stored as fat (generally). If you eat more calories than you burn, usually the fat you eat is stored as fat. Really it comes down to calories. Eat less than you burn and your body will use fat stores or sometimes protein stores, (muscle) as energy.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-we-get-fat.html


Also, "clean" eating is overrated.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

This last article was fascinating!! Thanks for posting it!

jayrey72

Tigersworld, if you are 600 calories deficient for that day, you might not gain weight from eating a Big Mac, but you're not doing yourself any favors from all the other bad stuff (bad fats, cholesterol, and who knows what else is in that "food"). Not to mention over 1000 mg of sodium. Sodium leads to water retention, which will make you weigh more.

Losing weight comes down to net calories, but there's other factors involved with being more healthy.

So maybe I should have said more healthy as opposed to getting "fat." There's a lot of skinny people that are very unhealthy.

cmurray234

The question isn't whether cutting carbs will help you lose weight. It will, if for no other reason than that they tend to be calorie-dense and that many people are unfamiliar with what a proper portion size is, so they eat too much.

The better question is whether cutting carbs will help you keep weight. And the answer for this is different from person to person. I cannot stick to a very low-carb diet. The weight melts off like magic on South Beach, but I cannot maintain that kind of diet. My meals feel incomplete without a small serving of potato, couscous or bread and I feel hungry all the time. I can do this for several months, but there is no way I could make an entire lifestyle out of it.

I've another friend who says that carbs make her exhausted and is appalled and mistrustful that I am fully capable of eating carbs like pasta without fatigue.

conniecake19

I am 40-something and could not lose at all until I cut the carbs out of my diet! I've been on low-carb for about 5 weeks and lost 9 lbs! I have whole grains and fruit on weekends only and so far I feel better and no loss of energy. I tend to retain water and I feel so much less bloated and puffy, it works for me!

itsjustdawn

That's way too many carbs for me. I'd be hungry all the time if I did that consistently. I go for 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein.

Eating fewer calories is what will make you lose the fat.

Not necessarily. I have friends on here that eat 2000-2500 calories, who also work out, and they are losing weight regularly. So define "fewer calories" :-)

Fewer calories = less than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. If my TDEE is 5000 calories per day, and I eat 4500, I'm eating "fewer calories."

OK you win that argument, but I think some people think that "fewer calories" is an extremely low number...

CaliDreams27

p.s.- The last time I did a lower carb lifestyle, I lost 35 pounds and kept it off for 4 years (while re-introducing carbs, better carbs, with the occasional doughnut, cookie, candy bar, etc.) before having my son. Eating carbs again daily after stopping my active diet didn't "automatically" guarantee that I would gain it back (AND FASTER!!).........and I didn't:)

capnwo85

This Thread = Me Doing This EVERY TIME

Argent78

Eating right is for life.

Could I live without carbs? NO! So, I include them in my diet. I haven't cut anything out except junk food (and even that I have on occasion).

It is all about finding a balance and eating everything in moderation. By cutting carbs out now I could potentially drop the weight a lot faster but then as soon as I go back to eating carbs I'd pick-up the weight faster than I lost it!

So...slow and steady wins the race.

Carbs are essential to any balanced diet. Focus on fruits and veggies and whole grains.

THIS!!! cutting anything will make you loose weight... if you can sustain that for life, it is fine. But in reality, if you eliminate carbs, when you go back to "normal" balanced eating, you will gain weight very fast.
The nutritionist (and you should listen what professionals have to say) tell you to eat the carbs, because is a helthy and sustained way to go. If you don't trust your fitness nutritionist, go to a second consult.
But I would trust what she has to say, better than the individual stories on this site.

Internet does not have the truth. And, as another person said in this thread, you can find evidence to contradict whatever you want if your search on the web. Trust professionals.

belgerian

All I can say is what has worked for me, I cut out all processed foods well mostly. No more white bread what little bread I do eat is whole grain nutty oat variety. I eat 2 servings of oatmeal in the morning 54G of carbs along with a yougurt. Ill have a couple apples and banannas throught out the day and usually have some more oatmeal later in the day so I average 200-300g of carbs in a day and with excercise primarly running for 60-90 minutes I have lost about 80-90 lbs. Again this has what worked for me so far anyways and it is going on 2 years now. And yes everynow and then I will have some pizza or icecream or some cake and I really do not get too worried about it anymore. I normally have a deficit anyways so in the long run it evens out.

grinch031

Eating right is for life.

Could I live without carbs? NO! So, I include them in my diet. I haven't cut anything out except junk food (and even that I have on occasion).

It is all about finding a balance and eating everything in moderation. By cutting carbs out now I could potentially drop the weight a lot faster but then as soon as I go back to eating carbs I'd pick-up the weight faster than I lost it!

So...slow and steady wins the race.

Carbs are essential to any balanced diet. Focus on fruits and veggies and whole grains.

THIS!!! cutting anything will make you loose weight... if you can sustain that for life, it is fine. But in reality, if you eliminate carbs, when you go back to "normal" balanced eating, you will gain weight very fast.
The nutritionist (and you should listen what professionals have to say) tell you to eat the carbs, because is a helthy and sustained way to go. If you don't trust your fitness nutritionist, go to a second consult.
But I would trust what she has to say, better than the individual stories on this site.

Internet does not have the truth. And, as another person said in this thread, you can find evidence to contradict whatever you want if your search on the web. Trust professionals.

Why would cutting anything cause you to lose weight when you can just switch to a different food to fill the caloric void? Also why would reverting back to a balanced diet cause you to gain weight very fast? Why wouldn't someone just eat the same amount of food regardless of how they change up the macro nutrients?

yarwell

So... 100g of Carb is 400 cals...
If I burn those 400 cals... amd the glycogen store are depleted... what is used for energy next?
(PLEASE say fat)

Fat.

Maximum calories stored in carbohydrate form is perhaps 2000 (500g). Just one pound of fat has well over 3000 calories, so fat is the body's energy reserve and what powers you when the short terms supply of carbs has gone.

You can live and thrive without carbohydrate, but there are fats you can't get other than by eating, and protein has to be eaten to sustain our organs and muscles- hence less calories = less carbs for many.

If you graze on carbs all day your blood insulin will be elevated and this inhibits release of fat from storage tissues. If I'm looking to lose fat I prefer to maximise the chances of doing it by avoiding this effect.

AggieCass09

So... 100g of Carb is 400 cals...
If I burn those 400 cals... amd the glycogen store are depleted... what is used for energy next?
(PLEASE say fat)

Fat.

Maximum calories stored in carbohydrate form is perhaps 2000 (500g). Just one pound of fat has well over 3000 calories, so fat is the body's energy reserve and what powers you when the short terms supply of carbs has gone.

You can live and thrive without carbohydrate, but there are fats you can't get other than by eating, and protein has to be eaten to sustain our organs and muscles- hence less calories = less carbs for many.

If you graze on carbs all day your blood insulin will be elevated and this inhibits release of fat from storage tissues. If I'm looking to lose fat I prefer to maximise the chances of doing it by avoiding this effect.

\\

what this person said!

april_beth

has the original poster shot herself in the face yet after reading all this?!

*SMH*

MzTat2slim

I haven't limited my carb in take per say. I stick strictly to calorie alotment for the day and have been able to consisitantly lose weight.

hiker282

I don't limit them, just stick with the good ones in fruits and veggies and whole grain breads and pastas. Carbs are fuel for the body and the complex ones are the ones you want.

I haven't restricted them at all and have lost weight and don't need to worry about gaining the weight back like most low carb-ers seem to have to do.

jacque1129

Every body is different. I eat like 60% carbs and still have lost a lot of weight. I don't think there's a formula to weight loss. Eat what you need, cut what you don't, work out and you'll get there.

Maverick60

Assuming that you've no metabolic disorders (diabetes, thyroid issues) it is the case that, basically, an excess of food whether fat, carb or protein will lead to a increase in body fat. The ease of use for the energy contained in your food is dependent upon where the calories come from, we as an animal are designed to get the majority of our energy from carbs as they are easier for our body to work with, usually.

It is wrong to think that fat is a result of more calories in than is burnt per day. Some studies tend to suggest that you need to look at the balance over a time period such as a week however this approach ignores the refined/complex carbohydrate problem; counting calories is misleading and occasionally referred to as the 'bathtub' approach (calories in = energy burnt - stasis, calories in > energy burnt - weight gain, calories in < energy burnt - weight loss). to simplify; I get my daily energy from fruit, veg, meat and nuts, my friend gets the sme calories from eating a bag of sugar a day - who gets fat? regardless of who gets scurvy, diarrhoea!

Our intake of refined carbs (and fat too) stimulate insulin release that tells our body to store extra calories flooding in as fat for when the extra calories may not be readily available. COmplex carbs and most proteins get digested slowly and don't really cause an insulin 'spike', you stay feeling full for longer and won't build fatty tissues so easily. Your body also will tend to burning your fat reserves sooner when you are hungry.

As has been suggested earlier, eat healthily and do some exercise and you will get healthier and slimmer. Don't aim for too great a change as this will be the result of too radical a lifestyle change taht won't be sustainable. Small changes become habits which will lead to consistent gradual and (hopefully) long term improvements. More importantly enjoy what you are doing, otherwise you won't keep doing it.

Kathrynm87103

I am not a dietician by any means, but when I went to see one, she told me to watch my cards. Don’t eat more than 60 cards per meal and have two snacks and don’t go over 15 carbs. She said not to pay too close attention to calories but to really watch my carbs. I guess it all depends on which trainer or dietician your talking to.

_Kitten_Kate

has the original poster shot herself in the face yet after reading all this?!

*SMH*

Almost!

hcglindsey

What is the secret if you have PCOS?

delilah47

Although science is catching up on seeing the benefits of low carb dieting, it is still generally looked upon as an unhealthy diet method.. including here on MFP. There are a few different approaches to low carb dieting. One being you limit your carbs to about 20 per day, starting out; this would be your ketosis type diets where your body burns its own fat instead of from what you feed it (Atkins for example), so calorie counting is not necessary. Others go up to as many as 150 per day for maintenance, where calorie counting is still very important.

After seeing the variety of confused advice on the other thread in today's forums, I would suggest doing some independent research. Low carb dieting is very unforgiving if you don't stick with it.. strictly. Do your research, then customize your MFP goals to meet your preferences if it's something you think is right for you.

In the past, I have lost a bunch of weight this way, but I am not recommending, or discouraging, a low carb diet. I won't be doing it again, for personal reasons. Also, there are groups here on MFP that specifically advocate using the low carb method of weight loss and welcome newcomers.

Here's one:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5268-atkins-support-group