Low Carb?

yarwell

"The insulin response to fat is virtually zero" - as shown in the table - no statistically significant insulin response to cream.

Whether DNL happens or not isn't a major concern, Nothing knows what the final daily energy balance looks like at the time, so when that big glucose surge is being stashed away or used it is either creating new fat or being burned in tissues instead of fat - either of which means the fat is at best not being depleted or at worst being added to (assuming glycogen tanks are full).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10365981 says "Similarly, addition of CHO to a mixed diet does not increase hepatic DNL to quantitatively important levels, as long as CHO energy intake remains less than total energy expenditure (TEE). Instead, dietary CHO replaces fat in the whole-body fuel mixture, even in the post-absorptive state. Body fat is thereby accrued, but the pathway of DNL is not traversed; instead, a coordinated set of metabolic adaptations, including resistance of hepatic glucose production to suppression by insulin, occurs that allows CHO oxidation to increase and match CHO intake. Only when CHO energy intake exceeds TEE does DNL in liver or adipose tissue contribute significantly to the whole-body energy economy." but doesn't state a time frame over which the TEE is considered.

The search continues ;-)

LesterBlackstone

The cherry-picking continues ;-)

No clear weight/fat-loss advantage to lower-insulinemic diets
Almost a decade ago, a 2-month trial by McLaughlin and colleagues demonstrated that under hypocaloric conditions, the most insulin-resistant and hyperinsulinemic subjects lost weight as effectively as the most insulin-sensitive subjects with the lowest insulin responses.12 Similarly, a recent 3-month trial by de Luis and colleagues, basal glycemic status (impaired vs normal glucose metabolism) and insulin response had no influence on weight or fat loss.13 In another recent study, Noakes and colleagues found no difference in weight or fat loss among 3 diets varying from 4%-70% carbohydrate over a 2-month period.14 This lack of difference was seen despite a 33% greater reduction in fasting insulin levels caused by the lowest-carb treatment compared to no insulin reduction in the highest-carb treatment.

AARR, Oct 2008

jwc101

when I'm cutting I consume under 30 grams of carbs Monday through Thursday. Then I re-feed or carb load on the weekends. I burn a lot of body fat while maintaining my muscle mass.

WonderKP

Someone on here posted something I feel is pretty brilliant:

"Eating protein does not make me want to eat more protein.
Eating fat does not make me want to eat more fat.
Eating carbs... makes me want to eat more carbs."

so true for me too!

suziecue66

I've been doing low carb despite being very skeptical at the start, and I've been pleasantly surprised. However, I don't think lowering carbs by itself is what's working for me. I think its just that I'm now paying attention to what I eat and trying to eat healthy. In the past, I could easily make a meal out of pasta or potatoes, where as now I'm eating lean meat and veggies instead. Plus, now that I keep the carbs to a minimum, I don't crave them like I used to. Especially when it comes to the 'bad' ones like white flour and sugar. And after doing without those things for several weeks, I'm finding a new appreciation for natural foods. Eating an orange is suddenly like eating desert! Its just sooo sweet! Its like I've cleansed my palate or something!

I think lowering carbs is whats working for you. You are craving less so eating less.
Some people just comply with a diet better when carbs are lower. I don't think anyone needs to go the Atkins very low carb but stay around 100g carbs to see results. Other people can eat a **** load of carbs and still keep losing as long as at deficit. The ones that can't lose with higher carb caving in to their cravings for carbs and over-eating. With lower carbs they don't cave in (as often) and start being in a deficit a lot more.

NerdyTXChick

I've been doing low carb despite being very skeptical at the start, and I've been pleasantly surprised. However, I don't think lowering carbs by itself is what's working for me. I think its just that I'm now paying attention to what I eat and trying to eat healthy. In the past, I could easily make a meal out of pasta or potatoes, where as now I'm eating lean meat and veggies instead. Plus, now that I keep the carbs to a minimum, I don't crave them like I used to. Especially when it comes to the 'bad' ones like white flour and sugar. And after doing without those things for several weeks, I'm finding a new appreciation for natural foods. Eating an orange is suddenly like eating desert! Its just sooo sweet! Its like I've cleansed my palate or something!

I think lowering carbs is whats working for you. You are craving less so eating less.
Some people just comply with a diet better when carbs are lower. I don't think anyone needs to go the Atkins very low carb but stay around 100g carbs to see results. Other people can eat a **** load of carbs and still keep losing as long as at deficit. The ones that can't lose with higher carb caving in to their cravings for carbs and over-eating. With lower carbs they don't cave in (as often) and start being in a deficit a lot more.

That's pretty much what I meant, but you said it better. All the references in the world wouldn't mean much to me. There always seems to be someone with another reference to contradict the original (and I'm not talking about just here, but with anything). But when I find something that works, that's what I'll stick with. It could be a placebo effect for all I know, but if it works - who cares!

suziecue66

I've been doing low carb despite being very skeptical at the start, and I've been pleasantly surprised. However, I don't think lowering carbs by itself is what's working for me. I think its just that I'm now paying attention to what I eat and trying to eat healthy. In the past, I could easily make a meal out of pasta or potatoes, where as now I'm eating lean meat and veggies instead. Plus, now that I keep the carbs to a minimum, I don't crave them like I used to. Especially when it comes to the 'bad' ones like white flour and sugar. And after doing without those things for several weeks, I'm finding a new appreciation for natural foods. Eating an orange is suddenly like eating desert! Its just sooo sweet! Its like I've cleansed my palate or something!

I think lowering carbs is whats working for you. You are craving less so eating less.
Some people just comply with a diet better when carbs are lower. I don't think anyone needs to go the Atkins very low carb but stay around 100g carbs to see results. Other people can eat a **** load of carbs and still keep losing as long as at deficit. The ones that can't lose with higher carb caving in to their cravings for carbs and over-eating. With lower carbs they don't cave in (as often) and start being in a deficit a lot more.

That's pretty much what I meant, but you said it better. All the references in the world wouldn't mean much to me. There always seems to be someone with another reference to contradict the original (and I'm not talking about just here, but with anything). But when I find something that works, that's what I'll stick with. It could be a placebo effect for all I know, but if it works - who cares!

Exactly - if it works - who cares why - its just getting you to that caloric deficit required for weight loss.

CoderGal

I've been doing low carb despite being very skeptical at the start, and I've been pleasantly surprised. However, I don't think lowering carbs by itself is what's working for me. I think its just that I'm now paying attention to what I eat and trying to eat healthy. In the past, I could easily make a meal out of pasta or potatoes, where as now I'm eating lean meat and veggies instead. Plus, now that I keep the carbs to a minimum, I don't crave them like I used to. Especially when it comes to the 'bad' ones like white flour and sugar. And after doing without those things for several weeks, I'm finding a new appreciation for natural foods. Eating an orange is suddenly like eating desert! Its just sooo sweet! Its like I've cleansed my palate or something!

I think lowering carbs is whats working for you. You are craving less so eating less.
Some people just comply with a diet better when carbs are lower. I don't think anyone needs to go the Atkins very low carb but stay around 100g carbs to see results. Other people can eat a **** load of carbs and still keep losing as long as at deficit. The ones that can't lose with higher carb caving in to their cravings for carbs and over-eating. With lower carbs they don't cave in (as often) and start being in a deficit a lot more.

That's pretty much what I meant, but you said it better. All the references in the world wouldn't mean much to me. There always seems to be someone with another reference to contradict the original (and I'm not talking about just here, but with anything). But when I find something that works, that's what I'll stick with. It could be a placebo effect for all I know, but if it works - who cares!

Exactly - if it works - who cares why - its just getting you to that caloric deficit required for weight loss.

Exactly. More importantly if you are adding veg and fresh meat to your diet, you are filling out your macro and micro nutrients much better so it is healthier for you. It all depends on what you eat really. You can add meat and veg containing a lot a lot of salt and to much of anything is bad. Same goes if your carbs were chips. I like mine coming from cut oats as my iron intake is horrible. Its all a balance. Not really that one food is worse then the other. The 'badness' really depends on the rest of your profile. That is why there are so many articles of so many topics that lean on both sides. It can depend on other variables.

This is why I do not see a macronutrient as 'bad'. If there is such a big argument for both sides, chances are its not all to blame in the first place.

Example: A law was passed here recently that you have to be at least 19 to get in a tanning bed because of so many articles saying that it increases risk of cancer. I am a pale red head who cannot tan btw...but is it the beds to blame? Or the excessive amount we use them? I find them quite important when I am about to visit somewhere sunny, as I do not tend to burn as easily when I do (rarely) use them. Same idea. I think it depends on where the rest of the food is coming from and if there are vitamins in it etc.

Biggipooh

I've been doing low carb despite being very skeptical at the start, and I've been pleasantly surprised. However, I don't think lowering carbs by itself is what's working for me. I think its just that I'm now paying attention to what I eat and trying to eat healthy. In the past, I could easily make a meal out of pasta or potatoes, where as now I'm eating lean meat and veggies instead. Plus, now that I keep the carbs to a minimum, I don't crave them like I used to. Especially when it comes to the 'bad' ones like white flour and sugar. And after doing without those things for several weeks, I'm finding a new appreciation for natural foods. Eating an orange is suddenly like eating desert! Its just sooo sweet! Its like I've cleansed my palate or something!

I think lowering carbs is whats working for you. You are craving less so eating less.
Some people just comply with a diet better when carbs are lower. I don't think anyone needs to go the Atkins very low carb but stay around 100g carbs to see results. Other people can eat a **** load of carbs and still keep losing as long as at deficit. The ones that can't lose with higher carb caving in to their cravings for carbs and over-eating. With lower carbs they don't cave in (as often) and start being in a deficit a lot more.

Well said. That is exactly why I eat low carb. I don't need to eat for another 5 hours after eating something with a lot of protein. When I ate only carbs in the past, I was hungry after only 2 hours and ate again. This way I had way to many calories at the end of the day. So I just love my protein together with only a few carbs (mainly veggies).