What's your take on CARBS??

ChangeIsADecision

What's your take on CARBS?? - I'm thinking I need to try something to shake up my metabolism! I love pasta/breads but I just can't get over the hump! I'm STUCK at 150-148lbs.... :sad:

I'm thinking about trying to cut back on carbs - been reading some articles.....

Thoughts?

Marll

Carbs are fine as long as you eat the right kind, of which in my experience bread and pasta just aren't those kinds.

If you get your carbs from vegtables and fruits, cut out grains and processed carbs + sugar I'm betting you'd be able to get over that hump.

You'll get a lot of varying views here though, there's a die hard set of people that bash on anything that remotely resembles low carb LOL.

tyoung8

I love Low carb! Only way I will lose weight!

DeniseB0711

Carbs are great for indivuals who need them, that is not overweight or needs them for endurance. I dont' think we all neeed to eat 4 servings of white bread, pasta, and corn every day. Unless you are some sort of athlete that trains all the time. I do think we need some whole grain and again not a lot.

Denise

sophia5_k

Lowering my carbs is the only thing that works for me and I've tried everything. So maybe you should give it a try and see how it goes for you.

kitka82

Carbs are not bad. They are a great source of energy and fiber. Instead of nixing carbs, get rid of the sugar and focus on COMPLEX carbs like whole grain breads and pastas, if you have to have them. Just use moderation. Honestly, if you reduced the amount of bread and pasta you eat, you would reduce sodium pretty quickly. Try brown rice, sweet potatoes, squash, black beans, oatmeal, and quinoa. Eat fruits and veggies. Eat your carbs with protein to metabolize better.

I changed the time I eat my carbs to get results. I have starchy (non-veggies) carbs during my first 1-3 meals (I eat 5-6x a day). Basically, no starch after lunch. In the afternoon and evening, I focus on lean protein, veggies, and healthy fats.

I eat more starches on days when I do my strength training and long runs. On days I don't work out, I don't have as much starch.

When you lower your carbs, it helps to add in some healthy fat to stay full. Hope this helps!

Tara_Janel

I cannot remember where but I read that females need to stick between 100 and 150 carbs a day to loose weight. I attempt to keep mine around 100. I can not eat wheat though so that cuts out a ton of carbs for me.

Sidesteal

My take is that people who have insulin related conditions should probably consume low-ish carb intake.
My take is that people who do not have these conditions, usually do not need to do a low-carb plan.

Lastly, I do think protein and fat are physiologically of higher importance, but there's nothing magical about low-carb dieting.

taso42

A carbohydrate is an organic compound that consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, usually with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water); in other words, with the empirical formula Cm(H2O)n. (Some exceptions exist; for example, deoxyribose, a component of DNA, has the empirical formula C5H10O4.) Carbohydrates are not technically hydrates of carbon. Structurally it is more accurate to view them as polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones.

Rae6503

Carbs are yummy. They give me energy.

impyimpyaj

I love carbs. But they don't love me back. And I'm not sure if it actually has anything to do with the carbs themselves, or the fact that the more carbs I eat, the less fat and protein I eat. And fat and protein make me feel way better than carbs do.

I try to keep my carbs on the low side when I can, but I'm not super strict about it. I do try to make sure the majority of my carbs are from fruits and vegetables instead of grains and refined sugar, but otherwise, I mostly try to focus on keeping my protein and fat up rather than keeping my carbs low.

Jacwhite22

Your diary is closed.....How much of each macro do you eat per day? total calories? What are your TDEE/BMR?

amberaz

For me, it seems like the closet my carb rich foods are to their natural state, the better off I am. The bulk of my carbs come from fruit, and whole grains that have not been processed into another product. I think that of you try to aim for getting your carbs from natural sources instead of highly processed "junk" food there's not a reason to severely limit them.

ChitownFoodie

As long as I get 100g of protein, I don't really care how high my carbs are. I use them for energy and I genuinely feel happier and better when I don't restrict them.

DeniseB0711

A carbohydrate is an organic compound that consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, usually with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water); in other words, with the empirical formula Cm(H2O)n. (Some exceptions exist; for example, deoxyribose, a component of DNA, has the empirical formula C5H10O4.) Carbohydrates are not technically hydrates of carbon. Structurally it is more accurate to view them as polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones.

hahahahha.

starracer23

All carbs are not created equal.
Some people think they are.
Carbs found in veggies, fruit and whole grains are good for you.
You need a balanced diet, not eating the good carbs is just as bad as only eating the "bad" ones.

(By bad, I mean; processed junk food, white bread, refined sugar, white rice...etc)

Acg67

All carbs are not created equal.
Some people think they are.
Carbs found in veggies, fruit and whole grains are good for you.
You need a balanced diet, not eating the good carbs is just as bad as only eating the "bad" ones.

(By bad, I mean; processed junk food, white bread, refined sugar, white rice...etc)

And what do these bad carbs do to you? Metabolically how is refined sugar different from sugars found in fruits?

katapple

Love carbs. I eat mostly whole grains though for pasta and bread. I don't restrict and don't get mad when I go 'over'. I usually eat 175-225 a day, and I've lost 80lbs.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Love them!!

Beezil

I think changing up your diet could help, but you don't have to restrict your carb intake to do that... just eat more of a variety of foods, up your calories for a while or lower them for a while. Zig-zag your days, eating high one day, normal the next, or give yourself one spike day a week where you eat like 1000-1500 calories over your normal goal. I think personally you'd be better off doing that and possibly changing up your workout routine as well - don't make things more complicated, just make them more interesting. :bigsmile:

Rilke

Delicious.

_stephanie0

carbs

Phaedra2014

Metabolically how is refined sugar different from sugars found in fruits?

I'd love to know your answer to this question. Does it make a difference, metabolically speaking?

fiveohmike

I eat ~ 300g of carbs of day....im gonna die

thelovelyLIZ

I was thinking about cutting carbs as well, mostly because I want to trim a little extra fat (my weight is very healthy though) but I'm training for a half marathon, so low carb isn't really an option. I might experiment with it after my race. I don't think carbs will make you fat though, and I generally find low carb dieting unnecessary.

angieleighbyrd

I need carbs. I had an off day and was very low on carbs and was exhausted. I just *try* to stay away from processed starchy white carbs. I get most of my carbs from fruit. I am having pasta for dinner, but I switched to whole grain. I'm Italian, so if I don't have a certain amount of carbs someone in my house will probably get shot.

kk281

for me at least, low carb has been the way to go. as with any diet plan though it only works as hard as you do. you have to be strict with it. A great way to cut out bad carbs would be to cut out corn syrup. Corn syrup imparts a ridiculously high glycemic load on your body and can actually end up making you hungrier in the long run.

HeidiMightyRawr

My take on carbs...
1) I love them!
2) They don't affect my weight loss
3) I feel dizzy if I don't get enough carbs.

I have around 2-300g a day on average.

kk281

I need carbs. I had an off day and was very low on carbs and was exhausted. I just *try* to stay away from processed starchy white carbs. I get most of my carbs from fruit. I am having pasta for dinner, but I switched to whole grain. I'm Italian, so if I don't have a certain amount of carbs someone in my house will probably get shot.

it takes about two weeks for your body to adjust to a low carb lifestyle, and yes while your metabolism adjusts you may feel a decrease in energy, but once your body has adjusted i have found that i get an explosive amount of energy.

carrieo888

I can only tell you what works for me, so you can start looking at this to see if it works for you. I watch my daily percentages of carb/fat/protein intake (using the cool pie chart), and try to keep them around 50 / 30 / 20, respectively. This is my "magic" formula and where I lose weight. It may be different for you.

Oh, and while I do allow "bad" carbs in there (processed sugars like cookies & ice cream), I also eat A LOT of fruit. I minimize foods/beverages w high fructose corn syrup and/or white flour - though it is not completely eliminated from my food choices.

Good luck!

DonniesGirl69

I've lost 90 pounds in just over a year and a half...the first 60 I lost doing, not low carb, but the RIGHT carbs.
After losing the 60, I took up running and have had to increase my carb intake, but I've still dropped another 30 pounds doing that, but because I'm burning it by running 2.5-5 miles 5 days a week and training for distance races at least once a year.

Carbs are not the enemy, but if you're going to have them, you have to burn them. If you're not a runner or into some other sport where you're getting a LOT of cardio, then I'd suggest sticking to the carbs you get from fresh fruits, vegetables and a reasonable amount of whole grains.

Even as a runner, I avoid "white" carbs. I eat only whole grain bread with NO high fructose corn syrup, whole grain pasta, no potatoes, no rice (with the exception of the occasional sushi binge)

It all depends on what works for YOU and your body, though. We all lose/gain/burn at different rates....trial and error.