A carb is still a carb?

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  • LesterBlackstone
    LesterBlackstone Posts: 291 Member
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    Fiber is only a carbohydrate in America

    What, pray tell, is the chemical composition of fiber in the rest of the world?
  • inagaddadavegan
    inagaddadavegan Posts: 46 Member
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    I dropped from a size 12 to a size 6 in 12 weeks eating carbs every day.

    Just sayin'.

    Do we need them? Don't know. But for most people, they are not going to cause you to retain or gain weight on an otherwise low-calorie diet.

    Likewise... lots of weight loss consuming plenty of carbs (including beer, double bock - "liquid bread" - if you please). These things only seem to make you gain weight if you sit on your butt too much while consuming them ;) My understanding about carbs is that the body needs them for energy and that they should come from whole grain sources. Processed carbs are too quickly converted to sugar in the body. Most diabetics I know for example can eat brown rice just fine, but white rice elevates their glucose. That is my understanding and experience, I'm not an RD.
  • LexyDB
    LexyDB Posts: 261
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    Fiber is only a carbohydrate in America so that argument is moot in the UK etc.

    There are no carbohydrates you have to eat to live. Fat has more than twice the energy per gram of carbs.

    Priceless.

    No, it isn't moot in the UK etc.

    I think you'll find that you do need carbohydrates to live. Just because something is high in calories doesn't mean you can substitute it for another nutrient and pray for the best. Do you know how long it takes for the body to tap into fat reserves to use them for energy? What will the body use until this process starts?

    Food for thought, so to speak.
  • LexyDB
    LexyDB Posts: 261
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    I dropped from a size 12 to a size 6 in 12 weeks eating carbs every day.

    Just sayin'.

    Do we need them? Don't know. But for most people, they are not going to cause you to retain or gain weight on an otherwise low-calorie diet.

    You do need carbohydrates, your weight loss shows just how important they are for energy.
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
    Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim Posts: 267 Member
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    :ohwell:
  • deadgirl81
    deadgirl81 Posts: 412 Member
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    Ha - I'm sorry, I read the title quickly and thought it said "A CRAB is still a crab?" :happy:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Fiber is only a carbohydrate in America so that argument is moot in the UK etc.

    There are no carbohydrates you have to eat to live. Fat has more than twice the energy per gram of carbs.

    Priceless.

    No, it isn't moot in the UK etc.

    I think you'll find that you do need carbohydrates to live. Just because something is high in calories doesn't mean you can substitute it for another nutrient and pray for the best. Do you know how long it takes for the body to tap into fat reserves to use them for energy? What will the body use until this process starts?

    Food for thought, so to speak.

    It is moot in the UK because our labels do not include fibre in carbohydrates. So the debate about missing out fiber by having low carbs doesn't arise because they are identified as two separate things completely.

    I wrote that there is no carbohydrate you have to eat to live. I stand by that. Tell me which carbohydrate I have to eat to live please. The body is well adapted to using fat reserves or fat from food (as well as protein) to provide necessary glucose in circulation.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    There are no carbohydrates you have to eat to live. Fat has more than twice the energy per gram of carbs.
    I guess I was always confused about this point. Wouldn't you body go into ketosis with reduced/no carbs and high fat intake? If so, wouldn't being in ketosis all the time be a bad thing since it's will be hard on your system (i.e. kidneys and/or liver)?
    With no carbs you would indeed be in ketosis, like the epileptics mentioned by someone else.

    Your liver would be doing its job, as would the kidneys. Ketosis is the natural state of being hungry or fasting, so your organs won't explode. Excessive protein might challenge the kidneys, but even that's debatable unless you go mad.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Fiber is only a carbohydrate in America
    What, pray tell, is the chemical composition of fiber in the rest of the world?
    It doesn't matter, because it is identified separately on the labels. So you have "Carbohydrates, of which fiber" and we have "Carbohydrates" and "Fibre" separately. Lignin is a fibre that isn't a carbohydrate, FWIW.

    So going for 10g of carbs doesn't mean you can't have 20g or more if fibre, if you follow.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
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    I think you'll find that you do need carbohydrates to live. Just because something is high in calories doesn't mean you can substitute it for another nutrient and pray for the best. Do you know how long it takes for the body to tap into fat reserves to use them for energy? What will the body use until this process starts?

    Food for thought, so to speak.

    I would say 2-3 days on low carb diet.

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