If low carb works, why are people still fat?

tphester22

Good point. Lost 40 pounds on a carb diet in 2005. Then my brother got very sick and eventually passed away. I can remember thinking "who cares" and beginning to eat things I know I shouldn't. I have been up and down ever since. My eating is tied to my emotions too. Sometimes when I am bored or down I know that there are foods that I can eat that will pick me up and make me 'happy' again (though temporarily). I couldn't imagine life without enjoying food for the sake of the food. My struggle is to retrain my brain to tell my body that the high that it experiences is only temporary and to replace it with something else better for me.

mmapags

As the info in the link Acg67 posted points out. GI and GL have little to do with insulin response.
"protein-rich foods and bakery products (rich in fat and refined carbohydrate) elicited insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses."

dleithaus

tl:dr

it's not a diet, its a lifestyle.

stick with it, and you don't get fat!

/shock /awe

you can't go back to eating junk food all day /eyeroll

Yes. This. A diet is not a temporary thing.
Tooting own horn to prove it. 561 days of continuous tracking to lose and maintain here on MFP.
I always laugh to myself when I run into the *many* dieters out there that have made some temporary change or touting some magic pill.

Minoesh

We really need to refine the phrase "calories in - calories out" etc.

Eating deep fried chicken (in) and walking around the block and burning calories (out) has a night and day different end result than eating grilled salmon (in) and exercise followed by cardio (out). The quality of the nutrients make a big difference. I can't support any NO carb solution. I have no problem with LOW carbs as long as they are measured low carbs.

Love this!!!! :-) I had no choice a number of years ago but to go low carb due to arthritis - sugar and starchy foods push me into a flare up which can last for a couple of weeks at a time, alcohol has the same effect. I changed my lifestyle to include exercise and slowly switched to a balanced, healthy low carb diet, and let me tell you, it changed my life!! I eat as clean as I can for 90% of the time, that includes fruit and veg, but I leave out all the processed and refined carbs. I completely agree that so much of it is to do with the quality of the nutrients :-)

myofibril

Protein doesn't create the same level of insulin response that carbohydrates do (this is pretty well illustrated by comparing the glycemic load of a chicken breast (less than 15) to that of pretty much any high carb food (100-300)*), so the "well, protein causes an insulin response, too!" line holds about as much water as "insulin instantly makes you fat!".

I think you might want to have a look at this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20060863

The meal with double the carbs and less protein had a lower insulin response. Whilst we could write that off as statistically insignificant it is still the case there is no increase. It is the higher glucose / blood sugar response which is the key variable between the two.

Insulin is a hormone necessary for our bodies to function. It keeps us from overloading our blood with Glucose (which is deadly at too high of levels). However, that doesn't change the fact that extreme difficulty losing weight is a common symptom of insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is a giant red flag for the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. It also doesn't change the fact the chronic exposure to certain substances is linked to certain organs malfunctioning or shutting down entirely (alcoholism and the liver are a prime example of this).

* http://www.lowglycemicload.com/glycemic_table.html

Yes, what what does that have to do with the "carbs spike insulin which makes you fat" line? Did you read the study I linked in my previous response which shows that blocking insulin made on difference whatsoever.

The key is low carb (coupled with healthy levels of fat and protein) help stabilise blood sugar levels which then prevents overating which then prevents weight gain as I've said before. This isn't new.

Going on about insulin is simply misguided.

Dragonwolf

Protein doesn't create the same level of insulin response that carbohydrates do (this is pretty well illustrated by comparing the glycemic load of a chicken breast (less than 15) to that of pretty much any high carb food (100-300)*), so the "well, protein causes an insulin response, too!" line holds about as much water as "insulin instantly makes you fat!".

I think you might want to have a look at this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20060863

The meal with double the carbs and less protein had a lower insulin response. Whilst we could write that off as statistically insignificant it is still the case there is no increase. It is the higher glucose / blood sugar response which is the key variable between the two.

Insulin is a hormone necessary for our bodies to function. It keeps us from overloading our blood with Glucose (which is deadly at too high of levels). However, that doesn't change the fact that extreme difficulty losing weight is a common symptom of insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is a giant red flag for the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. It also doesn't change the fact the chronic exposure to certain substances is linked to certain organs malfunctioning or shutting down entirely (alcoholism and the liver are a prime example of this).

* http://www.lowglycemicload.com/glycemic_table.html

Yes, what what does that have to do with the "carbs spike insulin which makes you fat" line? Did you read the study I linked in my previous response which shows that blocking insulin made on difference whatsoever.

The key is low carb (coupled with healthy levels of fat and protein) help stabilise blood sugar levels which then prevents overating which then prevents weight gain as I've said before. This isn't new.

Going on about insulin is simply misguided.

I see what happened. My original post was correctly worded (I stated that a carb-heavy meal dumps glucose into the bloodstream, causing an insulin response). Somewhere in there, it got derailed into just insulin (in part by whoever put the "carbs spike insulin which instantly makes you fat!" words into my mouth, as I've said no such thing), which then perpetuated when I misused "insulin response" when I should have said "glucose levels/response" in my comment regarding the Glycemic Load.

(On a side note, while doing some research for my response, I did find that free fatty acids can cause insulin resistance, as well ( http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/54/12/3458.full ), though from what I understood of the paper, it doesn't necessarily have the same effects on protein/amino acid processing that Type 1 Diabetes (which is, in part, marked by inability to absorb protein properly) has. This does reinforce my statements that chronic overexposure to insulin can cause insulin resistance, which is closely linked with Type 2 Diabetes, though the cause of the overexposure isn't just blood glucose. So, in their own contexts, my statements have been correct, but in the context of low carb diets and weight loss, they have turned out to be irrelevant.)

You and I are actually in agreement regarding low carb helping stabilise blood sugar levels (which also naturally prevents overeating, for various reasons), I just worded some of my stuff wrong and got derailed.

It would be really nice if these forums could be threaded, instead of flat....

bcattoes

And what if the cure for obesity (i.e. energy in greater than energy out) is a low carb diet? What if a low carb diet causes a decrease in appetite and an increase in NEAT calories spontaneously? What if eliminating carbs from your diet allows your body to regulate it's weight just like it regulates everything else like breathing, body temperature and blood pressure.

Why does it have to be a lack of will power or people being lazy and stupid? Have you ever seen kids eat right before a growth spurt? They're always hungry. Do you see post after post with women asking how to deal with being HUNGRY before menstruation? Why is it so hard to even consider that something else is driving the obesity epidemic around the world?

Diet and maintain your weight however you'd like but it really takes some hubris to believe you know everything and there's nothing to be learned about obesity.

This is a pretty ridiculous post. Why would a low carb diet take less will power than any other diet? Even IF a low carb diet were a cure for obesity, that would not remove will power from the equation. I've never been obese, but it would sure take a lot of will power for me to follow a low carb diet. I suppose I would if I had to, but luckily I don't.

Low carb diets could cure obesity if everyone followed it and created a deficit. Many diets could. But many people don't have the will power (or desire) to follow them.

Well since you've never been overweight I'm going to guess you've never felt like you need to eat all of the time but how about a smoker? For me, the experience has been remarkably similar. It's hard at first but once you just suck it up and do it it gets better. And while an occasional craving pops up you feel so much better you wouldn't think about picking up a pack of cigarettes again--no will power required.

I didn't say I'd never been overweight, I said I'd never been obese. They are different. But you are correct that I've never been a binge eater. I've never felt out of control with food.

Just because someone has never been obese, or even overweight, doesn't mean they don't know about will power. In fact, it's arguable that they know much more about it than someone who has let their weight get out of control because they've been using will power all their life to prevent getting fat.

PittShkr

TLDR

sarahharmintx

To quote a coworker that did Atkins for years "Youll really lose weight fast but low carb eating is not sustainable long term". And thats why I dont do low carb.

Onesnap

This article came out this week. AMAZING to read.

Q: Are high protein and low carb diets effective?

'In Dieting, Magic Isn’t a Substitute for Science'

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/health/nutrition/q-and-a-are-high-protein-low-carb-diets-effective.html?_r=3

imchicbad

If dieting or exercise works, why are people still fat ?

diet and exercise work...its the fat people that "dont work" (no offense to anyone who puts in work), and you can low carb all day long, yes you will lose weight, but once you get sick of the same food, and get high cholesteral from all the meat and clogged arteries etc....well like any other fad diet or 'miracle pill" for the lazy who dont want to put in work- it will eventually fail. You have to be realistics with your food and life.

Onesnap

If dieting or exercise works, why are people still fat ?

diet and exercise work...its the fat people that "dont work" (no offense to anyone who puts in work), and you can low carb all day long, yes you will lose weight, but once you get sick of the same food, and get high cholesteral from all the meat and clogged arteries etc....well like any other fad diet or 'miracle pill" for the lazy who dont want to put in work- it will eventually fail. You have to be realistics with your food and life.

Don't forget kidney issues from long-term low carb diets.

Onesnap

For those of you that missed it, check out the recent film series 'The Weight of the Nation'

You can watch it here:

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/

Dave198lbs

To quote a coworker that did Atkins for years "Youll really lose weight fast but low carb eating is not sustainable long term". And thats why I dont do low carb.

disagree

where is the rule or law that says you cant do low carb forever? what if you HAVE to do low carb or be sick all the time?

this attitude is just an excuse. No one is going to force you to eat carbs or anything. It is marketing, television and too much brain washing that says you have to eat a bunch of carbs.

Bobby_Clerici

I am not a low carb pusher, but this article is not balanced.
The reason people are fat is always the same thing.
We eat to much and are too lazy to exercise.

Let's not make rocket science out of what is simple...:bigsmile:

HisPathDaily

It's a wish for an easy solution. "If I can just change my diet, eat 40 pounds of bacon a day, but skip the snickers, I'll be healthy!" It takes work. Are there some great tips that can come out of this research? Sure. It's been interesting to see some of the info about fat processing, carb effects, alcohol, etc. I think it's good information to create for yourself a good, educated, and balanced diet.

I subscribe to a really fad diet: Run more / Eat Healthy
Hopefully in a year I'll upgrade to the 2013 version: Continue Running / Continue Eating Healthy

People don't seem to argue about what is healthy, they seem to argue about what is perfect. Can we just agree that perhaps healthy is a little subjective? If I make a nice turkey sandwich on my homemade wheat bread, I don't need the carb police to tell me I'm eating unhealthy. I think that's a pretty good choice over a Big Mac ...

Patient: The problem is obesity runs in my family.
Doctor: The problem is that nobody runs in your family.

HisPathDaily

Exactly ... I'm sure we all have our own opinions on what may be better, what works better for us ... but it really isn't that complicated.

Let's not make rocket science out of what is simple

BeingWiser

Whatever type of diet you follow, at the end of the day it is still boils down to calories in - calories out = weight loss or gain. It doesn't matter whether you go low carb or low fat but if you're eating more than you burn then you will still gain weight. There is no magic diet that will instantly make you slimmer while at the same time eating as much as you want. If it were true then everyone would be slim & toned.

THIS!

Onesnap

Information about Mr. Atkins's death. He was obese when he died according to the weight on his death certificate.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/doctor/atkins.asp

mebshipp

I totally agree!