why do people think carbs are so bad/evil?

stines72

im just curious. a lot of people do a low carb diet for weight loss.. im not quite sure how low carb helps you lose weight. i always go way over on carbs for the day as per MFP's recommended value but ive had no problem losing the weight.. so even if youre within your calorie budget and still on a deficit- if you go over on carbs that means youll gain weight?

nphect

if you go over on anything you will gain weight. low carb diets are just a way to lower calories and still maintain healthy levels of fat and protein.

jaaayyxo

Bump. I'm curious about this too. I've always wondered if perhaps too much carbs would have an impact on BFP?

Siege_Tank

ok honestly, I'll lay it out for you, lemme find it, i've written it so many times

DarthH8

Just a super readily available energy source for the body. You don't need a ton at once, yet people eat a ton at once.

edit: You generally don't need a ton at once. You need a ****load of em if you want to build muscle.

djames92

honestly i eat so many carbs its the main portion of what i ate while loosing 80 pounds

cindl24

For me, it is simple: diabetes.

I was pre-diabetic, went low carb and am now fine.

Carbs turn into sugar in your system. You overload your system with sugar and you risk diabetes.

It's not for everyone, but for me....it was necessary.

stines72

so part 2 of the question.. if i have an excess of carbs does ny body not use fat for fuel?

crimznrose

This is layman as I can make it while still giving details: Carbs are quick processing sugars and if you're not burning them any time soon, they tend to store as fat. That being said, when you eat lots of carbs, your insulin spikes. A diet regularly high in carbs leads to higher insulin production. That then numbs your cells to processing the carbs and without being processed that insulin builds up your insulin tolerance. This key is the start of diabetes. Lowering carbs is the first step to getting the roller coaster between insulin and glucose under control.

On the opposite end, however, you need carbs when you are regularly exercising. Those quick burning energy stores are required when you run regularly to replenish what your muscles burn. Long runs (marathons) especially rely on the carb loading they do both before and after a long endurance run to make it to the finish without injury or illness. And on that note....

I can personally testify that IHOP pancakes have never tasted better than the day I ran my first half marathon.

azjenny72

it's more the type of carbs... I know for myself if I eat too many starches or any food that is very high in carbs (other than fruits and vegetables) it usually leads to cravings for more of the same and it sends my intake out of control... makes me feel hungry even if I'm not... I am trying now to find the right balance for carbs that won't send me into a craving mode... also trying to find ways to increase my protein intake.

So for me I simply know that a higher number of carbs will trigger a need for more, but I won't cut them out entirely. I just need to find the right balance.

stines72

This is layman as I can make it while still giving details: Carbs are quick processing sugars and if you're not burning them any time soon, they tend to store as fat. That being said, when you eat lots of carbs, your insulin spikes. A diet regularly high in carbs leads to higher insulin production. That then numbs your cells to processing the carbs and without being processed that insulin builds up your insulin tolerance. This key is the start of diabetes. Lowering carbs is the first step to getting the roller coaster between insulin and glucose under control.

On the opposite end, however, you need carbs when you are regularly exercising. Those quick burning energy stores are required when you run regularly to replenish what your muscles burn. Long runs (marathons) especially rely on the carb loading they do both before and after a long endurance run to make it to the finish without injury or illness. And on that note....

I can personally testify that IHOP pancakes have never tasted better than the day I ran my first half marathon.

thanks for the info.. i do exercise a lot 6 days a week of cardio so maybe im ok. lol thats funny about the pancakes

foxgl0ve

Carbs are not bad, but a number of recent studies - especially this one from Boston Children's hospital (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/06/when-a-calorie-is-not-just-a-calorie/) have shown that a people who eat a low carb diet will lose more weight, and burn more calories at rest than those eating a low-fat diet, or other combos.

I've definitely found that I lose weight faster if I eat low carb, but I do lose sticking to my calories and including carbs, just slower. Certainly if you are stuck with your loss, low carb may be a great thing to try.

stines72

Carbs are not bad, but a number of recent studies - especially this one from Boston Children's hospital (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/06/when-a-calorie-is-not-just-a-calorie/) have shown that a people who eat a low carb diet will lose more weight, and burn more calories at rest than those eating a low-fat diet, or other combos.

I've definitely found that I lose weight faster if I eat low carb, but I do lose sticking to my calories and including carbs, just slower. Certainly if you are stuck with your loss, low carb may be a great thing to try.

do you find that you have trouble getting enough fiber on a low carb diet?

MoreBean13

im just curious. a lot of people do a low carb diet for weight loss.. im not quite sure how low carb helps you lose weight. i always go way over on carbs for the day as per MFP's recommended value but ive had no problem losing the weight .. so even if youre within your calorie budget and still on a deficit- if you go over on carbs that means youll gain weight?

I think you answered your own question.

Certain medical/metabolic conditions makes carbs critical for some people, for most people calories are king.

djames92

i would also like to add that it depends on physical activity. if you workout and by that i mean lift not cardio your body burns more carbs then calories so if you do weight lifting you dont need to worry as much about carbs but if not they become more of a factor

MoreBean13

so part 2 of the question.. if i have an excess of carbs does ny body not use fat for fuel?

Your body always uses a combination of fat and glucose for fuel.

Siege_Tank

The closest thing I have to a study is this:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/junk-food-diet/MY01589

A nutritionist was having an argument with his student, telling the student healthy = nutritious (IE calories that have nutrients in them are better for you, in theory, than calories which don't have vitamins and minerals, ergo nutritious equals healthy). I hate the way modern society has made people feel bad about ice cream and Twinkies.

Now, for carbs, when we eat a carb, our body breaks it down into dietary fiber and glucose, simple sugar. To process it we need insulin, which is a fun little hormone that has its fingers in most other hormone levels. Which is fine.. normal people without diabetes or insulin resistance will see their blood sugar return to normal in about an hour.

When we eat a fat, our body breaks it down into lipids and fatty acids, and chains it with proteins for the body's caloric needs.

When we eat a protein, we break it down into amino acids, and those are used for most of the structural day to day stuff that goes on inside us.

The theory is, insulin tells us, our cells to store. It doesn't make us store, but elevated insulin levels in the presence of a calorie surplus pushes our bodies to store more.. in theory, this is what Dr Adkins was working on with diabetics.

The problem for normal people is, when they sip on carbs, like soda, which is ALL carbs, or when they frequently or constantly eat carbs, that can lend itself to giving us constantly elevated insulin levels. This is how people can and do EAT their way into diabetes type 2. However, it only happens in the context of a calorie surplus.

Some people believe that calories in = calories out, and it DOES, there is no denying that. Some people are worried that they have become insulin resistant after drinking numberous sodas a day every day, for years.. I would fall into the category of those that believe the latter. If you fast and dont eat carbs, you really CAN feel the effects when you eat a carb heavy meal.

Whether this is useful for weight loss purposes or not is open to hot debate, but the idea behind low carbing is to limit or try and moderate blood sugar and insulin spikes. I happen to think that there are MANY ways to jesus, and low fat is one of them. Carbs and proteins have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, so if you low carb you essentially eat up on protein, and fil in the rest of the calorie needs with fats.. but this is within a calorie deficit.

My food log shows how I eat, low carbs, med fats, and high protein, and it's worked well for me. I'm the kid that will sit down with a plate of fries and eliminate them.. quickly.

Sorry, I couldn't find it so I had to type it all from memory.

DrBorkBork

I don't think they're bad or evil. I choose a low carb lifestyle to help manage my diabetes, aaaaand... I did the low fat/high carb thing for years and high fat/low carb is way more delicious!

Oh, also carbs tend to retain more water than any other macronutrient. Why work harder at losing/maintaining than I already have to?

SmallMimi

For me, it is simple: diabetes.

I was pre-diabetic, went low carb and am now fine.

Carbs turn into sugar in your system. You overload your system with sugar and you risk diabetes.

It's not for everyone, but for me....it was necessary.

Same for me!

Siege_Tank

so part 2 of the question.. if i have an excess of carbs does ny body not use fat for fuel?

Your body always uses a combination of fat and glucose for fuel.

Yes, the amazing thing is that your body can chain together fatty acids and lipids and create simple glucose from them. the process is EXCEPTIONALLY inefficient, but you can survive trapped with the donner party with just meat if you *had* to

songbirdtree

This kind of explains...

http://pinterest.com/pin/129408189264042839/

monty619

its because every gram carbohydrates holds 3 grams of water... some people look at the scale go down because they dont eat carbs, but its just that water weight.

bluefox9er

im just curious. a lot of people do a low carb diet for weight loss.. im not quite sure how low carb helps you lose weight. i always go way over on carbs for the day as per MFP's recommended value but ive had no problem losing the weight.. so even if youre within your calorie budget and still on a deficit- if you go over on carbs that means youll gain weight?

only people who dont run think carbs are bad :-)

rshields9093

As far as just weight loss is concerned, and for a typical healthy person, there is no specific benefit to a low carb diet. If you consume fewer calories than your body needs for daily activities (on average, over time) then you WILL loose weight.

There are plenty of reasons why some believe there is value in this or that specialized diet and for people with specific health issues (e.g. diabetes) there may very well be good reasons for a low carb diet. Just like there is reason to consider a low fat diet for heart health, etc. Some people claim that certain specialized diets are easier to stick to for various reasons. But again, just discussing pure weight loss, it is only about calorie deficit (and of course a calorie surplus leads to weight gain).

As long as you are successfully losing weight and your doctor hasn't given you any advice to the contrary, then I would strongly recommend that you just keep doing what you are doing and don't worry about it.

That being said, the available research does strongly suggest that for overall health you should strive to make a lot of your carbs complex carbs and avoid too many simple carbs.

JanaCanada

I am digesting all this great and fascinating info, but one thing I need to know.....what foods are high in carbs, and which aren't? In other words, what foods should you reach for, and which foods should you avoid, if you are looking to go low-carb?

axialmeow

I have pcos and insulin resistance so I have to limit my carbs more than the average person. It makes a difference to me but people without issues like these have no problem with carbs!

MoreBean13

im just curious. a lot of people do a low carb diet for weight loss.. im not quite sure how low carb helps you lose weight. i always go way over on carbs for the day as per MFP's recommended value but ive had no problem losing the weight.. so even if youre within your calorie budget and still on a deficit- if you go over on carbs that means youll gain weight?

only people who dont run think carbs are bad :-)

Amen.

nicleed

For me (ex-carbaholic) lowering my carbs in favour of fats/protein seems to = feeling fuller for longer on the same amount of cals. So less likely to binge.

I *try* to keep macros at 40/30/30, but most days it's more like 50/25/25 - still a lot better than when I started tracking them!

mandisu

For me, it is simple: diabetes.

I was pre-diabetic, went low carb and am now fine.

Carbs turn into sugar in your system. You overload your system with sugar and you risk diabetes.

It's not for everyone, but for me....it was necessary.

Same for me!

I have PCOS, which comes with Insulin Resistance.. i.e. pre-diabetic. Going low carb has been the only way I have successfully lost weight. Why mess with something that is FINALLY working? (For me anyways...)

Siege_Tank

I am digesting all this great and fascinating info, but one thing I need to know.....what foods are high in carbs, and which aren't? In other words, what foods should you reach for, and which foods should you avoid, if you are looking to go low-carb?

SUGAR!! BREAD PASTA RICE, GRAINS, SUGAR!, MOAR SUGAR, FRENCH FRIES HOLY CRAP! did I say sugar? anything not meat and not eggs is on the carby side of life. Nuts are great for low carbers, good balanced food..

Copaiba

I don't eat bread, white potatoes or white rice, and I try to maintain a balance of carbs to protein and fat, but I dont avoid carbs anymore. I like them. They make me feel good. So I eat whole grains and legumes and veggies. If I'm really disciplined, I can lose 1.5 a week. I just have to make sure they aren't ALL I eat. I can sit happily down with a bag of Tostito natural tortilla chips and finish the whole bag in a couple hours. hmmm. I lost a lot of weight 10 years ago with a high protein, low carb diet and I was NOT a happy person.