Another annoying question about carbs hit me with science

Stephiestephs

Hello everyone. I am 5'4" 158 pounds looking to lose about 30 lbs. currently I am doing tdee - 20% thanks to all the great info in the forums. Usually I lose weight by no bread pasta rice white flour or whole wheat or any grain for that matter all week and then I will have it on the weekends. For my wedding for example I lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks doing this. BUT I always gain it back. So that is why I want to try to just eat everything I like but stay in my calorie goal.
On a good day I still usually only eat grains once a day on a 'bad' day maybe a couple times, including dessert.
Did paleo for a month too.
Problem is I read on here that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. And any loss you have doing no carb is water weight. Is that true? I have a real hard time kicking my no grain habit because I do think grains bloat me up and you can't deny how easily I lose weight when I do it. I just dont have the strength to do it like I used to. I want to be able to eat all the things I like in moderation too so I don't just gain it all back.
Also my friend is also trying to lose weight but she is doing paleo and I get so tempted to think she is right and she is going to lose weight fast. She tells me I can't have any dairy I can't have any grains. And I think she is losing weight fast. Her hubby is not paleo but agrees no dairy sugar grains until I start losing

So my question is someone please give me the science, why do I lose weight faster doing no grains? Can I lose the weight doing what I am doing? Maybe there is something weird with me? My old habits have me feeing guilty every time I even have a whole wheat wrap. Or now I feel guilty having cheese and half and half and sugar in my cooffee. I think so far I lost 5-ish pounds in the last month.

weesinglane

You have it right: 1 calorie = 1 calorie = 1 calorie. If you are in calorie deficit, you will lose weight, not matter what.

Carbohydrates are easier for your body to breakdown, so you end up getting hungry sooner. To make your GI system take longer to process carbs, eat them with fiber-rich foods (apples, pears, various greens and nuts).

Otherwise, carbs are perfectly fine. No food is "bad" - just eat in moderation. If you are craving carbs, just make some room in your calorie count.

pinkberet07

I have the same problem. Actually, have been doing the calorie counting thing this past month and lost about 5 lbs as well.
I am also around 158 today. I feel that the biggest thing to get over is the mental stuff that comes with trying every diet out there.
I used to do low carb. For a really long time-during pregnancies and all. Just my opinion- but I do feel it becomes boderline
eating disorderish when applying good and bad labels to food. Its just food. I lose 5 lbs really fast when I low carb-so that tells me it is water. I think portion control with a balanced mindset and balanced priorities goes a long way. Of course, cutting sugar and dairy and wheat can be good - But - if you want a piece of toast and eating it is going to keep you from feeling deprived and help you maintain a long term way of eating without all the mental stuff that diets bring then I say have a piece of toast. Just really savor and enjoy it. Life is meant to be full and enjoyable. I got tired of everything being No. I think its human nature to eventually rebel. The weightloss is slower but when I exercise and watch my portions I do feel more balanced. I tend to make healthier choices because no one is forcing me to do anything. Hope this helps.

Stephiestephs

Yes pink I agree. Being told no does make me go overboard. For instance when I was in s.c. On a little vacation, if I was doing no grain I would've gone nuts down there and had no idea how many calories I was eating and totally went crazy because ' its the weekend I can't have this stuff for another six days after today' whereas I would've shoveled huge portions of pizza, bagels, grits in my face I had some of that stuff but I had one portion or a half or whatever. I loooooooove food.
So it's true that its just water weight you lose when you do low carb? Why is that what exactly does it mean to lose water weight and how do you know?

majope

Keep in mind that it's not JUST water weight when you go low carb--if your calories eaten are less than your calories used, then of course you'll lose fat on a low-carb diet. It's just that carbs, stored as glycogen, make you hold on to water, so if you go low-carb, you lose that glycogen and its accompanying water--which comes right back when you start eating carbs again. EDIT (hit post too soon): But any fat you lost on your low-carb diet will stay off if you eat properly at maintenance...which many people don't do successfully because all they learned on a low-carb diet was how not to eat carbs, not how to incorporate them in a healthy diet.

vegaspfmf

If you are on a low carb diet and in a caloric deficit then you will lose fat. A calorie=calorie=calorie

Stephiestephs

Majope. Does that glycogen statement go for all carbs? Because I do get carbs in I just don't eat a lot of grains. Now I am scared that I am putting myself on some kind of sick twisted carb roller coaster.

majope

Majope. Does that glycogen statement go for all carbs? Because I do get carbs in I just don't eat a lot of grains. Now I am scared that I am putting myself on some kind of sick twisted carb roller coaster.

You don't need to be on any kind of roller coaster. I would recommend that while you're losing weight, eat the way you intend to when you go to maintenance, only less. Cut back on calories, not on groups of things you like to eat. If you enjoy eating fewer carbs because you naturally prefer more protein and/or fat, don't change that. If you like carbs, don't try to restrict them in a way that's unnatural to you. Not sure what you like best? Experiment until you find a balance you like and can stick to.

But to answer your question, yes, for glycogen storage as I understand it, carbs are carbs. Complex carbs take longer to digest, so will fill you up longer (whole grains vs. sugar, for instance) but to the best of my knowledge the storage afterwards isn't different.

Griffin220x

Eat your food and like it! You'll lose at a deficit.

gaiagal3

I'm a carbaholic but eat at a major calorie deficit and have still been losing weight. It isn't as fast but when I deprive myself of carbs for long periods I go hog wild and go for the worst of the worst...junk food. When I eat carbs on a regular basis and don't deprive myself I make much better choices. As long as I my diet is well balanced and I'm staying under my calories I'm happy.

katevarner

I agree with majope re: what I have read. I also do better losing when I limit grains--I usually give up bread, pasta, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes) and white rice (brown rice once a week on my heaviest workout day). I have always lost the quickest eating this way, and not just water weight, but fat, and sometimes muscle, too. I have also gained the weight back when I returned to white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white rice and regular Cokes (and to be fair, I always quit exercising once I started gaining, and then the weight really piled on). This time, instead of telling myself I can never have those things again (and to be honest, I don't really like most of them, but I eat them out of convenience), I am allowing myself to have them sparingly (well, not the Cokes).

I know that a lot of people here say that a calorie is a calorie, but there is plenty of information out there that suggests that for some of us, at least, that may not be entirely true. Sure, "everyone" can lose in a deficit, but not always at a specific rate (that is, just because you eat 500 calories under your TDEE, doesn't mean you will lose 1 lb. per week each week).

If you do better cutting out carbs, then by all means, cut them out, but be mindful that if you just all of a sudden add them all back when you hit maintenance, you might not maintain, at least not at first. Even Atkins advises adding some of them back, but slowly. Alternatively, only cut out some of them instead of all of them and see how it goes for a bit. If you lose quickly enough, then you don't have to cut them all out. I ate fruit, sweet potatoes and a little brown rice while I was losing and was able to average about .8 lbs. per week for the 6 months when I was trying hardest to lose. Also keep in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint, so if it takes a while to lose all you want, don't get discouraged, just keep going.

phjorg

To weight in here. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, is true enough. But not absolute.

Proof being the harvard study where equal calories, but different macros produced different weight loss results. so it's not quite as cut and dry.

Best advice is pick a calorie goal, and try and balance your macros somewhat. Do that and you're golden. Prob the biggest mistake I saw when looking at clients diet sheets was the mistake that clean eating was more important than balanced eating. I saw sooo many diet sheets that were nothing but healthy foods, but basically 0 fats, low protein and all carbs. So yes, you're still effing over your metabolism with diets like that because the body is still starving.

angelcurry130

A calorie is a calorie...our bodies just process them differently.

I made my decision to go low carb after talking with Dr. Robert Su on carbohydrates and their effects. I also spent years struggling to lose weight without a plan. Low carb works for me better than anything else has. I don't think carbs are "evil." I just don't think I need to be glutting on them when I can have protein or high fiber veggies.

pinkberet07

Yes, the glycogen water combination is the initial weight I experienced losing while on low carb. If I had majored in nutrition I am sure I could give you all kinds of science behind why this happens. I do know that eating low carb and working out for me stalled all of my weightloss because I was not feeding my body what I needed for recovery. I was doing Chalen Extreme, Insanity, and Turbofire. So I did lose weight but it was also very hard on my body because I was so bent on following the rules of the diet. So I can only speak for my experience. I really enjoy eating again now without guilt. I watch my calorie load and I usually choose really healthy meals because that is what sounds good to me. I got super tired of low carb and I always went over board with the cheese on that diet. For me this is a very good way to be 100% honest with myself about what I have eaten. I do still eat Ezkiel bread but somedays, I eat an english muffin with egg whites and its so good. I really am enjoying the choices. So far I realy like MFP. Its working for me.

Stephiestephs

Thank you everyone. Great info here. I am going to try and continue my low grain healthy eating, but stop beating myself up about an English muffin or a side of rice he and there. And of course brownies and such here and there too.
It's true when I deprive for a while I go nuts on the grains. It's way I have a little everyday

valligal

I found the book Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It interesting - may want to check it out!

SJ46

Like others have said - it is water weight loss.

Here is a great explanation: http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058097.php

2013sk

Thank you everyone. Great info here. I am going to try and continue my low grain healthy eating, but stop beating myself up about an English muffin or a side of rice he and there. And of course brownies and such here and there too.
It's true when I deprive for a while I go nuts on the grains. It's way I have a little everyday

I'm trying to do the same, I cut out bread for a long time....then I have this mad binge on bread with peanut butter, super carb craving. But now I am trying to have bread in moderation so I don't go and binge on 8 slices where I haven't had it. I think you can have what you want in moderation, and be under your calories.....add some exercise into too....and you should loose your weight

Good luck

lvbor

Adding my voice to the others here, but I also want to address the "no dairy" instruction you said a couple of people had given you. A lot of young women, in particular, are calcium deficient because they eat little or no dairy. I agree with the poster above who said that the "bad food" mentality that makes people feel horribly guilty about the tiniest bit of some food is straying into eating disorder territory. The idea that you must never have carbs or never have dairy is orthorexic. It's not healthy.

Include some dairy, include some carbs, include some proteins, include some fruit and if your overall energy intake is ok, you'll be ok. You'll also be less likely to binge or have your weight yoyo because of the extinction burst from your pet craving.

Lupercalia

Like others have said - it is water weight loss.

Here is a great explanation: http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058097.php

OMG i've lost 88 pounds of water?! Bloody hell! :noway:

OP, eat a balanced diet providing you are not dealing with any sort of metabolic issues or food intolerances and you'll be fine. There isn't any need to overthink caloric deficits. Make good choices, eat sensible portion sizes, weigh/measure/track everything.

If you find that certain foods lead you to overeat, feel poorly, etc. then simply don't eat them.

ollisnan

Like others have said - it is water weight loss.

Here is a great explanation: http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058097.php

OMG i've lost 88 pounds of water?! Bloody hell! :noway:

OP, eat a balanced diet providing you are not dealing with any sort of metabolic issues or food intolerances and you'll be fine. There isn't any need to overthink caloric deficits. Make good choices, eat sensible portion sizes, weigh/measure/track everything.

If you find that certain foods lead you to overeat, feel poorly, etc. then simply don't eat them.

HAHA! love your comment about the water!

I agree with most of what has already been said above. Please don't get all hung up about 'carbs' etc being "BAD". Carbs are not just bread etc, they include fruit and veg (extremely good for you, and for your diet!) and they are broken down in the same way by the body. Every person is completely individual and what will work for others may possibly work for you, but probably not because your body will burn your nutrients in a different way than, say, mine would.

I believe that you should stick to what you are doing. Eat the foods that you enjoy, and just eat them in moderation. DO NOT go way under your calorie requirements thinking that you are doing yourself good by losing the weight that little bit faster, it won't work in the long term because you can't continue like that forever. (A friend of mine lost over 9.5 stone on diets shakes etc, and within 12 months has now put it all back on because she can't control her eating!)

Personally, I have tried the calorie reduction way and it doesn't really suit me as I constantly feel deprived, so I have just started the 5:2 diet this week, and have to say that I think this will suit me much better, as I feel like I am only 'dieting' two days a week.

The human body is not yet able to digest grains etc properly yet, as it has only been introduced very recently in terms of the evolution of our digestive systems. This is partly why people sometimes feel bloated after eating grains, particularly bread. Another reason you may get bloated after bread is because many bakeries only 'part bake' the bread during manufacture, so the yeast carries on fermenting inside the body. (I was shocked when I was told this by a friend who has had a bakery for generations!). If you do feel the need to eat breads etc, try to stick to whole grains as they are low GI (will digest more slowly), and contain far more essential vitamins/minerals etc.

On the subject of low carb diets, the reason most people lose weight on them is because they end up eating fewer calories overall, so it is really just another calorie reduction system.

At the end of the day, the real science is CALORIES IN - CALORIES USED/BURNED = WEIGHT LOSS OR GAIN.
You have to put less calories into your body than it uses in order to lose weight. This is why exercise will help in your weight loss journey too.

I wish you the very best of luck in your weight loss journey. YOU CAN DO IT! (I have found that listening to hypnosis recordings when going to sleep at night has relaxed me lots in relation to food, and many are free apps to download).