So scared of carbs! HELP!
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Look to the reasoning behind your binges. Are you stressed? Are you restricting too much? What triggers it.
Yes and yes.0 -
According to marksdaily apple website
50-100 carbs per day is the sweet spot for "effortless weight loss"
100-150 is the maintenance range for life long
150-300 = slow insiduous weight gaine (if constant)
300 + danger zone possibiltiy to type 2 diabetes (if constant)
I keep those numbers in mind and try and include a healthy balance of all food groups including carbs.
I would not be afraid of them if you are eating a healthy, balanced diet free of over processed foods and high in protein.
I did the dr. bernstein plan and was shocked that it had two portions of carbs every day, plus fruits, veggies containing carbs after years of trying to avoid them. I adopted this balanced and portion controlled eating and have been losing weight ever since.0 -
Everytime I binge (which is always carbs!) I gain like crazy. I'd love to just be able to eat normal and only worry about calories but for some reason I am scared to death of carbs and weight gain! If I eat "good" carbs and limit calories I'm sure I'll start losing again but I can't wrap my head around this concept.
Please tell me carbs are not the scary evil monster that my brain is making them out to be!:sad:
Seek professional help as fearing food or a macronutrient is abnormal behavior
LOL! I know right???! The evil carbs in the pantry give me nightmares. LOL!
Possible mental disorders are no laughing matter0 -
Bump0
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Excuse me for being ignorant but if I eat carbs and I have the glycogen stores then won't my weight continue to go up? The more carbs I have (even good carbs) then the more water I store, which means the more weight I gain?
There is an upper limit to how much glycogen you can store.0 -
Take me as an example! I was also a Carbophobe but guess what? About 40% of my diet is carbs now (not even all from good sources) and I've never felt better, I can exercise more efficiently, am getting noticeable results, concentrate more, feel more satisfied and I found it to be 100000000x times more effective than those God Damn low carb keto diets that just put too much stress on the body. Life is just easier now!0
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Thanks. My typical routine is high protein, low carbs, and then I binge, gain weight from the carb binge, and start over again and again each week. I also eat under 1200 calories (which is bad I know!) and then I'm starving at the end of the day and end up binging, beating myself up and watching the scale slowly go up. I think I'll check out Tosca Reno's eat clean diet and go from there. So sick of beating myself up over this carb thing. :explode: :grumble:
You should really read Part 2 (the nutrition section) of "The New Rules of Lifting For Women". I recommend this whether you intend to lift weights or not. It's just good common sense, no myths, no BS. Check it out.0 -
Thanks. My typical routine is high protein, low carbs, and then I binge, gain weight from the carb binge, and start over again and again each week. I also eat under 1200 calories (which is bad I know!) and then I'm starving at the end of the day and end up binging, beating myself up and watching the scale slowly go up. I think I'll check out Tosca Reno's eat clean diet and go from there. So sick of beating myself up over this carb thing. :explode: :grumble:
Your answer is here ^^^
You under eat, then you binge, you retain water, the scale goes up, you beat yourself up.
This is a bad cycle you are in. And one that will never serve you. EVER.
Look at my profile pic. I used to be obese. I got to where I am not by refusing carbs, or refined sugars, or any such stuff. I got here by every day (1) eating the proper amount of calories (1200 calories PLUS exercise calories *OR* TDEE -20%), (2) watching my macronutrient intake, (3) making sure I'm receiving proper nutrition in terms of micronutrienst, and (4) working out.
It's not that complicated really. You are getting all caught up in stuff that doesn't serve you.
Also, I will advocate the importance of positive vibes. Negative thought patterns are destructive. Positive thought patterns make posivibes grow exponentially. Exercise can be fun, like surfing. If you focus on joy, and joy coming from life, and eating properly to live, and having an attitude of gratitude for what you got, be it a salad, or a nice 5 min walk to your office, or a cheese burger on white bread that fits your calorie/macro and micronutrient goals for the day, then you will find yourself in a better state of health.0 -
Thanks. My typical routine is high protein, low carbs, and then I binge, gain weight from the carb binge, and start over again and again each week. I also eat under 1200 calories (which is bad I know!) and then I'm starving at the end of the day and end up binging, beating myself up and watching the scale slowly go up. I think I'll check out Tosca Reno's eat clean diet and go from there. So sick of beating myself up over this carb thing. :explode: :grumble:
Your answer is here ^^^
You under eat, then you binge, you retain water, the scale goes up, you beat yourself up.
This is a bad cycle you are in. And one that will never serve you. EVER.
Look at my profile pic. I used to be obese. I got to where I am not by refusing carbs, or refined sugars, or any such stuff. I got here by every day (1) eating the proper amount of calories (1200 calories PLUS exercise calories *OR* TDEE -20%), (2) watching my macronutrient intake, (3) making sure I'm receiving proper nutrition in terms of micronutrienst, and (4) working out.
It's not that complicated really. You are getting all caught up in stuff that doesn't serve you.
Also, I will advocate the importance of positive vibes. Negative thought patterns are destructive. Positive thought patterns make posivibes grow exponentially. Exercise can be fun, like surfing. If you focus on joy, and joy coming from life, and eating properly to live, and having an attitude of gratitude for what you got, be it a salad, or a nice 5 min walk to your office, or a cheese burger on white bread that fits your calorie/macro and micronutrient goals for the day, then you will find yourself in a better state of health.
:drinker: LOUD CLAPPING :drinker:0 -
Carbs are fine.
It was the overeating/binging that did it.0 -
I'm ALWAYS under on carbs! I guess because I keep thinking if I eat more carbs than I am, I'll go overboard.0
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Not if you're in calorie deficit.Ninerbuff,
Excuse me for being ignorant but if I eat carbs and I have the glycogen stores then won't my weight continue to go up? The more carbs I have (even good carbs) then the more water I store, which means the more weight I gain?
Sorry this is just confusing to me. Maybe why I'm so afraid of carbs!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
By no means am I a nutritionist ... but as others have also said, I think you answered your issue yourself. When you eat carbs you BINGE! So rather than just eliminate them from your diet - which most likely is leading to your carb cravings and binges - add them in moderation. This doesn't mean adding highly processed carbs, but add whole grains, oats, brown rice, etc.0
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If you ate a normal amount of carbs, your body would hold a normal amount of water weight and glycogen. Because you are restricting carbs to such low degrees, your less weight is attributed mainly to less water in the body. Thus, when you increase your carbs, you are increasing water retention to more or less normal levels. In other words, you can relax because the gain - which you shouldn't call it that - isn't from fat mass.
Glycogen is a solute which attracts water. Each 1 gram of stored glycogen pulls in 2.7 grams of water. FYI: 225 grams is 0.5 lbs. I'm being very simple here but that would lead to a gain of 1.35 lbs of water weight.0 -
I used to be a fan of ketogenic diets, but found that too low of a carb level made me crave them all the more... and then I started bingeing, which I had NEVER done in my life until I restricted carbs. I highly recommend reading The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno, or even checking out Mark's Daily Apple blog, as someone else mentioned. I eat now closer to 50-100g per day of carbs, most of which are fruits & vegetables, along with some grains here and there. It feels way more balanced overall. And you shouldn't fear the carb monster if you are exercising and eating at your caloric limit daily.
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You've lost water weight. And carbs are muscle sparing, so if you're losing weight without exercise, then you're also burning lean muscle tissue. NOT A GOOD THING as it will eventually lower your metabolic rate.Carbs are usually full of sugar and sugar causes your body to crave more sugar, which is why you can't stop eating them. I eat low carb 6 days a week and fulfill my cravings on the 7th day (mainly pizza and beer) and will see a weight gain for 2-3 days after since carbs cause you to retain water.
Look into 4-hour body if you want to eliminate carbs, since that plan allows for good carbs (beens, lentils, etc). He doesn't allow cheese, which I do eat and have still had weight loss with.
Some people, like my husband, eat one carb-ful item and are in a "drunken" state from it. I however, get a sugar rush with lots of energy until I crash and feel hungover. Sugar and Carbs are not necessary in your diet. If you eliminate carbs, your body will fuel itself from fat and protein.
It's a balancing act. I never thought I could eliminate carbs, but having my one "cheat day" makes it so much easier and I've lost 18 pounds so far (without exercise).
It is a "balancing" act. Though carbs aren't essential, they play a key part in actual energy use for the body. Don't fear them, learn to utilize them correctly.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Thanks for posting this, OP. I needed the reminder.
I, too, am too obsessed with macros. I try hard not to be. Some days I am OK going over a teensy bit. But I often eat less calories than I need if my fats or carbs are going to 'go over'. I am working on it. slowly. Sometimes I will trick myself, but not really. It is grains carbs that I am really concerned about (I know in general they are not bad, but they often seem to trigger my hypoglycemia and chronic migraines) So it is those carbs I want to keep lower, so sometimes I do quick add calories for fruits and veggies- so I won't worry about the carbs from those. because I get obsessed with the percentages.
(PS- I am at my maintenance weight and so far so good - 2 weeks- so, the Quick Add cheat to avoid certain carbs doesn't seem to be hurting)0 -
Carbs don't make you fat. Fat doesn't make you fat. Excess calories make you fat.
It sounds like you're binging because you feel deprived from going low carb. Have you tried a moderate carb plan? It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
^^^THIS^^^ I have been on a plan that is lower in carb, not "low carb" and it has proved very beneficial to me---my body fat has gone from 50% to 32% in two years, and I hope to be at 25% in a year or so--but I will be patient and it will take the amount of time that it takes. One of the things that I found out about myself was that sugar caused me to binge, so I eliminated it--same with wheat. BUT I eat everything else, including one or two pieces of 100% rye bread every day (two pieces on my heavy exercise days). I keep my carb intake to 100-200 grams per day (with the higher amounts on my more intense exercise days) to control my blood sugar spikes without doing damage to my muscles from too low an intake of carbohydrates.
One thing that men on these forums don't always take into account is that women have slightly different bio-chemistry from men because of the influence of the much higher levels of estrogen that women have (yes, men have estrogen too but a tiny amount in comparison to women and estrogen raises blood sugar---for reasons of gestation). As such, most women need to restrict their carbohydrate intake a bit more than men, who, by virtue of their greater muscle mass, can burn off carbohydrates faster than women. Increasing your muscle mass will also help you a great deal.0 -
Glycogen is a solute which attracts water. Each 1 gram of stored glycogen pulls in 2.7 grams of water. FYI: 225 grams is 0.5 lbs. I'm being very simple here but that would lead to a gain of 1.35 lbs of water weight.
Interesting!0 -
One thing that men on these forums don't always take into account is that women have slightly different bio-chemistry from men because of the influence of the much higher levels of estrogen that women have (yes, men have estrogen too but a tiny amount in comparison to women and estrogen raises blood sugar---for reasons of gestation). As such, most women need to restrict their carbohydrate intake a bit more than men, who, by virtue of their greater muscle mass, can burn off carbohydrates faster than women. Increasing your muscle mass will also help you a great deal.
This makes sense as I always wondered why my weight fluctuate so much compared to my husband's!0
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