Low carbs special effect?
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aalhasan
Posts: 104
Hello everyone,
So I've been on this wonderful site for almost 1 month so far and I feel great!
However, I'm confused about the "low carbs" issue.
Some people said that, for weight-loss, it doesn't matter what kind of food you take in as long as you're within you're set calorie intake (Note: I'm getting the nutritions and vitamins my body needs). On the other hand, some people mentioned something about sugar/insulin, claiming that a high carb diet doesn't help with weight-loss.
My average intake per day is: 80-90 out of 60 recommended protein intake, 80-100 out of 223 recommended cars intake, and 30-40 out of 65 recommended fat intake.
Can anyone help? I love carbs and I'd not like to have it out of my diet.
Note: I'm happy with my progress but I'd like to take my precaution.
Thanks in advance!
So I've been on this wonderful site for almost 1 month so far and I feel great!
However, I'm confused about the "low carbs" issue.
Some people said that, for weight-loss, it doesn't matter what kind of food you take in as long as you're within you're set calorie intake (Note: I'm getting the nutritions and vitamins my body needs). On the other hand, some people mentioned something about sugar/insulin, claiming that a high carb diet doesn't help with weight-loss.
My average intake per day is: 80-90 out of 60 recommended protein intake, 80-100 out of 223 recommended cars intake, and 30-40 out of 65 recommended fat intake.
Can anyone help? I love carbs and I'd not like to have it out of my diet.
Note: I'm happy with my progress but I'd like to take my precaution.
Thanks in advance!
0
Replies
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Unless you have gluten allergies or something, you're fine. The idea of sugar/insulin spikes due to carbs or the glycemic index of foods being important is overblown.
With that being said, if you find that you're eating fewer calories overall but still struggling to lose weight and/or finding that you don't have energy for the gym, or having problems sleeping, etc. such that FURTHER lowering your calories is not a viable option, it wouldn't hurt to experiment with lower carbs and higher fat. Just be sure to give it time... say, 1-2 weeks at a minimum, each time you decide to follow a plan to see if it's working for you.0 -
Agree with the above poster...the whole low carb fad is entirely over-hyped.
I recommend that you eat however many grams MFP suggests that you eat; if you eat too few carbs you'll have no energy to workout (or do anything else, for that matter). Although you might see the weight come off initially, once you start eating carbs again you'll gain it all back. And you will eventually start eating carbs again because a low-carb/carb-free diet isn't sustainable at all.
I'd recommend that you eat a balanced diet that includes ALL food groups.0 -
Without knowing your weight, I'm going to say you could prob up your protein a tad0
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If you want to avoid the insulin and blood sugar spikes that come with eating carbs, all you have to do is eat higher fiber carbs, or eat high carb foods with other foods that contain protein. Fiber and protein digest slower so the sugar is released into your system slower.
Unless you've been advised to do so by your doctor, there is no reason to go low carb other than personal preference.0 -
Hello everyone,
So I've been on this wonderful site for almost 1 month so far and I feel great!
However, I'm confused about the "low carbs" issue.
Some people said that, for weight-loss, it doesn't matter what kind of food you take in as long as you're within you're set calorie intake (Note: I'm getting the nutritions and vitamins my body needs). On the other hand, some people mentioned something about sugar/insulin, claiming that a high carb diet doesn't help with weight-loss.
My average intake per day is: 80-90 out of 60 recommended protein intake, 80-100 out of 223 recommended cars intake, and 30-40 out of 65 recommended fat intake.
Can anyone help? I love carbs and I'd not like to have it out of my diet.
Note: I'm happy with my progress but I'd like to take my precaution.
Thanks in advance!
Some quick estimating shows that's less than 1200 cals. Are you sure you're getting the nutrition you need?
But to your question... people with insulin sensitivity do have reason to worry about sugars and cabs. People who don't, don't. If you're losing with your current approach, and you feel good, I wouldn't over think things. Perhaps increase all 3 macros a bit, but I wouldn't worry about finer details at this point.0 -
Although you might see the weight come off initially, once you start eating carbs again you'll gain it all back. And you will eventually start eating carbs again because a low-carb/carb-free diet isn't sustainable at all.
can you explain this further?
I'm not crossing my set calorie intake at all. Will something go wrong if I start eating carbs again yet I'm still under my calorie goal?
Oh and my weight is 205-210, 5'8 height, 19 yo.0 -
Hello everyone,
So I've been on this wonderful site for almost 1 month so far and I feel great!
However, I'm confused about the "low carbs" issue.
Some people said that, for weight-loss, it doesn't matter what kind of food you take in as long as you're within you're set calorie intake (Note: I'm getting the nutritions and vitamins my body needs). On the other hand, some people mentioned something about sugar/insulin, claiming that a high carb diet doesn't help with weight-loss.
My average intake per day is: 80-90 out of 60 recommended protein intake, 80-100 out of 223 recommended cars intake, and 30-40 out of 65 recommended fat intake.
Can anyone help? I love carbs and I'd not like to have it out of my diet.
Note: I'm happy with my progress but I'd like to take my precaution.
Thanks in advance!
Some quick estimating shows that's less than 1200 cals. Are you sure you're getting the nutrition you need?
But to your question... people with insulin sensitivity do have reason to worry about sugars and cabs. People who don't, don't. If you're losing with your current approach, and you feel good, I wouldn't over think things. Perhaps increase all 3 macros a bit, but I wouldn't worry about finer details at this point.
You're right, that's a bit low. However I usually consume around 1200-1300 calories and they're all "dense" (Fruits, vegetables, lean meat, whole wheat carbs, healthy fats, dairy)0 -
Lifestyle changes .....I don't "diet" using low carb because that is not how I will eat in the future. I'm trying to make changes that I can keep permanently.
Here's what I'm trying for .....making sure to get enough protien .... trying to get some at every meal. Fats are not bad..... I come form the "old school" .... fat is bad, low fat is good .....NOT true. I'm trying to increase my fats.
Finally, carbs are not bad .... but I don't need an overabundance of them. American diets have changed (an not for the good) .... french fries & hamburgers ..... starchy potatotoes & white bread ...in the SAME meal. I try to make the bun whole wheat & skip the fries & go for salad instead. Someone here in MFP called this "carb re-hab"0 -
A page of scientific references if you have some time on your hands - http://www.dietdoctor.com/weight-loss-time-to-stop-denying-the-science0
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A page of scientific references if you have some time on your hands - http://www.dietdoctor.com/weight-loss-time-to-stop-denying-the-science
Most of those are comparisons to a low-fat diet. It's quite possible to not eat either low fat or low carb, ya know. And it's the sustainability factor that leads most experts to not recommend low carb. Of course it is possible to sustain it, but the fact is that most don't. In one of those studies, the participants didn't even eat as low carb as they were told.0 -
I'm going to have to disagree that the low-carb is over-hyped. Or shall I say, low-grain. There's a lot of research out there that points to otherwise. If you look at all your fit Hollywood people, they all generally say the same thing: they follow a protein-rich, vegetable-rich, low to no grain diet.
I have never been an over-eater per se. But keeping grains to a minimum (i.e. one meal a day) helped me get 20 pounds off and maintain that weight for five years. If I "screw up", I see it on the scale, and I also feel lethargic. Some say 1200 calories is 1200 calories. But you can eat a lot more food @ 1200 calories if you're eating clean and unprocessed foods.0 -
I'm going to have to disagree that the low-carb is over-hyped. Or shall I say, low-grain. There's a lot of research out there that points to otherwise. If you look at all your fit Hollywood people, they all generally say the same thing: they follow a protein-rich, vegetable-rich, low to no grain diet.
I have never been an over-eater per se. But keeping grains to a minimum (i.e. one meal a day) helped me get 20 pounds off and maintain that weight for five years. If I "screw up", I see it on the scale, and I also feel lethargic. Some say 1200 calories is 1200 calories. But you can eat a lot more food @ 1200 calories if you're eating clean and unprocessed foods.
I don't think that's a great example. For example, Michael Phelps should be considered fit but he eats a ton of carbs.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080813/the-olympic-diet-of-michael-phelps
Of course, his nutritional needs are different from the average Joe. You can also look at the nutritional macros for, say, professional bodybuilders, all of whom eat copious amount of carbs even when losing fat... arguably more efficiently than fit Hollywood people. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of possibilities all of which work. There are flaws with most of the so-called low-carb studies as well, one of which is failure to match protein intake but I'm not going to go through all of the studies. Not that I'd be exceptionally qualified to do so in any event. :laugh:
Probably the best way to put it is that an individual's carb requirements will vary. For the OP, if she can successfully lose weight and improve health markers with 80-100g of carbs daily, there's no need to switch to a low-carb diet trying for some non-specific metabolic advantage.0 -
I'm going to have to disagree that the low-carb is over-hyped. Or shall I say, low-grain. There's a lot of research out there that points to otherwise. If you look at all your fit Hollywood people, they all generally say the same thing: they follow a protein-rich, vegetable-rich, low to no grain diet.
I have never been an over-eater per se. But keeping grains to a minimum (i.e. one meal a day) helped me get 20 pounds off and maintain that weight for five years. If I "screw up", I see it on the scale, and I also feel lethargic. Some say 1200 calories is 1200 calories. But you can eat a lot more food @ 1200 calories if you're eating clean and unprocessed foods.
I wouldn't say that "fit Hollywood people" counts as "a lot of research".0 -
I'm going to have to disagree that the low-carb is over-hyped. Or shall I say, low-grain. There's a lot of research out there that points to otherwise. If you look at all your fit Hollywood people, they all generally say the same thing: they follow a protein-rich, vegetable-rich, low to no grain diet.
I have never been an over-eater per se. But keeping grains to a minimum (i.e. one meal a day) helped me get 20 pounds off and maintain that weight for five years. If I "screw up", I see it on the scale, and I also feel lethargic. Some say 1200 calories is 1200 calories. But you can eat a lot more food @ 1200 calories if you're eating clean and unprocessed foods.
A calorie deficit makes you lose fat. If you achieve that deficit by eating low carb, you'll lose fat. If you achieve it by eating high carb, you'll lose fat. The difference is water weight. Low carb as better initial results because you lose water weight quickly. The reason you feel lethargic and see it on the scale when you "screw up" and eat more carbs is because your body retains water when you do.
There is not a lot of research pointing to a low/no grain diet being healthier. There is a lot of research pointing to a diet that is low in overly processed grains being healthier. There is a lot of research pointing to whole grains being part of a healthy diet.0 -
Although you might see the weight come off initially, once you start eating carbs again you'll gain it all back. And you will eventually start eating carbs again because a low-carb/carb-free diet isn't sustainable at all.
can you explain this further?
I'm not crossing my set calorie intake at all. Will something go wrong if I start eating carbs again yet I'm still under my calorie goal?
Oh and my weight is 205-210, 5'8 height, 19 yo.
If you're not doing some form of moderately intense exercise and are instead cutting carbs to lose weight, then once you reintroduce carbs into your diet you'll gain the weight back. Carbs are stored as fat when they're not used as energy, so if your body is not expending them as energy to fuel workouts then they'll be stored as fat.0 -
Suppose I want to go low-carb. How much is low carb based on my weight and nutrition?
Note: MFP recommends 223g carbs per day0 -
Although you might see the weight come off initially, once you start eating carbs again you'll gain it all back. And you will eventually start eating carbs again because a low-carb/carb-free diet isn't sustainable at all.
can you explain this further?
I'm not crossing my set calorie intake at all. Will something go wrong if I start eating carbs again yet I'm still under my calorie goal?
Oh and my weight is 205-210, 5'8 height, 19 yo.
If you're not doing some form of moderately intense exercise and are instead cutting carbs to lose weight, then once you reintroduce carbs into your diet you'll gain the weight back. Carbs are stored as fat when they're not used as energy, so if your body is not expending them as energy to fuel workouts then they'll be stored as fat.
Would not the same be true for any caloric source as your statement implies eating at a caloric surplus........:huh:0 -
I'm going to have to disagree that the low-carb is over-hyped. Or shall I say, low-grain. There's a lot of research out there that points to otherwise. If you look at all your fit Hollywood people, they all generally say the same thing: they follow a protein-rich, vegetable-rich, low to no grain diet.
I have never been an over-eater per se. But keeping grains to a minimum (i.e. one meal a day) helped me get 20 pounds off and maintain that weight for five years. If I "screw up", I see it on the scale, and I also feel lethargic. Some say 1200 calories is 1200 calories. But you can eat a lot more food @ 1200 calories if you're eating clean and unprocessed foods.
I don't think that's a great example. For example, Michael Phelps should be considered fit but he eats a ton of carbs.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080813/the-olympic-diet-of-michael-phelps
Of course, his nutritional needs are different from the average Joe. You can also look at the nutritional macros for, say, professional bodybuilders, all of whom eat copious amount of carbs even when losing fat... arguably more efficiently than fit Hollywood people. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of possibilities all of which work. There are flaws with most of the so-called low-carb studies as well, one of which is failure to match protein intake but I'm not going to go through all of the studies. Not that I'd be exceptionally qualified to do so in any event. :laugh:
Probably the best way to put it is that an individual's carb requirements will vary. For the OP, if she can successfully lose weight and improve health markers with 80-100g of carbs daily, there's no need to switch to a low-carb diet trying for some non-specific metabolic advantage.
I consider 80-100g of carbs a day to be pretty low. I try to stay around 100g a day and it's pretty difficult at times.0 -
Although you might see the weight come off initially, once you start eating carbs again you'll gain it all back. And you will eventually start eating carbs again because a low-carb/carb-free diet isn't sustainable at all.
can you explain this further?
I'm not crossing my set calorie intake at all. Will something go wrong if I start eating carbs again yet I'm still under my calorie goal?
Oh and my weight is 205-210, 5'8 height, 19 yo.
Stored carbohydrates hold water. When you reduce carbs, stored carbs and water are lost. Then when you consume higher carbs again, water is again needed to store those carbs. If you have completely given up grains, you may also experience bloating when adding them back because your gut typically produces bacteria needed to digest foods as needed. Some bacteria that is needed to digest grains may no longer be available in your gut because they haven't been needed.0 -
I'm going to have to disagree that the low-carb is over-hyped. Or shall I say, low-grain. There's a lot of research out there that points to otherwise. If you look at all your fit Hollywood people, they all generally say the same thing: they follow a protein-rich, vegetable-rich, low to no grain diet.
I have never been an over-eater per se. But keeping grains to a minimum (i.e. one meal a day) helped me get 20 pounds off and maintain that weight for five years. If I "screw up", I see it on the scale, and I also feel lethargic. Some say 1200 calories is 1200 calories. But you can eat a lot more food @ 1200 calories if you're eating clean and unprocessed foods.
I don't think that's a great example. For example, Michael Phelps should be considered fit but he eats a ton of carbs.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080813/the-olympic-diet-of-michael-phelps
Of course, his nutritional needs are different from the average Joe. You can also look at the nutritional macros for, say, professional bodybuilders, all of whom eat copious amount of carbs even when losing fat... arguably more efficiently than fit Hollywood people. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of possibilities all of which work. There are flaws with most of the so-called low-carb studies as well, one of which is failure to match protein intake but I'm not going to go through all of the studies. Not that I'd be exceptionally qualified to do so in any event. :laugh:
Probably the best way to put it is that an individual's carb requirements will vary. For the OP, if she can successfully lose weight and improve health markers with 80-100g of carbs daily, there's no need to switch to a low-carb diet trying for some non-specific metabolic advantage.
I consider 80-100g of carbs a day to be pretty low. I try to stay around 100g a day and it's pretty difficult at times.
Yes, short of actually being in ketosis 80-100g of carb would probably already be considered low-carb. My response was only in the context of OP's question and perhaps should've been more clearly phrased as "there's no need to switch to a lower-carb diet".0
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