why does low carb work?

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linalovekitty
linalovekitty Posts: 187
in Food and Nutrition
I need some clarification on why low carb (NON KETOGENIC) diets work. I am not talking about Atkins or ketogenic diets bc i understand fully how those work. Is it bc protein and fat is not as easily converted to fat as carbs are? or is it bc protein and fats balance insulin levels, thereby naturally supressing appetite which causes u to eat less calories which leads to weight loss? or both?

For example, paleo. Paleo requires carb sources be solely from fruits and veggies- thereby naturally lowering net carbs since fruits/veggies have tons of fiber & require a far greater volume of both to reach the amount of carbs in grains.
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  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    As far as I know, fat does not metabolize in a manner to produce a BG spike, but too much protein can.
    I can only answer in terms of myself as I'm testing up to 7+ times daily and have been losing pretty consistently as long as I stay on program.

    I'm not sure I know what you mean though about non ketogenic diets. I expect it works the same way. As I understand it, by whatever mechanism that's got one's blood sugar up, since Insulin is not working as it should, all the metabolized nutrients get stored as fat if they are not used.

    Took a stab at it, but not really sure what you're asking :ohwell:
  • RubyRunner14
    RubyRunner14 Posts: 148 Member
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    Fat is very filing meaning less intake overall and doesn't eff up your blood sugar or insulin. Less calorie intake plus level blood sugar and no insulin Problems = happy camper.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    I need some clarification on why low carb (NON KETOGENIC) diets work. I am not talking about Atkins or ketogenic diets bc i understand fully how those work. Is it bc protein and fat is not as easily converted to fat as carbs are? or is it bc protein and fats balance insulin levels, thereby naturally supressing appetite which causes u to eat less calories which leads to weight loss? or both?

    For example, paleo. Paleo requires carb sources be solely from fruits and veggies- thereby naturally lowering net carbs since fruits/veggies have tons of fiber & require a far greater volume of both to reach the amount of carbs in grains.

    The reason low carb diets are seemingly better for faster weight loss is because when you go low carb, you store less glycogen, and for each gram of glycogen in your body, it has 3 grams of water attached to it, so when glycogen stores become depleted, you lose a bunch of water weight. Low carb does not cause faster FAT loss if the calorie intake is the same as any other diet, and fat loss is the real goal, not weight loss. Also, low carb by definition means you're eating more fat and protein which are both very satisfying and can lead to lower calorie intake. Calorie intakes being equal, low carb does not cause faster fat loss than any other type of eating. It has absolutely nothing to do with how your body metabolizes different macronutrients, or how different macronutrients affect insulin etc. Calories are all that matters, for the average person without a metabolic disease
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    Low carb works simply because people automatically eat less calories on a low carb diet.

    Incidentally, It didn't work for me, because I have no problem chowing down a couple pounds of 85/15 ground beef in place of a hamburger with buns and fries.
  • crandos
    crandos Posts: 377 Member
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    AJ_G nailed it in the head.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    I need some clarification on why low carb (NON KETOGENIC) diets work. I am not talking about Atkins or ketogenic diets bc i understand fully how those work. Is it bc protein and fat is not as easily converted to fat as carbs are? or is it bc protein and fats balance insulin levels, thereby naturally supressing appetite which causes u to eat less calories which leads to weight loss? or both?

    For example, paleo. Paleo requires carb sources be solely from fruits and veggies- thereby naturally lowering net carbs since fruits/veggies have tons of fiber & require a far greater volume of both to reach the amount of carbs in grains.

    Fat is not easily converted to fat? DNL is efficient and commonplace? Protein isn't highly insulinogenic? Think you might need to start all your research over again
  • scubar17
    scubar17 Posts: 43
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    I highly recommend that you read Gary Taubes' book Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It. He explains the whole process and the history of low-carb diets in fascinating detail.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    I highly recommend that you read Gary Taubes' book Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It. He explains the whole process and the history of low-carb diets in fascinating detail.

    Taubes has been debunked again and again. He has no credibility.

    Oh and what AG said.....it does not have some magic property to change the calories of the food you eat.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Because when people eat low carb they eat more protein, which is more filling, so they eat less. Or at least that's my understanding.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laMuyJhMcE0
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I highly recommend that you read Gary Taubes' book Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It. He explains the whole process and the history of low-carb diets in fascinating detail.

    Taubes has been debunked again and again. He has no credibility.

    Oh and what AG said.....it does not have some magic property to change the calories of the food you eat.

    +1
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    MOST people will drop out the carbs and not replace the macros in the form of protein or fat.

    Creates a deficit because you don't replace it.
  • jewel22887
    jewel22887 Posts: 72
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    yummy carbs tend to sit in higher calories food... so people who eat less carbs tend to eat less calories. 200 calories in a poptart vs 2lbs of carrots you feel fuller longer... nothing wrong with a carb just it's soooo easy to eat too many calories.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    yummy carbs tend to sit in higher calories food... so people who eat less carbs tend to eat less calories. 200 calories in a poptart vs 2lbs of carrots you feel fuller longer... nothing wrong with a carb just it's soooo easy to eat too many calories.

    Not sure the point you're trying to make, both of those foods contain mostly carbs...
  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
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    her point was that for an equivalent number of calories, the 2 lbs of carrots are more filling than the 3oz of pop tart. Sugar carbs are extremely densely packed when compared to the carbs in veggies. The *instinctive part* of the human brain doesn't count calories, it just knows when its stomach is full.

    edit: "her" instead of "him". Silly profile pictures :)
  • ngyoung
    ngyoung Posts: 311 Member
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    There are some out there claims that Toubes makes that can be debunked but he's not wrong with a most of what he's said.

    Water weight from reduced glycogen does not account for a huge amount of weight loss and is common for a lot of people with many different diets. Losing water weight is not exclusive to a low carb diet.

    Fat and protein take more energy to metabolize. Your body can only handle a small amount of carbs at time before blood sugar gets too high and insulin has to convert what's left to fat. Too much sugar and simple carbs effects your normal function of hormones that are responsible for hunger and satiety.

    Eating low carb typically equates to better appetite control and reducing calories naturally. Also typically means the person is limiting eating most junk food, cutting out nutrient sufficient processed food. For a many people just doing that is enough to see results.
  • jewel22887
    jewel22887 Posts: 72
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    Thanks Josh :)

    Carrots are a lower carb option than a pop tart.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    There are some out there claims that Toubes makes that can be debunked but he's not wrong with a most of what he's said.

    Water weight from reduced glycogen does not account for a huge amount of weight loss and is common for a lot of people with many different diets. Losing water weight is not exclusive to a low carb diet.

    Fat and protein take more energy to metabolize. Your body can only handle a small amount of carbs at time before blood sugar gets too high and insulin has to convert what's left to fat. Too much sugar and simple carbs effects your normal function of hormones that are responsible for hunger and satiety.

    Eating low carb typically equates to better appetite control and reducing calories naturally. Also typically means the person is limiting eating most junk food, cutting out nutrient sufficient processed food. For a many people just doing that is enough to see results.

    Fat takes almost no energy to metabolize, carbs take more energy to metabolize than fats, and protein takes the most energy to metabolize. Carbs do trigger an insulin response that causes glycogen replenishment and fat storage, but all calorie intakes being equal, this is inconsequential. Anything stored as fat will be oxidized later as part of the energy balance in your body. This is why the Glycemic index is completely irrelevant to those who do not have a medical reason to worry about insulin production or blood glucose level. The glycemic index was developed for diabetics for a reason...Also, the glycemic index is practically washed out when high GI foods are eaten in a complete meal with protein and fat because protein slows digestion and thus prevents the insulin spikes that carbs consumed by themselves on an empty stomach produced when testing foods for the glycemic index.

    I will agree with you that low carb diets do offer better appetite control, because you feel very satisfied all day, but if you don't have a problem with feeling hungry all the time, then they are unnecessary.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    There are some out there claims that Toubes makes that can be debunked but he's not wrong with a most of what he's said.

    Water weight from reduced glycogen does not account for a huge amount of weight loss and is common for a lot of people with many different diets. Losing water weight is not exclusive to a low carb diet.

    Fat and protein take more energy to metabolize. Your body can only handle a small amount of carbs at time before blood sugar gets too high and insulin has to convert what's left to fat. Too much sugar and simple carbs effects your normal function of hormones that are responsible for hunger and satiety.

    Eating low carb typically equates to better appetite control and reducing calories naturally. Also typically means the person is limiting eating most junk food, cutting out nutrient sufficient processed food. For a many people just doing that is enough to see results.

    I'm pretty sure the difference in energy used to break down fat/protein versus carbs is tiny not enough to make any major difference in weight.
  • jewel22887
    jewel22887 Posts: 72
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    I love yummy carbs I wouldn't suggest not eating them but she didn't ask me to tell her to eat them or not... she asked why they work. You eat less calories and feel more full.
  • sethwdyer
    sethwdyer Posts: 19 Member
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    I highly recommend that you read Gary Taubes' book Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It. He explains the whole process and the history of low-carb diets in fascinating detail.

    Taubes has been debunked again and again. He has no credibility.

    Oh and what AG said.....it does not have some magic property to change the calories of the food you eat.

    I've read this so many times, but I can't seem to find anything credible that actually debunks anything he has written.

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