What's the deal with Carbs?

Don't cut carbs!

Carbs are not bad. They are your body and your brain's main source for fuel. The amount you eat may be too high, the body only stores 190 g, the rest is stored as fat in your adipose tissue. Also, the source of the carbs determines the good/bad. Are your carbs coming from whole foods, such as whole wheat breat (not fortified or enriched), potatoes. yams, fruits and vegetables? Or are they coming from refined sources such as white bread/rice, etc?

Does not matter what you eat, only matters that you eat at a deficit.

I've lost a significant amount of weight, several times, by limiting carbs. I've gained significant amounts of weight, several times, by paying no attention and hoeing down into pasta, rice, bread. Completely anecdotal, but lower carbs (less than 20g/meal) and higher protein (100g/day) is currently what works for me. (Well, combined with eating at a calorie deficit).

I absolutely believe it's necessary to limit carb intake for weightloss (and probably maintenance but I don't know about maintaining yet).

*My carb intake tends to come from veges and fruit.

So, I've heard conflicting information about carbs from various sources, and I wanted to get some other opinions.
I eat around 100g of carbs a day, sometimes closer to 150g. Is it necessary to cut carbs for weight loss? Both my dad and my brother are eating almost no carbs in their diets, and my brother, who's trying to lose weight to enlist in the Air Force, has lost close to 30 lbs the past few months. My dad has also lost a lot of weight, but he also goes to the gym 5 days a week for a couple hours, so I'm sure that helps a lot too.

So anyway, what are you guys' opinions on carbs/cutting carbs?

It is not necessary to cut carbs for weight loss, although fat and protein will take longer to digest and make you feel less hungry.

Some people find them to be a trigger/something they don't really have an 'off' switch for (hellooo eating a whole cake/loaf of bread/family bags of candy/boxes of chocolates) so abstinence works better than attempts at moderation.

Refined sugars, pasta, bread & baked goods, potatoes - whenever I eat these things within 30mins I get abdominal pains, bloating, lethargy and will often fall asleep. Within a couple of days I also seem to have pimples come up too.

So I personally feel better when I am avoiding carbs.

Make sure you get enough carbs! I wouldn't recommend cutting carbs to extreme low levels unless your have issues like diabetes and your doctor is telling you to!

I think 'carbs' get a bad rap because foods like rice, bread and pasta are more 'calorie dense' than you think. It's easy to eat a bowl of pasta and not think anything of it until you find out how many calories that pasta contained.

An extremely low carb diet is just a low calorie diet without an important macro nutrient.

I actually (albeit only with part time success) try to limit my carbs to no more than 40 grams per meal or snack. This is due to some medical conditions. My carbs are set at 40% which works out very well for me. Sometimes I change this around.

Keep learning about setting your macros. You can also speak with a registered dietitian or your doctor for the safest advice.

I wish you the best! Don't give up...

I've been on a carb-restricted diet for 3 months now under the supervision of a dietician, and regular blood tests and checks with my GP. I have Insulin Resistance (insulin was 53 when I started) and PCOS, diagnosed when I was 22 (7 years ago). I

I lost a good 15kg (33lbs) of fat from limiting my calories to <1000 and carbs to <40g and my insulin level is now down to 15 (normal is up to 14 so I'm nearly there!) and the PCOS symptoms have lessened significantly.

So with my specific health problems (and support from health professionals), the low carb approach worked for me. That isn't to say that I didn't often feel hungry, tired, dizzy etc! I have now upped my goals significantly and am still losing weight (much slower but its coming off) at around 80-90g carbs from fruit and veg (and nutella.... :blushing: ).

I'm hoping that as my hormones etc start to be less whacko I'll be able to adjust these levels as time goes on and weight comes off, but like I said, I'm doing all this with a nutritionist/dietician and my doctor and an exercise physiologist and physiotherapist (I have arthritis in my spine and ankle).

While on the low carb diet, I was only walking for my exercise. Now that I'm starting pilates and some strength training in addition to being able to walk much further and faster since losing some weight, I'm going to need the extra energy that carbs provide, so I'll be upping them again.

Obviously with my health problems and family history of diabetes, carbs ARE my enemy but that just means moderation, healthy carbs, and getting plenty of exercise.

You're not going to find a lot of sound information, or support, on MFP for low carbing. I did it for years, loved the way it made me look and feel. I don't restrict carbs anymore per say, but I intuitively now veer toward a lower carb way of eating most days and I love it.

But it's probably best you do a search for one of the low carb or even paleo boards to get more info and support for this kind of program. All you're going to get here is largely people telling you that you "need" lots of carbs for energy (wrong) or that it's impossible to stick to long term (also wrong).

And its also great for some, and a nightmare for others.

And NO, it is not "necessary" to cut carbs to lose weight. Though some people who have difficulties controlling carbs find that low carbing allows them to eat to satisfaction, without binging, which helps them lose weight in the long run.

I have lost 35 pounds in past year, 5 more till goal. It's been slow but easy and I do watch the carbs. My biggest weaknesss was always bread, so I try to only have one whole wheat slice a day, perhaps a ww small tortilla at lunch, that kind of thing. Sweet potato at dinner. But because I do love my carbs, i never wish to feel deprived by eliminating them altogether. My favourite breakfast is a poached egg on toast, keeps me full till lunch, and i eat a lot of fruits and veggies. .
But if you want to lose fast, cutting carbs seems to provide a faster weight loss.