Do carbs make you fat?

Options
ObsessedMonster
ObsessedMonster Posts: 150 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The new paleo/keto fad has been going on for a while and it's making me feel guilty about eating carbs. As a vegan, it's almost impossible to do low carbs because most of my diet consists of them. My main question is, do carbs make you more susceptible to gaining weight even if you don't go over your calories? Thanks to anyone who can clarify this for me.
«1345

Replies

  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Options
    I have lost over 300 pounds eat a diet with macros set to 40% carbs 30% Protein and 30% fat (sometime macro set to 50% carb/ 25% protein, 25% Fat)..... I am not paleo/vegan/or keto, I eat whatever I like as long as it fits my caloric intake and macros... Carbs have not hurt me in the least bit...... Best of Luck
  • FXOjafar
    FXOjafar Posts: 174 Member
    Options
    Excess carbs do. How it works in simple terms is you eat carbs, body converts to glucose, excess glucose not used as energy is converted to fat by insulin release, this fat is deposited in fat cells for later use. Additionally, the excess of carbs cause inflammation of your arteries. The inflammation sites act as deposit sites for LDL cholesterol leading to heart disease etc...

    As a vegan it is hard to avoid carbs and get as low as a full keto dieter, but at least with Paleo you can eat less carbs than the average person and get some benefit of eating healthier and cleaner.
  • Heir0fFir3
    Heir0fFir3 Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    Carbs are energy, as long as you burn it off it's fine. I don't even know what I would do without pasta!
  • mickey9694
    mickey9694 Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    well, yes and no. it's true that excess calories of any macro type will cause weight gain. but the type of macro does matter. if you eat a bunch of carbs and don't burn them off, they are stored as glucose. for every 1 gram of glucose the body holds, it holds 4 grams of water with it. so there's that. i've also found that carbs aren't very satiating relative to protein and fat. if i eat a 300 calorie meal made mostly of fat and/or protein, i'm usually stuffed for a few hours (fat digests slower). but if it's mostly carbs, then i'm hungry an hour later. so i'm more likely to consume more calories, which results in weight gain. i did lose close to 30 lbs. after cutting my carb intake to below 30 grams per day.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Options
    Im interested in the replies on this topic, so posting for that.

    But from my experience, carbs in themselves don't make you fat.
    Only a calorie surplus will.
    When I was losing, I lost 65+LBS eating 200 - 300g of carbs a day.
    Mostly from bad sources, also.
    Now, this set me up for a HUGE blood sugar crash and I was hungry ever few hours.
    If it wasnt for logging food and counting calories, someone like that WOULD have gained weight.
    And it did tend to make my weight loss slower ONLY because I would binge some nights, because of this.
    You say you're vegetarian, so you're not going to get the blood sugar crash like you would on a typical diet, I believe ( correct me if im wrong ) unless you're getting the carbs from elsewhere OTHER than fruits / veggies / healthy starch

    I have since switched to primal/paleo - but not for weight loss, just for personal health issues / reasons / I prefer that way of eating and it keeps me full with all the slow-digesting fat. I havent binged since I switched.

    I got confused after reading and including myself in the community as they love the low carb craze.
    It made me afraid of carbs and I was eating under 30 - 50gs a day, but now I realize that as long as my carbs come from vegetables, fruits and healthy starches and whatnot - then it's a significant difference than eating them from crappy sources.
    Now I eat as much as I like, I usually stay between 60 - 100g a day consistently, without trying to reduce them, so that is significantly less than the average person / what I was at. And it's from clean food. So its not a big deal.

    Id also like to add yes I am on maintenance, but some weeks I still lose.
    So its obviously not the carbs.
    There are people who benefit from low carb, such as people with diabetes & metabolic disorders.
    But if you're an average healthy person, it's not a necessary lifestyle.

    Long story short, eat whatever you want under goal and don't worry about the rest.
    IF you really want to track macros, track your protein macros and let the rest fall into place.
  • Charlottesometimes23
    Charlottesometimes23 Posts: 687 Member
    Options
    I try to keep my macros to around 50% carbs, 25% each protein and fat. The only time I have problems with gaining weight is when I eat too many calories.

    If I keep my calories under my total daily energy expenditure, I can enjoy my carbs without guilt.

    OP, there are plenty of MFPers with fabulous success who don't drastically carb restrict. No need to feel guilty if you like your carbs.
  • SpencersHeart
    SpencersHeart Posts: 170 Member
    Options
    in...
  • mickey9694
    mickey9694 Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    Well that's why I included a "no". You're correct in that carbs in and of themselves don't make you fat. I believe carbs have about 4 calories per gram. But if someone is trying to avoid weight gain, it's best to avoid the carbs because of the reasons I mentioned-glucose weight and lack of feeling full, which in turn, causes overeating. I got the feeling that the OP was referring to just getting "bigger" mass-wise, not necessarily fat, so glucose weight would count
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Options
    tumblr_inline_ml2xgkTX5w1qz4rgp.gif
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
    Options
    Don't feel guilty about the carbs. Paleo and Keto are two diet styles that work for some people and not for others. Some find that eating more fat and protein keep them feeling satiated longer so they eat less. But in any case, maintaining a calorie deficit is what matters. No one food will magically make you gain more weight than another.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    Options
    no…

    eating over maintenance makes you fat..

    you c an eat in a deficit, eat carbs, and you will lose weight.

    carbs do not make you fat..

    I get about 30% of my calories from carbs and have had no problems losing weight….
  • rainbowxelephant
    rainbowxelephant Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    No.

    Excess calories do.

    This!

    Carbs are not all created equal by the way. Refined carbohydrates are as good as eating refined sugar (as in cookies, enriched white bread/flour/pasta)

    I'm veggie too, and you need to eat those carbs to get all your nutrients. Carbs are fuel. Carbs are good. Your brain starts to shut down if you don't consume carbs.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    Options
    I have been doing lower/moderate carb (about 80 - 100 a day) and was losing weight. this past week, i went lower than that, and i am showing a 1 pound loss on the scale every day since last week. (7 pounds). I am not hungry because when i am hungry i eat. today i could not believe it went down another pound, so i actually laughed at my scale. I am not sure how long this will last, but so far so good.

    i am eating fruit and dairy but not so much to put me into over-eating carbs.

    so i dont know what to tell you, all i can do is say what happened to me this month. I do see a better weight loss with lower carbs.

    Try it for a week to see how it affects you. Oh and by the way, my appetite is down, but when im hungry i eat. like i made a pot of chicken curry and that is so good, and it fills me up, yet is low carb.
  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
    Options
    Yes, carbs make you fat...and fats make you fat...and proteins make you fat. Water won't make you fat!

    By the way, the modern paleo diet is very deficient in one key element that contributed extensively to weight loss in our ancestors...parasites. A proper paleo diet should enable a significant body burden of microscopic and macroscopic parasites. Parasites are particularly helpful for maintaining weight loss while eating anything and everything you can find to survive the next few days. Predators and enemy tribes can also be great paleo tools for motivating fitness.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
    Options
    I do find that I feel hungrier on days I go over 150 g of carbs, which makes it harder to stay within calorie goals. I'm guessing it is because my blood glucose is yoyo-ing.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    Options
    yes they do...please send them to me, and I will take care of them for you :o)
  • indignantgnome
    indignantgnome Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Do they make YOU fat? No clue.

    Do they help keep me fat? Sure as heck do.

    Why? Because I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which affects insulin resistance and makes losing weight a b*tch most of the time. I still have a hard time committing to a low-carb lifestyle (though I do it once in a while when particularly frustrated with the scale), even though I know that eating the same number of low-carb calories makes a world of difference in my weight loss. I just enjoy my breads and pastas too much for that.
  • willnorton
    willnorton Posts: 995 Member
    Options
    bump

Categories