The Great Carb War

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  • MscGray
    MscGray Posts: 304 Member
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    I started out on MFP while I was doing Atkins. It had some great benefits for me, and I felt great while on it. Then I started adding in Zumba, Yoga, and other activities (going from doing very little) after about 3 weeks on Atkins and thats when I started getting extra fatigued and feeling like I couldn't really push my work outs as hard as I wanted...i started at 245, got down to 225 and then it slowly crept back up to 231. I finally stopped atkins just about 2 weeks ago, I still keep an eye on my carbs, but no where near as low as they were with atkins (and I do this ONLY because of how I feel while limiting them) Since then I have dropped back down to 227 (and the scale actually showed 225 this morning *fingers crossed*) What I have learned thru MFP is moderation is really the key. I enjoy my bread guilt free - just occasionally! And as others have said....slow and steady will be more long term and sustainable rather then the short and fast fad diet. Although I still follow low carb facebook group and MFP groups, its because I figure if I can make a delich low carb side, meal or dessert then I can enjoy more Summer Shandy...and thats what life is all about :drinker:
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
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    Low carb will appear to work faster because of water store drop but will be the same as just calorie deficit in the long run. There's no need to restrict anything to lose weight. As long as you're getting a good amount of proteins and fats, I wouldn't worry about the amount of carbs. I ate 250g plus while in weight loss and it didn't effect my rate at all. In fact, I fully feel without my carbs, I wouldn't perform as well in training.
    This. If I don't have carbs before my workout I definitely notice lower performance, and I figure that my workouts do more for me long term than a lack of carbs will, so I carb it up :)

    If you have an event or something in particular you want to look extra slim for (wedding, reunion, bikini competition, what have you) it is worthwhile to cut back on carbs to help loose up water. Past that though, it's not a permanent effect. If you want to lose fat, it's all about the deficit.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    I did not read all the replies so far.

    My two cents:

    These sorts of threads frequently are immediately swarmed with a tug of war between "Carbs Don't Matter" and "Low Carb for Life!"

    As some people have said, assuming you don't have a medical condition that requires the monitoring of your carbs, going low carb isn't likely to be metabolically advantageous for fat loss; Calories In Calories Out (CICO) wins.

    HOWEVER, do not, I repeat do not, then think that carbs don't matter in a general way. Speaking only from personal experience, paying attention to my carb intake does affect my performance. It does affect how I feel throughout the day. Carbs do affect my mood. All of these things play into how sustainable my deficit is.

    Low carb is not for me, but that doesn't mean it can't work for some people. Eating 20-50g of CHO per day is not what I'd call dangerous for the average person, though.

    Find the right balance of macronutrients that keeps you healthy (an annoyingly relative term), energetic, and makes staying in a deficit the easiest for you.
  • cbarn025
    cbarn025 Posts: 939 Member
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    I carb cycle to lean out. 50 or 60 is way too low. 100grams ish is good for your low day. My carb cycle is a low, med, high day. The high days are my most strenous workout days. I eat alot of protein. I'm pretty sure I"m never in a defecit and I still lose fat. The defecit thing is too much for me. I don't mind restricting carbs but I hate restricting calories all together. but again I think 50-60 is way too low.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    I eat alot of protein. I'm pretty sure I"m never in a defecit and I still lose fat.

    :grumble:
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
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    Increase your carbohydrates but make sure you are eating healthy ones: beans, fruit, vegetables, whole grains.

    I can understand someone wanting to restrict their carbohydrate and sugar intake if they were making bad food choices before (large quantities of quick burning fuel that leaves them hungry 60 minutes later). But there is a big difference between cutting out raiding the Chocolate Kisses at work when hungry and saying "I can't have fresh pineapple slices! Look at the Carbs!"
  • cbarn025
    cbarn025 Posts: 939 Member
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    I eat alot of protein. I'm pretty sure I"m never in a defecit and I still lose fat.

    :grumble:


    It's proven brother. I swear by it.

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