avoiding carbs makes you lose weight

Wondered what you all think of this way of thinking?

So why does the mind crave the carbs then if our bodies can work perfectly fine without them? It's a usual thing to give into carbs when you've craved them all your life and been over weight like I have. How do you revert your thinking to the opposite when you eat these things and steel feel like you can eat a scabby dog cos you feel very hungry still. I get what your saying but am a carb lover and having protein n veg just does not fill me up as much for obvious reasons. Is snackin more often of the protein and veg the way forward to this?

I don't mean to be dis respectfull to OP just curious how to keep up with the protein and veg and steer clear or carbs.

If anyone ever took a basic nutrition class, they would know exactly why the mind craves carbs. Carbohydrates are broken down by the body into its simpler form glycogen. Glycogen is then stored for later use in the liver. The brain uses this glycogen for basic function. Your brain NEEDS carbs!! When you deprive your body of all carbohydrates, it begins to first break down lean muscle mass in order to make that glycogen. If it is not getting the energy it needs from the muscle mass, then and only then does it begin to break down your adipose tissue.

I believe that the reason why simply eating protein and vegetables (which do have some carbs) is not satisfying you is because your body is trying to tell you that you are depriving it of something that it desperately needs. A person cannot sustain on a zero carb diet for an extended period of time. I think that it is more important to eat the right kind of carb - complex vs. simple.

So why does the mind crave the carbs then if our bodies can work perfectly fine without them? It's a usual thing to give into carbs when you've craved them all your life and been over weight like I have. How do you revert your thinking to the opposite when you eat these things and steel feel like you can eat a scabby dog cos you feel very hungry still. I get what your saying but am a carb lover and having protein n veg just does not fill me up as much for obvious reasons. Is snackin more often of the protein and veg the way forward to this?

I don't mean to be dis respectfull to OP just curious how to keep up with the protein and veg and steer clear or carbs.

If anyone ever took a basic nutrition class, they would know exactly why the mind craves carbs. Carbohydrates are broken down by the body into its simpler form glycogen. Glycogen is then stored for later use in the liver. The brain uses this glycogen for basic function. Your brain NEEDS carbs!! When you deprive your body of all carbohydrates, it begins to first break down lean muscle mass in order to make that glycogen. If it is not getting the energy it needs from the muscle mass, then and only then does it begin to break down your adipose tissue.

I believe that the reason why simply eating protein and vegetables (which do have some carbs) is not satisfying you is because your body is trying to tell you that you are depriving it of something that it desperately needs. A person cannot sustain on a zero carb diet for an extended period of time. I think that it is more important to eat the right kind of carb - complex vs. simple.

Not to be confrontational, but to say that people should avoid eating dairy because calves grow 300% in a year has got to be the most stupid argument ever. Human babies triple their weight in a year too; it's called growth. Birds grow even faster that that, and they don't even get milk. If you want to argue that you should limit dairy because it is high in lactose, or to limit yourself to low fat dairy because of high saturated milkfats, I would be OK with that. But please, can we make this an intelligent discussion?

Humans, like most mammals are born with an enzyme that is necessary to break down lactose in dairy. Once we cut down on our "lactose" consumption our bodies stop producing this enzyme. That is what we call, "lactose intolerance". It is really the lose of the enzyme needed to break down the lactose. We can still eat dairy that is high in fat (butter, heavy cream, full fat yogurts...) and aged cheeses (the lactose is broken down in the aging process). Milk is the culprit. We don't need it once we are weaned (we can get our calcium from other sources). Mother nature knows best.

Not to be confrontational, but to say that people should avoid eating dairy because calves grow 300% in a year has got to be the most stupid argument ever. Human babies triple their weight in a year too; it's called growth. Birds grow even faster that that, and they don't even get milk. If you want to argue that you should limit dairy because it is high in lactose, or to limit yourself to low fat dairy because of high saturated milkfats, I would be OK with that. But please, can we make this an intelligent discussion?

Not to be confrontational, but to say that people should avoid eating dairy because calves grow 300% in a year has got to be the most stupid argument ever. Human babies triple their weight in a year too; it's called growth. Birds grow even faster that that, and they don't even get milk. If you want to argue that you should limit dairy because it is high in lactose, or to limit yourself to low fat dairy because of high saturated milkfats, I would be OK with that. But please, can we make this an intelligent discussion?

I've got to say, I agree that the 300% argument is stupid, but for different reasons. I guess for humans you could say there's a difference between growing *upwards* (lengthening bones, increasing muscle, developing tiny organs into big organs) and growing *sideways* i.e. fat into adipose tissue. Milk growth factors would typically stimulate the upwards kind of growth.

And that's not all. Milk growth factors such as IGF-1 are proteins. We digest proteins in the stomach and annihilate their activity. Proteinaceous milk growth factors would indeed have no effect on humans -- you'd have to inject IGF-1 directly into the blood stream to get that effect.

So it's not really a problem to drink milk for the reasons stated.

Not to be confrontational, but to say that people should avoid eating dairy because calves grow 300% in a year has got to be the most stupid argument ever. Human babies triple their weight in a year too; it's called growth. Birds grow even faster that that, and they don't even get milk. If you want to argue that you should limit dairy because it is high in lactose, or to limit yourself to low fat dairy because of high saturated milkfats, I would be OK with that. But please, can we make this an intelligent discussion?

Not stupid when 8 year old girls have blood in their underwear and running down their legs.

Thanks for your support. :flowerforyou: I guess I wasn't quite clear in my post. When I referred to preferential use of ketones for the brain I was discussing preferential as opposed to other tissues. Hasselbalch, SG; Knudsen, GM; Jakobsen, J; Hageman, LP; Holm, S; Paulson, OB (1994). "Brain metabolism during short-term starvation in humans.". Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism 14 (1): 125–31. During a continued low carbohydrate state the brain will actually get the majority of its energy needs from ketones (i.e.70%).The heart, actually doesn't usually get much energy from ketones (although it does use them) it uses fatty acids which are abundant under low carbohydrate states. Finally, you aren't quite correct about creating carbohydrate. The process of gluconeogenesis actually does make glucose (a carbohydrate) from non-carbohydrate molecules (lactate, glycerol (the backbone of triglycerides-fat), and from certain amino acids from proteins.:glasses:

I feel that if you choose to do that to your body then go for it. I on the other hand eat at least 270 or higher grams of carbs per day!! Oh no so many carbs and for those who say CARBS=FAT well that is only true to an extent. We eat carbs and they are easily used up as the main source of energy for functioning in daily life so unless there is an overconsumption carbs DO NOT equal fat. Your body stores too much of anything as "fat." I eat a high carb diet so you could say but I also do not eat my meals with all carbs because when eating healthy it is important for BALANCE between macronutrients as well and that I do. Successfully lost weight and have maintained it while feeling great.

I personally could never do low carb because I blackout, get light headed and dizzy. I tried and it was a fail carbs with a balance diet works perfect for me

I just found a piece my Marisa Peer (hypnosis and weight loss guru). She believes that wheat and dairy are evil (has very strong views ie "Dairy is your enemy: Cow's milk is to nourish calves and gives them a 300 per cent weight gain in a year. Milk literally sends a message to cells that says GROW! Fully-grown human cells get a similar message. And cheese is a concentrated growth hormone".)

but also says this about carbs vs proteins:

"The key to making your body a fantastic fat-burning machine is to avoid starchy carbs... because they make you cling on to fat reserves. Our bodies were not designed to eat carbs and can do very well without them. Avoiding them for 10 "hard core" diet days is the key to weight loss.

You won't feel hungry, and the pounds will fall off - from your stomach first, as this is where fat from carbs is stored. This is why beer drinkers and those who over-indulge in bread, pastries and pasta have a big tummy.

In America they call it a carb body. Carbs also cause huge bloating - cut them out and you will beat the bloat. The hormone insulin plays a vital part. Its role is to store fat, so it's almost impossible to lose weight once you have eaten carbs because when you eat any starchy or sugary food, insulin levels go up.

For example: if you eat carbs five times a day - cereal for breakfast, biscuit mid-morning, sandwich for lunch, another biscuit mid-afternoon, then potatoes or pasta with dinner - your body will be constantly cranking out insulin, making it impossible to lose weight. People with weight problems have a problem with insulin and fat storage that their naturally skinny friends don't.
It's not fair, but it's better to accept this fact and work with it.

Athletes load up on carbs precisely because the body stores them, whereas body-builders avoid them before competing so their body burns fat and their muscles are more defined.

Protein is a building food. The body uses it to build muscle and bones, so if you eat chicken and vegetables, the body will use it rather than store it. If you eat pasta or risotto your body will store that for later and continue to store it, as "later" never happens.
The body works harder to digest protein too, using up more calories and increasing your metabolic rate.

Skinny people who can eat anything because they have a fantastic metabolism are a real minority. So you must avoid bread, pasta, noodles, rice, cake, pastry, biscuits and potatoes and anything with sugar in it.

You must also cut out dairy because lactose is milk sugar. Avoid salt too - it makes your body tissues store fluid, so cutting it out helps you on your way to a flat tum. After the 10 days, limiting carbs or not eating them after lunch is the secret to keeping the weight off. But no booze...it's full of sugar.

It may seem daunting but remind yourself that you have the rest of your life to eat - but right now you want to drop 10lbs.
Stick to this plan and you won't feel hungry. There are no side-effects, no bad breath and no constipation."

She then gives a diet plan (eggs for breakfast, protein and salad for lunch, protein and veg for dinner).

Oh and she also says this - "Never eat late at night: Primitive man got up at dawn and retired as it got dark. Eating too late leaves our bodies full of undigested food. Our metabolism slows down dramatically at night even if we are awake because nature assumes we're sleeping. Our heart-rate slows down and digestion is more difficult."

Wondered what you all think of this way of thinking?