No carb or low carb?

indigohope
indigohope Posts: 24 Member
edited November 23 in Food and Nutrition
Hi!
I feel so guilty eating a few pretzel chips, or piece of bread. I'm 43 and worried that I can't lose weight if I eat a small amt of carb...breads/pasta etc.

I remember reading it's ok if you have it with a protein.

Any thoughts on this? Thank you!

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Carbs don't make you gain weight, excess calories do. Unless you have a medical condition, there is nothing wrong with carbs as long as they fit into your calorie goal.

    And food should never make you feel guilty, unless you stole it!
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I'm gluten free but still eat the carbs in potatoes, rice and corn and fruits. All in moderation and count your calories.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    I love my carbs!! You've been led astray about the evils of carbs......If you're working out regularly, and not sitting on the couch eating Doritos and icecream before bed, a small amount of carbs won't hurt you.......why are you feeling guilty when you eat? Your body needs food to survive, and carbs are one of the foods your body desires and requires....listen to your body, feed your body.....you deserve that!
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    How have you eaten for the last 40+ years of your life? What have you observed your friends and family eat over the years? With all of your life experience in mind does any of your guilt and worry really make sense to you?

    Use the site the way its intended to be used and you'll do just fine. :smile:
  • indigohope
    indigohope Posts: 24 Member
    I guess it's my age and I cannot process/burn calories like I used to.
    We will see what the scale tells me this week :)
  • indigohope
    indigohope Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you for all of your positive comments :) I will eat the carbs in moderation :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    indigohope wrote: »
    Hi!
    I feel so guilty eating a few pretzel chips, or piece of bread. I'm 43 and worried that I can't lose weight if I eat a small amt of carb...breads/pasta etc.

    I'm 45 and lost 95 lb eating plenty of carbs.

    Carbs include fruits and veggies, so no carb would be (IMO) unhealthy, and my goal was to be active and I find I do better in long bike rides or runs if I've had carbs (especially starches like potatoes or sweet potato or rice or pasta) the day before.

    Beyond that, guilt is generally never helpful. What helps for weight loss is thinking logically about food, not beating yourself up about stupid stuff (like ideas of good and bad foods), and focusing on calories. I also think that focusing on a healthy diet can help, but most of the "experts" are all for carbs, as they include plant foods and most of the foods that add fiber (like legumes and whole grains).
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I changed my food mindset. NO FOOD is evil (except transfat but that's not really food). Carbs are fine in moderation as is fat. I do carb cycle but eat fruit and none starchy vegetables on low carb days. Look at your macros and see what works for you.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    indigohope wrote: »
    Hi!
    I feel so guilty eating a few pretzel chips, or piece of bread. I'm 43 and worried that I can't lose weight if I eat a small amt of carb...breads/pasta etc.

    I remember reading it's ok if you have it with a protein.

    Any thoughts on this? Thank you!

    Do you have health issues you are trying to address? Do you have an out of control relationship with certain or all foods?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Love carbs. I'll be fuller from a meal with carbs than a meal without.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Carbs don't make you gain weight, excess calories do. Unless you have a medical condition, there is nothing wrong with carbs as long as they fit into your calorie goal.

    And food should never make you feel guilty, unless you stole it!

    Nah, only feel guilty if you got caught stealing the pretzel.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Lost 121 pounds eating delicious carbs. ;)
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    @indigohope at 63 carbs had become toxic to my body driving my pain levels through the roof so I cut out foods containing sugars and or grains. Eating < 50 grams of carbs daily the pain was managed 30 days later and that was about a year ago. While pain management was my goal I am under 200 for the first time in 22 years, IBS was cured in six month. No more sugar crashes and mental fog after a meal.

    Carbs are fine as long they like your body but I expect most that are fat did not get fat due to overeating protein and fats. :)
  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,105 Member
    Lots of items have carbs so you wouldn't be 100% carb free. So low carb then.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    @indigohope at 63 carbs had become toxic to my body driving my pain levels through the roof so I cut out foods containing sugars and or grains. Eating < 50 grams of carbs daily the pain was managed 30 days later and that was about a year ago. While pain management was my goal I am under 200 for the first time in 22 years, IBS was cured in six month. No more sugar crashes and mental fog after a meal.

    Carbs are fine as long they like your body but I expect most that are fat did not get fat due to overeating protein and fats. :)

    Toxic?? LOL, :)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Low carb eating can be very beneficial if you have health issues you are trying to address while losing weight, such as diabetes, heart disease, high triglycerides, low HDL, or possibly dementia. If you are healthy, eating low carb often has a neutral effect on your health, and simply eating at a caloric deficit is all you need.

    If you are worried about the carbs' effect on your blood glucose, eating high fibre carbs, and combining them with protein will help slow the glucose rush down.
    Serah87 wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    @indigohope at 63 carbs had become toxic to my body driving my pain levels through the roof so I cut out foods containing sugars and or grains. Eating < 50 grams of carbs daily the pain was managed 30 days later and that was about a year ago. While pain management was my goal I am under 200 for the first time in 22 years, IBS was cured in six month. No more sugar crashes and mental fog after a meal.

    Carbs are fine as long they like your body but I expect most that are fat did not get fat due to overeating protein and fats. :)

    Toxic?? LOL, :)

    Some doctors do consider the body's reaction to blood sugars as toxic: the body drops whatever it is using and concentrates on lowering blood glucose when one consumes a bunch of carbs.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Carb tolerance is different for everyone. You'll just have to experiment. btw - there is no requirement for carbs....just for protein and healthy fats.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited September 2015
    Whether you need them to live or not, few people are going to have a healthy diet without eating vegetables. (And I love the idea that vegetables are toxic.)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Veggies aren't going to have the same glucose load as other carbs, calorie for calorie, as other carbs. I don't think toxic is the best word for veggies.

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  • Sydking
    Sydking Posts: 317 Member
    I prefer high carb.. 200g a day min

    Need it when you training hard
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    indigohope wrote: »
    I guess it's my age and I cannot process/burn calories like I used to.
    We will see what the scale tells me this week :)

    I'm your same age. I eat carbs. I've lost 50 lbs.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    @indigohope at 63 carbs had become toxic to my body driving my pain levels through the roof so I cut out foods containing sugars and or grains. Eating < 50 grams of carbs daily the pain was managed 30 days later and that was about a year ago. While pain management was my goal I am under 200 for the first time in 22 years, IBS was cured in six month. No more sugar crashes and mental fog after a meal.

    Carbs are fine as long they like your body but I expect most that are fat did not get fat due to overeating protein and fats. :)

    Ah and the untruths start, if you cut out foods containing sugars, you'd be at zero carbs, not sub 50

    Also what would lead you to expect most overweight/fat people became that way from overeating carbs? I would certainly think many overweight people would have gotten that way partly due to intake of hyperpalatable foods, many of which contain both carbs and fats + sodium.
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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    indigohope wrote: »
    Hi!
    I feel so guilty eating a few pretzel chips, or piece of bread. I'm 43 and worried that I can't lose weight if I eat a small amt of carb...breads/pasta etc.

    I remember reading it's ok if you have it with a protein.

    Any thoughts on this? Thank you!

    unless you have a medical condition there is no reason to avoid carbs.

    carbs do not make you fat, eating in a caloric surplus does.

    if you are having feelings of guilt about eating certain foods then you need to reconsider your relationship with food, as it sounds like an unhealthy one.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    @indigohope at 63 carbs had become toxic to my body driving my pain levels through the roof so I cut out foods containing sugars and or grains. Eating < 50 grams of carbs daily the pain was managed 30 days later and that was about a year ago. While pain management was my goal I am under 200 for the first time in 22 years, IBS was cured in six month. No more sugar crashes and mental fog after a meal.

    Carbs are fine as long they like your body but I expect most that are fat did not get fat due to overeating protein and fats. :)

    you are losing weight because you are in a calorie deficit. CICO
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    Unless you have a medical issue, low carb is unnecessary. I lost 72 pounds eating carbs--much less than I had before, but that's because carbs are easy for me to overeat.

    Food isn't bad. You're going to have an easier time adhering to a diet if you plan for a serving of pretzel chips than if you end up in a restrict/binge cycle. You might find prelogging your day so that you can fit in carbs along with fat and protein.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    I'm no longer trying to lose, but this is what a 1400-calorie day with bananas, tortilla chips, and white rice looks like:

    54b328uz8o63.png

    That's not even high-carb. And I wasn't hungry at all.
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