to carb or not too carb?
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The question isn't really Carb or Low Carb, it's which one am I willing to do for the rest of life? (relatively, anyways) Using low carb for a diet doesn't actually help you because you will eventually hit your target goal and stop doing that diet. Now, you haven't changed your eating habits so there's a better than average chance you'll gain the weight back. What you need to do is retrain your brain and body to better eating habits that you will continue once you hit your goal.
With that being said, if you can manage low carb and like it enough to stick with it long term, more power to you. Some people can. I am not one of those. I am way to fond of BUTTERYGARLICKYBREADSTICKS to ever cut those out! xD
Not true. There are people who have been in ketosis for years. Stephanie Keto Person is my primary motivation. She's 47 (might be 48 now) looks 27, is in incredible shape, and eats low carb. She is also a personal trainer who loves the gym, so I will never be ripped like she is, but maybe I can have the same energy levels she has.
And she's apparently someone that can do low carb indefinitely. That's fine for her and if it works for you as well, awesome. It's not true for everyone. That's my point. Most of my calories are from protein and carbs because that makes me feel full for longer. I can eat a huge plate of veggies, but I'll be hungry much sooner than if I have a slice of toast with peanut butter that would equal the same amount of calories. I'm not saying everyone should eat more carbs, just that low carb isn't going to be sustainable for a lot of people. You have to pick a way of eating that is sustainable AFTER you hit your goal. Changing your eating habits is the only way that the weight will STAY off after you've lost what you wanted to lose.0 -
The question isn't really Carb or Low Carb, it's which one am I willing to do for the rest of life? (relatively, anyways) Using low carb for a diet doesn't actually help you because you will eventually hit your target goal and stop doing that diet. Now, you haven't changed your eating habits so there's a better than average chance you'll gain the weight back. What you need to do is retrain your brain and body to better eating habits that you will continue once you hit your goal.
With that being said, if you can manage low carb and like it enough to stick with it long term, more power to you. Some people can. I am not one of those. I am way to fond of BUTTERYGARLICKYBREADSTICKS to ever cut those out! xD
Not true. There are people who have been in ketosis for years. Stephanie Keto Person is my primary motivation. She's 47 (might be 48 now) looks 27, is in incredible shape, and eats low carb. She is also a personal trainer who loves the gym, so I will never be ripped like she is, but maybe I can have the same energy levels she has.
And she's apparently someone that can do low carb indefinitely. That's fine for her and if it works for you as well, awesome. It's not true for everyone. That's my point. Most of my calories are from protein and carbs because that makes me feel full for longer. I can eat a huge plate of veggies, but I'll be hungry much sooner than if I have a slice of toast with peanut butter that would equal the same amount of calories. I'm not saying everyone should eat more carbs, just that low carb isn't going to be sustainable for a lot of people. You have to pick a way of eating that is sustainable AFTER you hit your goal. Changing your eating habits is the only way that the weight will STAY off after you've lost what you wanted to lose.
Oh I agree, I don't think any one thing works for everyone. Everyone should find what drives them the least crazy, promotes the highest energy and happiness levels, and keeps them in a good weight range for them.0 -
I couldn't be happy without vegetables, fruit and grains. So, carbs for me.0
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Carbs! 200-300 grams a day for me.0
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There are examples of amazingly fit people who are successful on many different diets. [Edit: sorry, wrote this before I saw that you had acknowledged that.]
I'd love to have the achievements (and fitness level) of Rich Roll, who got into triathlon after turning 40 and since has done some pretty crazy stuff, and looks amazing for a 47-year-old. He attributes his fitness and energy level to his high-carb vegan diet.0 -
tennisdude2004 wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »
So is high carb.jennifer_417 wrote: »Unless you have specific health conditions, low carb is totally unnecessary for losing weight.
Agreed why restrict your fat intake?
For me its because I fill up on starches more easily and more importantly, my lifting is a lot better with carbs than with fat.. then again at 2400 calories, I still get 80-90g of fat... I tend to add more fat when I maintain/bulk.
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The question isn't really Carb or Low Carb, it's which one am I willing to do for the rest of life? (relatively, anyways) Using low carb for a diet doesn't actually help you because you will eventually hit your target goal and stop doing that diet. Now, you haven't changed your eating habits so there's a better than average chance you'll gain the weight back. What you need to do is retrain your brain and body to better eating habits that you will continue once you hit your goal.
With that being said, if you can manage low carb and like it enough to stick with it long term, more power to you. Some people can. I am not one of those. I am way to fond of BUTTERYGARLICKYBREADSTICKS to ever cut those out! xD
Not true. There are people who have been in ketosis for years. Stephanie Keto Person is my primary motivation. She's 47 (might be 48 now) looks 27, is in incredible shape, and eats low carb. She is also a personal trainer who loves the gym, so I will never be ripped like she is, but maybe I can have the same energy levels she has.
And she's apparently someone that can do low carb indefinitely. That's fine for her and if it works for you as well, awesome. It's not true for everyone. That's my point. Most of my calories are from protein and carbs because that makes me feel full for longer. I can eat a huge plate of veggies, but I'll be hungry much sooner than if I have a slice of toast with peanut butter that would equal the same amount of calories. I'm not saying everyone should eat more carbs, just that low carb isn't going to be sustainable for a lot of people. You have to pick a way of eating that is sustainable AFTER you hit your goal. Changing your eating habits is the only way that the weight will STAY off after you've lost what you wanted to lose.
Oh I agree, I don't think any one thing works for everyone. Everyone should find what drives them the least crazy, promotes the highest energy and happiness levels, and keeps them in a good weight range for them.
One thing to keep in mind, there are two major reasons she looks 27... being in shape helps but good genetics play a huge role. I'm 33 and still get carded at bars and liquor stores. My dad didn't have any grey hair until 68 (still has all his hair) and same with my mom.
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The question isn't really Carb or Low Carb, it's which one am I willing to do for the rest of life? (relatively, anyways) Using low carb for a diet doesn't actually help you because you will eventually hit your target goal and stop doing that diet. Now, you haven't changed your eating habits so there's a better than average chance you'll gain the weight back. What you need to do is retrain your brain and body to better eating habits that you will continue once you hit your goal.
With that being said, if you can manage low carb and like it enough to stick with it long term, more power to you. Some people can. I am not one of those. I am way to fond of BUTTERYGARLICKYBREADSTICKS to ever cut those out! xD
Not true. There are people who have been in ketosis for years. Stephanie Keto Person is my primary motivation. She's 47 (might be 48 now) looks 27, is in incredible shape, and eats low carb. She is also a personal trainer who loves the gym, so I will never be ripped like she is, but maybe I can have the same energy levels she has.
And she's apparently someone that can do low carb indefinitely. That's fine for her and if it works for you as well, awesome. It's not true for everyone. That's my point. Most of my calories are from protein and carbs because that makes me feel full for longer. I can eat a huge plate of veggies, but I'll be hungry much sooner than if I have a slice of toast with peanut butter that would equal the same amount of calories. I'm not saying everyone should eat more carbs, just that low carb isn't going to be sustainable for a lot of people. You have to pick a way of eating that is sustainable AFTER you hit your goal. Changing your eating habits is the only way that the weight will STAY off after you've lost what you wanted to lose.
Oh I agree, I don't think any one thing works for everyone. Everyone should find what drives them the least crazy, promotes the highest energy and happiness levels, and keeps them in a good weight range for them.
Exactly. And if OP wants to try low carb, I see nothing wrong with that. But just trying to make them aware that it's ok if you don't feel like you can sustain it. Some people will jump on the 'low-carb' train and get frustrated with it, and it ends up being another stop on the yo-yo diet trip. If those people are aware that they need to adjust how they eat and that carbs are medically safe for 99% of the population and that while some people do well on low carb, not everyone does, they may not feel like not being able to adjust to a low carb diet is a failure for them when it's not. It's just not the direction they need to go.0 -
tennisdude2004 wrote: »Low carb - I don't like having to log food!
Why would someone not doing low carb need to log food any more than someone that was??0 -
Carb if you like them. Go lower carb if it makes it easier to eat a deficit.
Calories are what matter for weight loss for everyone. Period.
How you lower calories is up to you.0 -
The question isn't really Carb or Low Carb, it's which one am I willing to do for the rest of life? (relatively, anyways) Using low carb for a diet doesn't actually help you because you will eventually hit your target goal and stop doing that diet. Now, you haven't changed your eating habits so there's a better than average chance you'll gain the weight back. What you need to do is retrain your brain and body to better eating habits that you will continue once you hit your goal.
With that being said, if you can manage low carb and like it enough to stick with it long term, more power to you. Some people can. I am not one of those. I am way to fond of BUTTERYGARLICKYBREADSTICKS to ever cut those out! xD
Not true. There are people who have been in ketosis for years. Stephanie Keto Person is my primary motivation. She's 47 (might be 48 now) looks 27, is in incredible shape, and eats low carb. She is also a personal trainer who loves the gym, so I will never be ripped like she is, but maybe I can have the same energy levels she has.
And she's apparently someone that can do low carb indefinitely. That's fine for her and if it works for you as well, awesome. It's not true for everyone. That's my point. Most of my calories are from protein and carbs because that makes me feel full for longer. I can eat a huge plate of veggies, but I'll be hungry much sooner than if I have a slice of toast with peanut butter that would equal the same amount of calories. I'm not saying everyone should eat more carbs, just that low carb isn't going to be sustainable for a lot of people. You have to pick a way of eating that is sustainable AFTER you hit your goal. Changing your eating habits is the only way that the weight will STAY off after you've lost what you wanted to lose.
Oh I agree, I don't think any one thing works for everyone. Everyone should find what drives them the least crazy, promotes the highest energy and happiness levels, and keeps them in a good weight range for them.
One thing to keep in mind, there are two major reasons she looks 27... being in shape helps but good genetics play a huge role. I'm 33 and still get carded at bars and liquor stores. My dad didn't have any grey hair until 68 (still has all his hair) and same with my mom.
Yep, and there is nothing I can do about my DNA. Epigenome though? Maybe!
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ntinkham88 wrote: »Cutting carbs has changed my life. I was doing a low fat diet and was getting bad cravings. I would have a cheat once a week and end up binging. It got pretty bad, I had such a sweet tooth! I would eat just plain sugar, no lie! But when I cut carbs and ate more fat, the cravings stopped. The fat fills you up and satisfies. It's seriously a miracle for me plus I feel better all around. I have more energy and more focused. I say try it out and see if it works for you. Couldn't hurt!
This is me too! I haven't gone to extremes, but lowered carbs some and raised fat a lot. This is not like day vs night, but like a parallel universe
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kommodevaran wrote: »ntinkham88 wrote: »Cutting carbs has changed my life. I was doing a low fat diet and was getting bad cravings. I would have a cheat once a week and end up binging. It got pretty bad, I had such a sweet tooth! I would eat just plain sugar, no lie! But when I cut carbs and ate more fat, the cravings stopped. The fat fills you up and satisfies. It's seriously a miracle for me plus I feel better all around. I have more energy and more focused. I say try it out and see if it works for you. Couldn't hurt!
This is me too! I haven't gone to extremes, but lowered carbs some and raised fat a lot. This is not like day vs night, but like a parallel universe
I like that. Parallel universe. I'm definitely a nicer person in the keto universe. I'm friendly and sociable, too. I'm a greedy, snarling hermit when I'm in that other universe.
Unless I'm sleep deprived. Then forget about it. Sleep deprivation makes me vicious no matter what I'm eating!
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kommodevaran wrote: »ntinkham88 wrote: »Cutting carbs has changed my life. I was doing a low fat diet and was getting bad cravings. I would have a cheat once a week and end up binging. It got pretty bad, I had such a sweet tooth! I would eat just plain sugar, no lie! But when I cut carbs and ate more fat, the cravings stopped. The fat fills you up and satisfies. It's seriously a miracle for me plus I feel better all around. I have more energy and more focused. I say try it out and see if it works for you. Couldn't hurt!
This is me too! I haven't gone to extremes, but lowered carbs some and raised fat a lot. This is not like day vs night, but like a parallel universe
I like that. Parallel universe. I'm definitely a nicer person in the keto universe. I'm friendly and sociable, too. I'm a greedy, snarling hermit when I'm in that other universe.
Unless I'm sleep deprived. Then forget about it. Sleep deprivation makes me vicious no matter what I'm eating!
Sleep deprived or hungry makes me the same way...
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I think if you do any sort of physical activity, carbs are fine. Assuming you're not doing over 40% of your total caloric intake. You will most likely start craving more food because of that not-so-full feeling that carbs tend to give you after it's digested.
I used to be low carb; like under 100g a day. Now I just try to stay under 250g. I can enjoy having rice and potatoes every day, and still not feel 'carb loaded'. But I am also very active, and my carbs get used for fuel.
I've done low carb. I've done moderate carb. I've done high carb. Lost weight on all of them.
For me personally, I never found that eating higher carb made me crave more food or left me with a not so full feeling. It's great that you found something that worked for you, but just wanted to state it isn't a universal reaction to all those consume a higher level of carbs.
@shell1005 High carb low fat? Or high carb moderate/high fat? Fat is the key to staying satiated.
Not for me. Fat is not the key for me....which is what I have been saying. Glad you found what works for you, but I caution people to assume what works for you works for others.
I would actually say the protein is much more important for satiety. Fats don't fill me up.
I think fiber is the most satiating thing for me. Fat and protein are good too, but high fiber keeps me full longer.0 -
healthyrachel1979 wrote: »Thoughts?
my thoughts are that carbs aren't this great demon that the diet and fitness industry is currently making them out to be...
most people who eat anything remotely resembling the SAD could stand to balance out their diets a bit more by moderating carbohydrate intake to an extent...and more important could stand to make better decisions overall in RE to what makes up the bulk of their carbohydrate intake...but carbs aren't this evil thing that everyone seems to want to make them out to be.
there are a lot of healthy, nutritious sources of carbohydrates. my diet is largely inspired by the Mediterranean diet...the foundation of which is nutritious sources of carbohydrates like veggies and fruit, whole grains, legumes, potatoes, etc...
and in RE to medical conditions, my dad was a type II diabetic and I worked with him and his dietitian for a couple of years...she never even suggested low carb...better choices? yes. moderating intake? yes...but she never suggested in anyway that my dad needed to go low carb or keto to keep his diabetes under control. in MFP land though, it seems a given that any medical condition auto requires keto...it's all pretty ridiculous IMO.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »healthyrachel1979 wrote: »Thoughts?
and in RE to medical conditions, my dad was a type II diabetic and I worked with him and his dietitian for a couple of years...she never even suggested low carb...better choices? yes. moderating intake? yes...but she never suggested in anyway that my dad needed to go low carb or keto to keep his diabetes under control. in MFP land though, it seems a given that any medical condition auto requires keto...it's all pretty ridiculous IMO.
QFT0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »healthyrachel1979 wrote: »Thoughts?
my thoughts are that carbs aren't this great demon that the diet and fitness industry is currently making them out to be...
most people who eat anything remotely resembling the SAD could stand to balance out their diets a bit more by moderating carbohydrate intake to an extent...and more important could stand to make better decisions overall in RE to what makes up the bulk of their carbohydrate intake...but carbs aren't this evil thing that everyone seems to want to make them out to be.
there are a lot of healthy, nutritious sources of carbohydrates. my diet is largely inspired by the Mediterranean diet...the foundation of which is nutritious sources of carbohydrates like veggies and fruit, whole grains, legumes, potatoes, etc...
and in RE to medical conditions, my dad was a type II diabetic and I worked with him and his dietitian for a couple of years...she never even suggested low carb...better choices? yes. moderating intake? yes...but she never suggested in anyway that my dad needed to go low carb or keto to keep his diabetes under control. in MFP land though, it seems a given that any medical condition auto requires keto...it's all pretty ridiculous IMO.
This hasn't been my experience. From what I've seen, many suggest several moderate approaches to carb restriction. Yes, keto is one of the options people suggest, but it's far from the only one I see people mention. And most still say it will vary on the individual -- this is just one of many strategies that may work or produce better results.
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Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.0
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Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
Why would you have to eat a wide varitey of whole/unprocessed foods? That's no guarantee of weight loss or health.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
For me, aiming to hit my calorie and macro goals, steered me naturally towards a diet of more whole and natural foods, and I learnt to love variety. I love food now, instead of struggle with cravings. (Thank you, MFP!)
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Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
Why would you be on a calorie/macro tracking website if you weren't going to track your macros/calories?0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »healthyrachel1979 wrote: »Thoughts?
my thoughts are that carbs aren't this great demon that the diet and fitness industry is currently making them out to be...
most people who eat anything remotely resembling the SAD could stand to balance out their diets a bit more by moderating carbohydrate intake to an extent...and more important could stand to make better decisions overall in RE to what makes up the bulk of their carbohydrate intake...but carbs aren't this evil thing that everyone seems to want to make them out to be.
there are a lot of healthy, nutritious sources of carbohydrates. my diet is largely inspired by the Mediterranean diet...the foundation of which is nutritious sources of carbohydrates like veggies and fruit, whole grains, legumes, potatoes, etc...
and in RE to medical conditions, my dad was a type II diabetic and I worked with him and his dietitian for a couple of years...she never even suggested low carb...better choices? yes. moderating intake? yes...but she never suggested in anyway that my dad needed to go low carb or keto to keep his diabetes under control. in MFP land though, it seems a given that any medical condition auto requires keto...it's all pretty ridiculous IMO.
This is why you're on my friend list. :-)0 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
Why would you be on a calorie/macro tracking website if you weren't going to track your macros/calories?
You can also track vitamins and minerals. Very important, especially for those who don't take a multivitamin. Even more important if you're vegan and only taking B12.
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Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
Why would you be on a calorie/macro tracking website if you weren't going to track your macros/calories?
You can also track vitamins and minerals. Very important, especially for those who don't take a multivitamin. Even more important if you're vegan and only taking B12.
Even then, MFP only tracks Vitamins A and C, and iron and calcium.0 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
Why would you be on a calorie/macro tracking website if you weren't going to track your macros/calories?
You can also track vitamins and minerals. Very important, especially for those who don't take a multivitamin. Even more important if you're vegan and only taking B12.
Even then, MFP only tracks Vitamins A and C, and iron and calcium.
Yeah, but I wasn't going to mention there are better sites for that. Now that you've mentioned it, there are. Of course in the future MFP might also allow us to track those things, too. Would be great!
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Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »Why obsess about carbs, protein and fat when all you have to do is eat a wide variety of whole/unprocessed foods. I've been there and it was a colossal waste of time with no lasting results. Just eat real food and be active. The end.
Why would you be on a calorie/macro tracking website if you weren't going to track your macros/calories?
You can also track vitamins and minerals. Very important, especially for those who don't take a multivitamin. Even more important if you're vegan and only taking B12.
Even then, MFP only tracks Vitamins A and C, and iron and calcium.
Yeah, but I wasn't going to mention there are better sites for that. Now that you've mentioned it, there are. Of course in the future MFP might also allow us to track those things, too. Would be great!
There are better sites than MFP for a lot of things. This is no secret.
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If I don't eat some carbs, I have no energy to run. I do find if I eat to much I get super bloated though, so it's usually apple/pb or few crackers/cheese, tater at dinner...0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »healthyrachel1979 wrote: »Thoughts?
my thoughts are that carbs aren't this great demon that the diet and fitness industry is currently making them out to be...
most people who eat anything remotely resembling the SAD could stand to balance out their diets a bit more by moderating carbohydrate intake to an extent...and more important could stand to make better decisions overall in RE to what makes up the bulk of their carbohydrate intake...but carbs aren't this evil thing that everyone seems to want to make them out to be.
there are a lot of healthy, nutritious sources of carbohydrates. my diet is largely inspired by the Mediterranean diet...the foundation of which is nutritious sources of carbohydrates like veggies and fruit, whole grains, legumes, potatoes, etc...
and in RE to medical conditions, my dad was a type II diabetic and I worked with him and his dietitian for a couple of years...she never even suggested low carb...better choices? yes. moderating intake? yes...but she never suggested in anyway that my dad needed to go low carb or keto to keep his diabetes under control. in MFP land though, it seems a given that any medical condition auto requires keto...it's all pretty ridiculous IMO.
I'll have to see if I can find it, but there's an article linking to some studies done that about 1% of the population actually has a medical need to have little to no carbs. My husband is T2 and he restricts his carb intake, but that's all part of his overall glucose intake and nothing else. So yeah, you'll end up with a lot of people self-diagnosing that they need a low carb diet when they really just need to eat less overall. ><
Low carb right now is another fad diet that will fade over time that people will try because they want a quick fix. Yeah, it can work for some people, but some people are perfectly happy cutting out carbs. If you're not, you're just going to make yourself miserable.0
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