Carbs...Carbs...Carbs....OMG Carbs EVERY WHERE!!!!

A carb is a carb the way a calorie is a calorie.

Now for the long answer. Not all carbs are equal and different foods are better choices for different situations. Carbohydrates give us energy, how much and how quickly are the questions whose answers will give you guidance. Vegetables are mostly carbs, so is that muffin, oatmeal, and snickers bar. But you get a lot more volume and longer fullness from the veggies. The difference is how quickly they are digested and how nutritionally dense the item is. The less refined food is, the longer it takes your body to digest it and get the carbs into your blood stream where they can be used as fuel. Ideally, you want a slow steady stream of fuel. Sugar is the crack cocaine of carbs, it jacks you up and then you want more. Studies have actually been done that show it stimulates the same areas of the brain, the pleasure centers, as hard drugs. So it's all about moderation. Choosing carbs that slowly release their energy for sustained energy through out the day and small portions of sugary/refined items for pleasure or to smooth out a dip from going too long without eating. Personally, sweet potatoes, brown rice, Uncle Sam cereal, and oatmeal are my top quality carb choices along with veggies! Pairing carbs with protein is a good way to balance it out. I make oatmeal pancakes a lot, 1 egg + 1/2 c (not instant) oats + splash of milk/soy + cinnamon/ginger. It keeps me going a lot longer than just plain oatmeal because of the protein from the eggs. Conversely, post workout you want to give your body quick access to carbs so it doesn't "steal" protein from your muscles to repair itself. Post workout, 0-30 minutes, for intense sessions lasting an hour or longer, some sugar is ok because you don't want to waste all the work you did by letting your body tear it down. A fruit and protein smoothie is my go to post workout. Hope this helps. There is so much info out there, you can always ask a dietitian for a really reliable answer.

It has taken me a lot of time and trial/error to get my carbs under control. I limit them to 40% of my diet (122g a day). You have to learn that if you have a pasta/rice/potato carb at dinner, you can't have one at breakfast and lunch also. You learn that no-sugar-added breads are lower in carbs. You learn that 1 slice of Ezekiel bread is more filling than 4 slices of white bread or 2 of whole wheat. You learn to balance fruits and veggie carbs with the occasional grain/rice/potato carb. I don't eat cakes, cookies, white bread/rice because it just makes me want more. I've learned that plenty of "healthy" foods are still high in carbs and calories and have to be limited.

Yesterday, I had linguini for the first time in a long time, and was 27g over in my carb category for the day. Once in a while...ok. But it's a learning process.

Keep playing with your food choices and you'll eventually find what works best for you! Good luck!

Go to HULU or netflix and download or rent "FATHEAD" it will explain how carbs help/hurt our weight loss efforts.

Go to HULU or netflix and download or rent "FATHEAD" it will explain how carbs help/hurt our weight loss efforts.

Except ignore everything discussed when talking about insulin and carbs being converted the fat. Conveniently the filmmaker leaves out the disgustingly obvious axiom of human physiology that discusses how carbs are stored as glycogen before being stored as fat, yet he tries to tell viewers that carbs will be converted to fat almost immediately upon consumption. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

200 Calories, somewhere along the way my doctor told me:

200 Calories for Breakfast
100 Calorie Snack
400 Calories for Lunch
100 Calorie Snack
600 Calories for Dinner

If you reverse this scenerio you will have the perfect days plan! Start out with 600 calories for breakfast! You can mix it up!

I may have not remembered correctly but I thought I heard it was 1200 calories. Either way what you are saying about carbs rarely getting stored as fat seems crazy to me I must admit. I was under the impression that all carbs which exceed your glycogen storage level are stored as fat.

Only under extreme circumstances, but let me re-word it this way:

What's the difference between carbs being converted to fat vs. carbs being stored as glycogen and restricting fat loss? The end result is the same: lack of fat loss, but the process is simply different. If you eat 4,000 calories of dietary fat, it will be stored as fat and subsequently you will have to burn 4,000 calories of that fat before you return to "baseline." If you eat 4,000 calories of carbs and max out glycogen, it will not be stored as fat but eventually that will all have to be burned off before you return to "baseline."

Too many carbs at a caloric surplus does not inherently mean FAT gain, but rather WEIGHT gain and subsequently restricted fat loss upon returning to a caloric deficit. It inhibits fat loss rather than contributing to fat gain. Either way, again, the fat won't be coming off.

That's a simplistic version of a very complex process.

Ok, let's see. Here is an example, simplified of course. Tell me if this is wrong.

I have slept all night after loading up with a ton of carbs the night before so my glyogen should be pretty full.
I decide to eat all my calories for breakfast and eat 1600 calories of pure table sugar.
The sugar is quickly enters my bloodstream and my blood sugar level goes sky high.
Insulin is released into my bloodstream and some of the glucose is burned as fuel.
A small amount is converted to glycogen and stored in my liver and muscles.
The rest just kinda floats around in my body until it's needed for fuel???

And eating like this will not lead to metabolic syndrome or eventually diabetes?

1) Your glycogen will not be filled as sleeping for 8 hours will burn a good amount of calories. BMR for a male with an average LBM works at ~1.5 calories per minute. Meaning 8 hours of sleep = 720 calories burned from sleep alone. We'll call it 650 - 800 calories burned through sleep. Your glycogen, upon waking, will not be filled.

2) If you eat 1,600 calories of pure table sugar, then:
a) Some will be burned off immediately. Your body will recognize the high levels of carbs in your system and will compensate by burning them at an unusually high rate. This is a fat AND muscle-sparing process.
b) Some will be stored to fill the remaining glycogen.
c) Anything left over will undergo de novo lipogenesis and be converted to fat.

-Processes A and B are not linear; they will happen simultaneously-

3) However, let's say you ate that at 6 am. What happens the rest of the day? All the carbs that were stored as fat will be burned off, along with all of it that was stored as glycogen. And considering you're at a caloric deficit - MORE fat and glycogen will be burned off on top of it.

4) Remember that weight loss increases insulin sensitivity. Don't miss the forest for the trees here. While I'm not condoning eating 1,600 calories of pure sugar for breakfast as it will result in a spike in blood sugar and subsequent insulin spike, over the long-term as you lose weight your insulin sensitivity will go up, not down. Assuming you don't have a clinical condition, of course.