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Will carbs make me fat if I am trying to lose weight?

Posts: 87 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I love brown rice and ezekial (sp?) bread and well starches in general. But I do stay away from the white cr*p. Anyways, i know everything in moderation, but will carbs make me fat even if I exercise 5-6 days (65 minutes) and eat in a calorie deficit? (Trying to lose weight)

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  • Posts: 2,054 Member
    No. Too many calories makes you fat. Unless you have an actual health reason for it, there's no reason that you normally need to restrict carbs. I've had crumpets every morning for breakfast this week, and pasta twice and still lost weight.
  • Unknown
    edited April 2016
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  • Posts: 2,493 Member
    jax_006 wrote: »
    I know enough about nutrition to cut out all the white when it comes to carbs and I'm okay with that for the obvious health reasons. But I love brown rice and ezekial (sp?) bread and well starches in general. But I do stay away from the white cr*p. Anyways, i know everything in moderation, but will carbs make me fat even if I exercise 5-6 days (65 minutes) and eat in a calorie deficit? (Trying to lose weight)

    You really, really don't.

    Anyway, carbohydrates are fine. "White" food is fine. There are no "obvious health reasons" to eliminate "white" foods unless there are intolerances or allergies present.

    You can not gain body fat in a calorie deficit.

    You answered your own question. Everything in moderation.
  • Posts: 25,763 Member
    No. I ate carbohydrates (including white stuff like bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar) all the time when I was losing weight. As long as I was in a deficit, I lost. It didn't matter if I had pizza, french fries, or cake during the week. What mattered was how many calories I ate.
  • Posts: 868 Member
    jax_006 wrote: »
    I know enough about nutrition to cut out all the white when it comes to carbs and I'm okay with that for the obvious health reasons. But I love brown rice and ezekial (sp?) bread and well starches in general. But I do stay away from the white cr*p. Anyways, i know everything in moderation, but will carbs make me fat even if I exercise 5-6 days (65 minutes) and eat in a calorie deficit? (Trying to lose weight)

    Nope, you can still eat 'white' food, or any other foods for that matter-what you do need to focus on is eating less of it, measuring out portion sizes and staying within your calorie parameters. That's all it takes for weight loss. You can still eat carbs :)
  • Posts: 2,447 Member
    Don't be a food racist. Eat the white stuff...lol. The color of something isn't a good indicator of whether or not it will make you fat. It's calorie content and your total consumption is what you need to be mindful of.
  • Posts: 167 Member
    Like everyone else said, go ahead and eat the carbs. Especially since you work out a lot.
  • Posts: 8,159 Member
    jax_006 wrote: »
    I know enough about nutrition to cut out all the white when it comes to carbs and I'm okay with that for the obvious health reasons. But I love brown rice and ezekial (sp?) bread and well starches in general. But I do stay away from the white cr*p. Anyways, i know everything in moderation, but will carbs make me fat even if I exercise 5-6 days (65 minutes) and eat in a calorie deficit? (Trying to lose weight)

    @jax_006 yes there are different kinds of carbs just like there are different kinds of fats. What to cut or not cut really varies based on many factors.

    Carbs may put on fat faster than protein or fats but we are all different.

    In my case cutting out sugar and all forms of grains cut out my physical craving for carb items which in turned stopped my ability to binge because I get full on protein and fats and must stop eating more unlike when I was living on carbs.

    As you can see this automatically cuts my calories in without increasing/decreasing my calories out.

    Since eliminating sugar and all grains my pain levels dropped like a rock in just 30 days. My serious IBS resolved in six months and yes my weight dropped nicely and has maintained for a year now at 200 pounds for the first time in 22 years. As you expected my CO went up when I could move without pain.

    Does me leaving off sugar and all grains make me lose weight or maybe there another reason I do not know. I replaced lost carb calories with fat calories. I can not physically binge on fats like was possible on carbs so that automatically lead to some weight loss.

    Bottom line is just find a healthy way of eating that works for you that you can do for the rest of your life and run with it. The way I and others eat may NOT work for you for many reasons. Dieting is ONLY about what works for YOU not what works for others. There is no magic even though learning a healthy way to eat that makes it impossible for me to binge does sound magically to me until I look at the science behind it in my case.

    By the way I learned 'everything in moderation' was a trap for a fool in my case. :(

    Best of success. Keep reading real research about eating healthy and do not ACT on anything you read on any form of social media. Even research can have an agenda to promote so cross check everything and look at who is paying for the research.
  • Posts: 5,260 Member
    Not if you fit them into your calorie goal.
  • Posts: 416 Member
    Don't worry about the carbs honey. I eat potatoes every night. I'm losing just fine.
  • Posts: 76 Member
    I have reduced the amount of carbs I eat and increased my protein and for me it has been a big help in that I dont have such a big appetite anymore, I feel that for me carbs made me more hungry
  • Posts: 70 Member
    Hey keep eating the carbs I did and it hasn't negatively affected my weightloss as long as you eat within you calory limit so just don't over do it
  • Posts: 544 Member
    I eat white rice and potatoes every day and have lost 45 lbs.
  • Posts: 17 Member
    edited April 2016
    You can have McDonalds if you wanted to, and still lose weight. This website is great because you can eat literally ANY food you want AS LONG as it fits your macro's. So, look at how much protein/carbs/and fat you need per day. Then, make sure you EXERCISE so you can eat more calories, or to create an even bigger deficit. Don't even think about eating any less than 1200 calories. Secondly, decide how fast you want to lose weight. So no faster than 2 lbs/week, because you need realistic weight loss. If you try to lose it faster than that, you will have stretch marks and most likely relapse. Okay now that we made that clear: White carbs are fine! You can have wonder bread, minute rice etc..But there's one major thing a lot of people in this thread are forgetting to mention: MICRONUTRIENTS. So you MUST make sure you get in at least 1 serving of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables PER day. I like to eat 100g of romaine lettuce and 1 apple every single day. What's good about this is, it makes up for any of the "Bad" foods I eat. Also when you eat a lot of veggies, it will help you flush the fat out of your body. So, all and all just do this:

    Eat whole foods such as oats, beans, legumes, lean meat, veggies, and whole grains (if you like ezekiel bread, EAT IT)

    "Filler" Foods: I wouldn't call these HEALTHY but they are GREAT to help fill you up and works in your macros. Some great filler foods are: Yogurt, Mozzarella/Cheddar Cheese

    Carbs: Potatoes, rice, pasta are all great and just fine to have as your carb source. If you want MORE nutrients then yes, obviously brown rice and ezekiel bread are the way to go. But if you love white bread and white rice, you can eat that too - just know you may not get a ton of nutrients from those foods. (And that's okay because that's why you have micronutrients)

    Healthy fats to include: Eggs, avocado, coconut milk, almond milk

    and if there's any junk food you like honestly you can work it in. As long as it fits your macros and you create a caloric deficit, that's literally all you need. I hope this was helpful.
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  • Posts: 15,532 Member
    Has there been a fresh push against white carbs lately? What's with the large number of "white carbs are the devil" posts lately?

    OP, eat foods you like. Eat less of them, move more. Stay within your calorie goals. Don't make yourself miserable by giving up the things you like. It often backfires on people because they cave, eat something that is 'forbidden' and then give up on losing weight because they can't stick to something that is unnecessarily restrictive. Don't overcomplicate it.
  • Posts: 666 Member
    I heart carbs.
  • Posts: 69 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    Has there been a fresh push against white carbs lately? What's with the large number of "white carbs are the devil" posts lately?


    I think so! My dad retired about a year ago and just joined a gym (yea!). He hired a personal trainer who convinced him to give up white bread. The poor man just wants to keep his balance and flexibility. Let him eat bread! :smiley:
  • Posts: 15,532 Member
    dwntwn5 wrote: »


    I think so! My dad retired about a year ago and just joined a gym (yea!). He hired a personal trainer who convinced him to give up white bread. The poor man just wants to keep his balance and flexibility. Let him eat bread! :smiley:

    Awe, tell your dad to eat his bread! My personal trainer has never given me nutritional advice other than to not eat too little (when I tell him I am eating 1700, he drops it), because he is not trained to be giving that advice. If your dad has dietary concerns, have him see a registered dietician. Very few PTs are also trained in nutrition, and even then I'd be dubious.
  • Posts: 76 Member
    The only difference is there is fast digesting carbs like white bread or white poatoes and slow digesting carbs like wheat bread and sweet potatoes just knowing when to eat them at certain times is key. But you can deff have both!
  • Posts: 279 Member
    No. I ate carbohydrates (including white stuff like bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar) all the time when I was losing weight. As long as I was in a deficit, I lost. It didn't matter if I had pizza, french fries, or cake during the week. What mattered was how many calories I ate.

    Gah why does this excite me?!? Haha.
  • Posts: 25,763 Member

    Gah why does this excite me?!? Haha.

    I was pretty excited when I realized it was working too! Calorie counting is magical.
  • Posts: 623 Member
    I only avoid starchy carbs to keep my calories low and also to ensure I keep my macros in the right range. If you can maintain your macros and calories then don't worry about it!
  • Posts: 24,208 Member
    No, it won't.
  • Posts: 1,119 Member
    edited April 2016
    I tend towards whole grain things because they often have more fiber and protein than their more processed counterparts. Whether or not they have less calories really depends on a lot of different factors. When calories are negligible, I go by macros.

    That said, Torta rolls from Costco are gifts from the bread gods.
  • Posts: 15,317 Member
    CrabNebula wrote: »
    I tend towards whole grain things because they often have more fiber and protein than their more processed counterparts. Whether or not they have less calories really depends on a lot of different factors. When calories are negligible, I go by macros.

    That said, Torta rolls from Costco are gifts from the bread gods.

    I effin' love those!!
  • Posts: 8,911 Member
    The only difference is there is fast digesting carbs like white bread or white poatoes and slow digesting carbs like wheat bread and sweet potatoes just knowing when to eat them at certain times is key. But you can deff have both!

    You don't need to eat them at certain times.
  • Posts: 313 Member
    I think we all have our successes with different meal plans, but my success only comes when i avoid white carbs and high fructose corn syrup. When i cut out the white carbs and refined sugars, i drop water weight like crazy! Just my experience.
  • Posts: 769 Member
    I eat white carbs almost every day and I haven't gained fat since I started on MFP.
  • Posts: 149 Member
    Any colour of carbs aren't the devil, but I will say that on the keto diet I am not hungry at all ever, while still in a calorie deficit. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, so before starting the keto diet, my diet was primarily carbs and protein, and I was hungry ALL THE TIME! Seriously, two hours after breakfast (with eggs and bread), I'd be hungry. Now, I've replaced the bread with something high fat and I can go 8 hours without getting hungry- usually forgetting about lunch. So carbs aren't bad, but if you struggle with hunger issues on a high-carb diet, try low carb instead.
This discussion has been closed.