Carbs?!?!?

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BettyBeth14
BettyBeth14 Posts: 171 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm getting very confused now...everyone seems to be of the opinion carbs are bad and should be cut back to see results in weightloss...hopwever My two pieces of fruit otdya have contained 61g carbs which is over 30% of my daily allowance? (Basic allowance with no exercise)

Whats everyones stance on carbs? Good ro Bad? xx

Replies

  • dtleh
    dtleh Posts: 5 Member
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    I don't agree with those that avoid all carbs, no matter the length of time they avoid them. I do try to avoid the unhealthy carbs (french fries, chips, white bread, white rice) and go with healthy carbs (whole wheat ANYTHING). I actually enjoy the taste of whole wheat bread and pasta more than white now.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I LOVE my carbs! I have no problem staying fit and healthy on my favorite food - pasta! It's all about controlling your portions. Carbs are not evil. Try to avoid highly processed or refined foods of any kind (including carbs) - there's no reason to exclude entire food groups from your life. :drinker:
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    For me personally I have to keep carbs lower or my weight loss stalls. I do drink a green smoothie a day that has a pretty good chunk of carbs in it but I figure since they're whole foods and no sugar or anything refined I'm fine with it. I do keep the rest of my food lower in carbs though to compensate. I don't do bread for the most part and when I do it's wholemeal (we mill our own flour and bake our bread so I know it's truly wholemeal bread). I try to eat as clean as possible, whole foods as close to their natural state as I can.

    All that said, you have to figure out what works for your body! The fruit wouldn't be as big an issue as cereal or breads, sweeteners and other refined foods. If you're going to reduce carbs those would be the things I'd start with. But again, if you are losing fine with the amount you're eating it may not be necessary to reduce that much.

    edited because I can't type this morning!
  • shesnotthere
    shesnotthere Posts: 117
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    If you're losing weight with what you're doing, I wouldn't worry about it? Everyone is different. Fruit has many anti-oxidants that can protect you against various cancers which is worth a little sugar for most people. If you're still worried about it, try eating less sugary, higher anti-oxidant fruits like berries. Here is a link telling you which fruits are lower/higher in sugar:

    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatfruit.htm
  • hardenedheartx
    hardenedheartx Posts: 42 Member
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    The important thing about carbs is to eat good, healthy carbs (fruits, whole wheat, etc) instead of the bad carbs. Your body needs carbs, especially if you're working out a lot.
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
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    Keep your processed carbs down (white flour products such as pasta, bread, etc). Keep eating whole grain carbs (whole grain pasta, multi-grain bread, etc), and enjoy your fruits and veggies. The no-carb hype is another diet fad. Everything in moderation wins in the end.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I have PCOS, so low carbs is the way to go for me. If you have no reasons to do low carbs and lose weight without any probleme with 55% or more carbs. Go for it. It really make life easier to eat carbs if you want my opinion
  • penguinfan03
    penguinfan03 Posts: 32 Member
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    Necessary in moderation. I keep my goals set to 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat (roughly) and don't sweat it if I end up with as much as about 50% carbs on any given day as long as I'm hitting my protein mark. I also try to get most of my carbs from fruits and veggies, yogurt, etc and limit the bread/rice/potato/pasta love affair. Ezekiel bread is a great replacement for your standard wheat bread (found in the frozen bread section). In my experience, carbs=fiber, and everyone needs their fiber, so getting quality carbs is a good thing.... but just like calories, you have to monitor it.

    I'm also a little anti-carb in the morning, so where other people may be starting their day with a bagel or cereal or toast, I'm all about yogurt and a protein shake. I just can't believe that not eating overnight and then waking up in the morning and immediately feeding your body foods that are so easily converted to sugar can be good for you. The extra protein also keeps me full until lunch so I'm not crashing and snacking all morning :)
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
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    Keep your processed carbs down (white flour products such as pasta, bread, etc). Keep eating whole grain carbs (whole grain pasta, multi-grain bread, etc), and enjoy your fruits and veggies. The no-carb hype is another diet fad. Everything in moderation wins in the end.

    Just as a minor point of clarification: if you're trying to eat whole grain bread make sure that the primary ingredient is "whole wheat flour". "Multi-grain" bread just means it's made with multiple grains, and is not an indication of how "whole" the wheat flour is.

    Otherwise, I agree. :smile:
  • sauerkrautpolka
    sauerkrautpolka Posts: 266 Member
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    I have PCOS, so low carbs is the way to go for me. If you have no reasons to do low carbs and lose weight without any probleme with 55% or more carbs. Go for it. It really make life easier to eat carbs if you want my opinion

    Same here and agreed! Low-carb is what works for me. Right now I am trying to incorporate low-calorie on top of that. So I am on a low-carb/low-cal plan. I don't recommend it to everybody, but it's what works for me. But yes, everybody is different. What works for some people won't work for others and vice versa. The important thing is finding a plan that works for you and it being something you can stick with for life.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    I'm getting very confused now...everyone seems to be of the opinion carbs are bad and should be cut back to see results in weightloss...hopwever My two pieces of fruit otdya have contained 61g carbs which is over 30% of my daily allowance? (Basic allowance with no exercise)

    Whats everyones stance on carbs? Good ro Bad? xx

    Carbs are not bad as a class. The TYPES of carbs that people tend to choose and the proportion in which they choose them can be bad though.

    The majority of your carbs should be coming from vegetables, fruits and low or non-fat dairy. You should eat little to no crappy carbs, like white bread, white pasta, white rice, table sugar, refined flour products (crackers, cakes, pretzels, rice cakes, most cereals, etc.). The simple, crappy carbs have next to no nutrition in them and spike your blood sugar, promoting fat storage but providing no nutirtion. The veggies and fruits provide a lot of nutrients along with the carbs, and the fiber in them slows the rate at which the sugars hit your bloodstream, meaning less of a blood sugar spike and less tendency to promote fat storage.

    So first, look at the quality of the carbs you eat. Then, consider whether monitoring the quantity of your carbs would influence your weight loss.
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
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    I am personally trying to avoid the following at the moment: bread, pasta, rice.

    I am howver having them in small doses instead of every day.

    I have replaced bread with Melba toasts and it has saved me around 400 cals a day over breakfast and lunch.

    But I had a tiny portion of spaghetti last night and I loved every bit of it.

    I think my problem before was that I ate too many carbs every day and I put on loads of weight as a result- thinking just coz I exercised I could get away with it.
  • kelseyk14
    kelseyk14 Posts: 95
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    I'm getting very confused now...everyone seems to be of the opinion carbs are bad and should be cut back to see results in weightloss...hopwever My two pieces of fruit otdya have contained 61g carbs which is over 30% of my daily allowance? (Basic allowance with no exercise)

    Whats everyones stance on carbs? Good ro Bad? xx

    I wouldnt worry about fruit carbs so much although some fruits like bananas have higher carbs, but when people say they watch their carbs they are usually avoiding breads, pastas, potatoes, rice...those are the ones that you should limit for weight loss! I have had great success with that!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I do not agree that all carbs are evil, that being said not all carbs are created equal either. The more complex and truer to nature the carb source is the better. If you plateau then you may want to look at your sodiums, sugars, and carb intake . . . but until then you're fine.
  • morez610
    morez610 Posts: 13 Member
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    I don't agree with those that avoid all carbs, no matter the length of time they avoid them. I do try to avoid the unhealthy carbs (french fries, chips, white bread, white rice) and go with healthy carbs (whole wheat ANYTHING). I actually enjoy the taste of whole wheat bread and pasta more than white now.

    Great point!!! I know that it's not about me, however, i would like to point out that my weight loss program has definitely included a good number of carbs (rice, noodles, bread) since these are great sources of retained daily energy. Plus, a healthy combination of both carbs and fiber makes you feel full throughout the day, hence, avoiding the unecessary snacking that eventually leads to higher calorie intake. 15 lbs in 5 weeks - and still enjoying my daily carb intake...including my favorite of all time (roast duck over steamed rice!)

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