Using carbohydrates as only calorie source

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AnthonyX150X
AnthonyX150X Posts: 293 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I was thinking about a what if scenario about a person getting calories only from carbs in a caloric deficit.

So with no fat or protein to accompany the carbs, would the person lose more muscle than fat? Also, what are the side affects with a diet like this?
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Replies

  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    I guess that depends on how long they're doing this for. A couple of days? Probably no big deal for a healthy individual.

    Extended period of time? Worst. Idea. Ever.

    Well, maybe not ever, as the worst ever just may be The Biggest Loser, but hell no.

    Considering fats and proteins are essential nutrients, a diet that didn't have any would lead one to serious health issues. And I'd wager that it wouldn't take too long to see those issues.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited June 2016
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    You can live without Carbs you can't live without fat and protein. When I say "live" I'm not saying it would be a thriving life but technically protein and fat calories will be converted glycogen for later use as energy so possible. Not something I would want to do..
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    You'd probably start off by getting massive headaches.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
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    Michael190lbs wrote: »
    You can live without Carbs you can't live without fat and protein. When I say "live" I'm not saying it would be a thriving life but technically protein and fat calories will be converted glycogen for later use as energy so possible. Not something I would want to do..

    The body needs sugar, too.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    I eat almost entirely foods that are considered "carbs", but since all foods are some combination of the three macronutrients, the only way to get exclusively carbohydrate is to eat a synthetic or at least entirely refined diet.

    If you actually did try out carbohydrate only nutrition for any length of time, you'd be in for a world of hurt. EFA deficiencies, Vit A,D,E, and K malabsorption, and kwashiorkor at least.

    When you finally exhaust the amino acid pool (actually, sooner because of limiting AAs), your body would break down your muscle tissue, including cardiac muscle, which would cause heart failure. You may die of something else sooner, though.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
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    MissusMoon wrote: »
    The body needs sugar, too.

    Sugars are the simplest forms of carbs. If you were on a 100% carb diet, not taking into account deficiencies in amino acids from protein and hormone imbalances from not getting enough fat, the body would break down the carbs into glucose for respiration like it does with most things you eat.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    Considering you'd be eating the only macro that's not essential to life.....you'll die eventually
  • sarahthes
    sarahthes Posts: 3,252 Member
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    MissusMoon wrote: »
    Michael190lbs wrote: »
    You can live without Carbs you can't live without fat and protein. When I say "live" I'm not saying it would be a thriving life but technically protein and fat calories will be converted glycogen for later use as energy so possible. Not something I would want to do..

    The body needs sugar, too.

    The body is awesome and can make The glucose it needs for the functions where it can't utilize fat metabolism instead--body makes sugar from protein (gluconeogenesis).
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The body requires protein and fat.
    It does not need carbs.
  • Dannigreen31
    Dannigreen31 Posts: 557 Member
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    Yeh I'm guessing it's not going to be good for you at all. Like above poster we can live without carbs but we need the others
  • teatumbles
    teatumbles Posts: 17 Member
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    It would be very hard to do that unless you were literally eating pure sugar. Even if you ate only fruit all day you'd get an okay amount of protein and fat
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
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    so i looked up a list of the highest carb foods and it looks like most peoples BEFORE lol https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-carbohydrates.php
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
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    It depends on duration. Short term and a level of intake under your daily calorie requirements? You'd love weight, but your body would start to cannibalize itself for the essential amino acids it needs, so some of that weight would be muscle. Long term, You'd die as previously stated.
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
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    tross0924 wrote: »
    It depends on duration. Short term and a level of intake under your daily calorie requirements? You'd love weight, but your body would start to cannibalize itself for the essential amino acids it needs, so some of that weight would be muscle. Long term, You'd die as previously stated.

    That's how zombies are made!!!! "cannibalize"
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Well you'd be living off of the one macro that isn't essential, and neglecting the two that are. So basically that would be asinine.

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