Are Carbs Inherently Bad?

Katie3784
Katie3784 Posts: 543
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
I have been noticing here that many people believe that carbs are really bad for you. They think consuming them leads to lots of weight gain. Well, I am a bit confused because I have a very high carb diet and have steadily been losing weight for the last six months. I eat cereal every day for breakfast(fiber one raisin bran) with fruit. Carbs, carbs, carbs! I eat a sandwich everyday for lunch, and I have a fiber one chewy bar for snack. I eat whole grain pasta and rice a lot as well. If carbs are so bad for you, then why am I losing weight on a high carb diet?

Replies

  • ehalps26
    ehalps26 Posts: 25 Member
    carbs are the essence of LIFE. they are far from bad...at least the quality carbs. carbs from snickers and ice cream, not so quality. get it?
  • Andythefitfamilyman
    Andythefitfamilyman Posts: 420
    I think it depends on the person, some people do good on a low carb lifestyle while others like me does well on a low cal, I say find what works for you.
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
    There is a difference between complex carbs and simple carbs.
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
    carbs are the essence of LIFE. they are far from bad...at least the quality carbs. carbs from snickers and ice cream, not so quality. get it?

    What he said.

    Also I eat carbs myself...brown rice, crackers, pastas...but I have to limit how much of it. But whoa is me cause I really would like to eat a loaf of bread :blushing: haha
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    carbs are the essence of LIFE. they are far from bad...at least the quality carbs. carbs from snickers and ice cream, not so quality. get it?

    THIS!!!

    eat those carbs and make them good ones (I think you are already!) I do and have lost the weight I needed to, without them I feel shakey and weak.

    Best of Luck!
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
    You mean the food that was one of the primary drivers in the growth, err I should say explosion, of the human population? I would say that the answer would have to be no.

    What's inherently bad is the way we sometimes overeat them....especially simple carbs. Simple carbs also have that annoying effect of making you hungry again soon after eating.

    They can also be inherently bad for people with insulin resistance issues...but it sounds like you don't suffer from that one bit.
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    I was watching interviews with Gary Taubes on YouTube and although I don't agree with everything he says, I do believe that what your body responds to (either carbs or low carbs) will help you lose weight. Now he says that carbs are bad but he says he eats veggies so I would say whatever works for you.

    I am also losing weight on high carbs (but those are good carbs, whatever), and so I am sticking to what works for me. I am trending towards the Paleo diet as it makes sense the more I learn about what types of foods they eat and avoid but I am still against certain types of foods because I believe they are contaminated or not natural. For example, human babies need their mother's milk (not cow's milk) and yet after the mother's milk has "dried up," we drink cow's milk afterwards. That's not natural.

    Good health to you.
  • glypta
    glypta Posts: 440 Member
    Carbs aren't bad. I love them. My problem is I find them quite addictive and not filling which is not a good combo for me. So I eat fewer carbs (none from pasta, rice, bread, etc) and I feel better as I actually get 'full' and don't then crave more carbs. But that's a personal thing. I'd love to be a 'moderation' gal, but I'm not, so low carb works for me. To each his own :smile:
  • spiritcrusher
    spiritcrusher Posts: 326 Member
    carbs are the essence of LIFE. they are far from bad...at least the quality carbs. carbs from snickers and ice cream, not so quality. get it?

    Relatively agreed.

    Even simple carbs from snickers and ice cream can be useful especially if it was to utilize the energy shortly after.

    Most people just can't control their intake of carbohydrates and after you glycogen stores are full they immediately go to fat stores.
  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
    Most people just can't control their intake of carbohydrates and after you glycogen stores are full they immediately go to fat stores.

    this totally relates to me, so i try to not eat that much. i would love to have a sandwich every lunch time and rice/bread/pasta or potato for dinner but i am very bad at portion control and find that if i cut them out as much as i can then i wont risk over indulging.

    I get a lot of my carbs from veggies as well and the odd treat.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    carbs are the essence of LIFE. they are far from bad...at least the quality carbs. carbs from snickers and ice cream, not so quality. get it?

    Relatively agreed.

    Even simple carbs from snickers and ice cream can be useful especially if it was to utilize the energy shortly after.

    Most people just can't control their intake of carbohydrates and after you glycogen stores are full they immediately go to fat stores.

    Agree with this. I workout hard so I can enjoy my carbs. Not doing anything, little energy used, little "fuel" required so they would be lower carb days.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    carbs are the essence of LIFE. they are far from bad...at least the quality carbs. carbs from snickers and ice cream, not so quality. get it?

    Agreed! A low calorie diet is working for me thus far, so I don't sweat how many carbs I eat, so long as I come under the goal set for me on MFP. I try to exceed the protein amount and come under on carbs. Also, I try to make sure the bulk of my carbs are from whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, not white flour based items.

    Some people do much better on low carb diets than others. Like everything, I think it depends highly on the person. For me personally, I feel like death if I don't eat a moderate amount of carbs.
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