Carbs, sheesh!
Replies
-
I eat between 150 - 200 grams of carbs daily, have never been obese, and lost 15 vanity lbs this way. My blood test numbers have always been great, probably because I'm focusing on being more active and a health weight :drinker:3
-
pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes too so I really have to watch my carbs now.
The drivers for diabetes are largely obesity, inactivity and genetics. Carbs don't cause diabetes. If anything concentrate on getting a lot of fiber and limited added sugars.
I should also say, if you have a predisposition to a disease, you should make sure you get tested more regularly. This way, you catch it early.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Seeing as this is the exercise forum, carbs are necessary for performance.
Disagree. I've been less than 20 carbs a day for four months now, lift 3x a week and cardio 3x a week
0 -
Counting carbs is just another variation on restricting calorie intake. 1g carbs = 4 cal....... While I personally don't pay too much attention to my carbs (I run, I love carbs) I can see how increasing protein and fat may make compliance easier for some people due to the improved satiety.
OP....were you losing weight before you met your doctor? If yes, you weren't doing it the "wrong way", it's whatever works for you and no matter which way you slice it the outcome is consuming fewer calories than you expend = fat loss.1 -
If anything concentrate on getting a lot of fiber and limited added sugars.
Agreed. Sugars and carbs are fine, but so much processed food contains added sugars that provide little nutrition and more calories than you expect. Load up on nutrient-dense foods and the natural sugars in veggies and fruits.0 -
Listen to your doctor. He's the one looking at your blood work. If your triglycerides are elevated, then yes you do need to watch both carbs and sugar. And there's a host of other things your labs could be indicating that would make your doctor prescribe lowering your carbs. Perhaps "losing weight the wrong way" wasn't quite what your doctor said to you, but rather your take-away that was personal to you and made sense to you. Don't let people on the forums convince you to ignore your doctor. Weight loss isn't your only concern.4
-
I find that I do much better when I limit my carb intake. If I start eating 100+g of carbs I find that I am constantly hungry, craving carb-heavy snacks and have a hard time staying within my calorie goal for the day. If I reduce my carbs to around 60g and increase my (healthy) fat intake, I have no troubles sticking to my calorie goal, I feel satiated, the carb-loaded snack cravings go away and my energy levels in general are better. For me personally, I find that a protein/fat/carb percentage split of 40/40/20 is my optimal zone for slow but steady, sustainable loss while maintaining steady moods and appetite. CICO is king for everyone but I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to macros. You have to find the balance that works for you while adhering to the CICO principle.3
-
ValeriePlz wrote: »If anything concentrate on getting a lot of fiber and limited added sugars.
Agreed. Sugars and carbs are fine, but so much processed food contains added sugars that provide little nutrition and more calories than you expect. Load up on nutrient-dense foods and the natural sugars in veggies and fruits.
Can you give some examples of "processed foods" that contain added sugars with little nutrition and more calories than you expect? I mean, if a person is logging on MFP, then presumably they would see how many calories a food item has in it, and be able to determine if that can fit into their day. If they are also tracking nutrition, then that would also be available both on the label and when entering the item into their log. Foods that I think have a lot of added sugar - things like sweets - really shouldn't be a surprise to someone.
I eat quite a few processed foods, as well as whole foods, and I'm under my sugar goal nearly every day. I'm just always curious where people are finding these surprising hidden sugars, because I just don't seem to encounter them very often. What are the foods you were thinking of?6 -
-
There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.0
-
^^this^^ I just tried going from Keto back to a more balanced meal plan. As soon as I did I was eating everything in sight! And I mean it. Actually went up 4.5lbs in a week.....Jumped right back onto the Keto bandwagon lol.0
-
pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes so I really have to watch my carbs now because I tend to take after his side of the family. I don't have diabetes but since my Dad does I better be careful.
I'm a former pre-diabetic and I don't track carbs. Tracking my calorie intake and eating the correct amount of calories for my weight loss goals was enough to normalize my glucose number (I lost 50lbs by reducing my calorie intake). Now several years into maintenance I continue to see glucose numbers in the 80s and I still don't track my carb intake at all. I also come from a family tree full of type 2 diabetics (and obesity), and I'm the only one who's reversed the progression of prediabetes. CICO
3 -
MyLovesMyLife wrote: »There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.
???
How are Cheerios empty calories? They have 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein from oats. Also 45% of the RDA for iron, plus some sodium, potassium, calcium, vit A and vit C. All in 100 calories.13 -
CynthiasChoice wrote: »Listen to your doctor. He's the one looking at your blood work. If your triglycerides are elevated, then yes you do need to watch both carbs and sugar. And there's a host of other things your labs could be indicating that would make your doctor prescribe lowering your carbs. Perhaps "losing weight the wrong way" wasn't quite what your doctor said to you, but rather your take-away that was personal to you and made sense to you. Don't let people on the forums convince you to ignore your doctor. Weight loss isn't your only concern.
It's not universally sugar/carbs affect triglycerides, but rather the type; fruits, veggies, oats, and whole grains improve metabolic markers. SFA/TFA either agnostic or harmful. That is why people should take into consideration a variety of factors.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with lowering carbs, but there are other things to be concerned with.4 -
MyLovesMyLife wrote: »There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.
How are cheerios empty calories? Fiber, folic acid, iron... just a few things that I see on the nutrition label.
6 -
pcdoctor01 wrote: »I never realized the importance of counting carbs. Found out that I've been losing weight the incorrect way. Instead of counting carbs, I was watching my added sugar intake. I know what to do now but d*mn! One cup of Cheerios is 20 carbs. One cup of blueberries is 21 carbs. To think I've been eating two cups of Cherrios on some days and one day I even topped them with blueberries. This is really eye opening.
If you were losing weight then you weren't losing weight in the wrong way. Carbs have nothing to do with anything...they're just one of three macronutrients and there are tons of nutritionally dense sources of carbohydrates that are very beneficial to health.pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes so I really have to watch my carbs now because I tend to take after his side of the family. I don't have diabetes but since my Dad does I better be careful.
My dad had diabetes too. It wasn't a result of eating carbohydrates. It was a result if his overall crappy diet, mass over consumption of calories, he was obese, and pretty inactive. If you look at blue zone areas of the world, they are some of the healthiest populations in the world and eat diets relatively high in carbohydrates.
I eat a lot of legumes, lentils, potatoes and sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, etc...all very solid sources of carbohydrates and pretty good for you.4 -
^^this^^ I just tried going from Keto back to a more balanced meal plan. As soon as I did I was eating everything in sight! And I mean it. Actually went up 4.5lbs in a week.....Jumped right back onto the Keto bandwagon lol.
You gained weight because you replenished glycogen/water soluble molecules increased by insulin. Not really surprising. You certainly gain that much fat that quickly.9 -
It's a mistake to look at carbs alone. 20 carbs of ice cream doesn't equal 20 carbs of broccoli in respect to calories and nutrition.0
-
MyLovesMyLife wrote: »There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.
Cheerios have carbohydrates, fat, protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin A, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron (over 50% of the RDA!), vitamin B6, and magnesium. What definition of "empty calories" are you working from?5 -
janejellyroll wrote: »MyLovesMyLife wrote: »There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.
Cheerios have carbohydrates, fat, protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin A, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron (over 50% of the RDA!), vitamin B6, and magnesium. What definition of "empty calories" are you working from?
The one where carbs are da debil.11 -
MyLovesMyLife wrote: »There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.
How are they empty?4 -
pcdoctor01 wrote: »I never realized the importance of counting carbs. Found out that I've been losing weight the incorrect way. Instead of counting carbs, I was watching my added sugar intake. I know what to do now but d*mn! One cup of Cheerios is 20 carbs. One cup of blueberries is 21 carbs. To think I've been eating two cups of Cherrios on some days and one day I even topped them with blueberries. This is really eye opening.
Do you have specific health issues or were you eating really high carb? It seems strange that your doctor would say that cutting added sugar and eating in a way that leads to weight loss for you was wrong. Curious what specifically you told him/her you were doing that was said to be wrong. Do you have lots to lose? Did the doctor say blueberries were a bad thing to eat?
Oh, you can gain, maintain, or lose counting carbs -- it all depends on how many calories you end up eating.
That said, I'm actually pretty high on lower carbs as a dieting strategy. I prefer somewhat lower carb (and I never found that moderate to low-ish carb affected my exercise, for what it's worth--I do find that VLC does, which I am trying now, but I understand often you can adjust to it and the sluggishness goes away).
Anyway, for me a breakfast with more protein tends to make me feel better all day, but people are different.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »ValeriePlz wrote: »If anything concentrate on getting a lot of fiber and limited added sugars.
Agreed. Sugars and carbs are fine, but so much processed food contains added sugars that provide little nutrition and more calories than you expect. Load up on nutrient-dense foods and the natural sugars in veggies and fruits.
Can you give some examples of "processed foods" that contain added sugars with little nutrition and more calories than you expect? I mean, if a person is logging on MFP, then presumably they would see how many calories a food item has in it, and be able to determine if that can fit into their day. If they are also tracking nutrition, then that would also be available both on the label and when entering the item into their log. Foods that I think have a lot of added sugar - things like sweets - really shouldn't be a surprise to someone.
I eat quite a few processed foods, as well as whole foods, and I'm under my sugar goal nearly every day. I'm just always curious where people are finding these surprising hidden sugars, because I just don't seem to encounter them very often. What are the foods you were thinking of?
Yesterday (among other things) I put PB2 and a banana in my oatmeal, I had a Wendy's chicken sandwich and fries for lunch, and I had a Lean Cuisine for dinner. And I had a whopping total of 33 grams of sugar for the day LOL
I eat about 50% convenience food/50% whole food and I almost always stay under 50g of sugar. Only when I have fruit, alcohol, and ice cream or cake on the same day do I blow by it. Plus as you say, if you are logging, you should be used to reading the nutrition info and "grams of sugar" is right there in black & white with nowhere to hide.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »pcdoctor01 wrote: »I never realized the importance of counting carbs. Found out that I've been losing weight the incorrect way. Instead of counting carbs, I was watching my added sugar intake. I know what to do now but d*mn! One cup of Cheerios is 20 carbs. One cup of blueberries is 21 carbs. To think I've been eating two cups of Cherrios on some days and one day I even topped them with blueberries. This is really eye opening.
If you were losing weight then you weren't losing weight in the wrong way. Carbs have nothing to do with anything...they're just one of three macronutrients and there are tons of nutritionally dense sources of carbohydrates that are very beneficial to health.pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes so I really have to watch my carbs now because I tend to take after his side of the family. I don't have diabetes but since my Dad does I better be careful.
My dad had diabetes too. It wasn't a result of eating carbohydrates. It was a result if his overall crappy diet, mass over consumption of calories, he was obese, and pretty inactive. If you look at blue zone areas of the world, they are some of the healthiest populations in the world and eat diets relatively high in carbohydrates.
I eat a lot of legumes, lentils, potatoes and sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, etc...all very solid sources of carbohydrates and pretty good for you.
This. I'm currently modeling my woe after one of the blue zones and have to be fairly high carb (I don't track at all but the bulk of my diet is veggies, whole grains and beans). I'm in excellent health, have a bmi of around a 20, no medical conditions etc. Carbs also keep me feeling full for longer than the fat/protein macros. I'm maintaining my weight loss pretty effortlessly eating the way I do.2 -
MyLovesMyLife wrote: »There's a difference between the carbs in Cheerios and blueberries. Cheerios are empty calories. I would suggest eggs and bacon for breakfast 0 carbs and quite filling.
???
How are Cheerios empty calories? They have 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein from oats. Also 45% of the RDA for iron, plus some sodium, potassium, calcium, vit A and vit C. All in 100 calories.
Beat me to it. I honestly hate Cheerios and it's on the bottom of the list of things I would eat, but it's got a bunch of nutrients in it.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »pcdoctor01 wrote: »I never realized the importance of counting carbs. Found out that I've been losing weight the incorrect way. Instead of counting carbs, I was watching my added sugar intake. I know what to do now but d*mn! One cup of Cheerios is 20 carbs. One cup of blueberries is 21 carbs. To think I've been eating two cups of Cherrios on some days and one day I even topped them with blueberries. This is really eye opening.
If you were losing weight then you weren't losing weight in the wrong way. Carbs have nothing to do with anything...they're just one of three macronutrients and there are tons of nutritionally dense sources of carbohydrates that are very beneficial to health.pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes so I really have to watch my carbs now because I tend to take after his side of the family. I don't have diabetes but since my Dad does I better be careful.
My dad had diabetes too. It wasn't a result of eating carbohydrates. It was a result if his overall crappy diet, mass over consumption of calories, he was obese, and pretty inactive. If you look at blue zone areas of the world, they are some of the healthiest populations in the world and eat diets relatively high in carbohydrates.
I eat a lot of legumes, lentils, potatoes and sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, etc...all very solid sources of carbohydrates and pretty good for you.
This reminds me, I really need to incorporate more legumes and lentils into my diet.0 -
crazyycatladyy1 wrote: »pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes so I really have to watch my carbs now because I tend to take after his side of the family. I don't have diabetes but since my Dad does I better be careful.
I'm a former pre-diabetic and I don't track carbs. Tracking my calorie intake and eating the correct amount of calories for my weight loss goals was enough to normalize my glucose number (I lost 50lbs by reducing my calorie intake). Now several years into maintenance I continue to see glucose numbers in the 80s and I still don't track my carb intake at all. I also come from a family tree full of type 2 diabetics (and obesity), and I'm the only one who's reversed the progression of prediabetes. CICO
I do think there's probably a difference between people/families with a tendency toward T2D, where those with T2D are consistently overweight/obese and those where the T2D comes even to people of healthy weights or just a bit overweight. Many people reverse it entirely by losing, but if you aren't overweight that's not necessarily going to happen. I'm thinking about a friend of mine (who is currently in a stroke rehabilitation facility, I saw him yesterday) who has never really been overweight but got T2D (and has some other health issues) when healthy weight, and has never been more than a bit overweight.
Of course, this may have 0 to do with OP.0 -
It's a mistake to look at carbs alone. 20 carbs of ice cream doesn't equal 20 carbs of broccoli in respect to calories and nutrition.
Carbohydrates *are* equal to other carbohydrates. That doesn't mean that one food with 20 grams of carbohydrates will have the same calorie count or nutrients as another food.
But macronutrients are just . . . macronutrients.6 -
pcdoctor01 wrote: »I never realized the importance of counting carbs. Found out that I've been losing weight the incorrect way. Instead of counting carbs, I was watching my added sugar intake. I know what to do now but d*mn! One cup of Cheerios is 20 carbs. One cup of blueberries is 21 carbs. To think I've been eating two cups of Cherrios on some days and one day I even topped them with blueberries. This is really eye opening.
@pcdoctor01 learning the best way to personally eat can take years I am personally learning through trial and error. Nothing positive happened health or weight wise in my case until I learned how to count carbs. I still eat carbs and without bad side effects as long as I keep my daily intake <50 grams.
Best of success as you learn the best way for you to eat giving you the best total health. There is no one way of eating that works for 100% of the world. 0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »pcdoctor01 wrote: »I never realized the importance of counting carbs. Found out that I've been losing weight the incorrect way. Instead of counting carbs, I was watching my added sugar intake. I know what to do now but d*mn! One cup of Cheerios is 20 carbs. One cup of blueberries is 21 carbs. To think I've been eating two cups of Cherrios on some days and one day I even topped them with blueberries. This is really eye opening.
If you were losing weight then you weren't losing weight in the wrong way. Carbs have nothing to do with anything...they're just one of three macronutrients and there are tons of nutritionally dense sources of carbohydrates that are very beneficial to health.pcdoctor01 wrote: »My Dad has diabetes so I really have to watch my carbs now because I tend to take after his side of the family. I don't have diabetes but since my Dad does I better be careful.
My dad had diabetes too. It wasn't a result of eating carbohydrates. It was a result if his overall crappy diet, mass over consumption of calories, he was obese, and pretty inactive. If you look at blue zone areas of the world, they are some of the healthiest populations in the world and eat diets relatively high in carbohydrates.
I eat a lot of legumes, lentils, potatoes and sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, etc...all very solid sources of carbohydrates and pretty good for you.
This reminds me, I really need to incorporate more legumes and lentils into my diet.
If you want a 'cheat' way to add legumes you should try Harvest Snaps flavored green pea crisps. The Caeser ones taste amazing and one serving has 120 calories, 3g fiber, 5g protein, iron and calcium. I've started eating these instead of the daily chili cheese fritos I used to eat.
http://www.harvestsnaps.com/products/0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions