Are carbs really the enemy?

Mandylou19912014 · July 2018

So I just wanted to hear how other people view carbs. I know that they are in pretty much every single food like your fruit and veg and in dairy etc, which is why keto diets exist to find the foods that have the lowest carb contents. However, I do also think they are useful for giving you energy and keeping you full. Are they really the enemy and should we really be avoiding them? Keen to hear other people’s thoughts

livingleanlivingclean · July 2018

They aren't evil or bad and we shouldn't be avoiding them unless there's medical reason to do so (just like some people have medical reason to avoid protein or fats)

sijomial · July 2018

Over-eating and inactivity are the real enemies.

kommodevaran · July 2018

Taking in each and every tidbit of "information" without thinking critically and using common sense, is the real enemy.

sytchequeen · July 2018

not necessarily the enemy, no. I did however see a medical program about how individuals deal with carbs personally. It was on the BBC. I have found some details about the Cracker Test they did on the program for you.

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/229568/20180606/how-a-30-second-cracker-test-reveals-how-much-carbs-you-can-eat-per-day.htm

MsHarryWinston · July 2018

Eat ALL the carbs! Hahaha. Carbs are delicious AND they’re wonderful for energy.

The only time I avoid rice/bread/pasta is when I’m on the verge of a weight goal and don’t want to be held up for a week with water weight. But that’s just because I retain water really easily. But I DONT avoid them for actual weight loss purposes.

I love carbs so much. And they haven’t hindered my progress.

Lounmoun · July 2018

I don't think any food type is an enemy unless it would actually make you sick or kill you to eat it.
Diet choice tends to be a preference unless you have a medical condition requiring you eat a particular way or avoid certain foods.
Some people do well with a lower carb diet- feel more satisfied and able to stick to their goal. Others do better with greater amounts of carbs. For weight management calories are more important than type of food so just eat the foods you like and the diet you can sustain.
If you love food with a lot of carbs you probably will have trouble sustaining a lower carb diet long term. If you are vegan then eating a very low carb diet also is probably not the best plan. My observation is the more restrictive and rule heavy a diet is the harder it is for most to sustain for months or years for weight loss and maintenance purposes. Most people seem to be better off making small changes to their normal way of eating.

I think I do best with just moderation. Moderate amounts of protein, fats and carbs.

fb47 · July 2018

It goes to show the power of media. Carbs are nothing to be feared, the fear started because in the media, that's how they portray carbs. My mom was watching Rachel Ray the other day and it annoyed me that she kept saying "Oh this is a very healthy meal because how low the carbs are in this recipe"....I cringed when I heard that. Just because a meal has low carb, doesn't mean nothing. It is very rare for me to hear on tv or in magazine that you need to eat less calories than you burn. Very rare, it actually surprises me when I hear it on rare occasions.

As long as you don't have health issues requiring you to limit carbs, in the end, it's all about being in a caloric deficit. I have done 5 years of bulking and cutting and my diet has always been high carbs to the point I have to force myself to hit my minimum of fats. Nonetheless, I have always managed to lose the weight I wanted when cutting and I've gained the weight I wanted when bulking.

The fear of carbs is just exaggerated and it doesn't help that there's this keto fad going on where you have snake oil salesmen putting more useless fear in people on the dangers of carbs.

WinoGelato · July 2018

kommodevaran wrote: »

Taking in each and every tidbit of "information" without thinking critically and using common sense, is the real enemy.

So much this.

shaf238 · July 2018

kommodevaran wrote: »

Taking in each and every tidbit of "information" without thinking critically and using common sense, is the real enemy.

Precisely.

No, carbs aren't the enemy. Not having a balanced diet and a good exercise regime are.

swimmchick87 · July 2018

I often go way over on the carbs mfp recommends for each day, but stay within my calories, and I'm still losing as expected.

WinoGelato · July 2018

Mandylou19912014 wrote: »

So I just wanted to hear how other people view carbs. I know that they are in pretty much every single food like your fruit and veg and in dairy etc, which is why keto diets exist to find the foods that have the lowest carb contents. However, I do also think they are useful for giving you energy and keeping you full. Are they really the enemy and should we really be avoiding them? Keen to hear other people’s thoughts

Your understanding of the driving force behind trends that you are seeing is woefully narrow minded. Ketogenic diets have been used for decades to treat various medical conditions - originally to help with epilepsy, more recently (again for decades) to help those with insulin related illnesses manage their conditions. It can be very helpful for those with a legitimate reason to reduce or minimize carb intake. It’s become a fad diet more recently because of the prevalence of overblown statements in the media sensationalizing and fear mongering and appealing to people who just want to grab onto the latest click bait headline and being seduced by colorful infographics.

For those choosing a ketogenic diet for weight loss, they have a tendency to lose a higher amount of initial water weight which levels off and there is no long term metabolic advantage for weight loss for keto compared to any other diet with calorie restrictions. Some people find the foods satiating and enjoy eating a high fat diet, this may help with adherence to the diet where other approaches were not sustainable.

In general, any article, blog post, book etc that uses buzz words like “carbs are the enemy” should be widely dismissed. They are marketing to people who aren’t knowledgeable enough to understand the true scientific principles behind weight loss and who are looking for quick fixes. By running here to start a discussion thread to see what others think about this topic demonstrates your inability to think critically, vet sources, and wade through misinformation for yourself. Stop looking at instagram and go to google scholar. Read peer reviewed journal articles instead of the daily mail.
Or... use the search feature here and read some of the hundreds of debates on this topic that already exist in these forums rather than starting your own individual thread.

jillstreett · July 2018

MsHarryWinston wrote: »

Eat ALL the carbs! Hahaha. Carbs are delicious AND they’re wonderful for energy.

The only time I avoid rice/bread/pasta is when I’m on the verge of a weight goal and don’t want to be held up for a week with water weight. But that’s just because I retain water really easily. But I DONT avoid them for actual weight loss purposes.

I love carbs so much. And they haven’t hindered my progress.

We are the same person! I'm trying to meet a goal tomorrow, so that english muffin at work will not go in my tummy today, next week however, it's on, with zero guilt!

Mandylou19912014 · July 2018

WinoGelato wrote: »

Mandylou19912014 wrote: »

So I just wanted to hear how other people view carbs. I know that they are in pretty much every single food like your fruit and veg and in dairy etc, which is why keto diets exist to find the foods that have the lowest carb contents. However, I do also think they are useful for giving you energy and keeping you full. Are they really the enemy and should we really be avoiding them? Keen to hear other people’s thoughts

Your understanding of the driving force behind trends that you are seeing is woefully narrow minded. Ketogenic diets have been used for decades to treat various medical conditions - originally to help with epilepsy, more recently (again for decades) to help those with insulin related illnesses manage their conditions. It can be very helpful for those with a legitimate reason to reduce or minimize carb intake. It’s become a fad diet more recently because of the prevalence of overblown statements in the media sensationalizing and fear mongering and appealing to people who just want to grab onto the latest click bait headline and being seduced by colorful infographics.

For those choosing a ketogenic diet for weight loss, they have a tendency to lose a higher amount of initial water weight which levels off and there is no long term metabolic advantage for weight loss for keto compared to any other diet with calorie restrictions. Some people find the foods satiating and enjoy eating a high fat diet, this may help with adherence to the diet where other approaches were not sustainable.

In general, any article, blog post, book etc that uses buzz words like “carbs are the enemy” should be widely dismissed. They are marketing to people who aren’t knowledgeable enough to understand the true scientific principles behind weight loss and who are looking for quick fixes. By running here to start a discussion thread to see what others think about this topic demonstrates your inability to think critically, vet sources, and wade through misinformation for yourself. Stop looking at instagram and go to google scholar. Read peer reviewed journal articles instead of the daily mail.
Or... use the search feature here and read some of the hundreds of debates on this topic that already exist in these forums rather than starting your own individual thread.

Keto diets are known to be low in carbs .. that’s not me being narrow minded that’s me identifying an example of a diet which is low in carbs .. I plucked the keto diet out of air as an example of something people follow to reduce their carb intake, I can see that lately it’s become quite a well known diet plan so just wanted to see what others thought about cutting back carbs and if it works for them etc. I have done some of my own research on having carbs in diets etc but as this is a forum where I am able to speak to lots of different people with different views etc I wanted to write a thread.

AnvilHead · July 2018

Mandylou19912014 wrote: »

Are they really the enemy and should we really be avoiding them?

No.

MsHarryWinston · July 2018

jillstreett wrote: »

MsHarryWinston wrote: »

Eat ALL the carbs! Hahaha. Carbs are delicious AND they’re wonderful for energy.

The only time I avoid rice/bread/pasta is when I’m on the verge of a weight goal and don’t want to be held up for a week with water weight. But that’s just because I retain water really easily. But I DONT avoid them for actual weight loss purposes.

I love carbs so much. And they haven’t hindered my progress.

We are the same person! I'm trying to meet a goal tomorrow, so that english muffin at work will not go in my tummy today, next week however, it's on, with zero guilt!

Love it! There’s a goal I’m hoping to see by the 7th. It’s my final mini weight goal before I actually hit “GOAL” so this week I’m all meat, cheese and veg, but next week I’m going to be stuffing rice, pizza and bagels into my face like RAAAAAAAWR!

Kenda2427 · July 2018

No, carbs are not the enemy. Do not demonize any foods. The body needs carbs, fats and protein and it is not healthy to avoid any of them. The key is moderation and ratio. Keep your macros balanced and it will fall into place. That said there are carbs that offer far more nutritional value than others, so you want to make sure you are getting nutrient dense food to get the most bank for your buck.
80/20 rule works well, so that you don't get that feeling of depravation and can still enjoy those "treats" without the guilt.

AlabasterVerve · July 2018

I think carb rich foods are perfectly fine and delicious to eat but they're filler - extra calories. If you're over fat carbs are where you cut back.

This is what I was taught at home about health and nutrition growing up (before seemingly everyone was fat and sick) and I've found it all to be true:

Whole foods are healthful.
Meat/animal products and vegetables are the nutritious parts of the meal.
Bread, grains and starches are filler foods - if calories need to be reduced this is where you cut down.
Sugar should be limited - if calories need to be reduced this is what you cut out.
Don't snack.
Be active.
Go outside. Fresh air and sunshine are necessary for good health.
Go to bed.

eminater · July 2018

I love fruit and veggies. Carbs are a huge part of my diet.

deannalfisher · July 2018

fb47 wrote: »

It goes to show the power of media. Carbs are nothing to be feared, the fear started because in the media, that's how they portray carbs. My mom was watching Rachel Ray the other day and it annoyed me that she kept saying "Oh this is a very healthy meal because how low the carbs are in this recipe"....I cringed when I heard that. Just because a meal has low carb, doesn't mean nothing. It is very rare for me to hear on tv or in magazine that you need to eat less calories than you burn. Very rare, it actually surprises me when I hear it on rare occasions.

As long as you don't have health issues requiring you to limit carbs, in the end, it's all about being in a caloric deficit. I have done 5 years of bulking and cutting and my diet has always been high carbs to the point I have to force myself to hit my minimum of fats. Nonetheless, I have always managed to lose the weight I wanted when cutting and I've gained the weight I wanted when bulking.

The fear of carbs is just exaggerated and it doesn't help that there's this keto fad going on where you have snake oil salesmen putting more useless fear in people on the dangers of carbs.

I signed up for one of those monthly meal prep services (basically you do all your cooking for the month in a weekend to freeze it) - they had tons of low carb recipes (labelled as such) but when I asked if they intended to do the same with lower-fat...I got told it was too hard for them...I cancelled my subscription I day later

SuzySunshine99 · July 2018

Having seen so much misinformation that starts with "People say..." or "I've heard..." or "Research says...", I have determined that the real enemy is Facebook.

Are carbs really the enemy?

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