Why do some people don’t eat much carbs when losing weight?

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  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
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    rheddmobile wrote: »
    tbright1965 wrote: »
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    Millicent3015 wrote: »
    We need carbs, but many people might be eating more than they need. So when they reduce them it will likely result in some weight loss, because they're taking in less calories from carbs than they previously were. Reducing carbs is beneficial for diabetes related issues, but for normal weight management in non-diabetics it's not a must, although some people do feel reducing carbs makes them more energetic or 'clearer' mentally.

    Technically, we do not need carbs - the body can make all the glucose that it needs from protein and fat.

    I'd say technically you MAY not need carbs, depending on what you do.

    I know that if I'm on a hours long bike ride, if I don't refuel with some carbs during the ride, I'm going to bonk at some point and not perform as well. If I need a burst of energy to sprint or climb a hill, and I've depleted my glycogen stores, I'm not able to provide that energy. The anaerobic metabolic mechanism depends on glycogen (IIRC) when it cannot get enough oxygen to create the ATP needed by the muscles during the effort.

    So if you lift to your maximums, or sprint, or climb, or any short term efforts that require you to use those anaerobic pathways, if you are short of glycogen, you will not be able to perform.

    A fueling strategy that replenishes those stores by consuming say 100-300 calories in carbs/hour is usually sufficient to keep glycogen in place when needed.

    So I'm not sure I'd say no one needs carbs. There are circumstances where you cannot manufacture glycogen fast enough or because available oxygen is being used for other purposes in the body at the moment.

    There are several keto based ultramarathoners. What you say is true initially but the body can adapt to ketogenesis. In fact, being keto adapted can be a viable strategy for sports like endurance running exactly because it doesn't rely on glycogen stores so there is no bonking - as long as the body has any fat stores it can keep fueling. On the other hand, it appears to be a disadvantage for sports which require quick bursts of energy, because ketogenesis is slower.

    Probably depends on the athlete. I believe the 1983 Phinney study with cyclists had mixed results. While their aerobic performance did not change after 4 weeks on a zero carb diet, in sprints, two cyclists performed better, the two most fat-adapted performed worse, and one stayed statistically the same.

    So YMMV.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited August 2018
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    I lowered carbs because it was better for my health and my doctor instructed me to. I stay with it because it keeps my BG steadier for better energy, it improved my autoimmune and arthritis symptoms, and it makes weight management much easier for me.

    Carbs taste good but they're not contributed positively to my health and well being. Happily, I don't need to consume any minimum amount. :)
    earlnabby wrote: »
    QuilterInVA wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Because it's a huge fad right now (along with intermittent fasting) and people mistakenly believe that weight loss is faster on a low-carb diet. Which has repeatedly been scientifically disproved.

    Low carb/keto has been around for over 80 years. It is not a fad. It has science behind it and is useful in treating epilepsy. People need to know the facts before making judgements.

    Yes it has been around since the 1920's to treat seizure disorders. Eating according to the keto diet to lose weight IS a fad because it is new-ish (last 10 years or so), it is not what the diet was designed to do, and people are jumping on the bandwagon without really understanding it.

    Low carb is actually the topic of first diet book ever written for the public in the Western world. A Letter on Corpulence was written by Banting in the 1860s. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/j.1550-8528.1993.tb00605.x That would make "everything in moderation" the newer way to achieve CI<CO.
  • LumberJacck
    LumberJacck Posts: 559 Member
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    I don't think that it's a fad. Atkins' book came out in 1972, I remember it being popular in the 80's and 90's. French bakers were complaining about low carb diets in the 90's.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited August 2018
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    LumberJacck wrote: »
    I don't think that it's a fad. Atkins' book came out in 1972, I remember it being popular in the 80's and 90's. French bakers were complaining about low carb diets in the 90's.

    Low carb is not a fad, keto (aka ultra low carb) is.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    MagnumOpus1 wrote: »
    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    MagnumOpus1 wrote: »
    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    You have to cut back somewhere - sugar, starches and grains are low hanging fruit.

    Hmm. Not if your workout is physically demanding. But yeah, no/light exercise doesn't require much carbs.

    Maybe if you're an elite athlete but whether you eat carbs or not your glycogen stores aren't empty. Eat whatever diet you prefer, train and you'll adjust and progress - humans are remarkably adaptive.

    We are adaptable but only a handful of people can train hard 4 times a week with cardio included eating low carbs. You won't last long then eventually regress. But doing something lighter, yes.

    And how many people train hard 4X a week? Pretty small part of the population.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    For me, it reduces my cravings and helps with saiety.
  • kardsharp
    kardsharp Posts: 618 Member
    edited September 2018
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    I don't eat processed carbs, I eat what makes my mouth and tummy happy. Most carbs just don't do that for me, The way I eat, I can sustain forever. I don't NOT have carbs if I am feeling it, I'll have 1/2 a baked potato with my steak and half plate of veggies. I just try to make smarter choices. It is working for me.

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