I don't think carbs are bad!

ekbrwz · April 2019

It seems all the current diet and nutrition advice tells us to cut back on carbs, and eat more protein and fat.

So, when I finish a day, and I'm under my calorie allowance, but I had like 60% carbs, I feel like a failure. It's dumb.

I just don't crave meat!

Veggies and fruit are carbs! Whole grains are carbs!

Am I the only person trying to lose weight in 2019 that does NOT want to limit carbs?

I feel like it's just like 10-20 years ago they were all about limiting fat, low-fat this, non-fat that. Turns out that wasn't the best advice. I feel like pretty soon the Keto/Low-Carb craze will turn out to be just another phaze.

What do you think about carbs?

wilson10102018 · April 2019

Rice is carbs. The healthiest populations eat mass quantities of rice. Pure carbs.

L1zardQueen · April 2019

Yep! I totally agree.

FinntheVeggie · April 2019

This!! All three macros are important. I go by the AHA recommendations, none of this crunchy blogger pseudoscience for me.

That said, based on the AHA guideline (50/30/20), I have to pay the most attention to protein. I'm a vegetarian who's not the biggest fan of dairy or soy, so I have to make a conscious effort to hit that 20% protein. Carbs I always have enough of, and for fats it's easy to add a little olive oil or avocado to my salads if I'm under, but protein takes the most planning & effort.

deannalfisher · April 2019

I eat 3-400g carbs a day and weight is trending down

kzshelbi · April 2019

carbs aren't bad. Everything in moderation !!!

MikePTY · April 2019

I am actually trying to eat more carbs. I'd say right now my diet is moderate carbs, usually in the 30%s of macros but I would like to get it closer to 40%s. I feel they help me a lot with my athletic performance.

I've lost almost 30 pounds eating rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, and every other carb you can think of. There is definitely no need to cut them out of your diet in order to lose weight.

debraah66 · April 2019

Unless your on a keto diet where your limiting your carbs under 30, it is calories that really matter in the long run. You still have to watch them even if you count carbs. I am not eating too many carbs because a lot of them are high calorie and I tend to binge on breads for example. I also love mashed potatoes and pasta but that stuff can easily get out of control for me. Eating protein like eggs is also more filling and helps keep your apetite under control.

nevergiveup812mfp · April 2019

I agree! Lowering carbs made me hungry, crabby, sleepy. Plus my workouts lacked! Everyone is different but I have found carbs are better for me than high protein high fat.

whmscll · April 2019

I love carbs. They keep me happy. I would kill someone if I tried to eat keto. I’m steadily losing my scheduled .5 pound a week happily eating healthy cereal for breakfast, whole grain sandwiches for lunch and whole wheat pasta for dinner more days than not. Along with lots of protein and some healthy fats, and all within my calorie goals,of course.

Fatgonegirl · April 2019

I'm in the United Kingdom and like many people I eat a heavily potato based diet

I also eat lots of oats. I have lost 45lbs to date so I know you can lose weight eating carbs

nooshi713 · April 2019

Weight loss is about calories. The foods with the most antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins are mostly carbs: fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains. I see no reason to limit these things.

lemurcat2 · April 2019

Great post, and you are smart to avoid the anti carb hype. Many healthy diets can include lots of carbs.

yirara · April 2019

Most of my satiety comes from carbs. I can eat all the protein and fat and would remain hungry. So what. I like carbs, and lost weight eating a lot of it.

Dilvish · April 2019

Don't confuse simple carbs to complex carbs. Sugars are the enemy when it comes to weight loss. essentially simple sugars are high in calories but low in nutritional value.

If you look at Keto diets, they majorly restrict carbs overall. Why? Because our bodies use carbs for fuel. When carbs are not plentiful, the body looks to burn fat stores instead. This is why Keto diets have become very popular.

These are admittedly short term diets and should never be used long term.

Having said this, regardless, weight loss requires exercise and calorie reduction. If your daily goal is for example 1500 calories, you could eat 1500 calories worth of cupcakes if you really wanted to. You'd likely be starving and your body would lack the proper nutrients to survive but it is possible. These type of diets are called Mono diets. You eat only one thing but at the expense of health issues (the potato diets was popular once).

The biggest issue most people ignore with weight loss and carb consumption is Diabetes. Reducing or eliminating simple sugars/carbs from your diet is paramount if you are overweight, otherwise you run the risk of developing the disease and you may not know it until it is too late.

And to your comment about meat...who said you had to eat it? Protein is great for weight loss but it comes in many forms. Nuts, seeds (pumpkin specifically), plain low fat Greek or SKYR yogurt, eggs, beans, tuna, salmon the list goes on.

snowflake954 · April 2019

Many people are with you. They just aren't as vocal as the keto folks. You are far from alone. I live in Italy, where people are thin and eat lots of carbs--pasta, pizza, breads, pasteries, fruits, rice, and lots of vegetables. Just do what you are comfortable with and stay within your calorie goal. Move more if you can--walking is good to start. Good luck.

WinoGelato · April 2019

Dilvish wrote: »

Don't confuse simple carbs to complex carbs. Sugars are the enemy when it comes to weight loss. essentially simple sugars are high in calories but low in nutritional value.

If you look at Keto diets, they majorly restrict carbs overall. Why? Because our bodies use carbs for fuel. When carbs are not plentiful, the body looks to burn fat stores instead. This is why Keto diets have become very popular.

These are admittedly short term diets and should never be used long term.

Having said this, regardless, weight loss requires exercise and calorie reduction. If your daily goal is for example 1500 calories, you could eat 1500 calories worth of cupcakes if you really wanted to. You'd likely be starving and your body would lack the proper nutrients to survive but it is possible. These type of diets are called Mono diets. You eat only one thing but at the expense of health issues (the potato diets was popular once).

The biggest issue most people ignore with weight loss and carb consumption is Diabetes. Reducing or eliminating simple sugars/carbs from your diet is paramount if you are overweight, otherwise you run the risk of developing the disease and you may not know it until it is too late.

And to your comment about meat...who said you had to eat it? Protein is great for weight loss but it comes in many forms. Nuts, seeds (pumpkin specifically), plain low fat Greek or SKYR yogurt, eggs, beans, tuna, salmon the list goes on.

Sugar doesn’t cause diabetes, it’s not necessary to cut any kind of carbs (simple or complex) in order to lose weight (only calories). Fruit is a simple carb yet has lots of nutrients so I’m not sure why you’d recommend cutting it out? Also, exercise isn’t necessary for weight loss (although it’s beneficial for lots of reasons) and the OP said nothing of eating a mono diet so I’m not sure why that’s relevant. The only people I ever see mentioning mono diets are people introducing a straw man example like you did.

OP don’t worry there are lots of people who find success in weight loss and long term maintenance with exactly the approach you’re suggesting - not restricting any particular food or macro group - and find it to be a healthy and sustainable approach.

lemurcat2 · April 2019

Dilvish wrote: »

Don't confuse simple carbs to complex carbs. Sugars are the enemy when it comes to weight loss. essentially simple sugars are high in calories but low in nutritional value.

Fruit is simple carbs, but many find it satiating, and it is high in nutritional value. So nope, bad advice.

Also, what winogelato says.

snickerscharlie · April 2019

WinoGelato wrote: »

Dilvish wrote: »

Don't confuse simple carbs to complex carbs. Sugars are the enemy when it comes to weight loss. essentially simple sugars are high in calories but low in nutritional value.

If you look at Keto diets, they majorly restrict carbs overall. Why? Because our bodies use carbs for fuel. When carbs are not plentiful, the body looks to burn fat stores instead. This is why Keto diets have become very popular.

These are admittedly short term diets and should never be used long term.

Having said this, regardless, weight loss requires exercise and calorie reduction. If your daily goal is for example 1500 calories, you could eat 1500 calories worth of cupcakes if you really wanted to. You'd likely be starving and your body would lack the proper nutrients to survive but it is possible. These type of diets are called Mono diets. You eat only one thing but at the expense of health issues (the potato diets was popular once).

The biggest issue most people ignore with weight loss and carb consumption is Diabetes. Reducing or eliminating simple sugars/carbs from your diet is paramount if you are overweight, otherwise you run the risk of developing the disease and you may not know it until it is too late.

And to your comment about meat...who said you had to eat it? Protein is great for weight loss but it comes in many forms. Nuts, seeds (pumpkin specifically), plain low fat Greek or SKYR yogurt, eggs, beans, tuna, salmon the list goes on.

Sugar doesn’t cause diabetes, it’s not necessary to cut any kind of carbs (simple or complex) in order to lose weight (only calories). Fruit is a simple carb yet has lots of nutrients so I’m not sure why you’d recommend cutting it out? Also, exercise isn’t necessary for weight loss (although it’s beneficial for lots of reasons) and the OP said nothing of eating a mono diet so I’m not sure why that’s relevant. The only people I ever see mentioning mono diets are people introducing a straw man example like you did.

OP don’t worry there are lots of people who find success in weight loss and long term maintenance with exactly the approach you’re suggesting - not restricting any particular food or macro group - and find it to be a healthy and sustainable approach.

THIS ^^^ Sugar DOES NOT cause Diabetes, but being overweight by overconsumption of ALL food groups (including fats) can put a person at risk for it.

I lost 75 lbs, reached my goal weight 3 years ago and have been in maintenance ever since.

While in the weight loss phase, I continued to eat the foods I've always enjoyed - just smaller portions of them. There were certain foods that once I realized how densely caloric they were (I'm looking at you, peanut butter!) I relegated to the '"Occasionally" list because they weren't giving me enough bang for the caloric buck, so to speak.

amusedmonkey · April 2019

I'm the same. I don't like meat all that much and I feel hungry if I don't have a starch with my meal. I don't know if it's because I'm physically more satiated by carbs or mentally more satisfied (likely both), but that's what has been working for me, so that's what I will continue to do. I also eat a variety of carbs. Starchy, fibrous, complex, simple, processed, unprocessed... everything. My blood sugar is down from almost diabetic to normal levels because I lost weight.

ETA and side note: for protein, try lupin seeds. Just boil them in plain water (without salt), then store them in salted water in the fridge. Such an amazing protein rich snack with a great amino acid profile for a plant. If you also eat egg whites, you're set.

scottwblack · April 2019

Carbs aren't "bad." They're just a macronutrient and macronutrients don't have any moral value. Refined carbs are easy to overeat, though, and stripped of most nutrients, so some people find it easier to cut down on all carbs in order to lose weight. Not everyone can "just eat less" of the foods that got them fat.

I don't think carbs are bad!

Replies

Categories