Are carbs the enemy?

I need honest answers, everywhere I turn, I'm seeing that carbs are evil, that they alone will ruin my weight loss.

My diet is high carb and I would love to reduce that but to completely rule it out, is it the only way? Is it the best way?

I don't know where to start?
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Replies

  • SayNoToCakes
    SayNoToCakes Posts: 16 Member
    Thank you! What should be my main sort of source of food? Should it be protein?
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    edited October 2020
    The recommended balances are:
    45–65% of calories from carbs
    20–35% of calories from fats
    10–35% of calories from proteins.
    If you log your food, mfp will calculate the percentages for you (the pie chart at the bottom of your daily food diary) but will only tell you if you ahve gone over, not if you are under. It's useful to know that 1g of carbs or protein = 4 cals, whilst 1g of fat = 9 cals.

    Some helpful points to consider when deciding macros/diet planning are on the UK's NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/why-we-need-to-eat-carbs/
    and here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-macronutrient-ratio#diet-quality.

    Everyone is different, and you need to work out what is best for you. I am someone who generally feels better with higher carbs but I love cheese and if I don't think about this a bit my diet ends up 40% fats, 40% carbs and 20% protein. Calories are what matter for weight loss, so I lost weight fine on that balance; I just started to feel deenergised. However, if all my carbs come from bread I feel deenergised too, so I try to mix them up.

    Good luck!
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited October 2020
    Snowflake954 takes food to an art form. What I wouldn't give to eat some of her dishes. When in Rome eat as the Romans do and stay super fit and strong waaay into your latter years. They know how to do it. I've been there.

    Psychod787. Major respect, workplace and all. He's given the forum some of the best tips for satiety. I'm been using them since this summer and they work. OMAD, dropping it like it's hot is not all it's cracked up to be. Recent OMAD research says it can lead to disordered eating and nutritional deficiencies. It's really difficult to eat all of the things you need to eat in an hour's time.

    Almost all of these brutally strict protocols are used as overcompensation for a poor relationship with food. Relationship. Thanks P787. They're used as a short-term fix but they don't fix long-term problems.

    Carbs are not the enemy. We're our own worst enemy.

    Don't overthink it. We can learn to moderate ourselves with food by measuring our portions and tracking our data points. Eat the foods you enjoy. Food is not the enemy. We have overcomplicated it so much that we no longer know when to scratch our watches or wind our bu&&$.

    Aim for .5 lbs a week. All you need is the deficit and it doesn't have to be a big one. It still works.

  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    Carbs are only bad if your diet is consistently based on that food group. If you eat balanced meals with healthy fats, proteins, and fiber the overall glycemic load will not cause a quick spike in blood sugar and insulin responses. Refined carbs such as pastries or sugary drinks are what you should be worried about.
  • mikewpg1ca
    mikewpg1ca Posts: 86 Member
    edited October 2020
    Carbs are not the enemy! Creating a caloric deficit by either reducing your caloric intake, increasing caloric expenditure, or ideally both is the key to weight loss. It's been a few years and I've had a few ups and downs since, but I lost a 120 lbs eating a range of 40-60% carbs, 20-30% protein and 20-30% fat. So eating carbs clearly does not inhibit weight loss.

    That said, you do need to look at the carbs your are eating. Cut way down or stop the donuts, candy, pop, etc. and instead focus on increasing your intake of complex carbs. In the end there are a number of ways to lose weight, but you have to find what works for you and what is sustainable.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Carbs for today.fsfll6au13pp.jpg

    Nom! This looks like heaven!