Low Calories, or Low Carbs? What is better.....
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I'm really averse to low carb diets for several reasons. First and foremost is your body's need for energy. Without going into a huge bio lesson on ATP in your cells, I'm just going to point out that simple sugars, like carbs, are easy for your body to break down into their chemical components and can be quickly converted into energy for the functions of your body. Other nutrients can be broken down for this, too, but the process takes much longer, and wouldn't you rather have the protein you consume go toward building healthy muscle instead of being used as fuel? My second problem with low-carb dieting, is that it is impossible to maintain long term, and many people who participate in low-carb eating habits gain a lot of weight back once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
source: my soon-to-be bio degree.0 -
i dont really watch my carbs....i watch calories. BUT i do know that when my mom was diagnosed with celiac, she quit eating high carb foods and lost a ton of weight. so i suppose it depends0
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i think alot of people eat too many carbs. but everyone should eat a balanced diet. I usually aim for 100 g of carbs and 100+ grams of protein a day. I dont really care abotu how little or how many calories i eat as long as its under my TDEE.0
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I'm really averse to low carb diets for several reasons. First and foremost is your body's need for energy. Without going into a huge bio lesson on ATP in your cells, I'm just going to point out that simple sugars, like carbs, are easy for your body to break down into their chemical components and can be quickly converted into energy for the functions of your body. Other nutrients can be broken down for this, too, but the process takes much longer, and wouldn't you rather have the protein you consume go toward building healthy muscle instead of being used as fuel? My second problem with low-carb dieting, is that it is impossible to maintain long term, and many people who participate in low-carb eating habits gain a lot of weight back once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
source: my soon-to-be bio degree.
There is no need for much carbs to be used as fuel unless you are going for peak anaerobic performance. If you are a sprinter or powerlifter, then it might matter. Otherwise your body within a couple weeks will adapt to burning mostly fat. I am able to run at 80% of my heart rate and still burn mostly fat. The amount of protein needed for fuel is trivial compared to how much fat will be burned. Just simply up your protein intake once going low-carb and it will offset any muscle loss. Keep lifting as well. I have gotten stronger and I am faster during my long distance running than I was a few months ago.0 -
I have to watch carbs. Even if my weight does not change eating carbs, I start to gain my inches back. Carbs are bad for me. I can do a few HEALTHY carbs once and while, but I live low carb for the most part. It's all about your body and what it reacts to.0
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The human body was intended to have carbohydrates as fuel.
Why cut them?
Eat 40% of your calories from carbs unless you are sensitive to them and work out!
Use them as fuel.0 -
I love that book In Defense of Food! It really opened my eyes. I try to eat as close to mother earth as possible and that includes a little wheat and other grains/carbs..even some white potatoes..It is a great book!0
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well said
We also just have to note that LOW carb is NOT NO carb0 -
I'm trying to eat my carbs(good ones) in the morning anf afternoon to fuel energy for the day. At night or my dinner..I try to limit the carbs since I am usually going to retire and dont need the amount of carbs most dinners provide. That way I feel I still get benefits of good grains and the vitamins from them but also keep myself from over eating them when they are not needed. I'm no scientist and I just started. I am highly adverse to No carbs in the diet!0
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Whatever works for you. Try one out, then the other. I can't believe that any way is the ONLY way. I have had success with low calorie, but felt miserable on low carb and couldn't stick to it. It's a really personal thing.0
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I'm really averse to low carb diets for several reasons. First and foremost is your body's need for energy. Without going into a huge bio lesson on ATP in your cells, I'm just going to point out that simple sugars, like carbs, are easy for your body to break down into their chemical components and can be quickly converted into energy for the functions of your body. Other nutrients can be broken down for this, too, but the process takes much longer, and wouldn't you rather have the protein you consume go toward building healthy muscle instead of being used as fuel? My second problem with low-carb dieting, is that it is impossible to maintain long term, and many people who participate in low-carb eating habits gain a lot of weight back once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
source: my soon-to-be bio degree.
There is no need for much carbs to be used as fuel unless you are going for peak anaerobic performance. If you are a sprinter or powerlifter, then it might matter. Otherwise your body within a couple weeks will adapt to burning mostly fat. I am able to run at 80% of my heart rate and still burn mostly fat. The amount of protein needed for fuel is trivial compared to how much fat will be burned. Just simply up your protein intake once going low-carb and it will offset any muscle loss. Keep lifting as well. I have gotten stronger and I am faster during my long distance running than I was a few months ago.
Besides, what I was affirming when i replied was this poster's "second problem" with low-carb dieting. Personally, I could not stick to it longer than four months. I lost A LOT of weight on Atkins, multiple times, but I always got sick of the menu after awhile or got frustrated in the lack of choices ( I have a busy life) and could not adhere to the guidelines.0 -
The human body was intended to have carbohydrates as fuel.
Why cut them?
Eat 40% of your calories from carbs unless you are sensitive to them and work out!
Use them as fuel.
That's part of the big debate. The carbohydrate hypothesis is that the majority of people who are obese have sensitivity to carbs.0 -
I'm really averse to low carb diets for several reasons. First and foremost is your body's need for energy. Without going into a huge bio lesson on ATP in your cells, I'm just going to point out that simple sugars, like carbs, are easy for your body to break down into their chemical components and can be quickly converted into energy for the functions of your body. Other nutrients can be broken down for this, too, but the process takes much longer, and wouldn't you rather have the protein you consume go toward building healthy muscle instead of being used as fuel? My second problem with low-carb dieting, is that it is impossible to maintain long term, and many people who participate in low-carb eating habits gain a lot of weight back once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
source: my soon-to-be bio degree.
There is no need for much carbs to be used as fuel unless you are going for peak anaerobic performance. If you are a sprinter or powerlifter, then it might matter. Otherwise your body within a couple weeks will adapt to burning mostly fat. I am able to run at 80% of my heart rate and still burn mostly fat. The amount of protein needed for fuel is trivial compared to how much fat will be burned. Just simply up your protein intake once going low-carb and it will offset any muscle loss. Keep lifting as well. I have gotten stronger and I am faster during my long distance running than I was a few months ago.
Besides, what I was affirming when i replied was this poster's "second problem" with low-carb dieting. Personally, I could not stick to it longer than four months. I lost A LOT of weight on Atkins, multiple times, but I always got sick of the menu after awhile or got frustrated in the lack of choices ( I have a busy life) and could not adhere to the guidelines.
If you don't give yourself time to adapt to the diet, then performance will suffer. It took me 3 weeks to perform as well as I did on a high-carb diet. Some people take even longer, even up to 6 weeks.0 -
bump0
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I am still stuggling but when my diabetic husband, when to dietition, they told him contrary to what they use to say counting carbs were the only thing that counts with him. He has been a diabetic for 55 years. Things are turning around for his diabetious.0
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If you're happy with what you do, that's great, but personally I wanted to work out at my most energetic in order to see the strongest results.
Besides, what I was affirming when i replied was this poster's "second problem" with low-carb dieting. Personally, I could not stick to it longer than four months. I lost A LOT of weight on Atkins, multiple times, but I always got sick of the menu after awhile or got frustrated in the lack of choices ( I have a busy life) and could not adhere to the guidelines.
But I think there's a paradox when it comes to energetic workouts. If you eat a high-carb diet, then you are burning mostly glucose during your workouts while excess insulin production could be inhibiting fat burning. I was one of those people who had tons of energy during a workout, but it was too dependent on glucose for energy, so if I tried to restrict calories I would bonk at times. But then there are obese people who eat high-carb diets, and are lethargic all the time. If they cut carbs they start gaining energy to workout because now fat can be freely burnt as energy instead of relying solely on glucose which is very limited in storage capacity.
I can understand that the big weakness with low-carb is the food choices. Its part of the toxic culture we live in. If most restaurants had good low-carb menus, it would make our lives much easier. If you went to a birthday party and they served sugar free cake, that would help alot of us. So we constantly have to resist temptations to eat the wrong foods.0 -
Bump to read later0
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Try to do a bit of both.0
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I'm really averse to low carb diets for several reasons. First and foremost is your body's need for energy. Without going into a huge bio lesson on ATP in your cells, I'm just going to point out that simple sugars, like carbs, are easy for your body to break down into their chemical components and can be quickly converted into energy for the functions of your body. Other nutrients can be broken down for this, too, but the process takes much longer, and wouldn't you rather have the protein you consume go toward building healthy muscle instead of being used as fuel? My second problem with low-carb dieting, is that it is impossible to maintain long term, and many people who participate in low-carb eating habits gain a lot of weight back once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
source: my soon-to-be bio degree.
There is no need for much carbs to be used as fuel unless you are going for peak anaerobic performance. If you are a sprinter or powerlifter, then it might matter. Otherwise your body within a couple weeks will adapt to burning mostly fat. I am able to run at 80% of my heart rate and still burn mostly fat. The amount of protein needed for fuel is trivial compared to how much fat will be burned. Just simply up your protein intake once going low-carb and it will offset any muscle loss. Keep lifting as well. I have gotten stronger and I am faster during my long distance running than I was a few months ago.
Besides, what I was affirming when i replied was this poster's "second problem" with low-carb dieting. Personally, I could not stick to it longer than four months. I lost A LOT of weight on Atkins, multiple times, but I always got sick of the menu after awhile or got frustrated in the lack of choices ( I have a busy life) and could not adhere to the guidelines.
If you don't give yourself time to adapt to the diet, then performance will suffer. It took me 3 weeks to perform as well as I did on a high-carb diet. Some people take even longer, even up to 6 weeks.0 -
http://garytaubes.com/lectures-2/
If you wanted to get a preview of his message, I suggest going to his website and watching his lectures for free via the above link. Also, a more in-depth, highly scientific book with tons of references is his first book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" which was his original work on this topic. Basically he went through all the science that was already there and did the research for himself vs just listening to the conventional wisdom (that continues to make us all sick) and explains why WHAT we eat is so much more important than the concept of calories in, calories out (does your body react the same to 200 calories of bread vs 200 cal of fat? Nope, and this book breaks down why and how one may be helping to make you healthy vs why one may be helping to make you sick, diabetic and overweight).
Even if you watch or read and don't agree with it, at least you will have taken the time to judge for yourself vs assuming anyone else is right or wrong.
What she said.0
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