confused with carbs!

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micheles234
micheles234 Posts: 73 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've heard that you should not eat carbs after 3pm, and I thought I could try to follow that. when I hear "carbs", I think, breads, pastries, pastas, potatoes, etc but then when I logged my orange that I ate right before bed the other night, it had 26 carbs!!!
are there good carbs and bad carbs or are they all the same?

Replies

  • tz2187
    tz2187 Posts: 250 Member
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    I'm confused about this too.
  • katie133
    katie133 Posts: 210 Member
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    I dont know much about "low carbing" because i eat carbs and still lose weight... But complex carbs are much better for you than simple carbs... simple carbs are white bread, white pasta, potatoes, etc... Complex carbs = brown rice, whole grains, fruits, veggies,

    I know simple carbs cause a spike in blood sugar, which goes down quickly...and complex carbs are great for sustained energy
  • jworb
    jworb Posts: 146 Member
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    I've never hear the no carbs after 3pm thing, but there are definitely good carbs and bad carbs. bad carbs are white bread, regular pasta, white rice, etc. Good carbs are whole grains (oats, whole wheat, barley, wild rice, etc.) and such. I would consider fruit to fall into the "good carb" category, but I'm sure others disagree.
  • katie133
    katie133 Posts: 210 Member
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    Personally, i feel like im dying during an intense work out if i havent consumed some sort of complex carbs that day
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Good or bad depends on how your body reacts to them. Time of day has no bearing, studies have pointed that out.

    If you get a big sugar hit, and then a really big drop worse then before eating - then your body is getting an insulin spike.

    You have to release some to take the glucose out of the bloodstream, but some bodies over do it.
    Eat the fat and protein in a meal before the carbs then, and don't have snacks of just carbs.
    Why? Puts the body into glucose and fat storage mode. Your energy requirements for the period of time will be what you ate, and carbs, until the insulin is gone and fat can be released.

    That over reaction is what made many claim you should not eat, or eat carbs, too late. If it does happen, just don't eat carbs by themselves too late.

    And the fruits and starches and grains do hit the bloodstream quicker, so if you are having a problem as above, limit or eat with protein.
    vegetables with their fiber hit slower.
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
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    never heard of that..... weird??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I dont know much about "low carbing" because i eat carbs and still lose weight... But complex carbs are much better for you than simple carbs... simple carbs are white bread, white pasta, potatoes, etc... Complex carbs = brown rice, whole grains, fruits, veggies,

    I know simple carbs cause a spike in blood sugar, which goes down quickly...and complex carbs are great for sustained energy

    Actually, fruit are simple carbs, and white bread, pasta, and potatoes are complex carbs. Simple carbs are simple sugars, like fructose, sucrose, and glucose. Complex carbs are more complex sugars, like starches, that take longer to process.

    There really is no such thing as a good or bad carb. Just like there is no such thing as good or bad protein, or good or bad fat. All macros are good in the proper amounts, and bad if overeaten. It's that simple.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Good or bad depends on how your body reacts to them. Time of day has no bearing, studies have pointed that out.

    If you get a big sugar hit, and then a really big drop worse then before eating - then your body is getting an insulin spike.

    You have to release some to take the glucose out of the bloodstream, but some bodies over do it.
    Eat the fat and protein in a meal before the carbs then, and don't have snacks of just carbs.
    Why? Puts the body into glucose and fat storage mode. Your energy requirements for the period of time will be what you ate, and carbs, until the insulin is gone and fat can be released.

    That over reaction is what made many claim you should not eat, or eat carbs, too late. If it does happen, just don't eat carbs by themselves too late.

    And the fruits and starches and grains do hit the bloodstream quicker, so if you are having a problem as above, limit or eat with protein.
    vegetables with their fiber hit slower.

    This.

    For me personally, my body LOVES carbs and I don't have any issues with them - good, bad or otherwise. I do perfectly fine consuming a large amount of carbs each day (all day - from time I wake up til just before bed). I've lost nearly 60lbs and kept it off for 18 months.
  • JessAryn
    JessAryn Posts: 9
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    I had never heard that eating carbs after a certain time thing...so I just looked it up. It said:

    Can I still eat carbohydrates after 6pm? The simple answer is, "Yes you can - just make sure you don't overeat." It's over consumption of food late in the day, or "back-loading" calories as Ellen Coleman, leading US dietitian calls it, which is the likely cause of weight gain related to night-time eating.

    Here's the site I found it at if you want to read more:

    http://www.gymlink.com.au/static/websyte-fitness-tips/fitness-tip2.htm
  • donitaj01
    donitaj01 Posts: 21
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    @heybales Thank you. That is a great description about blood sugar spiking. Oh so that's what my nutritionist didn't tell me about why fruit (good carb) triggers my craving for more.
  • katie133
    katie133 Posts: 210 Member
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    http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/carbs/simple-vs-complex-carbohydrates.html

    article that this well
  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
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    I never heard no carbs after 3. So I looked it up. I think the real question is here is WHY? I can't find an answer to that. In fact, I found an article at Livestrong.com that RECOMMENDS complex carbs after 3 pm (http://www.livestrong.com/article/190972-how-to-lose-weight-with-complex-carbs-after-3-pm/).

    I think this is one of those myths that doesn't actually make any difference.

    But if you still want to follow it, I did find a weight loss program with that recommendation (http://fitwomenover40.com/blog/?p=377).

    Here's what they say about it, maybe this will help you:
    "* No bread
    * No rice
    * No potatoes
    * No beans
    * No corn
    * No pasta
    * No cereal
    * No bananas
    * No melons
    * No grapes or raisins
    * No pineapple
    * No sugar
    Just eat protein and veggies after 3pm."

    Note: Some veggies have carbs.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    You can eat any kind of food at any time of day. Seriously.

    Oranges contain natural sugars. Sugars are carbohydrates. A carbohydrate is simply a molecule made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Complex carbohydrates are starch (bread, grain, pasta) and simple carbohydrates are sugar (basically anything ending in "-ose").
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    I don't think the banana (with PB) I ate just before Zumba tonight is going to make me gain all 128 pounds back. In fact, considering the fact that I regularly eat bananas or potatoes or whole grains or other fruits and veggies in the evening, I am almost certain of it.

    Moderation is key.
  • micheles234
    micheles234 Posts: 73 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I think I will not make my food consumption that scientific, and just eat what I want, within reason. I've been eating carbs and I don't think my orange the other night hurt anything. I do try to stay away from what I call the bad carbs, white breads, white pastas, etc and go for the whole wheat or whole grains. I've been losing the weight just fine, but I heard this on dr oz, and didn't know what to think.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    If you have any questions about MFP or diet myths, check out this group page.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/474-unofficial-mfp-faq

    Here's what they have to say about Dr. Oz. Basically, don't trust him without doing your own research.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/402632-i-heard-dr-oz-recommend
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    Note: Some veggies have carbs.

    I was under the impression that ALL veggies have carbs?

    All food either has to have some amount of one of the following to give your body energy: fat, protein or carbs (sugar). Vegetables have carbs, and fruit has more due to fructose, but those things also have fiber which help slow-down the digestion and keep you fuller for longer than say, a handful of gummy bears (which are empty calories, all sugar, yadda yadda.)
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    Note: Some veggies have carbs.

    I was under the impression that ALL veggies have carbs?

    All food either has to have some amount of one of the following to give your body energy: fat, protein or carbs (sugar). Vegetables have carbs, and fruit has more due to fructose, but those things also have fiber which help slow-down the digestion and keep you fuller for longer than say, a handful of gummy bears (which are empty calories, all sugar, yadda yadda.)

    You're right. All vegetable have carbs. They certainly aren't pure protein and fat. Some have more carbs than others, such as peas and corn. They are "starchy." Corn and peas both contain the seed of the plant. The flesh around it is full of carbohydrates for the seed to utilize as energy before it starts growing leaves capable of photosynthesis.

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