Trying to shake the idea of eating carbs!

jaimebea
jaimebea Posts: 21
edited November 11 in Food and Nutrition
OK so the whole idea of dieting is warped in my mind because I have done the yo-yo with no carbs the past couple of years. I do great on no carbs and loose weight fast however, when I go back to carbs I gain double the weight. So it has been hard for me to believe that with in reasonable portions I am aloud to eat carbs! I also like to try and avoid sugars unless they are natural from my fruit. Any one else struggle with this?
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Replies

  • EatClenTrenHard
    EatClenTrenHard Posts: 339 Member
    carbs give me energy to excercise. And i lose more than i eat(carbs)
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    If you can try to change the majority of your carb intake (bread, cereal, pasta, etc.) to whole wheat or whole grain it will help over time.
  • amyofftherecord
    amyofftherecord Posts: 64 Member
    Don't go "no carbs", just go "low carbs". Most people eat way more carbs than they need, so don't give them up entirely, just make a *permanent* change to a lower amount of carbs than you're used to eating. If you don't think you can give them up forever, don't give them up at all (that's the whole "lifestyle change" thing that you need to be doing if you want to lose weight and keep it off). Not none, just less.
  • japruzze
    japruzze Posts: 453 Member
    No carbs or low carbs? There is a difference. I do low carbs and I eat very limited (mostly none) breads, pasta, rice, cereal, crackers and the like. But I do eat carbs...dairy, fruit and veggies. Carbs are important and it should not be none. I've lost 170 lbs and have kept it off now for almost 2 years following that plan. But I don't diet...I eat healthy. It's as much a "head game" as a phyical thing. You have to change your lifestyle and your way of thinking if its going to work and keep working!
  • garbanzalo
    garbanzalo Posts: 61 Member
    The only way to lose weight is by eating fewer calories. Carbs, proteins, fats etc all come in the picture after that. Carbs and refined sugar are to be avoided because both cause an insulin rush and make you feel hungry after a while, resulting in eating more.

    Carbs are to be avoided only if you are sedentary or doing cardio. If you are doing strength training, carbs will help preserve muscle mass and are a suggested food item.

    If you are gaining weight, it is because you are eating more calories than your metabolism can handle. As we age, our metabolism slows down and we need to eat less. A 40-yr old eating the exact same diet as a 20-yr old and having the exact same regimen is likely to gain weight compared to the former.
  • AnarchoGen
    AnarchoGen Posts: 400 Member
    What I do is I don't have any starchy carbs 3 hrs. before bedtime - I get my carbs in other things like beans, sweet potatoes, fruits and vegetables, but I do have oats or brown rice every day - usually first thing in the morning and prior to my workout. If I don't have it, I'm drained of energy. I'm also gluten free so whole wheat is a no go for me. I stick to oats, brown rice, quinoa - things like that.
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    Don't go without carbs. Carbs are essential for proper brain function and should definitely be eaten with each meal....especially breakfast and lunch.

    The trick is to eat everything in moderation!

    'Dieting' is a bad word to me.... Eating right is the way to go...a healthy diet is for life.

    Focus on eating less calories then you expend...and you will still be able to eat carbs and lose weight.
  • jellerose
    jellerose Posts: 74 Member
    For those of us with carb sensitivities, whole wheat or whole grain is similar in notion to filtered cigarettes. Sure, it's "less" bad but still not good for us. Carbs in the form of veggies are great, berries and limited fruits are ok, grains should be severely restricted. From your description it sounds as though you're definitely one of those with carb sensitivity. We simply can't eat the same as those on a mainstream plan and still lose or maintain. Some people can't tolerate dairy, some are allergic to nuts, some are carb sensitive - sucks but it's our reality.

    On the plus side, nowadays there are so many yummy recipes with coconut flour and almond flour you can have a few extra baked goods without doing damage and limit your actual grain indulgences to very, very few.
  • ElPumaMex
    ElPumaMex Posts: 367 Member
    I recommend you start with "good" carbs: from fruits, etc
  • tiffypooh2u
    tiffypooh2u Posts: 299 Member
    Better you than me, I can't live without carbs!
  • Molly182
    Molly182 Posts: 406
    This is a very helpful thread
  • jellerose
    jellerose Posts: 74 Member
    And it's a fallacy that we have to eat carbs to feed our brains. Extreme cardio athletes need extra carbs but our brains are quite happy with protein and fats, our bodies convert those to what our brains need. Especially breakfast and lunch ; ). Carbs are for vitamins as found in veggies. (b vitamins have to be ADDED to grains in order to give them nutrition and we can get those from other NATURAL sources!)
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I like carbs. You can definitely be successful while eating carbs.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    OK so the whole idea of dieting is warped in my mind because I have done the yo-yo with no carbs the past couple of years. I do great on no carbs and loose weight fast however, when I go back to carbs I gain double the weight. So it has been hard for me to believe that with in reasonable portions I am aloud to eat carbs! I also like to try and avoid sugars unless they are natural from my fruit. Any one else struggle with this?
    You lose weight fast by dropping carbs and then gain it all back adding them back in because carbs require water, so when you cut them out, initially you drop a lot of water weight, when you eat carbs again, you gain the water weight back. That's why carb cutting is often listed as a "quick loss" trick for people who need to drop X pounds in a weekend for some reason. For real, sustained fat loss, you don't have to cut back on carbs at all if you don't want to, as it offers no actual fat loss advantage over keeping carbs. It's 100% personal preference, so if you like carbs, and you don't have any digestive or metabolic issues with eating them, keep eating them. If you want to cut back on them, then you need to make it a permanent change, or be ready for the water weight gain when you increase carb levels again down the road.

    So basically, keep the carbs if you want, cut them back if you want, but whichever choice you make you need to stay consistent.
  • lvng_lf
    lvng_lf Posts: 41 Member
    you can change your nutrients to show a lower carb intake. my limit is 79 without exercise and that has helped me a lot! So you can avoid some items like pasta, white bread, cereal etc and also learn to eat them in moderation! it helped me because eventhough that donut I had fit into my daily intake of calories, I still was eating too many sugars and I wasn't loosing any weight for all my effort. yes, reducing your calories is the ultimate key but I do believe that while trying to loose weight, it does make a difference where your calories come from!
  • TheAncientMariner
    TheAncientMariner Posts: 444 Member
    4 words: Calories in; Calories out. We're talking about energy here. Sure, the body will do a few different things with the type of food you ingest, but at the end of the day that's what matters. Stop dieting because it is restricting and no carb or even low carb is not sustainable for the long term. You have to find that balance. Just make sure your activity level supports whatever your carb intake is because at the end of the day it's all fuel. Don't run your body on an empty tank. Spiker 4 Life.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    carbs can be a controversial topic
    I believe the bulk of one's carbs should come from vegetables and a little fruit. All the breads and everything are unnecessary filler, and should be avoided. I don't believe in the whole "healthy whole grains" mantra, because the grains of today are not the same ones our pioneer ancestors lived on 200+ years ago. I see amber waves of genetically modified, chemicalized franken grains.
    JMO.
  • danellekay
    danellekay Posts: 20
    I can totally feel your pain..i have done the last two years of lo carbs...but i do yo-yo. I think that if you can get into a regular diet and exercise under your belt for a couple of weeks and see it working...then its easier to do. I know on lo-carb it happens fast so thats what is nice! I am just still trying to be mindful of the types of carbs....
  • TanyaCurtis
    TanyaCurtis Posts: 630
    Carbs are good for u in moderation!! But I crave them too, and sugar. Somedays are just Overwhelming, and I end up eating any sort of carbs or sugar I can get my hands on. It's actually disgusting. I'm trying to kick sugar, I don't know where to draw the line though, cause somedays I can handle that one bite, and feel fine, then other days, it sets me up for a HUGE binge, then I'm bingeing for 2 weeks straight, totally out of control. I hope someone has some good advice! For me it's best to stay totally away from sugar I believe, but that is extremely hard!! And carbs, well ur body need them, so in moderation is just fine!
  • melissabee71
    melissabee71 Posts: 2
    I cut down on bread intake, and refuse to eat cereal. I also allow myself to have pasta once a week. All other carbs I eat come from fruit and veggies. That has been working for me. I always go way over in the protein quota for the day, but i don't think that is neccesarily a bad thing. Oh-and because of my low carb intake I am not working out. If I was working out, I would definitely have to eat more substantial carbs.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
    Wow. If you want to go no carb (ie less than 20g a day) find a solid diet structure that includes exercise. I liked Shelby Starnes' ebook on very low carb dieting. Truth be told there are macro rules that apply to everyone and then very individual rules that you have to figure out. Macro is cals in less than cals out. There are select instances people will throw out there but for the most part this rule is universal. After that you need to tinker with your macros. I grew up in a house where a fatty meat and 2 starches were on the table nightly. My body doesn't deal too well with that. My other siblings, no problem. As I got older and researched diet I found that reducing carbs in general and eliminating most high GI carbs was in my best interest. This may not be the case for you. Dieting is a lot oftaking a framework that is proven to work and experimenting with that framework. I always recommend a 40/40/20 split to start and then tinker.
  • hexrei
    hexrei Posts: 163
    Don't go without carbs. Carbs are essential for proper brain function and should definitely be eaten with each meal....especially breakfast and lunch.

    The trick is to eat everything in moderation!

    'Dieting' is a bad word to me.... Eating right is the way to go...a healthy diet is for life.

    Focus on eating less calories then you expend...and you will still be able to eat carbs and lose weight.

    Carbs are not essential for proper brain function. Your body will do just fine with protein and fats. That said, some carbs are alright in any diet, but if you're sedentary, staying low on them will make a weight loss diet easier.
  • glenr79
    glenr79 Posts: 283 Member
    You need to eat complex catbs, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains... complex carbs are slow dissolving and help regulate blood sugar and prevent insulin spikes. Carbohydrates is what also gives your body the energy to function every day, helps your brain, and also helps break down fats and helps bring protein into the muscle. All of the macronutrients work together in a system, with not enough of one it throws everything out of wack, and too much of another is just as bad. You just have to stay away from Simple carbs, no soda's, no pizza, no packaged foods, no sweets, etc.... Things high in fiber are the way to go, Oatmeal is one of the best whole grain complex carbs you can eat. When you don't hardly eat any carbs all you are losing is lean muscle mass, you are not losing fat mass, that is why you have the weight gain when you start eating them again. Low carbs is only temporary weight loss, if you want long term weight loss you have to eat at least 45% complex carbs. I use to be high protein low carbs and it took forever to get in shape, when I switched to fruits, veggies, and whole grains as well as protein and healthy fats it didn't take long at all to become a lean machine. I am at 6.1% body fat now.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    You need to eat complex catbs, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains... complex carbs are slow dissolving and help regulate blood sugar and prevent insulin spikes. Carbohydrates is what also gives your body the energy to function every day, helps your brain, and also helps break down fats and helps bring protein into the muscle. All of the macronutrients work together in a system, with not enough of one it throws everything out of wack, and too much of another is just as bad. You just have to stay away from Simple carbs, no soda's, no pizza, no packaged foods, no sweets, etc.... Things high in fiber are the way to go, Oatmeal is one of the best whole grain complex carbs you can eat. When you don't hardly eat any carbs all you are losing is lean muscle mass, you are not losing fat mass, that is why you have the weight gain when you start eating them again. Low carbs is only temporary weight loss, if you want long term weight loss you have to eat at least 45% complex carbs. I use to be high protein low carbs and it took forever to get in shape, when I switched to fruits, veggies, and whole grains as well as protein and healthy fats it didn't take long at all to become a lean machine. I am at 6.1% body fat now.

    It works because when you eat a good amount of carbs it frees up the protein and fat you eat to be used for tissue repair and maintenance, rather than energy. Cutting carbs forces your body to convert the protein and fat you eat into glucose through gluconeogenesis, and then, after the energy needs are filled, whatever happens to be left over can be used for other purposes (if you're in a calorie deficit, there won't be any left over.) If you eat a steady supply of carbs for the body to burn as glucose, it frees up the protein and fat for immediate uptake and utilization.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    OK so the whole idea of dieting is warped in my mind because I have done the yo-yo with no carbs the past couple of years. I do great on no carbs and loose weight fast however, when I go back to carbs I gain double the weight. So it has been hard for me to believe that with in reasonable portions I am aloud to eat carbs! I also like to try and avoid sugars unless they are natural from my fruit. Any one else struggle with this?

    How about you learn to eat a balanced diet that contains the carbs that you obviously enjoy, lose a little slower and get off the yo-yo?

    Just a suggestion :flowerforyou:
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Just think of it this way: what you've done before didn't work, so there's no point in looking at what you're doing now and worrying that it's different.
  • BeepRocks
    BeepRocks Posts: 15
    I still eat some carbs....but I have cut out the breads. Instead of bread for a sandwich I use lettuce. I will have a slice of pizza here and there. But, just doing away with most of the breads has helped me a lot. And I eat fruit.....but not in huge quantities.....the sugar in them if consumed to much is going to sabotage your diet.
  • CindySchooley
    CindySchooley Posts: 4
    I agree, I just joined this week and your story sounds just like mine.................So glad I'm not alone on this. It is really hard to think
    it is OK to eat carbs.........
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    For the majority, the type of carb is more important than the amount. Processed or added sugar and overly processed grains are not healthy in large amounts. But vegetables, fruits and minimally processed whole grains are part of a well balanced healthy diet.
  • MrsLong1980
    MrsLong1980 Posts: 181 Member
    OK so the whole idea of dieting is warped in my mind because I have done the yo-yo with no carbs the past couple of years. I do great on no carbs and loose weight fast however, when I go back to carbs I gain double the weight. So it has been hard for me to believe that with in reasonable portions I am aloud to eat carbs! I also like to try and avoid sugars unless they are natural from my fruit. Any one else struggle with this?

    How about you learn to eat a balanced diet that contains the carbs that you obviously enjoy, lose a little slower and get off the yo-yo?

    Just a suggestion :flowerforyou:

    This! :)

    I love my carbs - love bread and pasta and fruit and all that good stuff. I still have sandwiches but nowadays I have wheat and white tortilla wraps instead of 2 slices of bread - just as filling and a whole lot more fun in preparation! :D I'm working on muscle gain and fat loss rather than just losing weight so I'm losing slowly but plan on it staying off when I'm not doing crazy amounts of exercise (currently exercising 5 nights a week) - I cannot continue to exercise this much always so by working on food and swapping things slowly I can continue to do it.
    Not sure this was much use but just wanted to say that rather than going back to what you've done before, knowing it wasn't sustainable, you should look for new things to do :)
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