Are there any benefits to 1 carb free meal a day?!

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Maldivesbeachbodplease
Maldivesbeachbodplease Posts: 444
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

So i previously have been cutting carbs after lunchtime.....and been loading up on loads of protein. However, i've decided i don't want to do that anymore. I dont feel great doing it...i have no energy to exercise....and im sick of eating small meals and high protein snacks - it just doesnt work for me and i end up bingeing once a week at least.

So i have decided to eat 3 proper, nutritious, balanced meals....healthy options as much as possible...and snack on fruit if and when i need to.

I just wondered is there any benefit at all to having one carb free meal a day? e.g. a carb free lunch if you know you are having pasta/rice/potatoes in the evening? or is it a load of rubbish?! thank u! xxx

Replies

  • Vespyr
    Vespyr Posts: 111 Member
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    I used to have a carb free lunch...but for whatever reason it gave me terrible gas. Not so good for work.
  • Lotte34
    Lotte34 Posts: 429 Member
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    Its a benefit in the sense that you will take in less calories and less refined carbs however it might not be benificial if you are not trying a low carb diet as it may make you more hungry towards the end of the day and therefore more likely to have more carbs than you would normally for dinner.

    I don't think there is anything wrong with a few less carbs though
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Unless you have an intolerance to carbs, timing is pretty much irrelevant, eat them right before bed and be fine as long as you are withing your cals for the day.
  • fullagrace
    fullagrace Posts: 75
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    Its prob your overall carbs. i would try to stay under 150 carbs per day for sure. Then you can have 1-2 meals with some carbs, just dont go overboard.

    My doctor said that most people eat like 400 carbs per day. yikes!
  • HMD7703
    HMD7703 Posts: 761 Member
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    I do low carb breakfast (protein shakes / coffee / water). I work out in the afternoon, so it works for me. Lunch time I eat lots of protein and some healthy carbs. If I am still hungry pre workout, I have a snack (usually carb heavy) and I am good to go by gym time. Dinner time I am back to pushing protein and healthy carbs. I have cycles of craving carbs.

    The key is to listen to your body.
  • huntindawg1962
    huntindawg1962 Posts: 277 Member
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    Agree with Eric - in the overall scheme of things what you do in any one meal on any given day is really not significant. Heck - some people skip meals all the time altogether so no carbs, protein nor fat :happy:
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    I can't think of any biological reason why there would be a benefit to going carb free for one meal. It seems pretty pointless to me. I don't particularly like or support the 'low carb' craze, though I respect others' rights to choose that life-style. But the point of that particular life-style is to force the body to use fat as a major fuel source... and/or to avoid 'insulin spikes'. Your body stores glycogen (a carb) in your liver and muscle... carb free for one meal doesn't matter at all as far as your body is concerned. It just taps into it's stores to get you through to the next meal. The tired/crankiness is just your body saying 'hey... I'm using stored energy here. I don't like that. Eat carbs next meal.'

    The supposed benefits of a low carb diet will not be reached unless you go low carb all the way.

    I'm pretty skeptical as to whether there are any benefits unless you're glucose intollerant/insulin resistant/diabetic/or have some other type of disorder that responds well to low-carb.
  • sammniamii
    sammniamii Posts: 669 Member
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    As many of the other have said, it's all dependent on your body, but I would also think that if you go with no carbs one meal, by the time the next one rolls around, you might be craving them big time and could binge. If going true "low carb" (0-22 for first 2 weeks) is way too much of a discomfort, them maybe just lowering them or staying with healthier version like veggie based over sugar carbs.

    I am doing low carb for health & weight loss, I keep my carb intake to 50-100 a day (if I can) mostly because I don't want my chol levels to raise too high w/ the additional fats your are supposed to consume. Yes, I've increased my fat intake, but I keep it to healthy fats (olive oil, real butter, avocados, olives ect). The biggest thing I am trying to remove alot of "process heavy foods" and sugars. I've found out that I am probably either gluten intolerant or carb intolerant because as soon as I went lower carb (my intake used to be 300-400 a day on "fruits & diet" foods) and cut out breads, potatoes, rice and most sugar, my lactose intolerance got better to the point as long as I avoid true milk (milk whey, milk, cottage cheese, ice cream) I can now eat dairy (milk whey isolate, cheese, butter, sour cream) and not suffer the horrible stomach & gut issues I've had for 2 decades. Reading up on this makes me come to the idea of the gluten & carb intolerance, coupled with true lactose &/or milk. Plus, I do have more energy & feel fuller with less food.

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