good carbs /bad carbs

you have to remember that is it not just how many calories, but where you get them, especially as you get older. Its harder to get belly fat off the older i get, my body does not process foods that are processed like it used to be able to. Eating clean and switching to sprouted bread only has really helped me

I'm guessing that, as dudes with ripped abs in your pictures, your stomach muscles can hold in your guts pretty right even when there is bread in there. My weak abs? Not so much...hence avoiding foods that cause tummy pooch.

all carbs are good... if there is something you cut completely from a diet its alcohol.

abdominal strength and visible abs have little correlation if any.

I eat bread every single day, sandwiches are simple easy foods for work. Why wouldn't you eat bread. If you expend more calories than you take in then you will lose weight. It is simple as that. If you love bread, eat your bread. Hit your macronutrient intake for fats, protein and carbs and you will lose weight if it keeps you under calorie maintenance. EAT WHATEVER YOU LIKE!

Is it really as simple as that?

I eat bread every single day, sandwiches are simple easy foods for work. Why wouldn't you eat bread. If you expend more calories than you take in then you will lose weight. It is simple as that. If you love bread, eat your bread. Hit your macronutrient intake for fats, protein and carbs and you will lose weight if it keeps you under calorie maintenance. EAT WHATEVER YOU LIKE!

Is it really as simple as that?

Yes, it is, but don't miss the important phrases: "Hit your macronutrient intake for fats, protein and carbs" and "under calorie maintenance".

Bread is not bad. It's an excellent source of carbohydrates, and a good-quality bread can provide a plethora of excellent nutrients along with good, quality, long-burning, brain-feeding carbs.

Even "Empty" sugar/white flour calories are not necessarily bad, as long as you accept that you are consuming your carbohydrate allotment without getting the nutrition you should, and keep them within reason. Because you'll still need some good carbs to feed Mister Brain.

The only time bread is inherently bad is when you've chosen a severely carbohydrate-restricted diet like Atkins. But those types of diets have their own nutritional rules that must be followed.

For the "normal" healthy diet that most of us eat, you need lots of carbohydrates, the more of them complex the better, and a good-quality bread is an excellent source of that.

The problem (as others have mentioned) is that many Americans who have dieted have avoided the big scary "fat" to the exclusion of all sense, and quality foods tend to cost more, and as a result the typical American diet is lower in good fats than it should, and generally higher in poor-quality carbohydrates.

If your carbs are very high, then maybe cutting out bread is a good idea if you have other sources (oatmeal, etc) that you enjoy more. If your carbs are fine, then the bread should stay - just make sure it's a good quality bread low in sugar and high in complex carbs.

And if you want to lower your carbs, look seriously into Atkins or a similar program - it's a workable lifestyle for many, but you really want to make sure you are following the dietary requirements (just like you want to be doing on a "balanced" diet, but the requirements are different).

Consider this, too much of anything (even that is considered "Good"), water, meds, even vitamins, can be bad, dangerous, and even lethal.

My thoughts concerning bread is simply this.... I think bread has traditionally been a side for centuries and not really a staple part of the main course. Over the last 60+ years bread has moved from the side dish to the main course in large quantities.

If you want to cut them do it, if you love it too much to live without it, then eat it as a side and work it into your diet. It isn't essential to eat the breads, but if you like them, work them in.

I personally do not eat grains as part of my diet, but I do occasionally have a small piece of bread if we are dining out or special occasion. I limit it to a very small amount, since breads and my digestive system do not get along.

I eat bread every single day, sandwiches are simple easy foods for work. Why wouldn't you eat bread. If you expend more calories than you take in then you will lose weight. It is simple as that. If you love bread, eat your bread. Hit your macronutrient intake for fats, protein and carbs and you will lose weight if it keeps you under calorie maintenance. EAT WHATEVER YOU LIKE!

Is it really as simple as that?

It is that simple. Your body does not see the foods it is taking in.. it just sees the nutrients you are giving it. So your body does not see a piece of cake, it sees the protein carbs and fats which encompass the calorie total, it utilizes those calories as energy and the rest is stored. if at the end of the day you are below calorie maintenance you will lose weight. If you are above it you will gain weight. People look down on certain foods because they are calorie dense and can easily make you go over your calorie intake for the day. That doesn't make them bad if you cannot eat them in moderation.
Now that is not to say that eating cake and doughnuts for carbs and fats, and steakums for protein is optimal for a healthy body because they will lead to nutrient deficiencies, but there is no such thing as a good or bad food in the long run. No certain food will make you fat, no certain food will make you muscular. Hit your macro nutrient totals that help your goals and you will be golden. Get in your nutrient rich foods like vegetables and fruits and whole grains and lean meats so you are not nutrient deficient, but also live a little. Have cake if it fits your goals, have kiddy cereals.
Also if you only stick to certain foods healthy or not, you will be nutrient deficient, so it is healthier to have a broad array of foods in your diet.

When I first started my new "diet" I completely cut out anything I knew that was carbs with the exception of rices. I kind of mocked what my mom does when she takes on the south beach diet.

I only did that for two reason, one being that my moms and my own bodies are so similar, and are very much affected by the same things as far as weight gain goes, and two, removing the breads, pastas, and potatoes significantly cut down on quick thoughtless eating and caused me to have to find other healthier foods to replace what I had previously been eating and still feel "full" (I also cut out all fried food at that point too so it was quite hard for me as I work at a truck stop)

Now, I eat limited bread, and limited pastas, and have turned into that person standing in the aisle reading the nutrition facts on everything. But it works out for me, because I only eat any of that when I actually want it, instead of out of convenience, which was a big problem for me.

I don't eat bread, but when I did, I ate the 35 calorie wheat bread. They sell it at my local grocery store.