CARBS and BIG BELLIES

I wish I still had the book I was given. I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistant 10 years ago and this was the advice I was given. It has helped me and many who have tired it, mainly because it is a lifestyle not a "diet". If you look up pcos, cotisol or insulin resistant the main advice is low on processed food..... high in fiber and protein. I hope that helped, there are so many links I didn't know which one to post.

Some good advice is to stop listening to Dr. Oz. You can't reduce one part of your body over another. It will all reduce given enough time and weight lost. There is no trick other than patience and hard work.

Focus on consistency and logging your food and success will come regardless of what fads and gimmicks a salesman with a Ph.D on television tells you you need to follow.

Now that there is some good advice,,,,,,,,, stop listening to a Dr. and listen to some no name on a public forum. LOL

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Intra-abdominal fat (also called visceral fat) is dangerous. That is fat build up inside the abdominal cavity, not the soft, jiggly, loose skin of subcutaneous fat. Fact is we all have some levels of both, and it's all about keeping those levels healthy.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-belly-fat

This is a good site, thanks!

I never tracked carbs and my belly flattened out by the time I got into normal bmi range. I don't think you have to go low carb to achieve your goals. Calories deficit and exercise was all I needed and the only ab work I get is swinging a softball bat.

So I was watching an episode of Dr. Oz yesterday and it was all about big butts and big bellies. He was telling about how they're different and how you can fix it.

For big bums, I don't really remember how to fix because that's not my problem. He did say that butt fat is healthier than belly fat BUT it's harder to get rid of.

For belly fat, it's quite unhealthy. The fat builds up around your intestines and organs and your HEART, so, not very good at all. His advice for big bellies is to to eat LOW CARBS and ANTI-INFLAMMATORY foods. ALso aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

So my question is, what are ANY anti-inflammatory foods? And what are some good low-carbs foods? I've never limited or paid attention to my carb intake so i really don't know what's what.

ANd for any of you on a low-carb diet, how's it going? Is you belly fat disappearing?

I think some people replying are a bit confused with what Dr. Oz was trying to convey to his audience...

Butt fat is MUCH more difficult to get rid of than belly fat. It takes time. I didn't see the episode so I can't really agree/disagree with anything he said in this aspect.

I'm currently on a restricted carb diet, none of the "fad" diets that are out there though. I've upped my protein and (healthy) fats and lowered my carbs by 50%. I'm seeing incredible changes and have broke every plateau that I've struggled with in these past few months. I've always loved carbs and it's hard for me to say goodbye for these next several weeks. I've lost 1/2 an inch on my waist since Saturday and 6 lbs (my most ridiculous loss yet). I'm not saying that losing 6 lbs is good, but I'd guess that it's water weight. Regardless, a 1/2 inch loss is a size loss, regardless.

Anti-inflammatory foods would pretty much be anything that you could stereotypically label as "healthy" -- veggies, fruits, nuts, etc. I don't really concern myself too much with this category, however.

For low-carb foods, I'll just list off some of the major ones that I go hard on:
- Vegetables (non-starchy):
String beans
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cucumber

- Lean meats: lean steak, chicken, fish, etc.
Lean steak (top sirloin with trimmed fat, flank stank, etc.)
Chicken
Fish
Eggs

- Greek yogurt!

That's all I've got for the time being. You can add me if you'd like, I'm on this low-carb train for the next six weeks.

I wish I still had the book I was given. I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistant 10 years ago and this was the advice I was given. It has helped me and many who have tired it, mainly because it is a lifestyle not a "diet". If you look up pcos, cotisol or insulin resistant the main advice is low on processed food..... high in fiber and protein. I hope that helped, there are so many links I didn't know which one to post.

I've read the same stuff. I'm insulin resistant (also often called pre-diabetic) and hypertensive. The research that I've done says that a lower-carb/lower fat/higher protein diet is the way to go to help both issues. (I remember reading PCOS in there, too.) That doesn't mean NO carbs, only fewer simple carbs (sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc), healthier fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado), and higher lean protein (tuna, chicken).

But honestly, it's not going to localize the fat loss. If you have medical issues like the above, this kind of diet helps your overall health. It will also help with weight loss if you're plateauing because it kicks things into a different direction (like changing up your workout), but I've never read anywhere that it will rid you of tummy fat.

Sorry. :ohwell:

FWIW - there is no such thing as a PhD in medicine. He has an M.D. and an MBA. His residency and fellowship in surgery do make him highly knowledgeable and qualified in some very difficult areas. Probably not nutrition, but he's no amateur.

A degree doesn't really mean squat. I've had doctors misdiagnose problems, tell me something wasn't legal when it was, tell me I was mentally retarded just because I stuttered a few times, and freely give me drugs, all kinds of them, instead of trying to assess my problem. I've known people with heart problems go to MDs and come out with a diagnosis of "you're stupid why are you in my clinic" and a doctor, selected by the government to do a physical on my mother in order for her to get social security, look at my mother's high blood pressure, shaking hands due to nerve damage, and the fact she has a bypass scar on her chest and said she was A-OK.

Again, a degree doesn't mean anything. You can still be an *kitten*, an idiot, misinformed about things in your own practice and others you don't specialize in, and careless. Because hey guess what, doctors are humans too.

Low carb does nothing for body fat. It helps lose water weight

Your source for this is....? I'm calling bullsh*t.

Been doing low carb (keto, to be more specific) for almost two months now. The caloric deficit is "built into" the diet via the fats you eat making you feel satiated for longer. However, I do track everything to be under my daily MFP set calorie limit. If I go over on cals, I don't feel too bad. Go over in carbs, however, and I could knock myself out of ketosis.

I eat LOTS of veggies (I know my diary's veggie section seems lacking, but most of my meals are made beforehand and I just put them into the protein category) and have cut most heavily processed foods.

When I first started, I was all "ZOMG BACON BACON CHEESE DIET LAWLZ" but it's so much more than that. Visit the /r/keto subreddit, and you'll see that it DOES work.

Low carb does nothing for body fat. It helps lose water weight

Your source for this is....? I'm calling bullsh*t.

Been doing low carb (keto, to be more specific) for almost two months now. The caloric deficit is "built into" the diet via the fats you eat making you feel satiated for longer. However, I do track everything to be under my daily MFP set calorie limit. If I go over on cals, I don't feel too bad. Go over in carbs, however, and I could knock myself out of ketosis.

I eat LOTS of veggies (I know my diary's veggie section seems lacking, but most of my meals are made beforehand and I just put them into the protein category) and have cut most heavily processed foods.

When I first started, I was all "ZOMG BACON BACON CHEESE DIET LAWLZ" but it's so much more than that. Visit the /r/keto subreddit, and you'll see that it DOES work.

A calorie deficit causes fat loss. Low carb, high carb, high protein, low fat, all just ways of creating a calorie deficit. Low carb without a calorie deficit will not lead to fat loss, ergo, low carb has absolutely nothing to do with fat loss, the calorie deficit does. Low carb does get rid of water weight, by reducing glycogen stores. You don't burn any more body fat on a keto diet than you would on any other diet, keeping other variables constant (calories, protein.)

Experiment with your own body; people are different--some foods help and others don't. Try going a couple weeks trying different things and observe your body's reaction.

A good book is "It Starts With Food" by Melissa & Dallas Hartwig ... I've found it informative.

Excellent book. "Wheat Belly" is also worth reading. I cut grains based on it and I swear it's helped my lose the belly fat.

To those who think the macronutrient content does not matter and it's all about calories. You are wrong, just plain wrong. And don't quote the laws of thermodynamics at me because the human body is more complex than that.

I've done the same number of calories on MFP on both low-fat and low-carb and the latter works better for me. I am less hungry (although I make sure I eat plenty of calories) and my mood is more stable.

A calorie is not just a calorie.

here is a list of foods http://theconsciouslife.com/top-10-anti-inflammatory-foods.htm

I think dr. oz is a quack, but regardless the OP asked for information, so 2 anti-inflammatory foods that I know of are Ginger and Garlic. Have at it!

So I was watching an episode of Dr. Oz yesterday and it was all about big butts and big bellies. He was telling about how they're different and how you can fix it.

For big bums, I don't really remember how to fix because that's not my problem. He did say that butt fat is healthier than belly fat BUT it's harder to get rid of.

For belly fat, it's quite unhealthy. The fat builds up around your intestines and organs and your HEART, so, not very good at all. His advice for big bellies is to to eat LOW CARBS and ANTI-INFLAMMATORY foods. ALso aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

So my question is, what are ANY anti-inflammatory foods? And what are some good low-carbs foods? I've never limited or paid attention to my carb intake so i really don't know what's what.

ANd for any of you on a low-carb diet, how's it going? Is you belly fat disappearing?

When I eat lots of raw whole fruits and veggies and whole grain carbs my belly shrinks just like the rest of me. I have noticed a decided *bloat* with excessive gluten, processed grains (maybe it's the gluten again), and dairy (before I eliminated it for other reasons). I think it's easy to think you have a lot of "belly fat" when actually your tummy is just having issues from things it's not digesting well. There are a lot of food intolerances, and most doctors seem fairly useless at recognizing them. I mean, did even the great and powerful Oz mention this with respect to a "fat belly"? (Seriously I don't watch TV so I don't know if he did or not).

A calorie deficit causes fat loss. Low carb, high carb, high protein, low fat, all just ways of creating a calorie deficit. Low carb without a calorie deficit will not lead to fat loss, ergo, low carb has absolutely nothing to do with fat loss, the calorie deficit does. Low carb does get rid of water weight, by reducing glycogen stores. You don't burn any more body fat on a keto diet than you would on any other diet, keeping other variables constant (calories, protein.)

Thank you for taking the time to explain what your very short and very vague original post did not.

From my understanding, (which is probably jumbled in my brain with medical studies mixed with broscience), carbs are the easiest form of fuel that your body can burn. Once those are taken away, your body has to work a little harder to convert the fat reserves in your body to fuel itself.

So, is just calories in vs. calories out? Maybe, but the quality of those calories, meaning whether they are protein, carbohydrate, or fat, has an effect on our bodies which could help or stall weight loss. It's more about hormones, insulin, and energy more than the whole "a calorie is just a calorie" way of thinking.

I hope this made sense? My brain has been scrambled from reading various medical journals (pro and anti keto) and it seems that any results are preliminary at best. We have so much to learn about our bodies, that it's a wonder we've come this far.

Carbs are good because the human body can't burn fat without glucose. When you eliminate carbs, you force the body to convert the protein and fat you eat into glucose so it can burn body fat. Of course, that means your body isn't actually using the protein and fat you eat for what it should be using protein and fat for. Again, it doesn't burn any more body fat, all it does is convert protein and dietary fat to glucose, and then burn the same amount of body fat it would have burned had you eaten an equivalent amount of carbs. Remember, the body burns fat 24/7, no matter what you eat, and it needs a steady supply of glucose to do it.

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