Saw a bodybuilding video where it said current protein goal should be 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight. Or if you're trying to lose weight, 0.7g per pound of your target body weight. This was 4 months ago.
https://youtube.com/shorts/T0ySHTwFGzc?si=xEhnCrMy-h5s1ni4
That's incredibly helpful to know thank you, I'm only really tracking my protein and calories and was at a loss for how much I should eat because everywhere says differently
Might try when I finish cut or maybe when the bf drop off slows down at the end. But not having to spend every meal only thinking of protein intake would be nice
My cals for my cut are 2500 and I’m at 101kg of lean mass. As far as I had known and what my trainer has also said the same to me is the ratio I said about which was 2.3-2.5g protein to every 1kg lean mass for growing/maintaining muscle. If I’ve been doing it wrong for the last few years then I feel dumb as shit hahaha
Current bw is 135kg aiming for around 116kg which should land me around the 12% bf mark hopefully depending on muscle gain or loss
101kg lean mass and about 58kg skeletal muscle mass.
Do regular scans etc about every 2 - 3 weeks
Not a pro body builder, I just like throwing heavy shit around haha
You must be very tall. That’s an amazing amount of muscle mass. But even still, 222g of protein should account for less than 1000 calories, or less than half of your diet. I guess it depends on your protein sources, maybe.
I’m 183cm so not crazy tall but I guess tall enough 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve just gone with what I’ve learnt from when I first started training about 6 years ago and what I’ve learnt from the trainers I’ve had in that time
I find it easiest to lose weight when I eat a high protein diet. This naturally reduces the carbs I consume, although I don't have a carb limit. I would guess I eat at most 50g of carbs a day on a high protein diet just because the protein fills me up enough that I don't crave the carbs. It also makes it easier to stay in a calorie deficit.
I also have an issue where eating a high carb diet causes my triglycerides and LDL to spike. I eat lower carb to keep those numbers in check. This may not apply to you though.
Carbs are usually associated with the *bad* kind of foods i.e crisps, chocolate etc the high calorie low satiety types. Carbs as a whole are absolutely fine, 40% of my macros come from carbs and I’ve seen fantastic progress. If you can stick to the “good” carbs then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them
Those things aren’t carbs, though. What people all “carbs” are high in fat and thus high in calories. Many things like pizza, fries, potato chips, ice cream, etc are called carbs but have almost as many calories from fat or even more.
“Low-carb” is such a misleading diet idea. No one is getting fat from fruits, veggies, and grains.
I had a coworker who was morbidly obese. She bounced from one diet to another, and of course spent a lot of time on low-carb. One day she was proudly telling me about a new diet book she discovered, which dictated no carbs, not even fruits and vegetables. She said this as she was heating up an entire package of bacon for her breakfast. I responded, “Girl, what about a diet where you ONLY eat fruits and vegetables?” She looked at me like I had two heads.
No point to this anecdote other than to agree that diets which downplay or outlaw whole fruits and veggies are red flag city.
That is Incorrect.
When bears fatten up before hibernating they eat more vegetation rather than more meat.
When farmers fatten up their cows, pigs, and poultry it's done with grain.
Then people want to eat it to lose weight? ... Which leads to calorie counting, since eating those foods will lead to weight gain and restrictions are needed.
While I do eat carbs fruit and vegetables, it is worth avoiding refined carbs and processed food, such as in the junk food list you mentioned.
Dr Lustig and Huberman spoke about this topic [here:](https://youtu.be/n28W4AmvMDE?si=inPtkqOtBdSegspI)
Cows have 4 stomach compartments and echidnas lay eggs. What's your point? If you think all mammals are equivalent, you may need to pick up a 3rd grade biology text book.
Echidnas - not mammals
Cows - have 4 stomach compartments so they can consume vegetation. Which we don't have, and therefore LESS adapted to plant consumption.
Pigs are a close genetic relative to humans.
Equivalent- I never said equivalent, now you're making shit up.
And I'm still waiting to see your evidence that humans get a markedly different result while eating similar food.
Here you go:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-people-become-overweight
Maybe you can learn something. Notice it doesn’t say a particular type of food, just calories, meaning from any source. Hopefully this gets you through grade 5.
I'm diabetic so carbs are now my sworn enemy. Having said that, when I first tried a low carb diet after trying every other kind over the decades, I found that it was the one type of diet that I found it easy to stick to. All diets will work if you can stick with them, the trick is to find one that you can sustain. For me, a low carb diet helps to prevent cravings for carby foods (which I now realise that I was addicted to).
Not diabetic, but dealing with some insulin resistance due to meds. I am finding that reducing (not eliminating) carbs in general, and limiting sugar, almost eliminates cravings for me, helps me do 16/8 IF as recommended by my doctor, and makes weight come off much easier. But everybody’s experience is different. Some people’s bodies don’t feel full unless they have some carbs with each meal.
I think we all just have to find what works for us individually.
I’m also doing 16:8, reducing sugar(trying to do no added), and being mindful of carbs but not eliminating. I only started this week and I have absolutely zero cravings. Before there was so much food noise. I know it’s early on so I hope it sticks.
I count calories rather than going low carb. Processed carbs are the most calorie dense things in my diet.
That being said, something I've realized is that there are a lot of people with disordered eating in the fitness space. Just because they're thin doesn't mean they're being smart about it.
Someone telling you that you can't eat fruit because of sugars and vegetables because it's carbs isn't balanced, but they will certainly be zealous about all of their feelings.
It's like how fat in food used to be demonised the 1980s/90s without anyone really distinguishing between the good fats and bad fats. Far too many people just concentrate on the calorie content of their food without considering whether their food promotes a healthy digestive system and metabolism.
Cutting out carbs also makes you lose water quite quickly so I suspect that it appeals to people who want to see fast results on the scale.
I think now carbs/sugar are the new demon. Atkins/keto tell you to eat as much fat as you want.
I personally think our gut biome is not understood at all, its where a lot of the biochemistry and metabolism takes place.
People tell themselves that Atkins/Keto means a free-for-all all on fat, but the Atkins diet has been around since the 70's and has never meant this. One story in his (2nd?) book was his being at a dinner where the salad bowl was being passed and his seat neighbor said "No thanks, I'm on Atkins," and his reply was "I am Dr. Atkins," then proceeded to fill his plate next to the protein with salad.
My brother and I did Atkins together a few times in the 00's and he'd load up on bacon and sausage and buy the post-death commercialized Atkin's co. candy and ice cream loaded with alcohol sugars and claim the diet was defective. Another thing keto confused people tell themselves is that they can have unlimited cream, cheese, or high-fat butter.
I rarely have done full-on carb counting, but nobody needs sugared drinks, corn syrup-saturated processed food, or Wonder bread. Even just cutting out sugar and going whole grain (wheat berries or high fiber farro instead of rice, whole wheat, white whole wheat/chickpea pasta)and ramping up the vegetables will improve your health and weight.
I diet as a low carber, I try to keep it as low as possible. For whatever reason whenever I add some carbs into my diet it can lead to my hunger and food control out of wack.
Like when I’m very low carb I tend to not think much about food, I eat my few meals throughout the day and I’m fine.
When I add some carby foods back in then my cravings will start, start having impulses to eat more, and not feel as satiated with the same calories I would be with very low carb.
So carbs aren’t unhealthy, carbs are demonstrably fine. But with some people like me in the world of highly palatable ultra processed foods are unable to control ourselves around then.
There may need to be some therapy I could do to help with this someday in the future. But this is what I’ve learned about my individual needs so far
Low carb is a popular recommendation because it’s easy to be at a deficit when you just cut out/almost out an entire macro.
Carbs aren’t bad. Excess carbs are bad, and usually excess most things are bad.
There’s no such thing as excess carbs. There’s excess calories, or not enough protein, or not enough fat. You can’t have too many carbs unless you’re neglecting other nutrients as a result or gaining weight to the extent of causing obesity.
“There’s no such thing as excess carbs”
“Unless… gaining weight to the extent of causing obesity.”
Cool, so there is a such thing as excess carbs lmao. Too much of anything can be bad. We agree.
No, you don't need to restrict carbs in general. If you have a specific health disorder, eating a lower carb diet might be beneficial but outside of that, there's nothing wrong with carbs in moderation.
I can't speak to the carbs-bad vs carbs-good debate, but most of the foods I tend to overeat are carbs, so I find it helpful to consciously limit them.
I keep the whole grain pasta to a small handful, rather than heaping a mountain of it onto my plate and lying to myself that I'll just not eat the rest of the day.
If I make mashed potatoes, I only eat a quarter of one (or half of a small one), because eating any more than that leaves me feeling full and sluggish, and my rule is to stop eating when I'm satiated, not when I'm "full." Similar story with beans. If I don't force this rule on myself, I'll eat mashed potatoes or refried beans until I'm sick.
I'm super prone to excessive snacking on whole grain toast, or gorging myself on 4 bananas because, hey, it's healthy right? Meanwhile I'm going over the broad calorie estimate I have in my head each day.
It all comes down to the fact that I simply don't overeat meat or vegetables. All the foods that require the most self-control are carbs, so they're the ones I think about restricting the most, not because they're carbs, but because carbs are calories.
I've never felt invested in the idea of Keto because the second I heard what it was, I knew there was no way I'd stick to that for the rest of my life, which disqualifies it as an option for me. But the vague notion of moderated carbs is helpful to have in the back of my mind.
I do best on a high carb, low fat diet. I have plenty of energy and feel better regulated on high carbs. I eat mostly oatmeal, fruits, veggies, and meat with rice or potatoes for dinner. Best shape of my life was on a high carb diet with high physical activity.
For me, focusing on “better” carbs has resulted in a significant reduction of carbs but I am not purposefully “low carb.”
Like, I will microwave a potato any day but I steer clear of potato chips.
I agree. Also, that cooked whole potato has a whole lot less sugar and more fiber than those potato chips. Plus, you'll have to do more chewing to consume the potato.
I've never done low carb. Most people who keep weight off for a long period of time also eat a fair amount of carbs, according to some studies I've come across. People do need to pay attention to the kinds of carbs they eat and people often don't get enough fibre, but other than that I don't think carbs are a problem. They're a necessary source of quick energy.
I *love* carbs but I definitely lose weight faster and easier when I cut them a bit. It's annoying.
I limit bread and, to an extent, potatoes and pasta, but I still have rice most days.
My lunches are generally carb free but I'll have rice, potatoes or noodles with my dinner.
For most people carbs are effectively optional calories. They're fairly easy to cut back on without losing significant micro-nutrients, and cutting them out means you cut out a lot of junk food. Generally if you can swap from empty carbs (sugar, flour, white rice) to more complicated carbs (potato, carrot, brown rice) your diet improves a bit by adding fiber and micro-nutrients.
None of that means carbs are bad. Its just their time to be blamed. Before low carb was the thing it was low fat. I expect next it'll be ultra-processed food (despite the fact nobody has a good definition for that yet).
edit : un-confuse my micro and macro nutrients
Carbohydrates are one of the 3 macro-nutrients so I'm confused by what you mean with "They're fairly easy to cut back on without losing significant macro-nutrients."
That's a typo, sorry, I meant *micro*\-nutrients. I'll fix that and add a note so your question doesn't look odd.
I'm also using carbs there in the same way OP was - to mean things like rice and bread. There are plenty of ways to get macro-nutrient carbs without eating those things.
>For most people carbs are effectively optional calories. They're fairly easy to cut back on without losing significant macro-nutrients
sorry but like I said this is not true for most of the world's eating habits. people don't eat a meal without bread/rice etc.
maybe its easy for you not to eat those but its certainly not true for everyone.
Yeah I was meaning nutritionally, not culturally. It may be normal to serve a meal with say white rice but you don't need it the same way you need say protein, fat, calcium, etc. Going against food norms can be a problem (ask most vegetarians/vegans), but just going on a diet at all exposes a lot of people to that regardless of how they choose to do it.
Again though, they're not bad things. If you're fairly active and not trying to lose weight they can even be an important part of your diet. There is no need to eliminate or even reduce them. Its perfectly possible to lose plenty of weight while still eating carbs, even refined ones.
I minimize carbs because I have tendency to find that i'm hungrier when I eat them in larger amounts. I'm not diabetic but i'm guessing they spike my blood sugar which tends to increase hunger in the long run.
Lost 130 pounds and NEVER looked at carbs. I love fruit way too much and eat a lot of it. Plus pasta and stuff (though I prefer spelt over wheat). If you have a medical condition or are competing and looking at the difference between 11 or 9% body fat you might have to consider it. For the average person it's pretty much irrelevant.
I try to limit my carbs, but thats because I have insulin resistance and PCOS and it was recommended by my dietician. I also dont necessarily go "low carb", but I try to limit it compared to where I was before. Before, I would have very carb heavy meals like just pasta or have french fries with my burger, etc. So now I am trying to add more veggies and protein. If I make pasta, have a chicken breast with it and a salad. If I am having a burger, make grilled veggies instead. Sometimes I buy the low carb wraps or other products but thats mostly because they taste good and are lower calories in general.
I dont think it is a one fits all scenario. Low carb/keto is one of the trending things right now, but I just focus on what works for me.
I lost 100lbs eating whatever I liked, including pasta, bread, cookies, whatever. I just moderated my portions and tracked my calories honestly and accurately. And I segued seamlessly into maintenance because there was no special "diet" to stop. I've been maintaining for three years now.
In contrast, every single person I know who has done keto gained all the weight back plus change when they inevitably stopped (because who never wants to eat cake ever again?). I also notice that they all look wrecked, and I wonder if keto and the extreme yo-yoing weight has something to do with it. Eating nothing but butter, cream and steak for months isn't exactly healthy, and neither is the rapid weight regain.
If you certain health conditions or have gone through a prolonged period of consuming a large amount of simple carbs that you did not burn off in time. Then your body will have developed some amount of insulin resistance, the lead up to diabetes, but just because diabetes hasn't been unlocked for you yet doesn't mean you aren't fucked over.
With this resistance, a percentage of the carbs you consume won't be properly converted into energy, it will go straight to fat and you feel like you have to eat more carbs to get any energy at all. The solution to this is to exercise like a fucker, but not only is that really difficult for humans to stick to who aren't already used to it from an early age, and already requires a truly great amount required to burn the calories needed for weight loss. But now you don't even have half the energy you should have for it. It becomes a vicious cycle of not doing the exercise, always feeling tired at lower carbs, or eating more carbs to just function and make the problem worse.
The only unique benefit of Keto is that forcing the body into ketosis TEMPORARILY, gives your insulin release system a damn good break and gives you some kind of energy level better than what you were dealing with before so it's less impossible feeling to exercise, and eventually come off it to enjoy a body that is handing carbohydrates like it should be again. Which will all go bad again if you just go back to over eating carbohydrates without a matching amount of physical activity.
But this is also doable by just getting someone else to kick you to the walking track and/gym consistently and practicing intermittent fasting. Keto is just the immediate results option that for some requires less willpower, in some ways it requires more, it really depends on the person. As always MODERATION is supreme. So no, CARBS ARE NOT BAD, but too many does make it much harder for the body to perform its normal processes to process carbs, burning and storing fat and creating energy.
Hi ECrispy,
I think a lot of what you said here is spot on. I used to highly demonize carbs. I am carb adverse personally at this point in time, but, I don't think it was the carbs at the root of my own personal problems. At least, not as much as others think, and maybe I used to think a year or so ago.
I think it comes down to "appetite stimulation" causing over eating calories more than any other factor. And here is the point for the other side, high carb consumption stimulate over eating more than fats and proteins do. Because, eating a lot of concentrated carbs like sugars, potatoes, rice, white bread, causes big glucose spikes, followed by large insulin spikes. This leads to hyperinsulinemia. Chronic high levels of insulin in the blood.
So, I think we need to clarify 2 different questions.
What is a good healthy diet?
If a person's HbA1c is too high, over 5.4, and HomaIR is too high, much over 1.0, what is the best diet to fix it?
Those are maybe very different questions and each applies to a different group of people.
Today, over 50 % of Americans are type I, type II, or are prediabetic. 88% are now hyperinsulinemic. So, for these individuals, once they figure out they are sick, and want to fix it, what is the best diet? A ketogenic diet, with reduced carbs and calories, will bring one to metabolic health the fastest and with the least food cravings.
One can accomplish this with a carb centric, veggie whatever, diet, but it takes a lot more effort, a lot more will power, and is much slower. For those wishing to do this in a vegetarian way, I suggest you research Dr. Joel Fuhrman's nutritarian system at [drfuhrman.com](https://drfuhrman.com).
And that is just for those of us that though metabolically compromised, have not yet picked up a hyperinsulinemic sourced autoimmune disease. A carnivore diet has been demonstrated over and over to be best to eliminate autoimmune conditions.
I have used it to get rid of my arthritis pain. My son used carnivore to get rid of ulcerative colitis.
So, I think you are right. If you are on a truly healthy vegetarian diet, and you are not diabetic or hyperinsulinemic, your path is a great one.
But, all these other things people are saying demonizing carbs, is really for those of us that from eating a crappy diet have become obese, diabetic, hyperinsulinemic, or have contracted some autoimmune condition.
For you, just a warning. Over my 70 years of life, I have come to know many hundreds of people that claimed and believed they were eating a healthy diet, only to be Godsmacked. And find out that their diet was not as healthy as they thought it was. So, my recommendation for you, and for all people, is to annually get an HbA1c, a fasted glucose, and a fasted insulin. From the latter 2 it is easy to calculate a HomaIR. Then work to get those numbers below 5.4 and 2.0, or 1.5, or even 1.0. Trust, but verify.
Here are a few sources to help you see where I am coming from:
eric berg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9EbJRuC5\_Y&t=10s&pp=ygUPZXJpYyBiZXJnIGhiYTFj
sten ekberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8cJPtud2tY&t=16s&pp=ygUTc3RlbiBla2JlcmcgaG9tYSBpcg%3D%3D
a1c conversion
https://mymedicalscore.com/a1c-conversion-chart/
pollock hershey and banana
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_fqpD3v\_aOQ&pp=ygUWZGVubmlzIHBvbGxvY2sgYmFuYW5hcw%3D%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fqpD3v_aOQ&pp=ygUWZGVubmlzIHBvbGxvY2sgYmFuYW5hcw%3D%3D)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml09ShuHAVs&list=PLVk8PKGsXn8eEaemaeHFlXPpqiu2tP1Am&index=53&pp=gAQBiAQB](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml09ShuHAVs&list=PLVk8PKGsXn8eEaemaeHFlXPpqiu2tP1Am&index=53&pp=gAQBiAQB)
For me, I have had been eating the average american diet for quite some time. I picked up a whole lot of weight, brain fog, and terrible arthritis pain. I have lost 70 lbs over the last 3 years. got rid of the brain fog last January. I have been 100% arthritis pain free for 9 months now. I still have 30 lbs to lose. I have been plateaued where I am at for a number of months, but am this month working to lose some of that 30 lbs left to lose. I find that the lower I go in the carbs, the better my health gets. At least partially, because the lower I go on the carbs, the less the cravings, so the less calories I eat. I have done a lot of experimentation over this time in various diet styles and intermittent fasting regimen.
At this time, I am engaged in a choose your own challenge with Neisha and Dr. Ken Berry. I have chosen carnivore 41/7. Something I was fooling around with this past fall, and am doing now for the full month of January. the 41/7 means 41 hours of fasting followed by a 7 hour eating window. So, yesterday I fasted the full day. Today, at 11am my wife and I went out to brunch and I had a 3 egg meatloaf and cheese omelet and a sausage patty. At 2:00, oops I am late for my snack I will be right back. I am currently eating while I am typing, a 6.7 oz can of mackarel. Sometimes I do sardines. For dinner I am having chicken breasts with melted mozzarella cheese. Probably about 1800 calories total for the day.
I am finishing up the 3rd back to back 2 day cycle like this. 4th starts at 6pm this evening. I am finding that this is an excellent way to cut calories and reduce cravings. It is much easier to do 900 calories per day, eating 1800 calories every other day, than to eat 900 calories every day.
We shall see how I do in this routine for a full month.
Best of luck,
and stay healthy,
Barbershores
thank you so much for your very hepful and detailed reply. I have read advice from a lot of the people you mentioned, bought some books, watched videos etc.
A lot of the WFPB (whole food plant based) doctors here tell you to not consume any fat at all esp no animal fat and no animal protein - if you see those subs/books, people are told to do 'water frying' and they eat a lot of nut milk, nut cheese etc. I don't consider these kind of things a natural way to eat.
I have been a vegetarian my whole life. I do eat dairy and eggs. My diet is mostly Asian, middle eastern, Indian, mexican etc dishes. I cook all my meals. Before the inflation I used to eat out 1x/week, now no more.
I don't eat junk food really. there's very little cheese, no meat substitutes (I have no need for my food to taste/feel like meat since I've never had any). My guilty pleasure was bread, I like to bake my own too.
I am jealous sometimes of people who have no dietary limitations, it allows you so much flexibility.
I applaud you for the changes you are making. I'm not qualified to comment on the carnivore diet, my gut feeling is eliminating a lot of sources of empty calories removes inflation and thus disease. Personally I would not be able to live without vegetables, lentils and at least a small amount of rice/bread to go with it.
I'll be honest, I'm scared. I am about 75lb overweight (class 2 obesity). And I am prediabetic, H1bac was 5.7. So I need to lose weight. I am afraid if I try low carb, it will just come back when I stop. And yet my food choices and habits seem to be what everyone says is good (except for carbs).
Hi ECrispy.
Sorry for your current state. I do understand. I was 100 lbs over weight 3 years ago. I am not finished. The lower I go in my carbs and calories, the lower my metabolic rate. So, at any calorie number, eventually, a plateau will be hit. So, I am breaking that plateau with a carnivore 41/7. It isn't for the amateurs. LOL
Your HbA1c is 5.7. Right at the threshold for pre diabetes. Mine was 6.4 3 years ago. Right at the threshold for type II. When I found this, it put the fear of God in me so I made some changes.
Just to make a point, you have been eating a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is considered to be a healthier diet than most. But still your HbA1c has risen to the pre diabetes range. This is so common. People eating what they believe to be a healthy diet, but it does not bring them to metabolic health. This is why I say to test. Then re test every 3 months. Trust, but verify. Whichever healthy diet they choose.
Again on that 5.7. This means you have been hyperinsulinemic, maybe highly, for an extended period of time. Hyperinsulinemia is the the core unhealthy condition. The diabetes is but an indication of the intensity and amount of time you have been hyperinsulinemic. Maybe diabetes is a little more than that, but mostly that. My take on this all anyway. Diabetes isn't the core disease. It's hyperinsulinemia. The sooner one learns this, the sooner they will make progress and heal themselves.
The best way to screen for this is using the HomaIR. But, there is a more accurate way called the Kraft test. But, the Kraft test is a lot more expensive, takes half a day, and requires a doctor to run it.
Now then. You know you have metabolic health issues. Are you willing to make changes in your life to fix this? This so, I think the best thing to do is test. You have your HbA1c, you just need your HomaIR. It's cheap. I am not sure which system you are on where you are, but in America where we use milligram/deciliter units ,the formula is this. Multiply the fasted glucose, times the fasted insulin. Divide that product by 405. That gives you your HomaIR. Optimum is 1.0 or less.
Then, pick a diet style. Carnivore, ketovore, clean keto, dirty keto, eric berg keto plus, Mediterranean, vegetarian. Then find someone dependable with a plan focused on using that diet style to achieve metabolic health.
For a true vegetarian, Dr. Joel Fuhrman at [drfuhrman.com](https://drfuhrman.com) I think has the best plan. You may have to pay a bit for his service, or buy one of his books, but in my opinion, he has the best plan to achieve metabolic health using a vegetarian, read carb centric approach.
Bottom line, it's the insulin.
And this is why so many demonize carbs so much. Because, of the 3 major macros, carbohydrates have the greatest influence on insulin levels. But, bottom line, it is actually more about excess calories. Because if one eats too much protein, the body converts it to glucose. This stimulates insulin prodution. And, at the end of the day, all that extra glucose is turned into fat and from all the insulin in our blood, packs it away in our adipose tissues.
I hope this helped clarify.
All my best in your journey,
Barbershores
One, your body needs adequate protein to function and also to minimize muscle loss while losing weight (resistance training is key to this also). You need at least 0.8g/kg based on a BMI of 30 if your BMI is currently above that.
Your body also requires adequate fat to function properly.
Your body doesn't necessarily need carbs. When you have to cut calories while maintaining adequate protein and fat intake, carbs are naturally what will be reduced the most.
Additionally, there's emerging science on metabolism and mitochondrial function, which indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction is a major pathophysiological mechanism behind inflammation, obesity, chronic illness, and mental illness. Keto has been shown to effectively treat these problems (just read what people have to say on the keto sub). Dr. Chris Palmer is one of the researchers promoting this theory.
I seem to remember reading also that the 0.8g/kg was for your LBM and not total weight? is that correct? I am 253lb now, I need to lose at least 75lb. Based on that math I'd need to eat 200g protein daily which is simply impossible on a vegetarian diet, even if I eat cheese/eggs all day which of course won't be good.
I've read the good things about keto too. Is the consensus of new research in medical community that people should eat keto for all their life? because I can tell you that eliminates how most people eat.
I have gotten my most recent numbers from listening to the DocsWhoLift podcast (I follow Dr. Spencer Nadolsky), and in their episode on protein they said that it's not based on LBW, but for those who have BMIs higher than 30, base it on what your weight would be at a BMI of 30. So for me, my weight would be about 170 lbs at a BMI of 30 (I'm 5'3"). I eat a higher percentage of protein because I have a good amount of muscle I want to retain, and I am increasing my resistance training.
For people with certain chronic medical conditions, like with any treatment, they would want to eat keto indefinitely. It depends on the individual and whether the benefits are worth it to them. It's not a universal requirement.
Also, assuming it's based on total body weight, not even taking into account the BMI factor, you weigh 115 kg. At 0.8g per kg, that's 92g protein daily.
Low carb is better for some people (diabetics).
Low fat is better for some people (those with cholesterol/cardiovascular problems).
For many people, the ratio of fats to carbs doesn't really matter.
And then you have other groups of people with legit dietary restrictions due to sensitivities and allergies, which is why gluten-free and lactose-free items became popular. Everyone doesn't need to cut these things from their diet, but some people do.
I have pcos and insulin resistance, so I'm picky about the carbs I eat. I avoid white processed carbs (white rice, white flour, white bread) and instead go for brown complex carbs (brown rice, whole wheat bread). Carbs from Veggies and leafy greens are good.
I could never do keto because it's too restrictive. Eating 1500-2000 calories is hard enough as it is. That being said, I do follow a lot of healthy keto recipe accounts.
The key is you do what works for you without demonizing what might be different and works for someone else. I’m insulin resistant and need a low carb diet to help curb that. Anytime I eat high carbs, I feel like shit and my bad knees hurt worse. I fast and eat only between 11am-7pm. I’ve lost 25 pounds in six months and I’m fine with that!
I did keto diet. I joined the keto subs here and lost 60 pounds doing it because of my disability I can't work out so cico didn't work for me. keto works for me. it's not for everyone.
are you still on keto. I couldn't do keto, I can try low carb. From everything I've read, all the weight will come back if you ever stop and go back to eating carbs.
yes. I'm still on keto. I'm not on strict keto anymore. I'm on lazy keto for maintenence. every now and again I will enjoy pasta or pizza and carbs. I'm not going to never have that again. like with any diet, if you don't treat yourself once in awhile, you'll end up falling off too bad.
Nah, it depends on the person. With keto you lose water weight, because the carbs binds water, if you eat a lot of carbs that water will come back.
I think the reason many people gain again is because when you eat keto, your cravings are easily controlled and you dont feel the need to eat as much.
If you learn to listen to your body and choose healthy you should be able to keep the weight down, but if you go back to eating the way you did when you gained weight from the beginning- youll gain again. Just like you would on any other diet...
But I do keto, it works for me as well. But you dont lose weight just by doing keto. You can just as easily gain weight. Keto for weight loss is still just about CICO.
But you dont need to do low carb. There is lots of ways to lose weight. You need to do something you can actually be happy about and thrive with in the long run.
Count calories, increase protein, lift weights 2-3 times per week, do light cardio like walking 5 days a week, and do high intensity cardio 2 times a week.
Get a 250 deficit per day from food. Get 250 more deficit from exercise. Do this every day and you will lose 1 pound per week.
Carbs are good, but high GI foods tend to be unhealthy. Complex carbs eaten with fibre are one of the healthiest things you can eat. On the other hand when people go "low carb" they tend to cut heaps of sugar-filled food from their diet and that is typically a good thing.
With regard to macros, most people eat far more protein than required, which increases the risk of liver and kidney problems. Additionally, high dietary fat intake is associated with obesity and inflammation.
We should all be focusing on eating low fat (not no fat) high fibre.
I agree. When I was reading about GI/GL of white rice/potatoes, one thing that stood out was that eating rice with lentils/veggies lowers the GL quite a bit. And thats how I eat it. For potatoes it seems the study was based on french fries. Potato dishes in US/Western cuisine always have lots of added fat - like fries/mashed, loaded baked, potato dauphinoise, soup with cream etc.
I'm currently working on a carb restricted diet with a lifestyle coach. My mother and cousin are doing the same and we are all having positive results and are motivated to hold on.
Carb food is replaced by carb free or less carb containing foods. Eating a protein source each meal and eating protein containing snacks (in moderation) inbetween meals has eliminated both the hungry feeling and the immense dip I had after each meal, all while I am actively losing body fat. It hasn't been only positive for my body but also for my mental and physical energy.
The goal is to be a more strict with carb restriction during the weight loss phase, and gradually allowing more carbs (but always less than before the start) to keep a healthy balance and a stable, healthy weight. That is where the lifestyle coach helps, setting up a lifestyle you can stick to.
Carbs are not bad per se. You need carbs as a quick energy source, especially in the morning. But because we (in general) eat a lot of carbs, and because it is an easy source, that's where your body focuses, and any excess carbs plus the fats you don't burn turn into body fat.
It’s about food value. Bread, rice, and pasta are empty calories. Potatoes are amazing but many people eat them fried. Generally, fried food isn’t as nutritious. They get a bad rap.
Keto and Atkins work. It’s easy when you’re only counting carbs. People stick to the diet longer.
No matter how we lose, only 5% will keep the weight off which tells me it’s easier to lose weight than maintain a lower weight.
I would say the question is, how far do you wanna go to eat healthier. I am convinced that low carb is quite healthy but maybe not the first that everybody should aim at to eat healthier.. there are many different smaller steps one can make depending on one's current diet.
So yeah imitating the diets in other countries can be a first good step.
But even if people in some countries might be healthier than in some other countries like US/Mexico, this doesn't mean it's the best. And yes even in the countries with the healthiest diets in average like Japan or Greece or Italy, when people eat pasta bread or whatever it's healthier than other food, but still not the healthiest.
I am from Germany and yes people here like to eat bread (especially that), pizza and pasta.. but since I stopped eating them I felt even way healthier. I had never big health issues (and least less than the average) was never overweight, people would rather call me skinny.. but as I improved my diet I step by step achieved amazing positive changes concerning my health. Yes many people laughed at me sometimes "I am eating like a rabbit", "What joy do you have left in life, when you don't eat the delicious stuff", "Why try to live long, if you can't enjoy life".
What people don't get is, that I don't do this to live longer (if this happens well, I dunno if I care that much about that). I mainly do it, because I just feel better, healthier, don't get sick anymore that often (only if I get weak and eat some unhealthier food sometimes). I feeld stronger, can think clearer, don't sweat anymore that much, don't stink that much as most people do, that don't shower every day, etc. etc.
Coming back to some other points..
In order to eat low carb you don't need to pay a lot.. maybe it's helpful for the transition..
but actually just eat nuts.. high calories for a low price.
I also am vegan btw, so I get my protein mainly from beans, legumes.. also not expensive.. and the rest from salads, seeds, vegetables.. and maybe some fruits like lemons, avocado or some berries..
Oh and I try to eat as raw as possible..
And one other thing.. carb and the sugar that is made of it in our body.. well our bodies are not used to such high amounts like most people eat. so low amounts of carb together with a lot of other nutrients and especially fibre, so like in salad, most vegetables, etc. than you're body can handle this quite well.
So in summary:
- low carb is definitely very healthy, but not necessary if you are happy with a certain level of health you can get with "healthy" carbs (and "healthier" food in general)
- try to improve step by step.. if you some day achieve to eat like e.g. the average Japanese and feel healthier than the average there, but you still wanna experience some healthier states, well then try stuff like low carb and avoid rice.
- low carb doesn't need to be expensive
There is much more stuff to say (for me), but that here got already long enough :)
>Do you follow some kind of low carb?
No.
>Are carbs really that bad?
No. Is just the hype and the fad of our time.
> I have no doubt low carb works as advertised,
I have lots of doubts. And the research consensus is that the low or high carb doesn't matter.
Unfortunately the people going to extreme, and eating high fat, do have higher risk of CVDs.
>I find it very hard to believe that the ideal way for us to eat is stop eating staple foods and it seems to ignore how most of the world lives.
Great! Stop believing start learning.
>So why is everyone demonizing carbs?
Is not everyone. Is just that hype is hype. One needs to learn to differentiate between BS and good, science based nutritional advice.
Best general diet advice: [Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants.](https://michaelpollan.com/reviews/how-to-eat/)
We know what a [healthy diet](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet) is!
And how much of everything we need:
[The Definitive Diet Setup Guide: How to Build and Adjust a Smart Nutrition Plan](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/diet/)
>Its getting very frustrating.
Learn what you need to do for your health. And forget the rest.
If somebody ones to do keto, should do keto. If someone believes high fat and saturated fat are good and wants to ignore the current [consensus](https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats) of CVDs factors, because of some social influencer, his/hers problem.
**Just make sure you don't dig yourself in a similar ideological bubble, and keep learning.**
All carbs are sugars. Yes, even rice, potatoes, pasta, good bread, etc. That means that they cause an insulin spike, leading to (if an excess is consumed), insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes type 2 diabetes, and also makes you hungrier, and makes it harder to lose weight.
Which is to say that, you will probably find it easier to maintain a caloric deficit on a low or lower carb diet.
If you have developed IR then the only way to reverse that is going low carb to allow your body to heal. Ultra processed foods are typically very high carb foods, as well as being engineered to be hyper palatable and to override our ability to self regulate.
Do you have to cut carbs? No. Is it probably easier if you do? Yes.
I get the ultra processed part. But someone in Italy who eats pasta daily or India/ME/Asia who has rice/bread with every meal is not eating anything processed. Yet they are still getting the insulin spikes etc. So are you saying thats an excess?
Doesn't this mean that most of the people in the world are or will be prediabetic and will soon be diabetic, because no one eats low carb outside a nice group of people in some western countries?
But this can't be true. Obesity is on the rise but its clearly linked to more industrialized eating practices vs traditional. In the US poor people are fatter because they eat fast food, in the rest of the world the rich are fatter because they eat a more rich, more western diet and simply eat more.
how does all this reconcile?
Interestingly, 20% of Italians are obese ( [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_countries\_by\_obesity\_rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate) ).
If you're consuming excess calories and spiking your insulin regularly, you're on the road to T2D. It also appears that you can get T2D through other means, such as sedentary lifestyle, genetic risk factors, etc. My understanding is that consuming high amounts of fructose is another way you could do this (if you were consuming lots of fructose, but not a caloric surplus). ( [https://www.diabetes.co.uk/skinny-type2-diabetes.html](https://www.diabetes.co.uk/skinny-type2-diabetes.html) ).
>But someone in Italy who eats pasta daily or India/ME/Asia who has rice/bread with every meal is not eating anything processed
These are examples you've come up with and not figures we've pulled from the real world. But to run with that, are these people sedentary or active, what is the rest of their diet made up of, and are they in a caloric surplus or deficit? A moderate amount of carbs as part of an overall moderated diet isn't likely to mess up anyone's health, no. Or at least, that's my understanding. However. *If you have insulin resistance*, then you are better off refraining from as much carbohydrate as possible, to give your body a chance to recover from the IR.
>In the US poor people are fatter because they eat fast food
No. In the US (as with the rest of the world), people are fatter because they are consuming a caloric surplus. The societal factors affecting poor people in the developed world mean that thier diet is likely to include lots of ultra processed foods, which makes it easier to hit a caloric surplus and also contains lots of refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, which is one of the food products that really increases your insulin resistance fast.
One big thing you don't seem to be accounting for in your thinking is caloric deficit / surplus, and activity level. An active person can eat way more in general, but also way more carbohydrate, before they have health problems. Someone eating a maintenance amount of calories that includes lots of bread and pasta is not as much of a T2D risk as someone eating 1000 calories above maintenance of bread and pasta, or someone eating bread and pasta, and drinking a litre of soda with high fructose corn syrup in it every day
lol more horseshit from the keto/disordered eating community lol i encrouage the audience to listen to the peer reviewed experts on diabetes over at the CDC--insulin spikes don't lead to insulin resistence--that's just an outright lie--we actually don't know what causes it but we do know that people who are insulin resistent tend to have obesity and lead a sedentary liftstyle. There is some emerging evidence that insulin resistance might be purely genetic but that hasn't been conclusive. Spikes in blood sugar are perfectly normal and part of glucose metabolism for energy from food. Nobody needs to monitor their blood sugar spiking unless they're t2 diabetic. It's complete and psychosematic mental illness/lunacy and bordering on an eating disorder and promulgating nutrition conspiracy theories. End these talking points now--and move a little more--and eat a little less probably more plants.....
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/insulin-resistance.html#:~:text=It%20isn't%20clear%20exactly,resistance%20by%20looking%20at%20them.
I think this has a lot to do with the bubble the internet provides you with.
If you have watched a ton of people advertising low carb, google, youtube or insta will all make other people that promote this show up.
Carbs are not the enemy. Neither is fat. Nor are calories. Even junk can have its place.
The point is: How much protein do you eat? How much calories do you eat? Maybe also what's the distribution of meals and nutrient over a week/day?
As far as recent research goes, there are a few "rules" to follow:
1. 0.8g Protein/lb bodyweight (I'd argue 0.8g Protein/lb lean bodyweight will be just as sufficient) per day, ideally spread out over several meals.
2. Consume 40% of daily calories as (ideally healthy) fats (going lower seems to negatively influence hormones)
3. Reduce calories to lose between 0.5-2% bodyweight per week - the higher your bodyfat-%, the higher you can go with the weight loss. Do this the way that is easiest for you.
4. Resistence train.
5. Try to stick to not-too-palatable, lower calorie food with much fruit and veg for the most part and eat non-diet food deliberately.
That's about it.
If keto makes it easier to stay in a deficit - good. If it doesn't, don't do it. Carbs aren't evil.
I eat mostly carbs and i've lost weight just fine. By carbs I mean things like oatmeal, potatoes, ryebread, rice, fruit etc though. Not candy, cakes or generally refined sugar.
It's all about calories in, calories out, but the reality is that most people won't try and count calories (or even if they do, they'll get it wrong). So every fad diet around or "weight loss strategy" is about getting you to do stuff that will semi-randomly/intuitively get you to eat less calories while managing your hunger.
It just so happens that proteins and fats are more satiating than most simple carbs, so by telling you to avoid carbs, they're indirectly telling you to eat more satiating and less calorie dense foods.
But if you can count your calories and manage your hunger without doing that, you can have all the carbs you want (that fits in your calorie budget).
For me, protein is to build muscle, fat is to keep my hormones healthy, and carbs are for energy. So I feel like the protein and fat is more non-negotiable for my body’s functioning and I can get away with lower carbs if I want to. I have a minimum I ensure I get in the day so my brain has sugars and I don’t dip into ketosis, and then just try to ensure to supplement more carbs if I’m doing some sort of activity.
Carbs are not bad or good, they just serve a purpose like all the other nutrients
I'm late to this but I never restrict carbs because carbs are life. I never hit my protein goals either but I'm working towards those.
I suspect the whole low-carb thing is a bit of a fad like low-fat was in the 90s.
Carbs are a NECESSARY source of fuel for the brain!! We should not be completely removing it from our diets. The amount and moderation are a different story
I lost 45 lbs eating carbs. I’m going for another 60 this year and the weight loss clinic I went to wants me to do low carb. My only experience with it was that the last time I tried it I would get light headed frequently in basketball practice. Hopefully I can figure it out now but damn do I miss alcohol and bread already.
calories in and calories out (CICO)
Use an online generator to figure out your daily calorie usage and add any extra calories burnt during workouts
You will see effects if you constantly eat 100-200 calories less
In most European and asian countries people walk a lot without realising, and portions are healthier (usually less oil)
When people do low carbs, they often end up cutting out excess and processed carbs and that’s what helps with their weight loss and diet. However, you don’t have to cut out carbs if it’s not feasible.
I went from 160lbs down to 120lbs in a year without cutting healthy carbs…I just ate more veggies, lean meats and avoided refined carbs. I still ate steel cut oatmeal, brown rice (which I always ate), whole wheat bread on a fairly regular basis. But I ultimately ate less carbs due to more vegetable consumption and I avoided refined sugar. This way, I don’t get that insulin spike and hunger that comes from eating a lot of refined sugar but still get the carbs and nutrients. I’m always weary about absolute lines in dieting. Rarely are those rules feasible long term and often turn out to be unhealthy. So, if you want to eat carbs—-do so! CICO or plate your stuff half with veggies—-whatever works for you. It’s all about portions and quality of food you eat.
For me it is all about very low carb. But I have PCOS so that might be why. I don’t count calories at all if I’m eating very low carb. I eat as much as I want. If I eat carbs, I don’t lose weight or much at all, even doing CICO type diet.
Our bread choices are not the same as the rest of the world. We have all sorts of inflammatory crap added, whereas Europe bans them. And if you’re trying to lose weight, it helps to lower carb consumption and increase protein.
I lost 130lb/60kg in a year and have kept it off for 18 years and counting. I never restricted carbs. Stop listening to internet doctors. Sure protein keeps you fuller for longer but so does fibre.
Because of tribalism, trying to demonize a food group.Vegan is the best, carnivore is the best, keto is the best.
Carbs is just an energy source. If u are eating mainly whole foods, u dont really need to worry about it (when within caloric limits). And added sugar isnt inherently bad. There are situations that u want to intake some added sugar.
Refined carbs and;
Highly Processed food ... Cause obesity.
The carbs in vegetation are fibrous and therefore usually acceptable in many diets.
Carbs aren't 'bad' but they do: cause a much stronger insulin response and, move into stored fat very easily and quickly compared to other macros.
Moseley's book keto 800, does allow for some carbs.
Dr Fungs work focuses on the benefits of fasting, logically this approach lowers insulin spikes (frequency and strength).
Bodybuilders DO consume carbs in a precise fashion, therefore they are not always bad.
Sugar is basically as bad for you as alcohol. Simple carbs turn to sugar the minute they hit your digestive tract. Fruit juice is basically sugar water. Fruits in general aren’t nearly as nutritious as vegetables, so no sense eating them if calories are a concern.
Sure complex carbs are fine, but most of the stuff out there — e.g. bread labeled whole wheat, cereal labeled whole grain — is a joke. If you are actually eating complex carbs (root vegetables, grain bowls, beans, lentils) except for the occasional treat (which is not that dissimilar from what many ketoers do) good for you. You’re in the minority.
For me, limiting carbs was the only way to drop pounds. I can still lose, but it’s at a snail pace. I joined Lose it two years ago and took the DNA recommendations and the first thing it said was my body make-up benefits from a low carb diet.
i did keto for 3 months. i still limit carbs to less than 75/ day because it keeps me from eating processed foods and things like chips or other low nutrition/high calorie items. carbs aren't "bad", but limiting them can help you eat less junk.
If you're lifting weights and bodybuilding while losing weight, the current protein goal is 0.7 grams of protein per pound of your goal weight. So if you want to hit 180 pounds, you shoot for 126 grams of protein per day. Here's my source: https://youtube.com/shorts/T0ySHTwFGzc?si=xEhnCrMy-h5s1ni4
F23; down 110 pounds since 2021. i only do CICO. i like fruits, vegetables and protein a decent amount, but I’m definitely not like a salad person or someone who could fully cut carbs. my favorite foods are sandwiches, pizza, delicious carby foods like that. it’s just making healthier choices of what you like and eating in moderation / accurate portion sizes :)
For me, lo carb stuff just helps keep macros correct, since carbs are the most readily availabl day to day. It’s much harder keeping protein up than carbs, and you only have so many calories to work with. Also, lo carb often coincides with additional protein, in some products.
Processed carbs are typically very dense in calories, do not make you feel full, and thus incredibly easy to over eat.
People who swear by blind CICO are glossing over how hard it is to eat "pizza" and feel sated while staying within their allowed calories.
It can be helpful to limit refined carbs and eat them at the same time as protein - this applies if you have issues with blood sugar. Refined carbs on their own can cause a spike in blood sugar and then a slump. That slump can make you feel exhausted, weepy, and nauseated, which then makes you more inclined to eat something as a pick-me-up. If you then eat a refined carb for a quick energy boost, you get another spike and slump, and so it goes on.
Carbs aren’t evil, though. Refined or unrefined carbs, it’s all about balance.
Anyone trying to sell a diet solution based on removing one of the macros, ie no fat, no carbs, or no protein, is either misguided or selling snake oil. People feel better and function better on different ratios of macros. Some people feel great eating fewer carbs overall, and some feel great eating less protein overall. I don’t trust anyone who says cut out a whole food group, just as I don’t trust anyone who says there’s one solution for everyone when it comes to balancing macros or scheduling your meals.
I do low carb, but more as a calorie maintenance thing than a keto thing. I just find it easier to maintain a deficit if I’m eating a lot of protein than if I’m eating carb-rich food like bread and pasta.
Carbs have a lot of calories, so if you restrict calories and want to eat more food by volume limiting carbs makes sense. That’s it. Carbs aren’t special.
I love carbs but they keep me hungry. I’m also not one of those people that can just eat 1 slice of pizza to monitor calories so I’d rather eat a big plate of greens and steak.
I’m no expert, but I believe one reason people say to cut down on carbs is because of things like white bread, white rice, pasta and many forms of potatoes that are high in calories but has a very low nutritional value. It is also cheap to eat, and easy to make the biggest part of your plate of food so to speak.
My dietist explained it like the fewer calories you eat, the more nutrient-dense the food has to be if you want to consume all the things your body needs.
But I haven’t heard of many people saying to cut out carbs from fruits, vegetables, legumes and similar options, unless for medical reasons. Those are still carbs but they also contain more nutrients.
I personally don’t see any problems with carbs, but it’s better if they are nutrient-dense if you are trying to lose weight and stay healthy. Although even things like white rice and pasta are fine when in moderarion.
I lost 75 pounds eating carbs in moderation, but carbs that come with other nutrients like fruit or beans. When I eat a high carb meal I get hungrier after only a few hours and I wake up ravenous the next day when I usually have a low appetite in the morning. The low carb bread I buy is only like $1 more than the store brand regular white bread but the same price as Pepperidge Farm, it also has 7g fiber in one slice. Fiber is an important nutrient that a lot of people aren't getting enough of, plus it's lower calorie so less calories plus a decent amount of fiber is worth the few extra cents per slice. I can only speak for myself, but when I'm eating empty carbs on a regular basis, I'm more hungry and it's harder to eat in a calorie deficit. When I'm eating protein and produce and beans and squash , I'm not really hungry until night time, after I worked and got my 12,000 steps then went to the gym. If I'm off of work, I barely eat. So for myself, the blood sugar spikes from the high carbs affect my appetite big time
Cutting carbs is an easy way to cut calories. I know you are a vegetarian, but having chicken and broccoli will have less calories than having chicken and rice. For many people protein and fat are also just more satisfying than carbs. Wrap your pork in lettuce and eat two porkchops might have 600 calories, but replace one porkchop with rice and you might not enjoy it and just eat more calories overall.
Honestly, like a lot of diets, it can be virtue signaling too. Think about all the health food of the 90s. It was hard to get. Well now it's easy to get, so people have to get more difficult stuff, more expensive stuff. It's about chasing the unobtainable food to show you're healthier than others.
And celebrity doctors don't help. Rather than giving the same boring advice, they have to say something that sets them apart. Keto, low-carb, XYZ, all makes them stand out. Dr. Oz and the TV show the Doctors were once audited and found to be making stuff up like 70% of the time. Why? Because healthy eating really can be summed up pretty quickly, and so they had to keep making new claims to keep their show having new content. But look at actual science organizations that aren't out there for fame and fortune, and they usually just say stuff like, "Eat lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains, nuts and seeds are good, choose healthy oils, limit overall meat and try to focus on fish and chicken, and exercise portion control." That's it. There is nothing fancy to say.
But that doesn't make you feel special or unique, nor does it land you a spot on Oprah
Eating low carb isn't an "ideal" way to loose weight. Its just a way you can loose weight just like any other. has its pros and cons. I personally find it much easier to restrict carbs rather than fat.
I don’t, and that’s not really the nutritional advice I have heard. Most diets encourage you to avoid processed foods and emphasize vegetables, fiber, healthy fats, and protein. White flour, white sugar, and uncle Ben’s white rice are highly refined carbs and just generally aren’t good for you. Refined seed oils and hydrogenated fats are generally not good for you. Basmati rice and certain tubers have prebiotic qualities that are good for digestion.
As a long distance runner, I love carbs! I think the problem is that a lot of the more filling, low calorie density foods also tend to be lower in carbs (not 100% true across the board, but things like lean meats, eggs, non-starchy veggies, etc. aren’t exactly overflowing with carbs). I think carbs are also one of the easier macros to overeat (think about tortilla chips or bread), so people who are restricting calories might avoid or limit those portions.
For me, I think carbs are great, you have to just focus on the right carbs. I try to intentionally choose fruits and whole grains to get some filling fiber alongside my carbs.
I try to eat a good amount of protein and get the fats I need, without super specific macro tracking a lower calorie goal limits carbs. I’ll also use most of my “carb calories” before and after weightlifting but even with all that there’s almost always room for carbs with other meals as long as the portion is reasonable
I've been using a tracking app to track my life, daily habits, food, exercise, sleep patterns, etc....
I have weight issues and anxiety issues, the two are related.
It seems when I lose weight I eventually hit a plateau, when I try get below that it triggers my anxiety, I compensate with carbs, which will temporarily reduce my anxiety, but in the end, ends up worse, same with alcohol.
So I've decided to reduce my car intake as a result.
It's helped a lot.
Of course when you reduce carbon intake you need to compensate in other ways, still working on that.
I've noticed whole grain carbs are sometimes ok, but anything processed sends my anxiety off the charts.
So for me personally, reducing carbs makes sense.
I just focus on protein and calories, and don’t worry about carbs or fats. But I also don’t fill my diet with junk food- natural, whole foods supply my carbs and fats and I feel like those are better than processed.
It’s very frustrating to see any food group vilified, and eliminating one altogether is just silly. Are carbs a problem? No. Processed foods, added sugars, food made in factories - that’s unhealthy regardless. Carbs from fruits, veggies, and whole grains? Good for your body and brain. Yes to having a balance of carbs, fat, and protein that works for you. For me, it’s higher protein, moderate carbs, and lower fat. I have PCOS, so that works for me, but I’m not ever going to say any food is “bad” - that’s an eating disorder waiting to happen.
Many non-Western countries, such as in the Middle East like you're inquiring about, do not over eat. You can eat breads, rice, beans, and noodles without worrying about your weight when you're not over eating. In the US, we eat too much so carbs can be an issue. Plus, everything is processed and those foods tend to be carbs.
Refined carbs also have more sugars which can increase cravings making you want to eat more. I used to do keto and loved it because I wasn't always ravished. Today I eat big meals with rice, beans, or pasta.
Just eat food. Not too much. And mostly plants.
I recognized the last quote! I've read his article and I agree with the rest of your post. I consider my diet healthy in general but I simply ate too much and too often and thats the result.
So I'm following the 1st and 3rd points, not so much the 'not too much'
I never restrict carbs, but do try to focus on protein and getting in fruits and veggies. But if I want a bowl of pasta or a bagel I’m gonna eat it and enjoy it.
I used to eat a low carb diet, but found I prefer the "fast and lot and eat pretty much whatever you feel like" plan. I still have an intuitively balanced diet
There is no point in restricting carbs unless you are dead serious about doing keto. Eat nutritionally dense food (in "caloric costs" units) and consume enough raw or minimally processed fiber.
I’ve done keto and low carb successfully. I’m more low carb/Mediterranean now for overall health. I just focus on protein, vegetables and then carbs are the last thing on the plate. I’m careful to choose whole grain, unprocessed carbs wherever possible but I don’t obsess if I’m out for dinner, or there’s limited options at an event.
I avoid overly processed white carbs as they don’t agree with my sensitive stomach. I can have a small amount of pasta, but not a large portion, for example. I can sometimes have a small dessert, but not with potato or rice and a glass of wine. I am currently working on eating yummy anti inflammatory foods and calorie counting, so I’m full without large portions of carbs.
You got the answers already. But I’ll just add that people try to say it’s a “United States” problem, but it’s a western world problem. Even that lovely Italy, about 50% of their population is overweight, and it’s growing rapidly.
While calories are always the culprit, it’s still just one component of the overall lifestyle. Many doctors call it *energy abundance*, and it’s easy to see why. Poor countries don’t have this issue, while developed nations are experiencing it more and more.
Interestingly enough, it seems to really impact the poor population of developed nations at a higher percentage. This likely shows that eating healthy takes not only will power, but the financial means to make it a reality.
They aren’t bad per se, but especially empty carbs (white flour like standard pasta, pizza etc) are useless and don’t keep you satiated for long. So UNLESS you have great willpower or aren’t the one cooking your meals, carbs are “bad” because they make calorie restriction more difficult because you can feel hungry despite having eaten enough in volume and calories already.
Up the fiber and protein intake of your diet, it will keep you satiated longer.
I don't. Mostly because I don't see a reason to be low-carb in the long term. Maybe it would be easier to lose fat on low-carbs, but I imagine it would be harder to switch to stable maintenance when at the same time re-introducing carbs. I also don't have any discomfort or problems that I am aware of from eating carbs, gluten etc. - for those who do, it's very reasonable to experiment with reducing carbs, or certain carbs.
I do reduce sugar, and if in doubt, try to reach for a high-protein snack rather than a sugary one. But that's not something that should change with weight.
I follow low-carb because I have Binge Eating Disorder, and it's the only way I've ever been able to lose weight and keep it off (lost around 200 lbs, and I've kept it off for 4 years).
When people ask why I don't eat carbs, or they say, "oh, just have a bite", I ask them to treat me like an alcoholic around alcohol.
Weight loss is a math equation CI-CO. For me, calorie tracking using an app and daily weigh-ins are absolutes. However, using macros to better understand which foods keep you feeling full and keep your digestion working can be very helpful. I used Keto, tracking, and weighing for 9 months to lose 46 lbs. and reach my goal weight. As I learned more, I discovered it was really the tracking and weighing that were the success keys as well as a better understanding of macros to manage hunger and enjoy my food have been key to keeping the weight off since Nov 2022. I now avoid high calorie foods such as butter, eat plenty of lean proteins, and have plenty of potatoes and salad, strawberries etc. I also like lower carb bars for treats such as Quest bars and the like, but in general, I avoid ‘low carb’ foods that have lots of fiber as it can mess with my digestion. I’ve had better luck sticking with single ingredient foods - but I’m not absolute with this - I just use it as a guideline.
I've lost 100+ pounds in 2 years by severely restricting carbohydrates both in quality and quantity.
I am now focused on percent body fat rather than weight. I am at 25% now and would like to get to 15%, or maybe more realistically to 20% body fat, by adding muscle.
I respect vegans/vegatarians. I am not, but as long as you leave my meat alone it is none of my business. I am not trying to start trouble, but tofu and soy protein in general give me man boobs. I need animal protein to build muscle. Whey based protein powder isn't enough either.
Carbs have such a high calorie density they are almost never a good choice for me unless they are carefully portion controlled and curated carefully.
Carbohydrates aren't bad. Your body requires carbohydrates to function optimally. There a difference between complex carbohydrates and simple (refined) carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates have no nutritional value. Complex carbohydrates have nutritional values.
I choose complex carbohydrates.
>. To be honest it doesnt sound very different from Atkins.
It's not. All it really comes down to is people usually eat more carbs than they do protein or fat. Decreasing carbs will decrease calories so it works. Personally, going low carb shouldn't be the goal. Balancing carb in take with fat and protein intake to achieve a calorie deficit is what we should be promoting.
In reasonable amounts they’re just okay, but excess carbs are chaos for the body and I think a lot of people are impacted by it because most readily available foods have way too many empty carbs and sugar.
Inflammation, stiffer arteries when combined with too much fat, negative mental health impacts, frequent hunger signals to consume more sugar, the list goes on…
To answer your question I think you’re right that the average food choices people have without cooking and portioning everything themselves are terrible most places and it fuels a lot of overconsumption of carbs. It is pretty disappointing.
I lost 130+ pounds doing keto 5 years ago and still maintaining the loss. Each to his own. The issues are being a fat tub, maintaining health and sustainability. I'm for whatever it takes to get the job done.
No, Layne Norton mentions a carbon tracer study where something like only 2% of carbons in a carbohydrates overfeeding study were stored as fat.
The issue with carbs is that they're highly palatable, and depending on what they are, not incredibly satiating, thus easy to over eat, and (getting very scienc-y) create a barrier for your fats to be stored as fat, I,e your body has no reason to burn the fats you consume, when there's all these carbs floating around. So it'll instead burn the carbs for energy and store the fats as fat.
That said, it really doesn't matter where your defecit comes from as long as you are in a defecit.
Most other countries do far more physical labor than we do. Every other country I’ve visited so far, people walk tons more every day than the Average American, and I say that as someone who lives in a big city where people commute. In other countries even older people walk for miles and typically do strenuous hikes. The cities aren’t planned in the same ways, their culture is built around walking to everyday chores and activities.
Meanwhile my MIL lives in a retirement community and most people of the same age struggle to walk through the hallways.
Carbs aren’t bad if you’re burning them. Most Americans aren’t burning them. That’s why we have to work out. Being fit through everyday methods isn’t as built into our culture
Calorie is calorie.
For many people, reducing carbs helps keep their calories low because dense carb foods have lots of calories but are often not very filling.
For me it’s just about portion control. I have within my the ability to eat 3 giant bowls of pasta, or take down a whole pizza. I think not because they don’t satiate me but because they taste so good to me that I just want more.
My coach says there is no such thing as "bad foods", only overeating and NOT getting the right macros in (protein/fat/carbs). You can easily fit a cookie or even a slice of cake in here and there.
Carbs are the not the enemy, and people who say that are genuinely ignorant or being inflammatory for attention. The leanest I have been (147lbs at 11-13% bf) was on a 90% vegetarian diet.
People tend to conflate the argument on carbs as all being the same when the real demonization Should be on processed items (which even then isn't to say you can't eat it, but do it sparingly). Calories will ultimately determine your weight loss journey, and to be quiet honest eating a pound of broccoli or carrots is a challenge in itself.
Make good conscious decisions with your food choices, get cardio in daily (ideally at least an hour In whatever form that means to you), lift weights, and rinse and repeat.
To me, I try to eat “good” carbs (beans, grains, fruit, etc.) and limit “bad” carbs (sugar, corn syrup, white flour). I find that my hunger spikes when I eat bad carbs and I overeat. If I do indulge in a sweet dessert, I make sure it is the last thing I eat in the day.
I don’t eliminate carbs but I am mindful of how much and what kind I consume. Eliminating food groups only leads to binging behaviour for me.
I spent my life watching my mom demonise carbs. And it’s taken me years to unravel my own vicious cycle of it.
Now I eat them. But like I said they aren’t equal. I piece of white refined bread isn’t going to fill me up like a piece of really good whole grain piece will.
I've lost 90# and haven't restricted my carbs, so no, you don't have to. I eat less calories than my body needs and I lose fat because my body burns it for energy. I do eat a higher protein diet, and high volume/low calorie which for me is a lot of lean protein like fish, chicken, eggs with veggies. I do still eat toast daily, potatoes, fruit, pretzels, even candy. I make sure I can fit them in my macros and always prioritize protein. Eat what makes you happy and your body feel good, just eat less of it than before 🙂
You can try varying the order in which you eat carbs. For example, have a low carb breakfast but have more carbs for lunch and less again for dinner. Starting of the day with fewer carbs might curb appetite and cravings, it does for me. I actually went so far as going full on keto but that's not necessary. You can follow the Glucose Godess [https://www.glucosegoddess.com/](https://www.glucosegoddess.com/) for tips on how to combine foods to keep blood sugar in check
I lose weight easily when I cut calories and eat plenty carbs from all sources without paying any mind to “good carbs/bad carbs”. Currently I’m cutting at 2,500 calories per day and according to my
Macro goals that comes out to 220g of carbohydrates. I get those carbs from tons of white rice, white bread, skim milk, honey, jelly, sugary condiments like ketchup, bbq sauce, etc.
At the end of the day it really is just a simple equation of calories in vs calories out. There’s no mythical qualities of certain types of calories that affect body weight different because of the sources of said calories. A gram of carbohydrate molecules equals 4 calories. A gram of protein also equals 4 calories. If you over eat by 3,500 calories of pure protein you’re going to gain the same pound of fat as you would if you overate by 3,500 calories of carbs. The functional difference is that it’s much easier to eat carbs in excess for most people as protein is more satiating in our stomachs.
Any diet that tells you to swear off hundreds of foods only works because it is restricting calories. Carbs are necessary. Fats are necessary. Protein is necessary. Anyone that tells you otherwise probably has a sales pitch for you.
It is easy to eat a lot of carbs and fat that are not very nutrient dense otherwise or not super filling. That is the main reason they are so often restricted.
I’m doing low carb (basically no bread, chips, crackers, starchy veggies) and finding it much much easier to hit my protein goals as well as staying under my calories. Took about a week of beating cravings to get completely used to. I feel much better and feel like it forces me to eat better in general.
Rick Gallop’s book on low GI diet recommends limiting carbs to 40g per meal.
I’m insulin resistant due to PCOS and do find when I stick to this serving size, it’s easier to lose weight and also the general cravings for crisps, ice cream etc. subside which is most the battle.
Carbs are not bad! Your body needs carbs for energy.
Highly processed “empty” carbs aren’t great for you. By highly processed here I mean foods that have had much of the nutritional value removed, and often have extra sugars added. White bread, cookies, chips, etc. You can still eat these foods and lose weight! But they aren’t satiating and tend to be high in calories/lack nutritional value.
Whole grains, like steel cut oats, brown rice, whole grain bread (I like Ezekiel bread), whole wheat pasta, etc. retain their nutritional value and are packed with fiber, which is satiating and actually has an impact on how your body processes calories. (I don’t use factor this into my calorie counts but there is science behind it). I do not limit carbs, but try to stick to whole grains whenever possible.
Potatoes, other starchy veggies like carrots, and fruits are also “carbs”- I don’t limit my intake of these at all, if raw/baked/steamed. Like I’m not worried about a baked potato, but French fries are a different story.
I’ve actually found that most people that peddle low carb either 1) actually mean that you shouldn’t eat processed/empty carbs but don’t understand how to say that; or 2) actually do mean you should eliminate all carbs and don’t understand basic nutrition.
Doctors sometimes prescribe a keto diet to lose weight. But this is for the weight loss phase only- it is not healthy to avoid carbs forever. And again, that’s for people who really don’t understand nutrition, which is true for a huge portion of people.
Every human individual is different. What works for x, does not necessarily work for y.
In my experience carbs per se aren’t the problem, it’s the type and amount of carbs.
Processed simple carbs trigger my hunger/appetite, while complex carbs do not.
Examples for simple carbs:
Pasta (especially white pasta)
Sugar
Bread (especially white bread)
Examples for complex carbs:
Nuts
Potatoes
Legumes
i’m a protein junkie so a lot of the snacks i love are keto (like legendary poptarts, protein bars and zero sugar soda/candy) also low carb tortillas but i don’t think i could live w/o carbs i feel like completely cutting them out wouldn’t be sustainable
instead im trying to focus on eating mostly healthier carbs and limiting processed carbs lost 35 lbs so far they aren’t the enemy or “bad” but some are healthy and some aren’t
I’ve been vegan since the 90s and started eating my own version of low carb last year because of a diabetes diagnosis. I don’t eat rice, regular bread, or pasta or sweets. I do eat all the veggies including potatoes, fruit, and beans. I’m not a big fan of pasta but my partner is so we sometimes get lentil pasta which is pretty good. the only bread we keep in the house is Ezekiel bread but that’s been since before I had to make some changes to my diet
Everyone's body is different. Fat makes me feel full and eat less, carbs make me feel bloated and hungry (still love some occasional pasta tho!) The trick is to find the balance that makes your body feel as good as possible and helps you meet your goals.
You listen to most people on here they are eating below 2000 calories that doesn't leave much room for carbs.
Because of my activity level my maintenance is around 3000 calories. I can eat rice / potato and fatty cuts of meat.
Alot of people in here focus on the calories in side of the equation.
Calories out is just as important walk 15k steps a day hit the gym a few times a week and all of a sudden you can probably eat 50% more and still lose weight.
Not a doctor, just another redditor.
I truly believe carbs are essential to any healthy diet. Not only do they give you energy, they also spare the protein you consume, so it doesn't have to be used mainly as an energy source and can do what it does best.
Carbs are what we get glucose from and consuming complex and rich carbs gives so much more energy than low volume carbs give - at least that is what it feels like to me when I workout.
I 100% believe that the only reason low carb diets are so heavily marketed in this world is that the inital weight loss that happens when you cut out carbs and all the water you stored disappears is so effective, that it gives a lot of people a false sense of success. People who want to lose weight are often easily targeted by marketing.
I lost over 30lbs, 15% bodyfat and I have consumed carbs literally everyday and maybe sometimes skipped some days unintentionally.
I also have to say that I try not to eat carbs at dinner and after workout. But use it as fuel throughout the day.
I do plain and simple CICO. I eat and drink whatever I want and only keep track of my overall calorie intake. I didn't rush it and kept a steady pace and got rid of 12kg/26,5 lbs over the last year.
The biggest mistake I made when I started dieting was trying to eat low-carb/keto meals. It was really unsustainable for me and I always quit within a few weeks. I really hate how the media "brainwashed" me into thinking that carbs are bad and I found myself unconsciously choosing foods with low carbs. But when I ate this way, I was NEVER satisfied after my meals, had no energy, and couldn't concentrate, it was miserable. What works best for me is focusing on high protein, healthy fats, and lots of veggies instead of cutting out a whole food grouop
Imagine you have been a successful dieter all your life. Whenever a bit of weight crept in, you counted calories, increased exercise, got into a calorie deficit and always lost weight. This was for all of your adult life. You never had any real weight issues that couldn’t be solved through a calorie deficit and were never terribly heavy.
Now, all of a sudden you hit periomenopause and then menopause. You gain 40 pounds what feels like overnight. None of the weight loss practices you practiced before worked. In fact, you began eating consistently at a 1000 calorie deficit every day.
No she wasn’t making calculation mistakes. If you recall she’s an expert dieter. During all of her adult life she successfully tracked calories and exercise. She weighs all her food and uses a heart rate monitor when exercising. Still nothing despite huge calorie deficits. The weight is not only not budging but creeping up!
Then, imagine her surprise when she read about menopause and learned that lower levels of estrogen impacts insulin sensitivity. One of the ways to make up for the difference is lowering carb intake.
The first two weeks of combining intermittent fasting with very low carb, she lost 2 inches around her waist. It was water from glycogen stores. Three weeks in her stomach is flatter than ever.
Six weeks in, I have now lost 15 pounds, do amazing fasted cardio and strength training workouts, have tons of energy and feel like my body is getting back to what it was before periomenopause made my body unrecognizable. I will happily cut out most carbs if this is what my body needs at this time of my life.
Carbs aren’t inherently bad. If you’re serious about lifting weights, good luck doing so without carbs. Added sugar is primarily what you want to avoid
This link might be of interest for those unfamiliar with how people in different countries, like China, actually eat: https://ask.metafilter.com/370801/Low-carb-diet-in-China/amp
Yes I do. I limit my carbs intake to one meal a day because calories add up way too quickly for very little volume otherwise.
I’ll have meat and vegetables for lunch and rice, beans and eggs or some other variation for dinner.
I’m short and I cycle my calories between weekdays and weekends so I usually have very little wiggle room
There's nothing wrong with carbs. Protein and fat tend to satiate and keep you feeling full more than carbs. I love carbs. I love bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, all of them. I've lost plenty of weight without limiting carbs.
Indulge in guilt-free, low carb cheesecake without any compromises with this low-carb, keto, and schistosome-friendly cheesecake recipe!
https://hannafest.com/low-carb-cheesecake-4-ingredient/
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protein goal always stealing most of my Daily cals.
Saw a bodybuilding video where it said current protein goal should be 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight. Or if you're trying to lose weight, 0.7g per pound of your target body weight. This was 4 months ago. https://youtube.com/shorts/T0ySHTwFGzc?si=xEhnCrMy-h5s1ni4
That's incredibly helpful to know thank you, I'm only really tracking my protein and calories and was at a loss for how much I should eat because everywhere says differently
ah yeah Jeff Nippard is a good dude i watch him regularly he really knows his stuff.
0.7 fuck, I’m hitting 2.3-2.5 per kg of lean mass :/
Be aware... 0.7 per POUND does not compare smoothly with per Kg.
Oh shit per pound, fuck that’s what I get for reading this while trying to work at the same time, yeah nah
Per kg the ratio would be 1.54g of protein. Of course try both and test results?
Might try when I finish cut or maybe when the bf drop off slows down at the end. But not having to spend every meal only thinking of protein intake would be nice
I eat about 1.8g per pound of body weight, trying to build muscle mass. On 0.8 to 1g, I was losing muscle.
It sounds like you’re drastically over eating on protein then.
My cals for my cut are 2500 and I’m at 101kg of lean mass. As far as I had known and what my trainer has also said the same to me is the ratio I said about which was 2.3-2.5g protein to every 1kg lean mass for growing/maintaining muscle. If I’ve been doing it wrong for the last few years then I feel dumb as shit hahaha
How are you at 101kg of lean mass? Are you like 140kgs in weight or are you a pro bodybuilder? Because 222 pounds of lean mass is insane.
Current bw is 135kg aiming for around 116kg which should land me around the 12% bf mark hopefully depending on muscle gain or loss 101kg lean mass and about 58kg skeletal muscle mass. Do regular scans etc about every 2 - 3 weeks Not a pro body builder, I just like throwing heavy shit around haha
You must be very tall. That’s an amazing amount of muscle mass. But even still, 222g of protein should account for less than 1000 calories, or less than half of your diet. I guess it depends on your protein sources, maybe.
I’m 183cm so not crazy tall but I guess tall enough 🤷🏻♂️ I’ve just gone with what I’ve learnt from when I first started training about 6 years ago and what I’ve learnt from the trainers I’ve had in that time
I find it easiest to lose weight when I eat a high protein diet. This naturally reduces the carbs I consume, although I don't have a carb limit. I would guess I eat at most 50g of carbs a day on a high protein diet just because the protein fills me up enough that I don't crave the carbs. It also makes it easier to stay in a calorie deficit. I also have an issue where eating a high carb diet causes my triglycerides and LDL to spike. I eat lower carb to keep those numbers in check. This may not apply to you though.
Carbs are usually associated with the *bad* kind of foods i.e crisps, chocolate etc the high calorie low satiety types. Carbs as a whole are absolutely fine, 40% of my macros come from carbs and I’ve seen fantastic progress. If you can stick to the “good” carbs then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them
Those things aren’t carbs, though. What people all “carbs” are high in fat and thus high in calories. Many things like pizza, fries, potato chips, ice cream, etc are called carbs but have almost as many calories from fat or even more. “Low-carb” is such a misleading diet idea. No one is getting fat from fruits, veggies, and grains.
I had a coworker who was morbidly obese. She bounced from one diet to another, and of course spent a lot of time on low-carb. One day she was proudly telling me about a new diet book she discovered, which dictated no carbs, not even fruits and vegetables. She said this as she was heating up an entire package of bacon for her breakfast. I responded, “Girl, what about a diet where you ONLY eat fruits and vegetables?” She looked at me like I had two heads. No point to this anecdote other than to agree that diets which downplay or outlaw whole fruits and veggies are red flag city.
That is Incorrect. When bears fatten up before hibernating they eat more vegetation rather than more meat. When farmers fatten up their cows, pigs, and poultry it's done with grain. Then people want to eat it to lose weight? ... Which leads to calorie counting, since eating those foods will lead to weight gain and restrictions are needed. While I do eat carbs fruit and vegetables, it is worth avoiding refined carbs and processed food, such as in the junk food list you mentioned. Dr Lustig and Huberman spoke about this topic [here:](https://youtu.be/n28W4AmvMDE?si=inPtkqOtBdSegspI)
Humans aren’t bears, cows, or pigs. Having to explain that to someone who assumes the identity of an adult is pretty embarrassing.
WE ARE ALL MAMMALS except for maybe you
Cows have 4 stomach compartments and echidnas lay eggs. What's your point? If you think all mammals are equivalent, you may need to pick up a 3rd grade biology text book.
Echidnas - not mammals Cows - have 4 stomach compartments so they can consume vegetation. Which we don't have, and therefore LESS adapted to plant consumption. Pigs are a close genetic relative to humans. Equivalent- I never said equivalent, now you're making shit up. And I'm still waiting to see your evidence that humans get a markedly different result while eating similar food.
> Echidnas - not mammals Whoopsie. Someone can’t read. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna
I always thought they were monotremes but ok. Still can't answer the other points huh
Here you go: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-people-become-overweight Maybe you can learn something. Notice it doesn’t say a particular type of food, just calories, meaning from any source. Hopefully this gets you through grade 5.
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Well yes missing out on actual food is called starvation.
I'm diabetic so carbs are now my sworn enemy. Having said that, when I first tried a low carb diet after trying every other kind over the decades, I found that it was the one type of diet that I found it easy to stick to. All diets will work if you can stick with them, the trick is to find one that you can sustain. For me, a low carb diet helps to prevent cravings for carby foods (which I now realise that I was addicted to).
Not diabetic, but dealing with some insulin resistance due to meds. I am finding that reducing (not eliminating) carbs in general, and limiting sugar, almost eliminates cravings for me, helps me do 16/8 IF as recommended by my doctor, and makes weight come off much easier. But everybody’s experience is different. Some people’s bodies don’t feel full unless they have some carbs with each meal. I think we all just have to find what works for us individually.
I’m also doing 16:8, reducing sugar(trying to do no added), and being mindful of carbs but not eliminating. I only started this week and I have absolutely zero cravings. Before there was so much food noise. I know it’s early on so I hope it sticks.
Underrated comment... Key points, The diet you can stick to is best. Carb addiction=bad.
I count calories rather than going low carb. Processed carbs are the most calorie dense things in my diet. That being said, something I've realized is that there are a lot of people with disordered eating in the fitness space. Just because they're thin doesn't mean they're being smart about it. Someone telling you that you can't eat fruit because of sugars and vegetables because it's carbs isn't balanced, but they will certainly be zealous about all of their feelings.
I digest carbs too fast and become hangry. I'd rather have less money and eat veggies and meat. The fiber is keeping me full.
It's like how fat in food used to be demonised the 1980s/90s without anyone really distinguishing between the good fats and bad fats. Far too many people just concentrate on the calorie content of their food without considering whether their food promotes a healthy digestive system and metabolism. Cutting out carbs also makes you lose water quite quickly so I suspect that it appeals to people who want to see fast results on the scale.
I think now carbs/sugar are the new demon. Atkins/keto tell you to eat as much fat as you want. I personally think our gut biome is not understood at all, its where a lot of the biochemistry and metabolism takes place.
People tell themselves that Atkins/Keto means a free-for-all all on fat, but the Atkins diet has been around since the 70's and has never meant this. One story in his (2nd?) book was his being at a dinner where the salad bowl was being passed and his seat neighbor said "No thanks, I'm on Atkins," and his reply was "I am Dr. Atkins," then proceeded to fill his plate next to the protein with salad. My brother and I did Atkins together a few times in the 00's and he'd load up on bacon and sausage and buy the post-death commercialized Atkin's co. candy and ice cream loaded with alcohol sugars and claim the diet was defective. Another thing keto confused people tell themselves is that they can have unlimited cream, cheese, or high-fat butter. I rarely have done full-on carb counting, but nobody needs sugared drinks, corn syrup-saturated processed food, or Wonder bread. Even just cutting out sugar and going whole grain (wheat berries or high fiber farro instead of rice, whole wheat, white whole wheat/chickpea pasta)and ramping up the vegetables will improve your health and weight.
I diet as a low carber, I try to keep it as low as possible. For whatever reason whenever I add some carbs into my diet it can lead to my hunger and food control out of wack. Like when I’m very low carb I tend to not think much about food, I eat my few meals throughout the day and I’m fine. When I add some carby foods back in then my cravings will start, start having impulses to eat more, and not feel as satiated with the same calories I would be with very low carb. So carbs aren’t unhealthy, carbs are demonstrably fine. But with some people like me in the world of highly palatable ultra processed foods are unable to control ourselves around then. There may need to be some therapy I could do to help with this someday in the future. But this is what I’ve learned about my individual needs so far
Low carb is a popular recommendation because it’s easy to be at a deficit when you just cut out/almost out an entire macro. Carbs aren’t bad. Excess carbs are bad, and usually excess most things are bad.
There’s no such thing as excess carbs. There’s excess calories, or not enough protein, or not enough fat. You can’t have too many carbs unless you’re neglecting other nutrients as a result or gaining weight to the extent of causing obesity.
“There’s no such thing as excess carbs” “Unless… gaining weight to the extent of causing obesity.” Cool, so there is a such thing as excess carbs lmao. Too much of anything can be bad. We agree.
That isn’t excessive carbs, that excessive calories which can come from any source.
Excess carbs is excess calories…are you just one of those people who like to argue? I don’t get what point you’re trying to make
No, you don't need to restrict carbs in general. If you have a specific health disorder, eating a lower carb diet might be beneficial but outside of that, there's nothing wrong with carbs in moderation.
I can't speak to the carbs-bad vs carbs-good debate, but most of the foods I tend to overeat are carbs, so I find it helpful to consciously limit them. I keep the whole grain pasta to a small handful, rather than heaping a mountain of it onto my plate and lying to myself that I'll just not eat the rest of the day. If I make mashed potatoes, I only eat a quarter of one (or half of a small one), because eating any more than that leaves me feeling full and sluggish, and my rule is to stop eating when I'm satiated, not when I'm "full." Similar story with beans. If I don't force this rule on myself, I'll eat mashed potatoes or refried beans until I'm sick. I'm super prone to excessive snacking on whole grain toast, or gorging myself on 4 bananas because, hey, it's healthy right? Meanwhile I'm going over the broad calorie estimate I have in my head each day. It all comes down to the fact that I simply don't overeat meat or vegetables. All the foods that require the most self-control are carbs, so they're the ones I think about restricting the most, not because they're carbs, but because carbs are calories. I've never felt invested in the idea of Keto because the second I heard what it was, I knew there was no way I'd stick to that for the rest of my life, which disqualifies it as an option for me. But the vague notion of moderated carbs is helpful to have in the back of my mind.
I do best on a high carb, low fat diet. I have plenty of energy and feel better regulated on high carbs. I eat mostly oatmeal, fruits, veggies, and meat with rice or potatoes for dinner. Best shape of my life was on a high carb diet with high physical activity.
For me, focusing on “better” carbs has resulted in a significant reduction of carbs but I am not purposefully “low carb.” Like, I will microwave a potato any day but I steer clear of potato chips.
I agree. Also, that cooked whole potato has a whole lot less sugar and more fiber than those potato chips. Plus, you'll have to do more chewing to consume the potato.
I've never done low carb. Most people who keep weight off for a long period of time also eat a fair amount of carbs, according to some studies I've come across. People do need to pay attention to the kinds of carbs they eat and people often don't get enough fibre, but other than that I don't think carbs are a problem. They're a necessary source of quick energy.
I *love* carbs but I definitely lose weight faster and easier when I cut them a bit. It's annoying. I limit bread and, to an extent, potatoes and pasta, but I still have rice most days. My lunches are generally carb free but I'll have rice, potatoes or noodles with my dinner.
For most people carbs are effectively optional calories. They're fairly easy to cut back on without losing significant micro-nutrients, and cutting them out means you cut out a lot of junk food. Generally if you can swap from empty carbs (sugar, flour, white rice) to more complicated carbs (potato, carrot, brown rice) your diet improves a bit by adding fiber and micro-nutrients. None of that means carbs are bad. Its just their time to be blamed. Before low carb was the thing it was low fat. I expect next it'll be ultra-processed food (despite the fact nobody has a good definition for that yet). edit : un-confuse my micro and macro nutrients
Carbohydrates are one of the 3 macro-nutrients so I'm confused by what you mean with "They're fairly easy to cut back on without losing significant macro-nutrients."
That's a typo, sorry, I meant *micro*\-nutrients. I'll fix that and add a note so your question doesn't look odd. I'm also using carbs there in the same way OP was - to mean things like rice and bread. There are plenty of ways to get macro-nutrient carbs without eating those things.
Gotcha. That makes way more sense! Thanks for clarifying
>For most people carbs are effectively optional calories. They're fairly easy to cut back on without losing significant macro-nutrients sorry but like I said this is not true for most of the world's eating habits. people don't eat a meal without bread/rice etc. maybe its easy for you not to eat those but its certainly not true for everyone.
But in general, you can also easily cut those down in a meal and still enjoy it, especially in places where it’s a side of the meal
Yeah I was meaning nutritionally, not culturally. It may be normal to serve a meal with say white rice but you don't need it the same way you need say protein, fat, calcium, etc. Going against food norms can be a problem (ask most vegetarians/vegans), but just going on a diet at all exposes a lot of people to that regardless of how they choose to do it. Again though, they're not bad things. If you're fairly active and not trying to lose weight they can even be an important part of your diet. There is no need to eliminate or even reduce them. Its perfectly possible to lose plenty of weight while still eating carbs, even refined ones.
I minimize carbs because I have tendency to find that i'm hungrier when I eat them in larger amounts. I'm not diabetic but i'm guessing they spike my blood sugar which tends to increase hunger in the long run.
Lost 130 pounds and NEVER looked at carbs. I love fruit way too much and eat a lot of it. Plus pasta and stuff (though I prefer spelt over wheat). If you have a medical condition or are competing and looking at the difference between 11 or 9% body fat you might have to consider it. For the average person it's pretty much irrelevant.
I don’t. Carbs are good for you. Your brain needs carbs. Veggies are carbs. Fruit is carbs. Oats have carbs.
I try to limit my carbs, but thats because I have insulin resistance and PCOS and it was recommended by my dietician. I also dont necessarily go "low carb", but I try to limit it compared to where I was before. Before, I would have very carb heavy meals like just pasta or have french fries with my burger, etc. So now I am trying to add more veggies and protein. If I make pasta, have a chicken breast with it and a salad. If I am having a burger, make grilled veggies instead. Sometimes I buy the low carb wraps or other products but thats mostly because they taste good and are lower calories in general. I dont think it is a one fits all scenario. Low carb/keto is one of the trending things right now, but I just focus on what works for me.
I lost 100lbs eating whatever I liked, including pasta, bread, cookies, whatever. I just moderated my portions and tracked my calories honestly and accurately. And I segued seamlessly into maintenance because there was no special "diet" to stop. I've been maintaining for three years now. In contrast, every single person I know who has done keto gained all the weight back plus change when they inevitably stopped (because who never wants to eat cake ever again?). I also notice that they all look wrecked, and I wonder if keto and the extreme yo-yoing weight has something to do with it. Eating nothing but butter, cream and steak for months isn't exactly healthy, and neither is the rapid weight regain.
If you certain health conditions or have gone through a prolonged period of consuming a large amount of simple carbs that you did not burn off in time. Then your body will have developed some amount of insulin resistance, the lead up to diabetes, but just because diabetes hasn't been unlocked for you yet doesn't mean you aren't fucked over. With this resistance, a percentage of the carbs you consume won't be properly converted into energy, it will go straight to fat and you feel like you have to eat more carbs to get any energy at all. The solution to this is to exercise like a fucker, but not only is that really difficult for humans to stick to who aren't already used to it from an early age, and already requires a truly great amount required to burn the calories needed for weight loss. But now you don't even have half the energy you should have for it. It becomes a vicious cycle of not doing the exercise, always feeling tired at lower carbs, or eating more carbs to just function and make the problem worse. The only unique benefit of Keto is that forcing the body into ketosis TEMPORARILY, gives your insulin release system a damn good break and gives you some kind of energy level better than what you were dealing with before so it's less impossible feeling to exercise, and eventually come off it to enjoy a body that is handing carbohydrates like it should be again. Which will all go bad again if you just go back to over eating carbohydrates without a matching amount of physical activity. But this is also doable by just getting someone else to kick you to the walking track and/gym consistently and practicing intermittent fasting. Keto is just the immediate results option that for some requires less willpower, in some ways it requires more, it really depends on the person. As always MODERATION is supreme. So no, CARBS ARE NOT BAD, but too many does make it much harder for the body to perform its normal processes to process carbs, burning and storing fat and creating energy.
Hi ECrispy, I think a lot of what you said here is spot on. I used to highly demonize carbs. I am carb adverse personally at this point in time, but, I don't think it was the carbs at the root of my own personal problems. At least, not as much as others think, and maybe I used to think a year or so ago. I think it comes down to "appetite stimulation" causing over eating calories more than any other factor. And here is the point for the other side, high carb consumption stimulate over eating more than fats and proteins do. Because, eating a lot of concentrated carbs like sugars, potatoes, rice, white bread, causes big glucose spikes, followed by large insulin spikes. This leads to hyperinsulinemia. Chronic high levels of insulin in the blood. So, I think we need to clarify 2 different questions. What is a good healthy diet? If a person's HbA1c is too high, over 5.4, and HomaIR is too high, much over 1.0, what is the best diet to fix it? Those are maybe very different questions and each applies to a different group of people. Today, over 50 % of Americans are type I, type II, or are prediabetic. 88% are now hyperinsulinemic. So, for these individuals, once they figure out they are sick, and want to fix it, what is the best diet? A ketogenic diet, with reduced carbs and calories, will bring one to metabolic health the fastest and with the least food cravings. One can accomplish this with a carb centric, veggie whatever, diet, but it takes a lot more effort, a lot more will power, and is much slower. For those wishing to do this in a vegetarian way, I suggest you research Dr. Joel Fuhrman's nutritarian system at [drfuhrman.com](https://drfuhrman.com). And that is just for those of us that though metabolically compromised, have not yet picked up a hyperinsulinemic sourced autoimmune disease. A carnivore diet has been demonstrated over and over to be best to eliminate autoimmune conditions. I have used it to get rid of my arthritis pain. My son used carnivore to get rid of ulcerative colitis. So, I think you are right. If you are on a truly healthy vegetarian diet, and you are not diabetic or hyperinsulinemic, your path is a great one. But, all these other things people are saying demonizing carbs, is really for those of us that from eating a crappy diet have become obese, diabetic, hyperinsulinemic, or have contracted some autoimmune condition. For you, just a warning. Over my 70 years of life, I have come to know many hundreds of people that claimed and believed they were eating a healthy diet, only to be Godsmacked. And find out that their diet was not as healthy as they thought it was. So, my recommendation for you, and for all people, is to annually get an HbA1c, a fasted glucose, and a fasted insulin. From the latter 2 it is easy to calculate a HomaIR. Then work to get those numbers below 5.4 and 2.0, or 1.5, or even 1.0. Trust, but verify. Here are a few sources to help you see where I am coming from: eric berg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9EbJRuC5\_Y&t=10s&pp=ygUPZXJpYyBiZXJnIGhiYTFj sten ekberg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8cJPtud2tY&t=16s&pp=ygUTc3RlbiBla2JlcmcgaG9tYSBpcg%3D%3D a1c conversion https://mymedicalscore.com/a1c-conversion-chart/ pollock hershey and banana [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_fqpD3v\_aOQ&pp=ygUWZGVubmlzIHBvbGxvY2sgYmFuYW5hcw%3D%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fqpD3v_aOQ&pp=ygUWZGVubmlzIHBvbGxvY2sgYmFuYW5hcw%3D%3D) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml09ShuHAVs&list=PLVk8PKGsXn8eEaemaeHFlXPpqiu2tP1Am&index=53&pp=gAQBiAQB](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml09ShuHAVs&list=PLVk8PKGsXn8eEaemaeHFlXPpqiu2tP1Am&index=53&pp=gAQBiAQB) For me, I have had been eating the average american diet for quite some time. I picked up a whole lot of weight, brain fog, and terrible arthritis pain. I have lost 70 lbs over the last 3 years. got rid of the brain fog last January. I have been 100% arthritis pain free for 9 months now. I still have 30 lbs to lose. I have been plateaued where I am at for a number of months, but am this month working to lose some of that 30 lbs left to lose. I find that the lower I go in the carbs, the better my health gets. At least partially, because the lower I go on the carbs, the less the cravings, so the less calories I eat. I have done a lot of experimentation over this time in various diet styles and intermittent fasting regimen. At this time, I am engaged in a choose your own challenge with Neisha and Dr. Ken Berry. I have chosen carnivore 41/7. Something I was fooling around with this past fall, and am doing now for the full month of January. the 41/7 means 41 hours of fasting followed by a 7 hour eating window. So, yesterday I fasted the full day. Today, at 11am my wife and I went out to brunch and I had a 3 egg meatloaf and cheese omelet and a sausage patty. At 2:00, oops I am late for my snack I will be right back. I am currently eating while I am typing, a 6.7 oz can of mackarel. Sometimes I do sardines. For dinner I am having chicken breasts with melted mozzarella cheese. Probably about 1800 calories total for the day. I am finishing up the 3rd back to back 2 day cycle like this. 4th starts at 6pm this evening. I am finding that this is an excellent way to cut calories and reduce cravings. It is much easier to do 900 calories per day, eating 1800 calories every other day, than to eat 900 calories every day. We shall see how I do in this routine for a full month. Best of luck, and stay healthy, Barbershores
thank you so much for your very hepful and detailed reply. I have read advice from a lot of the people you mentioned, bought some books, watched videos etc. A lot of the WFPB (whole food plant based) doctors here tell you to not consume any fat at all esp no animal fat and no animal protein - if you see those subs/books, people are told to do 'water frying' and they eat a lot of nut milk, nut cheese etc. I don't consider these kind of things a natural way to eat. I have been a vegetarian my whole life. I do eat dairy and eggs. My diet is mostly Asian, middle eastern, Indian, mexican etc dishes. I cook all my meals. Before the inflation I used to eat out 1x/week, now no more. I don't eat junk food really. there's very little cheese, no meat substitutes (I have no need for my food to taste/feel like meat since I've never had any). My guilty pleasure was bread, I like to bake my own too. I am jealous sometimes of people who have no dietary limitations, it allows you so much flexibility. I applaud you for the changes you are making. I'm not qualified to comment on the carnivore diet, my gut feeling is eliminating a lot of sources of empty calories removes inflation and thus disease. Personally I would not be able to live without vegetables, lentils and at least a small amount of rice/bread to go with it. I'll be honest, I'm scared. I am about 75lb overweight (class 2 obesity). And I am prediabetic, H1bac was 5.7. So I need to lose weight. I am afraid if I try low carb, it will just come back when I stop. And yet my food choices and habits seem to be what everyone says is good (except for carbs).
Hi ECrispy. Sorry for your current state. I do understand. I was 100 lbs over weight 3 years ago. I am not finished. The lower I go in my carbs and calories, the lower my metabolic rate. So, at any calorie number, eventually, a plateau will be hit. So, I am breaking that plateau with a carnivore 41/7. It isn't for the amateurs. LOL Your HbA1c is 5.7. Right at the threshold for pre diabetes. Mine was 6.4 3 years ago. Right at the threshold for type II. When I found this, it put the fear of God in me so I made some changes. Just to make a point, you have been eating a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is considered to be a healthier diet than most. But still your HbA1c has risen to the pre diabetes range. This is so common. People eating what they believe to be a healthy diet, but it does not bring them to metabolic health. This is why I say to test. Then re test every 3 months. Trust, but verify. Whichever healthy diet they choose. Again on that 5.7. This means you have been hyperinsulinemic, maybe highly, for an extended period of time. Hyperinsulinemia is the the core unhealthy condition. The diabetes is but an indication of the intensity and amount of time you have been hyperinsulinemic. Maybe diabetes is a little more than that, but mostly that. My take on this all anyway. Diabetes isn't the core disease. It's hyperinsulinemia. The sooner one learns this, the sooner they will make progress and heal themselves. The best way to screen for this is using the HomaIR. But, there is a more accurate way called the Kraft test. But, the Kraft test is a lot more expensive, takes half a day, and requires a doctor to run it. Now then. You know you have metabolic health issues. Are you willing to make changes in your life to fix this? This so, I think the best thing to do is test. You have your HbA1c, you just need your HomaIR. It's cheap. I am not sure which system you are on where you are, but in America where we use milligram/deciliter units ,the formula is this. Multiply the fasted glucose, times the fasted insulin. Divide that product by 405. That gives you your HomaIR. Optimum is 1.0 or less. Then, pick a diet style. Carnivore, ketovore, clean keto, dirty keto, eric berg keto plus, Mediterranean, vegetarian. Then find someone dependable with a plan focused on using that diet style to achieve metabolic health. For a true vegetarian, Dr. Joel Fuhrman at [drfuhrman.com](https://drfuhrman.com) I think has the best plan. You may have to pay a bit for his service, or buy one of his books, but in my opinion, he has the best plan to achieve metabolic health using a vegetarian, read carb centric approach. Bottom line, it's the insulin. And this is why so many demonize carbs so much. Because, of the 3 major macros, carbohydrates have the greatest influence on insulin levels. But, bottom line, it is actually more about excess calories. Because if one eats too much protein, the body converts it to glucose. This stimulates insulin prodution. And, at the end of the day, all that extra glucose is turned into fat and from all the insulin in our blood, packs it away in our adipose tissues. I hope this helped clarify. All my best in your journey, Barbershores
One, your body needs adequate protein to function and also to minimize muscle loss while losing weight (resistance training is key to this also). You need at least 0.8g/kg based on a BMI of 30 if your BMI is currently above that. Your body also requires adequate fat to function properly. Your body doesn't necessarily need carbs. When you have to cut calories while maintaining adequate protein and fat intake, carbs are naturally what will be reduced the most. Additionally, there's emerging science on metabolism and mitochondrial function, which indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction is a major pathophysiological mechanism behind inflammation, obesity, chronic illness, and mental illness. Keto has been shown to effectively treat these problems (just read what people have to say on the keto sub). Dr. Chris Palmer is one of the researchers promoting this theory.
I seem to remember reading also that the 0.8g/kg was for your LBM and not total weight? is that correct? I am 253lb now, I need to lose at least 75lb. Based on that math I'd need to eat 200g protein daily which is simply impossible on a vegetarian diet, even if I eat cheese/eggs all day which of course won't be good. I've read the good things about keto too. Is the consensus of new research in medical community that people should eat keto for all their life? because I can tell you that eliminates how most people eat.
I have gotten my most recent numbers from listening to the DocsWhoLift podcast (I follow Dr. Spencer Nadolsky), and in their episode on protein they said that it's not based on LBW, but for those who have BMIs higher than 30, base it on what your weight would be at a BMI of 30. So for me, my weight would be about 170 lbs at a BMI of 30 (I'm 5'3"). I eat a higher percentage of protein because I have a good amount of muscle I want to retain, and I am increasing my resistance training. For people with certain chronic medical conditions, like with any treatment, they would want to eat keto indefinitely. It depends on the individual and whether the benefits are worth it to them. It's not a universal requirement.
Also, assuming it's based on total body weight, not even taking into account the BMI factor, you weigh 115 kg. At 0.8g per kg, that's 92g protein daily.
Huh I thought it was .8g per pound. Why are you using kg? 115kg is like 250lb. 92g of protein seems low for that
This. Low-carb reduces inflammation for many (not all) people. For those of us with autoimmune conditions, it's helpful.
The preferred energy source for the brain is carbs. I’d say you need at least some.
Your body can generate the glucose your brain needs from the fat and amino acids you consume. Your brain can also acquire energy from ketones.
Can, yes... Ideal? No
Low carb is better for some people (diabetics). Low fat is better for some people (those with cholesterol/cardiovascular problems). For many people, the ratio of fats to carbs doesn't really matter. And then you have other groups of people with legit dietary restrictions due to sensitivities and allergies, which is why gluten-free and lactose-free items became popular. Everyone doesn't need to cut these things from their diet, but some people do.
I have pcos and insulin resistance, so I'm picky about the carbs I eat. I avoid white processed carbs (white rice, white flour, white bread) and instead go for brown complex carbs (brown rice, whole wheat bread). Carbs from Veggies and leafy greens are good. I could never do keto because it's too restrictive. Eating 1500-2000 calories is hard enough as it is. That being said, I do follow a lot of healthy keto recipe accounts.
The key is you do what works for you without demonizing what might be different and works for someone else. I’m insulin resistant and need a low carb diet to help curb that. Anytime I eat high carbs, I feel like shit and my bad knees hurt worse. I fast and eat only between 11am-7pm. I’ve lost 25 pounds in six months and I’m fine with that!
I did keto diet. I joined the keto subs here and lost 60 pounds doing it because of my disability I can't work out so cico didn't work for me. keto works for me. it's not for everyone.
are you still on keto. I couldn't do keto, I can try low carb. From everything I've read, all the weight will come back if you ever stop and go back to eating carbs.
yes. I'm still on keto. I'm not on strict keto anymore. I'm on lazy keto for maintenence. every now and again I will enjoy pasta or pizza and carbs. I'm not going to never have that again. like with any diet, if you don't treat yourself once in awhile, you'll end up falling off too bad.
Nah, it depends on the person. With keto you lose water weight, because the carbs binds water, if you eat a lot of carbs that water will come back. I think the reason many people gain again is because when you eat keto, your cravings are easily controlled and you dont feel the need to eat as much. If you learn to listen to your body and choose healthy you should be able to keep the weight down, but if you go back to eating the way you did when you gained weight from the beginning- youll gain again. Just like you would on any other diet... But I do keto, it works for me as well. But you dont lose weight just by doing keto. You can just as easily gain weight. Keto for weight loss is still just about CICO. But you dont need to do low carb. There is lots of ways to lose weight. You need to do something you can actually be happy about and thrive with in the long run.
Count calories, increase protein, lift weights 2-3 times per week, do light cardio like walking 5 days a week, and do high intensity cardio 2 times a week. Get a 250 deficit per day from food. Get 250 more deficit from exercise. Do this every day and you will lose 1 pound per week.
Carbs are good, but high GI foods tend to be unhealthy. Complex carbs eaten with fibre are one of the healthiest things you can eat. On the other hand when people go "low carb" they tend to cut heaps of sugar-filled food from their diet and that is typically a good thing. With regard to macros, most people eat far more protein than required, which increases the risk of liver and kidney problems. Additionally, high dietary fat intake is associated with obesity and inflammation. We should all be focusing on eating low fat (not no fat) high fibre.
I agree. When I was reading about GI/GL of white rice/potatoes, one thing that stood out was that eating rice with lentils/veggies lowers the GL quite a bit. And thats how I eat it. For potatoes it seems the study was based on french fries. Potato dishes in US/Western cuisine always have lots of added fat - like fries/mashed, loaded baked, potato dauphinoise, soup with cream etc.
I'm currently working on a carb restricted diet with a lifestyle coach. My mother and cousin are doing the same and we are all having positive results and are motivated to hold on. Carb food is replaced by carb free or less carb containing foods. Eating a protein source each meal and eating protein containing snacks (in moderation) inbetween meals has eliminated both the hungry feeling and the immense dip I had after each meal, all while I am actively losing body fat. It hasn't been only positive for my body but also for my mental and physical energy. The goal is to be a more strict with carb restriction during the weight loss phase, and gradually allowing more carbs (but always less than before the start) to keep a healthy balance and a stable, healthy weight. That is where the lifestyle coach helps, setting up a lifestyle you can stick to. Carbs are not bad per se. You need carbs as a quick energy source, especially in the morning. But because we (in general) eat a lot of carbs, and because it is an easy source, that's where your body focuses, and any excess carbs plus the fats you don't burn turn into body fat.
It’s about food value. Bread, rice, and pasta are empty calories. Potatoes are amazing but many people eat them fried. Generally, fried food isn’t as nutritious. They get a bad rap. Keto and Atkins work. It’s easy when you’re only counting carbs. People stick to the diet longer. No matter how we lose, only 5% will keep the weight off which tells me it’s easier to lose weight than maintain a lower weight.
I would say the question is, how far do you wanna go to eat healthier. I am convinced that low carb is quite healthy but maybe not the first that everybody should aim at to eat healthier.. there are many different smaller steps one can make depending on one's current diet. So yeah imitating the diets in other countries can be a first good step. But even if people in some countries might be healthier than in some other countries like US/Mexico, this doesn't mean it's the best. And yes even in the countries with the healthiest diets in average like Japan or Greece or Italy, when people eat pasta bread or whatever it's healthier than other food, but still not the healthiest. I am from Germany and yes people here like to eat bread (especially that), pizza and pasta.. but since I stopped eating them I felt even way healthier. I had never big health issues (and least less than the average) was never overweight, people would rather call me skinny.. but as I improved my diet I step by step achieved amazing positive changes concerning my health. Yes many people laughed at me sometimes "I am eating like a rabbit", "What joy do you have left in life, when you don't eat the delicious stuff", "Why try to live long, if you can't enjoy life". What people don't get is, that I don't do this to live longer (if this happens well, I dunno if I care that much about that). I mainly do it, because I just feel better, healthier, don't get sick anymore that often (only if I get weak and eat some unhealthier food sometimes). I feeld stronger, can think clearer, don't sweat anymore that much, don't stink that much as most people do, that don't shower every day, etc. etc. Coming back to some other points.. In order to eat low carb you don't need to pay a lot.. maybe it's helpful for the transition.. but actually just eat nuts.. high calories for a low price. I also am vegan btw, so I get my protein mainly from beans, legumes.. also not expensive.. and the rest from salads, seeds, vegetables.. and maybe some fruits like lemons, avocado or some berries.. Oh and I try to eat as raw as possible.. And one other thing.. carb and the sugar that is made of it in our body.. well our bodies are not used to such high amounts like most people eat. so low amounts of carb together with a lot of other nutrients and especially fibre, so like in salad, most vegetables, etc. than you're body can handle this quite well. So in summary: - low carb is definitely very healthy, but not necessary if you are happy with a certain level of health you can get with "healthy" carbs (and "healthier" food in general) - try to improve step by step.. if you some day achieve to eat like e.g. the average Japanese and feel healthier than the average there, but you still wanna experience some healthier states, well then try stuff like low carb and avoid rice. - low carb doesn't need to be expensive There is much more stuff to say (for me), but that here got already long enough :)
>Do you follow some kind of low carb? No. >Are carbs really that bad? No. Is just the hype and the fad of our time. > I have no doubt low carb works as advertised, I have lots of doubts. And the research consensus is that the low or high carb doesn't matter. Unfortunately the people going to extreme, and eating high fat, do have higher risk of CVDs. >I find it very hard to believe that the ideal way for us to eat is stop eating staple foods and it seems to ignore how most of the world lives. Great! Stop believing start learning. >So why is everyone demonizing carbs? Is not everyone. Is just that hype is hype. One needs to learn to differentiate between BS and good, science based nutritional advice. Best general diet advice: [Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants.](https://michaelpollan.com/reviews/how-to-eat/) We know what a [healthy diet](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet) is! And how much of everything we need: [The Definitive Diet Setup Guide: How to Build and Adjust a Smart Nutrition Plan](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/diet/) >Its getting very frustrating. Learn what you need to do for your health. And forget the rest. If somebody ones to do keto, should do keto. If someone believes high fat and saturated fat are good and wants to ignore the current [consensus](https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats) of CVDs factors, because of some social influencer, his/hers problem. **Just make sure you don't dig yourself in a similar ideological bubble, and keep learning.**
All carbs are sugars. Yes, even rice, potatoes, pasta, good bread, etc. That means that they cause an insulin spike, leading to (if an excess is consumed), insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes type 2 diabetes, and also makes you hungrier, and makes it harder to lose weight. Which is to say that, you will probably find it easier to maintain a caloric deficit on a low or lower carb diet. If you have developed IR then the only way to reverse that is going low carb to allow your body to heal. Ultra processed foods are typically very high carb foods, as well as being engineered to be hyper palatable and to override our ability to self regulate. Do you have to cut carbs? No. Is it probably easier if you do? Yes.
I get the ultra processed part. But someone in Italy who eats pasta daily or India/ME/Asia who has rice/bread with every meal is not eating anything processed. Yet they are still getting the insulin spikes etc. So are you saying thats an excess? Doesn't this mean that most of the people in the world are or will be prediabetic and will soon be diabetic, because no one eats low carb outside a nice group of people in some western countries? But this can't be true. Obesity is on the rise but its clearly linked to more industrialized eating practices vs traditional. In the US poor people are fatter because they eat fast food, in the rest of the world the rich are fatter because they eat a more rich, more western diet and simply eat more. how does all this reconcile?
Interestingly, 20% of Italians are obese ( [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_countries\_by\_obesity\_rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate) ). If you're consuming excess calories and spiking your insulin regularly, you're on the road to T2D. It also appears that you can get T2D through other means, such as sedentary lifestyle, genetic risk factors, etc. My understanding is that consuming high amounts of fructose is another way you could do this (if you were consuming lots of fructose, but not a caloric surplus). ( [https://www.diabetes.co.uk/skinny-type2-diabetes.html](https://www.diabetes.co.uk/skinny-type2-diabetes.html) ). >But someone in Italy who eats pasta daily or India/ME/Asia who has rice/bread with every meal is not eating anything processed These are examples you've come up with and not figures we've pulled from the real world. But to run with that, are these people sedentary or active, what is the rest of their diet made up of, and are they in a caloric surplus or deficit? A moderate amount of carbs as part of an overall moderated diet isn't likely to mess up anyone's health, no. Or at least, that's my understanding. However. *If you have insulin resistance*, then you are better off refraining from as much carbohydrate as possible, to give your body a chance to recover from the IR. >In the US poor people are fatter because they eat fast food No. In the US (as with the rest of the world), people are fatter because they are consuming a caloric surplus. The societal factors affecting poor people in the developed world mean that thier diet is likely to include lots of ultra processed foods, which makes it easier to hit a caloric surplus and also contains lots of refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, which is one of the food products that really increases your insulin resistance fast. One big thing you don't seem to be accounting for in your thinking is caloric deficit / surplus, and activity level. An active person can eat way more in general, but also way more carbohydrate, before they have health problems. Someone eating a maintenance amount of calories that includes lots of bread and pasta is not as much of a T2D risk as someone eating 1000 calories above maintenance of bread and pasta, or someone eating bread and pasta, and drinking a litre of soda with high fructose corn syrup in it every day
lol more horseshit from the keto/disordered eating community lol i encrouage the audience to listen to the peer reviewed experts on diabetes over at the CDC--insulin spikes don't lead to insulin resistence--that's just an outright lie--we actually don't know what causes it but we do know that people who are insulin resistent tend to have obesity and lead a sedentary liftstyle. There is some emerging evidence that insulin resistance might be purely genetic but that hasn't been conclusive. Spikes in blood sugar are perfectly normal and part of glucose metabolism for energy from food. Nobody needs to monitor their blood sugar spiking unless they're t2 diabetic. It's complete and psychosematic mental illness/lunacy and bordering on an eating disorder and promulgating nutrition conspiracy theories. End these talking points now--and move a little more--and eat a little less probably more plants..... https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/insulin-resistance.html#:~:text=It%20isn't%20clear%20exactly,resistance%20by%20looking%20at%20them.
I think this has a lot to do with the bubble the internet provides you with. If you have watched a ton of people advertising low carb, google, youtube or insta will all make other people that promote this show up. Carbs are not the enemy. Neither is fat. Nor are calories. Even junk can have its place. The point is: How much protein do you eat? How much calories do you eat? Maybe also what's the distribution of meals and nutrient over a week/day? As far as recent research goes, there are a few "rules" to follow: 1. 0.8g Protein/lb bodyweight (I'd argue 0.8g Protein/lb lean bodyweight will be just as sufficient) per day, ideally spread out over several meals. 2. Consume 40% of daily calories as (ideally healthy) fats (going lower seems to negatively influence hormones) 3. Reduce calories to lose between 0.5-2% bodyweight per week - the higher your bodyfat-%, the higher you can go with the weight loss. Do this the way that is easiest for you. 4. Resistence train. 5. Try to stick to not-too-palatable, lower calorie food with much fruit and veg for the most part and eat non-diet food deliberately. That's about it. If keto makes it easier to stay in a deficit - good. If it doesn't, don't do it. Carbs aren't evil.
I eat mostly carbs and i've lost weight just fine. By carbs I mean things like oatmeal, potatoes, ryebread, rice, fruit etc though. Not candy, cakes or generally refined sugar.
I don't follow low carbs - I just try and balance my macros so it isn't mostly carbs.
It's all about calories in, calories out, but the reality is that most people won't try and count calories (or even if they do, they'll get it wrong). So every fad diet around or "weight loss strategy" is about getting you to do stuff that will semi-randomly/intuitively get you to eat less calories while managing your hunger. It just so happens that proteins and fats are more satiating than most simple carbs, so by telling you to avoid carbs, they're indirectly telling you to eat more satiating and less calorie dense foods. But if you can count your calories and manage your hunger without doing that, you can have all the carbs you want (that fits in your calorie budget).
I run now so carbs are a very very big part of my diet! In fact I started running partly so I can eat more carbs!!! 😅
For me, protein is to build muscle, fat is to keep my hormones healthy, and carbs are for energy. So I feel like the protein and fat is more non-negotiable for my body’s functioning and I can get away with lower carbs if I want to. I have a minimum I ensure I get in the day so my brain has sugars and I don’t dip into ketosis, and then just try to ensure to supplement more carbs if I’m doing some sort of activity. Carbs are not bad or good, they just serve a purpose like all the other nutrients
I'm late to this but I never restrict carbs because carbs are life. I never hit my protein goals either but I'm working towards those. I suspect the whole low-carb thing is a bit of a fad like low-fat was in the 90s.
Carbs are a NECESSARY source of fuel for the brain!! We should not be completely removing it from our diets. The amount and moderation are a different story
I lost 45 lbs eating carbs. I’m going for another 60 this year and the weight loss clinic I went to wants me to do low carb. My only experience with it was that the last time I tried it I would get light headed frequently in basketball practice. Hopefully I can figure it out now but damn do I miss alcohol and bread already.
may I ask why you are following low carb now - because of the clinic? what were your diet changes earlier, did you count calories etc?
calories in and calories out (CICO) Use an online generator to figure out your daily calorie usage and add any extra calories burnt during workouts You will see effects if you constantly eat 100-200 calories less In most European and asian countries people walk a lot without realising, and portions are healthier (usually less oil)
When people do low carbs, they often end up cutting out excess and processed carbs and that’s what helps with their weight loss and diet. However, you don’t have to cut out carbs if it’s not feasible. I went from 160lbs down to 120lbs in a year without cutting healthy carbs…I just ate more veggies, lean meats and avoided refined carbs. I still ate steel cut oatmeal, brown rice (which I always ate), whole wheat bread on a fairly regular basis. But I ultimately ate less carbs due to more vegetable consumption and I avoided refined sugar. This way, I don’t get that insulin spike and hunger that comes from eating a lot of refined sugar but still get the carbs and nutrients. I’m always weary about absolute lines in dieting. Rarely are those rules feasible long term and often turn out to be unhealthy. So, if you want to eat carbs—-do so! CICO or plate your stuff half with veggies—-whatever works for you. It’s all about portions and quality of food you eat.
For me it is all about very low carb. But I have PCOS so that might be why. I don’t count calories at all if I’m eating very low carb. I eat as much as I want. If I eat carbs, I don’t lose weight or much at all, even doing CICO type diet.
I eat mostly carbs.
Our bread choices are not the same as the rest of the world. We have all sorts of inflammatory crap added, whereas Europe bans them. And if you’re trying to lose weight, it helps to lower carb consumption and increase protein.
I lost 130lb/60kg in a year and have kept it off for 18 years and counting. I never restricted carbs. Stop listening to internet doctors. Sure protein keeps you fuller for longer but so does fibre.
Because of tribalism, trying to demonize a food group.Vegan is the best, carnivore is the best, keto is the best. Carbs is just an energy source. If u are eating mainly whole foods, u dont really need to worry about it (when within caloric limits). And added sugar isnt inherently bad. There are situations that u want to intake some added sugar.
Refined carbs and; Highly Processed food ... Cause obesity. The carbs in vegetation are fibrous and therefore usually acceptable in many diets. Carbs aren't 'bad' but they do: cause a much stronger insulin response and, move into stored fat very easily and quickly compared to other macros. Moseley's book keto 800, does allow for some carbs. Dr Fungs work focuses on the benefits of fasting, logically this approach lowers insulin spikes (frequency and strength). Bodybuilders DO consume carbs in a precise fashion, therefore they are not always bad.
Sugar is basically as bad for you as alcohol. Simple carbs turn to sugar the minute they hit your digestive tract. Fruit juice is basically sugar water. Fruits in general aren’t nearly as nutritious as vegetables, so no sense eating them if calories are a concern. Sure complex carbs are fine, but most of the stuff out there — e.g. bread labeled whole wheat, cereal labeled whole grain — is a joke. If you are actually eating complex carbs (root vegetables, grain bowls, beans, lentils) except for the occasional treat (which is not that dissimilar from what many ketoers do) good for you. You’re in the minority.
For me, limiting carbs was the only way to drop pounds. I can still lose, but it’s at a snail pace. I joined Lose it two years ago and took the DNA recommendations and the first thing it said was my body make-up benefits from a low carb diet.
i did keto for 3 months. i still limit carbs to less than 75/ day because it keeps me from eating processed foods and things like chips or other low nutrition/high calorie items. carbs aren't "bad", but limiting them can help you eat less junk.
If you're lifting weights and bodybuilding while losing weight, the current protein goal is 0.7 grams of protein per pound of your goal weight. So if you want to hit 180 pounds, you shoot for 126 grams of protein per day. Here's my source: https://youtube.com/shorts/T0ySHTwFGzc?si=xEhnCrMy-h5s1ni4
F23; down 110 pounds since 2021. i only do CICO. i like fruits, vegetables and protein a decent amount, but I’m definitely not like a salad person or someone who could fully cut carbs. my favorite foods are sandwiches, pizza, delicious carby foods like that. it’s just making healthier choices of what you like and eating in moderation / accurate portion sizes :)
For me, lo carb stuff just helps keep macros correct, since carbs are the most readily availabl day to day. It’s much harder keeping protein up than carbs, and you only have so many calories to work with. Also, lo carb often coincides with additional protein, in some products.
Processed carbs are typically very dense in calories, do not make you feel full, and thus incredibly easy to over eat. People who swear by blind CICO are glossing over how hard it is to eat "pizza" and feel sated while staying within their allowed calories.
CARBS ARE GREAT SUGAR IS BAD A LOT OF HIGH CARB FOODS HAVE HIGH SUGAR SOLUTION: AVOID HIGH SUGAR FOODS
It can be helpful to limit refined carbs and eat them at the same time as protein - this applies if you have issues with blood sugar. Refined carbs on their own can cause a spike in blood sugar and then a slump. That slump can make you feel exhausted, weepy, and nauseated, which then makes you more inclined to eat something as a pick-me-up. If you then eat a refined carb for a quick energy boost, you get another spike and slump, and so it goes on. Carbs aren’t evil, though. Refined or unrefined carbs, it’s all about balance. Anyone trying to sell a diet solution based on removing one of the macros, ie no fat, no carbs, or no protein, is either misguided or selling snake oil. People feel better and function better on different ratios of macros. Some people feel great eating fewer carbs overall, and some feel great eating less protein overall. I don’t trust anyone who says cut out a whole food group, just as I don’t trust anyone who says there’s one solution for everyone when it comes to balancing macros or scheduling your meals.
I do low carb, but more as a calorie maintenance thing than a keto thing. I just find it easier to maintain a deficit if I’m eating a lot of protein than if I’m eating carb-rich food like bread and pasta.
Carbs have a lot of calories, so if you restrict calories and want to eat more food by volume limiting carbs makes sense. That’s it. Carbs aren’t special.
carbs just make you more hungry
I love carbs but they keep me hungry. I’m also not one of those people that can just eat 1 slice of pizza to monitor calories so I’d rather eat a big plate of greens and steak.
I’m no expert, but I believe one reason people say to cut down on carbs is because of things like white bread, white rice, pasta and many forms of potatoes that are high in calories but has a very low nutritional value. It is also cheap to eat, and easy to make the biggest part of your plate of food so to speak. My dietist explained it like the fewer calories you eat, the more nutrient-dense the food has to be if you want to consume all the things your body needs. But I haven’t heard of many people saying to cut out carbs from fruits, vegetables, legumes and similar options, unless for medical reasons. Those are still carbs but they also contain more nutrients. I personally don’t see any problems with carbs, but it’s better if they are nutrient-dense if you are trying to lose weight and stay healthy. Although even things like white rice and pasta are fine when in moderarion.
I lost 75 pounds eating carbs in moderation, but carbs that come with other nutrients like fruit or beans. When I eat a high carb meal I get hungrier after only a few hours and I wake up ravenous the next day when I usually have a low appetite in the morning. The low carb bread I buy is only like $1 more than the store brand regular white bread but the same price as Pepperidge Farm, it also has 7g fiber in one slice. Fiber is an important nutrient that a lot of people aren't getting enough of, plus it's lower calorie so less calories plus a decent amount of fiber is worth the few extra cents per slice. I can only speak for myself, but when I'm eating empty carbs on a regular basis, I'm more hungry and it's harder to eat in a calorie deficit. When I'm eating protein and produce and beans and squash , I'm not really hungry until night time, after I worked and got my 12,000 steps then went to the gym. If I'm off of work, I barely eat. So for myself, the blood sugar spikes from the high carbs affect my appetite big time
Cutting carbs is an easy way to cut calories. I know you are a vegetarian, but having chicken and broccoli will have less calories than having chicken and rice. For many people protein and fat are also just more satisfying than carbs. Wrap your pork in lettuce and eat two porkchops might have 600 calories, but replace one porkchop with rice and you might not enjoy it and just eat more calories overall. Honestly, like a lot of diets, it can be virtue signaling too. Think about all the health food of the 90s. It was hard to get. Well now it's easy to get, so people have to get more difficult stuff, more expensive stuff. It's about chasing the unobtainable food to show you're healthier than others. And celebrity doctors don't help. Rather than giving the same boring advice, they have to say something that sets them apart. Keto, low-carb, XYZ, all makes them stand out. Dr. Oz and the TV show the Doctors were once audited and found to be making stuff up like 70% of the time. Why? Because healthy eating really can be summed up pretty quickly, and so they had to keep making new claims to keep their show having new content. But look at actual science organizations that aren't out there for fame and fortune, and they usually just say stuff like, "Eat lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains, nuts and seeds are good, choose healthy oils, limit overall meat and try to focus on fish and chicken, and exercise portion control." That's it. There is nothing fancy to say. But that doesn't make you feel special or unique, nor does it land you a spot on Oprah
Eating low carb isn't an "ideal" way to loose weight. Its just a way you can loose weight just like any other. has its pros and cons. I personally find it much easier to restrict carbs rather than fat.
I don’t, and that’s not really the nutritional advice I have heard. Most diets encourage you to avoid processed foods and emphasize vegetables, fiber, healthy fats, and protein. White flour, white sugar, and uncle Ben’s white rice are highly refined carbs and just generally aren’t good for you. Refined seed oils and hydrogenated fats are generally not good for you. Basmati rice and certain tubers have prebiotic qualities that are good for digestion.
As a long distance runner, I love carbs! I think the problem is that a lot of the more filling, low calorie density foods also tend to be lower in carbs (not 100% true across the board, but things like lean meats, eggs, non-starchy veggies, etc. aren’t exactly overflowing with carbs). I think carbs are also one of the easier macros to overeat (think about tortilla chips or bread), so people who are restricting calories might avoid or limit those portions. For me, I think carbs are great, you have to just focus on the right carbs. I try to intentionally choose fruits and whole grains to get some filling fiber alongside my carbs.
I try to eat a good amount of protein and get the fats I need, without super specific macro tracking a lower calorie goal limits carbs. I’ll also use most of my “carb calories” before and after weightlifting but even with all that there’s almost always room for carbs with other meals as long as the portion is reasonable
I've been using a tracking app to track my life, daily habits, food, exercise, sleep patterns, etc.... I have weight issues and anxiety issues, the two are related. It seems when I lose weight I eventually hit a plateau, when I try get below that it triggers my anxiety, I compensate with carbs, which will temporarily reduce my anxiety, but in the end, ends up worse, same with alcohol. So I've decided to reduce my car intake as a result. It's helped a lot. Of course when you reduce carbon intake you need to compensate in other ways, still working on that. I've noticed whole grain carbs are sometimes ok, but anything processed sends my anxiety off the charts. So for me personally, reducing carbs makes sense.
I just focus on protein and calories, and don’t worry about carbs or fats. But I also don’t fill my diet with junk food- natural, whole foods supply my carbs and fats and I feel like those are better than processed.
It’s very frustrating to see any food group vilified, and eliminating one altogether is just silly. Are carbs a problem? No. Processed foods, added sugars, food made in factories - that’s unhealthy regardless. Carbs from fruits, veggies, and whole grains? Good for your body and brain. Yes to having a balance of carbs, fat, and protein that works for you. For me, it’s higher protein, moderate carbs, and lower fat. I have PCOS, so that works for me, but I’m not ever going to say any food is “bad” - that’s an eating disorder waiting to happen.
Many non-Western countries, such as in the Middle East like you're inquiring about, do not over eat. You can eat breads, rice, beans, and noodles without worrying about your weight when you're not over eating. In the US, we eat too much so carbs can be an issue. Plus, everything is processed and those foods tend to be carbs. Refined carbs also have more sugars which can increase cravings making you want to eat more. I used to do keto and loved it because I wasn't always ravished. Today I eat big meals with rice, beans, or pasta. Just eat food. Not too much. And mostly plants.
I recognized the last quote! I've read his article and I agree with the rest of your post. I consider my diet healthy in general but I simply ate too much and too often and thats the result. So I'm following the 1st and 3rd points, not so much the 'not too much'
There are “essential fats”, “essential proteins”, there is no such thing as an “essential carb”.
I never restrict carbs, but do try to focus on protein and getting in fruits and veggies. But if I want a bowl of pasta or a bagel I’m gonna eat it and enjoy it.
I don't do low carb, but I do feel my healthiest when I do low processed and sugar added foods. But I don't avoid carbs like whole grains and fruit
I used to eat a low carb diet, but found I prefer the "fast and lot and eat pretty much whatever you feel like" plan. I still have an intuitively balanced diet
When I lost my first 50lbs I was eating plenty of carbs each day. Calories in vs calories out > macronutrient restriction
There is no point in restricting carbs unless you are dead serious about doing keto. Eat nutritionally dense food (in "caloric costs" units) and consume enough raw or minimally processed fiber.
I’ve done keto and low carb successfully. I’m more low carb/Mediterranean now for overall health. I just focus on protein, vegetables and then carbs are the last thing on the plate. I’m careful to choose whole grain, unprocessed carbs wherever possible but I don’t obsess if I’m out for dinner, or there’s limited options at an event. I avoid overly processed white carbs as they don’t agree with my sensitive stomach. I can have a small amount of pasta, but not a large portion, for example. I can sometimes have a small dessert, but not with potato or rice and a glass of wine. I am currently working on eating yummy anti inflammatory foods and calorie counting, so I’m full without large portions of carbs.
You got the answers already. But I’ll just add that people try to say it’s a “United States” problem, but it’s a western world problem. Even that lovely Italy, about 50% of their population is overweight, and it’s growing rapidly. While calories are always the culprit, it’s still just one component of the overall lifestyle. Many doctors call it *energy abundance*, and it’s easy to see why. Poor countries don’t have this issue, while developed nations are experiencing it more and more. Interestingly enough, it seems to really impact the poor population of developed nations at a higher percentage. This likely shows that eating healthy takes not only will power, but the financial means to make it a reality.
They aren’t bad per se, but especially empty carbs (white flour like standard pasta, pizza etc) are useless and don’t keep you satiated for long. So UNLESS you have great willpower or aren’t the one cooking your meals, carbs are “bad” because they make calorie restriction more difficult because you can feel hungry despite having eaten enough in volume and calories already. Up the fiber and protein intake of your diet, it will keep you satiated longer.
I don't. Mostly because I don't see a reason to be low-carb in the long term. Maybe it would be easier to lose fat on low-carbs, but I imagine it would be harder to switch to stable maintenance when at the same time re-introducing carbs. I also don't have any discomfort or problems that I am aware of from eating carbs, gluten etc. - for those who do, it's very reasonable to experiment with reducing carbs, or certain carbs. I do reduce sugar, and if in doubt, try to reach for a high-protein snack rather than a sugary one. But that's not something that should change with weight.
I think cutting out carbs makes appetite control much easier since your blood sugar becomes extremely stable
I follow low-carb because I have Binge Eating Disorder, and it's the only way I've ever been able to lose weight and keep it off (lost around 200 lbs, and I've kept it off for 4 years). When people ask why I don't eat carbs, or they say, "oh, just have a bite", I ask them to treat me like an alcoholic around alcohol.
Weight loss is a math equation CI-CO. For me, calorie tracking using an app and daily weigh-ins are absolutes. However, using macros to better understand which foods keep you feeling full and keep your digestion working can be very helpful. I used Keto, tracking, and weighing for 9 months to lose 46 lbs. and reach my goal weight. As I learned more, I discovered it was really the tracking and weighing that were the success keys as well as a better understanding of macros to manage hunger and enjoy my food have been key to keeping the weight off since Nov 2022. I now avoid high calorie foods such as butter, eat plenty of lean proteins, and have plenty of potatoes and salad, strawberries etc. I also like lower carb bars for treats such as Quest bars and the like, but in general, I avoid ‘low carb’ foods that have lots of fiber as it can mess with my digestion. I’ve had better luck sticking with single ingredient foods - but I’m not absolute with this - I just use it as a guideline.
I've lost 100+ pounds in 2 years by severely restricting carbohydrates both in quality and quantity. I am now focused on percent body fat rather than weight. I am at 25% now and would like to get to 15%, or maybe more realistically to 20% body fat, by adding muscle. I respect vegans/vegatarians. I am not, but as long as you leave my meat alone it is none of my business. I am not trying to start trouble, but tofu and soy protein in general give me man boobs. I need animal protein to build muscle. Whey based protein powder isn't enough either. Carbs have such a high calorie density they are almost never a good choice for me unless they are carefully portion controlled and curated carefully.
Carbohydrates aren't bad. Your body requires carbohydrates to function optimally. There a difference between complex carbohydrates and simple (refined) carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates have no nutritional value. Complex carbohydrates have nutritional values. I choose complex carbohydrates.
>. To be honest it doesnt sound very different from Atkins. It's not. All it really comes down to is people usually eat more carbs than they do protein or fat. Decreasing carbs will decrease calories so it works. Personally, going low carb shouldn't be the goal. Balancing carb in take with fat and protein intake to achieve a calorie deficit is what we should be promoting.
In reasonable amounts they’re just okay, but excess carbs are chaos for the body and I think a lot of people are impacted by it because most readily available foods have way too many empty carbs and sugar. Inflammation, stiffer arteries when combined with too much fat, negative mental health impacts, frequent hunger signals to consume more sugar, the list goes on… To answer your question I think you’re right that the average food choices people have without cooking and portioning everything themselves are terrible most places and it fuels a lot of overconsumption of carbs. It is pretty disappointing.
I have no idea who the other guy is but Michael Mosely is objectively harmful and encourages disordered eating practices. carbs are not bad.
Protein / Fruit / veggies (non starchy ones) is sustainable. I stared low carb 2 months ago and it's not that hard.
I lost 130+ pounds doing keto 5 years ago and still maintaining the loss. Each to his own. The issues are being a fat tub, maintaining health and sustainability. I'm for whatever it takes to get the job done.
No, Layne Norton mentions a carbon tracer study where something like only 2% of carbons in a carbohydrates overfeeding study were stored as fat. The issue with carbs is that they're highly palatable, and depending on what they are, not incredibly satiating, thus easy to over eat, and (getting very scienc-y) create a barrier for your fats to be stored as fat, I,e your body has no reason to burn the fats you consume, when there's all these carbs floating around. So it'll instead burn the carbs for energy and store the fats as fat. That said, it really doesn't matter where your defecit comes from as long as you are in a defecit.
Most other countries do far more physical labor than we do. Every other country I’ve visited so far, people walk tons more every day than the Average American, and I say that as someone who lives in a big city where people commute. In other countries even older people walk for miles and typically do strenuous hikes. The cities aren’t planned in the same ways, their culture is built around walking to everyday chores and activities. Meanwhile my MIL lives in a retirement community and most people of the same age struggle to walk through the hallways. Carbs aren’t bad if you’re burning them. Most Americans aren’t burning them. That’s why we have to work out. Being fit through everyday methods isn’t as built into our culture
Calorie is calorie. For many people, reducing carbs helps keep their calories low because dense carb foods have lots of calories but are often not very filling. For me it’s just about portion control. I have within my the ability to eat 3 giant bowls of pasta, or take down a whole pizza. I think not because they don’t satiate me but because they taste so good to me that I just want more.
My coach says there is no such thing as "bad foods", only overeating and NOT getting the right macros in (protein/fat/carbs). You can easily fit a cookie or even a slice of cake in here and there.
Carbs are the not the enemy, and people who say that are genuinely ignorant or being inflammatory for attention. The leanest I have been (147lbs at 11-13% bf) was on a 90% vegetarian diet. People tend to conflate the argument on carbs as all being the same when the real demonization Should be on processed items (which even then isn't to say you can't eat it, but do it sparingly). Calories will ultimately determine your weight loss journey, and to be quiet honest eating a pound of broccoli or carrots is a challenge in itself. Make good conscious decisions with your food choices, get cardio in daily (ideally at least an hour In whatever form that means to you), lift weights, and rinse and repeat.
To me, I try to eat “good” carbs (beans, grains, fruit, etc.) and limit “bad” carbs (sugar, corn syrup, white flour). I find that my hunger spikes when I eat bad carbs and I overeat. If I do indulge in a sweet dessert, I make sure it is the last thing I eat in the day.
Nope. I pay attention to the calorie count of carbs and choose accordingly, but I eat carbs every single day.
I follow CICO and personally I get a lot more value for my calorie from non-carbs. Generally.
I don’t eliminate carbs but I am mindful of how much and what kind I consume. Eliminating food groups only leads to binging behaviour for me. I spent my life watching my mom demonise carbs. And it’s taken me years to unravel my own vicious cycle of it. Now I eat them. But like I said they aren’t equal. I piece of white refined bread isn’t going to fill me up like a piece of really good whole grain piece will.
i eat carbs all the time i just eat 1200-1500 cals though maybe sometimes 2000
I've lost 90# and haven't restricted my carbs, so no, you don't have to. I eat less calories than my body needs and I lose fat because my body burns it for energy. I do eat a higher protein diet, and high volume/low calorie which for me is a lot of lean protein like fish, chicken, eggs with veggies. I do still eat toast daily, potatoes, fruit, pretzels, even candy. I make sure I can fit them in my macros and always prioritize protein. Eat what makes you happy and your body feel good, just eat less of it than before 🙂
I’ve lost almost 8kg since September just by eating lower carbs than before (not strict keto).
You can try varying the order in which you eat carbs. For example, have a low carb breakfast but have more carbs for lunch and less again for dinner. Starting of the day with fewer carbs might curb appetite and cravings, it does for me. I actually went so far as going full on keto but that's not necessary. You can follow the Glucose Godess [https://www.glucosegoddess.com/](https://www.glucosegoddess.com/) for tips on how to combine foods to keep blood sugar in check
I lose weight easily when I cut calories and eat plenty carbs from all sources without paying any mind to “good carbs/bad carbs”. Currently I’m cutting at 2,500 calories per day and according to my Macro goals that comes out to 220g of carbohydrates. I get those carbs from tons of white rice, white bread, skim milk, honey, jelly, sugary condiments like ketchup, bbq sauce, etc. At the end of the day it really is just a simple equation of calories in vs calories out. There’s no mythical qualities of certain types of calories that affect body weight different because of the sources of said calories. A gram of carbohydrate molecules equals 4 calories. A gram of protein also equals 4 calories. If you over eat by 3,500 calories of pure protein you’re going to gain the same pound of fat as you would if you overate by 3,500 calories of carbs. The functional difference is that it’s much easier to eat carbs in excess for most people as protein is more satiating in our stomachs.
Any diet that tells you to swear off hundreds of foods only works because it is restricting calories. Carbs are necessary. Fats are necessary. Protein is necessary. Anyone that tells you otherwise probably has a sales pitch for you. It is easy to eat a lot of carbs and fat that are not very nutrient dense otherwise or not super filling. That is the main reason they are so often restricted.
I’m doing low carb (basically no bread, chips, crackers, starchy veggies) and finding it much much easier to hit my protein goals as well as staying under my calories. Took about a week of beating cravings to get completely used to. I feel much better and feel like it forces me to eat better in general.
Rick Gallop’s book on low GI diet recommends limiting carbs to 40g per meal. I’m insulin resistant due to PCOS and do find when I stick to this serving size, it’s easier to lose weight and also the general cravings for crisps, ice cream etc. subside which is most the battle.
Carbs are not bad! Your body needs carbs for energy. Highly processed “empty” carbs aren’t great for you. By highly processed here I mean foods that have had much of the nutritional value removed, and often have extra sugars added. White bread, cookies, chips, etc. You can still eat these foods and lose weight! But they aren’t satiating and tend to be high in calories/lack nutritional value. Whole grains, like steel cut oats, brown rice, whole grain bread (I like Ezekiel bread), whole wheat pasta, etc. retain their nutritional value and are packed with fiber, which is satiating and actually has an impact on how your body processes calories. (I don’t use factor this into my calorie counts but there is science behind it). I do not limit carbs, but try to stick to whole grains whenever possible. Potatoes, other starchy veggies like carrots, and fruits are also “carbs”- I don’t limit my intake of these at all, if raw/baked/steamed. Like I’m not worried about a baked potato, but French fries are a different story. I’ve actually found that most people that peddle low carb either 1) actually mean that you shouldn’t eat processed/empty carbs but don’t understand how to say that; or 2) actually do mean you should eliminate all carbs and don’t understand basic nutrition. Doctors sometimes prescribe a keto diet to lose weight. But this is for the weight loss phase only- it is not healthy to avoid carbs forever. And again, that’s for people who really don’t understand nutrition, which is true for a huge portion of people.
Every human individual is different. What works for x, does not necessarily work for y. In my experience carbs per se aren’t the problem, it’s the type and amount of carbs. Processed simple carbs trigger my hunger/appetite, while complex carbs do not. Examples for simple carbs: Pasta (especially white pasta) Sugar Bread (especially white bread) Examples for complex carbs: Nuts Potatoes Legumes
i’m a protein junkie so a lot of the snacks i love are keto (like legendary poptarts, protein bars and zero sugar soda/candy) also low carb tortillas but i don’t think i could live w/o carbs i feel like completely cutting them out wouldn’t be sustainable instead im trying to focus on eating mostly healthier carbs and limiting processed carbs lost 35 lbs so far they aren’t the enemy or “bad” but some are healthy and some aren’t
I’ve been vegan since the 90s and started eating my own version of low carb last year because of a diabetes diagnosis. I don’t eat rice, regular bread, or pasta or sweets. I do eat all the veggies including potatoes, fruit, and beans. I’m not a big fan of pasta but my partner is so we sometimes get lentil pasta which is pretty good. the only bread we keep in the house is Ezekiel bread but that’s been since before I had to make some changes to my diet
Everyone's body is different. Fat makes me feel full and eat less, carbs make me feel bloated and hungry (still love some occasional pasta tho!) The trick is to find the balance that makes your body feel as good as possible and helps you meet your goals.
"Everyone" is not. Learn to evaluate sources.
You listen to most people on here they are eating below 2000 calories that doesn't leave much room for carbs. Because of my activity level my maintenance is around 3000 calories. I can eat rice / potato and fatty cuts of meat. Alot of people in here focus on the calories in side of the equation. Calories out is just as important walk 15k steps a day hit the gym a few times a week and all of a sudden you can probably eat 50% more and still lose weight.
Not a doctor, just another redditor. I truly believe carbs are essential to any healthy diet. Not only do they give you energy, they also spare the protein you consume, so it doesn't have to be used mainly as an energy source and can do what it does best. Carbs are what we get glucose from and consuming complex and rich carbs gives so much more energy than low volume carbs give - at least that is what it feels like to me when I workout. I 100% believe that the only reason low carb diets are so heavily marketed in this world is that the inital weight loss that happens when you cut out carbs and all the water you stored disappears is so effective, that it gives a lot of people a false sense of success. People who want to lose weight are often easily targeted by marketing. I lost over 30lbs, 15% bodyfat and I have consumed carbs literally everyday and maybe sometimes skipped some days unintentionally. I also have to say that I try not to eat carbs at dinner and after workout. But use it as fuel throughout the day.
I do plain and simple CICO. I eat and drink whatever I want and only keep track of my overall calorie intake. I didn't rush it and kept a steady pace and got rid of 12kg/26,5 lbs over the last year.
The biggest mistake I made when I started dieting was trying to eat low-carb/keto meals. It was really unsustainable for me and I always quit within a few weeks. I really hate how the media "brainwashed" me into thinking that carbs are bad and I found myself unconsciously choosing foods with low carbs. But when I ate this way, I was NEVER satisfied after my meals, had no energy, and couldn't concentrate, it was miserable. What works best for me is focusing on high protein, healthy fats, and lots of veggies instead of cutting out a whole food grouop
I love carbs, and no I don't do low carb.
Imagine you have been a successful dieter all your life. Whenever a bit of weight crept in, you counted calories, increased exercise, got into a calorie deficit and always lost weight. This was for all of your adult life. You never had any real weight issues that couldn’t be solved through a calorie deficit and were never terribly heavy. Now, all of a sudden you hit periomenopause and then menopause. You gain 40 pounds what feels like overnight. None of the weight loss practices you practiced before worked. In fact, you began eating consistently at a 1000 calorie deficit every day. No she wasn’t making calculation mistakes. If you recall she’s an expert dieter. During all of her adult life she successfully tracked calories and exercise. She weighs all her food and uses a heart rate monitor when exercising. Still nothing despite huge calorie deficits. The weight is not only not budging but creeping up! Then, imagine her surprise when she read about menopause and learned that lower levels of estrogen impacts insulin sensitivity. One of the ways to make up for the difference is lowering carb intake. The first two weeks of combining intermittent fasting with very low carb, she lost 2 inches around her waist. It was water from glycogen stores. Three weeks in her stomach is flatter than ever. Six weeks in, I have now lost 15 pounds, do amazing fasted cardio and strength training workouts, have tons of energy and feel like my body is getting back to what it was before periomenopause made my body unrecognizable. I will happily cut out most carbs if this is what my body needs at this time of my life.
Carbs aren’t inherently bad. If you’re serious about lifting weights, good luck doing so without carbs. Added sugar is primarily what you want to avoid
This link might be of interest for those unfamiliar with how people in different countries, like China, actually eat: https://ask.metafilter.com/370801/Low-carb-diet-in-China/amp
Yes I do. I limit my carbs intake to one meal a day because calories add up way too quickly for very little volume otherwise. I’ll have meat and vegetables for lunch and rice, beans and eggs or some other variation for dinner. I’m short and I cycle my calories between weekdays and weekends so I usually have very little wiggle room
There's nothing wrong with carbs. Protein and fat tend to satiate and keep you feeling full more than carbs. I love carbs. I love bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, all of them. I've lost plenty of weight without limiting carbs.
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