I do a lot of cardio per week so I figure it won't kill me just as long as I am not totally overdoing it. I have high cholesterol (getting that checked again in April so hopefully I can say "had") so living on high fat, eggs and red meat isn't a great idea. Truthfully if I don't eat some carbs a day I never feel full.
If you can handle carbs and maintain or lose weight there is no reason why you should avoid them. But some of us are super carb sensitive and gain weight rapidy if we eat them. So we have to really monitor them.
But you are misinformed if you think low carb means living on fat,eggs and red meat.
My diet is lean protein and lots of veggies and some fruit.
I was only referring to people I know personally that did Atkins. They seemed to live on red meat, eggs, tuna and fat, what you guys do I don't know and I'm not debating it either (whatever works for you) I was just wondering what the deal was with carbs being taboo the last 10 years or so. Lots of interesting answers, didn't think it would generate a 4 page discussion.
I'm still an "everything in moderation" adocate but I don't have any insulin issues...at least none that I'm aware of.
Everyone has to just figure out what works for them and embrace that and not worry what other people are doing
I agree, with the caveat being I enjoy learning about what others area doing because it spurs me to look into the 'why's' of it. I've learned a TON from people, mainly around 3FC, because of finding out what they're doing (even if I don't necessarily agree/think it's the best thing to do). I've changed modes countless times in the past year of my new lifestyle, done a lot of research (can you call googling things research yet? lol), and have found out things I never knew. I've tried lots of different things; some FOR SURE not for me, some I may go back to, some crazy stuff, some really awesome stuff.
I usually won't argue with a person about their way of eating unless they are specifically uninformed and just plain ol' wrong and putting wrong info out there for others to be misguided by.
I'm very stubborn and it takes me a long time to come to terms with new information that is in contrast to the ideas I already hold. It's discussions just like this that I really enjoy reading.
In regards to the OP, I do think that "carb" has a lot of negativity attached to it, and has for many years now. Of course not all carbs are created equal. That is kind of in relation to a post from a few days ago about "is a calorie a calorie?". If not all carbs are created equal, then that would by default mean not all calories are created equal!
I think the fact that there is an "obesity epidemic" in this country is what has changed the focus from fat to refined carbohydrates.
Maybe, kind of?
I mean, when I'm on track, I eat no refined carbohydrates (unless you count a piece of dark chocolate a couple times per week) but still my carb ranges are still high. I think diets like Atkins (and especially Paleo which shuns beans and any whole grains), are talking about any starchy carbs. So beans are mostly off the table, things like brown rice are off the table, many fruits and some vegetables are also taboo.
I have PCOS as well and I do well when I'm eating complex carbohydrates but I tend to avoid bread and grains mostly due to calorie conservation. It is more that I enjoy a cup of black beans more than I like a cup of brown rice. I also like to follow the glycemic index/load as a general guideline.
And I do think it is finding a mixture of what you like and what works for your body.
I was only referring to people I know personally that did Atkins. They seemed to live on red meat, eggs, tuna and fat, what you guys do I don't know and I'm not debating it either (whatever works for you) I was just wondering what the deal was with carbs being taboo the last 10 years or so. Lots of interesting answers, didn't think it would generate a 4 page discussion.
I'm still an "everything in moderation" adocate but I don't have any insulin issues...at least none that I'm aware of.
I like JohnP's reply the most.
I do Atkins by the book (DANDR 2002) and specified my diet above. Anyone who lives off of meat and doesn't exercise or get plenty of vegetable matter is NOT doing Atkins properly - he strongly advocates vegetables, plenty of them, and those that have THE most nutritional bang for the buck. Even the '72 version doesn't abstain from veggies.
It's when folks make up their version of low carb, stay in induction forever, or CHOOSE to eat overly processed meat and cheese products in excess instead of following his recommendations, that many get into trouble. That's been my experience on dedicated Atkins diet boards - those who follow the book to the letter in losing and maintenance do extremely well. Those who just look at an inductions food list and make it up from there or miss the ongoing weight loss advice are the ones who get into trouble
Nelie - you're correct that starchy carbs in veggies, beans, fruit, and dairy are also limited in the initial induction phase and early ongoing weight loss rungs. Many folks find they can transition them back in as they move through those rungs in premaintenance and maintenance, though some of us have additional health issues or a lot of metabolic resistance and can't. I'd say a good half of the folks who do Atkins on my fave Atkins board end up eating a little oatmeal, mango, or lentils each day with no issue. And those who are more active can manage quite a high net carb amount with a lot of variety.
Then there's those like me, who will always be lower carb and with less options regarding starch - not because of the carb load, necessarily, but my own immune system issues
I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference on how we allocate a limited number of calories. And low carb is ultimately a low calorie way to eat - that's why people lose weight. Personally, I'm not a big fan of beans and legumes. I am not saying they aren't healthy, they just aren't things I like. So I am happier "spending" my calories on chicken, beef, salmon, etc. and feel more satisfied on those foods. I think for me, some is physiological and I like that I can eat low carb and not feel hungry on a limited amount of calories and not get cravings to eat more just for the sake of eating it, not because of genuine hunger. But I know people who say they are the exact opposite and find that they never feel satisfied if they don't eat enough grains and starches.
The other thing is that while low carb diets tend to be trendy and maybe a bit controversial and newsmaking, the vast majority of diet advice given out is still "eat a balanced diet, eat whole grains, etc." Low carb eaters are still a pretty small group overall.
I lost weight on a high-carb diet and I continue to eat high carb (about 300 g/day) while maintaining. Low carb just doesn't satisfy me. As long as I keep certain carb-based temptations out of the house, like sweet potato chips or pretzels, I can control myself around carbs.
I've noticed that whenever I eat a high-calorie, high-carb dinner, I have more energy for my workout the next morning, so there's definitely something behind the carbohydrate-loading idea.
Last year, I was more of an athlete than I was this year. I was training for a metric century ride and I was riding my bike 45-55 miles per day on weekends, attending spinning classes during the week and also doing pilates 2 or 3 times a week.
My nutritionist thought that I needed more carbs in my diet and I followed her advice -- only to gain weight and have my A1C shoot up, despite all the exercise/burning calories.
I think that low-carb is really something that has to be defined by the person in question -- 25 grams may be too low for some, but 100 gr is low enough for another. We are all experimenting on ourselves anyway and we can give advice on what works for us, but aside from general nutritional knowledge, the specific advice ends there.
I do agree that a lot of people who do Atkins or Paleo or any of the other "Lowe Carb Diets" take it as an opportunity to just eat bacon all day and top off that bacon with cheese, because it's their "trigger" foods that are "allowed" on the diet. It doesn't work long term or for health.
But I think we can't say that low-carb doesn't work or that it's just a "fad" because what we are learning now is that it's not, it affects people who are not diabetic (we're not only talking about a small sub-population) and that these diets are not only about eating a slab of steak at every meal.
If high calorie works for you, I envy your ease in losing weight and still being able to eat those cookies and pies and not getting the sugar crashes later. I wish it was that easy for me.
I agree, with the caveat being I enjoy learning about what others area doing because it spurs me to look into the 'why's' of it. I've learned a TON from people, mainly around 3FC, because of finding out what they're doing (even if I don't necessarily agree/think it's the best thing to do). I've changed modes countless times in the past year of my new lifestyle, done a lot of research (can you call googling things research yet? lol), and have found out things I never knew. I've tried lots of different things; some FOR SURE not for me, some I may go back to, some crazy stuff, some really awesome stuff.
I usually won't argue with a person about their way of eating unless they are specifically uninformed and just plain ol' wrong and putting wrong info out there for others to be misguided by.
I'm very stubborn and it takes me a long time to come to terms with new information that is in contrast to the ideas I already hold. It's discussions just like this that I really enjoy reading.
In regards to the OP, I do think that "carb" has a lot of negativity attached to it, and has for many years now. Of course not all carbs are created equal. That is kind of in relation to a post from a few days ago about "is a calorie a calorie?". If not all carbs are created equal, then that would by default mean not all calories are created equal!
Wow, you totally took my thoughts and said them a whole lot better than I ever could have!
I am learning what works for me. I try to limit the white carbs, and stick to whole grains. I don't make pasta often and I feel better for doing so (We used to have pasta nearly every day...) I have a long way to go and many things to learn along the way. I do like to try new things so who knows how my eating will change over the next.... forever
The reason I don't buy into fad diets is because they all have one thing in common: removing several food options and promising that sustained weight loss can happen if one only adheres to the specific diet in question. I tend to lump low carb diets (for weight loss, not for diabetes management) into that category.
Weight loss comes from burning more energy (calories) than one is consuming. It's challenging for me to accept that someone (with no health problems) who is losing weight consistantly will stop losing weight all together when all factors are even except consuming more carbs. Maybe because it's never been my experience -- in *all* the times I've lost weight. I've only and ever gained one ounce back from eating more than I was burning.
I know one can eat many things on a low-carb plan. For me, I'm not going to live in a world without ice cream, pizza, wine, or chocolate lol ... I just can't eat those things in excess without expecting weight gain. However, the weight gain comes from exceeding calories not from the carbs.
So, I do think low carb "works". I think cabbage soup diet works. I think Special K challenge works. I think the banana diet works, and every other diet that proports to "work" -- even intermittent fasting, which I practice. I just dispute why it works. To me, they all work by reducing calories to a sufficient amount for weight loss.
The issue for why low-carb diets are appealing is because so much has been learned about insulin response and in the context of the obesity epidemic, diabetes has been on the rise too.
I'm surprised this wasn't brought up sooner.
The fact is that insulin is not the problem. Yes - some people have big problems with carbs. Forget those people for a second. I'm only talking about carbs and insulin.
I agree, i heard there are good carbs and bad carbsm but when I was playing sports, our coach always told us to eat a bunch of carbs the day before. And now all of a sudden they are bad?!
By the way - insulin sensative people will lose more weight on a high carb diet.
Most obese people have become insulin resistant and some were insulin resistant to start with.
Test to see if you're insulin sensative, functioning normally, or insulin resistant.
Eat a carb heavy meal that also has protein. (Not a giant sized meal because that makes everyone sleepy) Do you feel energized? You're insulin sensative and I hate you. Do you feel neither tired nor energized? You're response to insulin is normal. Do you get an energy crash/sleep and get hungry about an hour later? You're probably insulin resistant.
This is not a fool proof test. Everyone is different. YMMV ... etc.
