Why is everyone so afraid of carbs? (Read 299 times)

I have a friend trying to convert me to "paleo" and "clean" eating. I guess all my from scratch food is dirty lol! I'm pretty sure I could never give up carbs. so much info is thrown around its hard to know the truth.

You could easily accomplish the same goal by just choosing to eat mostly vegetables, plenty of fiber, and not overly-processed carbs (so, whole grains, potatoes etc. if you really want to be hardcore), instead of espousing a ridiculous diet that eliminates foods to which the vast majority of people have no intolerance.  Since your pluses seem to be all about weight loss, and you're a huge fan of fiber given the cabbage-apple-etc. situation... what in the world is wrong with BEANS?

Seriously?

Beans?

And good luck running decent mileage without any easy-to-digest carbs like potatoes, rice, and pasta.  That's asking for GI trouble.

Also, in the context of intense training, the IDEAL recovery food is a low-fiber fast-digesting carbohydrate like (GASP) WHITE BREAD.

OMG.  All runners are going to be fat when they refuel from 6 x 1 mile repeats with a PB & J on white bread sandwich.  That could never work.  All those elite marathoners eating mostly grain (millet, teff, ring a bell?) are doing it so wrong.

My point is, Paleo is arbitrary and absurd, but for many it's a seemingly magical weight-loss solution because it's full of rules.  Guess what?  When you follow a ton of food rules you pay more attention to what you eat and eat less mindlessly.

Paleo is not carb free, as there a carbs in the veggies and fruits that are welcome in Paleo. But it is lower carb than what most typical non-paleo snacks have.

 

I'm mostly Paleo, but do have 1 glass of milk, 1 slice of cheese, and 1 yogurt per day. But that's a lot less than I used to have. Now I eat a lot more veggies and whole fruits than I used. Also eat lean meats. Drink mostly water. Quit soda completely. Virtually no corn, rice, wheat, beans, or potatoes. That means no pasta or other stuff made from wheat. That also eliminates most the snack bags known to human kind.

 

The beauty of Paleo, that the skeptics don't seem to understand, is that this kind of diet is not only obviously nutritious but also helps to keep you appetite under control. Most of the foods that spike your insulin and hunger are gone. And much of the food you do eat is bulkier and naturally lower calorie. For example, eat a lean steak, a ton of cabbage, an apple, and drink water. You will be full.

I just want to go on record as being one that is not afraid of carbs.

I'm afraid of crabs, all kinds.

There's some evidence and a growing belief among some doctors that too many carbs can lead to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Do the research on Google, and you'll see this is so. I've experimented with an ultra-low carb ketogenic performance diet. What happened was my running performance at the same heart rate got really, really slow and bad. Then it turned around and got better as my body got used to it. The problem was that living in ketosis started to cause some other problems, which had to do with potassium being flushed from my body, so I ended it. I decided I didn't want to live like that anymore. There was a nice mental clarity for awhile, but even that went away after awhile. Weight-loss also plateaued. About a week out of ketosis, my physical problems disappeared.

Now, overall, I eat a lot less carbs than I did before (save an occasional binge--occasional), and my performance at the same HR has been improving, even with long runs. Though I still have weight to lose, I haven't put on weight this year, except when I've eaten too much salt (i can eat a bowl of ramen and be 4 pounds heavier the next day). I've seen that, for me, a high carb diet is not necessary for good performance. I need sufficient calories, though.

After all the experimenting I've done over the years with diet, I've come to the conclusion that over-eating is the worst thing you can do, and that except for foods that mess you up (like beans for me, and peanuts for others---allergies), you can eat almost any way you want, just as long as you don't overeat and start to get fat. I just visited Japan, and the only fat person I saw there was a Sumo wrestler. These people eat all sorts of things, and lots of fried stuff. They love beer. But they don't overeat. Small portion sizes. After two weeks of living with and having my eye get used to seeing all these healthy-looking, thin people, I returned to the U.S. through SanFrancisco airport and got to the domestic terminal, and it hit my eyes like a ton of bricks how the majority of the people in that terminal looked overweight and sick. Strange experience to have it hit my eyes in such a vivid way. I think it's that Americans just plain overeat. We're like fat cats who keep eating, because the bowl is always full. I don't think the body was built for that. Overeat once in awhile, sure, but not daily.

I have to be really careful when a period of no-running comes up. I put on weight quickly if I don't cut calories.

I don't think it matters. People in Japan eat white rice and noodles, and they're thin and healthy. It's the amount that matters.

Overeating is the culprit.

First, I am not a dietician and I have never struggled with weight. I just have opinions and, of course, everyone has an opinion.

 

I believe the type of carbs makes a difference. White bread - or nearly all store bought breads - and rolled oatmeal digest quickly.

 

Steal cut oatmeal, wheat berries, barley, and brown rice digest slowly.

 

I don't understand why people think beans are carbs. Beans are great!

 

I cook brown rice with barley and wheat berries all the time. Add some olive oil with each serving - yummm.

 

I also like to cook steal cut oatmeal and millet together. It is a nice combination.

I'm not starving, I'm getting nutrition, and I've lost 40 pounds. I don't care what we call it.

 

Congrats!  I lost about 30 pounds when I went gluten free (a welcome side effect of trying to figure out some other health issues) and I've never gone back.  I feel so much better.  My diet most closely resembles paleo but with potatoes, sweet potatoes and some white rice for carbs, and that's plenty for running, working out etc.      I do not eat beans. lol

Re: carbs. No reason to be afraid of them.  But "empty" carbs are way too easy to overeat.  There's only so much meat I can eat before I get full.  I can (and have) hose a bag of potato chips without feeling very full afterwards, and I think that's the problem.

I don't think it matters. People in Japan eat white rice and noodles, and they're thin and healthy. It's the amount that matters.

Overeating is the culprit. 

Yes, and therein lies the fear of carbs from a weight-loss perspective. The insulin surge and drop that simple carbs can produce often makes you feel hungry. Because of this, it's much easier to overeat carbs than other calorie sources.

Most diet advice obscures this point, because it's difficult for our society to talk about the core issue here: Namely, that your will power is weak, variable, and heavily influenced by outside material factors like your blood sugar levels. We think of eating as a purely free choice, but what you eat can greatly affect your capacity to stop eating. This is why I only eat whole pints of ice cream at a time. It's also why "once you pop, you can't stop" eating Pringles.

Yes, weight loss is a pure calories-in-vs-calories-out equation. You can eat only Doritos and still lose weight, if that's your goal. But it's much, much easier to restrict your calorie intake to, say, 1500 a day if you're eating kale and eggs than if you're eating Doritos.

[Author's note: I eat plenty of carbs, am not trying to lose weight, and have never struggled with weight beyond the typical runner thing of "OMG I put on three pounds, I need to eat less ice cream and stop being such a fatass."]

I have read that all calories are not created equal and that weight is not purely calories-in-vs-calories-out. See: Fat chance by Rhonda Pollero.  It is a very interesting book.

 Yes, weight loss is a pure calories-in-vs-calories-out equation. You can eat only Doritos and still lose weight, if that's your goal. But it's much, much easier to restrict your calorie intake to, say, 1500 a day if you're eating kale and eggs than if you're eating Doritos.