To think that a carb heavy diet is best for some people?

[Darlingdahlia]

Or at least for me?! I find that when I eat lots of carbs I feel all the things that other people claim to feel when they give them up. I have much more energy, can maintain my weight and don't get hungry. When I cut them out I feel exhausted, tired and very grumpy. I exercise an awful lot, running or doing an interval workout daily plus walking 4 or 5 miles a day pushing a buggy, so that's possibly why I need lots of carbs, and I'm a slim size 10. The vast majority of my carbs are from complex carbs, ie whole grains, oats, brown rice, fruit, veg etc. I feel great on a relatively low fat, low protein diet, although I always eat full fat yoghurt etc rather than low fat options; basically try to opt for least processed food options without additives where possible but do eat too much chocolate. Rarely eat any other junk food. I find the anti carbohydrate trend a bit faddish and I just don't think it works well to cut carbs if you're very active.

No food group should be ommited. Carbs, like everything else are needed I variable proportions depending on the individual and activity levels.... as long as you're getting adequate protein and fat.... as well as other micronutrients.. .. you'll be fine xx

Yes if you are doing a lot too exercise than carbs are what your body needs for energy. Slow release is obviously better.

The whole no carbs thing is more for weight loss, it works if you have fat to lose. They aren't inherently bad for you, thats just faddy blogger chat.

I have to have carbs. I don't understand low carb or fasting as I'd be exhausted and grumpy. I'm not overweight.

I'm in a LCHF diet. I am pre-diabetic and a low carb diet is a recommended way to reverse it. It works for me, not only have I lost weight (3st 8lbs so far this year) I feel so much healthier - I have more energy and don't sweat so much.
I don't think that any one way works for everyone but low carb works for me.

Why did you try cutting out carbs?
Anyway, I agree that the all current carbs=bogeyman mantra is faddish and not scientifically proven a bit irritating.
Lots of sugars = bad. But complex carbs are different.

Ultimately sometimes you just do what works for you. A bit of experimentation is fine.
I shrugged off the low fat fad, but knew we weren't eating THAT high fat & moderate fat would work for us, anyway.
I thought plenty salt was really fine but have converted to low salt. So flexible both ways with official advice.

What you describe sounds quite healthy, I think when people talk about a carb heavy diet being unhealthy they are talking about cakes, biscuits, white bread, chips, crisps, white rice,sugary drinks, chocolate/sweets etc.

However, there is quite a lot of evidence that too much sugar (which carbs are) is bad for your liver, even if you're slim. Hence the rise in T2 diabetes...

Different things work for different people. I tried super low carb (Dukan diet, similar to Atkins) lost weight alarmingly fast (9lbs in 10 days) and then it slowed. Headaches, nausea and complete lack of energy, so I started eating carbs again. Weight shot back up.

I've found the best way is to eat a healthy balance of protein, carbs and fats, and eat in a calorie deficit if I want to drop some weight.

The problem is to lose weight on a high fat, low carb diet you have to follow it to the letter. If you're eating high fat and moderate carbs the weight will pile on.

I try to limit my carbs in that I don't eat potatoes, rice or pasta very often but I do eat bread and cereal as I feel rotten without it. And I will eat full fat yogurt but try to limit other dairy such as cheese as it is just so fattening.

Anyway, I agree that the all current carbs=bogeyman mantra is faddish and not scientifically proven a bit irritating.

There's loads of science to support the argument that we all eat too many carbs!

But I'd just like to point out that a low carb diet/way of eating is not no carbs. You get your carbs from eating plenty of vegetables and salad stuff. It's more to do with re-ordering the proportions of food that you eat.

You can absolutely do exercise when you're on a low carb diet, but you do have to switch your body into fat-burning first. Once you're fat adapted, actually it's much better - there's no 'hitting the wall' or 'bonking', which is what happens when you've exhausted your body's glycogen stores. Instead, you burn fat for fuel. And even elite athletes have more than enough body fat to sustain exercise.

You feel rubbish cutting carbs out for up to a week (carb flu) - then boom this energy comes from nowhere and you feel so much better. We just eat too many these days, if you calculate the exercise you need to burn them off, few of us would acheive that so our bodies turn it to sugar and fat. All things are fine in moderation, but carbs should be complex rather than crap and part of a balanced healthy diet.

But OP, I definitely agree with you that it doesn't necessarily suit everyone. We're all different and have different tolerances to carbohydrate.

And, there's a big difference between carbs from things like bread and pasta and from beans and grains.

I think that some people have such success on LCHF that they are a bit evangelical about it (understandably!) and so there is a lot of publicity about it too.

Nothing wrong with carbs. Or fat. Or anything else. You seem to have found a balance and it works for you so keep going!

I have tried it in the past because I have had to lose weight several times after having babies. It seemed like a simple and easy way to lose weight, but it just made me feel awful. I wonder if it is less healthy to eat a higher carb diet if your slim only if you don't exercise? If you exercise a lot I imagine your blood sugar levels are much more level because when the complex carbs are broken down into single sugars they are utilised rather than stored. But I don't really know anything about the exact mechanisms of this and why precisely it would be less healthy to eat a more carb based diet as some evidence may suggest. Perhaps that is only the case if you're eating more sugar than your body needs and it ends up being stored.

What timing! I run, workout etc and today didn't put enough carbs in my lunch, I'm just about to have some bread and grumbling to myself I should have had some pasta in the first place!

The low carb thing looks like my idea of hell, I hope I'll never need to go there. My mum is one of those women who wasn't fat but then became super thin after menopause so I'm really hoping to tame after her.

*take not tame!

I can't eat a lot of protein or fat, gives me indigestion, mum is the same.

*you're

I often think that too OP

But like you, I do a fair bit of exercise

I actually also find as well as lacking energy if I don't eat many carbs it really affects me mentally. I feel so much happier and more upbeat when I exercise every day and eat bread, pasta, rice etc. I'm sure this isn't the case for everyone but I did read that carbs cause the release of hormones that lift your mood, and certainly exercise does.

Lots of people don't realise that there are carbs in veggies, and not just spuds.

I restrict my carbs because they promote hunger in me. This is scientifically proven: carbs tend not to keep you full for long and you need to eat again relatively soon. Every time you eat your insulin levels spike which triggers a vicious circle of hunger. I find protein doesn't do this, hence I try not to eat too many complex carbs.

Having said that, I run like a BEAST the day after pizza night!

If I stick to brown rice & sweet potatoes daily and have potatoes/ bread/pasta maybe once a week I can lose weight and feel really energetic, so its not 'carbs' per se that are an issue for me.

If I eat too much white rice, potatoes or especially bread, I get bloated and feel sluggish.

I agree with you, OP. I eat bread (wholemeal) every single day, also pasta, rice etc. I just weigh pasta and rice out to make sure I eat the recommended portion sizes. I can still lose weight quite easily. I am quite active though.
I don't eat meat and don't want to eat eggs every day and don't like oil or high fat foods. I tried cutting out bread once and found I was really struggling to eat enough calories.

The other thing I thought was interesting when looking into this a bit was that whilst people who cut out carbs have lower blood sugar while they are avoiding carbs, when they do eat them their blood sugar spikes to something like double the level of someone who doesn't cut out carbs and eats the same thing. So potentially cutting out carbs then having them occasionally could be more dangerous if you are diabetic or pre diabetic I would guess? It has to be a permanent change if you're going to do it. I do personally think some of the more extreme views and some of the anti carb 'research' is really faddish and not properly backed up. Lots of it has been pop science and 'experts' who have books to sell. (But clearly if you are diabetic controlling your blood sugar through diet is essential). It also goes without saying that eating a diet high in processed sugar is not good for you. I just can't believe that carbs, when they come in the form of natural whole foods, can be bad.

There are always books about any diet that are like that, Darlingdahlia.

There's plenty of good science and research though. Not quite sure why you are so anti low carb? It might not work for you, but that's not to say it's not a good way of eating for others.

This

whilst people who cut out carbs have lower blood sugar while they are avoiding carbs, when they do eat them their blood sugar spikes to something like double the level of someone who doesn't cut out carbs

... is interesting though. Can you tell me where you read that? I'd like to read more about that.

Ive known a couple of people go low carb and it has been a permanent change for them but they like it so that's cool. It clearly works for a lot of people.

I'm all for people eating however suits them, I'm often amazed by how many posters here seem to want to slag off particular ways of eating. So if you are happy with your carbs, eat them.