To be confused about carb heavy diet?

[GreenestValley]

Just reading a thread on here about weight loss and diet. Many posters commenting that the Op in that thread has a very carb heavy diet.

I feel quite confused about it as I always thought carbs were an important part of a balanced diet and a source of energy. Obviously not too much white bread, white pasta etc, but from a personal perspective I have to have a fairly carb based diet or else I get hungry and end up snacking. And I’ve always had a normal weight.
I was also under the impression that the “low carb” diets of the early 2000s eg Atkins etc that were very popular, were kind of debunked now.
Am I missing something? Do carbs affect some people differently to others? Would welcome a bit of de mystifying here if anyone has expertise just for my own understanding!

Carbs are important and yes low carb diets have been debunked but people love a gimmick.

Some complex carbs are great but that's not what the carb heavy element of that poster's diet is, if it's the thread I'm thinking of.

Err....actually there is no such thing as an essential carb. There are essential fats and proteins though. Also wtf, low carb diets have not been 'debunked' where on earth has that come from. Op, the fact that YOU are fine eating carbs is great but certainly doesn't apply to the majority.

You are getting hungry BECAUSE of eating carbs. Most who have fasted or low carbed will tell you this and they find their apettite reduces.

but certainly doesn't apply to the majority.

It applies to majority outside MN tho... In real world

I find that eating carbs makes me hungry again really quickly. I lost 2 stone by reducing my carbs and filling up on protein, veg and full fat dairy. Everyone’s different though.

Carbs and Fat are the enemy when it comes to MN diet advice. In reality you need all food groups for a balanced diet, and no food is 'bad' food either.

@JoeCalFuckingZaghe

Carbs and Fat are the enemy when it comes to MN diet advice. In reality you need all food groups for a balanced diet, and no food is 'bad' food either.

Amen.

You don’t ever need to eat carbs, they’re not necessary at all. Your liver can produce all of the glucose that your brain (some cells only run on glucose) and body needs.

No animal on earth has a balanced diet....

I've switched to a low carb diet after watching Michael Moseley's latest tv prog about a stone in 21 days. It has quickly changed my weight, shape and eating habits.
I used to eat far too many carbs.

Yep, in the real world carbohydrates (especially complex carbohydrates) are an important part of most people’s everyday diet. On mumsnet even looking at a slice of bread makes you obese and we should all be putting butter in our coffee 🤷🏼‍♀️

Most people don’t eat anywhere near enough veg—like eat a pasta dish that contains some veg, but half a handful! If you have that meal, you can half the pasta and have a big pile of veg on side instead, to get other nutrients.

from a personal perspective I have to have a fairly carb based diet or else I get hungry and end up snacking

Protein and fat give higher satiety levels. If I eat lots of carbs it makes me hungrier and more likely to snack.

I've been on low carb and high carb diets. Both made me lose weight, both are hard to stick to long term. Low carb was more effective, worked faster and reduced my appetite. It's not true that low carb diets have been debunked. Also, Atkins is not the be-all and end-all of low carb.

Low carb is the only way I’ve ever lost weight.

The less carbs you eat the less hungry you are.

I lose a lot of weight on low carb diets but more importantly, a lot of my chronic health problems vastly improve and my blood sugar levels are consistently excellent...and I’m not hungry. So I’m a huge advocate for them. I really try to totally avoid empty carbs...like granulated sugar/sweets/chocolate etc. I feel awful the next day when I eat them and it’s definitely not in my head.

Unless you are an athlete you really don't need many carbs.
Although saying that James Cracknell + 5 people are currently running 100 miles over 5 days with NO FOOD at all, just water to prove that your body can fuel itself perfectly well without carbs.

Carbs are sugar to the body. No difference between a banana or a haribo - it treats them the same.

There is nowhere on earth that has 'debunked' low carb. You don't need them in anywhere near the quantities recommended - they are not essential.

We all eat far far far too many carbs, hence the obesity epidemic and the T2 diabetes timebomb (currently killing 24,000 a year)

I prefer a balanced diet, based on the advice the NHS dietician gave me, which includes carbs as I'm concerned about certain low carb diets and my particular health issues.

I eat carbs mostly with my evening meal, breakfast and lunch tend to be low carb.

I've lost 4 stone 7lbs since the beginning of March, so I think carbs don't prevent everyone from losing weight. If I hit a plateau I might reduce carbs a little, but not to a huge degree. I don't get hungrier or bloated on carbs, and i worry that high protein, high fat diets are no good for my kidney or bowel issues.

I agree also that carbs stoke my hunger, protein satisfies it.
I eat low carb 16-8 during the week, I like it.
I can do my cycling, rowing and canicross on a low carb fasting diet no problemo.

Weekends are a bit of a free-for-all.

@JoeCalFuckingZaghe

Carbs and Fat are the enemy when it comes to MN diet advice. In reality you need all food groups for a balanced diet, and no food is 'bad' food either.

No food is a 'bad' food? Are you sure about that?

When people talk about low carb, all they are talking about is removing processed crap. Yes, white bread is processed crap. Yes, you still eat carbs on a low carb diet but they are in veg. I honestly don't understand the mentality to criticise people who don't eat crap.

There is such a thing as bad food and it is always ultra processed crappy carbs

@JoeCalFuckingZaghe

Carbs and Fat are the enemy when it comes to MN diet advice. In reality you need all food groups for a balanced diet, and no food is 'bad' food either.

100% agree! I hate this mentality that there is good food and bad food. Its just not true! You need a bit of everything in your diet.

Although saying that James Cracknell + 5 people are currently running 100 miles over 5 days with NO FOOD at all, just water to prove that your body can fuel itself perfectly well without carbs.

Yeah and that is a stupid and dangerous stunt. Severe starvation (the sort likely to be induced by doing something like that) can seriously disrupt the body’s acid-base balance and cause all sorts of problems. Also there IS a difference between a banana and a haribo. Bananas have other nutrients, fibre etc and give a feeling of satiety. Haribo is just sugar.

I normally find that the people who are over-zealous about any particular diet lack a proper understanding of nutrition and/or cherry pick the information they listen to and/or take dietary advice from a barely-qualified TV doctor.

'No difference between a banana or a haribio?'

Please don't listen to people who spout this nonsense.

It depends on what carbs though.

Good would be wholegrains, fruits etc

Bad would be refined sugar like white bread, chocolate, biscuits and so on

If you eat a chocolate bar, biscuits and crisps every day then that is too much bad carbs that don't do any benefit nutritionally. It just gives you a burst of refined sugar and a hell of a lot of calories

I've tried low carb alongside intermittent fasting and it definitely reduces hunger but life if you're a person who derives pleasure from food then it's a dull way to live!

You can be slim/lose weight while eating carbs. I try to reduce my carb portion sizes where I can, but for me life really is too short to live without bread and potatoes.

Low carb is the only way I’ve ever lost weight. Also feel better in general, more energy, better skin, can think more clearly and stay full much longer.

Our food culture overemphasises carbs to the detriment of health.