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!

Disagree on the pleasure aspect, carbs are not where the flavour is (though they are comforting)

Have a look at low GI that helps, all carbs not the same...

@Iamnotacerealkiller

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.

Agree with all of this

Is that the thread about the trainer? People who do sports all day as a job need more carbs or they would lose too much weight.

I disagree that low carb as a way of eating has been debunked. In fact, I think it's more mainstream than ever.

Many people feel much better on it, as carbohydrates can give you energy peaks and troughs and can lead to feeling hungry again faster. Eating high fat food keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Done properly, it's not all bacon, cheese and eggs. You should be eating lots of green veg too. The food is really tasty.

It's not something I like to do for more than a month or so but if I wanted to drop a few pounds, then I know that low carb works.

It's the same as intermittent fasting; some people swear by it, others think it's nonsense.

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!

^

Totally disagree.

You need to be more creative!

My energy, sleeping patterns, skin and blood pressure were all improved when I gave up processed carbs.
But pasta...

So off the wagon I fell.

Low carb high fat is impossible for people who have gallbladder problems.

@anotherpersontoday

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

You what now!?

Very few low carb diets are no carb diets. You still would eat carbs in the form of colourful vegetables and berry fruits. Although you would avoid sugar and simple carbs which are broken down so quickly your body has to store the energy to prevent blood sugars too high.

I am losing weight on purpose, I do eat some added sugar but keep it pretty low, a couple of chocolate box chocolates usually in a day. I eat some simple carbs but not many, about 3 or 4 good sized chips if we are having them with dinner. Half my dinner plate would be salad or colourful veg. And I exercise enough to burn 1000 cals a day which is a run for just over an hour and about an hour's walk. The food I eat fuels that level of exercise pretty well.

People lose weight on low carb because there are less calories in veg and meat fills you quicker than bread and potatoes. There is no science involved in weight loss, just maths. Burn more calories than you consume... consistently.

@anotherpersontoday spot on!

I am obese and have really struggled to lose weight on diets that incorporate carbs, particularly white refined carbs and products with sweeteners.

Three months ago I read the Fast800 book which includes many studies around high protein/fat/veg diets and fasting and it is a very interesting read, whether you’re going to do the diet or not.

We have been told that low fat diets are automatically healthier for us but I have found that in my personal experience that is not the case.

I have lost three stone in three months, I have more energy and I don’t feel as hungry or crave foods high in sugar, sweeteners and carbs.

I eat plenty of fresh veg and salad, full fat dairy products, olive oil, cheese and lean protein. I drink lots of water and herbal teas. I’ve stopped putting sugar and milk in my coffee and I’m really fasting food in a way I didn’t before!

I’m now going to do 5:2 for a bit and reintroduce wholemeal and whole grain foods, to see where I get to. Then when I’ve adjusted I will go back to the Fast800.

I do have a significant amount of weight to lose though OP, another 4 stone until I’m a healthy BMI.

I think there’s a place for carbs, but I don’t agree the diets that promote unlimited carbs, sweeteners etc. are the most healthy nor do they promote a sensible long-term, sustainable way of living for people who need to lose a lot of weight.

That’s just my experience though, every body is different - literally!

Low carb high fat is impossible for people who have gallbladder problems.

Not usually if you get them sorted out. I had gallstones and had to eat a very low fat diet for a while. Lost lots of weight (like I had also do e eating low carb). Had my gallbladder out and can eat what I like, including high fat. Put weight back on! Low carb or low fat can get the weight off. It's sticking to them that's the problem!

Typo - that should have said tasting food! Although I have been fasting as part of the Fast800 and really rate it!

It's just a generational thing, like our mums are all obsessed with low fat. Mumsnet generation is into low carb.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Low carb high fat is impossible for people who have gallbladder problems.

Not true. I have no gallbladder and have been keto 5 years now.

It hasn't been debunked, no.

But there isn't one diet for every single person in the world. We all have different metabolisms. If carbs work for you, then crack on.

It’s hasn’t just NOT been debunked it’s been proven to reverse diabetes and metabolic disease which is currently one of the biggest threat to health globally. It pales Coronavirus into insignificance.

Most people really don’t understand nutrition in even the most basic sense. We don’t eat nutrients, we eat food that contain them. Carbohydrates are in vegetables, fruits etc It’s accepted by all dietitians that refined foods should be kept to a moderate part of your diet and it’s better to think in those terms, rather than ‘carbs are bad’, which doesn’t actually make sense. Having said that, I really don’t think you’ll get good nutrition advice on a forum like this. All sorts of crazy things get said and rarely does anyone giving advice have a background in nutrition.

The theory is that somehow carbs are special calories.

Either they make you extra fat.
Or they make you extra hungry.
Or they have no nutritional value, so leave you hungry for "true" nutrition (which for some reason is only supposed to be protein & fat)
Or they play havoc with the blood sugar (because some people claim carbs are the same as purified sugars)

I don't get impression the scientific evidence is very good for any of those theories. But who am I to deny someone else's lived experience. Then again, just because it's true for one person doesn't mean it's true for anyone else (like OP).

If I had to eat a heavy meat diet I'd just stop eating. Not that keen on flesh. So that would indeed work well for weight loss. #IAmNotACat

Background: A key recent study performed by Oxford University and Dr Clare Bailey looking at the feasibility of using an 800 calorie, low-carb, med-style diet as a treatment for people with type 2 diabetes.

Results: After 8 weeks in the rapid weight loss group, average weight loss was 9.5kg, sustained over the course of the trial. Results also included a significant drop in blood sugars, blood pressure and the use of medication (none of which improved in the controlled group, who were following a standard diet). There were no significant side effects.

Find out more: Morris, E, Aveyard, P, Dyson, P, et al. (2017). A food‐based, low‐energy, low‐carbohydrate diet for people with type 2 diabetes in primary care: A randomized controlled feasibility trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. 22: 512– 520. View study dom-pubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dom.13915

@yeOldeTrout, the mechanism, as I understand it, is this:

Simple carbs raise the blood sugar so high the body can't utilise that amount of energy.

Insulin is released (some people overproduce insulin due to inefficiencies) to lower blood sugar and the excess energy gets stored as glycogen in the muscles or fat.

Dietary fat doesn't raise blood sugar in the same way. It has to be broken down but this process requires time and energy so you don't get such a peak in blood sugar. If there is not enough energy (blood sugar wise) to break down the fat into sugars it is broken down incompletely into ketones which are largely excreted. So you don't utilise all the energy in fat.

Because you don't get the blood sugar peaks and troughs (which happens with an insulin surge) when eating fats you don't get as hungry when you eat them. I also remember reading something about dietary fat setting off other bodily mechanisms to do with satiety.

No point throwing studies into this thread, most people won’t understand them and there’s always a study to ‘prove’ your theory. A study conducted over 8 weeks with a 4 week follow up and using less than 50 people? Meh. You need one that follows people over years. It’s easy to lose weight by reducing calories overall as that did. The point is it healthy and sustainable long term.

Isn't the problem with these "very low carb for T2 diabetes" studies -- the attrition is very high. Literally only half the participants can stick the programme for 8 weeks and that's only with a lot of intensive daily support. So yeah... it works to help weight loss & reduce diabetes symptoms. But it's incredibly tough to stick.