# Ho do carbs make you gain weight.



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

Before I start I know that eating below your required daily intake you will lose weight no matter what you eat be its salads or chocolate.

But why are carbs more likely to make you gain weight?

Is it because it's a satisfies you for a short period of time and then your blood sugar levels dips and therefore you eat more making you go above your daily limit and any excess it stored as far?

I'm purely taking about a weight loss perspective and not the benefits of healthy eating .


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

A calorie is not a calorie and eating less and moving more doesn't make you weigh less.

It is all mainly about Insulin (and a couple of other factors) and blood sugar control.


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## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

If your maintenance requirement is 2500 calories and you only consume 2000, I'm pretty sure you will weigh less over time, unless I'm mistaken?


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

There is more evidence building to suggest that this is no longer the case - especially as they are discovering that not all calories are created equally. 

Quite a battle going on with actual science Vs big companies. 

There is new research to show reduction of intake often results in zero net loss over time.

Insulin is responsible for fat building and fat burning - in the absence of insulin you cannot store fat. 

Carbohydrates drive insulin which then drives fat storage.


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## f4780y (Jun 8, 2015)

This is a gross over simplification and there are many other things to consider, but basically carbs are the next easiest thing for your body to process into the sugars it needs for fuel, after consuming actual sugars themselves.

So even if you reduce sugar and fat from a diet, if you eat carbs with more energy than your body requires, these will still be processed into sugars for fuel to keep your body going, and if you have more fuel on board than is required, the sugars will be further processed and stored away as fat deposits. Furthermore, a proportion of any fats that are consumed may also be laid down as fat deposits when your body is in this mode of energy storage. 

As you know, to lose weight you need to burn up your fat deposits. You can only do this if you can get your body to a state where it is forced to process its fat deposits into sugars for fuel. Basically, it won't get into that state if it has access to consumed sugar and / or carbohydrate with enough energy to fuel it, as it finds it easer to process these things than it does to process fat.

As I say, grossly oversimplified and as others have mentioned, insulin etc. are very important, but that's the basic idea and it's the reason why you need to consider your carbohydrate intake if you are trying to lose weight.


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

f4780y said:


> Basically, it won't get into that state if it has access to consumed sugar and / or carbohydrate with enough energy to fuel it, as it finds it easer to process these things than it does to process fat.


It has to process the sugar/carbohydrate first or it could be deadly.


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## f4780y (Jun 8, 2015)

empsburna said:


> It has to process the sugar/carbohydrate first or it could be deadly.


Agreed. That's how we work.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

as with many things, always remember that there are good carbs and bad carbs tho


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## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

As in like spinach versus a mars bar?


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

Estoril-5 said:


> As in like spinach versus a mars bar?


Sweet Potato vs Potato would be the best one to consider.


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

Kimo said:


> as with many things, always remember that there are good carbs and bad carbs tho


What would you class as good carbs?


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## banarno (Aug 3, 2008)

Now your sounding like all carbs are bad for you!!


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

banarno said:


> Now your sounding like all carbs are bad for you!!


From my (probably limited) research I don't believe we actually need any included in our diet and more evidence is showing that they are best avoided (unless they are tied up with the fibre, and even now the jury is still out on those).


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## banarno (Aug 3, 2008)

Well you may be able to "get by" without carbs, but unless your a fitness junkie or live down the gym, that style of eating would never work in the everyday world.

Everything in moderation is the way to go, cutting down portion sizes and eating at the correct time and not snacking is the key to weight loss, along with moderate exercise.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have set my self a calorie intake of 1,800 per day and end up eating less than that and I have lost a stone and a half. It can work if you have a balanced diet.


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## banarno (Aug 3, 2008)

Good stuff, I did exactly that, and lost 3 stone, and more importantly stayed the same for about the last 3 years.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

empsburna said:


> What would you class as good carbs?


sweet potato, nom nom nom


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

A quote from brad schoenfield on his fb page earlier (look him up, he knows stuff):

Bob Litwin: I'm certainly not recommending the McDonalds Diet. Again, the point is to show that if you reduce calories below expenditure, you'll lose weight regardless of (and despite) the nutritional components. I'll also add the most important aspect of any diet is adherence. Sure, it's nice to speak of ideals. But what good is giving someone a "healthy" nutritional approach if they don't follow it?

Maybe not strictly talking about carbs but energy balance. Carbonates are neither bad nor good. that's a way of thinking that leads to obsessive views on 'clean food' etc.


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## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

Would swapping out my white rice and pasta for whole grain rice and pasta help with blood sugar control?

They both contain the same calories (white vs whole grain) per serving.


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## white91 (Feb 11, 2011)

A calorie is exactly that a calorie!

Carbs do not make you gain weight or fat specifically


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2015)

Be wary of much of the low carb info out there. I would say the same for Paleo as well. A balanced diet, eating less calories than your body needs should see you losing weight.

Keep reading.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

speaking from experience, you dont wanna go fully no carb

no energy and lets say, the bathroom turns into your best friend


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Thing is there are still carbs in fruit and vegetables. 

I changed from white rice and pasta years ago and actually prefer brown now anyway. Just wish the supermarkets would help me out by charging less. 

I don't like eating refined carbs such as bread and crisps. Whole grains are generally seen as a healthier carb. The thing I learnt is to reduce carbs by eating smaller portions. Physically the body needs far less than people believe to function properly but mentally it's hard- especially if you enjoy food and like to feel satisfied after every meal. I don't mean stuffed to the brim after a meal but generally replacing food with more water helps feel fuller. The brain takes longer to realise the stomach has had sufficient nutrients and engergy from the food than you realise. By now you've already gone past feeling full. Sometimes worth grazing for this reason or taking longer to eat.

I've recently seen a few advertisements for a product called huel which is a completel, nutritionaly balanced meal replacement drink made from mainly seeds, beans, oats, and brown rice. Worth looking up. I have done a bit of reading as it does sound appealing in the sense that if contains all nutrients, minerals and vitamins needed in order to stay healthy. This would also ensure a 2000 calorie diet is adhered to which would help people lose weight but non of the goodness. However, I'm weighing up whether it would ethically feel right doing this. I'm having a battle with my mind whether to try it or not. It's not cheap at £45 per week (although cheap if this completely cuts out your whole food spend which is should). I then look at the cons. Are liquid meals healthy on the digestive system? Take the enjoyment out of food and social occasions. I'll be honest and say I love food. That's why I, the size I am. 

Sorry I realise this was off topic but thought it may be worth discussing if people are looking at reducing their weight. Huel does not say anything about cutting out carbs.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

liquid diets means liquid poops, not fun :lol:

not into all these meal replacement diet fads tbh, good clean eating has helped me do 4 1/2 stone, and thats what ill stick to


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Estoril-5 said:


> Would swapping out my white rice and pasta for whole grain rice and pasta help with blood sugar control?
> 
> They both contain the same calories (white vs whole grain) per serving.


Your body processes wholegrain at a slower rate, so brown rice, pasta, whole meal bread etc will keep you feeling fuller for longer and give you better controls over blood/sugar levels.

I've managed to lose nearly 2 stone since June by cutting out the crap and switching where I can to wholegrain. I still eat very well, still drink alcohol (no longer cider which I really miss, but low carb larger or whiskey/Diet Coke), still have the occasional kebab/Indian etc but try to cut back on the chips and rice. Cycle the short distance to work when I can and try to walk places.

I've dieted God knows how many times in the past, then get bored, miss food and put the weight back on plus some. I'm hoping this time will be different, just little long term changes that means I can still enjoy food.

Exercise is the hardest part by far. I hate it, bores me silly. I love driving. Every morning I go to the garage to get my bike, see my car tempting me with my bike sat next to it. This is battle I face, but I'm winning, unless it's raining, sod cycling in the rain


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## BRYHER (Aug 19, 2008)

A new perspective here http://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-lose-weight interesting reading.
opposite point low fat high carbs ( unrefined ) http://www.cbass.com , one may suit you one may not !


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## Geordieexile (May 21, 2013)

The trouble with dieting and only focussing on a calorie deficit is that it doesn't draw a distinction between overall mass and lean body mass. That's why people often lose weight and even when they go back to the same weight they have a higher proportion of fat.
If there's anything ever worth reading it's Tom Vanuto's book ... Burn the fat, feed the muscle. Getting body composition right will sort the weight overall. I've been there myself too.


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## BRYHER (Aug 19, 2008)

Geordieexile , good point the BMI ( body mass index ) the doctors use is faulty, inaccurate in my belief. Take a heavy body builder maxed with muscle and average to very fat mr blobby , who are same height and weight, bmi is no true indecator of body mass as fat to muscle.
Who lives longest and happiest I don't know!


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

BRYHER said:


> Geordieexile , good point the BMI ( body mass index ) the doctors use is faulty, inaccurate in my belief. Take a heavy body builder maxed with muscle and average to very fat mr blobby , who are same height and weight, bmi is no true indecator of body mass as fat to muscle.
> Who lives longest and happiest I don't know!


precisely

my brother fights heavy weight and has very low body fat yet bmi says hes obese :lol:

the key to dieting is to not diet as such and class it as a lifestyle change


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## white91 (Feb 11, 2011)

BMI was invented by the US health insurance industry


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Eat less and move more will make you lose weight. As long as you're eating less of the same things you're currently eating.

Make healthier choices along the way and you're definitely going in the right direction.

Don't start thinking you need a PHD in Food Science to work out what you can and can eat to the nearest gram. 1/2 the problem is there is SO much money in weight loss foods, products, programs etc. Even the 'science' being done is mostly funded by companies with something to gain from the results.

No one takes out a new book about losing 1lb a week eating a little less and moving a little more. But if you can 'reveal' or 'discover' a new 'wonder product' that 'stops your body absorbing fat', or 'cut out these specific foods' for a healthier life the books/programs/foodstuff fly off the shelf!

As long as you're disciplined you'll get there. I lost a fair bit with this basic formula......I did put it back on over a period of time as I lost the drive / discipline.


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

I have always been an advocate of cutting carbs to lose weight but have changed my mind recently. I like to weight lift and lead a pretty active life style so low carb diets were killer, I would lose a shed load of strength but this time I kept carbs and protein high, lose 8kgs but barely lost any strength.

This is still the best picture I have seen to show dieting and the importance of each nutritional aspect.


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## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

Bod42 said:


> I have always been an advocate of cutting carbs to lose weight but have changed my mind recently. I like to weight lift and lead a pretty active life style so low carb diets were killer, I would lose a shed load of strength but this time I kept carbs and protein high, lose 8kgs but barely lost any strength.
> 
> This is still the best picture I have seen to show dieting and the importance of each nutritional aspect.


What's the difference between macronutrients and food composition?


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2015)

Estoril-5 said:


> What's the difference between macronutrients and food composition?


My guess would be the type of carbs i.e refined etc, type of fats and possibly even protien sources.

Edit, found a link based on an image search: http://www.elitefts.com/education/dieting-to-single-digit-body-fat/
Sorry, Bod42, I hope you don't mind me jumping in here but the image you posted pretty much sums up what it took me so long to learn about nutrition. I had to google a potential source of the info.


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

Estoril-5 said:


> What's the difference between macronutrients and food composition?


Macronutrients is the ratio between protein, carbs and fat

Food Composition is the quality of the food and each macro. For instance Soya protein vs chicken protein.



BareFacedGeek said:


> My guess would be the type of carbs i.e refined etc, type of fats and possibly even protien sources.
> 
> Edit, found a link based on an image search: http://www.elitefts.com/education/dieting-to-single-digit-body-fat/
> Sorry, Bod42, I hope you don't mind me jumping in here but the image you posted pretty much sums up what it took me so long to learn about nutrition. I had to google a potential source of the info.


No worries at all. Ive used that image quite a bit as very simple but at the same time explains a lot.

Originally this image is from The Renaissance Diet by Mike Israetel which is a great read.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Wait a minute.

Are we talking about losing weight or losing fat? These are completely different things.

In essence, if you want to lose weight you need a calorie deficit, it's not rocket science. BUT the problem is hitting a wall, which is why it's best to have calorie deficit during weekends and periods of low activity but increase calorie intake when exercising. Essentially, if you cut 300 -500 calories off your total daily energy expenditure, you'll lose weight. Of course, if you lose weight quick, you're sure as hell going to lose muscle as well in a large deficit and if you overdo it, you won't look good, you'll just look scrawny.

Now here is what I do. I lift weights 5 times a week and take in 2500-3000 calories on training day during my bulking phase. Doesnt matter what it's from, doesn't matter if its KFC or Mcdonals as long as you're getting your 1g/pound of protein so I have about 200g each day, 7 days a week, I can usually get this from eating 5-6 meals a day and haven't needed to resort to protein shakes

Now, here's where it gets interesting. When cutting I put myself in a caloric deficit. My TDEE is around 2500 calories for maintenance of body weight each day. I'll keep a small deficit so ill take in about 2100 calories a day. BUT ensure protein is kept at the same level of 1g/pound of body weight and it's VERY important to keep training the same using weights.

The single _biggest_ stimulus for a muscle to remain the same size during a calorific deficit is weight training using the SAME weights or heavier. If you're strength level drops, so will your muscle mass.

Because you're in a calorie deficit, the muscle won't hypertrophy, but, it will stay the same size or close enough. And you'll start losing fat on the body without losing too much muscle over a period of time. Best bit? You don't need much cardio, incorporating HIIT is good but not essential!!

Definitely works for me and a lot of other blokes in the gym. Doesnt matter if you eat curry or a tuna steak as long as you are in a moderate calorific deficit but using the same weights.

Being ripped and being ripped + healthy are 2 totally different things lol. I'm the former cos I love my takeaways :lol:

Don't focus too much on carbs and fat and protein (apart from 1g/pound). Just focus on the calories, doesn't matter whether you eat McDonald's or weight watchers, if you're taking in 2k calories, it makes little to no difference (talking from experience) apart from the fact that you'll hit 2k in 2 meals from maccy D's and need maybe 5-7 meals from weight watchers

There is a huge guy, atleast 120kg bodybuilder in the gym and he eats ALOT of KFC and chocolate and he is ripped to shreds, so much so that you can pretty much see striations everywhere!


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