more low carb questions

Hey all,

For those that eat (or ate) low carb (less than 40) during WL...what foods did you eat to get your carbs?

And,

can someone explain the dynamics behind why 50 calories of quality carb is more harmful to weight loss than 50 calories of quality protein (assuming I already have enough protein in)

Anne

I'll be 11 weeks post-op as of tomorrow and can only speak for myself -- but I didn't have to work to "get my carbs".  I have to work to get my protein in and to get my water in but the carbs come pretty naturally.  There are carbs in milk, yogurt, cheese and protein drinks (some staples of my diet).  

I guess I can't really fathom somebody having to work at it...we're usually having to do the opposite.  Work to NOT get above 40 grams per day.   

Mostly vegetables. My meals throughout weight loss were basically 2 oz. meat with about 1/4- 1/2 c. vegetable. Tomatoes with a little onion and okra, Brussels sprouts, green beans, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower. Nothing starchy. No potatoes or corn. Occasionally I would have some blueberries.

Greek yogurt has carbs that I counted. Shakes have some too but I used, and still use, Syntrax Nectar which is 0 carb. I didn't and don't use milk and the cheeses I ate were mostly 0 carb.

As long as you've met your protein goals I don't see where there would be a problem with 50 cals of quality carbs if it fits into your numbers. As long as they are truly *quality* carbs and not junky ones. 50 cal serving of nutrient-rich vegetables is a way better use of carbs than a half a 100-cal pack of cookies or some crap like that. And vegetables don't cause me cravings.....processed carby junk does which could be harmful to weight loss.

As a long time Atkins reader, the carbs turn to fat and protein turns to muscle. Having read this made the choice easier for me. Our bodies need good carbs, however, they should be kept within the tolerance our doctors give us. Good luck.

There is a basic chain that your body uses to burn energy: Simple sugars, complex sugars, complex carbs, fat, protein.  

You want to kep your body burning fat - to do that you deny it the fuel it would rather burn.  Carbs are that fuel.  If you focus on lean proteins, you drive your body into ketosis so it breaks fat down for energy.  The protein also makes sure that your body doesn't cannibalize your muscles or organs for the protein it needs.

 I will add this. I do not subscribe to the net carbs BS.  That is just tricky accounting to justify eating more carbs.  I count total carbs and thats it.  Some fiber is soluble and can be digested.  Some people, most often obese people, usually have gut flora that allow u to even break down some insoluble fiber (this leads some people to even do fecal transplants - dont get me started).   We dont have labeling laws here in the US to allow us to make good decisions regarding fiber content - so I treat it all as carbs to be safe.

Most of us get more carbs than we think..... just by accident.....

If something is just the slightest bit sweet.... guess what it's probaly sugar.....

If a sauce/fluid has any kind of thickness or body to it..... it's probably a starch.....

Mainly carbs come from veggies and dairy during a typical VSG WL plan.

frisco

RheaRob said it well. Basically, carbs are easy fuel for your body to use. Give the body carbs, it will choose to burn the carbs and not the fat. Wanna burn fat during a workout?  Then don't carb load prior to the work out. Wanna burn fat all day long? Then force your body to use it's stored energy - fat! The only way to do that is to really keep carbs low.

Back in the day, when many of us focused on low fat diets and carbs were FANTASTIC (this was during the 80s) the US suddenly saw an increase in diabetes and weight gain. Having gone down that path I can tell you that I lost a lot of muscle on those diets which made it even harder to keep the weight off after I was "done" with the diet.

Clean eating, lower carb (not no carb) eating was the way to go for me!

Too many carbs will kick your body out of ketosis.  For now, you want to stay in ketosis because that's the process that burns fat for energy.

Carbs = instant energy (more or less).  Your body is programmed to convert unused carbs back to fat and store it for the lean times.  Yes, we're all still hunter/gathering cave persons in the end.

The difference in protein vs. carb calories can be two parts: (1) first, your body is very efficient at converting excess carbs to fat and it is not as efficient doing the same with protein.  (2) Your daily focus s/b to get 60-70 grams of protein which shouldn't leave a massive amount of space for the carbs.  You should not be swapping protein calories for carb calories.  Get the protein first and use any extra space to pick up the balance.

Personally, going light on veggies right now, no fruit hardly at all, getting most of my carbs from hummus, cheese, the occasional protein shake and a couple crackers (use for the cheese).  But I measure and calorie count everything there.