The Demonizing of Carbs

[exphys88]

The Demonizing of Carbs

Carbs are incorrectly labeled as the cause of fat gain and sometimes labeled as unhealthy for humans by food extremists. I’m writing this with the intention of explaining why they have been falsely labeled as bad and to give ways we can manipulate them to cause fat loss, even though total fat loss is primarily determined by our caloric balance.

There are 3 main points that I want to address:

1. Fat loss is determined by how many calories we consume vs. how many calories we burn .
2. Diets high in protein increase satiety, allowing tolerance of lower caloric intake.
3. Diets high in protein result in more retention of lbm while dieting.

What happens in the practical world of personal trainers is that they notice that when their clients are put on a high protein, low carb diet, their clients find more success in fat loss. This success is the result of their clients being in a caloric deficit, increased satiety from high protein intake which increases the tolerance of fewer calories, and lbm retention caused by high protein.

This is where the demonizing of carbs begins. The personal trainer with little nutrition education falsely makes the assumption that carbs must be bad for us if cutting carbs results in fat loss. They then begin a campaign to demonize all carbs, which quickly spreads to professionals with little understanding of human nutrition, which happens to be most personal trainers you find in a gym.

Whereas, as high protein, low carb diet is very effective at fat loss, it is not the only way to go about it. Whole food carbohydrates are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants and should be included in all diets. Additionally, an athlete that is training at high intensities requires at least a moderate intake of carbohydrates to sustain his or her work level.

Just because a high protein, low carb diet is effective for fat loss, does not mean that carbs are unhealthy for humans. Remember that low carb diets are just low calorie diets in disguise.

exphys88

References:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0804748
http://www.ajcn.org/content/82/1/41.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7990700

[OldGoat]

Good points, carbs are your friend.

[Oldschooliron]

Nice write up! Some ketosis nut swingers might join up with pitchforks and come after u lol.

I eat 100 grams of carbs from oatmeal/dates every morning. I'm plenty lean for no cardio!

[Fit Guru]

The one thing you forgot to address is fats. When you cut carbs or go on a zero carb diet you must greatly increase fat intake. Sure just cutting carbs and raising protein and keeping fats low will create a big calorie deficit. When you go low/zero cabs your fats need to be at least 30% of your diet.why carbs get a bad rap is insuline spikes. When u take in carbs in spikes insulin and makes the body basically "hold" every nutrient you eat. Therefore your more acceptable to hold bodyfat more or the sugars u take in from the carbs to be stored as BF for future use. So if u cut carbs you must increase fats to offset the difference.

[exphys88]

The one thing you forgot to address is fats. When you cut carbs or go on a zero carb diet you must greatly increase fat intake. Sure just cutting carbs and raising protein and keeping fats low will create a big calorie deficit. When you go low/zero cabs your fats need to be at least 30% of your diet.why carbs get a bad rap is insuline spikes. When u take in carbs in spikes insulin and makes the body basically "hold" every nutrient you eat. Therefore your more acceptable to hold bodyfat more or the sugars u take in from the carbs to be stored as BF for future use. So if u cut carbs you must increase fats to offset the difference.

I left fat out just for simplicity sake, and my primary goal was to explain why carbs are incorrectly given a bad rap. In my other macronutrients write up I addressed fats. I don't use percentages when I write a cut diet, I use grams per lb of lbm. I usually end up w plenty of fats and protein though because I start w those macronutrients.

I am unaware of any literature that suggests that carbs are more likely to be stored as fat. Additionally there is a ton of research that suggests calorie count is the primary determinate of fat storage, including one study I posted. I'm not entirely disagreeing, just inquiring if you are aware of any literature that suggests that.

[Fit Guru]

Oh I wasnt disagreeing with you either. And I'm not a % guy either. I just said 30% to give people a guideline . But there's plenty of literature on how insulin spikes promotes fat storage. My point is that u can't eat 300gr carbs a day on 120gr fat so your either on a low carb diet or a low fat diet.

[Rayca]

I also think it's more than just personal trainers that are stuck on stupid, with regard to carbs. I think when something becomes popular or fad-like, everyone jumps on board. There are plenty of low-carbers out there that are basically couch potatoes and have nothing to do with exercise. Some folks can't exercise and seniors might fall into that category but I do realize this is a BB board. It's a shame that the emphasis wasn't placed on the junk-food carbs, which is obviously the culprit. But then Kelloggs, Hostess and all the rest of the DC lobbyists wouldn't be happy. Thanks for a great post.

[Fit Guru]

It's a very well know fact about insulin spikes and fat storage. Why do you think you take in high carbs before and after training? Because it opens up receptors and forces your body to hold on to e everything! That's also why people shoot slin right after training and take in all their carbs and protein then because your more likely to hold it. It is a fact now that even doctors see about higher carb diets and fat storage.

[Rayca]

The one thing you forgot to address is fats. When you cut carbs or go on a zero carb diet you must greatly increase fat intake. Sure just cutting carbs and raising protein and keeping fats low will create a big calorie deficit. When you go low/zero cabs your fats need to be at least 30% of your diet.why carbs get a bad rap is insuline spikes. When u take in carbs in spikes insulin and makes the body basically "hold" every nutrient you eat. Therefore your more acceptable to hold bodyfat more or the sugars u take in from the carbs to be stored as BF for future use. So if u cut carbs you must increase fats to offset the difference.

FitGuru, I'm not sure I understand the "hold" concept of nutrients we eat. Are you saying that it slows our digestion? Because I would think that we want those nutrients to be parsed out in a "time-released" fashion. Also, the whole insulin spike thing makes me mental because aren't we supposed to spike? I mean, isn't that the way the body's set up? Isn't it just a problem if you are pre-diabetic (or diabetic) or is it really that pertinent to fat loss or BF maintenance? To spike or not to spike. That is the question. LOL...And if we eat a "balanced" meal, i.e., protein, fat and carb (in proper ratios) (starch, I mean in this case), doesn't that slow down the "spike" so that we're digesting
on an even-keel? I just get lost with all of it, sometimes.

[exphys88]

It's a very well know fact about insulin spikes and fat storage. Why do you think you take in high carbs before and after training? Because it opens up receptors and forces your body to hold on to e everything! That's also why people shoot slin right after training and take in all their carbs and protein then because your more likely to hold it. It is a fact now that even doctors see about higher carb diets and fat storage.

Gotcha. Its a good argument to eat whole food carbs that are high in fiber, but not an argument against carbs in general.
Even though carbs cause more of a spike in insulin, when calories are equal, a high carb diet will result in the same weight loss as a low carb diet. Thus, the spike in insulin must be an insignificant factor in fat storage.