Carbs ARE Evil!!

[Tinkerdreams]

You have this backwards
Complex carbs are found in fruits veggies whole grains beans starchy veg
Simple carbs are sugar, honey fruit drinks, etc

And the simple carbs are what causes an immediate rise in blood sugar, causing a chain reaction........They are a very short acting
Complex carbs are more even and steady in the reaction they cause in the body.
because they have fiber and a longer chain of molecules if that makes sense

Thanks for the correction!! I thought that sounded strange when my doctor told me that but my appoint was at 6 p.m. and he was probably tired!! My mind was saying - "Wouldn't complex be more difficult to turn it to sugar"?

 

[Chuckers]

Take a look at the Atkin's diet books. Atkins gives very good information about cutting out carbs. I have used Atkins several times and lost weight.

For bread, see if you can find Flatouts. They are a wrap style bread and two styles are low carbs. They're great for sandwhiches.

Also, mashed cauliflower is your friend. It can have the consistency of mashed potatoes and mixed with some butter, heavy cream, and shredded cheese and you won't really know the difference.

You do need carbs, but just don't over do it.

Atkins lets you start with 20 carbs per day for two weeks and then you gradually increase it until you stop losing weight. That's where you stop adding carbs.

When counting carbs, subtract the grams of fiber and the grams of sugar alcohols from your carb amount. This is the true amount of carbs you have in the food.

Carbs from fiber and sugar alcohols pass through your system and don't effect your blood sugar. Be warned tho.. sugar alcohols, while making things taste better, can have a very adverse effect on your system if you eat too many....

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, I agree with the OP!!!
Only I would be a bit more specific with 'REFINED' carbs are EVIL.
They are!!!!

My husband went low carb, almost no refined carbs, and higher protein a few years ago. His results, in both loss of body fat and all of his 'numbers', like blood pressure, etc.. were just undeniable!

 

[crz4mm2]

For me, carbs are the devil. The ONLY way I can lose weight without exercise is by eating next to no carbs.
I don't know how many carbs are in a glass of wine, but I can tell you, THAT is why I don't lose.....

 

[Wishing on a star]

You have this backwards
Complex carbs are found in fruits veggies whole grains beans starchy veg
Simple carbs are sugar, honey fruit drinks, etc

And the simple carbs are what causes an immediate rise in blood sugar, causing a chain reaction........They are a very short acting
Complex carbs are more even and steady in the reaction they cause in the body.
because they have fiber and a longer chain of molecules if that makes sense

YES npmommie is entirely correct...
When simple, refined, carbs hit your system, they cause an immediate and over-reaction by the pancreas releasing a ton of insulin... this burns off those carbs, then more, leaving the body screaming for more carbs... It is this never-ending cycle that sets up Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, adult diabetes, etc...

 

[npmommie]

YES npmommie is entirely correct...
When simple, refined, carbs hit your system, they cause an immediate and over-reaction by the pancreas releasing a ton of insulin... this burns off those carbs, then more, leaving the body screaming for more carbs... It is this never-ending cycle that sets up Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, adult diabetes, etc...

 

[worm761]

I am part of a Facebook group that does lowish carb and low sugar. No more than 15 grams of sugar and 6 servings of carbs. It is working. Slowly for me but faster for some others. I love carbs. OK, I love a good bread or pasta or potatoes.

I have learned to just sub some stuff. I make butternut squash fries instead of potato or sweet potato fries. Spaghetti squash for noodles. Romaine hearts or Boston lettuce cups instead of a tortilla for tacos and whatnot.

 

[rodeo65]

I ended up with a fairly substantial hormone imbalance from an excesse of refined and processed carbs and had some health complications resulting from it. I have started seeing a naturopathic doctor and she put me on a pretty dramatic "cleanse" for a month. Today is the beginning of my fourth week and I see her for a follow up on Friday. I have lost 13 lbs on a very strict no sugar, no gluten diet. I believe that at the end of this week foods that have been eliminated will be slowly re-introduced, but anything processed or white will remain as a hardly ever item.

I have had a protein shake in the morning - strict on which protein powder, lots have artificial sweeteners, the rest of the day include salads with free range/antibiotic & hormone free chicken or wild caught fish, brown rice or sweet potato, gluten free crackers. Many of the sweeter fruits like pineapple, melon and banana have been excluded during this hormone balancing time frame, but I could have apples and berries. Veggies and lentils, nuts and seeds are all ok.

It's worked as far as cravings go; I have "thoughts" about what I'd like to have, but the physical cravings are gone.

I have had success with WW in the past but always got kind of overconfident after the first 15 or 20 lb loss and figured I could manage the last 20 on my own. Not so far...

I now have to start finding interesting recipes because chicken and sweet potato only are fun for so long. DH has been eating along with me and can do so forever - he's lost over 100 lbs and kept most of it off (he plays with 20) by eating pretty much the same thing every day for months. I need more variety than that, so that is phase 2. Making it something I can live with.

worm - I'm going to have to try the lettuce cups! I knew about that but forgot - thanks for the tip. Shagley - I've heard of 'Wheat Belly' but have not read it. I'll have to try almond flour! We use apples dipped in almond butter as dessert - yummy!

Good luck on your journey OP!

 

[npmommie]

I ended up with a fairly substantial hormone imbalance from an excesse of refined and processed carbs and had some health complications resulting from it. I have started seeing a naturopathic doctor and she put me on a pretty dramatic "cleanse" for a month. Today is the beginning of my fourth week and I see her for a follow up on Friday. I have lost 13 lbs on a very strict no sugar, no gluten diet. I believe that at the end of this week foods that have been eliminated will be slowly re-introduced, but anything processed or white will remain as a hardly ever item.

I have had a protein shake in the morning - strict on which protein powder, lots have artificial sweeteners, the rest of the day include salads with free range/antibiotic & hormone free chicken or wild caught fish, brown rice or sweet potato, gluten free crackers. Many of the sweeter fruits like pineapple, melon and banana have been excluded during this hormone balancing time frame, but I could have apples and berries. Veggies and lentils, nuts and seeds are all ok.

It's worked as far as cravings go; I have "thoughts" about what I'd like to have, but the physical cravings are gone.

I have had success with WW in the past but always got kind of overconfident after the first 15 or 20 lb loss and figured I could manage the last 20 on my own. Not so far...

I now have to start finding interesting recipes because chicken and sweet potato only are fun for so long. DH has been eating along with me and can do so forever - he's lost over 100 lbs and kept most of it off (he plays with 20) by eating pretty much the same thing every day for months. I need more variety than that, so that is phase 2. Making it something I can live with.

worm - I'm going to have to try the lettuce cups! I knew about that but forgot - thanks for the tip. Shagley - I've heard of 'Wheat Belly' but have not read it. I'll have to try almond flour! We use apples dipped in almond butter as dessert - yummy!

Good luck on your journey OP!

Can you tell me which brand protein powder you use.

 

[rodeo65]

Can you tell me which brand protein powder you use.

Sure It's made here in Canada, so not sure how widely available it is, but it's AOR Advanced Whey. She had also recommended a harmonized vegan proetin powderas a second option but did not give a specific brand.

 

[ez]

I am 50 and it's just been over the last couple years that carbs have become a problem. If I want to lose weight I have to stay completely away. I think different diets work better at different ages, and as you get older, at least for women, carbs are less and less friendly.

 

[npmommie]

Sure It's made here in Canada, so not sure how widely available it is, but it's AOR Advanced Whey. She had also recommended a harmonized vegan proetin powderas a second option but did not give a specific brand.

Thanks
I see it on amazon and here
http://www.healthyplanetcanada.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14451

Looks like a good one

 

[manning]

I also bought a juicer and now have fresh, no processed juices. What a difference!!

Better yet eat the whole fruit. Being diabetic I learned the fibers in the fruit slows down the carb absorption reducing the glucose spike. Juice is simple carbs, the whole fruit complex carbs.

 

[mhsjax]

The dietician I spoke with said women should have 45 carbs per meal and men 60. So, for instance, I have 3 slices of toast and 1 egg in the morning. The bread has 5 carbs per slice and the egg has less than 1 carb. This fills me up for the morning and I've only taken in 16 carbs for that meal.

Lunch may be a salad (romane and spinich with the Blaze) or if it's a sandwich, its usually tuna. Again 10 carbs for the sandwich and a couple carbs for the salad.

OMG 45 carbs for me and I am starving and have the shakes all day. I prefer a very low carb diet. It is the only thing that works for me and makes me feel well. I do notice that most dietitians, for some reason, then to hate anything labeled low carb, I don't know why. My Dr(cardiologist) has no problem what so ever with a very low carb lifestyle.

 

[Jeafl]

Congrats!! That's wonderful! I KNOW that carbs are bad for me and I MUST break up with them--but it's very hard. Did you use any specific web sites or books for recipes or did you just make the swaps? Keep up the good work!!

I love the website lowcarbfriends.com. They have discussion boards there with very knowledgeable people who are always willing to help, tons of recipes, helpful tips, and tons of encouragement. I have found the best recipes there! I have one for pizza crust that is mostly mozzarella cheese. Add low sugar tomato sauce, some spices, veggies, sasusage and sprinkle mozzarella on top. My kids ate it not knowing it was low carb and actually liked it!

Here is the recipe for the crust. It sounds crazy, but it really is good,
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=860014

 

[disney1990]

I can now confirm with certainty that carbs are evil. Over the past year my blood sugar has steadily gone up and after the last doctors appointment, he indicated that I really needed to shed pounds as I was pre-diabetic.

So, Ive been doing carb counting and doing substations for all the foods I enjoy. One of my big sacrifices was going to be bread (toast, sandwiches, etc), however, I found a bread made by Pepperidge Farms called Carb Style. Its only 5 carbs per slice!!!!

So over the past 8 weeks, with NO exercise, Ive lost 17 lbs. I actually did not exercise on purpose because the doctor said I would be amazed on how much weight I would lose by reducing/eliminating carbs without exercise. I thought he was full of it but wanted to see if there was any credence to his statement. Well, there is.

Beginning today, I start my exercise regime. If Ive lost that much in 8 weeks with no exercise, I can only imagine how much Ill lose with it!!

Yes, Carbs are evil. I have been following a no Carb diet (Dukan) since November 1st and am down 47 pounds. But, it is so hard.

 

[KDIPIAZZ]

A year ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. In the past 3 months, I've also been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and celiac sprue. Obviously, carbs and i will never again be BFF's.

The day after diagnosis, I started a low-carb lifestyle. I completely eliminated grains and strictly restrict legumes, starchy vegetables and fruits. Total carbs per day range from 20-75 or 5-50 net carbs.
Now, one year later, I've lost 124 pound. My HbA1c was 7.3 - it's now 5.2, which is well within the "normal" range.

And my lipid panel is also much improved.

Starting Total cholesterol/HDL/LDL/triclycerides 207/37/136/169
6 months ago - 172/40/109/116
Now - 161/53/89/86


The only stat that didn't really improve was my blood pressure. Starting BP was 106/71 and it's now 104/62. BP has never been a concern.

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/ is another excellent source for low-carb recipes. Even my "I'm not eating diet crap", Sicilian (ie., pasta fiend) husband is on board.

 

[Jeafl]

A year ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. In the past 3 months, I've also been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and celiac sprue. Obviously, carbs and i will never again be BFF's.

The day after diagnosis, I started a low-carb lifestyle. I completely eliminated grains and strictly restrict legumes, starchy vegetables and fruits. Total carbs per day range from 20-75 or 5-50 net carbs.
Now, one year later, I've lost 124 pound. My HbA1c was 7.3 - it's now 5.2, which is well within the "normal" range.

And my lipid panel is also much improved.

Starting Total cholesterol/HDL/LDL/triclycerides 207/37/136/169
6 months ago - 172/40/109/116
Now - 161/53/89/86


The only stat that didn't really improve was my blood pressure. Starting BP was 106/71 and it's now 104/62. BP has never been a concern.

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/ is another excellent source for low-carb recipes. Even my "I'm not eating diet crap", Sicilian (ie., pasta fiend) husband is on board.

Congratulations on your outstanding weight loss, and also on getting healthy!
I poked around that website for awhile and found lots of recipes I want to try. I just need to find someplace that sells almond flour so I can make those lemon almond cookies that look so good!

I also liked the look of that meatball parmesan. What are your favorites from that website?

 

[Poohforyou]

Congratulations on your outstanding weight loss, and also on getting healthy!
I poked around that website for awhile and found lots of recipes I want to try. I just need to find someplace that sells almond flour so I can make those lemon almond cookies that look so good!

I also liked the look of that meatball parmesan. What are your favorites from that website?

Trader Joes sells almond meal. I use it to make no sugar added banana muffins.

 

[Jeafl]

Trader Joes sells almond meal. I use it to make no sugar added banana muffins.

Thanks! I never even thought about trying there! I will stop there after work.

Care to share your recipe for the muffins?