Carb Phobia!! Uttttttter Maddness!

[icklemoley]

New diets come out almost weekly and the emphasis does seem to be on high protein, low(er) carb. While I think there is nothing wrong with cutting our white bread, flour and all white processed junk, it appears were throwing out the baby with the bath water. As soon as you reduce your carb intake you will lose weight, water weight. Now, eventually (just like any diet) you will gain it back when you can’t contuinue. Fact. Now we all want to believe that eating tons of meat, eggs, butter, etc… is gonna make us thin and healthy, but it just ain’t. Too much fat, protein, etc… just isn’t healthy. Low fat diets are just not popular anymore (remember Susan Powter???). Her message was so fantastic, but was taken wwwwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyyy out of context. She did say “eat all you want” but she didn’t say, “eat all the processed high suger, low fat crap”,which is what happened, and people wondered why they were gaining weight! Low fat diets will make a come back, just as the Atkins diet did. But in the meantime I hope people realise that low carb, high protein is simply not what its cut out to be. Point to remember: You ever seen Dr Barry Sears (The Zone)or Dr Atkins in person? …Do they look healthy to you??? I think not!

 

[kathryn]

I'm with you!

I think one problem is that some people are giving the label "carbs" to only one type of carbohydrate: the starchy carbs, and most particularly the processed carbs. In that sense, I agree with reducing or eliminating them (processed one) from the diet.

Diets seem to go in cycles. Do you remember (are you old enough?) the high protein craze of the 70s? Back then, it was downing mass quantitites of a high=protein liquid diet. It's just a quick fix that most people can't maintain (and shouldn't, for the sake of their kidneys and bones) for a long time.

The "no-carb/low-carb" thing sometimes goes way strange, like when you can buy low-carb bread or low-carb (anything that is normally high carbohydrate). I've tried a couple of these things (not because I'm going " high protein" , but just for a change) and they were AWFUL! The low-carb bread was rubbery and tasted horrible. Give me a good whole grain bread any day.

What kind of energy does our brain work on? Glucose. Where does it get this glucose? Carbohydrates!

 

[mogambo]

Not that I disagree with you. In fact, I agree that whole foods are the way to go. However, your brain gets glucose from anything. Protein, carbs and fats can all be broken down into glucose through various biochemical pathways. That's why they have calories.

 

[StepEdith]

I'm for whole foods period. Eat meat, eat tofu, eat whole slow cooked grain, beans, lentils, vegetables, fruits, use olive oil. Leave out the gravey, high sugar foods, whites, and low quality fats.

Don't cut out carbs or protein or dairy or meat or anything whole if your not allergic to it is my theory.

Edith

 

[KS]

I agree!
To say the American population gained weight by eating a low fat diet is very misleading. I have actually hear statements such as "We've tried low fat and it doesn't work">
I mean, are/were most Americans truly eating a healthy, balanced low fat diet? I really don't think Americans got fat by eating a diet of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats, beans, and low fat dairy. I think it is more like Americans ate too many calories and decided things such as Twizzlers, Snackwells, and pretzels were good for them because they're low fat.
I personally think a high protein diet is pretty gross. As if most Americans don't get too much protein already! It always cracks me up when (non vegans) worry if they get enough protein.

 

[kathryn]

>I agree!
>To say the American population gained weight by eating a low
>fat diet is very misleading. I have actually hear statements
>such as "We've tried low fat and it doesn't work">
>I mean, are/were most Americans truly eating a healthy,
>balanced low fat diet? I really don't think Americans got fat
>by eating a diet of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats,
>beans, and low fat dairy. I think it is more like Americans
>ate too many calories and decided things such as Twizzlers,
>Snackwells, and pretzels were good for them because they're
>low fat.
>I personally think a high protein diet is pretty gross. As if
>most Americans don't get too much protein already! It always
>cracks me up when (non vegans) worry if they get enough
>protein.

KS, When I became a vegetarian, back in 1976, I was always asked "where do you get enough protein". Then, for a while, people seemed to be out of that jag.

If I were more suspicious than I am, I'd think that this whole high-protein thing is tied in with the meat and dairy industry losing profits when people started eating more grains and vegies. The timing is about right.

I agree about blaming low-fat diets for increases in weight. Like you say, the "low fat" stuff that people began gravitating toward wasn't "naturally low-fat foods", but highly processed or artificially low fat foods (Olestra anyone? How about some nice anal leakage?). I've eaten some of these foods (though I never touched Olestra) and find them very unsatisfying. I could easily go through a large quantity of them without feeling satiated. I'm sure they have the same effect on others.

 

[Gayle]

I agree wholeheartedly!!

"Point to remember: You ever seen Dr Barry Sears (The Zone)or Dr Atkins in person? …Do they look healthy to you??? I think not!"

Every person I know of (either friend or friend-of-a-friend) who's done a high protein, Atkin's-like diet has lost 20-30lbs and then gained it back (with more) six months later.

I have some colleagues that I eat lunch with occasionally and I just have to shake my head in disbelief when I see these people remove all the bread from their sandwiches like it's poison, but go get ice cream for dessert. Insane!!

The American "dieting" public is too focused on buzz words than the quality of the food they're eating. I really like what Cathe has said in the past about balance and eating foods as close to their natural state as possible. It just makes sense.

 

[dani21496]

I agree what you said about the Atkins diet. It just can't be good for you in the long run.

I remember being on a boat ride, on a lake with my grandparents. They saw friends of theirs on another boat and they stopped to talk to them. My grandma mentioned that she could hardly recognize them because they each lost around 100 lbs on this diet.

While we were talking the guy just pulled out a huge (at least 1 lb.) block of cheese and opened it up and ate the whole thing like a candy bar!! He finished the whole thing! I was really grossed out. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE cheese, but that was just tooooo much!

Danielle

 

[aepate]

I think a lot of people misunderstand the Atkins lifestyle. You are able to eat carbs in the low carb lifestyle, however, you are to shy away from the processed, high sugar carbs. High fiber carbs, like multi-grain breads are allowed because you subtract the fiber grams from the carb grams in foods like this. Plus I heard on the news that people who stick to this lifestyle have lowered their weight and their cholesterfol...believe it or not.

 

[missannie]

Great thread. Seems we have all had experiences with crazy friends who eat bacon for breakfast everyday and insist that their "diet" is healthy. Like several others on the forum, I, too, had a friend who drove everyone crazy with her high-protein/high-fat lifestyle obsession. When she went off of it the weight came on like a freight train -- 50, 60 lbs. perhaps, in less than a year. Sad, but the worst is many of these people turn around and try it again. :-(

One of the most eye-opening things I ever read was Cory Everson's book Superflex. In it she detailed her workouts and her eating habits in her quest for her six Ms. Olympia bodybuilding titles. Know what she ate? Lots of carbs: oatmeal, bagels(!), fruit, veggies, etc. Moderate protein and minimal supplements. I found it very interesting in "light" of all the "Zone", 40-30-30, and Atkins-type diets that people seem to be presently avocating. I pray that the liquid protein fasts won't be the next "new" thing to return to the multi-billion $ diet industry.

By the way, the post about the guy who ate a 1 lb. block of cheese as a "snack" was classic! Thank you to whoever shared that. (My apologizes for not paying closer attention to the author of that post)

Ann

 

[icklemoley]

I read yesterday a 19 page thread about Low Carb diets and not one of the experts agreed that they were "healthy". Mr (sorry, i can't call him a doctor) Atkins has even agreed that his diet gives you constipation! Thin, but you'll never poop again! It makes me mad. I did the low carb thing and yep, lost weight, but i felt like ####. Greesy skin, hairy, etc... not nice. And all i could think about was bread, snacks, etc... madness. Low fat, high fibre, mostly wholefoods, some processed, low sugar, etc... healty, but we all want to beleive tha twe can eat crap and stay healthy and fit. But it ain't gonna happen. Why i don;t think the zone is a bad book (although the meal plans are poorly written and make eatting a dis-pleasure - perhaps thats why you loose weight?) it shouldn't be taken to the extreme. Low fat will make a comback, just as the Atkins has, but those of us sticking to the low fat will be around to see it!

 

[icklemoley]

Just another thing...how low is low? 20-40 carbs per day? Atkins? 50-90 is that low? 100-150? what is low? I eat around 200-350 per day and i feel great most of the time. I mean one bagel has 40-50 carbs in...