First of all I just want to say that I understand that the fundamental principle of weight change is calories in vs. calories out. I don't fully agree with IIFYM, but I do agree in that statement.
So, why do I see low carb diets being eaten and talked about in everyday general life as well as the gym?
I have a work colleague who does a lot of cardio and a little lifting. He recently went on a no carb diet. When I asked him what his reasoning behind this was he told me that it'd help him get leaner. Now, I know that if he's in a calorific deficit he'll lean out and lose weight, but what's the point of cutting your carbs out? Does this help you get dryer? Why is lowering your carbs such a big deal?
Can somebody enlighten me please? Are carbs more fattening and bloating than protein or fat? Why do these diets?
|
-
04-18-2012, 11:10 AM #1
- Join Date: Jun 2009
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 3,379
- Rep Power: 1598
What's the deal with low carb diets?
-
04-18-2012, 11:26 AM #2
- Join Date: Jan 2012
- Location: Fort Myers, Florida, United States
- Posts: 2,537
- Rep Power: 3586
you dont fully agree that a diet should be comprised of mostly minimally processed foods while meeting macronutrient and micronutrient sufficiency?
good luck with your goals -.-My log:http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147520713
**BTK** Bustin Ass Errday all day. One Day at a Time.
**PoP** Physiques of Pasta
Reborn July 29th 2011 BTGOG
Recovery b4 everything else, w/o my sobriety, I cannot hope to have anything else.
-
04-18-2012, 11:28 AM #3
The general population has less of need for carbs in the first place. That's besides the point. For the average person....Elimination of carbs does 2 things, 1.)it limits food choices thus creating (for many) an easy way to be in a deficit without counting calories. 2.)Normally improves the feeling of fullness. On the whole Protein and fats are more satiating than carbs (for many people, this is somewhat individual though.)
That is why it helps some people. Why people choose to do it is because it's been beaten into public knowledge, falsely, that carbs are bad. Couple that with the bull about the "metabolic advantage" and you have people using low carb as thier go to dieting strategy. When you move into a more knowledgeable group of people as a whole the reasons for doing it change and the % of people who use it diminishes."Worrying about GI is a waste of time & energy." - Alan Aragon.
-
04-18-2012, 11:36 AM #4
-
-
04-18-2012, 11:38 AM #5
One of the reasons why I eat low carb is, not so much weight loss or muscle gain even though it seems to have helped me in this respect, it is that I've found low carb eating most helpful at manipulating cholesterol numbers.
An example about that ~
"Making sense out of lipid changes"
http://blog.trackyourplaque.com/2009...d-changes.html
-
04-18-2012, 11:40 AM #6
-
04-18-2012, 11:42 AM #7
-
04-18-2012, 12:16 PM #8
- Join Date: Jun 2009
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 3,379
- Rep Power: 1598
What you've just described, is in my mind, eating clean. IIFYM has no specific definition; the definition is the acronym. That means you can stuff your face with processed crap 'IIFYM'.
This is pretty much what I thought. So I'm guessing there is no major benefit to dropping your carbs?
So, it increases ketosis?
Again, so the low carb diets are mostly BS?
-
-
04-18-2012, 12:21 PM #9
-
04-18-2012, 12:21 PM #10
-
04-18-2012, 12:22 PM #11
-
04-18-2012, 12:26 PM #12
-
-
04-18-2012, 12:44 PM #13
-
04-18-2012, 12:44 PM #14
-
04-18-2012, 12:48 PM #15
How can you say that? Sure, a lot, and I mean a lot, of people use IIFYM as an excuse to stuff their face with anything in sight, but you are missing the point. IIFYM means If It Fits Your Macros, you can eat whatever you want. How do you possibly say that has no meaning? I find it to be great because it helps with the mental aspect of dieting. The only reason I agree with it is simply because a ton of people flip out when they eat out. Something along the lines of, "I ate all dirty calories today. I'm going to get fat." No, dirty calories don't make you fat. Eating too many calories causes weight gain. I love it when somebody tells me that it's quality > quantity. If you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Just because you eat clean calories, doesn't mean you aren't going to get fat. Also, when you eat clean calories, they can still be stored. There is no magic calorie that will automatically be used as energy.
Sure, eating cleaner calories might have an effect on long term health, but I also believe that being fat is bad for you too. I try to eat clean calories, but when I eat "dirty", I continue to lose weight. I'm down 20lbs as of yesterday.This post is Natypes approved.
Natypes crew
I'm also a gun snob.
-
04-18-2012, 12:58 PM #16
-
-
04-18-2012, 02:03 PM #17
-
04-18-2012, 02:04 PM #18
-
04-18-2012, 02:29 PM #19
- Join Date: Jun 2009
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 3,379
- Rep Power: 1598
I don't really want to derail my own thread with this seperate argument.
The problem I have with IIFYM is that it is ambiguous and questionable for health. A cheap microwave lasagne from Walmart or wherever, maybe the same as a venison steak with sweet potatoe in terms of calories and macronutrient ratio, but it's micronutrient profile is absolute garbage, and the artificial colours, flavourings, ammonia, and god knows what else is bad news for your health.
In moderation, these foods are 'okay'. Lets say 90% of your diet is 'clean', and the remainder is 'dirty', I'd personally call that a relatively 'clean' diet. Here's my problem with IIFYM: Originally that school of thought was about eating whatever the phuck you like.... wait for it.... if it fits your macros. Since people have started to question this philosophy because it's really not particularly healthy, not in terms of macros, but in terms of poor micronutrient profiling and other nasties, the IIFYM camp have started to add two words to the end of their beloved acronym: IIFYM in moderation. I've noticed people like Ian McCarthy starting to use 'in moderation' as a suffix to that acronym now because it's a cop out from the original philosophy of eating whatever you like, whenever you want... IIFYM. In my opinion IIFYM is just another way of saying 'eating relatively clean'. It's now become a meaningless term.
-
04-18-2012, 02:32 PM #20
IIFYM was always about moderation.
Heck, use Discretionary Calorie Allowance if you ****ing want to.
On another point, you can eat 'clean' for a whole day, chicken+rice+olive oil, and still meet your macros, but you'd be deficient in important micronutrients. Therefore eating 'clean' would **** you up in the long term.
-
-
04-18-2012, 02:34 PM #21
The other problem with many in the IIFYM crowd is they refuse to admit that certain foods are better than others. No amount of spin doctoring is going to change the fact that, all things being equal, 300 calories of broccoli is more nutrient dense than 300 calories of potato chips. That kind of extremism is irritating, even though I mostly support the IIFYM style.
-
04-18-2012, 02:38 PM #22
-
04-18-2012, 02:44 PM #23
- Join Date: Jul 2007
- Location: Beaverton, Oregon, United States
- Posts: 37,261
- Rep Power: 158719
When I drop my carbs which is what I'm doing now it helps me reach a calorie deficit a little easier while keeping my protein intake the same or slightly higher and my fats around .5g * my body weight. I'll adjust carbs for days/workouts where I'll need that extra amount to get through my workout. By no means am I lowering carbs based on what the media states. It's more of what has worked for me through experimenting.
My training log: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=178464441
-
04-18-2012, 02:46 PM #24
- Join Date: Jun 2009
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 3,379
- Rep Power: 1598
-
-
04-18-2012, 02:50 PM #25
-
04-18-2012, 02:52 PM #26
-
04-18-2012, 02:54 PM #27
- Join Date: Sep 2010
- Location: New York, New York, United States
- Posts: 52,345
- Rep Power: 323441
Frankly, you're making no sense whatsoever. I suggest you read about IIFYM as that offers a simplified explanation of the basics of nutrition for people like you that are having a very hard time grasping the really basic stuff.
Or just read: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0804748
-
04-18-2012, 03:09 PM #28
-
-
04-18-2012, 03:12 PM #29
-
04-18-2012, 03:13 PM #30
- Join Date: Sep 2010
- Location: New York, New York, United States
- Posts: 52,345
- Rep Power: 323441
Similar Threads
-
What is the DEAL with Low Carb Diets?
By HumanMobility in forum NutritionReplies: 44Last Post: 04-02-2009, 10:34 PM -
Alright So What's The Deal With CARBS?!?!?!
By theACEofSPADES in forum NutritionReplies: 17Last Post: 02-23-2008, 06:48 AM
Bookmarks