I’m in New York this week as part of my graduate degree program. A big part of this program is getting to know my fellow students, which means I’m eating out more often than usual. It also means some very spirited conversations on a variety of topics, some of them health related. One of the more interesting conversations I’ve had recently is with a few of my fellow students about the advantages and disadvantages of the high carb diet.
What Are Carb Diets?
For those unfamiliar with them, carb diets (also called Atkins style diets after Robert Atkins, the nutritionist who popularized it) emphasize restricted carbohydrate intake along with a very high protein and fat intake.
First, A Disclaimer
I don’t claim that carb diets are either good or bad. I think you can get good results with them if you do them right, but I also think you can get good results without them. So I am neither a strong opponent of proponent of these diets. That said, I do think people make some mistakes when it comes to these diets, something that became quite clear in my conversation last night.
Mistake 1: Carb Diets Allow Me To Eat An Unlimited Calories
Guess what, whether you eat a lot or a little carbs, you are still constrained by basic biology. That biology says if you eat more calories than your body uses, you’re going to store some as fat. It’s that simple. So no, eating a low carb diet does NOT mean you can eat an unlimited number of calories. While there are some studies that show low carb dieters burn more calories, there are also studies that show this is untrue and there are ZERO studies that show low carb dieters burn an unlimited number of calories.
Mistake 2: All Fat Is Good Fat
How many times have you heard someone say “I love my low carb diet, I can eat all the steak and bacon I want to”? Well, if it makes you happy, those people are dead wrong.
Carb diets tell us that protein and fat are good. Carb dieters mistake this to mean, ALL protein and fat is good. That’s simply not true. If you eat an unlimited quantity of lard, I can pretty much guarantee that your health is going to decline. Not all protein is good and not all fat is good. Even if you eat a low carb diet, you still want to make sure that your protein and fat sources are healthy.
Mistake 3: All Plant Matter Is Bad
I love this one and I heard it again last night. “I don’t need salads, I’m on a low carb diet.” Well, guess what, vegetables are still good for you even on the low carb diet. In fact, if people actually take the time to read the Atkins nutritional approach, they’ll see that vegetables have a very important place in it.
So Are Low Carb Diets A Fad Diet?
Low carb diets aren’t bad, but they can be easily misinterpreted. I wouldn’t go as far as calling them a fad diet, but I do think the way some people abused the notion of a low carb diet does go into fad diet territory. The minute someone tells you that you can eat as many calories as you want, eliminate all plants from your diet and still be healthy, you should be suspicious.
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Anyone out there on a low carb diet? I’d be interested in hearing about your experience and results.
This is a really interesting debate. I did sort of an experiment, by accident, on myself. I was eating high protein, fairly low carbs and fat. I’ve been struggling with the last 10 pounds for a while now and thought I should play with the macro nutrients. So I raised my carbs. Wow did I notice a difference. I was completely bloated and just felt fat. I gained weight. Not good. And really I was eating maybe 170 grams of carbs. That really isn’t THAT high. So the next week I decided to reverse it again but this time eat higher fat. So high protein, high fat, low carbs and I felt so much better. The bloating was gone and the extra pound or two came off.
Everyone reacts differently though. That’s why there is not a one size fits all diet. You have to experiment with yourself.
I feel like people who think like you wrote are just ignorant. You have to do your research before starting a new life style and really figure it out. Just like you said, ‘The minute someone tells you that you can eat as many calories as you want, eliminate all plants from your diet and still be healthy, you should be suspicious.’ Those are excellent guidelines and I hope a person entering into a low carb life style will do their own research.
My brother went on a low carb diet. Basically he kept his diet mostly the same, veggies and meat wise, but dropped out sweets, sugary drinks, starchy vegetables, breads, and pasta. It worked wonders for him. But of course his normal diet was already high in fruit and vegetables because he’s a fruit junkie. And he plays NCAA football so his calorie consumption is offset by tons of calories burned through training and having a high BMR.
Reducing the carbs amounts is not a miracle, but it helps to reach balance cause processed food is high in carbs.
My current diet is similar to a low carb diet. Six month ago, I cut processed food and pasta from my diet. Replaced them with squash, beans, chick peas and other vegan’s recipe with added meat. Keep the same amount of varied meat. I didn’t add more fat (my diet is already a fatty one). Add more vegetables and fruit. And keep bread, rice, oatmeal as carb sources. And finally, I eat less. I feel filled with less food when it’s not carbs.
Combined with a dynamic life style that includes cycling, jogging, trekking, soccer and fitness, I lost 30lbs during those 6 months. My waist line definitely shrunk.
I have a lack of motivation lately and my diet suffer from it. I’m not as dynamic. More processed carbs. More lazy evenings. My waistline is stagnant.
The key is balance.
In a non-metaphoric sense, the number one job of a carbohydrate is to make you crave more carbohydrates. Though I eat carbs, I keep them under 150G per day and (almost) exclusively from vegetable sources. Since a majority of my food comes from right fats, right proteins, and good carbohydrates, my insulin production is incredibly stable and I am almost never hungry — unless I just go too long between meals or snacks. For me the bottom line on carbs is that without processed carbs in my life, there is no true hunger in my life and that is a great blessing.
You’re eating low carb. You’re feeling great, and the weight dropping off as if by magic. You’re not hungry between meals! You have energy! You can concentrate better! Wheee! You think you’ll have a piece of toast! It doesn’t matter! You still feel great! You think you’ll have some ice cream! Hey! You’re still losing weight! A little sugar in the coffee can’t hurt, can it? Maybe not, but…uh oh. Something has sent you over your own personal limit. Suddenly, you’re having carb cravings, you’re gaining weight, and you’re in a vicious circle that’s hard to break of eating carbs, being hungrier, eating more carbs…ugh