Good carbs? page 6

[Drumroll]

I find I don't really ever "crave" carbs. My issue is only when I sit down and actually begin to eat them. Then it triggers something in me that I don't really have any good explanation for other than "I binge." The issue begins when consumption does.

It's not like I walk around all day thinking "oh, God I've got to have some carbs or I'm going to die!" I don't have carbohydrate dreams.

This is why I think the issue is less a psychological addiction, and maybe something else I am just having difficulty putting my finger on.

[Knifegill]

Derpaderp, we finally almost agree on something!

bad carbs(hard to digest): green vegetables
bad carbs(stressful) legumes, grains
good carbs: fruit, milk sugar, white sugar, roots and tubers

Aside from SOME fruits not sitting well with me, and being dairy intolerant for whatever reason, yes. I x2 you on this one! Daily, maybe not. But after a hard bike ride or a solid few days/week of VLC, yeah, some starches or sugar can be a good kick-in-the-glycogen to mix things up. Sure, that first day back on VLC is a little grumbly in the tummy, but the fat is burning by day 2 and it's business as usual. I say it pays to burn both fuels efficiently. Fat, I do feel best on, but not forever. Did keto for three weeks and it was great, but then just knew it was time for some sweet potatoes. Body said so! So I ATE THEM, LOTS OF THEM, and I'm perfectly FINE because they're safe. Call it a binge, a cycle, a reload, whatever you want. It just happens naturally.

Maybe you're just hungry, Drumroll.

[Drumroll]

I doubt it. I eat plenty, whether I am VLC or binging on carbs. I doubt my caloric need (unless I'm coming out of a long fast) is over 4,000 calories and I've had binges that bad before.

When I eat VLC and high fat, I eat between 1,700 and 2,000 calories depending on my activity level on a particular day. This seems more reasonable given that I am not some super huge muscle-bound man who burns through 3,000 calories a day.

[Knifegill]

Well, my numbers look similar, Drumroll. But I feel great, look good and my labs are all spot-on. What is wrong with a 4000 calorie, high-carb day here and there? I don't get it yet. We're born to eat, and eat big. How is this a problem?

[Drumroll]

Well, my numbers look similar, Drumroll. But I feel great, look good and my labs are all spot-on. What is wrong with a 4000 calorie, high-carb day here and there? I don't get it yet. We're born to eat, and eat big. How is this a problem?

It's not a problem if it's on occasion. Key word here though, is "occasion." If I were to consume carbs daily, and regularly binge to that level, I would no doubt gain weight. And LOTS of it.

This is why I can't include them as a daily part of my diet like some folks can (and often, insist that everyone do). I might be able to justify the sporadic carb refeed, but beyond that, I can't be trusted to have more than what's in the non-starchy veggies I consume on a regular basis. I believe my personal n=1 has proved this.

It doesn't matter if we were meant to "eat big" as you put it, but not all of us want to be consuming 4,000 or more calories every single day.

[Knifegill]

I agree fully! Who are your ancestors, anyway?

[ChocoTaco369]

Carbs are awesome for you. They're just as good as fats, if not better. Just make sure they're from whole foods: potatoes, fruit, cassava, sweet potatoes, squashes, whatever. Avoid grains and heavily refined sugars. That's not a carb issue, that's an individual food issue. Hell, seed oils are far worse for you on average than grains and they're a fat, not a carb. It always comes down to the individual food.

[ChocoTaco369]

It's not a problem if it's on occasion. Key word here though, is "occasion." If I were to consume carbs daily, and regularly binge to that level, I would no doubt gain weight. And LOTS of it.

This is why I can't include them as a daily part of my diet like some folks can (and often, insist that everyone do). I might be able to justify the sporadic carb refeed, but beyond that, I can't be trusted to have more than what's in the non-starchy veggies I consume on a regular basis. I believe my personal n=1 has proved this.

It doesn't matter if we were meant to "eat big" as you put it, but not all of us want to be consuming 4,000 or more calories every single day.

This is a food reward/calorie issue. If you combine lots of fat and carbs together, it signals your brain to overeat. Go out and buy a 10 lb sack of white potatoes. Make your meat of the very lean variety. Eye round, chicken breast, well-trimmed pork loin, etc. Do not add cooking fat. Keep the meal as close to zero fat as possible. See if you can overeat baked white potatoes and steamed chicken breast. I challenge you. If you're binging on sweet potatoes, it's because you're putting too much butter and cinnamon on them.

[Drumroll]

I agree fully! Who are your ancestors, anyway?

I have mostly European (particularly Anglo-Saxon but also a small amount of German and Polish) blood in me. I do not have any Asian in me, though I almost wish I did since they metabolize carbs naturally, very well (I know this is a generalization, but it is for the most part, true).

I come from heavy meat consuming ancestry for which the introduction of high carb diets is actually relatively new (farming days and later), so I think this might explain why I seem to do better on a high-fat, VLC diet for the most part. This won't apply to everyone of similar background though, and my n=1 is more important than my genetic background I think.

[Knifegill]

Polish, here, too. And Irish and 1/8 Native American. Heavy animal eaters, too, as far as I know.