Carbs

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297428242&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage) (9781400033461): Gary Taubes: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ikBliWK8L.@@AMEPARAM@@41ikBliWK8L[/ame]

Gary Taues has a new book out that is easier to digest. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-Borzoi/dp/0307272702"]Amazon.com: Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (Borzoi Books) (9780307272706): Gary Taubes: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51b0qV-LrxL.@@AMEPARAM@@51b0qV-LrxL[/ame]

Not all carbs are bad, vegetables have carbs. It's the refined carbohydrates that are bad. Sugar being the worst.
If I remember correctly carbohydrates spike insulin in the blood which affects enzymes that tell the body to store fat instead of burn it. Our systems are not simple calorie in calorie out but a very complex chain of biochemical reaction. IF you took biology or chemistry remember the Krebs cycle.
Just got back from a trip to LA, my SIL lost 20 pounds since September by giving up sugar and white flour and anything that contained them. Reason she did this is because she had a fatty liver and she doesn't drink at all. She was a big sugar addict.

I haven't read those particular books... but research and personal observation makes me believe blood, body & personality types play an enormous part in the complex puzzle.

For instance: I can 'safely' consume more proteins than many folks, while carbs ARE a major danger zone for me. I gave a hearty try at gagging down whole grain pasta & fruit. My mouth said "Life is Too Short for nastiness such as that!" Bobbie Sue is certain that alcohol is what keeps his cholesterol in check and carotids scoured clean... and who am I to judge whether that's a massive justification / preservative, or wonderful out-of-the-box defiance thinking on his part?!

WHEN I successfully lost weight, the tipping point was sufficient fibre. I'd been carefully doing ALL the other 'right' PIA stuff (weight/cardio routines 3-4x/wk, 8+ cups of water/day, overall calories carefully balanced between protein, fat, and carbs and maniacal tracking of all of it)... but weight loss didn't truly occur until I addressed the whole fibre thing also. Fibre seemed to effectively counteract refined carbs in my system. But... consumption of daily recommended amounts of fibre proved really tough on my taste buds and enjoyment factor.
That whole "you feel so much better business"??? I call Baloney. The only thing that felt better was fitting into smaller jeans! :lol:
Now I'm back to fat again... and the journey tasted SO good ;-)

Carbs aren't all bad - it's more quality and quantity of them.

A potato in and of itself is not a bad thing. What they do to it can be.

Most fast food/restaurant/packaged carbs are HORRIBLE for you. Processed and full of additives.

P.S. I had SWGB try the whole wheat penne carbonara I was telling about - he agreed that you can't tell it's whole wheat with all the bacon, onion, and cheese. ;-)

I can tell whole wheat/grain pasta from a mile away!!! I eat it occasionally, but the texture is all wrong!

Obviously my first choice is real homemade pasta, but I try to eat the whole wheat instead of the regular processed stuff.

Obviously my first choice is real homemade pasta, but I try to eat the whole wheat instead of the regular processed stuff.

I am trying to make the transition. but I'm a pasta freak, even though I stay away from it mostly.

I can tell whole wheat/grain pasta from a mile away!!! I eat it occasionally, but the texture is all wrong!

Yeah, it's crap. Still got the same box LuLu and I talked about here..oh...a couple of years ago!!!
:lol:

I have tried so hard to develop a taste for whole wheat pasta....I just can't do it. It is vile to me. All of it. Yuck. So, the regular pasta in moderation for me.

I did the "low carb" diet a few years ago. Lost weight, but truly was miserable having to cut out so many of the foods that I love. So, I decided that I would eat all that I love in moderation, I would exercise and drink my water. I did all that for a while until winter hit. Now, I am just a lazy, hibernating fool who has gained pretty much all the weight I had lost back. That is what happens when you don't do what you know you are supposed to do.

Been thinking when the weather warms up and I thaw out, I might get right back on track. ;-)

Hello, I'm Ameliaj and I'm a Carboholic.

It's a vicious cycle. Once I eat good old pasta or potato chips, I really, really, really, really want to eat the whole pot/bag. The only solution is to give them up entirely and get some good carbs from veggies/fruit. But it's not nearly as much fun.

Hello, I'm Ameliaj and I'm a Carboholic.

It's a vicious cycle. Once I eat good old pasta or potato chips, I really, really, really, really want to eat the whole pot/bag. The only solution is to give them up entirely and get some good carbs from veggies/fruit. But it's not nearly as much fun.

Oh yeah, I know all about this. With me, it's bread & pasta. I could eat a whole loaf of fresh out of the oven bread, or about 10 really good yeast rolls, or about 10 bread sticks at Olive Garden. You get the picture. Olive Garden.....the garden of good and evil.

Oh yeah, I know all about this. With me, it's bread & pasta. I could eat a whole loaf of fresh out of the oven bread, or about 10 really good yeast rolls, or about 10 bread sticks at Olive Garden. You get the picture. Olive Garden.....the garden of good and evil.

not one, but two plates of pasta.

hot buttery yeast rolls from one of those buffet restaurants..........

not one, but two plates of pasta.

hot buttery yeast rolls from one of those buffet restaurants..........

Uh uh.:wave:

The thing is, I don't know what to eat for breakfast. When my cholesterol level went up this fall, my doctor asked me what I was eating. When I told him I was eating Cheerios with 1% milk and fruit for breakfast, he told me that was too many carbs. But what is the alternative? Eggs have too much cholesterol, and I can only eat EggBeaters for about two days before I feel like I'm gonna throw up.:idontno:

Doc told me to have no more than two teaspoons of fat a day. Wha-wha-what? Last night I broke down and we had angel hair pasta with low-fat sour cream, goat cheese, and basil. And a salad. I know that is probably wrong. But I am so confused about what is bad or good.

I mean, having grilled chicken and veggies or black beans and brown rice just doesn't do it for me as my permanent menu.

I have re-read the letter from the doc (he did his residency at Mayo in Rochester, so he sends me Mayo handouts), and I am still confused. Time for an appointment.

The thing is, I don't know what to eat for breakfast. When my cholesterol level went up this fall, my doctor asked me what I was eating. When I told him I was eating Cheerios with 1% milk and fruit for breakfast, he told me that was too many carbs. But what is the alternative? Eggs have too much cholesterol, and I can only eat EggBeaters for about two days before I feel like I'm gonna throw up.:idontno:

Doc told me to have no more than two teaspoons of fat a day. Wha-wha-what? Last night I broke down and we had angel hair pasta with low-fat sour cream, goat cheese, and basil. And a salad. I know that is probably wrong. But I am so confused about what is bad or good.

I mean, having grilled chicken and veggies or black beans and brown rice just doesn't do it for me as my permanent menu.

I have re-read the letter from the doc (he did his residency at Mayo in Rochester, so he sends me Mayo handouts), and I am still confused. Time for an appointment.

time for doing your own research & reading on best nutrition for you!!! Yes, the doctor can advise, but I find much more information from experts in the field of nutrition - some are MDs and some are not - but the good ones focus on what we now know about food and diet.

BR - here are some breakfast ideas for you:
oatmeal - not the instant kind, but use the plain quick cooking oatmeal which only takes 5 minutes, or even the steel cut oatmeal which takes about 20 minutes. other hot grain cereals are good as well.

Whole grain toast or english muffin with jam, mascerpone (not sure about fat),

soysage is actually pretty good these days, but not sure about fat content.

smoothies - with nothing but the healthiest ingredients - and not necessarily milk based. cranberry juice concentrate (no sugar) with water added, frozen fruit, whey protein, flax seed and flax oil, super green powder, and maybe half banana for smoothness, or dollop of yogurt.

fritatta with plenty of veggies.

nonfat yogurt with granola and fruit.

I like cereal too - its easy and fast and pretty good to eat! but it is a processed food without a lot of nutritional value. you could use nonfat milk, soy milk (light), rice milk, etc. I like to eat cereal about once a week. they say cereal eaters are healthy eaters overall because they do eat breakfast... so don't sweat it too much.

for me, breakfast is the easy part. eating well the rest of the day with healthy proteins and plenty of vegetables is HARD. I'm working on it.

time for doing your own research & reading on best nutrition for you!!! Yes, the doctor can advise, but I find much more information from experts in the field of nutrition - some are MDs and some are not - but the good ones focus on what we now know about food and diet.

BR - here are some breakfast ideas for you:
oatmeal - not the instant kind, but use the plain quick cooking oatmeal which only takes 5 minutes, or even the steel cut oatmeal which takes about 20 minutes. other hot grain cereals are good as well.

Whole grain toast or english muffin with jam, mascerpone (not sure about fat),

soysage is actually pretty good these days, but not sure about fat content.

smoothies - with nothing but the healthiest ingredients - and not necessarily milk based. cranberry juice concentrate (no sugar) with water added, frozen fruit, whey protein, flax seed and flax oil, super green powder, and maybe half banana for smoothness, or dollop of yogurt.

fritatta with plenty of veggies.

nonfat yogurt with granola and fruit.

I like cereal too - its easy and fast and pretty good to eat! but it is a processed food without a lot of nutritional value. you could use nonfat milk, soy milk (light), rice milk, etc. I like to eat cereal about once a week. they say cereal eaters are healthy eaters overall because they do eat breakfast... so don't sweat it too much.

for me, breakfast is the easy part. eating well the rest of the day with healthy proteins and plenty of vegetables is HARD. I'm working on it.

Thanks so much for your help. :wub:

I gave up gluten and lost 30 pounds. That was over two years ago, and it's still off without any effort on my part. First time in my adult life that I have not had to fight to stay at a size 8. (I know that's huge for some of you, but it's skinny for me.) As an added bonus, no more arthritis in my fingers and knees. I did not substitute other grains for the gluten-filled kind. I do eat Ezekiel bread, and rice pasta (Tinkyada's our favorite), and organic potatoes and rice. I eat organic butter and cream and an avocado nearly every day and am convinced that eating fat will not make you fat any more than the cholesterol in eggs will raise the cholesterol in your blood (for most folks). Giving up gluten meant giving up nearly all processed, packaged and prepared foods. Inconvenient? You bet, but worth it. After all, we aren't born knowing how to approach the drive-though window at the fast-food joint; we needed to learn it. So, I decided to unlearn it.

My weakness is still sugar, though I eat far less of it than I used to. Your body processes simple carbs and alcohol as pure sugar. It's the drop after the spike that causes the craving for more. That's why it's preferable to eat some fat and/or protein with sugar/simple carbs. It slows the absorption and moderates the spike. That's why fat free snack foods are a disaster. They send your blood sugar sky high. Cutting back on sugar is hard, but if you can ignore the craving for about 72 hours, it will miraculously disappear. I swear.

Soappedaler, I just received Gary Taubes' new book from Amazon, and look forward to reading it.

I gave up gluten and lost 30 pounds. That was over two years ago, and it's still off without any effort on my part. First time in my adult life that I have not had to fight to stay at a size 8. (I know that's huge for some of you, but it's skinny for me.) As an added bonus, no more arthritis in my fingers and knees. I did not substitute other grains for the gluten-filled kind. I do eat Ezekiel bread, and rice pasta (Tinkyada's our favorite), and organic potatoes and rice. I eat organic butter and cream and an avocado nearly every day and am convinced that eating fat will not make you fat any more than the cholesterol in eggs will raise the cholesterol in your blood (for most folks). Giving up gluten meant giving up nearly all processed, packaged and prepared foods. Inconvenient? You bet, but worth it. After all, we aren't born knowing how to approach the drive-though window at the fast-food joint; we needed to learn it. So, I decided to unlearn it.

My weakness is still sugar, though I eat far less of it than I used to. Your body processes simple carbs and alcohol as pure sugar. It's the drop after the spike that causes the craving for more. That's why it's preferable to eat some fat and/or protein with sugar/simple carbs. It slows the absorption and moderates the spike. That's why fat free snack foods are a disaster. They send your blood sugar sky high. Cutting back on sugar is hard, but if you can ignore the craving for about 72 hours, it will miraculously disappear. I swear.

Soappedaler, I just received Gary Taubes' new book from Amazon, and look forward to reading it.

I got tested this week for Gluten, RA, and a few others. I'll know the results next week. Even complex carbs spike my blood sugar and make me crash. I have to have some protein and fat in the mix or I'll be shaking and sweating in 30 minutes to an hour if I ate a potato with the skin or an apple. Cod forbid if I ate a doughnut and a cup of coffee. Someone would have to give me a glucose tab an hour later.

I gave up gluten and lost 30 pounds. That was over two years ago, and it's still off without any effort on my part. First time in my adult life that I have not had to fight to stay at a size 8. (I know that's huge for some of you, but it's skinny for me.) As an added bonus, no more arthritis in my fingers and knees. I did not substitute other grains for the gluten-filled kind. I do eat Ezekiel bread, and rice pasta (Tinkyada's our favorite), and organic potatoes and rice. I eat organic butter and cream and an avocado nearly every day and am convinced that eating fat will not make you fat any more than the cholesterol in eggs will raise the cholesterol in your blood (for most folks). Giving up gluten meant giving up nearly all processed, packaged and prepared foods. Inconvenient? You bet, but worth it. After all, we aren't born knowing how to approach the drive-though window at the fast-food joint; we needed to learn it. So, I decided to unlearn it.

My weakness is still sugar, though I eat far less of it than I used to. Your body processes simple carbs and alcohol as pure sugar. It's the drop after the spike that causes the craving for more. That's why it's preferable to eat some fat and/or protein with sugar/simple carbs. It slows the absorption and moderates the spike. That's why fat free snack foods are a disaster. They send your blood sugar sky high. Cutting back on sugar is hard, but if you can ignore the craving for about 72 hours, it will miraculously disappear. I swear.

Soappedaler, I just received Gary Taubes' new book from Amazon, and look forward to reading it.

great info, Miss Critter, thanks!

I can't say I've given up gluton but I definitely watch out for and try to eliminate processed foods and try to choose healthy grain/fiber products. I eat Ezekiel bread and cereal (hot or cold). or just leave off bread altogether.

Proteins/fats are important. sometimes we need to take the time to relearn, as you mention, how to eat... its worth it since there is so much more new knowledge every day!