Why do people believe ths whole CARBS IS YOUR ENEMY??

they are "the enemy" to sedentary people, and aren't the best thing to be consumed in large quantities for people with low activity levels.

for athletes, active people, they are very much needed and beneficial, and especially endurance athletes like boxers, they are essential and should outweigh other macronutrients by quite a margin.

ultimately anything in excessive quantities is not the best, but carbs are usually labelled as "bad" because most junk food, sweets, sodas, and other harmful "foodstuffs" or things we consume, are mainly made up of highly processed carbohydrates.

If we are talking carbs as in potatoes, beans, fruit then they are in no way the enemy and that is just silly.
plus a lot of people have or can develop an intolerance to some "carb" foods such as bread or pasta due to the gluten, so that is another reason some people avoid them.

a lot of people do not process carbs efficiently due to their diet in general, or just not being active people, and it is easier to get fat off excessive carbs, rather than, say, excessive fat or protein based foods.

then of course there are the insulin issues, where if under "carbs" we have sodas, chocolates, sweets, cakes, anything like that, diabetes can develop in the extreme case or poor insulin sensitivity in the best case of long term insulin piking throughout the day from a bad diet. as an example, if you went without carbs for a couple of days, a week, couple weeks, depending, and then you had some carbs, you would feel full of energy and much better, whereas if you constantly stuff yourself with carb foods you won't feel as good, or in the worst case, feel lethargic and worse off for having them.

furthermore, a lot of carb based foods can be replaced with more nutritious foods. for example bread, pasta, rice, don't contain a whole lot else. but then sweet potatoes, beans which are also "carb" foods, contain goodness and vitamins.

 

see that is a good example of far too much reading not enough living
on paper, yes bananas cause insulin spike because of the sugar, which halts the fat loss temporarily to an extent.
so do carrots
its only in very extreme cases that this makes any difference in reality.
i.e for extremely unhealthy, overweight people who are trying to make a proper change in their diet and lifestyle, or bodybuilders cutting down EVERYTHING for a competition, where their main diet is made up of chicken breast and brocolli.
you think you can get fat off of a banana, from carrots?
or is it the six pack of soda, and the pizza hut pasta dish you have, or the mcdonalds "healthy wrap" option, or the gallon of gatorade you think you need to fuel your 45 minute strength workout with the 5 minute rest periods between each set?

its not like if you have a banana you will get fat and it is impossible to get lean. textbook bull****. it is not THE BEST thing, but if you are not a bodybuilder 2 weeks from their competition, or a hugely overweight individual, with serious insulin issues, it won't make a difference.

people need to get out there and TRY some stuff in the real world, with themselves and with REAL people in order to learn anything. the science, what is on paper, is true, but the weight of that fact is not mentioned, nor the real impact. so on paper, a banana does cause an insulin spike, but in reality, you are not very likely to get fat off of a banana.
its like you have on two pieces of research paper:
"carrots contain sugar, and cause an insulin spike."
"smoking causes lung cancer."

they are both facts, and both are true.
but which one of those do you think actually has any real impact? despite how it is presented as a bonafide, gospel, undeniable and very important fact that you should be aware of and tread carefully around?
(hint: its the carrot statement)

 

Good post, carbs get a bad rep because most the majority of people take in a shitload more carbs then they will ever need, add to that the fact that the carbs they are taking in are usually processed to hell and modern day carbohydrates are a major contributor to the fat epidemic we have today, not to mention related health problems like diabetes etc.

Like MrSmall said, carbs are essential for athletes and good clean sources of carbs (low GI carbs) will help you train well and are also good for you.

The problem with carbs is that they are soooooo easy to go overboard with and most people dont realise how many carbs they actually consume throughout the day. When you combine that with the fact that processed carbs are much more commonplace than healthy carbs (white bread for example) then its easy to get in the mindset that carbs are your enemy.

 

So can I have Super Noodles at 10pm after kickboxing??

 

Never listen to anything that trainer tells you ever again for any reason ever. Also, a lot of good info in MrSmall's post.


Eating carbs late in the day isn't going to make you fat if you're still under the amount of calories you need for the day. I do try to eat most of mine early in the day though, because I need energy to go about my day, not to sleep. Later in the day it's usually a better choice to go with protein because A. You usually train later in the day and B. Your body can rebuild while you sleep. So carbs late in the day aren't necessarily bad, they're just not as good as protein.

And while it's usually a good idea to eat mostly slow-digesting carbs, you can eat the faster ones directly postworkout and right after you wake up. Your body needs carbs right away when you wake up, especially if you work out in the morning. After a workout you need some quicker carbs because they aid in the absorbtion of protein or something.

Other than that stick to more complex carbs and try to eat them all before your evening workout. Try to stick to protein-based food at night if you're eating at all.

 

Yeah but the super noodles...?

 

Because they assume we are all lazy couch potatoes, if you are a lazy couch potatoes then yes carbs will make you fat. If you are an athlete carbs will give you the energy you need.

 

not so bad at 1030pm after kickboxing if you go to bed around 1am. yes, you get to replenish after your workout, but if it's within 3hrs of bed, use a liquid meal for easier digestion.

and chew your food really well. digestion begins with saliva in the mouth.

and agreed ... that trainer is a dumb-ass. eating a banana (at the gym of all places) is not going to make you fat. keep in mind that a ripe banana will spike blood sugar faster than a green banana. green for a slower, lower GI entry to blood >>> pre-workout. a ripe banana for faster entry and post-workout recovery.

 

What sort of a book would suggest that a banana will make you fat? That trainer should do nothing BUT read for the next 5 years.
Otherwise good posts.

 

That's not a trainer, that's a person who goes to the gym and doles out **** advice

 

There was a woman at work a while back. Now I cant say she is lazy. She was like superwoman. Worked from 8 in the morning till 10 at night somedays but was in the gym or the pool at 6 everyday. But like most women never happy and she was a little overweight so wanted to loose some. Im going on a no carb diet she tells me. Now i try my best not to come across as a now it all but work collegues and friends are always telling me things like this because i like health and fitness ect

So anyway she goes on this diet, i said in a nice a way possible your daft, with your workload plus the gym how do you expect to fuel yourself without carbs.

A week later she went the doctors feeling sick , tired all the time and had heart palpitations. Started eating carbs again and my god shes cured!

She then came back to me and said you were right you know i shouldnt have done that.


The strangest thing about this was she is a Nurse!!!!!! :nut

 

It isn't carbs. Look at Asia. It is (refined) WHEAT and corn. Carbs are wonderful, like all things, in moderation.

I challenge any person to come off of wheat and corn for a week or two and go to a 50/50 white and brown rice mix. The difference is stunning. I doubt you can go back except for whole wheat. Or sub in a big bowl of oatmeal with a fiber supplement.