Eating carbs doesn't lead to obesity and health problems

It doesn't. In Asia we tend to eat a whole lot of carbs with meats and vegetables as the side dish in small portions. The percentage of overweight people here is relatively low. Of course genetic factors may be responsible to a degree, but I don't buy into the whole low-carb diet fad.

I eat a lot. In fact as I'm typing this I'm eating a white bread cream cheese sandwich. Not so much cheese, though, just enough to flavour the bread. I don't really exercise. But as a kid I used to walk miles and miles, so that probably factored in to my muscles being lean and burning calories whether I want to or not.

This past month I've been gorging myself in an effort to increase my weight. I've still got 4 kilograms to go so to get into the right body mass index (BMI). The whole eating a lot bit has only increased my weight by 200 grams a week. But what was it that I've been eating a lot? Bread, biscuits and cookies along with bowlfuls of rice. It's a painfully slow process that makes me bloated after every meal. All in the name of weight gain. Perhaps I should work out as well. Gain some muscle mass.

Anyway, enough about me and on to the purpose of this thread.



A professor at the University of Virginia has published a peer-reviewed paper that claims that "bad carbs" are not the enemy. In fact, he goes on to say that carbs aren't the enemy, period. Read on...



I agree whole-heartedly. The article ends by saying that a high-carb, low-fat diet is the best way to go.

Stop wolfing down those steaks and burgers. On the plus side you'll help save the planet, apparently.

Less Meat, Less Heat -- Fewer Steaks may Save Planet

If you are on a carb diet to gain weight i believe that you have to eat a hell of a lot of high carb foods and also exercise. Try doing weights and high cardiac exercises to build up your muscle tone, that should in turn give you a weight gain.

reply to post by Beachcoma


Anyway back on track, i reckon that carbs are only a problem if you dont regulate them with exercise. Thats when you start gaining unwanted weight. But obviously there are other factors than carbohydrates eg high fatty foods

Heh. I'm not surprised by this. All my life I watched my mother try one of those "diets" after another, with little success. The latest one is the no-carb one.

I know I'd starve to death if I gave up carbs. I pretty much live on sandwiches and cheese.

Giving up meat ... that's something nobody should ask of me.

You'll get my burger when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
Giving up meat ... that's something nobody should ask of me.

You'll get my burger when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

Nobody's asking you to give it up. I won't give it up. They can pry it from my cold, dead fingers, too.

Just don't eat too much of that stuff. And that's probably a good idea.

MSG and other chemicals added to processed foods is what causes obesity.

If people would simply eat non-processed foods (fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc.), there would be no obesity problems. But here in the U.S. it's common for the food industry to place these chemicals into every processed food that you buy. And a lot of it is hidden. They stopped listing MSG on most food labels because of the uproar several years ago over the dangers of MSG. Now there's a long list of other ingredients that MSG is hidden in so people don't know they're consuming it.

The link between monosodium glutamate (MSG) and obesity

But how does MSG cause obesity? Like aspartame, MSG is an excitotoxin, a substance that overexcites neurons to the point of cell damage and, eventually, cell death. Humans lack a blood-brain barrier in the hypothalamus, which allows excitotoxins to enter the brain and cause damage, according to Dr. Russell L. Blaylock in his book Excitotoxins. According to animal studies, MSG creates a lesion in the hypothalamus that correlates with abnormal development, including obesity, short stature and sexual reproduction problems.

It's sad that people waste money on all of the latest diet scams, without realizing that they're just continuing to eat the foods that keep them fat. That includes those weight-watcher meals.

If you just consume what the body needs and get a moderate amount of exercise, your body will take on it's ideal weight naturally. It's so very important to get off the chemicals.

Calories in VS Calories out. It is a pretty simple rule for dieting. If you consume 3000 calories a day, but only burn 2000 a day, you will convert the rest into fat. It isn't exact, but a fairly simple concept. Sure there are variations to it, for example Atkins will work for the short term. But you are tricking your body for the short term forcing it to burn extra fat. I have yet to meet anyone who has been successful at the Atkins diet for any length of time though. Most people tend to rebound and end up back at least as heavy as they were before, if not moreso.

Low obesity in Asia?

A quick search in Google belies that claim. According to a government study, obesity has increased 97% in Asia in the past decade.

Besides, Beach, what would you know about obesity, being underweight?

There are only 2 ways that I can lose weight.....

1) Go on an extremely restricted diet (Like about 1,000 "calories" a day). At that rate, I will loose 1 or 2 pounds a WEEK. The last time I did this, I dropped 30 pounds in about 3 months, but I was hungry all the time.

2) Go carb-free. I will loose 1-2 pounds A DAY. I lost 30 pounds in 30 days on the Atkins diet. (The 30 pounds I gained back from the other diet) And no, no one has 30 pounds of "excess water". Interestingly enough, the more FAT I add to the diet, the quicker I will lose weight. At one point (for 2 or 3 days), I was eating a half pound of bacon for breakfast, and dipping it in 1/4 stick of real butter. I was losing 3 pounds a DAY when I did that. It does get expensive though. You never go hungry on the Atkins diet.

[edit on 1-10-2007 by sir_chancealot]

reply to post by sir_chancealot


What is your maintenance level of calories? You say 1000 calories/day is extremely restrictive, but if you don't know your maintenance, that is meaningless. A smaller person might only need 1000-1200 calories to maintain their weight.

Did you count calories while on the Atkin's diet? Even though you might not be consuming carbs, it's quite easy to exceed your limit since fat is higher in calories than protein and carbs. It contains > twice as much energy (9 kcal/g) as carbohydrates and proteins (4 kcal/g).

reply to post by Badge01


"The percentage here is relatively low." As in relative to the West. In the past decade it has increased after McDonalds invaded China, as the people of China's income bracket has increased.

Try to look for correlates. It wasn't always that way. What changed? Fast food came.

Originally posted by sir_chancealot
There are only 2 ways that I can lose weight.....

1) Go on an extremely restricted diet (Like about 1,000 "calories" a day). At that rate, I will loose 1 or 2 pounds a WEEK. The last time I did this, I dropped 30 pounds in about 3 months, but I was hungry all the time.

2) Go carb-free. I will loose 1-2 pounds A DAY. I lost 30 pounds in 30 days on the Atkins diet. (The 30 pounds I gained back from the other diet) And no, no one has 30 pounds of "excess water". Interestingly enough, the more FAT I add to the diet, the quicker I will lose weight. At one point (for 2 or 3 days), I was eating a half pound of bacon for breakfast, and dipping it in 1/4 stick of real butter. I was losing 3 pounds a DAY when I did that. It does get expensive though. You never go hungry on the Atkins diet.

[edit on 1-10-2007 by sir_chancealot]

Both are incredibly dangerous ways to lose weight.

The BEST way to reduce your weight is to cut out ALL processed Sugars and Grains PERIOD and instead of eating 3 big meals a day, eat 6 smaller meals spaces at 3-3 1/2 hours apart. Stop eating when you aren't hungry anymore. DO NOT EAT UNTIL YOU ARE STUFFED!!!!!!

Oh yeah, and excersize helps as well. I know what you're gonna say. "I got no time for excersizing after school/work cuz I'm just too tired" Well if you start excersizing, in a few months you will STOP BEING TIRED AND LAZY AFTER YOUR WORK DAY IS OVER! You will gradually build stamina and you'll look and feel sooo much better.

www.iwantsixpackabs.com...

Check this website out.

If you are eating that much carbs and feeling bloated afterwards and NOT gaining weight, you might want to get tested for Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance). At least look it up.

Overall how do you feel physically?

If you are on a completely chemical-free diet and eat only healthy foods, you don't have to limit your intake. You can eat as much as you want. No one has to be hungry in order to be healthy.

Originally posted by annestacey
If you are on a completely chemical-free diet and eat only healthy foods, you don't have to limit your intake. You can eat as much as you want. No one has to be hungry in order to be healthy.

BINGO! Hit the nail right on the head. And more eloquently as well.

[edit on 1-10-2007 by sardion2000]

reply to post by Relentless


Funny you should mention gluten intolerance. I can't take barley, gives me stomach cramps and sometimes diarrhoea.

Overall I feel ok. Usually hungry even after a meal. Sometimes I get light headed for no apparent reason, though. That's kind of worrying.

you are right it doesnt microsoft and xbox cause fat kids and add cookie monster in the mix and watch out. carbs are an esential part of the diet. in my op. it cant be healthy to cut back on carbs unless u are just lazy and arent gonna use them.

down with cookie monster for forcing our children to eat cookies and making americans fat..

[edit on 15amu42007 by DaleGribble]

I hope you were being sarcastic. Parents are there for a reason. What's so wrong with just kicking them outta the house for the day or signing them up for afterschool programs that keeps them active for more then a few hours a week in gym class....