Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 275 posts

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#201

Post by travmatt »

xiaoma wrote: post #171
nf05papsjfVbc wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really really tough to achieve or maintain 0 carbs in a day's food intake. This is one of the reasons why you'll not come across many who have done it. On a keto diet, one can attain < 20g carbs per day with some struggle but to cut it out entirely is really hard without missing some other essential nutrients - because at least some carbs tag along with other things.

It's not really. Most traditional religions have fasting practices and pretty much all our ancestors did it from time to time. A 7 day fast here and there is completely natural and not that hard after the first 30-50 hours.

Your point is irrelevant - the post you replied to asserted that it's tough to create a diet with no carbs, to which your suggestion is to not eat at all. Not eating is not a sustainable diet.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#202

Post by HenryTheHorse »

shadykiller wrote: post #102

Being an Indian, I was raised on a diet with the major macro-nutrient as carbohydrates (wheat and rice), it was hard to switch to a low carb ketogenic diet. But once I switched the health benefits were tremendous - 30lb weight loss and prediabetic symptoms gone. Also, ketogenic doesn't mean you completely give up on carbs. I take about 2-3 cups of green vegetables everyday. These veggies have very low amount of carbs…

Curious - what does a low-carb Indian/vegetarian diet look like? It seems like one simply can't avoid rice and roti.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#203

Post by siegecraft »

panglott wrote: post #166

There's a lot of people here who are really into this, but this is really the opinion of a minority of nutrionists, without a large body of scientific evidence supporting them. Low-carb diets are being sold to the public on a ridiculous premise: the quality of foods can be identified based on their major macronutrients, and "carbs" consists of a coherent group of foods. This is ridiculous because it lumps refined sug…

> This is ridiculous because it lumps refined sugars in the same category as nutritious vegetables.

It doesn't, though. Low carb diets focus on net carbs, which is carbs minus dietary fiber, and guess what: nutritious vegetables have a lot of dietary fiber and a lot fewer carbohydrates than refined sugar products.

An optimal low carb diet is mostly protein, vegetables and greens (especially nutrient dense ones like kale, spinach, collard greens, etc). It seems like your brother-in-law was just ill-informed about his diet.

As far as a meat-centered goes, protein is the only absolutely essential macronutrient. You can live without fat and/or carbohydrates, assuming you get your other micronutrients (vitamins, electrolytes, etc). You cannot live without protein.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#204

Post by FussyZeus »

philipkglass wrote: post #126
FussyZeus wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your foreign friends were onto it; the problem is that those carb-rich foods in the US are by and large CRAMMED with sugar, which doubles down the effect; carbs to trigger the insulin response, and sugar that the body can convert extremely efficiently to fat. Homemade pasta is incredibly healthy; you still should meter your intake of course, but for the most part it's very good for you (especially if you're doing a l…

I was more questioning statements like The average consumer is not even remotely prepared in a fight against a food industry with thousands of PhD's working to make the food as addictive as possible -- food from the laboratories of Chef Boyardee is not alluring for people who haven't already acquired the taste. If you're not conditioned to it, it's repulsive to eat otherwise-bland food that's sweet and salty. I find…

> food from the laboratories of Chef Boyardee is not alluring for people who haven't already acquired the taste.

And that's the most insidious part (and why obesity tends to paradoxically trend up toward lower income households). This cheap, shitty food is extremely attractive to the people most vulnerable to the addictive behaviors; people who already lack most luxuries, are often short on extra time or energy (i.e. working two jobs), and people who work with children in the household (often too tired or want time/energy to devote to their children) and don't cook. You can call it irresponsible or what have you (as many do) but I mean, you go out and work a 12 hour day and then go home and spend an hour prepping a healthy meal. Then do it tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#205

Post by Dirlewanger »

overcast wrote: post #145
bonniemuffin wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure this varies between people, but for me, moderation in carbs doesn't work. Having a small scoop of ice cream or a little bit of pasta is completely unsatisfying, and in fact ignites a craving to stuff my face until my stomach hurts. It's like telling an alcoholic to just have one glass of wine a day-- yeah that would be great if it works, but it's not really helpful advice for some people.

Not sure I would equate that to alcoholism. How about rather than a scoop of ice cream every day. You have a bowl of it on Friday night watching a movie? Rest of the week, eat healthier. It's all about calories consumed, and used. You want to eat a ton of ice cream, go for it. Just be aware you've used up all of your caloric intake for the day.

Nah, according to Dr. Robert Lustig, sugar, specifically fructose, behaves pretty much the same as ethanol in our bodies. Look up his Sugar: the Bitter Truth video on YouTube.

It's not that much of a stretch to see it that way either: alcohol is nutritionally barren. And instead of raising blood sugar, it lowers it, thus rendering one prone to cravings for poor carbs.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#206

Post by ambivalents »

cableshaft wrote: post #40
rainbowmverse wrote: post #7

I don't know if it's exciting advancements in food science or something else, but I used to be able to make a bag of chips last a month. Now I just can't buy them because they disappear within a day. What's weird is I can eat carb-rich foods and get a very different result from what the researchers in this article found. It seems to have more to do with the composition of the meal than the exact nutritional content.…

I'm surprised you were hungry on low-carb. You can still eat just as many calories, and fat usually does a better job of keeping people satiated. As for tired, you might have been low on electrolytes. Your need for electrolytes goes up on low carb. Whenever I've tried a carb heavy diet, I always felt like I was starving myself to lose any weight at all (usually give up after 15lbs). With low carb, I barely keep track…

I also felt hungry on low-carb. Actually, "deprived" is a more accurate descriptor than "hungry." There was a gnawing sensation during/after every meal that badly wanted rice/potatoes/something carby to round out the meal. Without them I never felt satisfied. All the avocado/butter/cheese in the world didn't sate that sensation. Maybe that goes away after a while, I never lasted too long on low carb.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#207

Post by jshevek »

johnwilkesbooth wrote: post #197
ksk wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is rather rude. Your single data point (if we are to be generous and call it data) doesn't change the fact that an overwhelming majority, heck probably 99.9% of humans that ever lived included various sources of carbs in their diets (save famine and other such events), and our bodies have evolved to support such diets. We're here because our ancestors ate carbs. The long term effects of ketogenic diets OTOH are…

> That is rather rude Not my intention at all, and honestly I don't see how my comment conveys this. > Your single data point Sure, plus the countless others who lead a healthy, low-carb lifestyle. > 99.9% of humans that ever lived included various sources of carbs in their diets (save famine and other such events), and our bodies have evolved to support such diets My point wasn't that carbs preclude you from leading…

You are correct on nearly all points, and the parents is wrong in nearly all of their points.

However, I believe they are technically correct that we "are here because our ancestors ate carbs". This is not to say that carbs are healthy or necessary for modern humans, only that our ability to live on a diversity of energy sources was hugely beneficial, and almost certainly necessary, for the survival of our distant ancestors.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#208

Post by netman21 »

[Anecdotal] I have been on a 15-20g of carbs per day diet for 41 days. Giving up carbs feels like breaking an addiction and I treat it that way. I took it in stages so lessened the impact of keto-flu. I was gluten free for 2.5 years. Giving up all wheat oats, and barely products (accept beer and whiskey)was the hardest stage. After three weeks of withdrawal I lost all interest in bread/pasta/pastries/sweets. But I still ate substitutes like potatoes and rice. Four months ago I gave up beer/wine/whisky to address tension headaches (no improvement, thankfully). So when I was inspired to go ketogenic it was relatively easy. I don't find it difficult at all. Business meals invariably involve steak or fish. I am never hungry so long airplane rides can be addressed with maybe a handful of nuts and lots of water.

The author's claims of difficulty derive from treating himself to sweets on occasion. That is like a smoker being a social smoker. They never manage to quit and always have the cravings.

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#209

Post by sn9 »

Ixiaus wrote: post #104
mcone wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife is a Type-1 diabetic and I'm fairly confident that there's no such thing as a "zero carb" diet. She's had several endocrinologists tell her that she needs to eat carbohydrates. This is definitely something we need to survive! More importantly, there are naturally occurring carbohydrates in most unprocessed foods (greens, vegetables, beans, etc). Obviously "refined carbohydrates" are different — that's the sug…

There is no essential carbohydrate, the body can derive any glucose it needs from essential fats and proteins. That said, I'm keto and find it difficult to stay under 30 grams of carbohydrates per-day simply because carbs are in so many foods. I've, a few times, gone "strict" keto i.e 10g< of total carbs per day which includes indigestible fiber and I (anecdata coming at you) felt great.

Surely that should be "anecadatum"?

Re: Why Cutting Carbs Is So Tough

#210

Post by jshevek »

overcast wrote: post #61
majkinetor wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Moderation" doesn't mean anything, obviously.

You're wrong, moderation is lowering the % of something contained in your diet. Instead of 40% of your diet consisting of carbohydrates, how about trying 30%. Work from there. Jumping on this no carb nonsense, is not an existence I want to live.

What you describe is "reduction", not "moderation"
Post reply on HN