Too much carbs?

El Guaraguao

Diamond Member
May 7, 2008
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going on a 2500 calorie daily intake. I dont eat this everyday. actually i eat oatmeal and 1 slice of bread with peanute butter almost everyday. the rice, beans and fish were my breakfast and dinner. yea, thats right, I ate rice and beans for dinner ;) I usually eat eggs and ham though. how are the numbers looking for weight loss?
 

Kipper

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2000
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How "good" the numbers are depends entirely on how large you are, what age, and what gender.

What type of diet are you following for weight loss? Or are you just cutting calories?

Variety in your diet is very poor, and low in fruits and vegetables, which is really where your focus should be. Color is one of the main ways of determining variety, and everything there is shades of brown or white.
 

Kipper

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2000
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How "good" the numbers are depends entirely on how large you are, what age, and what gender.

What type of diet are you following for weight loss? Or are you just cutting calories?

Variety in your diet is very poor, and low in fruits and vegetables, which is really where your focus should be. Color is one of the main ways of determining variety, and everything there is shades of brown or white.
 

brikis98

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2005
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I see pretty much no fruit, no veggies, lots of processed carbs (instant oatmeal, white rice, white bread) and possibly too little protein (although this very much depends on your weight & activity level). I'd strongly recommend eating more whole, unprocessed foods - especially lots of fruits & veggies - and that you ensure your protein intake is at least ~1g per pound of lbm (more if you do resistance training). This will make your diet healthier, more balanced and generally produce better hunger & energy levels through out the day.
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
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I see pretty much no fruit, no veggies, lots of processed carbs (instant oatmeal, white rice, white bread) and possibly too little protein (although this very much depends on your weight & activity level). I'd strongly recommend eating more whole, unprocessed foods - especially lots of fruits & veggies - and that you ensure your protein intake is at least ~1g per pound of lbm (more if you do resistance training). This will make your diet healthier, more balanced and generally produce better hunger & energy levels through out the day.

What would be an alternative to quick oats? I eat that every day for breakfast. I always thought they were pretty good for you. They have a decent amount of fiber in them. A quick google search reveals they have a glycemic index of 65, which isn't terribly high.

Also isn't it desirable to have high-GI carbs in the meal or 2 after a workout?
 
Mar 22, 2002
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What would be an alternative to quick oats? I eat that every day for breakfast. I always thought they were pretty good for you. They have a decent amount of fiber in them. A quick google search reveals they have a glycemic index of 65, which isn't terribly high.

Also isn't it desirable to have high-GI carbs in the meal or 2 after a workout?

Oats are fine. However, 4 cups of white rice isn't. The white rice has no fiber, no vitamins, no minerals. Unless the OP is an endurance runner, his diet is not very well-balanced. Even if he were, he's not eating any good foods full of nutrients.

OP: What are your goals? You've got to fix your diet no matter which way you look at it, but we can skew it toward your overall fitness goals if you tell us what you wanna do.
 

brikis98

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2005
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What would be an alternative to quick oats? I eat that every day for breakfast. I always thought they were pretty good for you. They have a decent amount of fiber in them. A quick google search reveals they have a glycemic index of 65, which isn't terribly high.
In general, there is nothing specifically wrong with quick oats as part of a balanced diet. However, as I said in my reply, mofoe's diet is anything but balanced: it consists primarily of processed carbs. In large quantities, these may screw up hunger levels, energy levels and the fat storage processes of the body. Of course, of the carbs he eats, the oats are probably the most healthy because of the whole grains, fiber, vitamins, etc. Still, depending on the brand, there may be lots of added sugar or various artificial ingredients.

If you like oats, by all means keep eating them, but just check the label and try to find a brand that uses as few ingredients (especially artificial ones) as possible. Alternatives for oats depend entirely on taste, but some typical choices include eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, bacon, nuts, nut butters, and fruit.

Also isn't it desirable to have high-GI carbs in the meal or 2 after a workout?
Every time I go back to look at this, I seem to find a different answer. This article and this article present a lot of the conflicting findings. In the end, I think it is far more important to ensure that your overall diet is solid through out the day then stress about the exact contents of your post workout meal. And if in doubt, just drink milk in large quantities and you'll be fine.
 
Mar 22, 2002
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In general, there is nothing specifically wrong with quick oats as part of a balanced diet. However, as I said in my reply, mofoe's diet is anything but balanced: it consists primarily of processed carbs. In large quantities, these may screw up hunger levels, energy levels and the fat storage processes of the body. Of course, of the carbs he eats, the oats are probably the most healthy because of the whole grains, fiber, vitamins, etc. Still, depending on the brand, there may be lots of added sugar or various artificial ingredients.

If you like oats, by all means keep eating them, but just check the label and try to find a brand that uses as few ingredients (especially artificial ones) as possible. Alternatives for oats depend entirely on taste, but some typical choices include eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, bacon, nuts, nut butters, and fruit.


Every time I go back to look at this, I seem to find a different answer. This article and this article present a lot of the conflicting findings. In the end, I think it is far more important to ensure that your overall diet is solid through out the day then stress about the exact contents of your post workout meal. And if in doubt, just drink milk in large quantities and you'll be fine.

To address the last part of the statement: fructose has a glycemic index of zero. It is actually the fastest way to restore liver glycogen, if that is the goal of eating high GI carbs after a workout. GI is a fairly outdated scale now that doesn't take everything into mind.
 

jiggahertz

Golden Member
Apr 7, 2005
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To address the last part of the statement: fructose has a glycemic index of zero. It is actually the fastest way to restore liver glycogen, if that is the goal of eating high GI carbs after a workout. GI is a fairly outdated scale now that doesn't take everything into mind.

While GI may not tell the full story, the GI of fructose is not 0.
 

brikis98

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2005
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Did I read this right? Bacon as an alternative to oats?

You conveniently removed all the context around it (including the part where I said "If you like oats, by all means keep eating them"), but yes, bacon is a great addition to a balanced breakfast. I wouldn't eat only bacon, just like I wouldn't eat only oatmeal, but there is nothing wrong with either assuming the ingredients are natural/unprocessed.
 

darkxshade

Lifer
Mar 31, 2001
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You conveniently removed all the context around it (including the part where I said "If you like oats, by all means keep eating them"), but yes, bacon is a great addition to a balanced breakfast. I wouldn't eat only bacon, just like I wouldn't eat only oatmeal, but there is nothing wrong with either assuming the ingredients are natural/unprocessed.


I removed the context because I was under the (apprently misguided)impression that bacon under any context is rather unhealthy. When I saw that, I just couldn't help but sing in my mind...

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
...
 

SludgeFactory

Platinum Member
Sep 14, 2001
2,969
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1000 cal from a starchy carb like white rice is just too much IMO, given that you're taking in 2500 total calories and on a weight loss program. Don't do that very often, stick with the eggs like you usually eat.

Your protein is probably too low. Protein is the best appetite blunter. Also fiber.

The fish is good, for the omega 3 fatty acids. Do you regularly get omega 3's in your daily diet?
 

darkxshade

Lifer
Mar 31, 2001
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Normal (not turkey) bacon is fine as part of a balanced diet.


Isn't it full of saturated fat and cholesterol? Of course anything in moderation is fine but I commonly hear health gurus and dieticians label bacon as something that should be avoided like the plague. Doesn't stop me from eating it when I like but I had no idea it was ok as part of balanced breakfast daily? [emphasis on daily]
 

brikis98

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2005
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Isn't it full of saturated fat and cholesterol? Of course anything in moderation is fine but I commonly hear health gurus and dieticians label bacon as something that should be avoided like the plague. Doesn't stop me from eating it when I like but I had no idea it was ok as part of balanced breakfast daily? [emphasis on daily]

It does have a fair amount of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, but lots of recent research is showing that those are not nearly as bad for you as previously thought. Read Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories if you're interested in this, or at least check out the very condensed version of his arguments in What if It's All Been a Big, Fat Lie?. Moreover, about half of the fat in bacon is monounsaturated, which even these "health gurus" consider healthy. Assuming your diet is reasonably balanced (ie, you aren't eating only bacon), it's fine to eat it daily.
 
Last edited:
Mar 22, 2002
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Isn't it full of saturated fat and cholesterol? Of course anything in moderation is fine but I commonly hear health gurus and dieticians label bacon as something that should be avoided like the plague. Doesn't stop me from eating it when I like but I had no idea it was ok as part of balanced breakfast daily? [emphasis on daily]

Dietary cholesterol has been shown not to effect serum cholesterol levels. You can ask any nutritionist that's up to date on their research. Saturated fats DO increase LDLs, but it's the large buoyant LDLs compared to small dense LDLs (which are the ones that burrow and cause oxidation in the blood vessels).

Everything must be eaten in moderation. If you eat three pieces of cooked bacon each day, you're only taking in 10g of fat, some of which is monounsaturated fats. Also, depending on the rest of your diet and your activity levels, it may be beneficial to add it. The problem is that most people who eat bacon every day, eat a lot of other stuff soaked in processed vegetable oils, lard, etc. That's not a balance.
 

jiggahertz

Golden Member
Apr 7, 2005
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Glycemic index tracks the insulin response of the body to glucose. Fructose has no insulin response and therefore has a LOW glycemic index. Sorry, misspoke.

No, GI tracks glucose response which is often correlated to the insulin response, but not always. Fructose is low on the GI and II scales, but that doesn't mean it produces no insulin response.
 
Mar 22, 2002
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No, GI tracks glucose response which is often correlated to the insulin response, but not always. Fructose is low on the GI and II scales, but that doesn't mean it produces no insulin response.

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/4/629

That link begs to differ. Fructose alone generates near-to-no insulin response, while in the presence of glucose, it modifies the insulin response. So I'll repeat - fructose alone does not stimulate insulin. Fructose + glucose does.
 

Kipper

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2000
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http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/4/629

That link begs to differ. Fructose alone generates near-to-no insulin response, while in the presence of glucose, it modifies the insulin response. So I'll repeat - fructose alone does not stimulate insulin. Fructose + glucose does.

In theory, fructose would indirectly be able to stimulate an insulin response because it is convertible to glucose - but of course, it can be converted into a dozen other things, as well - and by the time it's glucose it is no longer fructose.

Of course, all this is a moot point to argue because insulin secretion begins in anticipation of food even before food enters the mouth, and no person eats fructose in a vacuum except in a study. Arguing whether or not fructose spikes insulin levels or not ignores the reality of how people eat.